Learning Curves by Cathryn Fox Page A

womanizing lowlife, her gaze settled on wide shoulders that any linebacker would kill for, then languidly slid down his back, stopping just below his belt.
    Stop staring at his ass already!
    And there it was. It hit Lauren like a bolt of lightning right between the eyes. She was no better than the other women who panted after Linc, but for one exception…when it came to her, he walked away. Straight to another woman.
    Just like her ex. Her lower lip trembled. Was that why she had formed such a dislike for Linc? Had she been projecting her failure to attract and hold the attention of a man onto an innocent bystander? Well, Linc was hardly an innocent in any respect, but still…
    Stricken, she tore her gaze away and smoothed her palms over her navy pencil skirt, wiping away the perspiration that had gathered. This couldn’t be. She wasn’t a mean person. She should apologize.
    Resolved to make amends, Lauren searched the patrons of the bar until she found Linc, looking over his shoulder at her, a smirk on his lickable lips as he ran his knuckles along the side of the brunette’s arm.
    Asshole!
    Fueled by her own gullibility, Lauren swung around and searched for somewhere, anywhere to hide until he left. Her glance landed on her best friend Kelli, who, as luck would have it, worked for the owner of the perfect ass. As Linc’s top regional sales manager, Kelli always accompanied Linc to the stadium for his merchandizing meetings, or to catch a hockey game.
    Kelli motioned Lauren over to the table she’d commandeered, and when she hesitated, her friend pinched her lips tight and gave her a look that suggested she’d better pick up her damn feet and get over there—pronto—otherwise there’d be hell to pay. Kelli might be a pixie of a thing, but she’d grown up on the streets of Brooklyn and could drop a man to his knees with a single look. Lauren had seen it first hand. The two might have come from different worlds, but after rooming together in college, they were now closer than sisters and always had each other’s backs.
    A strand of hair fell from the bun piled on top of Lauren’s head. She tried to shove it back in place but the damn thing wouldn’t stay. Giving up, she jammed it behind her ear and stomped to the table Kelli had grabbed, her new Jimmy Choos clicking on the polished floor as she made her way to her friend.
    “What’s the matter with you?” Kelli asked quietly.
    Lauren dropped onto the plush, upholstered chair and crossed her legs. “What do you mean?”
    “Your face is flushed, and your bun has sprung.”
    “Like you have to ask,” she muttered, her foot jiggling like it had a nervous twitch.
    “Are those new?” Kelli pointed at Lauren’s feet.
    Stretching out her leg, Lauren twisted her ankle around, giving Kelli a better look at the black alligator pumps she’d splurged on—a secret indulgence. “They are. You like?”
    “Me love. So, what has Linc done this time?”
    Lauren shifted in her chair. Never in a million years would she admit, especially to Kelli, that she might, just a little bit, be attracted to Linc. “He exists. Isn’t that enough?”
    “I told you, once you get to know him, he’s really nice.”
    Lauren gave an unladylike snort. “Which translates to he’s a complete asshole, but you get used to it.” She slanted Kelli a look. She’d heard the stories. He was a ruthless, take-no-prisoners businessman, and she had no doubt he was just as ethical when it came to women. “No. Thank. You.” She lifted her chin and ran her hands over the lapels of her suit jacket. “Doesn’t matter. I’ve no intention of getting to know him. He’s your boss, not mine.”
    “I don’t know, Lauren. I’m beginning to think the tension between you two stems from something else.”
    “I hardly think so,” she said, a little too quickly. Dammit, way to give myself away.
    Kelli grinned. “She protests too much…me thinks.”
    “Well, you’re wrong, Shakespeare . I can’t