again at the useless light bulbs dotting the ceiling.
“Have you gotten any more cards?” he asked.
“Sure,” she said, dropping her keys into her bag with a little more attention than was warranted.
“What does that mean?” Harry must have caught an uneasy note in her voice.
She tried to blink at him innocently. “The cards come every day,” she told him, not mentioning the fact that today’s card had been different—and a little scary. The card itself had been similar to the others, with a picture on the front of a moony pair of lovers lit by the glow of a fireplace, and a rhyming, preprinted verse on the inside. What had been done to it was the frightening part. Harry was protective enough as it was—if he saw the card, with the woman’s face removed with a hole-punch and a single word,
“WHORE”, scribbled on the inside, he wouldn’t let her out of his sight without an armed guard.
“Uh-huh,” he grunted, still eyeing her suspiciously.
As they descended the stairs, Beth hooked her hand in the crook of his arm, deciding that a change of subject might be wise. “Who’s watching the gym?”
“Dominic. It’s his contribution to the cause.” He grinned.
Looking at him curiously, she asked, “What cause is that?”
“Us,” he answered. “You’re the first girl I’ve dated who he actually likes.”
She snorted. “That’s just because I brought him cookies.”
“No,” Harry disagreed, holding the passenger-side door of his SUV open for her.
Despite the step up into the vehicle and Beth’s short skirt, she managed to swing herself into the seat without exposing too much skin. Proud of her accomplishment, she smoothed her skirt over her thighs and looked up at Harry, who was still holding the door open, staring as her hands straightened the silky fabric over her legs.
Clearing his throat, he shut the door and circled around to the driver’s seat.
“He likes you because you’re nice,” he continued, as if there had been no pause in their conversation.
Beth made a face. “Nice?” she repeated. It sounded so…boring.
Hearing the disappointed note in her voice, he turned his head to smile at her. “I meant nice in a good way,” he clarified. “And I believe Dom also mentioned that you were smoking hot.”
That sounded better, she decided. “Why didn’t he like any of your other women?”
He frowned. “When you put it like that,” he complained, “it sounds like I have a harem. And he didn’t like them because they weren’t very likeable.”
“Really?” Beth asked, pleased.
He laughed. “Really.”
“Huh.” She pondered that for a moment. “Why did you go out with them then?”
Shrugging, he twisted the steering wheel into a turn. “Dominic thinks it was so I wouldn’t get hurt.”
Beth turned a laugh into a cough and he turned toward her.
“What?” he demanded, pretending to be offended although his eyes gleamed with humor.
“Nothing. Just the idea of Dominic as a touchy-feely, advice-giving gal-pal.” She cocked her head. “So you’re saying that I could hurt you? I’ll have to remember that next time I have the gloves on,” she teased.
The light in front of them turned yellow and then red. Letting the SUV roll into a gentle stop, Harry reached across and took her hand. “You could rip out my heart,” he said seriously.
Her eyes widened at his words, fear and exhilaration sending her stomach into a dive. “Oh.”
Beth’s tiny-voiced response didn’t seem to bother Harry. He just kissed her hand and returned it to her lap.
“So how was it?” Sheri asked.
Beth looked up from the card she held with a frown.
“That bad?” Sheri made a sympathetic face.
Blinking at her friend in confusion, Beth shook her head and smiled as the question finally registered. “Of course not—it was great. Dinner, wine bar, a midnight walk across the Millennium Bridge, back to his place…” Her smile widened and her eyes lost focus.
Sheri snapped
“Have you gotten any more cards?” he asked.
“Sure,” she said, dropping her keys into her bag with a little more attention than was warranted.
“What does that mean?” Harry must have caught an uneasy note in her voice.
She tried to blink at him innocently. “The cards come every day,” she told him, not mentioning the fact that today’s card had been different—and a little scary. The card itself had been similar to the others, with a picture on the front of a moony pair of lovers lit by the glow of a fireplace, and a rhyming, preprinted verse on the inside. What had been done to it was the frightening part. Harry was protective enough as it was—if he saw the card, with the woman’s face removed with a hole-punch and a single word,
“WHORE”, scribbled on the inside, he wouldn’t let her out of his sight without an armed guard.
“Uh-huh,” he grunted, still eyeing her suspiciously.
As they descended the stairs, Beth hooked her hand in the crook of his arm, deciding that a change of subject might be wise. “Who’s watching the gym?”
“Dominic. It’s his contribution to the cause.” He grinned.
Looking at him curiously, she asked, “What cause is that?”
“Us,” he answered. “You’re the first girl I’ve dated who he actually likes.”
She snorted. “That’s just because I brought him cookies.”
“No,” Harry disagreed, holding the passenger-side door of his SUV open for her.
Despite the step up into the vehicle and Beth’s short skirt, she managed to swing herself into the seat without exposing too much skin. Proud of her accomplishment, she smoothed her skirt over her thighs and looked up at Harry, who was still holding the door open, staring as her hands straightened the silky fabric over her legs.
Clearing his throat, he shut the door and circled around to the driver’s seat.
“He likes you because you’re nice,” he continued, as if there had been no pause in their conversation.
Beth made a face. “Nice?” she repeated. It sounded so…boring.
Hearing the disappointed note in her voice, he turned his head to smile at her. “I meant nice in a good way,” he clarified. “And I believe Dom also mentioned that you were smoking hot.”
That sounded better, she decided. “Why didn’t he like any of your other women?”
He frowned. “When you put it like that,” he complained, “it sounds like I have a harem. And he didn’t like them because they weren’t very likeable.”
“Really?” Beth asked, pleased.
He laughed. “Really.”
“Huh.” She pondered that for a moment. “Why did you go out with them then?”
Shrugging, he twisted the steering wheel into a turn. “Dominic thinks it was so I wouldn’t get hurt.”
Beth turned a laugh into a cough and he turned toward her.
“What?” he demanded, pretending to be offended although his eyes gleamed with humor.
“Nothing. Just the idea of Dominic as a touchy-feely, advice-giving gal-pal.” She cocked her head. “So you’re saying that I could hurt you? I’ll have to remember that next time I have the gloves on,” she teased.
The light in front of them turned yellow and then red. Letting the SUV roll into a gentle stop, Harry reached across and took her hand. “You could rip out my heart,” he said seriously.
Her eyes widened at his words, fear and exhilaration sending her stomach into a dive. “Oh.”
Beth’s tiny-voiced response didn’t seem to bother Harry. He just kissed her hand and returned it to her lap.
“So how was it?” Sheri asked.
Beth looked up from the card she held with a frown.
“That bad?” Sheri made a sympathetic face.
Blinking at her friend in confusion, Beth shook her head and smiled as the question finally registered. “Of course not—it was great. Dinner, wine bar, a midnight walk across the Millennium Bridge, back to his place…” Her smile widened and her eyes lost focus.
Sheri snapped
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