the Hawk brothers.”
Masey wriggled her brows. “Brothers, plural? So you admit it?”
Reese’s cheeks burned but she smiled. “Look at them. Who hasn’t?”
“No one with working mommy parts, I’ll grant you that.”
Reese sighed. “I don’t know what I’ve gotten myself into, Mase.”
“Buck up, soldier. You can do this.”
“Right.” Reese took a sip of her caramel latte. She’d expected Sex Goddess 101 to put women on strict no-carb diets and exercise regimens, but Halie had made it very clear during yesterday’s bootcamp that their goals shouldn’t include weight loss.
“Aren’t you excited?” Masey asked.
“Oh, Masey, always the optimist. I’m mortified. This is exactly the kind of thing a girl like me avoids.”
“What do you mean a girl like you ?”
Reese waved away the question. “I should get going. Need to make a good impression on my first day. Maybe if I’m an awesome employee, she’ll keep me when I am a miserable failure at her program.”
“Come on, it’s only ten steps,” Masey said. “And you’re half sex goddess already.”
“Ten steps,” Reese repeated. “How hard could it be?”
***
“It’s not an easy program,” the leggy blonde told Ben. Holly? Hadley?—hell if he could remember the name of the woman who had showed up to his worksite unannounced.
Ben’s crew dragged another set of ancient cabinets out of the house, slowing when they spotted the platinum blonde. He couldn’t blame them. The woman was sex on ice. A serious face on a body poured into a slinky black dress and a pair of fancy heels.
Her polished appearance contrasted sharply with the project site where four of Ben’s guys were tearing out the kitchen of a suburban Cape Cod and preparing to install a new one. Solid honey oak cabinetry, hardwood floors, dark granite counters—the finished product would be a showplace featuring the custom high-end finishings he wanted Hawk Construction to be known for.
“I’m sorry—Hadley, was it?”
“Halie,” she corrected. “As in Sex Goddess, Inc. CEO.”
He was probably supposed to be impressed. “Why are you telling me?”
He understood Reese needed to go through the motions of the Slut Hotness program for her job, but he’d be damned if he was going to be a part of some makeover program that made her feel like she needed to dress in revealing clothes and sleep around. The program may be hotter than the latest iPhone, but Reese didn’t need it.
Halie narrowed her eyes and studied him. Feeling less like a stud in a work belt and more like a bug under a magnifying glass, Ben resisted the urge to squirm.
“Tricia tells me that you’re Reese’s best friend,” she said.
“Sure.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. That label, best friend , pissed him off a little this morning. Sure, he cared about Reese, spent time with her, would do most anything for her. But he was also a man, and he was getting a little irritated with Reese forgetting that.
“She’ll need your help to get through the program,” Halie said. “As I was saying, it’s more difficult than people anticipate. I really push my clients outside of their comfort zones.”
His phone buzzed and a glance at the screen told him one of his subcontractors was on the line. So as not to appear rude, he sent the call to voicemail. He really needed to get back to work if he was going to keep this job on schedule. “What do you want me to do?”
“When will you see her again?”
He lifted a shoulder. “We usually meet at Luke’s place for drinks on Thursdays.”
“That will be perfect.” She pulled an envelope from her purse and handed it to him. “Give her this when you see her.”
He took it and raised a brow. This was what she’d interrupted him at work for? He turned the envelope over in his hand. “Listen, I appreciate you giving Reese a job, but I don’t want anything to do with this.”
Halie set her jaw. “Be
Masey wriggled her brows. “Brothers, plural? So you admit it?”
Reese’s cheeks burned but she smiled. “Look at them. Who hasn’t?”
“No one with working mommy parts, I’ll grant you that.”
Reese sighed. “I don’t know what I’ve gotten myself into, Mase.”
“Buck up, soldier. You can do this.”
“Right.” Reese took a sip of her caramel latte. She’d expected Sex Goddess 101 to put women on strict no-carb diets and exercise regimens, but Halie had made it very clear during yesterday’s bootcamp that their goals shouldn’t include weight loss.
“Aren’t you excited?” Masey asked.
“Oh, Masey, always the optimist. I’m mortified. This is exactly the kind of thing a girl like me avoids.”
“What do you mean a girl like you ?”
Reese waved away the question. “I should get going. Need to make a good impression on my first day. Maybe if I’m an awesome employee, she’ll keep me when I am a miserable failure at her program.”
“Come on, it’s only ten steps,” Masey said. “And you’re half sex goddess already.”
“Ten steps,” Reese repeated. “How hard could it be?”
***
“It’s not an easy program,” the leggy blonde told Ben. Holly? Hadley?—hell if he could remember the name of the woman who had showed up to his worksite unannounced.
Ben’s crew dragged another set of ancient cabinets out of the house, slowing when they spotted the platinum blonde. He couldn’t blame them. The woman was sex on ice. A serious face on a body poured into a slinky black dress and a pair of fancy heels.
Her polished appearance contrasted sharply with the project site where four of Ben’s guys were tearing out the kitchen of a suburban Cape Cod and preparing to install a new one. Solid honey oak cabinetry, hardwood floors, dark granite counters—the finished product would be a showplace featuring the custom high-end finishings he wanted Hawk Construction to be known for.
“I’m sorry—Hadley, was it?”
“Halie,” she corrected. “As in Sex Goddess, Inc. CEO.”
He was probably supposed to be impressed. “Why are you telling me?”
He understood Reese needed to go through the motions of the Slut Hotness program for her job, but he’d be damned if he was going to be a part of some makeover program that made her feel like she needed to dress in revealing clothes and sleep around. The program may be hotter than the latest iPhone, but Reese didn’t need it.
Halie narrowed her eyes and studied him. Feeling less like a stud in a work belt and more like a bug under a magnifying glass, Ben resisted the urge to squirm.
“Tricia tells me that you’re Reese’s best friend,” she said.
“Sure.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. That label, best friend , pissed him off a little this morning. Sure, he cared about Reese, spent time with her, would do most anything for her. But he was also a man, and he was getting a little irritated with Reese forgetting that.
“She’ll need your help to get through the program,” Halie said. “As I was saying, it’s more difficult than people anticipate. I really push my clients outside of their comfort zones.”
His phone buzzed and a glance at the screen told him one of his subcontractors was on the line. So as not to appear rude, he sent the call to voicemail. He really needed to get back to work if he was going to keep this job on schedule. “What do you want me to do?”
“When will you see her again?”
He lifted a shoulder. “We usually meet at Luke’s place for drinks on Thursdays.”
“That will be perfect.” She pulled an envelope from her purse and handed it to him. “Give her this when you see her.”
He took it and raised a brow. This was what she’d interrupted him at work for? He turned the envelope over in his hand. “Listen, I appreciate you giving Reese a job, but I don’t want anything to do with this.”
Halie set her jaw. “Be
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