Free Sex, Lies and Surveillance by Stephanie Julian Page A

employees.” Annie’s high-pitched anger rang through her cultured tone. “He didn’t even have the balls to admit he was pissed because I wouldn’t go out with him. So I quit.”
    “Men are dogs.”
    “Truer words were never spoken,” Annie agreed emphatically. “All except Brad. He’s been a true gentleman.”
    “For all of two weeks. Gotta be true love. Forgive me if I don’t rush out and buy my bridesmaid dress.”
    “I know it hasn’t been that long, but I really like him. Have you given any more thought to the email I sent you this morning?”
    “You mean the one about Brad’s friend and dinner Tuesday night?” Janey hid a sigh, knowing she was going to have to go.
    “Come on,” Annie pleaded. “It’ll be fun.”
    “That’s what you said the last time.”
    “Oh, come on, those tax attorneys weren’t that boring.” Annie huffed. “And the real estate guys—oh, wait, they were pretty bad. They kept trying to sell us condos in the Everglades. I wanted to laugh in their faces but it was more fun playing the dumb blonde.”
    “And the time before that, the general contractor and the plumbing inspector?”
    Annie’s laugh was pure sexy growl. “But let me tell you, honey, the inspector knew his way around pipes.”
    Now they both laughed so hard, it took them nearly a minute to calm down.
    “Oh, come on, Janey,” Annie finally said. “Brad said his friend’s a nice guy and good-looking. I’ve met some of Brad’s friends. Yummy. When was the last time you had a date, anyway?”
    Because she had to think about it—and because she didn’t want to tell Annie about the one she’d just made for Saturday, especially not over the office line—Annie pounced on her silence. “See. If it’s been that long, you definitely need to get out. We used to have so much fun double dating in high school.”
    Janey had to laugh at that. “Yeah, I did get the better end of the bargain then. I got the shy, sweet guys.”
    And don’t I wish I still did.
    “And I dated the jocks who couldn’t keep their hands to themselves.” Bitterness coated Annie’s tone. “But Brad’s not like that. And you never know, you might like this guy. Or…maybe it’ll give Mal the incentive to ask you out himself.”
    If she only knew.
    “Come on, Jane,” Annie pleaded. “I won’t even tell Brad’s friend you’re coming if you don’t want me to. At least come and meet Brad.”
    Janey knew that was the real reason Annie wanted her to go. “All right, all right. Just don’t call it a date.”
    Annie smacked an exaggerated kiss over the line. “You won’t regret this, I promise. Love ya, girlfriend.”
    Yeah, right. She was regretting it already. Because the only man she wanted to date was Mal.

Chapter Five
    An hour later, Janey was still trying to get her brain to settle down to do some serious work when the unusually loud rumble of male voices from Nic’s office drew her down the hall.
    Nic had said he’d stop and pick her up on their way out. But she’d just taken a call for him, which meant he must’ve turned off the phone in his office. Again.
    One of these days she’s was going to stop taking his calls and transcribing his notes and—
    Oh, hell. Why did she even bother lying to herself?
    She knew she’d never go through with it. Her brothers were too dependent on her and it was her own damn fault. She liked that they needed her. But they also took her for granted.
    She’d been stagnating before the NSA offer, even with the freelancing she did for the Philadelphia police. At least the work she did there let her actually contribute a necessary service, rather than just supporting her family in the important work they did.
    But she was suffocating.
    That was why she’d considered leaving, taking a job that would force her to leave Philadelphia, to leave her nice comfortable job with her family and prove to herself that she could make it on her own.
    Without her parents and brothers treating her like