Charlie All Night by Jennifer Cruise Read Free Book Online Page B

the station thinks he's God? They
must be morons."

"Not all of them. Just me."

Charlie frowned at her. "If you're going to feel sorry for yourself,
get off my couch and go to
your room."

Allie relaxed back into the couch. "You know, I'm a very good producer.
I just can't handle my
personal life."

Charlie snorted. "You and about twenty million other people. It's a
common failing."

She rolled her head sideways to look at him. "How do you do it?"

Charlie grinned at her. "Not very well. I have this commitment problem."

"You and about twenty million other guys." Allie grinned back. "Big
deal. I bet once it's over for you,
it's over. I bet you don't go on
obsessing about it
afterward." 

"No. But then I've never loved anyone enough to obsess about
it."

"Well, that's just my point." She sat up again. "I'm not sure I loved
Mark. I didn't even like Mark
much toward the end, which may be one of
the reasons he dumped me. But I was used to being
with him, working on
the show, you know? I'm just...stuck in this stupid rut, and I need
something
to bounce me out of it."

Charlie looked confused but not condemning. "So, your plan was that
we'd sleep together, and then what?"

"Then I'd be over Mark, and we'd go to work."

"A short-term arrangement." He sounded noncommittal, which wasn't
encouraging.

Allie tried to get back to selling the idea. "Absolutely. A one-night
stand. No strings. The last thing in
the world I need right now is
another relationship." The thought of trying to keep another man happy
made her tired all by itself. "I'm just sick of feeling like I'm going
to throw up every time I see Mark."

"You and about twenty million other people."

Allie laughed. "No, really." She tried to be serious. "He's a nice guy.
Lots of people like him. His show
is very popular. And he takes a nice
publicity picture."

"Oh, that's important in radio, taking a good picture."

Allie turned to look at him when she heard the scorn in his voice. "Oh?
And what do you do in radio?"

Charlie tensed for a moment and then relaxed deeper into the couch.
"Well, there used to be a really
late show in Lawrenceville from two
to six. After Two with Ten Tenniel." He grinned down at her
and she
grinned back because it was impossible not to. "Strange people call
from two to six. I'm
hoping the ten-to-two people are at least half as
bizarre."

His voice was low but it kept his grin in it when he talked. That was
one of things she liked best about him, although actually, there was a
lot to like about Charlie. She leaned a little closer to him. "You like
bizarre? Then you're going to love WBBB."

" I love bizarre. That's why I
let you pick me up." He looked down at
her, and she could have sworn
she saw heat in his eyes. But then, what
did she know about men?

Charlie stood up and pulled her off the couch. "Go to bed, Allie, so I
can go to bed. You get the
bathroom first." He patted her shoulder.
"I'll help you with Mark tomorrow, not by sleeping with
you, but now
I've got to get some real sleep."

Well, that was that. Allie walked back to her bedroom door. She should
have known it wouldn't
work.

Rats.

Unless...
    *  *  *
Charlie etched her walk toward her bedroom and tried to feel virtuous
for turning her down. He did
feel virtuous. He'd made a great
sacrifice. There was nothing he wanted more than to be in Allie's
hands.

In Allie's bed.

Oh, hell.

Feeling virtuous was a lousy trade for what he was giving up.

Allie stopped, and then turned back to him, a much too innocent look on
her face. "How about a
smaller favor?"

"Smaller than sex?"

"Yes." She drifted back to him, and he felt wary again.

"What?"

Allie took off her glasses and lifted her chin. "Kiss me. So I can
concentrate this time. I missed it the
last time. In the bar."

Charlie ran his fingers through his hair. All his instincts told him to
run, but she was standing there
with that great mouth, and he wanted
it. "You really are something. You treat all the guys you meet
like
this?"

Allie