Read Online Hold My Heart by Esther M. Soto - Free Book Online

Harper.” At that, he walks off in the direction of the elevators.
    قلب
    It's already seven o’clock and I have gone through every article of clothing in my closet. I own all of three dresses, two of them black. The rest are T-shirts, jeans, trousers, and pantsuits. I am in way over my head with clubbing. Socializing is definitely not my thing. If I want to relax, I head to the gym, go for a five-mile run, or hit the gun range. Dancing and drinking and doing God-knows-what with strange men? Not so much. I need to call in the big guns. I head to the kitchen and grab Christina’s number. She’s a former single woman; hopefully, she can help.
    After a few rings, she answers. “Hello?”
    I clear my throat. “Hey, Chris, it’s Ileana.”
    It takes her a second to react. “Ileana, hi! Finally, how are you? I haven't talked to you in a while!”
    I better cut to the chase, my time is running out. “I know, sorry. Listen, Chris, I need help. Tommy and I are doing some recon work tonight at a club and I—”
    “Give me twenty minutes.” She hangs up on me and I’m standing there like an idiot holding the phone.
    Just shy of twenty minutes later, Chris is ringing my doorbell and knocking at the same time. I forgot how pushy she is.
    “Coming!” I yell as I throw on my robe. At least the black underwear was a no brainer. It’s not as if anyone is going to see it.
    I open my door to find Christina with her hands full of clothes and a small suitcase by her feet. What the hell? “What in the world is all that?”
    “This is a fashion emergency so I brought plenty of backup,” she says in her bossy tone. “Let’s get to work.”
    She walks right in and heads straight to my bedroom, her petite frame a blur as she speeds past. She doesn’t even give me a chance to help her carry all her stuff. I just close the door behind her and follow her to my room.
    An hour and six outfits later, I’m tired of the tedious fashion show. I opt for one of Chris’s dresses: a long-sleeved, black number with a sweetheart neckline and a lace hem that barely hits mid-thigh, and a pair of black high heels. The petite, size-six, satin dress is a bit tight, accentuating my curves. It’s a little daring for my taste, but I’m tired of trying on dresses. Chris is sitting on my bed, pulling the dress up at my waist while I tug it back down. My breasts are spilling out of the dress, so I keep yanking up the top. Every time I do, Christina smacks my hand.
    “Maybe I should be more specific, Chris,” I say, annoyed. “I’m going as myself; I’m not going undercover as a hooker.”
    Chris scoffs. “Oh my God, Ileana, you haven’t changed. You’re still so uptight. There’s nothing wrong with showing a little bust or legs, besides you have a killer bod. So what if you’re hot, nothing wrong with wearing it loud and proud.”
    Yeah right.
    “So tell me, how’s it going with Mr. Rick?” She wags her eyebrows, way too excited.
    “It’s not.”
    She watches my reflection in the mirror, waiting for me to finish as I fidget and adjust the dress.
    “Going,” I finish. She’s still staring. I stare back. “We broke up.”
    Her eyes don’t relent, urging me to continue. “He dumped me, is that what you’re waiting to hear?” She’s so good at this! I’ve got to be careful. She’s a fixer. She’ll want to set me up. She used to do this to me in college all the time.
    “Oh.”
    Oh ? She remains silent, and the fix up I’m waiting for doesn’t come. I glance at her in the mirror, and I can see her wheels turning. She’s up to something.
    “What?” I finally ask.
    “Nothing. Let’s do your makeup.” She gets up and grabs her little suitcase. I glare at her, my expression saying it all.
    “I know, Ileana, less hooker, more classy. Got it.” She lets out an exasperated sigh, mumbling, “ Sheesh ,” under her breath.
    She orders me to sit on the bed, so I move one of the discarded dresses to the side and sit down. After