Condemned (Beauty And The Billionaire Geek Book 2) by E.E. Griffin Read Free Book Online Page A

take care of the house and her baby. I worked from the time I was sixteen. I had a good job back in California, but I knew I’d never get what I wanted out of life if I didn’t leave.”
    “That was a brave decision.”
    “I hope so. Sometimes I think it was just dumb.” She giggled and then took a deep breath.
    “It’s important to stand up for your dreams. I made a promise to myself that I’d get a graduate degree back when I lived in the trailer park. A lot of my colleagues from my computer science program dropped out and got jobs already, but I stuck it out. I wanted to keep that promise to myself.”
    “I can’t believe I’m dating a computer geek,” she said, giggling again, but her voice sounded strange.
    “Not good enough in bed for you, huh?”
    “Ha! That isn’t it at all. It’s just we don’t have much in common.”
    “I think we have a lot in common. Just not the surface stuff most people can see.”
    “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
     

Chapter Seven: Zoe
    The gleaming light wood floors and high white ceilings made the dance studio at school seem spacious and clean. An entire wall was covered in mirrors.
    I hooked my phone up to the speakers and flipped to one of my favorite dance songs. As the music started, I watched myself in the mirrors. After some stretches, I started to move. My body was out of practice, but I could still fly. I jumped and twirled, moving my arms and legs aggressively to the music.
    When I came to a stop, someone cleared their throat behind me. I shot around and saw a girl standing in the doorway.
    “That was awesome. You’re really good.”
    “Thanks. I’m out of practice.”
    “If that’s out of practice, I’d love to see in practice. My name is Bea.” The athletic brunette with full arm tattoos walked across the room to shake my hand. She had a pretty face with sharp features and a hip hairstyle in her long brown hair. “I’m a dancer too,” she said.
    “Really?”
    “Not like you but…”
    “What do you dance?” I asked curiously.
    “I’m in a burlesque troop. We’re just starting out. We don’t have a big name yet, like other troops in the area. We could use more girls, especially ones who can dance like you.”
    “Burlesque, huh?” I said. Did I have “gets naked for money” written on my forehead?
    “Nothing too racy. You’d be an attraction with how you can move.”
    “I’ve never seen a burlesque show, I mean except for that movie.”
    “They had some awesome dancers in that movie. Our troop is more like a variety show. We have a comedian and a magician. A few of us have backgrounds in dance, like you. We do some coordinated routines. Like in that movie. Want to come see us practice?”
    “Maybe. Why not?”
    We talked a while and I learned she had been a cheerleader in high school too. We got super excited when we found out we knew some of the same routines. I ran over to my phone and put on the song we danced to and came back to stand with her as the beat started.
    We moved together in synchronized rhythm. My smile was so huge it would have taken and industrial strength mop to wipe it off my face. The simple act of moving my body to music in sync with another girl filled me with so much joy. When we finished, we jumped up and down squealing at each other.
    “I’ll totally dance with your troop,” I said, catching my breath. I’d missed being part of a dance group so much since leaving the squad. She gave me the date and time for their next practice and took off to class.
    After I finished working out, I showered, dressed, and reapplied my makeup. I checked my phone and found a text from Billy asking me to meet him at the park.
    I rushed out to the bus stop and waited for the bus to arrive. It came on time and I hopped on. My stomach fluttered as the bus rolled down the street and turned onto the highway leading to where I’d find Billy waiting for me.
    When the bus stopped at the park, I jumped off and headed straight for