Page 55 of Bombshell (Whiskey Dolls 1)

“I’m going to confront him at his office. It’s obvious he’s got his head jammed so far up his ass he can’t manage to make the right choices, so I’m going to help him out.”

There was a long, beleaguered sigh through the line. “I’d try and talk you out of it, but I’m pretty sure that’s impossible, so I’ll just say this: Please try your hardest not to get arrested. I’ll be in court all day tomorrow and won’t be able to get you out.”

“Your concern warms my heart.”

“Smartass,” he muttered into the phone, but I could hear the smile in his voice, and it made my lips curve up as well.

“Did Eli have fun at the botanical gardens today?”

“He did. He ran himself so ragged he’s already starting to fade.”

“Okay, then I should let you go so you can take care of him. I’m pretty tired myself. Give him a kiss for me?”

“I will, but where’s mine?”

I puckered my lips and made an obnoxious kissy noise. “There. That should hold you over.”

“Doubtful. Sleep well, baby.”

“You too. Night, Pierce.”

I hung up the phone and flopped back in my bed, staring up at my ceiling as I thought:Uh-oh. I’m really starting to fall for this man.

23

Marin

Iwoke up the next morning with a text from Pierce reminding me not to do anything that would get me arrested.

Feeling the need to go into battle with every possible advantage, I donned my most professional outfit; a cream silk blouse tucked into a blush pencil skirt with nude pumps. I left my hair long and loose, but had tamed it with my flatiron, and my makeup was subtle with natural pinks and peaches.

I waltzed down to my car, a woman on a mission, determined to do whatever it took to make things better for my sister. It wasn’t until I was parked at the meter outside Nick’s building, that I stopped to think about what I was planning to do and thought maybe this wasn’t the best idea.

Shaking off my uncertainty, I climbed out of the car, fed the meter, and started across the street toward Nick’s building. I headed for the bank of elevators that would lead me to his floor and hit the button, as I waited for the doors to slide open, I considered how I was going to get to his office without him knowing I was coming.

I pasted a smile on my face as soon as the doors opened onto Nick’s floor. The idea was to treat the receptionist like we were old pals, warm her up so she’d have no problem just waving me on back.

“Hey, Cindy,” I greeted the receptionist, a woman I’d never seen before in my life, like we were longtime friends as soon as I stepped off the elevator. I sent up a silent thanks that she had a name plate on her desk, because I wasn’t sure ‘girl’ and ‘babe’ and ‘sister’ would get me through the door. “How’s it going?”

She looked at me with a furrowed brow, and I knew she was scrolling through her memory bank, trying to figure out how the hell she knew me. “Uh, it’s good...” she trailed off awkwardly.

“It’s Marin. Remember? Nick Allen’s sister-in-law?”

“Oh! Right!”Bingo. “Sorry, I didn’t recognize you at first. You changed your... hair.”

I hadn’t but I wasn’t going to tell her that. Instead, I reached up and gave it a fluff. “I did. Thanks for noticing. You like it?”

“Oh, yeah! Totally. Looks gorgeous.”

“Cindy, you’re the sweetest!” I leaned against her credenza. “I’m just swinging by to pick him up for lunch since I happened to be in the city. He’s expecting me. Is it cool if I just head on back?”

“Oh, um... yeah. Sure.”

“Thanks, babe. You’re a total doll.” I started moving to the double doors that separate the reception area from the offices, looking back over my shoulder to ask, “Can we pick you up anything while we’re out?”Please say no. Please say no. Please say no.

“No thanks. That’s sweet though.”

“All right, Cindy. See you around. Enjoy the rest of the day.”

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