Sex, Lies, and Beauty Aides by Deb Julienne Read Free Book Online Page B

created animated cartoon character private parts the world was not yet ready for.
    She wiped her eyes. “They’ve got to be kidding. People actually read this stuff?” She’d never read anything like it in her life. How did a person sit down and write it? A better question was how could she be so out of touch with herself? Not only with the concept of sex, but also how uncomfortable she was with her body and sexuality in general. Which is what made this whole new job that much more difficult to accept. How was she supposed to write articles on sex or sexy articles when she didn’t feel the least bit sexy?
    Surely, she’d find the answer in the multitude of magazines, providing she actually read them. How did she do that in baby steps?
    She’d tackle the concept of love first. The sex issues would have to wait. How sad her version of baby steps meant procrastination? She wanted, needed, longed for real romance. It wasn’t her fault no one was listening.
    She tossed the book when she read heaving bosom and imagined Kat’s voluptuous breasts bounce and bob at will.
    Come on Sabrina, admit it. You’re jealous because you’ve never experienced what they have. You’ve read it, you’ve seen it happen to others, and you want it for yourself, s houted the scantily clad she-devil on her left shoulder.
    No, she doesn’t, q uipped the neck-to-toe flannel-clad angel on her right.
    Psh. Liar.
    “Will you two shut up?” Man she hated when both sides of her conscience started a battle of wills and honesty. No matter what she always lost and ended up feeling stupid, if not insane.
     
    “Damn it you two, now see what you’ve done.”
    Her attempts were futile. No way were these books going to help her any more help than the sexy magazines. She opted to switch to the movies, definitely more visual.
    The phone interrupted her even less successful movie education. Thinking it was either Kat or Jill begging her to join them she answered, “How’s tricks?”
    “Excuse me?”
    Whoops, nice way to answer the phone when it’s your boss, brainless. “Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you were one of my roommates.”
    “No problem, Sabrina. I literally just got out of a board meeting and frankly I’m completely stressed. May I come over and talk? I know its last minute and all, but I’d truly appreciate it if you’d see me. I need a level head to talk to.”
    Her shoulders sagged as she leaned back into the couch. So much for time to herself. “Sure Travis, do you want me to meet you somewhere?”
    “Nah. We can decide what to do when I get there.”
    “That’s fine.” She lied. “I’ll be here.” She gave him her address and directions and hung up, wondering when she suddenly became his bosom buddy. Didn’t he have someone else to bother?
    Sabrina debated what was worse. An evening alone with her movies and books or an evening with Travis. Neither one was particularly favorable. Her options were limited. Since there was nothing to be done about it now she chose to laugh. Crying never got her anywhere.
    She loved her job. She loved how it felt when people wrote to her at the magazine and told her how well her inexpensive feminine spa treatments worked. She loved to help people. The endless requests for her advice on inexpensive products to do the same as the expensive ones. Or better yet, to come up with something equally good, made from scratch, with ingredients around the house.
    This was the secret to her success. People mattered.
    She tidied her apartment and cleaned the kitchen. She’d put the last of the dishes in the dishwasher and started it when her doorbell rang. She hung the towel on the ceramic chicken attached to the side of the cabinet above the sink and sucked in a deep breath. Ready. Set. No way.
    Hesitantly she answered the door unable to tamp down her sense of foreboding.
    “Hi, Travis.” Stepping back, she forced a smile.
    * * * *
    Travis whipped a bouquet of red and white carnations tied with a