French Quarter Read Online Free PDF Page B

wanting to be touched by him, wanting to dance in his lap.
    “You might want to brace yourself,” he told her.
    She blinked, the words stopping a little of her sensuous melt.
    “I see Todd,” he said near her ear. “Over by the bar, along the wall.”
    Liz looked. She instantly saw Todd, too. A busty blonde, a’la Pamela Anderson, hovered over him. She tweaked her nipples and licked her lips while she swayed in liquid rhythm to the music. Todd watched her, looking intoxicated with lust.
    “That’s him, isn’t it?” Jack asked.
    She nodded, still watching.
    “I’m sorry, chere. ”
    “No, don’t be. I’m glad I know.” Still, she focused on the scene across the room, trying to absorb it. She really was surprised Jack had been right—really hadn’t believed this could be Todd’s indulgence of choice.
    “I know this must hurt,” Jack said. He slid one strong arm around her, gently caressing her bare shoulder.
    “No, actually, it doesn’t.” The words were as surprising to her as they probably were to Jack. She knew she didn’t love Todd, probably never had, but she’d still expected seeing him in the act—of cheating, of having a naked woman in his lap, whatever—to inflict some pain. Humiliation. The same embarrassment that had had her dressing sexy to go hire a P.I., the embarrassment of knowing for sure she wasn’t enough for him. But that wasn’t what she felt.
    “Really? You’re okay?”
    She drew her eyes from Todd and the blonde to look at Jack. God, he was hot—he hadn’t shaved today, and those dark eyes of his were suddenly so kind, so tender. He actually cared how she felt.
    “It’s…almost a relief,” she told him. “It means…I’m not tied to him anymore. I have no reason to be loyal to him…to feel any guilt if I …” Her voice trailed off, but their gazes stayed locked.
    It took a moment before he spoke. “What do you want to do now? Confront him? Leave?”
    Practically the same question Lynda had posed, and the answer was one Liz couldn’t have predicted. “No,” she said softly. “I think I want to stay a while.”
    Jack looked intrigued. “Why?”
    Her breath turned thready. “I want to see more, want to know what it’s all about. If Todd can do this, so can I.”
    He tilted his head. “You’re not…tryin’ to condone his behavior, are you? Somehow hopin’ you’ll decide it’s all right? Because it’s not. Once you commit to a woman, you don’t lie to her, and you especially don’t lie to her about havin’ naked chicks bounce around on your lap.”
    She gave him a thoughtful look, fascinated. “Why, Jack, I’m surprised. You hadn’t struck me as such a…moral guy.”
    A wicked grin crept across his face. “Don’t be too impressed by my morals, chere . I’m as much an alley cat as the next guy.” The grin faded back to seriousness. “But I’m not married or in a relationship, and that’s what makes it different. If I was in a relationship, I’d be honest, about anything and everything.”
    “So if, say, you and I were in a relationship, and you wanted to come here and get a lap dance, you’d ask for my permission?” The passion in her veins was on the verge of turning her playful, despite or maybe because of Todd. She was free now, free to do whatever she wanted, to let go of her inhibitions like Lynda had advised.
    “Absolutely,” he said, an air of teasing in his voice.
    “And if I said yes?”
    His voice went low, smoky. “I’d ask you to come and watch.”
    “And if I said no?”
    He leaned slightly closer. “I’d ask you to give me one instead.”
    She cast a sexy smile. “What time is it?”
    He checked his watch. “Almost ten. Why?”
    “It’s almost time for Todd to leave. He’s always home before eleven.”
    Jack straightened slightly. “And you need to be home before he gets there?”
    She shook her head. “No, I just need him to be gone from here, out of my sight, off my radar screen. As for getting home before