Only Skin Deep Read Online Free Page B

thoughts of her ex. “Hello?” Nadja leaned back on her couch, clutching the phone to her
ear.
    “Chica, what ya doin’?”
    “Nursing a root beer and reading.”
    “Oh, what?”
    “How
to Seduce Your Man,” Nadja rattled off.
    “Yeah,
you skipped a whole book.”
    “ Leena !”
    “Well,
you need to get the man first. Unless you’re studying the
dirty parts.”
    Nadja knew her friend teased to get under her skin. “Think
I should mail Donato a pair of my panties?”
    “I
think I should come over and roleplay some more with
you. Get you up on your game.”
    “Sure. This coming from the girl who waited a year before deciding
to get Jason’s attention?” She snorted.
    “That
just means I have recent experience.”
    Nadja tightened her hand on her cell. “Yeah,
a whole six months’ worth.”
    “So
how are you going to get his attention?”
    Nadja shrugged off the irritation rising rapidly within
her. “Invite him over for a beer and football game?”
    “That’s
not sexy.”
    “I’m
not a girly girl or someone who drinks frou-frou cocktails. I don’t like malls,
drama flicks or dressing up like I’m in some fashion show. Give me action or
thrillers and sports documentaries. I. Am. Not. Sexy.”
    She
heard a sigh on the other end. “But a guy doesn’t want to sleep with one of the guys who just happens to be a girl. He wants a woman.”
    “I
know, but at least I have all the right parts, so that’s half the battle.” Nadja nodded to herself. She knew guys thought about sex
about every four minutes, so the odds were in her favor.
    “Where’s
the woman I see on stage performing?”
    She
knew Taleena meant well, but sometimes, she just
wanted to throttle her. “She’s performing. It’s an act. The sexual being up
there is not the flesh and blood girl. I don’t want to be the sparkle and
pizzazz female. I just want a man to accept me for—well, me.”
    “I
have to go. There’s a man glaring at me. Break time is over. I know you’re not
a pinup girl, but just try to tone down the tomboy status. Any man who doesn’t
love you for yourself can piss off. I love you. I just want to see you happy.
Maybe you could drink your beer out of a chilled glass instead of the bottle.”
    What a waste of a clean glass. “Sure I
could. Talk to you later,” Nadja said as she hung up
the phone and took her soda off the coaster. The sweaty bottle nearly slipped
out of her hand. Though it was tepid at best, she finished the rest of the
sweet drink and hugged her knees to her chest.
    With
two hours to spare, Nadja picked up her favorite
magazine, thumbing the dog-eared pages. Fashion remained elusive to her. Her
heels for work had inserts to make them easier to wear. Her friends all boasted
beauty meant sacrifice. The screaming sore muscles in her legs were hard
pressed to agree after a night of standing around.
    “The Secret to Making Your Boyfriend Happy.” One had to
wonder where columnists got the answers. And what made them qualified to ask
the questions in the first place. Not that she needed the advice. I don’t have a boyfriend. Why? Because I’ll never
trust a man enough to lower my guard for a second time.
    Giving
the thick fashion and relationship bible one more glance, Nadja gave a derisive snort and tossed it in the wastebasket. Inspiration seized her,
and she walked across her sunny living room to her baby grand piano. Her
previous night’s work lay in front of her. The music sheet was filled with
music notes and lyrics. Soon she’d be done with “Let Me Be Me” and ready to
test it out at her job.
    She
took in the stark white keys as she warmed up. Wood polish lingered in the air,
tickling her nose. Her reflection smiled at her from gloss-polished mahogany.
Sleek and perfect. Only when she played did she open herself to the fantasy of
having Donato caress her with tenderness, stroke her
and bring her to a gradual increase of ecstasy, the ultimate of crescendos. As
her voice grew husky with