Hot Property (Hot Zone 4)

Suddenly her mother’s and aunt’s voices sounded from the other room, growing louder as they made their way to the kitchen.

Roper shot Amy an amused glance, but she wanted to hear the rest of his story. Unfortunately her family descended on them, two small women who sounded and acted like a herd.

“We decided what we wanted to do today,” Darla said. “We want to go to the Central Park Zoo.”

“And then I have something special planned for tonight,” Amy’s mother said, her eyes sparkling.

“We’re having dinner with my mother tonight,” Roper said.

“Great! I can’t wait to meet Cassandra Lee! And afterward she can join us. I read in the paper that the Chippendales show is in town. Can you use your pull to get us tickets?” Rose asked Roper, snuggling up to his side and batting her eyelashes.

“No, no and no!” It was time for them to go home, Amy thought.

Much as she loved them, they were already driving her crazy. And though she’d loved her job in Florida, she had to admit she’d found a peace in her short time in New York she hadn’t realized existed. Her family had shattered it the moment they arrived.

And on the pragmatic side, she wasn’t getting any work done. Though her uncle had given her time off, she was too new to have earned it. She needed and wanted to get back to the office. But how could she send her relatives packing after not even twenty-four hours? They’d be devastated. And hurt.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Roper said, chuckling. “But it’s last-minute. I’m pretty sure it’s too late for me to get tickets. I’m sorry.”

Amy breathed a sigh of relief. Obviously he knew better than to let her mother and aunt Darla loose at a strip show in Manhattan. Short of putting them in handcuffs and chains, Amy barely knew how to contain them herself.

Whether they stayed three days or three weeks, they’d have more than enough time to wreak havoc without a trip to Chippendales on their agenda.

DAVE PUT THE FINISHING touches on his project. He’d been working on it for a while, in between shifts at the gym. It looked professional, if he did say so himself. Enough to cause trouble for John Roper. Trouble the likes of which he’d never seen before.

Ben had bailed out on him and he wouldn’t be getting the money for his gym. Someone had to pay. It might as well be the high-and-mighty John Roper, Dave thought.

Laughing, he clicked Upload on his computer.

Let the fun begin.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

AT DINNER, ROPER BRACED himself for a clash of two women who could not be more different, but his mother and Amy’s hit it off. Darla and Rose gushed over Cassandra and she ate up the attention. If his mother found Amy’s family odd or eccentric, she didn’t show it, for which Roper was grateful. And Harrison, ever the gentleman and ever present at Cassandra’s side, kept her grounded.

The same couldn’t be said for Amy’s female relatives. Aunt Darla was obviously smitten with their waiter, a young man, new to his job, who didn’t know what to make of the attention.

He’d taken their orders, with Rose and Darla interrupting him periodically to ask questions. Unfortunately they weren’t about the daily specials.

“I have a question,” Darla said for the third time. The first two times she’d interrupted the man with personal questions.

“Yes?” he asked, forcing a smile.

“It had better be about the meat,” Amy said through gritted teeth.

“Oh, it is,” her aunt assured her. She glanced up at the waiter. “What’s your address, Hot Boy?” she asked.

Roper chuckled despite himself.

“Aunt Darla!” Amy scolded her aunt.

“I’m going to turn in the order,” he said, flustered and walking away.

“Ooh, check out that rear end.”

Amy slapped her hand over her forehead. “Would you cut it out?” she scolded under her breath.

“Don’t be a spoilsport,” her mother said. “It isn’t anything personal. This is the one thing we don’t miss back home—you killing our fun.”