The Principles Of Lust Read Free Page B

Teal. Letting her know you’re my little sister might bite you in the ass.”
    “Come on, Dom. Do this for me please? You’re a top dog at that newspaper, she’ll listen to you.” Teal hated the whiny note that entered her voice, especially since she was talking to her big brother, who sometimes liked to take his role as her protector too far. She’d worked long and hard to get him to understand that she could look after herself. But this was for business, not personal. He’d understand that. “I’ve never tried to cash in on your celebrity before, but I can’t get any sort of response from her.”
    “Celebrity!” His derisive snort echoed clearly through the phone lines. “I swear Mom carried a piece of the Blarney stone around in her pocket when she was pregnant with you, Teal.”
    “Please, Dom. Please, please, please,” she injected as much emotion as she could into the last three words. It wasn’t hard since she really did need the exposure.
    “Damn it, Teal.” A heavy sigh came across the line and her heart expanded. “While flattery will get you nowhere with me, blood will. I’ll see what I can do.”
    Relief flowed over her. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, Dominick. I owe you.”
    “Yeah, you do. And you can repay me by telling me when you were going to inform me you’re being harassed.”
    She squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m not being harassed, Dominick.”
    “So you haven’t had a problem with graffiti and nasty messages?”  
    “There have been a few incidents, but its just kids. The neighbourhood.”
    “I don’t like it, Teal. Tell me again why you think that warehouse is a good location for you?”  
    “Because it’s close enough to Whyte Ave that I’m easily accessible to tourists and shoppers, but far enough away that people won’t feel on display when they walk into an erotic art gallery. I want them curious and comfortable, not embarrassed that someone might see them walking out with a paper bag in their hands.” Nothing much about sex or sexuality embarrassed her, but she knew that a lot of people were like Brina Jo. People who kept all things sexual private and personal.
    “Who told you about the pranks anyway?” She hadn’t mentioned it to anyone.
    “I have friends that work in that area. They mentioned it. Speaking of which, they’re going to stop by and check on things for you from time to time.”
    “Damn it, Dominick!” She took a deep breath. Temper was not the way to get through to her brother. “Just leave it alone. If I was having any problems you’d know about them.”
    “Promise?” His voice was firm.
    “I promise. Now, I have to get back to work. Go talk to Wanda Brooks for me.”
    They said their goodbyes and she closed the phone with a snap. Damn it. The fact that others had noticed the crap that had been happening made her skin crawl. It meant she might not be imagining the malicious intent behind the messages.  

CHAPTER FOUR

    Zach fought to steady his heartbeat as he watched Teal disappear into the back room. He hadn’t been deliberately eavesdropping, but when he’d heard her plead so prettily his cock had hardened instantly and his heart had started to pound. He’d figured her for a woman that would never plead, but maybe he was wrong.  
    And now, all he could think about was how he wanted to hear her plead for him like that.  
    Teal returned from the back room with a rolling cart full of framed prints. She stopped the cart nearby and picked the first one up off the top and went about trying it on various spots along the far wall. He tried not to watch her, he really did, but his eyes just would not do what he wanted.
    She looked damn good in her long flowing skirt and classic white blouse. More sedate than what he’d seen her in before, yet still subtly sensual. Her dark hair was loose and free that afternoon and when she stepped underneath the spotlight to hang a photo, the color came alive. It shone like polished mahogany and