Free Licked (L.A. Liaisons Book 1) by Brooke Blaine Page A

poured a few minutes ago for when she got a break, and passed it to her. “I don’t know how you work with her. Or why. I’m convinced you’re a saint.”
    “Glutton for punishment, more like.” She brushed a strand of her long, fiery red curls behind her ear, looked in Val’s direction, and then shot the ’snake. Poor thing.  
    Though Shayne was a more successful matchmaker than Val, and the true brains behind the operation, she was under the assumption she needed Val more than Val needed her. Which was the furthest thing from the truth. If you asked me, Shayne was terrified of branching out on her own. Oh, she seemed confident, what with her sweet Aussie charm and her ability to put together a couple out of the most odd pairing, but I knew the truth. And the truth was that she’d rather deal with Val and stay in her comfort zone than take a flying leap off a cliff and start her own business.  
    Hah. Like I did. And look at the mess I’m making, I thought, glancing at the tarp.  
    Shayne nodded at the group by the jukebox as she popped a mint in her mouth. “Isn’t that your builder?”
    When I looked over to whom she was referring to, I caught Hunter staring at me, and I quickly looked away again. “He’s not my builder.”
    “You know what I mean. What’s he doing here? He wasn’t on my list for the mixer.”
    “Val orgasmed when she stopped by yesterday to complain about the renovations and saw him.” I shrugged. “Even trade.”
    “Huh.” Shayne didn’t bother asking for more details about what that visit had entailed. She could probably guess them by now. “Cleans up well, doesn’t he?”
    Nope. Wasn’t touching that. I was keeping my lips shut. If I didn’t, I’d launch into how good he looked when he was dirty, and then that would have me thinking of other ways he could get dirty—
    “Ry?” Shayne asked.
    “Yeah?”
    “I said how’s Cameron?”
    Yeah, Cameron—the guy you’re crazy about. “Cameron…he’s good, I think. I got a message from him saying he’d made it to Hong Kong, so I’m sure he’s having a blast.”
    “Uh huh.” Shayne raised an eyebrow before turning back to check Val’s status. She was draped all over two of the male clients, and they looked appropriately horrified. “Oh what the hell is she…fuck me, I’ll be back.”
    The next half-hour passed in a blur, making drinks and tending to Val’s nagging requests: Could we change the music to something not so old-fashioned? I’m sweating like a whore in church, could you turn the air down? Way down? One thing I was actively not doing, though, was keeping tabs on Hunter. He’d been hopping from group to group, Shayne having organized the whole thing like a round of standing musical chairs. He was currently in a circle that included the annoying blond I’d waited on earlier, and to say she had goo-goo eyes for Hunter was an understatement. Actually, it looked like the other two girls standing by her did as well.  
    I looked him over with a more critical eye. I guessed I could see the appeal if you liked the ruggedly handsome type. The way he was giving each person one-on-one attention as if they were the only ones in the room could also be seen as a plus, I supposed. He wasn’t as tall as Cameron, but he still commanded attention, but probably because he was so bossy. The way he took control of every situation and handled it might be something other women would like. But not me.  
    The blond bimbo laughed at something Hunter said, giving her an excuse to lay her hand on his arm. I stared daggers at her ugly orange fake nails. Who wore orange outside of October, anyway?
    Rolling my eyes, I made myself look away and grabbed the almost-empty container of whipped cream and took it to the kitchen. After pulling out the new batch I’d made this morning, I went back out to the front and stopped when I saw Hunter standing at the bar. I gave him a tight-lipped smile before putting the container in the