Missed Connections: Stepping Out Read Free Page B

for drool before you leave him.”
    “Funny.” At least Karen gave decent notice. Not one of Mia’s vague descriptions.
    When Gwen wandered into the conference room a few minutes later, she saw a dark-haired man leaning over the table looking at something. From the back, he appeared tall, muscular, and, yeah, sexy, filling out a dark blue sweater and jeans. Talk about a nice ass and a set of shoulders to go with it.
    Then he turned around, and her day went straight to hell.
     
    CONLAN THOUGHT THE idea to merge advice pieces pure genius and wondered why they hadn’t tried it before. Guidance from a man and woman on any given subject always invited interest as well as discussion.
    Seeing Gwen again hadn’t been on his radar.
    “Well, well,” he said with a smile he didn’t feel. She looked shell-shocked. Good. “If it isn’t my slutty date from last night.” Yeah, slutty. He went there, though truth be told, this woman looked worlds apart from the one he’d dined with at Donton’s.
    Gone was the rat-teased hair. Gwen wore her blue-black hair neat and back in a ponytail. She had a fringe of bangs that softened her gorgeous features, making her approachable and not just mesmerizing. Without all the garish makeup from last night, she looked vulnerable, innocent even.
    Her clothing was a one-eighty as well. Jeans that fit her without being too tight molded to her fine ass and long legs. Her U of O sweatshirt supported the team while hinting at the curves he’d been unable to look away from last night.
    And the woman wore glasses. Red frames with purple handles that she’d pushed up on top of her head while she pinched the bridge of her nose. Glasses had always been his kryptonite with women. Nothing hotter than an intelligent sex kitten. Not that Gwen fit that bill, on the inside at least.
    “God couldn’t be this cruel on a Friday,” she groaned.
    He snorted. “Apparently, he can. I mean, what are the odds I’m stuck with a two-timing little witch who’s not only a cock-tease, but who also stuck me with an astronomically high bill last night?”
    Her bright grin should have pissed him off, but instead she intrigued him. This Gwen he wanted to get to know. To get more ammunition for his sister, he hastily reminded himself.
    The wattage on her mean smile increased. “I hope it hurt—bad. Three, four hundred dollars?”
    “Two-fifty,” he muttered.
    “Good. You cheating louse.”
    “Ha. I’m not a cheater. You are.”
    “Oh?” She planted her hands on her hips. “ My fiancée isn’t pregnant. In fact, I’m not engaged, dating, or married. But you are.”
    “Actually, I’m not.” He dropped that bomb with pleasure. “My sister is pregnant and engaged to the horse’s ass you were supposed to meet last night. Maybe if you weren’t so loose with your time—and other parts of you”—he added with a leer down her front—“you’d know that.”
    She blinked. “Wait. What?”
    “Yeah, that’s right, princess. Aaron Scott, my unfortunate sister’s fiancé, is the loser who was supposed to meet you for dinner and tricks afterward. I went in his place to save my sister the heartache.” He sneered at her, wishing she was uglier the day after and not more attractive.
    “No way. That’s why I—”
    Karen, the Bend Voice ’s editor in chief, interrupted. “Hey, you two good to go?”
    “Yes,” he said at the same time Gwen answered, “No.”
    Karen apparently heard what she wanted. “Great. I’ll e-mail you a test question. Have your responses to me by Monday. Then we’ll talk about how you want to play this for the camera.” She turned and addressed Conlan. “I’m overseeing this. I talked it over with Ted, and he agreed.”
    Ted was Conlan’s boss. If Ted had okayed Karen, Conlan had no problem accepting her input.
    He nodded. “Fine by me. I’ll do my part. See if you can get your society princess to do hers.” Then he left before he said or did anything else he shouldn’t. Like