Strip Search Read Free

song 'Beat It.' "
    With a hand over her mouth, Lucia stifled another laugh. "Well, maybe your second candidate will be an improvement. He's certainly very easy on the eyes."
    With that cryptic comment, Lucia disappeared. She might be a refined history professor, but that twinkle in her eye was pure mischief. Maybe her sister was being facetious.
    "Bring him on," Nicki called.
    A moment later, the stage door creaked, then slammed shut. Dang it, she really needed to buy some WD-40 for that...
    Oh. My. God.
    Through the stage door and past the black curtain, her second audition entered the room. Nicki lost her breath--and the ability not to gape like an utter idiot.
    Who was this Adonis dressed in a crisp white collared shirt and black leather pants? A glance at her list told Nicki that his name was Mark Gabriel. Such an innocuous few syllables to term the embodiment of every sexual fantasy she ever remembered having.
    The room felt warm suddenly as he stepped onto the stage, under the dimmed lights, a worn leather backpack slung over one shoulder. Lord, he was huge--very tall, broad, bursting with muscle. Blond hair an amazing golden color hung past his collar. His eyes--green? Maybe darker?--pierced her as he nodded.
    "Miss DiStefano."
    Wow, his deep, powerful voice alone was orgasm-inducing. Would he be offended if she told him she wanted to take Polaroids so she could fantasize about him the next time she spent a lonely morning with her battery-operated boyfriend? And could she get an MP3 of him saying her name, just for effect?
    "C-call me Nicki."
    Was she actually stuttering? He hadn't danced a step, and she was acting like a groupie. Most likely, he got that a lot.
    "Nicki," he returned smoothly.
    Was it her imagination, or were her panties actually turning damp?
    "And you're Mark?" she managed to say in a somewhat even tone.
    "Yes."
    Not a big talker, apparently. That was just as well. All she really wanted to do was look at him ... fantasize about touching.
    Wait! It's an audition, not a grope fest, logic screeched. Wishing that logic would keep its nose out of her thoughts, she returned her full attention to Mr. Yummy-Enough-to-Drool-on.
    "Ever done this sort of work before? I didn't get a resume from you."
    "No."
    No explanation. No offer to get her a resume. Interesting ...
    "Where are you from?"
    "Florida."
    Which explained the gorgeous golden skin. "That's a long way from Vegas."
    "Looking for a change of scenery."
    Nicki hesitated. Something in Mark's face, a certain tenseness maybe, seemed to say it was far more complicated than having grown tired of looking at palm trees and beaches. But it really wasn't any of her business. The man was here for a job. If she hired him and he did it well, then the rest, his past, whatever--it didn't matter.
    "Can you dance?"
    He shrugged one massive shoulder, even as his lips--oh, how did she miss that scrumptious mouth earlier?--curled up in a smile. "I get by."
    Lord, he gave her the tingles. Why was she interrogating him? He could stand perfectly still and make them both a small fortune. A fortune she desperately needed, if she ever wanted financial independence and freedom from the tight press of her Uncle Pietro's thumb.
    Still, it wasn't in her nature to take anything at face value, especially men, even if her hormones were doing the mambo.
    "Can you flirt?" she asked. "This job requires it."
    As if she had challenged his very manhood, Mark set down his backpack, eased off the stage, and strode toward her table. He didn't swagger--it would have been too cheesy on him. He ... prowled, as if hunting someone. Her, by the look on his face.
    And what a face it was. Square jaw, square chin, covered with a fine five o'clock shadow.
    As he edged closer, Nicki realized his eyes were neither green nor brown. They were somewhere in between, like moss growing over rich earth. They were gorgeous, and she wondered if he was aware of her awestruck stare. Lord, bury her in a hole now if he