Free Murphy's Law by Kat Attalla

never deluded herself about her looks. Her mother used to call her unique, but she soon figured out that unique was only another word for strange.
    She glanced in the small mirror above the dressing table. Why couldn’t she have a flat chest? She stood on her toes and knotted the tee shirt at her waist, exposing the line of her hips. She slapped her palms against them in a vain hope that they would become smaller. It didn’t help, but it never had before.
    So what did he see? She moved closer to the mirror to examine her face. Her skin looked clear today, but every month like clockwork, her complexion reverted to adolescence. And her hair, she thought, holding a piece in her fingers. Five minutes after she took the hot rollers out it fell straight again. She had tried a perm once but, after spending a hundred dollars, she ended up with something that smelled like a skunk and resembled steel wool.
    “The man must be blind as a bat,” she mumbled absently. “I have 20/20 vision, Lilly.”
    Lilly gasped and spun around, stumbling into the table behind her. Jack was lying on his stomach with one hand propping up his head. He watched her struggle with the tangled tee shirt, grinning at her embarrassment.
    She finally straightened the shirt and held it over her knees. “How long have you been awake?”
    “Long enough. Is this little ritual something all women indulge in, or is it something you personally start your morning with?”
    “I’m sure you’ve woken up with more women than I have.” She tried to be glib, but she came out sounding like a jealous wife.
    “I don’t make a habit of waking up with women.”
    “Sure. And next you’ll tell me you’re saving yourself for marriage.”
    Jack rolled out of the bed and reached for his pants. She tried not to watch, but he stood right in front of her. With her eyes downcast, she had a great view of his powerful legs and narrow hips, and all points in between.
    “Going to bed with a woman and waking up with one are two different things. One is sex and the other a relationship. In my line of work, the latter is very dangerous.”
    “Why?”
    “Because when you care, you have a weak spot.”
    She couldn’t accuse him of leading her on. She was a job to him and nothing more. He wouldn’t allow himself to care for her. In his own way, he’d warned her to do the same. Unfortunately, his warning came a few days too late.
    “I have to go start breakfast.” She tried to pass him. He put his hand on her waist and refused to budge. “Please, Jack. Let me go. I have work to do.”
    “Okay. But don’t you think you should get dressed first? I like this outfit on you, but I don’t think it’s appropriate for the rest of the crew.”
    Her face burned hotter than the rising sun. If he hadn’t stopped her, she would have walked right out the door in nothing more than his tee shirt. What powers did he possess that rendered her reasonably intelligent mind non- functional? “Don’t you have some work to do?”
    “In a second. I want to make sure my eyes aren’t deceiving me.” He slid his hands along her hips and around to the small of her back. “Nothing wrong there. Let’s see….” He continued his playful exploration, kneading the taut muscles below her shoulder blades.
    Every nerve ending in her body stood at attention. He didn’t play fair. He went out of the way to make the point that she meant nothing to him. Why did he need to prove that she didn’t share his indifference?
    As if trying to gauge how far she would let him carry out his amusing and exciting experiment, he walked his fingers up her stomach, aiming higher with each tender stroke. She caught his hand before he reached his destination. “Why are you doing this, Jack? I don’t mean anything to you.”
    “I never said that.”
    “When you care, you have a weak spot,” she sarcastically mimicked back.
    He placed his thumb under her chin and slowly tilted her head back. “You misunderstood. I