Love, Lies and Scandal Read Online Free PDF Page A

martini or two. Naw, fuck the martini, I could use some hundred-proof rum," she said softly to herself. She'd been lying awake in her Las Vegas hotel bed for only a few moments, contemplating whether to reach for the phone and order up her drink. She closed her eyes again then repositioned herself in the super-king-size bed as she tried to locate Jesse's warm body. When she couldn't make contact with him, she focused her attention on the sound of the room. She heard muffled voices passing by her door in the hallway and the sound of water running continuously.

    "Damn, he's already up," JoAnn whined as she wondered why he'd decided to get out of bed without cuddling first. She hated the fact that he moved around like the damn Energizer Bunny on caffeine. The sound of the water ceased and a moment later Jesse exited the bathroom.

    "Hey, I'm glad you're finally awake. The bathroom is all yours." He began to dry off and dress. "I need you to get up right away because we've got a ton of work to do. We've got to get down to the convention center early and set up the booth. I also need to see what other vendors are charging for particular items so that I can see if I need to offer some additional discounts to potential customers. I don't want to be undersold. I've spent a lot of money on the booth space as well as shipping a boatload of merchandise to sell. Did you remember to bring the credit card machine?" Jesse was now fully dressed and ready to attack the day and JoAnn felt like going back to sleep.

    JoAnn knew that if she'd suggested that they order up breakfast and a few cocktails, Jesse would disapprove. She knew he'd say things like, "You just recovered from your alcohol and gambling addictions, why are you even thinking about drinking?" JoAnn knew that Jesse would blow up at her if he knew she'd lost control over her urges and had been secretly drinking and gambling behind his back.

    "Stop yelling out orders at me," JoAnn snapped at him. "I'm not some damn machine."

    "Baby, we've got to get moving. We can't afford to move at a slow pace. Time is money, so let's make this happen." Jesse popped his fingers at her. "Our competitors are probably already at the convention center waiting to meet customers." He stepped over to his suitcase.

    "Why can't we just relax in this bed for a little while, huh? Why don't we just say 'fuck it' for today and skip the sports-and-fitness expo and just enjoy each other?"

    "JoAnn, stop playing and get up. This is the third day of the expo. We want to make some money." Jesse went into the closet and removed a pair of running shoes.

    "I'm serious, Jesse." JoAnn positioned herself on her knees. "We could just lie in this bed, make love and order room service for a day. Doesn't that sound like fun? I could do some really freaky stuff to you." JoAnn thought the promise of a wild sexual experience would be more than enough to slow Jesse down.

    "We don't have time for all of that right now, JoAnn. I came out here to make some extra cash for the sporting goods store, do some networking and run the Las Vegas Marathon. I've already agreed to stay on a few extra days afterward to enjoy the city."

    "You're not going to enjoy walking around with me after you've finished the marathon and you know it. You'll be too damn sore and you'll be complaining the entire time." JoAnn wanted to change all Jesse's plans so that they could spend time with each other walking the strip, gambling and seeing the shows.

    Jesse gave her an icy stare. "JoAnn, I don't have time to debate this with you. You knew exactly what the deal was when we came here. Why would you purposely try to change things now?"

    "Because, I don't--" JoAnn stopped herself midsentence. "Never mind, Jesse. I'll get up. This trip is all about you, as usual."

    "Good. I'm going to run down to the lobby and grab a luggage cart so that we can haul our equipment over to the convention center." Jesse sat on the edge of the bed and began tying up his