Sunday, August 17, 2008

Excerpt: Melanie Unmasked by Michele Bardsley


Melanie Unmasked

Madam Periwinkle’s Erotic Delights

Michele Bardsley

All rights reserved.

Copyright ©2008 Michele Bardsley


This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.


*****


“Pick me up a latte, will you?”
Melanie Trident stopped tapping numbers into the computer and looked at her stepsister, the luscious Venus Montgomery, head honcho of Viva Venus, the West Coast’s premiere spa. And in California, where spas were as numerous as Paris Hilton’s sex tapes, being booked six months in advance was no small feat.
Venus was the spa’s best advertisement. She leaned casually against the desk, looking thin, blonde, and gorgeous. Venus and Melanie were the same height, 5’ 5”, and yet Venus always looked taller. Her sis never had a bad hair day. Her body had no flaws -- no fat, no scars, no pimples.
Melanie had all the above. Her curly hair could never be tamed, her eyes were the color of dirt, and -- due to a childhood accident -- she had a scar that curled from the top of her right cheek to her eye. She fought the war on acne every day, and nearly always lost.
“Hel-lo, Mel?”
“Are your other minions busy?”
Venus rolled her eyes. “How long have you been in this office?”
“All morning.”
“And for the last two days, you’ve been stuffed back here, cave dweller.”
“Quarterly reports are a bitch.”
“So am I. I need a latte and you need some sunshine.”
Melanie sighed. Venus was genuinely nice, which made it really damned hard to hate her beauty and golden-touch success. She was Melanie’s only family, even though the unfortunate marriage between her father and Venus’s mother lasted a mere three years. Her father’s death had left Melanie in financial hell. The bank took Dad’s house, the finance company reclaimed his battered Ford truck, and the credit card company stuck Melanie with the $10,563 her father had spent. She really should’ve known better than to open that account and give her Dad an “emergency” credit card. Richard Trident had deemed everything an emergency.
Venus offered her a job as the spa’s accountant despite the fact Melanie had been unable to finish her degree. The salary was overly generous -- Venus had given her the help she so desperately needed without making her a charity case.
“You haven’t gone out with me in a while,” said Venus. Her rosebud lips dipped into a pout. “How about attending the opening of Club Mirage this weekend?”
“I’d rather fall into a pit of spikes.”
“It’ll be fun. It’s sorta like a modern version of a masked ball. You get to dress in something shiny and you get to wear a sexy mask. Doesn’t that sound fun?”
“Not as fun as dying slowly on a sharp piece of metal,” said Melanie. “Of course, if I sorta aim when I jump into the pit, one spike could pierce my heart.” She pressed her hands against her chest and widened her gaze. “Gaaaaaaaah.”
“Way to be melodramatic.” Venus leaned forward and handed Melanie her platinum credit card. “I’m pulling out the boss card and pummeling you with it. I hereby order you to take my credit card and slack off. Go shopping. Buy something outrageous and useless. Do not come back here until tomorrow.”
“I still have a lot of work to do,” said Melanie.
“I don’t care. Take the card and go away.”

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