Page 99 of The Price of Scandal
“Good point. That would be a little sociopathic.”
“But if I kill him in a funny, light-hearted way—like say he’s run over by a bratwurst truck—then…”
“Blow jobs for everyone!”
Luna and I had wondered if we should call the police.
Daisy was more interested in who they were murdering because he sounded like a guy she dated once, and according to her, he totally deserved to be murdered.
Meanwhile, Cam had snuck a photo of the booth’s occupants and ran an image search.
And that’s how we discovered they were contemporary romance novelists in the midst of plotting out a project.
Ever since, we’d been occupying the booth next to them, reading their books, and eavesdropping on their conversations.
We’d never shared more than polite nods over menus or in the restroom. I don’t think any of us wanted to ruin the mystique. But there was something about eight women, living their best lives, downing pitchers of Bloody Marys, and sharing stories that reassured me that the world could be a very good place.
“Dammit. They’re talking about grocery delivery,” Daisy sighed. “I need to find out if Salvio is going to freak out when he finds out his twin brother accidentally married his crush in Vegas.”
“I wish I could write love stories,” Luna sighed.
“It sounds like Emily’s living one,” Cam pointed out.
“We’re not in love. We’re in lust. It’s very healthy and full of boundaries and explicit expectations.”
“Mmm, explicit,” Daisy said, wiggling on the bench seat.
“What’s going to happen with the board?” Cam asked. “They’re not going to be pleased that the fixer they hired is now spending a good amount of his time keeping you in bed.”
I winced. “It was supposed to be a ploy. Give them something shinier and sexier to talk about than a near-arrest. And we got carried away.”
Daisy clapped. “It’s about damn time Emily Stanton got carried away with something besides reams of data and business reports.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m hoping that the ploy part of it deflects from all the rumors surrounding my little fainting spell.”
My friends shared a telling look. I could only imagine the headlines I was avoiding.Emily Stanton’s overdose. Emily Stanton’s secret baby.Or worse, the truth:Emily Stanton too weak to carry the mantle of the company she built.
But I didn’t need to waste my time worrying about public opinion. That’s what Derek was for. That and aggressive orgasming.
“So let me tell you about Derek’s shower guest and his unprepared ass,” I said, changing the subject before the mood could falter.
“You went up the butt on him?” Cam’s mouth formed a perfect O.
“I don’t care who you are. That’s hot,” Daisy said.
“Anal play can lead to a new level of vulnerability in relationships,” Luna added helpfully.
“Oh, it wasn’t me. It was Brutus.”
Lady Raquel breezed by and dropped another pitcher of Bloody Marys on the table. She gave a glittery wink.
The novelists next-door erupted into giggles over a sex scene gone bad.
Right now, everything was good. And I was going to do everything in my power to keep it that way.
32
Derek
