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Opening the snack she'd brought with her, Liz held out the bag of treats to her new friend. "Sugar cookie? I've got plenty to share." And Roxanne looked like she could use some extra calories on her thin, petite frame.

Roxanne hesitated, as if she wasn't used to such kindness, then accepted the offer with a murmur of thanks.

Liz retrieved a cookie for herself. "Do you mind me asking how long you've been working here?" She kept her tone curious, remembering Steve's advice not to interrogate.

"It's been about four months now." Roxanne ducked her head, as if experiencing a bout of embarrassment-another anomaly for someone who made her living fulfilling verbal sex acts. "I know, you're probably wondering what I find so exciting about the phone sex business that's kept me employed here for so long."

"We all have our reasons," she said, suspecting Roxanne's were more extreme than most. "And like me, I don't think you find it exciting at all."

"No, I don't," she confirmed, and took a small bite from her cookie. "I have two young kids to support, and this is the best money I can make without any real work skills or a college degree."

Liz looked for a wedding ring but didn't see one. "You're not married?"

"I'm in the process of getting a divorce. My husband walked out on us six months ago and left me with the kids to raise and a mortgage to pay. He said he felt stifled, and off he went to find himself."

Liz inwardly cringed, knowing too well how badly a husband's rejection could lower a woman's self-esteem. She and Roxanne had a lot in common, it seemed.

Finished with her cookie, Roxanne brushed the crumbs from her fingers. "I haven't worked since my first child was born, five years ago, so finding an employer who'd hire someone as inexperienced as I am hasn't been easy. One look at my application with no previous jobs or references tends to turn off potential employers."

Liz pushed the cookies toward Roxanne, encouraging her to take another, which she did. "I'd like to think someone would give you a fair chance, despite your lack of experience." Liz was of the mind that everyone deserved the opportunity to prove themselves, and over the years she'd hired on a few people at the cafe without prior experience and had never regretted her decision. It was hard for her to believe that other employers could be so narrow-minded.

"A friend who used to work here told me how easy it was to get hired on and how much money I could make in a week's time. After so many other job interviews that didn't work out, I was getting to the point where I was feeling desperate enough to apply." Roxanne shrugged a slender shoulder. "Antonio hired me on the spot, so he gave me the fairest chance of anyone, I suppose."

"A friend told me about The Ultimate Fantasy, too," Liz said, subtly shifting the direction of their conversation to her purpose for seeking out Roxanne in the first place. "Maybe you might even know her. Does the name Valerie Clark sound familiar to you?"

Roxanne thought for a moment. "Yes, it does. Does she have dark hair and green eyes?"

"Yes." Hope sprang within Liz, but she didn't let her anticipation show. "I haven't been able to get a hold of her lately, and I haven't run into her during my shifts. Have you seen her around, by chance?"

"I can't say I have. Not this week, at least."

With Roxanne answering her so candidly, Liz pressed her advantage. "She was dating some guy named Rob, a client of hers. Do you know anything about him, by chance?"

"I have no idea who she was seeing." Roxanne tucked long strands of brunette hair behind her ear. "Then again, I didn't really hang out with her."

Liz was certain that was Roxanne's polite way of saying Valerie hadn't been the type of person she'd pick for a friend. "If you happen to see her or hear anyone mention her name, will you let me know? I sure would like to get in touch with her."

"Sure, but you'd probably have better luck talking to some of the other operators." Roxanne's paused, then added, "If I remember correctly, your friend Valerie spent a lot of time with a woman who goes by the name of Trixie Lane, though I don't believe that's her real name. But she might know where Valerie has been."

Yes, finally a substantial lead, and one Liz jumped on. "Is she here tonight?"

Roxanne shook her head. "Unfortunately, Trixie doesn't work the phone end of the business anymore."

"She doesn't?" Confusion and disappointment mingled in her tone.

"Trixie is strictly one of the party girls, as they're known." Roxanne filched another cookie, obviously feeling comfortable enough with Liz to help herself to another sweet treat. "I'm sure Antonio mentioned The Ultimate Fantasy parties to you, right?"

At Liz's affirmative nod, she continued.

"Most of the women want that promotion, because the party girls make three times as much money at one party, depending on how many clients they invite, than an operator makes in an entire week of calls," Roxanne explained. "Once you become a party girl, it's your choice whether you want to continue with the phone sex bit to keep the extra cash coming in."

Liz's eyes widened; she was stunned and amazed, and certain that Valerie had been one of those party girls. Now she had yet another reason to get invited to one of those parties- Trixie was now her best bet for more in-depth information on her cousin, and possibly on Rob.

Liz glanced at her watch, noting the time. They only had a few more minutes before their break was over, and she still had a few more casual questions to ask. "Do you go to the parties?"

"No." The one word was firm and adamant. "I've been invited, but I'm not interested. From what I've heard, those parties get pretty wild, outrageous, and sexual, and that's not my thing. Neither is phone sex," she clarified quickly, her chin jutting out with pride. "But right now it's paying the bills. Once I get my finances straightened out, I'm going back to school in the mornings to get a degree in nursing."

Understanding filled Liz, and she reached across the table to give Roxanne's arm a compassionate squeeze, feeling an undeniable kinship with this young, strong woman. "With a great attitude like that, you're going to be fine."

"Thanks." She smiled shyly. "That means a lot."

"You're welcome." Pleased with the details she'd gleaned from Roxanne, Liz stood and gathered up the empty cookie bag to toss into the trash. "I think we need to head back up to our offices before we get docked for taking too long of a break."

Most important, Liz didn't want to miss Steve's call.

Chapter 7

“You called again." Liz's voice was breathless. Excited.

And infused with a believable degree of coyness that added to her sexy act and effortlessly fired Steve's blood. "I wasn't sure you would."

Grinning lazily, Steve settled back against the pillows he'd shoved up against the headboard of his bed. Tonight there was no idle chitchat between them, no mention of anything work-related. Just a straightforward intro into phone sex, all for the benefit of the transcripts Antonio would read.

Playing along with the charade on his end was no hardship. He'd been contemplating their provocative conversation for the past two hours: what they'd talk about and where it would all lead. And just like last night, he was prepared to mix business with the kind of adventurous fun inherent in a titillating verbal exchange with Liz. All for the sake of establishing his interest in Sindee, which, hopefully, would in turn get them invited to one of the fantasy parties as a couple.