Edge of Midnight (McClouds & Friends #4)(86)

Sean took the slips of paper, studied them. His jaw dropped. “Holy shit. What is this stuff? Is it cut out of cloth of gold?”

“Shame on you, you cheap bastard,” Tam scolded. “Aren’t you man enough to buy your woman some decent threads?”

Sean stared at another one of the charge slips. “It’s not that I’m not man enough,” he said. “It’s that I’m not rich enough.”

“Bullshit.” Tam clucked her tongue. “You’ve just never stayed with any one woman long enough to be obliged to buy her clothes.” She shot a glance at Liv. Her mouth curved. “I think you’d better get used to it.”

“He doesn’t have to get used to anything,” Liv broke in. “I don’t need a man to buy me clothes. Don’t worry, Sean, I’ll pay you back, as soon as I get the insurance money from the—”

“Stop!” Tam’s voice rang with sharp command. “This is a teachable moment, cupcake. Don’t spoil it for him.”

“But I don’t need anyone to buy me—”

“And besides, this extravagant boy is a walking fashion plate in his own right. I never see him but he’s wearing Prada, Dolce e Gabbana, Armani. Custom tailored this, leather-tooled that.”

“My wardrobe is none of your goddamn business,” Sean growled.

“Don’t let him tell you he can’t afford it, either.” Tam’s eyes gleamed. “I’ve seen his tax returns, his investment portfolio, the income from his rental properties—”

“Hey!” Sean was outraged. “How do you know my private stuff?”

“Don’t be stupid,” Tam cut in, rolling her eyes. “Privacy is an illusion in today’s electronic world. And I always investigate the people who interest me.” She pulled out another cigarette, lit it. “And we haven’t even gotten to his toys,” she continued. “The motorcycle, jet skis, boat, hang glider, deep sea diving equipment. He’s not as rich as he would have been if he’d participated in some of my projects, but he can afford decent clothes for you. Don’t doubt it.”

Sean peeked up at her, abashed. She tried not to laugh. He made a big show of rifling through the credit card slips. “Eight hundred bucks at one store? What the hell is Melinda’s Intimates?”

“She needs sexy lingerie, don’t you agree?”

Sean’s eyes lit up. He strode over to the shopping bags and rooted through them til he found a pink one with tinted tissue poking out of it.

He reached in with both hands. When he pulled them out, several small, complicated garments dangled from them. An ivory bustier trimmed with a froth of antique lace. A black demi-bra and matching thong. A pearl pink baby-doll nightie. He looked up at Liv. “Oh, wow,” he said reverently. “Good investment, Tam. Worth every penny.”

Tam snorted. “Men. So predictable. It’s sad, really.”

Sean rubbed the pale green silk tap pants voluptuously against his face. “I don’t suppose you picked up anything for me, did you?”

Tam blew out a stream of smoke, her beautiful eyes narrowed to golden slits. “No,” she said. “I was far more inspired by her. You’re perfectly capable of doing your own shopping, big boy.”

“I figured as much,” he said, looking resigned. “You’d rather be shot through the eye than give me a break, wouldn’t you?”

“You’re getting bodily fluids all over my sheets, insulting me, inconveniencing me. That’s not enough of a break?” She turned to Liv. “You’re in no condition to model this stuff until you’ve had a shower, so get to it. This clown’s brothers will be in my face any minute. Hurry.”

The door clicked shut behind her. Sean shook his head. “I shouldn’t have brought you here,” he muttered. “It’s not worth the stress that woman puts me through.” He reached into the pink bag again, as if seeking comfort, and soon found it, in the form of pink French cut satin panties, trimmed with black ribbon. “Ooh. Crotchless.” He waggled his fingers through a slit in the gusset. “Wear these today.”

Liv willed herself not to laugh. “Why on earth would I do that?”

He blinked innocently. “For spontaneous sex. You know. Bent over the hood of a car. Perched on the washing machine during the spin cycle. Up against the wall in the hall bathroom.”

She decided that ignoring him was the best policy. “I’m going to pay for those clothes myself, you know.”

He waved his hand dismissively. “Like hell. Even if that wasn’t a direct affront to my manhood, it wouldn’t be fair to you. You didn’t ask Tam to drop five thousand bucks on clothes for you. She did it for fun, to bust my balls. It’s between me and her. Besides, she likes to see girls looking good. I think maybe she goes both ways.”

“Five thousand?” Liv’s mind snagged on the sum, stupefied.

“More, actually,” he said, with martyred calm. “But it’s OK, babe. The numbers were just a shock, first thing in the morning. I might have to cut back on the servants in my sixty room mansion. Run my own bath in the solid gold tub. Cut my own toenails with the diamond encrusted platinum clippers. No biggie.”

“Stop teasing for just one second and be straight with me,” she said. “Just how do you make your living, anyhow?”