Lethal Seduction Read Free

to attention. “Yes, Mr. S.”
    And she was gone.
    â€œSo . . .” Victor said, turning to Madison. “You don’t care to tell me what this is about?”
    â€œHey,” she answered, purposely keeping it vague. “It’s not about me, that should be enough.”
    â€œWell, it isn’t,” he grumbled.
    â€œDon’t sweat it, Victor,” she said casually. “You wouldn’t be interested anyway.”
    â€œYou need a man,” Victor said, his favorite comment whenever she pissed him off. “How long is it since David walked?”
    â€œStay out of my private life,” she warned.
    â€œYou’re twenty-nine and you have no private life,” he reminded her.
    God! How she hated it when Victor tried to get into her business. “Fuck you!” she said vehemently.
    â€œAny time you’re ready.”
    She burst out laughing. There was no way she could stay mad at Victor; after all, he meant well, even though he was forever trying to fix her up with any single man that came his way. He didn’t care how old they were or what they looked like, as long as they had a reasonable bank account and a working cock he was determined she should give them a try.
    She’d given up accepting invitations to dinner at his home. The last one she’d attended she’d found herself seated between an extremely ancient astronaut and a twenty-one-year-old computer nerd. Both interesting men—but dating material?—no way.
    I don’t mind being alone, she told herself.
    Yes, you do, an annoying little voice that lived in the back of her head replied.
    NO! I don’t!
    Ten minutes later, armed with the name K. Florian and a phone number, she left the office, cutting down Sixty-seventh Street toward her apartment on Lexington. Now that she had the number she decided she’d better check with Jamie beforeusing it. That evening they were both attending a dinner party at Anton Couch’s penthouse apartment, so she’d be able to find out exactly what Jamie wanted her to do.
    Yes, and she’d also be able to check out Peter, see what he was up to.
    Her people skills were excellent. If Peter was screwing around on Jamie, Madison’d know it. No doubt of that.

CHAPTER
2
    â€œI WANT HIM DEAD !” Rosarita Vincent Falcon screeched, red in the face. “Dead! Dead! Dead!”
    â€œLower your voice,” her father growled, his heavy-lidded eyes filled with disapproval at his daughter’s petulant outburst. “Ya want the whole fuckin’ neighborhood t’hear?”
    â€œWho cares?” Rosarita yelled. “You own the fucking neighborhood!”
    â€œNice language,” sniffed Chas Vincent, a large bear of a man with ruddy cheeks and a rough-edged voice. “Is that what I sent ya t’college t’learn?”
    â€œFuck college! Fuck the neighborhood! I want Dex fucking Falcon dead!”
    â€œA little louder,” Chas growled, sweat beading his forehead. “The maid next door didn’t hear ya.”
    Rosarita stamped her foot on the thick pile rug. What was wrong with her stupid father? Why wasn’t he getting it?
    At five feet four, Rosarita was bordering on anorexic, helped along by bulimic tendencies. She was twenty-six, with red hair worn in a shoulder-length bob, a thin, pointy face, overfull lips (thanks to her busy plastic surgeon, who’d also helped out with a new nose and cheekbone and chin implants—not tomention the best boobs in Manhattan) and plenty of attitude. Especially when it came to her husband of eighteen months, struggling actor and sometime model Dexter Falcon. She’d married him because he was unbelievably handsome, had an enormous underwear billboard hovering above Times Square and was absolutely crazy about her.
    She’d thought he was destined to be a movie star. But no, the only acting job Dexter Falcon had managed to land was on an