Girl Gear 4: Striptease Read Free Page A

and hoping no one would mention the fact that when Lauren and Anton split up last year, he’d spent those few weeks dating Poe.
    And though Melanie hadn’t been along on the group vacation where the two feuding lovers got their act back together, she’d heard through the grapevine that Poe had laid her intentions to pursue Anton on the line—the very wake-up call Lauren had needed.
    “Poe, we really are going to have to find you a man.” Still dealing with the initial craziness of launching the gUIDANCE gIRL mentoring program, Chloe Zuniga diffused the bomb. “You’ve clearly been too long without or you would remember how much fun you can have with a man and a vibrator at the same time.”
    “Speaking from personal experience, Chloe dear?” Poe’s bow-shaped mouth remained unsmiling even as her dark, almond-shaped eyes glittered brightly.
    “Yes, Eric and I have a great sex life, thanks for asking.” Chloe gave her one-time nemesis, now very good friend, a withering look, then blew Lauren a thank-you kiss and fastened a pink quartz bracelet around her wrist. “But I’m talking about Lauren and Anton.”
    “Hey, now.” Lauren frowned. “I’m not sure everyone needs to know the details of my married sex life.”
    “As if it’s any different than your single sex life,” Macy teased, looping the slender silver chain around her ankle.
    “You might want to be careful there, Ms. Webb.” Lauren leaned across the conference room table andarched both shapely brows. “I doubt there’s a ladies’ room in the city that hasn’t witnessed your Mr. Redding dropping his pants.”
    From the head of the room, Sydney groaned. “Must we talk about Leo’s…pants?”
    “Or his lack thereof?” Melanie pushed her glasses up her nose and laughed. “You need to learn to knock, Syd. That’ll save you from any future, uh, exposure should Macy and Leo decide they can’t wait till they get home.”
    “Last year’s open house incident was enough, Mel. I really didn’t need the reminder.” Sydney cringed while draping her new hand-painted silk scarf over one shoulder. “Now, I hate to be the bad guy here, but are we almost finished?”
    “C’mon, Syd. How often do we get to marry off a partner?” Chloe asked.
    “That’s the first thing I want to talk about. These last few months have been insane with the never-ending showers and the bachelorette party and the wedding and Lauren out for a month-long honeymoon. So…” Sydney paused, made sure she had everyone’s attention “…no more weddings allowed. With, of course, the exception of my marriage to Ray.”
    “Sydney!”
    “Oh my gawd! Ray proposed!”
    “When?”
    Sydney waved off the burst of rapid-fire comments. “No date. No date. Just…eventually. But the rest of you can forget it. The company can’t afford but one or two of these extended vacations.”
    “Hear, hear,” Melanie seconded.
    She pulled the last of the wrapping from her box as, with a twist of her mouth, Sydney went on to add,“And now that Ray has popped the question, I’m calling dibs on the second—”
    “Lauren! This is absolutely gorgeous! Oh, Syd, I’m sorry. But this…” Melanie really hadn’t meant to shriek, or to cut off the boss, but she’d opened Lauren’s gift and…and… this was totally unreal! “I can’t believe it. I know this sculptor, and you spent way too much money.”
    “No, I didn’t,” Lauren stated, as Melanie turned the frosted-glass figurine over and around in her hands. “I found it in a tiny antique shop. A secondhand place. I don’t think they knew what they had. But I knew you had to have it.”
    The female nude was sculpted in the style of Lalique. The piece was absolutely exquisite, the woman kneeling with her hands spread over her belly beneath her bare breasts, her head tossed back and her eyes closed.
    Yet it fit in the palm of Melanie’s hand. “You know I’m going to kill myself if I break this before I get it home.”
    Lauren