you have a minute?”
Gretchen peered around the office door of the senior partner of Curtis, Walker, Davis and Associates. Gary Curtis had been her mentor and friend from the day she was hired to work for the firm. Aside from Marco Garibaldi, he was the most virile-looking and devastatingly handsome man she had ever met. Good thing she loved him like a brother because he was also gay. She’d seen more than one smitten woman delude herself into believing she could change the way nature had made him, only to wind up heartbroken in the end.
Gary closed the file he was reviewing and smiled at her. “For you, I’ve always got time. Come in.”
After carefully closing the door, Gretchen took a seat.
“What’s the problem?” Gary asked. “Is this about the Harrison account?”
“No.” She made a show of crossing her legs at the ankles and smoothing her skirt while she gathered her thoughts. “It’s…personal.”
“Sounds serious.”
She drew a deep breath. “It is. I need your advice, Gary. About men.”
A light of interest gleamed in his eyes. “What about them?”
“This is going to sound stupid, but I was wondering if you could tell me how I should go about attracting one.”
Gary spread his arms. “Gay men I know. Straight men…” He shrugged. “That’s a whole ’nother story.”
“Your brother’s straight, isn’t he?”
“As a ruler.”
“Does he look like you?”
“People have been known to remark on the resemblance. Why?”
“That means he’s a handsome devil, which means women must like him.”
Gary’s lips curved. “Let me put it this way. They often come to blows over the favor of his company.”
“That’s what I was hoping for,” she said. “I want you to pretend you’re him for a few minutes. Can you do that?”
“I think I can manage it.”
Like an actor preparing for a role, he leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes and drew in a deep, cleansing breath. When he opened them again he said, “Okay. I’m a macho, heterosexual male who is irresistible to women. What do you want to know?”
She knew he expected her to smile, but she regarded him intently instead. “What would I have to do to get you to want me?”
“Are we talking purely physical here, or something deeper?”
“Purely physical.”
He nodded. “You want it flat out on the table, or sugar-coated?”
She squared her shoulders. “Flat out on the table.”
Tilting his head, he ran his gaze over her. “Okay. For starters, stop slouching. You’re tall. Accept it. And lose the suits. They’re way too businesslike, and I assume you have a figure under there, somewhere. Your legs, what little I can see of them, seem nice. You need to accentuate them. Buy lots of dresses. Short dresses. By short, I mean nothing longer than the top of your knees. And a push-up bra. It’ll give you cleavage.
“You also need to have a total makeover. Hair, nails, makeup, the works. Take notes. You need to get fitted for some contacts. And you need to go to the bookstore.”
Her eyebrows raised. “The bookstore?”
“The bookstore. I want you to buy every book you can find on attracting a man. Study them the way a theology student does the Bible. Once you’ve done all that, come see me, and we’ll talk some more.”
Gretchen couldn’t help laughing. “You sure you’re not secretly straight, and just waiting for the right moment to burst into the closet?”
He grinned back at her. “Not a chance. So, I assume this all has a purpose. Whom are we trying to attract?”
She told him about Jill, the tape and Marco Garibaldi.
“It must have been hard for you to listen to Jill’s voice like that.”
“In the beginning it was. After a while, though, it was just comforting. I miss her a lot, Gary.”
Sympathy filled his eyes. “I know you do. What do you plan on doing with the money?”
“I’m not entirely sure. I’ve scheduled some maintenance work on the house. I’ve also made an appointment for lasik surgery, so you don’t have to worry about me wearing glasses anymore.” She spread her arms. “Other than the makeover and a new wardrobe, I’m still thinking.”
“May I make a suggestion?”
“Of course.”
“Buy a sports car.”
“Why a sports car?”
“Because the car you’re driving now is ten years old, and there’s nothing sporty about it.”
“It’s a Volvo, Gary. It’ll still be going strong ten years from now.”
“And what does Volvo say, when the man you’re trying to seduce sees you in it? Especially a ten-year-old Volvo.”
Her smile was wry. “Point taken.”
“Good. Buy a sports car. Park it in your driveway. I guarantee it won’t be long before the illustrious Dr. Garibaldi will be begging to take you for a test drive.”
She raised her eyebrows at the vision Gary’s words formed in her brain. “The double entendre was deliberate, wasn’t it?”
“Of course.”
“You really think I have a chance?”
“Why would you doubt it?”
“Look at me, Gary. I’m not exactly the temptress type.”
“So what if you’re not a raving beauty. Neither are most supermodels before the makeup department gets their hands on them. All you need is a little confidence in yourself. A makeover and the appropriate wardrobe should give you that.”
“If you say so.”
“Smile for me, Gretchen.”
She curved her lips in a perfunctory motion.
“No.” He shook his head. “Really smile.”
This time the smile she gave him let him know how precious he was to her.
“Honey,” he said gently, “when you smile like that, you make me wish I hadn’t been born to an alternative lifestyle.”
“Have
