Page 136 of New Storm Rising
“I say…” Limpet number one stroked her chin. “Who’s she?”
“It couldn’t be…?”
“Oh my.”
“It surely is.”
“That’s right!” Stepping forward, I raised my chin, determined to claim my man. “I’m his wi—”
“Ooooh! Let’s get her, girls!”
Before I could blink, I was jumped by a horde of perfumed barbarians. I was hugged, pinched, squeezed, petted, prodded and handed around.
“Oh look! She’s so cute!”
“Got a cute butt, too.”
“And a suitcase!”
“Really? Let me have a looksee!”
“Hey!” I protested. “You can’t just take people’s things and—”
That was when one of them took my butt and gave it an experimental squeeze.
“Hey, you’re right! That’s quite the juicy booty! No wonder you caught the eyes of Mister Spend-Resister!”
“Really? Let me cop a feel, too.”
“Don’t you dare!” I squeaked, reaching behind to protect my posterior. Which, unfortunately, meant I had to let go of my suitcase.
“Ha! It worked!” Grinning triumphantly, one of the devious limpets snatched the case and leapt out of my range. Before I realized I was tricked, she had already opened the lock and was rifling through my stuff with the natural nosiness of a brand-new best friend.
“Hey! Will you look at that? She’s got men’s clothes!” Suddenly, a pair of gleaming, far-too-eager eyes zeroed in on me with fiery enthusiasm. “She’s into gender-bender, too! Say…wanna come up to my room with your man and play a little—ow!”
“Behave!” the middle-aged madam shot a glare at the younger woman whom she’d just whacked in the back of the head. “You can’t just say something like that.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. At least someone here still had some sense of decorum.
“You can’t just invite people up to your room like that! You’ve gotta set a price first!”
Or not.
“Hey, nothing says I can’t have no private fun, does it? Besides…” She nudged me in the ribs. “Besides, look at how fancy she looks! She must be one high-priced hooker! Probably earns enough for both of us.”
I nearly choked on my saliva.
“I,” I told her in a very virtuous tone of voice, “donottake money for that kind of thing.”
A horrified look appeared on the young woman’s face. “You have to work for free? You poor thing!”
I opened my mouth—and then shut it again. I didn’t quite know how to respond to that. But Mr Ambrose apparently did. I could have sworn I heard him mutter, “Don’t give her any ideas.”
“Here,” Reaching up, I pushed my hand into the face of the lady of the night who was still eying my husband and me. “Look atthat, then think again!”
She inspected the object on my ring finger, and her brow wrinkled in confusion.
“A…curtain ring?”
