Kaleidoscope Read Online Free

to spend the rest of her life. At first glance, Leland Hunter did not appear to be a man who would make a woman’s loins twitch. The contours of his shaved head were not pleasing. His face was long and angular, his eyes were hooded, and his nose was large and appeared tohave healed imperfectly from a break. His body was taut, sinewy, seemingly without an extra ounce of flesh. He looked like a fighter, not a lover.
    Zack, Margot, and I were dressed casually, but Leland was wearing a grey summer-weight suit, a white shirt, and a brilliant aubergine and grey silk tie with matching pocket handkerchief. A power suit, but Leland didn’t need expensive tailoring to announce his power. Before he uttered a word, we all knew the room was firmly in Leland’s command. “I hope you know how pleased I am to finally meet you, Joanne,” he said, extending his hand. “Our children are close, you and Margot are close, and Zack and I are close. It feels as if tonight, the final piece is sliding into place.”
    Leland’s handshake was firm and he didn’t release the pressure until I’d responded. Even his movements were efficient. “I agree,” I said. “It’s time we met.”
    “Would you like a tour of the place before we have our drinks?” His voice was gravelly, throaty.
    Zack shot me a quick look and waited for my response.
    “That would be fun,” I said.
    “Fun for us, too,” Leland said. “Margot and I don’t entertain often.”
    Margot laughed and slipped her arm through his. “Try never,” she said.
    “Okay, never,” Leland said. “All the more reason why we welcome the chance to show off.” Hand in hand, they led us through the condo, pointing out the skylights in the twenty-four-foot ceiling, the original exposed brick wall, the hickory kitchen cabinets, the polished granite counter, the sleek fixtures, the two-sided gas fireplace, the skyline views from the terrace.
    “It’s gorgeous,” I said.
    “It needed work,” Margot said tightly. “It looked like a place where men could live out their fantasies, which, ofcourse, is exactly what it was.” She had no knowledge of Zack’s connection with Cristal, but she was clearly still baffled and angry at the turn Cristal’s life had taken. “Anyway, I’m pleased with it.”
    “You should be,” I said. “It’s beautiful.”
    “Leland’s is the only other condo on this floor – same plan as this one, but it’s spiffier. He cheated, though. He hired a decorator.”
    “You’ll notice where I choose to spend my nights,” Leland said.
    “Oh, I notice,” Margot purred.
    The sexual heat between them was palpable. Zack and I exchanged a glance, then his gaze moved towards his law partner. “The faster you feed us, the faster we’ll be out of here,” he said.
    Margot had one of the all-time great dirty laughs. “In that case,” she said, “let’s get dinner on the table.” She gestured towards the balcony. “I was hoping we could eat outside, but that wind is wicked and it looks like rain. Leland pulled the table over so we could still have the view.”
    “Not much to see now,” Leland said. “By next year, we’ll have something very nice to show you.”
    Margot shot a look of distaste at her perfect kitchen. “Meanwhile, all we can offer you is the sad spectacle of me making dinner.”
    “Can I help?” I asked.
    “God, yes,” she said. “All the food came from Evolution, and Aimee has given me written instructions for every dish.”
    Margot passed the list to me, and I read through it. “Absolutely straightforward,” I said. “Let’s crank up the oven to 375 and as soon as it’s ready, we’ll put in the beef tenderloin and the potatoes. The meat will take about forty-five minutes for rare. Aimee has everything else timed. The roasted red pepper soup needs a crème fraichedrizzle at the end. I can show you how to do that in about a second and a half.”
    “I’m ready,” Margot said. “Send me in, coach.” When she clapped her