killer until you call and let us know you’re okay! ”
Beep. “The club’s closing in a few and no call. Where are you? You’d better be okay, or I’ll kill you myself.”
Beep. “We checked with the bartender, since no one has heard from you, and he said you left with a man named Dmitri, who he guaranteed was not a psycho ax maniac. He’d better be right, and you’d better call as soon as you wake up. Good-night.”
Reggie rolled her eyes at the machine and hit the delete button. She knew her friends only wanted to make sure she was okay, but their attitude rankled, especially after they had gotten her into the situation to begin with. If not for their Fix, Reggie would never have gone to that club, let alone have left with a total stranger, god-like sex appeal or no.
She glanced over at the clock and did some quick calculations. Saturday at eleven meant Missy would be at the park with her niece and nephew and would check her cell for messages in precisely half an hour, just before she took the kids out for lunch. Telling herself “prudent” sounded better than “cowardly,” Reggie dismissed the idea of calling Ava and dialed Missy’s cell. When the message ended and the voice mail program beeped at her, Reggie spoke.
“Hi, it’s me. I got a bunch of messages from Ava on my machine. I just wanted to let everyone know I’m fine. I had a great time last night, but I’ve got a ton of chores to catch up on today, so I might not talk to ya’ll until Monday. Give Nicky and Beth hugs for me. Bye.”
After she hung up the phone, she pushed Ava from her mind and focused on the really important things. Like food.
An hour later, fortified with an omelet and coffee and decently dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a knit top, Reggie made good on her lie and got down to cleaning her apartment. Not being a total slob or an unmarried man, it went quickly.
When the phone rang an hour later, she almost missed it over the dull roar of the vacuum cleaner. As it was, she barely got to the receiver before the machine picked up.
“Hello?” She knew she sounded breathless, but that’s what happened when someone called on cleaning day. They’d have to deal.
“Reggie?”
Okay, what higher power have I pissed off this week? Reggie wondered while she sank to the arm of the chair beside her and took a deep breath. “Hello, Greg.”
“I was hoping I’d catch you at home. How’ve you been?”
You mean, since I caught you debriefing your administrative assistant on your lunch hour? Or can you not debrief someone who’s wearing a thong? “Just fine, thanks.”
“Good, good.” He sounded just a little nervous, which made Reggie’s day just a little brighter. “Listen, I know you probably aren’t all that thrilled with me these days—“
Gee, do you think, Einstein? “Don’t be silly.”
“But I’d really like to see you. Do you think there’s any chance you might consider meeting me for a drink somewhere?”
Whoa. That brought her up short. Gutless Greg the Wunderjerk wanted to see her again? For what? Did he really think she wanted to hear his lame explanations all over again? Did he think it would make the slightest bit of difference if he finally apologized? If he begged for forgiveness? If he got down on his hands and knees and groveled before her feet like the immoral dog he was? Okay, so maybe that last bit would help. She sure enjoyed the imagery. “When did you have in mind?”
“Tonight?”
What? Did he not think she might possibly have other plans on a Saturday night? Just because she didn’t was no reason to assume anything.
“Unless you already have plans.”
“Well, I do have something planned,” she lied, her tone purposefully cool and bored, “but I might be able to spare you twenty minutes or so if you could make it early enough. Say, six-thirty? Let me check my calendar.”
She made a big production of flipping through the calendar she kept beside the phone, hoping
Beep. “The club’s closing in a few and no call. Where are you? You’d better be okay, or I’ll kill you myself.”
Beep. “We checked with the bartender, since no one has heard from you, and he said you left with a man named Dmitri, who he guaranteed was not a psycho ax maniac. He’d better be right, and you’d better call as soon as you wake up. Good-night.”
Reggie rolled her eyes at the machine and hit the delete button. She knew her friends only wanted to make sure she was okay, but their attitude rankled, especially after they had gotten her into the situation to begin with. If not for their Fix, Reggie would never have gone to that club, let alone have left with a total stranger, god-like sex appeal or no.
She glanced over at the clock and did some quick calculations. Saturday at eleven meant Missy would be at the park with her niece and nephew and would check her cell for messages in precisely half an hour, just before she took the kids out for lunch. Telling herself “prudent” sounded better than “cowardly,” Reggie dismissed the idea of calling Ava and dialed Missy’s cell. When the message ended and the voice mail program beeped at her, Reggie spoke.
“Hi, it’s me. I got a bunch of messages from Ava on my machine. I just wanted to let everyone know I’m fine. I had a great time last night, but I’ve got a ton of chores to catch up on today, so I might not talk to ya’ll until Monday. Give Nicky and Beth hugs for me. Bye.”
After she hung up the phone, she pushed Ava from her mind and focused on the really important things. Like food.
An hour later, fortified with an omelet and coffee and decently dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a knit top, Reggie made good on her lie and got down to cleaning her apartment. Not being a total slob or an unmarried man, it went quickly.
When the phone rang an hour later, she almost missed it over the dull roar of the vacuum cleaner. As it was, she barely got to the receiver before the machine picked up.
“Hello?” She knew she sounded breathless, but that’s what happened when someone called on cleaning day. They’d have to deal.
“Reggie?”
Okay, what higher power have I pissed off this week? Reggie wondered while she sank to the arm of the chair beside her and took a deep breath. “Hello, Greg.”
“I was hoping I’d catch you at home. How’ve you been?”
You mean, since I caught you debriefing your administrative assistant on your lunch hour? Or can you not debrief someone who’s wearing a thong? “Just fine, thanks.”
“Good, good.” He sounded just a little nervous, which made Reggie’s day just a little brighter. “Listen, I know you probably aren’t all that thrilled with me these days—“
Gee, do you think, Einstein? “Don’t be silly.”
“But I’d really like to see you. Do you think there’s any chance you might consider meeting me for a drink somewhere?”
Whoa. That brought her up short. Gutless Greg the Wunderjerk wanted to see her again? For what? Did he really think she wanted to hear his lame explanations all over again? Did he think it would make the slightest bit of difference if he finally apologized? If he begged for forgiveness? If he got down on his hands and knees and groveled before her feet like the immoral dog he was? Okay, so maybe that last bit would help. She sure enjoyed the imagery. “When did you have in mind?”
“Tonight?”
What? Did he not think she might possibly have other plans on a Saturday night? Just because she didn’t was no reason to assume anything.
“Unless you already have plans.”
“Well, I do have something planned,” she lied, her tone purposefully cool and bored, “but I might be able to spare you twenty minutes or so if you could make it early enough. Say, six-thirty? Let me check my calendar.”
She made a big production of flipping through the calendar she kept beside the phone, hoping
Similar Books
