First Taste (The Lust List: Devon Stone #1) by Mira Bailee Read Free Book Online Page A

excitement, I forget my sub-par coordination in heels, shift my weight awkwardly onto one foot, twist my ankle, and tumble to the floor.
    “Oh, honey! You okay?” Celia asks, rushing back.
    That’s one way to get her attention. Focus, girl. Tell her about your wonderful best friend who’d be perfect for the job.
    “P-professional. Dedicated.” Celia helps me up as I stutter nonsense.
    She laughs. “Say that again.”
    I take a breath and pull my phone out, finding a photo of Maddie and hold it out for her.
    Celia raises an eyebrow, waiting. A few chuckles from the catering table inform me I just had an audience.
    I take a breath and force myself to create coherent sentences. I tell Celia about Maddie, sounding like I’m helping her campaign for presidency. But Celia nods, listening. She’s way cooler than Keenly.
    I expect her to ask more questions about her experience, but instead she says, “She’s more graceful than you, correct?”
    “Absolutely.”
    “Then bring her by on Thursday.”
    A goofy grin spreads across my face. I can’t wait to tell her. I want to celebrate my mini-success. I just stepped up and got something done. Only a slight throb coming from my ankle reminds me how sloppy I was, but whatever. Celia’s now my direct supervisor. I have a company credit card in my possession. And I just hooked my friend up with an unforgettable job. I’m on top of the damn world.

 
    It’s quiet at Brecken’s Sports Pub. A couple sits quietly in a small booth staring at separate TV screens, seemingly unaware that they’re here together. Two men sit on stools at the other end of the bar, and Maddie checks on them intermittently, returning to our conversation without missing a beat.
    “So when’s your first date?”
    “Are you crazy? I barely got in two words with him. He was acting all weird, looking for something. Or someone…”
    “You, maybe?” She leans in closer to me.
    “I was standing right there, and it was like I was invisible.” I fumble with my phone, checking the time every couple minutes. I should get home and try to unwind before tomorrow. These unpredictable days are going to get to me fast.
    “So next time you’re with him, pry a little further. You know he’s got some sexy skeletons in his closet.”
    I believe his words to me were ‘mind your own business’. I shake my head. “Not gonna happen.”
    The front door opens, and two more men walk through wearing suits, probably coming straight from work. Maddie flashes a bright smile at them, and both men seem to light up. This girl can accomplish more without a word, which reminds me I haven’t told her she got a job.
    She continues with her Devon spiel. “You know, you could find out some juicy information and then sell it to the tabloids. ScandalLust would flat out hire you, I bet.”
    “So which is it: date him or screw him over? I think he’d put a hit out for me if I got near the paparazzi.”
    Maddie had been on her way to her new customers, but she freezes mid-step. “Hold that thought.” She grins, gets the guys’ drink orders and returns. “A man unafraid to kill… That’s a little sexy.“
    “And you’re a little mental. No, I don’t believe he’s a murderer. At least, I don’t think so. He’s definitely hiding something though, and that’s exactly what I don’t want to get involved with.”
    “But you know you do. Mysterious. Gorgeous.” She pulls her phone out from behind the bar to show me her newest wallpaper photo—a black-and-white Devon, shirtless, in jeans, looking extra angsty. “Lickable.”
    “Maddie!”
    She fills two pint glasses from the tap as she bursts out laughing. “Relax. I put it on there this morning to mess with you. I knew you’d give me an open opportunity.”
    I hold onto her phone a minute longer while she takes the drinks over along with a plate of chips and salsa. Devon’s icy gaze is penetrating, and the thought that this photo was taken for the general public…