Tristan on a Harley (Louisiana Knights Book 3) by Jennifer Blake Read Free Book Online

for them to be alone like this, just the two of them. Their sparring was a public sport, complete with customers for referees if things got out of hand. Not that they ever did; Trey saw to that. He was the one who walked away when things threatened to escalate to the point where she was going to quit or get herself fired. She’d like to think that was because he didn’t want her to go, but was all too aware it could be he didn’t want to have to find a replacement.
    “All right, then. You’ve fixed my jewelry, my clothes and the way I walk. Besides, my hair, what’s left?”
    He watched her for long moments. “Does it bother you? I mean, really? I’m not criticizing, just trying to help out the way you asked.”
    “I know.” She stepped into the living room to retrieve her tea cup, bringing it back to reheat in the microwave for a few seconds.
    “What I’m trying to say is, you’re just fine at the Watering Hole. It’s this movie thing that makes it different. If you were trying out for a comedy part, your hair color and so on would be okay.”
    Her smile was wry. “You’d better stop while you’re ahead.”
    “Maybe I had, at that,” he said, looking away, though his face cleared after a second. “So, are you going to model the outfit for me that you’ll be wearing?”
    “I don’t think so.” The answer was automatic, with no thought whatever.
    “Too boring for you?”
    “Too satisfying for you.” Irony still lingered in her smile. “Besides, you’ll see it at the screen test.”
    “Who said I was going to be there?”
    She gave him an inquiring look. “Aren’t you? Out of curiosity at the very least?”
    The look on his face said he hadn’t considered it. That was hardly a surprise, since he had zero interest in what was going on. Chamelot might be slowly turning movie mad, but that wasn’t Trey. He liked things real, not artificial.
    Zeni frowned at that thought. She knew that about him, had known it from the first time she met him, when she walked into the Watering Hole and asked for a job. Was it, just possibly, the reason she’d become more out there with her hair and makeup every passing week? Protective coloration, as it were? A way to make sure she didn’t appeal to him, so she—
    What? Wouldn’t have to deal with it if he decided to come on to her? Or needn’t feel bad if he ignored any opportunity?
    She didn’t want or need entanglements. She was single and proud of it. She’d been on her own for years and preferred it that way.
    Zeni had never been part of a big family. The closest she’d come was her association with the Benedicts these past couple of years, Trey’s cousins, Lance and Beau, and their wives. There were advantages in that: she didn’t have a lot of birthdays and anniversaries to remember, didn’t have to cook for family gatherings or decide where she was going for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
    Of course, nobody knew or remembered her birthday, and she celebrated the holidays alone.
    She liked it like that, most of the time. She also liked it when someone added her to their family gathering.
    “You want me to show up?” Trey asked.
    It was an instant before she could form an answer; she’d almost forgotten what they were talking about. To answer with another question seemed better than saying she didn’t much want to go through her screen test alone.
    “Don’t you want to see your handiwork?”
    He studied her a moment, his eyes unnaturally grave. It almost seemed he could see right through her. And wasn’t that a scary thought?
    “Nah,” he said finally. “You’ll be fine on your own.”
    It was better this way, she realized. If she failed, he wouldn’t be there to see her do it.
    “So now what? “ She summoned a smile. “We still have a lot of day left. Any other pointers for making me look like a warrior queen?”
    “You’ll need to be bold, almost challenging. You should look people in the eye and dare them to be less than respectful