Page 10 of Shadow Lies

“I’m sure you can sway him to listen.”

Sure. With all her feminine wiles? She smothered a snort at that.

“And if he doesn’t want to listen? If he doesn’t accept the assignment?” she asked.

“Make sure he does.”

Two could play at this game. “And if he doesn’t?” Alexis repeated with more force.

“Do your best.”

She let out a huff. Time to cut to the chase. “Do I still get paid if Kane won’t accept the assignment?”

After the slightest pause, Charley answered, “Yes.”

“Well, all right then. When do I leave?”

She ran through her To Do list. Find her passport. Pack a bag. Fly to China—how cool would that be? And then talk to Kane.

Seeing him again wouldn’t be a hardship. Was he still as hot as he had been in college? Probably hotter.

The decade or so that had passed would no doubt look great on him.

She wrestled her mind off her imaginings about Kane and back to the situation at hand.

This job would be easy money. And since nothing had been easy for her since she’d lost her real job, she wasn’t going to turn down the offer.

Unfortunately, it turned out it wasn’t as easy as digging out her passport and boarding a flight.

Apparently, according to Charley, she wasn’t ready to leave just yet because she had tolook the part.

Look the part ofwhat? That was the question. And when she asked it of Charley, her answer was nothing more than the time of her appointment for a makeover at the salon at Saks Fifth Avenue for later that morning.

“Do you know where that is?” Charley asked.

Of course, she knew where Saks was.

She went there every Christmas to stand in the street and look at the famous window displays. Sometimes she went inside, if she wanted to feel bad about all the things she could no longer afford to buy. Usually, she didn’t.

“Yes. But I don’t understand. Why do I need a makeover?”

She might not look perfect, admittedly she hadn’t had a professional haircut in about six months, but she didn’t think she looked bad enough Charley would feel compelled to foot the bill for a makeover at Saks.

“Because you’re representing us,” Charley had said.

Whatever.

“Fine. I’ll be there.”

Alexis had figured that as long as they were paying, she would play their game. And she might as well try to enjoy it.

That was the attitude with which she walked into the salon. She let the front desk employee lead her back and that’s when they descended upon her. No less than four spa technicians.

One started on her hair, while another put her feet in hot soapy water in the whirlpool foot bath to soak.

Two others flanked her, each taking one hand to groom her fingernails. All while she could do nothing but lean back, relax and let them do what they wanted.

Well, lean back and answer the myriad of questions.

---