Read Online Temping Is Hell by Cathy Yardley - Free Book Online

still pensive when Yagi excused himself, heading to his own quarters. Thomas retreated to his bedroom, stripped off his clothes, and collapsed on his bed.
    Who else do you honestly think could love you?
    He pulled the cover over himself, frowning. No one could love him, knowing what he was. He stared at the ceiling, illuminated by the red glow of his alarm clock numbers. The room was like a cell.
    It didn’t matter. He didn’t need love. Hell, it was love that had gotten him into this mess in the first place.
    He was lonely, but he was alive. And he had bigger things to worry about than fucking loneliness.
    When exhaustion finally overcame him, he thought he’d dream of Elizabeth again. Instead, there was a husky laugh, a great smile.
    Ruby red hair.
    For the first time in a long time, he fell asleep with a smile.
    …
    Kate watched as her best friend, Prudence “Prue” Mikai, stalked around the red felt pool table like a panther stalking prey. She lined up a perfect shot, smiling with a mix of Zen serenity and a touch of beat-that smugness. “So tell me what’s wrong, chica,” Prue instructed, chalking her cue.
    Kate took a bitter draw on the Corona she’d been nursing for the better part of an hour, tasting the lime stuffed in the neck more than anything. It was warm, but she could only afford one, so she was trying to make it last.
    “Oh, the usual,” Kate said, watching as Prue worked on clearing the table with measured precision. “Stone broke. Hate my job.”
    “If you’re down, why the hell did you agree to meet with the douchetard?” Prue asked, her smooth, dark, coffee-complexioned face frowning.
    “Actually, I contacted Tadpole,” Kate said.
    This surprised Prue enough to have her miscue. “You called him? Why?”
    Kate sighed, finally picking up her stick. She didn’t know why she bothered playing against Prue—Kate was a haphazard pool player at best—but she liked hanging out at the bar, Thalossa, with its brick walls and buzz of conversation.
    “I needed a favor.” She lined up the cue, biting her bottom lip in concentration.
    “Something tech, I suppose,” Prue drawled. “Although I have to wonder what the kid’s gonna want in return.”
    Kate groaned. “Don’t remind me.”
    After a long moment, Prue leaned one shapely hip against the pool table. “You know, they will have to close down at some point. Wanna make that shot while we’re still in our twenties?”
    Kate hit the ball. It wobbled, careening off two others before sinking one.
    “Luck,” Prue said with a laugh. “Total slop.”
    “I’ll take what I can get.”
    “So will Tadpole,” Prue added. “What did you agree to?”
    Kate frowned, biting her lip again.
    “You’re blushing. This is bad,” Prue said. “You aren’t going to sleep with him, are you?”
    Kate jerked back, hitting the cue ball so it nudged forward two inches.
    “My shot,” Prue said, but didn’t lean over the table. Instead, she stood in front of Kate, crossing her arms. “There’s weird stuff at work here. C’mon. Air break.”
    They relinquished the table to a pair of wanna-be white gangstas who were probably college students, then headed out to the cool and quiet of the sidewalk. “Please, please tell me you’re not sleeping with him.”
    Kate tasted the sour bitterness of bile and beer. “I will throw up if you say that again. And no.”
    “So what’s the big deal?”
    “Agreed to a date,” Kate said, rubbing her hand over her face. “And I do not want to think about it.”
    “A date?” Prue’s brown eyes bugged out. “What, is he hacking into the Pentagon?”
    “Nothing that desperate,” Kate answered. “But he is going to come up with a scanning program for me in a rush. He basically said he’d drag his feet if I didn’t agree to go to dinner with him.”
    “He’s finally making his move,” Prue said. “I’d feel sorry for him, if he weren’t such an ass.”
    “He’s nice enough when he’s not being hyper.