Suddenly Sexy

It was up to her to attack.

Julie stood up and stretched. Her movements were loose as she cupped her breasts before reaching over her head. She tilted her head back and gave an earthy moan. She felt everyone’s eyes on her.

“I swear, it’s too early in the morning for this,” she announced, trying to slur her words. “Jeremiah, dude, let’s cut a deal.”

“Julie, what are you doing?” Eric’s words held a bite of warning.

She shushed him before she hooked her finger in her mouth and looked at Jeremiah. “I want to work for you. I want to do what Mercedes and Tiffany do for you.”

Jeremiah tilted his head, his earring catching the morning light. “How do you know their names?”

“I’m a regular at the nightclub. But I can’t afford Versace and Louboutin,” she said with a pout. “Not on my salary.”

“You don’t know anything about my girls,” he said, dismissing her claim as he watched Eric through hooded eyes.

“I know that they target computer programmers from Z-Ray,” she said, pleased at how her words gave him a start. “They get real friendly with the guys so they can lift their keys. Then they excuse themselves to the restroom and download the information from their USB sticks to their phones. They return the keys without any of the men knowing.”

Jeremiah silently glared at Mercedes.

The blonde held up her hands in protest. “I don’t know how she found out.”

Julie looked down and made a show of readjusting her halter. “Dude, if I know what Mercedes and Tiffany do, other people know, too.” She pushed her breasts together and jiggled them with her hands. “It’s only a matter of time before the geeks wise up.”

“I don’t need to hire another girl,” Jeremiah said as he watched Julie’s hands.

“You don’t have to,” she said as she walked to his desk, her hips rocking side to side. Julie saw Jeremiah staring at her legs. His tongue darted past his lips as he saw her shoes. “All you have to do is replace Mercedes with me.”

“What?” Mercedes’s voice shook with outrage and she motioned at Julie with her Taser. “Don’t listen to her!”

“Mercedes’s gotten sloppy. They both have,” Julie told him, trying to ignore the weapon. “The other night Tiffany forgot her cable to download information. They almost got caught.”

Mercedes stomped her foot. “That’s an exaggeration.”

“But there is some truth to it?” Jeremiah asked, his tone quelling Mercedes’s defense.

“And I was able to get several pictures of them,” she confided. “It’s time to upgrade. Let them go.”

“Upgrade?” Mercedes said in a hiss. “Why you—”

Jeremiah held up his hand to stop Mercedes. Julie didn’t like riling someone with a Taser, or having her back to the unpredictable woman. But she knew that Mercedes was being ruled by her emotions. She wasn’t thinking or watching. She was reacting.

“Those pictures are going to eventually lead back to you. It’s how I found you.” She sat on the edge of the desk, allowing her dress to hike up high. If the glittering of his eyes was any indication, Jeremiah was enjoying the view.

“All this for Mercedes’s job?” he asked.

“What can I say? I have champagne taste.” She leaned forward, letting Jeremiah get a good look at her breasts. It made her skin crawl, but she tried not to show it. “I want everything life has to offer, but I don’t want to work that hard.”

“A girl like you shouldn’t have to,” Jeremiah murmured as he placed his hand on her bare thigh.

Julie didn’t flinch. Instead, she smiled in response and she had a spurt of pleasure when she heard Mercedes’s jealous growl. Julie straightened and let her foot sway gently. Just as she expected, Jeremiah’s attention was drawn to her legs.

“And I’m happy to give you the pictures in exchange,” Julie said casually. “Even better, I can delete them.”

“You haven’t shared them with anyone else?” he asked mildly.

“Julie…”

She heard Eric’s warning, but she was already aware of the trap. If she didn’t play this right, she was going to wind up in a hospital or in a hearse.

“Stop calling me Julie,” she said to Eric over her shoulder. “I’m not going by that name anymore.” She flattened her hands on the desk and leaned back. It made her open and vulnerable to Jeremiah and her nerves were shredded. “I think I’m going to go by Sapphire.”