Banshee Seduction (Montgomery's Sin Book 1) by Diane Saxon Read Free Book Online Page B

to smile at the same time. It wasn’t going to be a good look, but she was hardly in a beauty competition. She was just trying to keep the raging hags inside under control before they spit obscenities at him. As mildly as she could, she addressed him while women screeched in her brain. “Your name, sir.”
    “Ah. Henri D’mon.”
    With a sigh of relief, she turned, located his book on the hold shelf, and placed it on the counter, convinced the small polite smile on her face would melt his mean heart.
    Wrong. He leaned forward, snatched the book from the counter, and without a backward glance, strode out of the electronic doors, virtually knocking over an elderly lady in the process.
    Ginny groaned and glanced at the clock.
    It had been a long day already. She blew out another weary sigh. No chance of grabbing a coffee anytime soon, and the lunchtime closure seemed a million hours away.
    “Miss?” Oh God. The perky young voice filled her with dread.
    “Yes?” She turned, but no one was there. Ginny glanced both ways—no one.
    “Miss?” Tiny fingers held onto the edge of the counter, and Ginny cautiously peered over. A small girl stared up at her with huge brown eyes full of soft appeal, and Ginny’s banshee heart melted—a little.
    “I want a book.” The cheerful young voice raised her spirits. The day was not yet lost.
    “Lovely. What book would you like, sweetie?”
    “A book with a kitty on it.”
    “Aaaw, kitties.”
    “We love kitties.”
    “Show the sweet girl the kitties.”
    What was wrong with them? One poor night’s sleep, and the spirits couldn’t keep their opinions to themselves.
    “A kitty.” She forced a smile, pleased the tiny sweetheart responded with her own gap-toothed grin. She could help the polite darling. She could find her a book with a kitty. Despite the terrible night and the awful start to the day, she could do this. It could only get better.
    Happier, Ginny came from behind her counter, held out her hand, delighted as the trusting child slipped her small hand into Ginny’s, and they wandered along to the children’s section.
    To bring herself in line with the low-level shelves of children’s books, Ginny squatted and brought her face almost to the height of the child’s. Genuine amusement lifted all of Ginny’s spirits as the girl hunkered down in an imitation of her while she pondered with great seriousness the choice before her. Ginny reached out and selected a book. “This one?”
    Owl-like eyes blinked with innocent confusion. “I don’t think so, but can we read a bit of it?”
    Her banshee heart swelled with affection for the darling little girl. “Of course.”
    She moved over to the short desk and risked getting her plump backside stuck in the bright green plastic seat. She shuffled as the child settled with ease into the vibrant red chair next to her. Delighted with the upward turn of her day, Ginny flicked through the pages of Sweet Little Kittycat while the child traced the pictures with her delicate forefinger. Pleasure came in the most unexpected packages.
    A few pages in, the girl surprised Ginny as she closed the book, stood, and wandered away. She studied the shelves once more, picked up another book, and brought it over.
    “Maybe this one?”
    Her sweet smile and huge brown eyes tugged at Ginny’s heartstrings. They flicked through another book, and then another, until a neat stack balanced on the edge of the table.
    Ginny glanced at the clock. Twenty-five minutes they’d been looking for a kitty book, and still they’d not found the right one. As she turned back, a lady peered over the top of the short bookcase display, her big round eyes a familiar brown.
    “Sonia. It’s time to go now. Say thank-you to the nice lady for looking after you.”
    Momentarily stunned, Ginny blinked at the other woman. “I wasn’t, I was just…”
    As Sonia ran to her mother, whose arms were laden with volumes of erotic romance, Ginny realized she’d been had.