The Bottom Line

The Bottom Line by Shelley Munro Page A

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Authors: Shelley Munro
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longer than normal.”
    “Dinner won’t spoil. All I need to do is put on the steaks.”
    Connor followed Julia through to her kitchen. “I checked Maggie’s blog before training. She’s serious about spanking.”
    Julia turned on the gas and placed a heavy griddle on the heat. She grabbed a hair scrunchie from the fruit bowl and pulled her hair into a ponytail to keep it out of her way. His friends were all beautiful in their own way, but Julia was stunning. She’d even placed in the Miss Auckland contest a few years ago before throwing in the beauty contest circuit for the party one. Lately she’d seemed quieter, more restrained, although she still wore her confidence and sexiness like a badge.
    “Maggie surprised me with her blog,” she said. “It was unexpected but she seems more confident. I was glad she told Greg to take a hike. The man’s an ass.”
    “Why don’t you tell it like it is,” Connor said, his tone wry. “Do you want a beer or a glass of wine?”
    “I’ll take a glass of the Chardonnay please. And you know Greg isn’t good enough for Maggie. She’s a sweetie and needs someone who will take care of her.”
    “You won’t get an argument from me.” Someone like him . Connor grabbed a beer for himself and opened the wine. He handed her a glass, put the wine back in the fridge and settled on one of the barstools at the breakfast bar.
    Julia placed two steaks on the hot griddle, glanced at her watch and joined him at the breakfast bar. “Greg doesn’t want to let go. He’s started annoying her at work.”
    “Annoying her how?” Connor’s voice was sharp. Maggie hadn’t mentioned it to him.
    “He requests her to help him with his clients’ accounts, sends her flowers and rings her most days. It’s nothing over the top, nothing that she can complain about to management.”
    “Maybe I should say something to him.”
    “We’ve already offered to help her, but Maggie says she needs to deal with him herself. She really has changed.”
    “But he’s not listening to her.”
    “If he pushes her any harder, she’ll lose her temper. I hope I’m around to see the fireworks. Maggie is slow to lose her temper, but when she does, she’s a real dynamo.”
    “I’ve never seen her lose her temper before,” he said, intrigued.
    Julia checked her watch again and stood to turn the steaks. The scent of cooking meat filled the kitchen with a delectable aroma, reminding him he hadn’t eaten for hours.
    “Our Maggie is like an iceberg. She has hidden depths,” Julia said as she removed two baked potatoes from the oven.
    “Can I do anything?”
    “Nah, sit there and look cute,” Julia said with a hint of her usual impish humor. “What do you think about Maggie and her spanking?”
    She retrieved two salads from the fridge: one green and the other one looked like the pumpkin salad his mother often made containing feta cheese, black olives and chickpeas. She placed a tub of sour cream, butter and some oil and vinegar on the counter. A few minutes later they were eating.
    “I’m not sure what to make of it,” he said. “I guess as long as she’s happy and doesn’t get hurt.” No way was he going to say what he really thought.
    Julia’s cell phone rang. She answered it, listened for a second and said, “Christina, can I ring you back. Connor’s here and we’ve just started our dinner.” She laughed and said, “Twenty minutes. No, you guys can’t come around. It’s the middle of the week and if you come around, I’ll drink too much. I’m getting too old to go to work with a hangover.” Grinning, she disconnected the call and put her phone on the countertop.
    “It’s not like you to turn down the chance of a party.”
    Julia shrugged. “People change. I haven’t felt in a party mood recently.”
    Connor waited for her to say more, but she didn’t, cutting off a corner of her steak instead and popping it into her mouth.
    “Most of the people posting on Maggie’s blog live

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