Working Man by Melanie Schuster Page A

And he actually did what he said he was going to do, she thought as she lathered her body in fragrant bubbles from the bath gel Billie had thrust in her hand. Most importantly, he seemed to genuinely like her. And he also seemed to be really attracted to her, every inch of her. That was the basis for her plan, which was actually more of a test.
    She rubbed the scented gel over her breasts while she thought about what she was about to do. She was going to toss Billie at Nick and see what happened. No man was able to resist her little sister and she had no doubt that Nick would prove to be one of those men who melted like butter in a hot skillet when they got a look at her endless legs, dreamy eyes and slender, sexy body. The thought of him drooling all over Billie was daunting, and a pain pierced her heart as she realized how disappointed she’d be when she saw that dumbfounded look on his face. Her hands paused for a moment and she suddenly had to wipe her eyes, which were burning for some reason. The burning doubled when she got soap in her eyes and she had to let the water from the shower wash away the irritating suds. This was something she had to do, dammit. She was already having hot dreams about him every night; there was no point in letting her guard down any further unless she knew he was really sincere about her. I have to do this. I have to know, she thought fiercely.
    In the meantime, Billie was showing Toni the present she’d brought for Dakota. “I saw this in Milan and I could just see her in it,” Billie said. “Isn’t it perfect?”
    It was a simple silk-and-cotton-blend dress that had a scoop neck and a deep back with criss-crossed straps. It fit close to the body through the bodice, and flared out into a full skirt that would end above the knee. It was sleeveless with deeply-cut armholes and it would show off Dakota’s arms and her stupendous breasts perfectly. Toni agreed at once.
    â€œIt’s beautiful, and that indigo color will look great with her skin tone. Now all she needs are some shoes to go with it,” Toni said.
    Billie triumphantly pulled out a pair of Ferragamo sandals with a higher heel than Toni had ever seen her friend wear. “These match it perfectly and she’s going to wear them or go barefoot,” Billie said firmly. “I’m sure she hasn’t told you this, but her self-esteem took a beating last year thanks to this doofus she was dating. I hated him,” she said, her eyes glinting at his memory. “He wasn’t man enough for her, anybody could see that, but for some reason she thought he was the stuff, you know? His name was Jonah, of all things, and he was this mealy-mouthed corporate tool, a lobbyist or something. D.C. is full of bottom-feeders.
    â€œAnyway, I always thought he was with Dakota because of who she is. You know what I mean, her name, her fame, and her brains. He was riding on her coattails, as far I was concerned. He was a control freak, too. He had emotional abuse written all over him. He used to try to get her to lose weight, used to watch every mouthful she took and made little cracks about her needing to join a gym.”
    Toni made a face. “Been there, done that. I know the kind. The ‘you-have-such-a-pretty-face’ kind. They swear up and down they love you just for you, but every other minute they’re trying to get you to go on a diet. I dated this one schmuck who told me we couldn’t have sex again until I lost five pounds.”
    â€œOoohh, no he didn’t! What did you tell him?”
    â€œThat the sex wasn’t good enough for me to miss a meal and for him to lose my number. That’s one of the reasons I love my man so much. He’s from Albania and they love meat on the bones,” she giggled.
    â€œYeah, well, as much as that creep Jonah loved being on Dakota’s arm because she knew everybody in Washington, he had the nerve to try and change her. This