Scandalous by Melanie Shawn Read Free Book Online Page A

of music to Red's ears.
    “Alright, well, that’s good to hear,” Red enthused, grinning ear to ear, “I don’t want some stranger coming in, and I wasn’t sure if either of you was still interested…”
    “I’m more than interested,’’ Cristal interrupted, “I’ll have an offer on your desk first thing in the morning.”
    “Same here,” Dominic quickly interjected. As the words came out of his mouth, he could practically hear Cristal taunting him, calling him a copy-cat. But he didn’t care. He wanted Red to know how serious he was about this. He loved working for Red, but if that was no longer going to be an option, he sure as hell didn’t want to work for anyone else.
    Even Cristal’s fine ass.
    He respected the hell out of Red and had no problems taking orders from him. But normally Dominic didn’t do real well with authority. This partially explained why he had ultimately had to part ways with the military. Of course, a man of his skills, they had done everything they could to hang onto him. But, in the end, he just couldn't stomach swallowing all that mindless authority anymore.
    Now, he would possibly have the opportunity to be his own boss entirely. It was almost too good to be true. Not only that, he knew he'd be good at it. Damn good. He was certain that, given the opportunity, he could pick up where Red was leaving off and continue to grow the business at a steady clip.
    Taking his comment as some kind of a challenge, Cristal quickly came back with, “I can have an offer to you tonight.”
    Red smiled, clearly amused, “Now, now, that’s not necessary. The sale isn’t going to happen that quickly. Besides, you're going to be on assignment tonight.”
    “What? Do I have a meet time with the Congressman already?” Cristal sounded alarmed.
    “No, no, not that case. This is just a PB&J. Husband suspects wife of indecent activity with co-worker. We’ve had eyes on her for a few days now and know she is meeting said ‘co-worker’ at The Cheesecake Factory tonight. Since you're both already playing man and wife, you can kill two birds with one stone. Cristal, if you're being followed, all the better. You'll be seen having dinner with your husband, and you two might be able to get what we need on the wife at the same time.”
    Dominic nodded. He was fine with a PB&J, which was PI jargon for a basic, straightforward investigation - Peanut Butter and Jelly. You didn’t get much blander than that. Also, it was pretty standard procedure to use a man and woman for cases like this because you could blend more easily as a couple. Particularly in a restaurant setting, singles stood out. Only groups and couples could blend in.
    Dominic smiled to himself. This new assignment would also mean that Cristal would have to be in the same vicinity with him for the entire evening. No hiding in her room. He knew for a fact that she was up this morning before he left for work. He could sense her in there, listening to his movements, waiting for him to leave.
    Well, tonight she would have to talk to him…he hoped.
     
    --- ~ ---
     
    The Cheesecake Factory was packed, and Cristal was currently standing with her back pressed tightly up against Dominic’s hard body. He rested his hand possessively at her waist. When he had first placed it there, she had tried to raise an objection. He had squelched that by leaning down and whispering in her ear, reminding her seductively that she was his wife.
    Cristal had dropped the protest at that point, not so much because she agreed with Dominic's reasoning, but because her breath had caught in her throat and she simply couldn't speak.
    As if this situation wasn’t bad enough, she was also trying to deal with the fact that when, for a brief moment, she thought that she would be meeting up with the Congressman tonight, and therefore ending this assignment...she had felt like her stomach had dropped down to her toes.
    The panic that had gripped her when Red announced that she