Mad About You Read Online Free Page A

buzz cut, a neckerchief, and red Converse high-tops, who was plugged into K-pop all day long. Leonard was twenty-two going on fifty with Coke-bottle glasses and, beneath his lab coat, a checked shirt tucked into pleated pants.
    Leonard rose, knocking over his chair. He made an attempt to right it and while he was bent over, his glasses fell off. Cassy smiled and crouched to retrieve them. Whoops! Showing a little too much cleavage for the average nerd brain to handle.
    Scott was supersmart like these guys, but what attracted her was his more rounded personality. He was sexy and sporty and he had passions besides science, like mountain biking, social justice, and native flora and fauna. The geeks were great in their own way but Scott was in a class of his own.
    Cassy smiled sympathetically at Leonard, who’d turned bright red. With a sheepish grin he ducked back into his cubicle. She went back to her own desk in an alcove near the lobby door, and did a Google search on Lorraine Dempsey. Within seconds she had fifty thousand or so matches. Excellent. She would research the woman thoroughly and brief Scott before the cocktail party tonight.
    When she’d bookmarked several sites to read later, she did another search and pulled up a list of boutiques. Her plan was to leave the office early and shop for a hot dress. As Scott’s ersatz girlfriend it was important that she look glamorous and sexy.
    Friend. Best friend. Best friend ever . Damn it, it wasn’t enough. Scott was so sure she wouldn’t distract him. As his office manager and financial consultant, she applauded his self-control. As his best friend, she admired his confidence. As a woman whose vanity had been piqued, a tiny voice inside said, We’ll just see about that.
    …
    That evening, Cassy studied herself critically in the mirror. The plunging neckline and discreet side slit showed enough skin to be tantalizing but not slutty, and the silky red fabric was snug enough to highlight her curves without revealing any unsightly bulges. Perfect.
    The Australian Consulate was hosting the cocktail party so that its trade delegation could meet American businessmen and -women. No doubt the guest list would also include attractive young females handpicked from among Seattle celebrities.
    In other words, tonight would be a war zone. As Scott’s front line defense against these women, she needed to pull out the big guns. Or in this case, the big girls. She tugged down the neckline, exposing another quarter inch of cleavage. Not that her girls were so very big, but they were firm, and that counted with guys. Or so she’d always been led to believe.
    She twisted her hair into a loose knot, made the final touches to her makeup, spritzed on perfume, and slipped into a pair of red high heels. As she walked down the carpeted hallway to the living room, her stomach gave a little flutter. Would Scott notice her appearance? Would he care?
    He was standing in profile, gazing out the floor-to-ceiling windows. He’d earned his “sexiest man” tag despite his habitual attire of T-shirts, jeans, and mountain biking gear. When he was dressed up and freshly shaven, with his hair slicked back and his athletic physique showcased in a narrow black dress suit, well, he shot to the top of the sexy stratosphere.
    She followed his gaze. Past the Olympic Peninsula, far out to sea, a frontal system was rolling in off the Pacific.
    “Looks like I won’t be able to ride tomorrow…” He turned as he spoke and his words faded away. For a moment, he just stared at her, speechless. Finally, he cleared his throat. “Wow! You look amazing.”
    “Firewall at your service.” She saluted smartly, then nervously bustled around, getting her coat out of the hall closet. “I asked Martin to call us a taxi. It’s probably here already.”
    Scott held her coat and she slipped her arms through the sleeves. “If you’re going to pretend to be my girlfriend we should observe the formalities,