Body Work by Bonnie Edwards

Lisa doubted he ’d ever owned a pair of jeans, let alone faded ones and here he was with his shirt front wrinkled and pulled out of his waistband.
    My, my.
    She finished righting her clothing and pressed the button to open the garage door. The garage filled with light and fresh air, bringing a trace of normalcy to the charged atmosphere. In spite of her desire to run and hide, she turned to Harris’s son to have this out once and for all.
    “ Why are you here?” she asked Franklin, wary because her lawyer had told her Franklin had accepted the idea of the auction.
    “ I came to talk sense into you, but I can see that’s a useless endeavor.” The sneer on his face and disdain in his voice was used to make her cringe, but she refused.
    She would have shriveled under his degrading stare a couple years ago, but not now. There was nothing wrong in her feelings for Tyce, nothing wrong with her having a relationship. Harris had taught her that in the first weeks of their marriage.
    Whispers and gossip couldn’t hurt if you knew the truth he’d told her. The truth was she was in love and women in love took crazy chances.
    “ Talk to me about what?” she asked in the cool tone she’d taken four years to perfect.
    Tyce took a step back, leaned against the work bench and watched Franklin closely. She was grateful he ’d controlled his temper. The rigid control he exerted made it clear that if she wasn’t here, he might have let loose.
    Unused to displays of control under such circumstances, she fell in love with him all over again, aware that he would always, always keep a rein on his temper around her.
    Every word she’d told him about her mother’s rages had been heard.
    Other people ’s anger still tended to bring out the worst in her, something Franklin would soon learn.
    “ I know you’ve been shipping Dad’s cars out of the state. I want them back.”
    “ No.” She stood her ground, eyes firmly on her adversary.
    Something dangerous shifted in his eyes and he turned them to Tyce. “Branton, I can see why your business is doing so well. Lucky man, you. Blow jobs in the middle of the afternoon, and a fine piece of ass all night. No wonder most of your references come from women.”
    As steady as Lisa felt, his sick comments rocked her. Even so, Lisa stepped forward to snag Franklin ’s attention. “Get out,” she said.
    “ I don’t take orders from trailer trash who can’t keep her hands off the hired help.” The sneer he gave her again said it all. The feverish look in his gaze was sick; as if it turned him on to catch her in the act. He’d watched her like a hawk for four years and had come up with nothing filthy he could take to his father. He must feel vindicated at finding her like this.
    “Trailer trash?” Tyce said and grabbed Franklin by the throat again. The other man made a gurgling sound. Tyce’s knuckles were bloodless against the navy collar of his shirt. Still, he showed iron control.
    “ It must burn you to find me with a man now, after all this time,” she said. “After you finally realized I wouldn’t sleep with you, you tried so hard to set me up, to catch me with someone else. Your father knew everything you were up to. You’re a sorry excuse for a man, Franklin.” She shook her head, feeling empty pity for a man so small minded, so consumed by jealousy of his own father that he would want to deny his father his happiness.
    Franklin ’s eyes bugged out in shock and fear. Lisa touched Tyce’s bulging forearm.
    “ Stop, Tyce. He can’t hurt me. He’s never been able to hurt me. That’s what irritates him most.”
    Tyce let him go and wiped his hand as if he ’d dirtied it on something.
    Relieved, she set her sights on Franklin again, noted the sharp scent of fear that radiated out from him. “All those times you propositioned me, all those times you tried to buy me, got you nothing, Franklin.”
    “ My father bought you even when I–”
    “ When you what?” She was