Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
My eyes move from Van’s retreating back to sweep the room, and that’s when I see her.
Going back to that statistical improbability about getting laid, I’ll clarify that only holds true if the woman is single, as I don’t mess with married ladies. I see no ring on her finger, which is the first place I look, then I take a moment to appreciate everything else I’m seeing.
She’s tall and lithe, walking gracefully my way, but she’s not looking directly at me. She has long, curly fiery-red hair, and her ice-blue eyes are looking a bit distressed.
I turn my head to look over my shoulder, but the only thing behind me is the Acrocanthosaurus. That dinosaur isn’t going anywhere, so I look back to her. When she’s three feet away, her gaze sweeps to me briefly and I get a polite smile.
Then to my surprise she walks up to the exhibit, which sits raised on a tiled dais, and pulls up the skirt of her black evening gown. It’s simple but form fitting with thin straps, exposing light freckles spread across her shoulders. They match the ones over her nose and forehead. I’m not normally a freckle dude, but her skin is like creamy porcelain and her facial features are damn near perfect. She’s the type of woman who doesn’t need makeup. Her face alone is the beauty, the freckles only enhancing it.
Yes, she pulls her skirt up to her knees, and without any hesitation steps up onto the tiled dais. She side-steps through some fake foliage that’s added to give an idea of the terrain that this dinosaur once roamed and stops in front of the back left leg. With her brows furrowed, she squats with her legs primly angled to the side and reaches a hand out, rubbing her index finger along one of the bones.
Very interesting.
She’s totally hot and so very interesting. I figure she’s supposed to be fondling the dino bones, or she’s a nut case and will be hauled out of here soon, but I’ll enjoy the view until then.
Before I can contemplate it further, though, she stands up and walks back through the foliage to the edge of the dais and looks directly at me. “Help a girl down?”
I take the hand she’s holding out to me as she pulls her dress up a bit in preparation to step off.
“Absolutely,” I say as I present my hand to her gallantly.
Her resulting smile is actually a little flirty as she quips, “My hero.”
One seriously high and spiked heel comes down onto the industrial carpet that runs through the building, followed by the other, and as soon as she’s stable, I contemplate letting her hand go. But as I said before, she’s totally hot, most likely single, and very interesting indeed.
“I’m Lucas Fournier. I’m here on behalf of the Cold Fury.”
Her hand squeezes mine as she inclines her head. “I actually know who you are, Mr. Fournier. I’m Stephanie Frazier.”
Still holding her fine-boned hand with the softest skin, I ask, “And you were molesting that dinosaur because…?”
Stephanie’s laugh is bold and infectious as she tips her head back, making her flame-colored curls spill farther down her back. When she looks back to me with sparkling eyes, she says, “I thought I saw a nick.”
My eyes cut over to the skeleton and back to her in confusion. “Nick?”
“I’m the director of acquisitions,” she says, still holding on to my hand. “Well, I’ve recently been promoted to the director position due to some unfortunate scandal the previous director was embroiled in. But, whatever…Part of my job is to make sure all our specimens are in good shape and perfect order at all times after they’re put in place.”
Fascinating about her job, I guess, but more interested in something else. “What was the scandal?”
She steps in closer to me, looks around the room quickly, and whispers as she brings her eyes back. “A sex scandal.”
I feign shock as I whisper back, “You’re kidding.”
She shakes her head and smiles at me mischievously. “The rumor is he had a penchant for cross dressing as well as for sleeping with some of the other staff’s wives.”
Okay, that is sort of scandalous now that I think about it. And hilarious she just told me that. “You don’t think perhaps you shouldn’t be telling one of the benefactors about this, um, sex scandal, do you?”
Her cheeks turn pink, but she still looks sinfully playful as she smiles at me. “I suppose not…but I’m not really cut out for these types of events. Natural-born rebel and all.”
“Rebel?” I ask roguishly. “I’m liking the sound of this.”
“Well, I really shouldn’t have told you about the sex scandal,” she admits with a chagrined look as she removes her hand from mine. “You won’t repeat that, will you?”
“How about you tell me something scientific so I can legitimately say that’s what we talked about tonight if anyone asks.”