Undercover Passion Read Free Page A

reddening, and that hadn’t happened in years. “That’s not what I meant.”
    She bit her lip, then leaned toward him, losing the outrage and looking sympathetic.
    â€œNot that there’s anything wrong with that,” she said quickly. “If that’s your problem, I’m sure that a regimen of exercise will really help. But you might want to consult a sex therapist.”
    He groaned. “No, wait—”
    â€œIt’s a common problem. Please don’t feel that you have to hide it.”
    â€œHide it!” He choked. This was getting him in deeper and deeper. It wasn’t funny. Well, maybe a little bit. But at the same time, it was damned humiliating.
    â€œI don’t have a problem,” he told her forcefully. “Listen, you took it wrong. I’ve never had any trouble….” His voice faded out. Looking at her sweet, innocent face, he just couldn’t say it. “That way,” he said lamely at last. “Really. I’m a normal, healthy male.”
    She was still looking sympathetic. Damn it all, she thought he was just covering up his embarrassment. There was definitely a good way to prove that she was wrong, but he didn’t think she’d go for it. So he stared at her in frustrated silence, wondering how the conversation had taken a turn down this blind alley.
    â€œI can give you a referral,” she was saying, digging through the papers on her desk for a note pad.
    Reaching out, he grabbed her hand. “I don’t need a referral,” he said firmly. “I don’t need therapy. All I want to know is what sort of products you dispense here besides vitamins.”
    She was staring at him in bewilderment and hedidn’t blame her. He was coming darn close to shouting, and that wasn’t going to help anything. He forced a smile, knowing it must look pretty ghastly.
    â€œHey,” he said, remembering something and releasing her hand. “Dr. Richie was saying something about a new product at the ribbon cutting last month. Something called NoGo or Nutrait or—”
    â€œNoWait!” she chimed in, beaming with relief. “Yes, that is a new homeopathic oil he’s developed himself. He’s such a genius.”
    â€œThat’s the one.”
    â€œOh, it’s flying off the shelves. It’s used for weight loss, and people are getting the most wonderful results.”
    Right. He knew a little something about these snake-oil salesmen. If the oil was doing anything, it was through the power of suggestion, no doubt about it. Still, this could be the missing link he’d been looking for. Except for one thing. As he remembered, it wasn’t something people took into their system in the usual way.
    â€œIt’s not ingested, is it?”
    â€œOh, no.” She smiled. “In fact, it’s kind of cute. You put a dab behind your ear.”
    That pretty much shot down his hopes. If you didn’t drink it or eat it, how could it change the way you acted to the extent it seemed to be changing the people he was seeing all over the hospital?
    â€œOne ear or both?” he asked with a rueful smile.
    She blinked. “Tell you the truth, I’m not really sure. I haven’t tried it myself.” She scrunched her nose at him. “And I hardly think you need to lose any weight.”
    â€œYou never know,” he said quickly, not wanting to go back to speculating on what he might be needing help with again. “I’m not getting any younger. And you know how weight tends to accumulate as you age.”
    â€œOh, sure.” She was nothing if not understanding. “You can never start working on fitness too early.”
    He nodded. She was charming when she started talking about the things she felt most passionately about. She sort of lit up with an inner glow that was quite appealing. He wondered, fleetingly, if there was a man in her life. But he dismissed the thought as soon