Free How to Survive a Killer Seance by Penny Warner Page B

lingering grip. I sat down in the space available between the geek and the suit. I glanced down as I pulled my chair in and caught a glimpse of his ratty sneakers with missing laces and no socks.
    Jonathan nodded at him.
    “Presley, this is Levi Webster, our newly promoted product developer. You’ll be working with Levi on the presentation of the 4-D Projector.” Levi, bent over his hot dog, grunted a short, unintelligible greeting and returned to his food.
    Jonathan gestured to the multihighlighted blond woman next to him. She looked more like a Victoria’s Secret model in the tight black Bebe tank and rhinestone-studded white capris than one of Jonathan’s employees.
    “This is my wife, Lyla. She’s a former model with a real eye for design. I’ve asked her to help out with decorations for the party.”
    Oh goody. Just what I needed. Assistance from arm candy.
    Lyla lifted her blue eyes from the rhinestone-studded—or were they real diamonds?—cell phone she held and wiggled her French-manicured fingers at me. “Nice to meet you, Priscilla.”
    “It’s Presley,” I said.
    “What an . . . interesting name,” she said, her pouty mouth forming an O. “Anyway, I have some fabulous ideas for the party room. I was thinking we’d hang up posters of Casper the Friendly Ghost and his girlfriend Wendy on the walls, and put a big crystal ball in the middle of the table, filled with smoke. And then we’d have spooky music playing in the background, like that theme from Halloween or whatnot.” She said all this to me without taking her eyes off the text message she’d just received.
    Great, I thought. Can’t wait.
    Finally he turned to the suited woman on his other side. “And this is my right-hand man, my VP who handles just about everything at Hella-Graphics, Stephanie Bryson. She’ll be working with you on many of the details of the party.”
    Stephanie gave a tight smile and reached out her hand to shake mine. The woman would have been pretty if she’d have lightened up on the heavy makeup that covered her skin. I instantly felt for her, working with a man like Jonathan. Had she been the one he’d spoken to so brusquely on the phone at the diner? I wouldn’t have let anyone talk to me like that.
    “Would you like something to eat?” Jonathan asked.
    “I’ll just get some coffee,” I said, and headed over to the counter to order a prefab latte. Jonathan followed me, whipping out his wallet.
    “I’ll get this,” he said grandly to the cashier, then turned to me and placed his hand on my arm. “I’m so glad we’ll be working together.” He stole a quick glance at the table where his wife was busy tapping on her cell phone, then squeezed my arm. “Did I tell you you have such beautiful green eyes? Like your mother. I can understand what Dad sees in her.”
    Caught off guard by the compliment, his strong minty breath, and his sleazy come-on in front of his wife, I flushed and turned toward the clerk, using the movement to pull away from his tightening grip. I took the souvenir Winchester Mystery House mug of coffee and returned to the table while Jonathan gave the young counter clerk ten dollars. “Keep the change,” he said.
    When he sat down at the table, I could swear he winked at me.
    What a player.
    I sipped the lava-hot liquid while Jonathan started the informal meeting.
    “Levi, why don’t you explain the 4-D holograph to Presley?” he said.
    Levi smiled, revealing something green stuck in one corner of his mouth. Relish? Stephanie typed something on her notebook computer, and Lyla continued to tap out messages on her phone’s tiny keyboard.
    Levi cleared his throat.
    “Ahem. Okay, well,” he said, shooting a glimpse at Jonathan. Jonathan tapped the corner of his own mouth to alert Levi. Levi grabbed a napkin lying on the table and wiped the green stuff away. “Uh, let’s see if I can make this simple enough for you, Miss . . .”
    “Call me Presley.”
    “Yeah. Well,