Stilettos & Scoundrels (16 page)

“Not much. He just professed his undying love for me. I blew him off. He was pissed and left me there without a ride home. Nothing like being stranded my first day back.”

Katy started laughing. “I know you probably didn’t find it funny yesterday as it was happening, but you gotta admit
,
Presley, it
’
s funny. You haven’t seen Brian in years
,
and within hours, you two are acting out the same roles you
played
in high school. Though I do find it strange
that
he said he still loved you and all that. I thought he had a girlfriend. I must be thinking of someone else or maybe his girlfriend is old news. I don’t run into Brian often
and
so much of what I hear is gossip. Speaking of gossip, I also heard a rumor that Brian was involved in something illegal in his shop. Maybe he has all sorts of clandestine things going on. You should hook up with him and find out for us if the gossip is true.” Katy waggled her eyebrows at
me
suggestively.

I
was still mad at Brian and the situation itself because it was embarrassing, but
I
did have to admit it was funny, as was Katy’s suggestion, and
I
chuckled in spite of
my
self. “I just don’t know what is wrong with me. I mean I’m not so bad
. H
ow is it I can’t find a decent guy?”

“I like to think that the really good ones are just hard to find and
that
you have to have some fun weeding through the not
-
so
-
good ones. I think sometimes we try too hard. That’s what the ladies at the salon always tell me. The
y tell me that the
minute I quit looking for
Mr. Right
he will come along.”
Katy was trying to cheer me up, but was also trying to believe some of that wisdom herself. She had such a bad habit of picking the wrong men and then being stupid and gullible and staying with them way too long.

I know that’s probably true
,
Katy
. I
t’s just depressing sometimes to think I might either be alone or worse
,
keep hooking up with losers.”

“Don’t think like that.”

“Ok
ay, okay. N
o more negative thoughts. I was excited that I also ran into Dirt Robinson last night
;
it was so fun to see him again. He gave me a ride home after I got dumped by Brian. I can’t believe he’s an officer of the law now. That’s sure not where I would have expected him to land career wise
, but
last night
,
he really saved the day. Remember when…”

“Speaking of which
…
” Katy nodded to someone over
my
shoulder with a big smile on her face, interrupting
me
.

“Are you ladies talking about me?” Dirt asked as he slid into the booth next to Katy
,
putting his arm around her
and
squeezing it in the comfortable way old friends have. “Why is it I’m always the topic of conversation with pretty girls? Ladies, ladies
,
I know I am irresistible
,
but you really have to learn to control yourselves. Not everyone can have all this,” Dirt said motioning to himself.

“Don’t let it go to your head
,
cowboy,”
I
said dryly. “I was just telling Katy how you took me home last night. Oh
,
and how it was such a struggle to not attack you,”
I
said perpetuating his fantasy for fun.
I
enjoyed this easy banter.

“That’s me
,
s
weetheart. Always rescuing damsels in distress, just one of my many talents
,
” Dirt said in an exaggerated drawl.

“So
,
how’s my favorite cop?” Katy said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Presley here was just telling me how she was surprised to see you on this side of the law.”

“Wait a minute, stop kissing,”
I
teased. “Isn’t it against the law to give favors to the police?”

“I’ll take anything I can get
!
” Dirt
laughed
. “Besides, I’m not in uniform
,
so it doesn’t count.”

I
noticed he was blushing.
Hmmm
,
I
wondered if he still had the same huge crush on Katy
that
he did in high school. Wouldn’t that be something?
I
admitted he looked even better tonight in regular clothes. A plain grey t-shirt under a light blue oxford and faded jeans g
a
ve him a more relaxed look
,
and it suited him.
T
here was definitely a difference in his demeanor
and it was good
.

“So
,
what are you two doing here?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”
I pointed to my
now half-empty margarita and motioned the server over. “Can we get two more of these? And what did you want
,
Dirt?”

“Just a Coke
,
please,” he said to the server. “I have to go into work a little later, so no drinking for me. At least
, not
tonight anyways,” he joked. “I just saw your car in the lot and thought I would stop by and see how your interview with our esteemed Senator went.”

“You called it last night. He was the egotistical jerk you said he was. Makes you wonder what Helen ever saw in him.
”

Katy chimed in. “
Maybe
she was in it
for the power or prestige
?
It can’t be the money. Who knows with those kinds of people? The few times she has been in town and had no choice but to come to my salon, she was a real bitch. She acted as if she was slumming
it
by coming to a small town salon instead of some fancy one in D.C. They probably deserve each other.”

“She should consider herself lucky for you to do her hair,”
I
said, patting
my
friend
on the arm. “You are much better than any
one she could find
in the city. She just doesn’t know what she’s getting and probably likes to act like a bitch because it’s the only way she knows how. Bitchiness has probably been ingrained in her since birth.”

