Read Online Spinster? by Nikki Mathis Thompson - Free Book Online

with her wearing heels and Willa in flats, which Tess envied now that her feet ached with a feverish intensity.  
    "Willa, thanks for letting me whine about it for a second time. You always make me feel better, and it's so nice to have someone who gets me. My neurotic insecurities don't even phase you."
    "I feel the same way about you." Willa squeezed Tess's arm with her free hand.
    "I love ya, friend. Almost more than wine."
    "Whoa!" then Willa added, "I love you, too...but nowhere close to wine." They both laughed.
    Tess walked back to her desk, lighter and more in control—leaving the nerves and butterflies behind. She was no longer the clumsy frumpette of her youth and she refused to revert back to that person. Her self confidence had been hard won and she wasn't about to relinquish it to a guy she hadn't seen in twenty years.  
    Just no.  
    The feeling filled her all the way down to her car. It continued as she weaved into traffic. It even stayed with her as she pulled the brass handles of the large glass door that read Foster, Graham, and Caraway . She gave her name to the receptionist with a touch of swagger. Her feet made their way down the thin Persian runner covering the dark wood floor. To anyone watching, it looked like she was simply brushing something from her skirt, in reality she was wiping the moisture from her palms.  
    "Be confident." she whispered to herself. She approached the fourth door on the left and took a deep breath. Throwing her shoulders back, she knocked on the door frame.
    "Wesley?"

CHAPTER TEN

    Tess hovered by the door. The man standing by the desk looked up to the sound of her knock. It would seem she got her wish—the one where she was now the hot one. The man behind the desk was overweight and balding. There was a sweaty sheen to his reddened face. She should have been happy, but all she felt was let down. It would have been nice to drool over him for thirty minutes. Going off script to get to know him better. Now she'd be out in fifteen.
    "Sorry, I was just grabbing a file." The man smiled pleasantly, raising the manila file in his hand.  
    "You're not Wesley Caraway?" Her voice, a mixture of surprise and relief.
    "No, Bradley Graham." He walked past her and left the office. The lady at the from desk told her to go on back, that he was expecting her, but wasn't sure if she should take a seat and wait. She decided to check back with the receptionist. Turning to go back to the lobby, she found herself nose deep into a pressed blue shirt.
    "Pardon me," she said, raising her eyes to the nice smelling wall she'd collided with. Adams apple. Smooth chin. Full lips. Polished teeth. Proportionate nose to nostril ratio. Eyes. Soft looking hair. Wait, back to eyes. Whoa, blue eyes! Blue as anything blue you can think of that's an alarming shade of blue.  
    There was a deep chuckle. "Tess Warner?" Holy hormones, his voice...it wasn't high and it wasn't too deep. To quote Goldilocks, "it was just right."  
    Mayday...operation panty saturation is a go.
    Clearing her throat, Tess nodded and stepped back a foot, and then two more steps for good measure. "Yes, I'm Tess. Sorry, you must be Wesley." She offered him her hand, which he took, after taking those two steps she'd gained. Of course his hands were soft...and warm...and big.  
    "Nice to meet you. Sorry, I told Linda to send you back when you got here, but I was called away for a second. Please..." He gestured for her to precede him, placing a hand on her back for a split second. She stepped into the middle of his large office and waited for him to tell her where to sit. She looked over her shoulder as he closed the door. His charcoal slacks hugged the curves of his rear like a second skin. When he turned she was facing forward again. Her perusal of his ass went undetected and took half a second. She was just that good.
    Hot, dreamy voice, big hands, nice ass...Great. Now, not only was she questioning her ability to get through the