Page 55 of Live a Little!

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CYNTHIA DROVESLOWLY past Jake’s house, just two doors down from her own. It was dark and quiet, which was odd. His car was always parked in the driveway when she came home. Darn. She needed to see him, to tell him the latest development—that a suspect had asked her out fordinner.

Oh, who did she think she was kidding? She wanted to seehim.

Never for one second did she think the information that she had a date with Neville might make him jealous. But if it did– She grinned slyly. He’d just have to make sure he booked ahead next time he wanted to seeher.

Yes, things were definitely looking up in her dull life. Neville had invited her for dinner Saturday, and when she’d returned Walter’s call she’d discovered he wanted to take her to a restaurant she’d been dying to visit—also on Saturdaynight.

Walter, forking out for a pricey restaurant? After she’d picked herself up off the floor, he’d explained he was seeing a woman who believed you had to make peace with your past before you could moveon.

It wasn’t something Cynthia had thought much about, but in a way it made sense. Perhaps she needed closure on the Walter stage of her life as much as his new girlfriend obviously thought he needed it. Just the fact that he now saw her as a woman to be taken to fancy restaurants, instead of someone to cook for him at his convenience, made Cynthia feel like forgiving him and wishing him happiness. So she’d agreed to dinner on Sunday. Now she had two dates coming up this weekend, with two differentmen.

Only trouble was, the man she really wanted to date wasn’t asking. Come to think of it, Jake hadneverasked her out. Mind-blowing sex in the shower this morning aside, she admitted to feeling a little peeved. Sure, he was a spur-of-the-moment kind of guy, but she might like a little advance notice on when he expected to seeher.

At this very moment, for example, he could be waiting in her darkened home for her, planning to surprise her with another sexual fantasy, without even bothering to check with her first. She sniffed a little in indignation, and sped the remaining short distance to herhouse.

A curtain flicked in Mrs. Lawrence’s front window and Cynthia waved, knowing her arrival had been duly noted by herneighbor.

Her stomach tightened in anticipation as she opened the door and deactivated the alarm. Where might he be hiding? What delicious wickedness did he have planned? But that excitement faded as a quick search of her house yielded nothing. Jake wasn’tthere.

Well, good. That was fine. She wasn’t a convenience store, open at all hours for his needs. A quiet night at home was just what she needed. She’d cook herself an omelette, then get to bed early. Maybe she’d even have time for a nice hot soak in thetub.

Perhaps she’d better check her messages beforedinner.

There weren’t anymessages.

A sense of ill-usage seeped through her bones. She had important information to divulge to Jake. A key suspect had invited her for adate.

She’d probably have to wear awire!

Such things must involve advanceplanning.

She gnawed her thumb for a moment, trying to decide if this counted as a real emergency. With time running out, it was the big break this caseneeded.

Phoning Jake on his emergency number seemed a little extreme. Anyway, she’d rather see him in person. All she needed was a plausible excuse for going over. She thought for a minute and then inspiration struck. Hadn’t the man been pestering her for a Bundt cake? She turned to her cookbook shelf. She was a woman in charge of her life, and this timeshewas going to make the first move on Jake, thank you verymuch.

While the cake was cooking, she made her omelette and ate it, knowing she’d need to keep her strength up for what she had inmind.

Mmm. She couldn’t believe she was thinking sexy thoughts again. Parts of her body were still sore from her recent escapades, but all she had to do was imagine Jake touching her there and they began to throb with desire. She felt like someone who’d been starved for so long, she couldn’t help but binge every time she sawfood.

She was turning into a sexaddict.

So what? It wasn’t hurting anyone. At least not yet. She knew she was in for a big dose of hurting when the Oceanic case was over and Special Agent Wheeler moved on to his nextassignment.

She knew the score, and she wasn’t going to complain. In only a few weeks, she’d had more fun and more excitement than in the previous thirty-one years put together. She wasn’t going to whine when her joyride was over—she was going to revel in every wild and joyous moment while it lasted. And if she had a broken heart at the end of it, well, it would be worth the pain just for the treasuredmemories.

Maybe his heart wouldn’t be touched by their brief affair, but she was going to make sure he had a few memories that would stay with him, aswell.

Tonight felt like a good opportunity for makingmemories.

She bounded into her bedroom, her body already thrumming in anticipation, and donned some of her new racy underwear. Jake had seemed to like that thong. She wondered how he’d feel about the merry widow, which, until a few weeks ago, she’d thought was strictly anopera.

Then she brushed her teeth, fussed with her hair and applied a little makeup. She spritzed perfume into the air, then walked through the cloud of scented spray. And finally, she put on a short slinky dress that was about as subtle as having Take Me tattooed all over herbody.

She was humming as she picked up the Bundt cake, checking the clock to make sure she had her timing right. She wanted to hit Mrs. Lawrence’s place close enough to the beginning ofJeopardy!that there wouldn’t be much time to chat. Not that Cynthia minded chatting with her elderly neighbor; usually she enjoyed it. She just didn’t want the older woman examining her plans for the evening tooclosely.

Her strategy worked like a charm. When, bundled in an overcoat, she knocked on her neighbor’s door, Mrs. Lawrence answered immediately, feigning surprise—as though she hadn’t watched her approach. “Why, hello,Cynthia.”

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