Sweet as Candy - Karla Doyle Page 0,80

take the lead. Candy made rules and maintained control. Always.

Candace needed Candy right now. Enzo was about to wish he’d never met either of them.

Since Candy would be handling today’s meeting, Candace shrugged out of her fitted, black blazer, opened two more buttons on her blouse, then stuffed all the tissues she had on hand into the bottom half of her bra. Her boobs looked plenty fine on their own, but this visit called for something extra. She untucked the white shirt, undid a few buttons at the bottom and tied it just below the band of her bra. The short skirt and heels that had been fine for business casual would work for this look also. Not the tidy up-do, though.

She removed the clip holding her hair and let the waves hit her shoulders. A little finger tousling and it was bedroom messy, just the way her customers had liked. Next, she fished through her handbag and found the sexpot-red lipstick she’d worn to the gala, applying it thick enough to withstand a nuclear assault. One last check in the mirror told her she was ready.

She tucked the blazer over the top of her handbag and exited the car. Chin up and boobs out, she crossed the parking lot and entered the elegant, modern building. Showtime, Candy style.

A bulked-up, male security guard nodded while openly checking her out. To her right, a handful of well-dressed men stood in the large, first-floor lobby. Straight ahead, a uniformed, male concierge sat at a central reception desk. She didn’t need to look around to know every one of those men’s gazes were trained on her. She felt their attention. Their attraction. Exactly what she wanted right now.

“Good morning, can I help you?” the fresh-out-of-business-college young man asked as she leaned over the reception desk, giving him a primo view of her cleavage. Right on schedule, his attention dropped to her boobs. And stayed there, until she cleared her throat. When he met her gaze again, his face was redder than her lipstick.

“No need to be shy. If I didn’t want you to look, I would’ve worn something more business appropriate. Well, more appropriate to your business, anyway.” She unleashed the Candy-wants-to-eat-you smile and watched the concierge become paralyzed with lust. This part was just too easy. “I’m here to see Vincenzo Balducci, at his request. Be a honey and point me in the right direction.”

“I’ll have to call up and confirm your appointment, Miss…?”

“Just tell him Candy is here for him.” She straightened, turning her head to smile at her gawking admirers. Being here, making herself recognizable, was as risky as it was necessary. And it was necessary. She had a life to get on with. This was the only way to shake Enzo out of it.

“You can go up now,” the young man said, pulling her attention back to the desk. “Take the elevator to the sixth floor and turn right when you get off.” The guy’s face turned impossibly redder. “I mean, step off. Not get off.”

She smiled a Candy-knows-what-you’re-thinking smile. Under other circumstances, she’d find his bumbling funny. Not today.

“Right, so, yes. Right. Turn right out of the elevator. Mr. Balducci’s office is behind a set of double doors. He says he’d like you to go in directly, without stopping to talk to anybody.”

Oh, she just bet he’d like that. Well, too damn bad. She planned to talk to every single person she could along the way. Starting with the group across the lobby.

“Thank you. You’ve been very helpful.” One more smile for the blushing concierge, then she strolled toward the elevator, issuing a flirty fingertip wave at the cluster of attentive businessmen. “If you like what you see, head over to Lucky’s Healthy Life Massage. That’s where Vincenzo Balducci found me and many, many happy endings.” She turned her back to them and pressed the button for the elevator.

The weight of their gazes propelled her into the empty car. She closed her eyes and exhaled when the silver doors slid shut behind her. Every second of this exhibitionistic stunt made her nauseated.

She hated doing this. Hated being here at all. The more people she outed herself to, at this point, the better. It wouldn’t matter for long anyway. As soon as she secured a new job, she’d leave the area and never return. She’d miss the school, for Macy’s sake, but there were other good schools.

There was only one Jake though. She’d miss him no matter where she