Double Dealing Read Online Free Page A

quietly behind
her. “Afraid I might mistake you for an interesting little puzzle in that
outfit?”
    Samantha paused momentarily in the doorway of the dressing
room before shutting the door behind her. “Not at all, Mr. Sinclair. The very
opposite, in fact! Thanks to the way you introduced yourself there isn’t anything
left of me which might still be an unknown quantity. You got an eyeful, didn’t
you?” The door closed with a bit more force than she had planned.
    At once she went limp with reaction, sagging momentarily back
against the closed door and shutting her eyes while drawing a long, steadying
breath. It was difficult to tell if her weakened condition was due to Miss
Carson or from the shock of having Gabriel Sinclair materialize in that spa room. A little of both, probably. Good lord. What had
she gotten herself into?
    Well, there was no time to stand around worrying about the
unorthodox way her business with Sinclair had begun. He was here in response to
her note, and that could only be a hopeful sign.
    Staggering a little, Samantha straightened away from the
door and reached for the first thing that looked easy to slip into. She really
was feeling quite limp, and the thought of struggling with tight jeans or a lot
of buttons was simply too much. Miss Carson had a lot to answer for with her
clients!
    Dropping the jacket, Samantha pulled the cotton knit crew-neck
dress over her head. It was a bright summer white, California white, she had
decided when she’d purchased it in Seattle, and it was banded at hem and sleeve
with bright stripes of turquoise. Bracing herself with one palm against the
marble counter framing the sink, Samantha lifted her other hand to slip off the
headband and the pins that held the tight bun.
    The curve of shining brown hair swung down around her
shoulders, and Samantha couldn’t restrain another groan, this time one of
relief. The severity of the required hairstyle had been slowly contributing to
a headache. The new result wasn’t as businesslike as she might have wished, but
after all, this was California.
    “And after what that man has seen of the rest of you,” she
lectured herself in the mirror, “he’s not likely to be too impressed by a
somewhat belated attempt to make yourself look as though you just walked in off
Wall Street.” The thought made her grimace, and she wrinkled her nose and
narrowed her eyes behind the lenses of her glasses. The whole matter had gotten
off to a horribly ridiculous start. It was going to take all of her energy and
skill to get things back on course.
    And Gabriel Sinclair did not appear to be a man who was
easily pushed onto a desired course.
    Squelching a small sigh of regret over the way she had
loused up the deal thus far, Samantha opened the dressing room door and walked
barefoot into the sitting area of her small suite. Sinclair was seated at the round
table in front of the window, just as she had left him. But now he was sipping
tea from a delicate china cup as he gazed out into the private little garden.
Samantha’s eyes widened in astonishment.
    “Where did you get the tea?” she demanded, coming forward to
take the opposite seat.
    “I ordered it sent to the room while you were getting dressed.
You looked as if you might need something reviving, and I think tea is about
all that’s allowed in the way of stimulants around here.” To Samantha’s surprise
he set down his own cup and poured her one, handing it to her with grave
politeness.
    “Thank you,” she murmured, unaccustomed to men who knew how
to pour tea. “My mother would love you,” she added unthinkingly.
    Gabriel’s hazel eyes lifted quickly, something close to
humor moving in their depths. “Your mother?”
    “Umm.” Samantha took a long, satisfying sip from her cup and
settled deeply into the chair, bare legs stretched out in front of her. “My
mother is a woman who appreciates men who don’t have role problems. She’s one
of those who read Simone de