The Manolo Matrix Read Online Free PDF Page B

the sandals were practically a steal!)
    “You could work a double shift for a couple of weeks and eat at the restaurant. Make extra money, save on food.”
    This time, I scowled at Brian. “If I work doubles, I won’t have time to audition.”
    “True,” he conceded. “So don’t work extra shifts. Just put it on your Visa and deal with it later.
    Consider it an installment plan investment.”
    “AT&T stock is an investment,” I countered, channeling my father. “And you’re a terrible influence.”
    “If you really want them, I could spot you for them,” Mel said.
    I licked my lips, sorely tempted. Why not? Mel had started out just as broke as me. But now she could probably buy and sell Mr. Blahnik if she wanted to. (Okay, maybe not. But she could certainly buy out his warehouse.) Buyingme a single pair of pumps really wouldn’t be any big deal.
    I nearly said yes—I really did—but I couldn’t quite get the word out. I wanted the shoes—a lot more than I’d wanted the Givenchy fix she’d offered up an hour earlier—but I didn’t want the charity. If Mel just happened to wrap up a pair of Manolos for me at Christmas, well, then I’d be rude to complain. But right now, in the middle of March, I just couldn’t bring myself to say yes.
    “I’m just looking,” I said.
    Mel and Brian exchanged a look.
    “Really,” I insisted. “I’ve got my eye on an amazing pair on eBay. By this time next week, I’ll be the proud owner of a brand-new pair of Manolos. Just wait and see.” That was a big fat lie, but at least I
    was keeping my pride.
    Since I was still holding the shoe, I gave it one final stroke, then resisted the temptation to kiss it Page 17

    good-bye before putting it back on the display.
    I was just about to move away when I heard the husky voice behind me. “Fabulous, isn’t it?”
    I turned, then jumped a little when I found myself face to face with Bird Girl who, apparently, had moved from makeup to shoes the same as me. Close up, she was even more exquisite, and I felt like a total schlub, even though I’d been pretty proud of the outfit I’d pulled together under the influence of appletinis. Still, you couldn’t argue with the facts: I might have the clothes, but Bird Girl owned the attitude.
    “Um,” I said, displaying my rapier wit. “It’s a really great shoe.”
    Bird Girl held up a finger, immediately commanding the attention of a harried clerk. “I’ll take these,” she said. “Size nine.” No caveat for “if it fits.” No hesitation. Just “I’ll take these.”
    I swear, I hated her. Even more when she smiled at me. An icy smile that gave me chills, and seemed to hold more malice than the snooty rich smile I’d come to expect whenever I decided to pose among the fabulously wealthy.
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    Immediately, I turned away, irritated with myself for being jealous of her looks and her money, and telling myself that at least I had smaller feet. But despite that little bit of bling for my ego, I was still unable to stop the one word that flashed like neon in my head:bitch.

Chapter
6
    BIRDIE
    Iwatch the girl for a few more minutes, but it’s not really necessary. I already know all that I need to know. She is weak, untrained, and certainly not up to the task before her.
    Most important, she’s no match for me.
    Jennifer is already dead, and she doesn’t even know it.
    The sales girl returns on that happy thought, and I pay cash for the shoes, ignoring the look of surprise that flashes in the clerk’s eyes. In a world of credit and debit, currency is going out of style. There are those of us who utilize it exclusively, though. Hard cash is the currency of the hidden. And I have lived my entire life in the warm comfort of shadows.
    The girl puts the shoebox into the shopping bag, and I take it, allowing myself to enjoy the purely feminine rush that comes from the purchase of footwear. I must admit that