Lovestruck Read Free Page B

dream man come to life. Jenny held back a sigh. Mike always looked good in whatever he wore, even in his work uniform.
    Tonya went over and Mike gave her big bear hug. He lifted her up and she giggled.
    "Hey there, handsome." She kissed him on the cheek. In return, he gave her a loud smack on the lips.
    "What are you two hemming and hawing about?"
    "Jeffery's on the war path. He let me have it as soon as I came in today. And Tonya is lamenting about Tom."
    "I'm not." Tonya insisted.
    Mike dropped his arm on her shoulder. "Hey, Red, if you ever need to talk, all joking aside, you know where to find me. You don't have to hide your feelings from us.
    We know the separation is hard."
    Tonya looked down at the rug. "I'm going to start divorce proceedings."
    Mike and Jenny fell silent.
    "Oh, Tonya," Jenny finally said as she walked over and gave her a hug.
    Tonya hugged her back and then moved away to finish her dusting. Jenny noticed the tears in her friend's eyes, but didn't make a comment. She looked at Mike and he shrugged.
     
    "Don't worry; I'll take her to The Watering Hole tonight and we'll drown our sorrows in some beer."
    "I heard that, MacGillicuty, and I'm on to you. You just want an excuse to flirt with my brother and try to go home with him."
    Mike put his hand on his hip. "I'm offended. I'm thinking of you, and just being a good friend. If something happens between your brother and me, like, say, I give him a blow job in his office, it's meant to be."
    " Eeewww ." Tonya came at him with her dust cloth, and Mike began to back out of the room. He looked at the clock on the bedside table and frowned. "Oops, ten minutes until my shift starts. Gotta run!"
    Jenny held her stomach, laughing as Tonya smacked Mike in the ass with the dust cloth. As Mike stumbled out of the room clutching his butt, Tony, one of the hotel's part-time bell hops, appeared in the doorway.
    "Yo, you guys, some shit is going down."
    All three turned and looked at the teenager.
    Mike skidded to a halt. "What's up, dude?"
    Tony rubbed a hand over his short, spiky hair. "I heard Bane talking on his cell.
    The Barracuda's coming here this afternoon to check out us drones and see how things are running."
    Jenny walked over to Tony. "She never comes here to check things out. It's always one of her assistants or her VP." She turned to look back at her friends. "I wonder what's up?"
    Mike shrugged and fixed his tie. "Maybe because she hasn't been here in such a long time she wanted to see what the deal is? Maybe it's nothing."
    Jenny nodded. "I hope you're right. In all the time I've worked here, I've never seen her. Want to hear something funny? Her older brother is Dean of the Business department at my school. He teaches the Ethics in Business class."
    "Oh, spooky." Mike held up his hands in mock fear.
    Jenny whacked him on the shoulder.
     
    "I dunno, but Bane sent me to find you." Tony reached into his side pocket for a piece of gum.
    Jenny rolled her eyes and pretended to cock a gun with her fingers, pressing it against the side of her head.
    Tonya laughed. "Well, dearies, I have to finish my rounds. Back into the fire you go." She gave Jenny a light push. Jenny followed Mike and Tony back down to the lobby where they would see The Barracuda in person.
     

     
    Barbara wanted the day to be over. She glanced at her watch. It was just going on one o'clock and this afternoon had to be one of her shittiest in a decade. The morning went down the toilet the moment she arrived at the office. The third assistant she'd hired this year quit over the phone, her inbox had exploded with emails, which took hours to read and answer, and she'd had to reschedule a meeting with her accountant.
    Now, scarfing down a granola bar as she rushed to her car to head out for an appointment at the St. Jennings, she wondered what else could go wrong.
    The drive took less than ten minutes in midday traffic. Before her driver, Ted, could assist her, Barbara grabbed her briefcase,