Twice as Hot by Gena Showalter Page A

compare. You’ll resemble her poor frumpy cousin from
Hick Town.”
    Ouch.
Honest friends were not as wonderful as I’d always assumed. “Yeah, but he split
with Lexis. Remember?” Hopefully someone did. “A glamazon is not what he wants
for himself.”
    “At
one time, he did. And that one time is the state of mind he’s in right now.”
    Shit.
Tanner was right. My shoulders slumped as I said, “I need five minutes.”
    “Do
everyone a favor and take ten.”
    Rolling
my eyes, I stomped off. I rifled through my closet, but didn’t have anything
that could compete with the ever-fashionable Lexis’s wardrobe. Just pick
something already. I had people to interview and a meeting to attend.
    Finally
I stripped to my underwear and jerked on a too-fancy-for-work chocolate dress
that boasted thin straps, an empire waist and a flowing skirt. Very Greek-chic,
I hoped. I couldn’t wear a bra because I didn’t own a strapless and the straps
of my comfortable white cotton would have showed. And not in the oh, so sexy
you’re-seeing-something-you-shouldn’t way, but in the
granny-got-dressed-in-the-dark way.
    On
my feet I wore shiny brown sandals that ribboned up my calves. I removed the
band in my hair and let the (silky, I liked to think) mass fall. It was
straight and hit the middle of my back. Rome liked to sift his fingers through
it. Or rather, he used to. Bastard. Lexis had long hair, too, so I was probably
okay in that arena.
    I
straightened my shoulders and studied myself in the full-length mirror. Not
bad. Kind of pretty. Definitely elegant.
    “This
is war,” I told my reflection. “Lexis is going down.”
    I
dumped the contents of my purse into a nicer one with one quick shake—a girl
had to match—and sailed from the room, ready for the battle to begin. Tanner
now stood in the entryway, once more leaning against the wall.
    He
nodded in approval. “Nice. Your nipples are hard.”
    I
punched him in the stomach, but I was grinning. From Tanner, that was the
highest of compliments. Besides that, he’d sounded like his old self. The
happy, perverted boy I knew and loved, not the sad wounded puppy he’d been.
    “I
need my cell,” I muttered, rushing back into my bedroom. The little black
device flashed red in the upper right-hand corner, which meant that I’d somehow
missed a call. A search of the ID showed that it had come from the caterer. Not
another one, I thought with a groan. I should call them back, but damn it, if I
called I’d have to cancel and I didn’t want to cancel them. They served
chocolate cake that tasted like it had fallen straight from a rainbow in heaven
and booked up fast. Two seconds after I canceled, someone else would already be
lined up.
    As
I joined Tanner in the foyer, I made a mental note to call them, as well as the
dress shop, later today and beg a new date.
    He
opened the door and I sailed past him. Or tried to. Instead, I tripped over a
box of…chocolates, I realized, righting myself. Three tiered boxes, one stacked
on top of the other like the cake I’d just been imagining, and all wrapped in
gold foil. A card was taped underneath a bow.
    “Are
you seriously that clumsy?” Tanner asked.
    “Yes.”
Warm, humid air beat around me, sunshine hot against my bare arms as I peered
down at the boxes, motionless. Idiot! Check them out. Heart racing, I
tore open the card and read, “There’s nothing as sweet as you, though I do hope
you enjoy these. Your admirer.” Again, no name.
    They
weren’t from Rome, then. My secret hope that he’d suddenly remembered me and
now thought to romance me back was once again dashed. I could have drop-kicked
those chocolates into a new dimension.
    “First
the flowers and now candy,” Tanner said. “This guy’s serious about getting you
into bed.”
    “Shut
up. Not all men have sex on the brain.”
    “If
they don’t, they’re dead.”
    Or
maybe their intentions were nefarious, I thought, reminded of my fears