like I advertise."
Booker glanced over his shoulder at Marilyn and gave her a thorough once over with his dark brown eyes. "Don't you?" She fumed at him and he laughed then held out a hand. "Come on, beautiful. Buy me a drink and I'll call truce."
"A truce would imply that I surrender and I do not surrender." Marilyn latched onto Booker and let him lead her away. "You know, it's been a good six months since we've been out like this. Lee works us like dogs."
"No, she works me like a dog. She works you like a poodle."
"A poodle is a dog."
"Not where I come from, sugah," Booker replied dryly.
Jake chuckled and glanced down at the goddess in his arms. "I'm afraid to ask where you found them."
"Who? Oh, the gruesome duo. We used to work together." Emily smiled up at him as he guided her to her chair. "I keep trying to get rid of them, but they just won't go away."
Jake pulled back a bar chair and, fitting his hands to her waist, hoisted her up and onto it. She was lighter than a sack of feathers. "How long have you been trying?"
"Ten years. Every time I moved, they'd just show up on my doorstep and invite themselves over for beer and pizza. Finally, I gave up and let them do odd jobs around the house. Booker is a wonder at cleaning the toilet. Marilyn is a whiz at changing oil. Oh, did I say changing oil? I meant attracting sex-crazed grease monkeys."
Jake was leaning against the bar and engrossed in watching Emily speak, when Marilyn said, "Don't let her fool you, Jake. She gave up trying to get rid of us after the first couple of months."
"Well, I had to. You kept taking clothes from my closet. If I hadn't let you be my friend, I would have had to walk around in my underwear all the time."
Jake sucked in a sharp breath at the image sweet, delectable Emily's words provoked.
Marilyn patted his arm soothingly. "Lee, darlin', have a care for poor Jake. He's barely recovered from your first surprise." Marilyn gave him a sympathetic look. "She's a handful, Jake. Are you sure you'll be able to handle her?"
"Miss Marilyn, there is precious little in this life I'm sure of." He met Emily's wary eyes and gave her a smile of promise. "But I'll give it my best shot."
"Hmm," Marilyn murmured. "I just bet you will."
Lee met Marilyn's catty, green eyes in the bathroom mirror and promptly succumb to a fit of the giggles.
Marilyn threw an arm around Lee's shoulder and pulled her close. "You done good, baby doll. Booker asked me to express his opinion and words exactly."
"And your opinion?"
Marilyn's smile wavered, but her eyes retained the amused sparkle. "My opinion is… you done better than good. He's exactly as you described. Only better." She gave Lee an impulsive hug and kissed her cheek. "Thank goodness, you didn't follow in my footsteps and find the first loser who looked your way." Marilyn released her and pulled a tube of lipstick out of her purse. "But, you still have a lot of work ahead of you."
Lee's laughter died a slow death and she sucked in her bottom lip. "What kind of work?"
Marilyn took her time and expertly reapplied her lipstick. She pulled a tissue out of her purse and blotted. "You've caught his attention and his interest—which at the moment mirrors your own—in pursuing a purely sexual relationship is written in those beautiful gray eyes every time he looks at you."
She glanced over her shoulder and grinned at Lee. "And poor Jake can barely take his eyes off you." Marilyn turned her attention to repairing the shine on her nose. "He probably doesn't realize it yet, but he's the possessive type. The strong and protective man who announces to the world… this is my woman so look but don't touch kind of possessive type."
Marilyn snapped the compact closed and spun around to give her pupil her undivided attention. "I'm going to take a chance and guess that after spending one delightful hour in his
Booker glanced over his shoulder at Marilyn and gave her a thorough once over with his dark brown eyes. "Don't you?" She fumed at him and he laughed then held out a hand. "Come on, beautiful. Buy me a drink and I'll call truce."
"A truce would imply that I surrender and I do not surrender." Marilyn latched onto Booker and let him lead her away. "You know, it's been a good six months since we've been out like this. Lee works us like dogs."
"No, she works me like a dog. She works you like a poodle."
"A poodle is a dog."
"Not where I come from, sugah," Booker replied dryly.
Jake chuckled and glanced down at the goddess in his arms. "I'm afraid to ask where you found them."
"Who? Oh, the gruesome duo. We used to work together." Emily smiled up at him as he guided her to her chair. "I keep trying to get rid of them, but they just won't go away."
Jake pulled back a bar chair and, fitting his hands to her waist, hoisted her up and onto it. She was lighter than a sack of feathers. "How long have you been trying?"
"Ten years. Every time I moved, they'd just show up on my doorstep and invite themselves over for beer and pizza. Finally, I gave up and let them do odd jobs around the house. Booker is a wonder at cleaning the toilet. Marilyn is a whiz at changing oil. Oh, did I say changing oil? I meant attracting sex-crazed grease monkeys."
Jake was leaning against the bar and engrossed in watching Emily speak, when Marilyn said, "Don't let her fool you, Jake. She gave up trying to get rid of us after the first couple of months."
"Well, I had to. You kept taking clothes from my closet. If I hadn't let you be my friend, I would have had to walk around in my underwear all the time."
Jake sucked in a sharp breath at the image sweet, delectable Emily's words provoked.
Marilyn patted his arm soothingly. "Lee, darlin', have a care for poor Jake. He's barely recovered from your first surprise." Marilyn gave him a sympathetic look. "She's a handful, Jake. Are you sure you'll be able to handle her?"
"Miss Marilyn, there is precious little in this life I'm sure of." He met Emily's wary eyes and gave her a smile of promise. "But I'll give it my best shot."
"Hmm," Marilyn murmured. "I just bet you will."
Lee met Marilyn's catty, green eyes in the bathroom mirror and promptly succumb to a fit of the giggles.
Marilyn threw an arm around Lee's shoulder and pulled her close. "You done good, baby doll. Booker asked me to express his opinion and words exactly."
"And your opinion?"
Marilyn's smile wavered, but her eyes retained the amused sparkle. "My opinion is… you done better than good. He's exactly as you described. Only better." She gave Lee an impulsive hug and kissed her cheek. "Thank goodness, you didn't follow in my footsteps and find the first loser who looked your way." Marilyn released her and pulled a tube of lipstick out of her purse. "But, you still have a lot of work ahead of you."
Lee's laughter died a slow death and she sucked in her bottom lip. "What kind of work?"
Marilyn took her time and expertly reapplied her lipstick. She pulled a tissue out of her purse and blotted. "You've caught his attention and his interest—which at the moment mirrors your own—in pursuing a purely sexual relationship is written in those beautiful gray eyes every time he looks at you."
She glanced over her shoulder and grinned at Lee. "And poor Jake can barely take his eyes off you." Marilyn turned her attention to repairing the shine on her nose. "He probably doesn't realize it yet, but he's the possessive type. The strong and protective man who announces to the world… this is my woman so look but don't touch kind of possessive type."
Marilyn snapped the compact closed and spun around to give her pupil her undivided attention. "I'm going to take a chance and guess that after spending one delightful hour in his
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