Page 66 of Bang

Good thing for Brody, he was happy enough for all of us, which might've mademehappier, too, if only he weren't showing up late for meetings.

On the upside, his tardiness gave me and Chase a moment alone. I looked to him and said, "You're a real piece of work. You know that?"

He grinned. "Hell yeah."

It was the day after the patio conversation with Cami, and I was still pissed at Chase for yanking my chain with that story of meeting Cami for coffee.

I was even more pissed at myself for falling for it.

I said, "So you get what I’m talking about."

"No. What'd I do this time?"

My jaw clenched at the memory. "That coffee story."

With mock innocence, he asked, "What coffee story?"

He knew damn well what I meant. But hey, I'd spell it out if I had to. "You told me you had coffee with the nanny."

"Which one?"

"Youknowwhich one."

He lifted a single eyebrow, which annoyed the piss out of me, because it was one of the few things Chase could do that I couldn’t. Knowing Chase, heknewit annoyed me, which explained why he was doing it now.

In a voice filled with all kinds of innuendo, he said, "Camithe nanny?"

My fingers clenched. I didn't like the way he said it, almost like it was the title of a bad porno flick, starring her and him. In a tight voice, I replied, "Sheisthe one you claimed to have had coffee with."

"I did not."

I gave him a good, long look. "You did. Right here in this office. Less than twenty-four hours ago."

"Oh, that?" he laughed. "No, what Isaidwas I met her at the coffee shop, which I did."

He could laugh all he wanted, I didn't see the humor. "You know damn well how you made it sound."

"Do I?"

When my only reply was a murderous look, he said, "Hey, relax. Ididmeet her, just like I said."

"Right," I gritted out. "While you were on a date with someone else."

"It wasn't a date," Chase said. "It was a business meeting."

I recalled Cami's description of Chase's companion. "You mean the blonde in the bikini."

"Not just any bikini," Chase said. "Athongbikini."

Already, I was tired of his bullshit. "So I heard."

"Oh, relax," he said. "It reallywasa business thing."

Now this, I had to hear."Oh yeah? What kind of business?"

"I was thinking of doing a tool calendar, the old-fashioned kind, with chicks in bikinis."

"Chicks?" My voice was flat. "In bikinis."