Girl Gear 4: Striptease Read Online Free PDF Page B

Rennie’s brother.”
    Jacob turned his smile on Chloe. “You know Renata?”
    A blond brow lifted. “I know Rennie. Her friends knew better than to call her Renata.”
    “Is that right?” Jacob said, and laughed.
    That damn laugh again. The echo lingered in the deepest part of Melanie’s belly. She pushed off the wall, away from Jacob, and moved to the front of her desk, hoping that, with distance, the echo would fade. But then he laughed a second time, and she was sunk, wanting him out of her office more than she’d ever wanted him to stay.
    Mad as a hatter and Hannibal Lecter to boot.
    And then, almost as if Melanie had totally left the room, Jacob turned and gave Chloe his full attention. “Trust me. Renata’s friends still know better. And shedoesn’t hesitate to correct them. Even in public. I keep waiting for her to snap and bite off an ear.”
    “Is she still in town?” Chloe asked.
    He nodded, gestured over his shoulder with a tilt of his head. “Out on the west side, actually. She’s a counselor at one of the Memorial area high schools.”
    “I had no idea. All she talked about in school was moving to Arizona or New Mexico to teach.” Chloe frowned, pursing pouty pink lips. “I don’t think I talked to her but once or twice after I was in Austin. I knew she’d planned to take off a year before going to school.”
    Jacob nodded. “She did, then went to Baylor and made up for it. Went year-round for five years and earned her Master’s before moving back here.”
    “So she never left the state?”
    “Nope. Decided she could kick ass and take names here as well as anywhere.”
    Lame, lame, lame, Melanie thought, and rolled her eyes.
    The other two continued their conversation, leaving her to wonder if she should just abandon her office and give them time to catch up; she obviously wasn’t needed. And just as obviously, she’d been imagining all the tension simmering between her and Jacob. Except she knew that she hadn’t been.
    She’d seen his pulse beating there in the hollow of his throat.
    She arched a brow. “I hate to interrupt you two, but I’m wondering if what Sydney wants might be something I need to take care of.”
    Chloe blinked. “Shit. I mean, shoot. I totally forgot. She wants us in the conference room. You, too, I imagine,” she said to Jacob. “The producer and theshow’s host want to meet the rest of us and go over the taping schedule.”
    Jacob headed toward the office door. “Give me five. I need to grab my notebook from the van.”
    “Hey,” Melanie said, and he turned back, frowning. “I think you’re forgetting something.” She held up and waved the video cassette he’d left on her desk.
    It took him a long moment to decide whether to go or to stay or to answer. A moment during which his expression shifted, his eyes, having darkened, flashed. And his smile nearly brought her to her knees.
    He nodded toward the tape she held. “Actually, I brought that for you.”
    Melanie watched him go, shrugged, slid the cassette across her desk before curiosity had her shoving it into her office VCR. She turned her attention to Chloe, whose attention was way too rapt.
    “I can’t believe you know him,” Melanie said.
    At the exact same time, Chloe asked, “Did I interrupt anything? It looked like something steamy was going on between you two.”
    “Steamy? Hardly. He’s too annoyingly self-important to inspire steam,” she lied.
    “C’mon, Mel.” Chloe narrowed her eyes. “I know you better than that.”
    “Okay. He’s cute enough, but nothing was going on. Nothing is going on.”
    “He’s more than cute, and you know it. He’s all that stuff dreams are made of.” Chloe backed toward the office door and peered down the hallway in Jacob’s direction.
    Melanie found herself itching to do the same. “I think you’ve confused Jacob Faulkner with Eric Haydon.”
    “Nope.” Chloe shook her head and motioned Melanie toward the door. “Eric’s a total