Free Jennifer Apodaca - Samantha Shaw 04 - Batteries Required by Jennifer Apodaca

door and to my car. The truth was that Blaine took care of my fully restored classic T-bird. He could drive it anytime he wanted to. As a highly skilled mechanic, Blaine could work anywhere. He chose to stay with Heart Mates and me. We were a good team.
    I hurried to the door of my office to get the clothes that I had hung there. I headed through the newly cleaned interview room, into the storage area that led to the alley. Turning on the overhead light, I spotted all the paint cans and supplies. I had to get rid of that stuff. Ignoring it for the moment, I turned right, into the cramped little bathroom.
    A single glance in the mirror revealed bags under my eyes and dust on my face. Quickly, I stripped out of my jeans and T-shirt. I used a washcloth to get rid of most of the dust and grime before stepping into my short black skirt with the sheer flowered overlay. After that, I put on my white camisole, then the sheer white, sleeveless romantic shirt.
    So far, so good.
    I put my purse on the closed toilet, moved aside the velvet box holding the sample sex-toy kit, and found my makeup bag. Lots of concealer, then a little color, to make me look alive. Not much I could do with my frizzy hair. But hey, that natural wave added to the romance of my outfit.
    And the shoes! Cool shoes always made me feel better. These were ultracool knockoffs, with wedge platforms and romantic lace straps that tied around my ankles.
    I didn’t have a full-length mirror, so I put my purse on the ground and stepped up on the closed lid of the toilet. An act of supreme balance in four-inch wedge heels!
    The woman in the medicine cabinet mirror wasn’t bad. Maybe a little thick in the thighs, but the wedge shoes helped.
    Not bad for a dating expert and mother of two!
    “Hello? Anyone here?” A deep voice called out.
    Startled, I jerked and lost my balance. Teetering on top of the toilet, I grabbed the shelf over the toilet with my right hand.
    For a second, everything sort of stopped. I thought I was OK.
    Then the shelf pulled out of the wall.
    I overbalanced and the shelf flew out of my hand.
    “Oh!” I fell and slammed my left thigh into the counter. “Ouch! Shit!”
    The shelf clattered to the floor, spilling toilet paper rolls, a can of air freshener, and a bottle of hand soap.
    I managed to grab the edges of the counter and slide my butt onto the two-inch space between the edge of the counter and the sink. My heart pounded from that panicked falling feeling. I was OK, even though it felt like a sledgehammer had hit my left thigh.
    I took a second to catch my breath and—
    The bathroom door burst open.
    I screamed.
    “It’s OK, ma’am, I’m a fireman.”
    Huh? A fireman? I swung my legs around to see who was breaking into my bathroom. My legs stopped, but one shoe flew off my foot and slammed into the intruder’s forehead. All I saw was a pair of shocked green eyes before a large man sank to the ground.
    The remaining shoe hung by the strap tied around my ankle. Guess I hadn’t tied the one that flew off my foot tight enough. I reached down, untied the shoe and tossed it to the ground. Then I slid off the counter and tested my weight on my legs. Yep, the left thigh hurt, but I could stand. So I stood there, staring down at the heap of man in my bathroom doorway.
    Who was he? Why had he crashed into my bathroom? Should I call 911 while he was out on the floor? I wasn’t expecting anyone—
    Cripes! The new client.
    I definitely had a headache coming on.
    “Boss? What the hell happened?” Blaine stood behind the unconscious man, holding a fast-food bag. He looked up at me.
    “You know the appointment that was coming in today—did he say what his job happened to be?”
    Blaine looked down at the unconscious man, who groaned and moved his hand to his forehead. Then Blaine answered, “Fireman.”
    “Damn. I just knocked out our potential client. Guess I’d better call 911.”
    I took a careful step over the body.
    A hand grabbed my