Tell Me Something Good Read Free Page B

his
grandmother, but she seemed not to notice. “Nice to see you,
Felice.”
    “Give me a call,” Felice purred. “Daddy is
having one of his famous fishing events at our camp in a couple of
weeks. You’d love it.”
    “I’ll get back to you,” Noel said.
    “Be sure you do,” she said, dropping her
voice to a soft, intimate timbre. Felice walked away from him with
hips swaying.
    Lyrissa watched from her vantage point and
rolled her eyes. Oh, please, she muttered to herself.
    “I’ll get the car in a minute, Grandmother. I
want to say goodbye to Ms. Rideau,” Noel said and headed to
Lyrissa’s office.
    Mrs. St. Denis pursed her thin lips in an
expression of displeasure, but said nothing. She nodded
distractedly as Mr. Taylor prattled on excitedly about the
collection. Noel strolled into Lyrissa’s office as though he
belonged there. Noting his serene confidence, Lyrissa was sure
there had never been a time when he didn’t feel he belonged.
    She stiffened her spine, determined to resist
his unsettling ability to get her blood pumping. Thinking about the
wide social gulf between them helped, a little. A small shock of
heat went down her back when he walked right up to her.
    “Thanks for the personal attention,” Noel
said with a winning smile that could soften any heart of stone.
    Lyrissa put on a reserved smile. “We work
hard to give special treatment to all our clients.”
    Noel lifted one dark eyebrow at her. “I
understand,” he said without losing his good humor. A teasing glint
lit his gorgeous eyes. “I look forward to seeing you again soon.”
She cleared her throat. His cocky expression seemed to say, “It’s
not over, lady, VU get to you yet.” Lyrissa added a bit more ice to
her attitude. “Goodbye, Mr. St. Denis,” she said in her most formal
tone.
    Noel merely nodded and left. Only when he was
several yards away did she let out a long breath. She watched his
graceful stride as he went through the glass doors and down the
sidewalk until he was out of sight. She shook her head slowly. If
only he weren’t a St. Denis, she groaned inwardly. Warning signals
clanged that she shouldn’t even think about it. After a few seconds
she realized the clanging sound was actually the phone on her desk
ringing. Her eyes still on the door, she picked up the slim
receiver.
    “Hello. Yes, they’re just leaving now,” she
said. “Don’t worry. We’ll have our painting back in the next few
weeks.”
     
     
     

Chapter 2
     
     
    Noel eased his pearl white Infiniti 130 into
downtown traffic on Poydras Boulevard. His thoughts were still at
Taylor Gallery. Lyrissa Rideau had left a strong sensory
impression. He could still smell the subtle floral scent of her
cologne. Each time she’d moved, the scent floated toward him, faint
enough to tease and make him want more. Then there was the way she
moved. Her shapely legs, revealed beneath her short gray skirt,
could stop traffic. Like a camera, the image in his mind moved up
her fine figure to her face. She had smiled at him and the hairs on
his arms stood at attention. But she’d been reserved, almost
disinterested. Noel wasn’t used to that reaction from women, at
least when he noticed. The plain fact was he rarely did. Women came
to him. Few of them were re-strained about it. Maybe that was it He
simply hadn’t recognized a more modest approach. His grandmother’s
voice broke into his attempts to solve the puzzle.
    “I’m surprised you’re not on your cell phone
to the office or speeding to get back there.” She gave him an
appraising glance.
    “Nothing urgent going on there today,” he
reminded her, stopping at a red light.
    “There’s always something urgent when you nm
a business, son. Staying one step ahead of your competition and
customers is urgent,” she said, quoting a small portion of her
usual lecture on succeeding in business.
    “Yes, Miss Georgina,” Noel said, using the
name most people called her. He shrugged. “Carlton is