Love Scars Read Online Free

bargain.
    Brad wasn’t just a pretty face. For all kinds of reasons, he deserved the thirty percent of BlueMagick I gave him three years ago on his twenty-fifth birthday.
    “If they figure things out they’ll bid up the price,” he said.
    “Or worse,” I said. “MolyMo has so many US senators its pocket, they could tack a rider onto some bill and make it impossible for any company except MolyMo to bid on the mineral rights.”
    “Fucking congress,” Brad said. “Why don’t we have any senators in our pocket?”
    “Or better, a few California legislators,” I said. “Did Heron see you?”
    “No, but I heard something later when I was helping Lisa get ready for the party tonight—the one you’re going to, by the way.”
    “Am not. I don’t do parties. I especially don’t do parties with civilians.”
    “You’re going. When I was setting up the keg, I heard Lisa talking with her roommate Nora—who is taking the internship, ironically. Nora said some guy approached her outside Barton’s office today with an offer to work on a side project at the dig.”
    “Some guy meaning Heron,” I said. “Dammit. What project?”
    “Nora wouldn’t say. Said if she didn’t keep it a secret, the deal was off. That’s why I came back to get you. You’re going to the party, and you’re going to sweet talk it out of her.”
    “Sweet talk? Jeez, Brad. Grown men don’t actually use words like that.”
    “You know what I mean,” Brad said.
    “Why don’t you sweet talkit out of her then?”
    “I can’t hit on my angel’s roommate.”
    “Lisa is not your angel, last I heard. Or did the boyfriend crash and burn?”
    Brad scowled. “Fabulous Frank is still in the picture.” If he was a cartoon, a dark cloud would’ve appeared over his head complete with thunder and lightning and rain.
    “What’s the problem, then? Is the roommate gross?”
    “She’s fine. She’s cute. She’s a babe.”
    “Somehow you’re not convincing me. Besides, I hate going out in public. Everybody always wants a job. Or a loan. Or a grant.”
    “J.D., nobody will know who you are. It’s a bunch of humanities students. They think about art and philosophy and ancient near east fertility goddesses. They wouldn’t know sexting from ethernet audio/video bridging. Your secret will be safer than Nora’s.”
    “What’s my secret?” I shouldn’t have asked.
    “You’re a tech genius billionaire asshole.”
    “As long as that’s cleared up.” I had to go, since apparently Brad couldn’t hit on his angel’s roommate. But I was getting something out of it. “Okay, I’ll do this. But you have to do something for me.”
    I went through the shirts I kept in my office closet and picked out a sky-blue hemp and cotton blend sleeveless pullover. Brad was a couple inches taller than me, and slightly more buff, but it would work.
    “Wear this.” I threw it at Brad. “Think of it as a disguise. You’re going to a party as not-a-dork.”
    “Now you’re a fashion critic,” Brad said.
    “Lisa might see the real you if you didn’t dress like a dork,” I said.
    “The real me is a dork,” he said.
    I grabbed my Pashley Roadster from the corner. “Where is this party, anyway?” We headed for my private elevator. I’d had it built deep, like a hospital elevator, to accommodate the bike.
    “Carolinda Estates,” Brad said. “Close enough to you. You can ride home if the earth opens up and swallows Frank and I get lucky.”
    “Right,” I said.
    “It could happen,” Brad said. Ever the optimist.

Chapter 4
    “Carolinda Estates,” I said. “Not exactly a distressed neighborhood.”
    “It’s an older place. But yeah, on acreage in Granite Bay. It’s worth a few bucks.” Brad pushed the button for the lobby. “Nora inherited it. I don’t think she’s swimming in cash, though. She’s excited about Heron’s gig because it will pay off her student loans. Lisa had to buy all the stuff for tonight.”
    “You