Free Nerds Are Freaks Too by Koko Brown Page A

nerves as she ran the brush through her hair for the hundredth
time, more from sheer anxiety than actual vanity. Her dark hair floated around
her shoulders thanks to an insanely hot Dominican blow-out, and her nails now
sparkled like blood-red rubies with a fresh application of her favorite nail
color, Sex Kitten. Her makeup was photo-shoot perfect and her brown skin glowed
from the peppermint-sugar scrub she’d applied in the shower. It was shown off
to advantage in the off-white, vintage negligee she’d paid too much for.
Despite the exorbitant cost, Roxanne knew she’d made a good choice. The
sweetheart neckline made her girls look even perkier, while the ivory silk
falling in soft folds to the floor accentuated her curves to bombshell
proportions.
    If looks could kill, she could commit premeditated murder
before the sun came up, or at least bring a man to his knees.
    But will it be the right man?
    “Stop doing this to yourself!” Frustrated and tired of
warring with her conscience, Roxanne stomped out of the bathroom and into the
sumptuous hotel room. Before taking a shower, she’d worked up a fine sweat
achieving the room’s romantic atmosphere.
    A dozen vanilla-scented candles were placed strategically
around the room and Sade’s latest CD played on the iPod stereo. As a final
touch, she’d ordered a bucket of champagne, which sat perched on a table near
the window.
    Roxanne glanced at the clock near the bed. Constantine would
be here any minute.
    Upset over finding her mind preoccupied by Leo all night
long, she’d taken drastic steps. Deciding to skip dinner, she’d instructed The
Geneva’s maître d’ to send Constantine to the front desk, where he’d receive a
key and further instructions to meet her upstairs.
    “If everything goes according to plan, I’ll have a new lover
before the night’s through.”
    Roxanne frowned. Why had her plan sounded so much easier on
paper?
    With each tick of the clock hand, Roxanne grew more anxious.
Before long she started to pace. Better to wear the carpet thin than her
nerves. “Constantine’s not exactly a stranger,” she rationalized. “And this
isn’t technically a one-night stand since we’ve already had sex. Sort of.”
    Still, no matter how much she tried to rationalize it,
Roxanne knew she was only fooling herself. This plan was ridiculous. She wanted
Leo.
    A self-described emotional eater, she picked up a bag of
complementary pretzels and tore into them. Almost immediately, the salty snack
eased her frazzled nerves—which lasted exactly half the bag.
    No matter how she sliced and diced the situation, there was
only one way to assuage her conscience.
    “Leonidas Papadopoulos, you’ve ruined me for anyone else!”
Roxanne crumpled the bag in one hand as she reached for the dress and boots she
had on earlier. If she hurried, she could be long gone before Constantine paid
his taxi driver.
    Once dressed, Roxanne picked up a piece of the hotel’s
complimentary stationary and scribbled a quick note of apology. After leaving
it on one of the bed pillows, she slipped on her trench coat, grabbed her purse
and headed for the door.
    Her room was located all the way down the very long hall
from the stairwell. Located at the north end of the hall, the stairs would have
given her the best exit to avoid any kind of potential confrontation. But even
if she made it unnoticed, she still had to navigate twelve floors—in four-inch
heels.
    Tugging on her earlobe, Roxanne weighed her options. “I’ll
just take my chances with the elevator.”
    She rummaged through her purse and pulled out a pair of
large, dark sunglasses. Sliding them on, she popped the collar of her trench
coat. Satisfied with her makeshift disguise, she poked her head into the
hallway. Greeted with an empty corridor, she breathed a sigh of relief. With
her belongings in one hand, her other clutching the lapels of her coat, Roxanne
stepped into the hallway.
    Going from zero to sixty in point-four