Playing Dirty by Susan Andersen Read Free Book Online Page B

the elevator, headed down the stairs to the parking garage.
     
    S INCE A VA was the last person Cade wanted to see, naturally she was the first one he clapped eyes on when he let himself into the Wolcott kitchen. She was bent over a table she’d set up against the wall, putting what looked to be finishing touches on the spread she’d set out.
    It looked like something out of a magazine—a considerable step up from the usual food services arrangement—and he wondered if he’d congratulated himself too soon regarding the anticipated money he’d save by having her take over the job.
    It was a hard thought to hang on to, however, when her butt was bumping in tune with some bluesy, jazzy song about not treating a dog the way the singer thought a woman had treated him, which purled out of an MP3 player on the counter. She’d always been a kick-ass dancer—even back in their prepubescent days when they’d had to learn all that formal stuff in cotillion class. Nor had she ever been the least bit self-conscious about dancing down the hallway at Country Day.
    Except for those last few weeks of their senior year.
    He cleared his throat. “I didn’t realize you were here. I didn’t see your Beemer in the drive.”
    Her hips ceased swiveling as she looked at him over her shoulder. “I drove a client’s car today.”
    “The Audi A6?”
    “Yes. I’m taking it to be detailed on my lunch hour.”
    “You’re working other jobs?”
    “On my own time, yes.” Turning slowly to face him, she crossed her arms beneath her breasts, plumping up the creamy cleavage in her blue V-neck dress from what had been a mere hint to an impressive flash of the real deal. “You didn’t seriously expect me to blow off my clients who’ve been with me through the good times and lean for six weeks of working for you, did you?”
    Yeah, he supposed he had. But when she put it that way…
    Kyle walked into the kitchen before he could respond, which was probably just as well. The soundman gave Ava’s cleavage an appreciative glance. But even before her arms dropped to her sides, restoring the generous swell back to its original hint, his focus had switched to the food she’d laid out. His brows furrowing as he crossed the room to pour himself a cup of coffee from the industrial coffeemaker at the end of the table, he scrutinized the offerings.
    And turned accusing eyes on her. “No bear claws?” he demanded.
    “Sorry, no.” Ava picked up a plate and grabbed a pair of tongs that she left suspended above a plate of long rectangles of lightly sugared pastries as she glanced over at Kyle. “Try a galette. Are you an apple or a blackberry man?”
    “Blackberry, I guess.” He watched suspiciously as she scooped the pastry onto a plate. “That looks like one of those girly tea-party desserts.”
    She grinned at him, her dimples punching deep. “Just try it. If you don’t like it, I’ll get you some bear claws when I go out this afternoon.”
    “Yeah, okay,” he grumbled and took a bite. He swore as several blackberries tumbled from the pastry back onto his plate, but chewed and swallowed the portionthat had made it into his mouth, licked a crystal of sugar from his lip, then met her gaze. And smiled sheepishly.
    “Damn.” He took another bite and said around it, “That’s better than an orgasm.”
    Ava laughed. “Or almost, anyway.”
    It was all Cade could do to bite back a growl. But enough with the sex talk, already!
    “Hey, I smell coffee!” Beks burst into the room, then went on point like a German shorthair spotting a pheasant. “Food! Wow, look at that!” She flashed a smile at Ava. “You’ve got some seriously mad skills, girl.”
    “Try the galette,” Kyle said around another mouthful. “It’s even better than bear claws.”
    “Shut the front door!” Beks gawked at him. “I thought you didn’t think anything was better than bear claws. This I gotta taste for myself. And ooh, God, lookit this fruit! Seriously mad