Page 28 of Bobbing for Bodies
“Oh God,” I whimper under my breath. For the life of me I just can’t catch a break.
Striding our way, shoulders back, clad in his signature sexy suit, those piercing blue eyes of his slotted to angry slits is a stone cold, chest wide as a linebacker judgmental Judge Baxter.
“Everett.” I try to sound cheery as if this were any other venue I might have bumped into him in. “You’re looking grand tonight. Have a pocketful of Benjamins just begging for a pair of panties to stuff themselves into?” I couldn’t help it. He so had it coming.
The good judge doesn’t so much as a flinch. “What are you doing here, Lemon? When Collette mentioned you dragged her off to a strip club, I didn’t believe her.”
Collette wastes no time in snuggling up next to him, doing the worm over the left side of his body, but Everett doesn’t even notice. “That’s right. I sent him a picture of you loading up at the bar. Can you believe it?” She cackles into his ear. “Honey Hollows not-so-sweet baker showing her true colors. And, as it turns out, there’s arainbowinvolved.”
“Oh stop.” I lunge at her and she’s quick to cower.
“All right.” Lainey holds up a hand. “Let’s get to The Ladies Lounge and banana hammock it up. It’s almost my bedtime.”
“I’m not going.” I do a quick scan of the room and spot Sparkling Cider bouncing on the lap of some mussed hair businessman. “There’s someone I need to talk to. I have unfinished business, and I’m getting to the bottom of it.” My God, this might just be the most unhygienic conversation I’ve had with a person yet.
“I’ll be with her.” Everett nods to Lainey. “And I’ll give her a ride back,” he says it stern my way. And why does it sound like I’m about to be punished? “We have an unfinished conversation of our own we need to tend to.”
My entire body seizes. I’m not sure which is worse: grilling a stripper about her dead boyfriend or diving into the deep end of dead pets with Everett.
Lainey, Naomi, and a seething mad Collette pluck a whooping Keelie from climbing on stage and hit the door for far more testosterone-laden pastures.
It’s just Everett and I glaring at one another.
The glint of a purple pasty hits my eye, and I gasp.
“Here she comes.” I wave over at her, and she struts on over with those long doe eyelashes tipped with glitter, those ruby red lips looking at Everett as if she too were ready and willing to take a bite out of his neck.
She moans as she caresses his tie, “You need a lap dance, big boy?” She bites down on her lip while her just about naked girls smash over Everett’s steely abs. And really? Why does this feel as if I’m in a bad nightmare that’s about to get porny?
“Actually, it’s me that called you here.”
Gone in an instant is that gleam in her eye as she inspects me head to foot. “Fine. Take a seat on the chair.”
I do as I’m told, and before I know it, her backside is bouncing in my face and I try my hardest to slap her away.
Everett averts his eyes as he helps the poor girl off.
“I don’t think she really wants to play the bongos.” His demeanor is downright serious as he pulls out a seat for the girl. “You’re up, Lemon.”
Sparkling Cider looks as if she’s about to lose her effervescence and hightail it over to the bar, so I get right to the chase.
“Hunter Fisher has a message for you.” My entire body spikes with heat at the lie.
Her mouth falls open, and she jumps in her seat. “But—but Hunter’s dead.”
Ah-ha! So she does know him!
“Yes, he is, unfortunately. But before he died, he asked me to give someone he was seeing at Girls Unlimited a message.”
“That’s me!” Her eyes expand to the size of silver dollars. “What is it? Am I in his will?”
My gut wrenches at the thought of poor Hunter having a will at such a young age.
“Um—” I glance to Everett, completely unaware of where to go next with this.
Everett takes in a deep breath, and she looks his way, practically drooling over how wide that man’s chest can get in a single lungful.
“Hunter had a certificate of deposit made out for you, but it was damaged and it can’t be replaced. His attorney offers his apologies but—”