Just 4 Play. Cindi Myers

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СКАЧАТЬ in the car.”

      She turned to look out of the window so he wouldn’t see her smile. Men were so predictable. Even her brother.

      Mitch negotiated Boulder traffic with reckless speed, and screeched to a halt in a No Parking zone in front of a pink brick building. Meg looked up at the marquee over the building’s door. Just 4 Play. Her smile broadened. She’d heard of this place. In fact, one of her girlfriends had recommended it. When Mitch jumped out of the car and went inside, she laughed out loud. So this was his secret inheritance. Oh, that was rich. Her straight-arrow brother had been saddled with a sex shop. This she had to see.

      When she walked through the door, Mitch was leaning over the counter, deep in conversation with a petite blonde. The blonde pointed toward the back and he took off.

      Meg walked over to the counter and picked up a penis-shaped key chain. Now there was a conversation starter. “May I help you?” the blonde asked.

      She laid aside the key chain. “I’m Meg Landry. Mitch’s sister. We were having lunch when you called.”

      “Oh, I didn’t call. The manager, Sid, did.” She held out her hand. “I’m Jill Sheldon.”

      They shook hands. Meg looked around, at the candy-colored condoms, the blowup dolls, massage oils, how-to books and what looked like a belly dancer costume. Her grin widened. Oh brother, what are you into now? She turned to Jill. “So what’s going on? Why did Mitch rush over here in the middle of lunch?”

      Jill made a face. “A woman came in here this afternoon, took one look around and started hollering for Mitch.”

      “A woman? Who?”

      “One of those society types. You know, fancy suit, fancy hair, fancy attitude.” Jill’s expression said Miss Fancy had left her singularly unimpressed. “She said her name was Lana Montgomery.”

      Meg shaped her mouth into a perfect O. “I take it Mitch hadn’t gotten around to telling her about this place.”

      Jill leaned across the counter, ready to dish dirt. “Who is she?”

      “Mitch’s girlfriend. Or maybe ex-girlfriend now.” She picked up a jar of body paint and studied the list of suggested uses. “Something tells me Lana’s not the type to approve of a place like this.”

      Jill straightened. “I suppose she thinks there’s something wrong with healthy sexuality. With helping people to improve their relationships and learn about their bodies—”

      “Hey, I didn’t say I didn’t approve.” Meg set aside the body paint. “To tell the truth, Lana’s always struck me as somebody laced up a little too tight.”

      Jill glanced toward the closed office door. “Like Mitch.”

      “Well, yeah, big brother can be a little…intense. But he’s really a great guy.”

      Jill raised one eyebrow. “You wouldn’t be a little biased, would you?”

      She grinned. “Not at all.” She nodded toward the office. “So what happened before I got here?”

      “Sid took this Lana chick back to the office. I think he was going to fix her some tea. If we’re lucky, he slipped a tranquilizer into it.”

      “That would probably help.” She walked over to a vibrator display and picked up a bright green model. No sense letting this shopping opportunity go to waste. “I’ve been thinking about getting one of these. What would you recommend?”

      “We have some really nice models.” Jill emerged from behind the counter and joined her at the display. “We have every color, size and shape you can think of.” She began opening drawers and taking out boxes. “Somewhere in here is your perfect BOB.”

      Meg picked up a bright purple model. “Bob?”

      “Your battery operated boyfriend.” She glanced toward the office door. “Let me tell you, sometimes they’re a lot less trouble than the real thing.”

      MITCH DIDN’T HAVE TIME to worry about Meg right now. He had to deal with Lana. What the hell was she doing here? How had she found out about the place? And what was he supposed to do with her now?

      He paused outside the office door and forced himself to take deep, calming breaths. She was probably upset; fine, he had seen her upset before and he could deal with that. The main thing was to remain calm. After all, he’d done nothing to be ashamed of.

      He grasped the doorknob firmly and shoved open the door, a placating speech already forming in his mind. But the scene before him froze him in his tracks.

      Lana and Sid sat side by side in front of the desk. Sid’s head was leaned toward Lana, an earnest expression on his face as he listened to her pour out some tale of woe, his pink Mohawk almost touching her perfectly coifed hair. The teacup looked like something from a child’s toy tea set in his large hand.

      “Thank you for being so understanding, Sid,” Lana was saying.

      Mitch made a strangled noise in his throat and they both looked up. Lana tensed and her expression grew stormy. “Mitch, how could you!”

      He walked into the room and leaned against the desk, his pose deliberately casual. “How could I what?”

      Two lines made a deep V between her brows and her mouth puckered in an expression of distaste. “How could you run a…a…smut shop?”

      “We prefer to think of ourselves as purveyors of accessories to enhance people’s pleasure and well-being.” Sid’s tongue-stud clacked against his teeth, giving him a slight lisp.

      Lana stared at him, her mouth going slack. A rosy flush crept up her neck. “Um, yes.”

      She turned back to Mitch. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

      “Because I knew you’d react like this. Besides, I intend to close the place down and open a restaurant.”

      Sid looked pained. “I told her.” He rescued her teacup from her hand. “Let me get you some more tea.”

      “I don’t want more tea.” She clenched her fists in her lap. “I want an explanation.”

      Why hadn’t he noticed before how shrewish she could be? He frowned. “I don’t see that it’s any of your business, Lana.”

      “How can you say that? Don’t you realize I have a reputation in town? What will people think when they find out the man I’m dating owns a place like this?”

      The man I’m dating. Was that all he was to her? Someone to escort her to dinner or to the theater, nothing more? “Maybe they’d think you were lucky,” he said, only half-joking.

      Sid brought more tea. “Lots of respectable people shop here,” he said. His expression was grave as he bent over Lana. “The mayor’s wife has even been here before.”

      Lana’s eyes widened as she accepted the teacup. A trembling attempt at a smile even rose to her lips. “You’ve been so kind,” she said, her voice breathy.

      Sid СКАЧАТЬ