Page 82 of Revelry
There was a knock on the door and then Harriet stuck her pink-haired head around the frame.
“There’s a woman here to see you, Dr. Wilder,” she said, cracking her gum again.
I narrowed my eyes at her, I knew she was doing it on purpose because I hadn’t made her spit it out earlier. Like she was making the most of chewing it and popping it obnoxiously but if it made her happy then I guess I could tolerate it.
But only every now and then.
My heart sped up when I realized what she’d said. Immediately my mind flooded with images of Gertrude. I hadn’t seen her since I’d tasted her on the pool table in officially the top sexual experience of my life.
I’d played it over and over again, her scent, her flavor, her moans and the way she shuddered as she orgasmed. I thought about it while watching TV, I thought about it while shoeing horses, I thought about it in the shower, and I thought about it every time I jerked off. Which at the moment, was a lot.
Which is why I was pissed that she’d been avoiding me. After everything.Shewas avoidingme.Maybe I’d taken things too far, but I was sure she enjoyed our time together.
“Send her in,” I replied, trying to keep the eagerness from my tone. I smoothed a hand down my perfectly ironed shirt and straightened my already straight tie.
“Hello Dr. Wilder,” Daisy Cartwright called as she came in. I tried to ignore the way my heart plummeted in disappointment.
“Oh, hi Daisy.”
“Wow, you sound happy to see me,” she snorted, taking a seat across from me before I’d invited her to, glancing around the office with her sharp eyes. I couldn’t deny the similarities between her and Gertrude, both of them did what they wanted, whenever they felt like it. They had a confidence and a brashness that was endearing, and it made me miss Gertrude even more.
“Apologies, it’s always…nice to see you,” I said, still learning how to do pleasantries.
She snorted again before examining her cuticles. “I need your help.”
I sat up straighter. “Oh? Is everything okay?”
She hit me with her emerald stare. “No. I’m in trouble.”
“Daisy, you can tell me anything,” I murmured. “Is it Duke? Money? Is someone hurting you?”
“I need your body,” she whispered.
My brows dipped. “Excuse me?”
“I need your body, Tate. Desperately,” she winked.
I pushed away from my desk. “I don’t understand but Daisy, you should know, I’m not interested in you like that.”
She burst out laughing. “No, silly. I need yourbody.I need another member for Cowboylesque.”
I reared back. “For Cowboywhat?”
“Cow. Boy. Lesque.”
“I still don’t understand,” I said, taking my seat now I knew she wasn’t likely to throw herself at me. I was only interested in one woman.
“You know burlesque dancing?” she asked. I nodded. “Like that, but with cowboys instead. It’s really not that hard to fathom, Tate. Aren’t you a doctor?”
I shook my head. “And what makes you think I would want to do that?”
Daisy shrugged her shoulder, red hair falling down her back. “The fact that Gertie said you wouldn’t.”
I blinked. “You spoke to Gertrude about this?” Even just hearing her name was giving me joy.
“Gertie.And yes, she said it wasn’t your thing at all.”
“It’s not,” I agreed. I was not a singing dancing stripping cowboy. I did not like crowds, or dancing in public. Except our Monster Mash Off, that was kind of fun, I liked the structuredroutine. I remembered the look on Gertrude’s face when I learned the dance and how happy she was. I wanted to be the one who put that expression on her face always. Imagine how shocked she would be if she saw me doing this.
