Hot Flash by Kathy Carmichael Read Free Book Online Page B

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    “I’m hoping you can help me, Mandy. I have this plan …” Maybe my plan was stupid? Maybe she’d think I was stupid?
    She leaned forward. “A plan to do with men?”
    I nodded. “Okay, you’ll probably think it’s insane, but I sent out surveys to women who’ve been married for twenty-five or more years, and the answer to a successful marriage, at least from what I’ve gleaned so far, is a man who travels for a living.”
    “Really?”
    “It looks that way.” I shrugged. “So I want to meet traveling salesmen … and we have so many sales conferences.”
    “I love this!” Mandy, who was normally perky, now literally vibrated in her chair. “How can I help?”
    I showed her the clipboard of upcoming banquets. “Which of these would be the best for me to crash?”
    She took the list and scanned it quickly, then turned to her computer. Within minutes, she’d printed out a list and handed it to me.
    “These six are your best bets.”
    I glanced at the list and the first item caught my attention. “Easel salesmen?”
    “Go figure. They’re almost all men. Cute, too.”
    “Sounds great. I just hope I can pull this off.”
    “What are you worried about?”
    “I’ve never set out to pick up men before. I mean I know I can do it, but I’m not really sure what to say.” It wasn’t like I could walk up to a cute easel salesman and say wanna get married and pay my son’s college tuition? Maybe I should mention monkey sex?
    “You can ask them about their jobs. That always works. Men love talking about themselves.”
    “I can do that. Any other tips?”
    “Well, if all else fails,” Mandy said breathlessly, “you can always use my best line.”
    “You have a best line? I don’t even have a not-best line. Tell!”
    “I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to use it unless it’s an emergency.”
    “Got it. Only in an emergency.” Like my situation now wasn’t an emergency? Help! I need college tuition.
    “And you need to be careful who you use it on. It can’t be used lightly.”
    I made an X over my chest. “Cross my heart.”
    “Remember, only use this on a guy you are seriously interested in.”
    “Promise.”
    She looked around, as if worried that someone would overhear, then came from behind her desk to whisper in my ear.
    After she was finished, I leaned back in my chair and marveled at her brilliance. It was one hell of a great line.

    You had to hand it to the Easel Boys, they certainly knew how to do a cocktail party right. And Mandy really knew her stuff, I thought, as I glanced around the elegantly decorated ballroom. It was filled with cute guys.
    A string quartet played graceful music in one corner, while the back wall was lined with hot and cold appetizers and Julio, my favorite line cook, sliced roast beef and ham for easel salesmen as they came down the line. Several waiters hovered about the room, carrying trays filled with red and white wine for the Easel Boys’ consumption.
    And I could say Easel Boys confidently. Besides me, there were two, count ‘em, two other women in the room. Who’da thunk there could be that many easel salesmen? I glanced up to heaven and said a silent thank-you.
    I did some reconnaissance, checking out salesmen who looked interesting or appealing in some way. I came up with seven possibles, then recircled the room to make sure none of the seven wore physical matrimonial evidence (i.e., wedding rings). This reduced the number of possibles to three.
    The first reminded me of a younger Mel Gibson. The second looked a bit like a middle-aged, Daniel Craig, the latest James Bond. The third looked like a CNN News announcer, but I wouldn’t hold that against him.
    I felt positively giddy with female power. The skirt I was wearing looked awesome, I had killer shoes, and an adequate amount of bodacious bosom was revealed by my blouse. Not only that, but I was armed with a sure-fire plan and, should it fail, I had Mandy’s emergency line.
    I