A Good Little Girl Like You (A Sample)

"Some manipulative jerk screwed me over a few months

ago. Cost me my job." Suddenly worried, she decided not to

say any more about it.

Tarzan snapped to attention. "Really? Who would mess

with you?"

"Nobody you know." Rebecca took a breath and changed

the subject. "I heard you mention Kay before. How do you

know her?"

"I barely know her at all. Just met her once or twice

through Dan. He's the one I know-we went to school

together as kids." He stepped back and stared at her some

more. " You're the bridesmaid-how do you know Kay?"

"I went to business school with her."

"A businesswoman?" He let out a brief but nervous

chuckle then got serious. "You have an MBA?"

He makes it sound like a bad thing. Was he threatened

by powerful women? Perhaps the beach bum couldn't

handle someone like her. "Is that a problem?"

"Not at all. In fact, I'm impressed. I was in business

once. But I'm happier now."

"Hey, I enjoy business. I do international relations at

Ultra Threads. What about you?"

"I don't have a job."

"Really? What do you do for money? Are you one of

those trust-fund kids?"

He wrinkled his nose and regarded her for a few

seconds. "Never had a trust fund. But I get by just fine

without working. I grew up among all these rich Westerleys

-they, uh, help me out here and there."

Help him out? Did his Westerley connections give him

enough to live on? From the stories she had heard about

that family, it was certainly possible. "So you freeload off

your Westerley friends?"

He darkened. "I am not a freeloader. Believe me, I will

never ask you for any money." He tried to smile but it faded

under its own weight. "Look, I think we've started off badly.

Why don't we back up and try again? I'm Oscar. Oscar Ezzo.

My friends all call me O.E."

The name reminded her of The Wizard of Oz. She

laughed and started to sing the chant from the Wicked

Witch of the West's guards, her voice deep. "'Oh Ee Oh. Ee

Oooooooo Uh.'"

O.E. stared at her with a growing grin. "Very impressive.

I haven't heard that in years. And yes, you've found out my

secret: I'm a Winkie guard."

"Winkie?"

"Aha! You know the movie but you haven't read the

book. The Winkies were the people who lived in western

Oz, and since the Wicked Witch was 'of the West,' she had

Winkie guards. Those soldiers chanting 'Oh Ee Oh' were

Winkies."

Rebecca pressed her lips together and nodded. "Very