Free It Takes a Rebel by Stephanie Bond Page B

okay?" Derek pleaded. "Don't try to be starting something."
    "That's crazy," Jack protested. "I wouldn't—"
    "Yes, you would . If you haven't noticed, little brother, you have a way of sabotaging your own success."
    Jack sighed. "Relax, she has a boyfriend."
    "Ha! Never stopped you before."
    "Oh, and this coming from a guy who married the bride-to-be of a friend of his."
    Derek grunted. "Steve and I aren't friends."
    "Wonder why?"
    "Okay, Jack, okay. But I'm telling you—stay away from this woman's bed."
    "My contact with Alex Tremont will be limited to her wiping her six-hundred dollar stiletto shoes on my back."
    "Promise me."
    "Promise you what?"
    "Promise me you won't become involved with this woman."
    "What? No!"
    "Then I'm coming home."
    "No!" Jack sighed, then turned his back to the eavesdropping auditor and cupped his hand over the mouthpiece. "Okay."
    "Okay, what?"
    He rolled his eyes heavenward and lowered his voice even more. "Okay. I promise I won't become involved with … this
    woman."
    "Great. I know I can trust you to keep your word to me, Jack."
    Derek's words reverberated in his head long after he hung up the phone. By the time he signed all the outgoing checks and
    sealed the envelopes, Mr. Stripling was ready to leave. Jack helped him to his car while doing his best to ignore the man's
    ominous comments about missing forms and late payments. He assured the man they would discuss it later. Then Jack locked
    the office, rode his motorcycle to the bank to make the deposit, and dropped the bills into a mailbox.
    Maneuvering through five o'clock traffic, he acknowledged he hadn't yet called Alex to set up a time to meet with her as her
    father had suggested. He also acknowledged that just the thought of seeing her again sent the blood rushing to the lower
    portions of his body. And irritation to nerve endings elsewhere.
    He dreaded talking to the woman on the phone, knowing she'd probably resist every opportunity to meet with him. Her
    father's words came back to him. You're going to have to suck up a little to win her over, but I'm sure you can handle it. Jack
    had never had to suck up to a woman in his life, and Alex Tremont didn't strike him as someone susceptible to sucking up
    anyway. Dammit, he'd have to be clever, which meant this was going to be a lot of work.
    He sighed heavily, then from nowhere an idea popped into his mind. With growing confidence, Jack smiled and revved
    toward home, telling himself that just because he was already anticipating seeing Alex again did not mean he was going back
    on his promise to Derek.
    Chapter 7
    « ^ »
    A lex kicked off her shoes and removed the pins from her hair, lightly massaging her scalp as she finger combed the waves.
    Taking stock of her physical well-being, she acknowledged wryly that her feet hurt, her back hurt and her hair hurt. On a scale
    of one to ten for bad days at the office, she gave this day a nine, saving ten for the distinction of being fired.
    Noticing the flashing light on her voice recorder, she pushed the play button as she walked past.
    "Alex, this is Lana. You have to help me, I'm begging you. Vile Vicki is hip to me borrowing her things to get her back for
    borrowing my things. I need to stash a few valuables at your place until I can off her and dump the body."
    Shaking her head at her friend's nonsense, she attempted a laugh, but in light of her abysmal day at the office, the noise came
    out sounding a bit strangled. After the farce of a meeting to "investigate" Jack Stillman's company as a potential advertising
    firm, she'd received preliminary reports from a reputable retail research firm that Tremont's was definitely losing sales ground,
    even worse considering that one of their main competitors was holding steady, and the other was posting significant gains.
    What a time to be flushing their advertising dollars down the drain.
    Before it slipped her mind, Alex dialed Lana's number—she and Vile Vicki were way beyond sharing a