Katy smiled. “I should have charged her double the price for having to put up with her. It’s not like she can’t afford it.”

“Maybe you could start charged a surcharge for those high maintenance clients,”
I
suggested
.

“Wealth is probably what attracted Tom to her in the first place or at least what has kept him
with her
.
She's
attractive
,
but she sure is a bitch.
But
some men seem to like mean, bitchy women,” Katy remarked. “Though I have to admit, I am jealous sometimes. That woman has more Louis Vuitton bags than Saks.”

“That’s my kind of woman. Maybe she isn’t so bad after all. At least you can’t say she doesn’t have taste,”
I
said.

“And Tom uses her wealth to pay off those who don’t like his attitude toward women. It’s a surprise that there haven’t been any scandals in the paper,” Dirt said, ignoring
our admiration of her accessories
.
Shame he didn’t appreciate the finer things,
I thought,
like designer purses. What a great discussion they could all have.
I smiled at the thought of it.

“It does seem odd that nothing has ever made it in the paper. Usually that kind of juicy gossip makes the front page of the supermarket rags
,
”
I
said. “People live for that kind of thing.”

“Like I said, money buys silence. Money can buy anything if you have enough of it.”
Didn’t he know it. Money could buy you into trouble too, if you weren’t careful.

“I’m just glad I only had to spend a short time with him. He didn’t do anything overt
,
but he made me feel a little uncomfortable.”

“I bet he wished it was longer
.
” Katy laughed.

“Here’s something interesting
though…
I had to wait outside his office while he was on the phone and could hear some of what he was saying. He was arguing with someone
,
and it was pretty intense, something to the effect of owing somebody money. He seemed really ticked that this person, I am pretty sure the Senator called him Peter, contacted him.”

“Really?” Dirt seemed interested at this piece of news. “Did you catch anything else?”

“Ummm, no. Why?”

“There have been rumors
that
he is involved with some people he shouldn’t be. If you believe what people are saying, he has a bit of a gambling problem.”

“Seriously? I could see him being caught with someone’s wife. Why would he gamble? It’s not as if he needs the money.”

“Gambling isn’t always about money,” Katy said. “It’s about the thrill.”
Dirt and I
both look
ed
at her
in surprise
. “What? That’s just what I’ve heard. I read
People
magazine.
Many of the stars have had gambling problems
,
and they sure don’t need the money. It’s not as if I have personal experience with the matter. Don’t you guys ever read
People
or
OK
Magazine
? It’s not an uncommon problem,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Like I said, it’s all gossip.
But
he spend
s
a lot of time in Vegas. I believe that he and Helen have a condo there
,
so who knows,” Dirt said.

“Whoever that Peter guy
was
,
the Senator
seemed really mad at him
,
at least from the side of the conversation I could hear. Since he mentioned owing money, gambling could be a possibility. Even if it’s not really the case, it is fun to think about,”
I
mused thoughtfully. All of a sudden Dirt’s expression changed to one
I
couldn’t read. He was looking past
my
shoulder at something or someone he didn’t like. His eyes turned cold and his lips pressed tightly together.
I
turned around in
my
seat to see what was so distasteful.

“Eavesdropping on someone’s conversation is not polite,”
Cooper
whispered softly in
my
ear, lips barely tou
ching, as he walked up behind me
. He
ran his hand down the back of my neck to the middle of my back and I
shivered involuntarily. His touch s
ent a jolt of electricity to my
secret spot
, a spot I wasn’t sure I
wanted to keep a secret from him
, e
specially when it had been a deep, dark secret for way to
o
long. Against
my better judgment, I just wanted to close my
eye
s and let him continue while I
enjoyed his touch.
Damn him for sneaking up on me
.

“W
hat are you doing here?” I
asked.

Cooper enjoyed watching Presley act as though him touching her was not a big deal; he knew better. He was no longer upset with her about earlier in the day.
“
Hey, Chris
.
”
I
nodded to Chris Stone, another old friend, who was with
Cooper
.
He and Cooper had been friends in high school and had come into the diner together.

“Isn’t that the second time today
that
you have asked me that
,
King? I am beginning to think you don’t want me a
round.” Then he whispered to me, just grazing my
ear with his lips, “Besides, I told you earlier today
that
I wasn’t through with you.” Again,
with the touching—
he really needed to stop. This wasn’t the most appropriate place to lust after him
, and I wasn’t at all sure I
wa
nted to in the first place. I
was still mad at him
about earlier. Or, at least I thought I
was. It was difficult to kee
p my
thoughts straight with all this touching.
What his simple touch was doing to me—
wow.
I could feel it all the way down
there
.