Page 32 of Whatever Lola Wants (Odyssey #2)

A nna’s brown eyes were wide with shock. “ You did what?”

Ginger squirmed while Lola snickered into her drink. “ I thought he was assaulting her. What was I supposed to do?”

Anna turned to Lola . “ She’s kidding, right?”

Lola shook her head. “ Unfortunately , no.”

“Oh, my God . And you were…”

“Getting skull fucked,” Lola supplied helpfully.

Anna let out a peal of laughter that had half the restaurant turning to look. “ I’m sorry,” Anna gasped, holding her ribs as she giggled uncontrollably. “ I just can’t…oh, my God .”

Lola nodded. “ It’s okay. Once I realized he wasn’t dead, that was pretty much my reaction.”

Ginger cheeks reddened even more, clashing with the robin’s egg blue summer dress she wore. “ I feel terrible.”

“Honey.” Lola rubbed a consoling hand down the other woman’s arm. “ You shouldn’t. I think it’s amazing you came to my rescue.”

“You didn’t need rescuing,” Ginger muttered, toying with the few French fries remaining on her plate.

“Yes, but you didn’t know that,” Lola countered. “ It was very brave.”

“I agree,” Anna said after she’d gotten herself under control. “ You’re a badass.”

Ginger snickered. “ Well , I guess my mother was wrong about the big city chewing me up and spitting me out.”

“Did you tell her what happened?” Lola asked.

Ginger’s eyes grew round with horror. “ Are you kidding? She’d brave the rampant crime and sex traffickers to come drag me home herself.”

“You know, those numbers are hugely inflated. What law enforcement calls ‘sex trafficking arrests’ is mostly arrests of consensual adult sex workers.” Anna picked up her drink. “ I could give you some links to send your mom, if you think it would help ease her mind.”

“Believe me, it would not.”

Lola cleared her throat. “ Well , I'm glad you're here.”

“Humiliating moments aside, I am too.”

“I hope that means you’re thinking of staying?” Anna prodded.

“I’d like to, if I can land a job.”

“You’re a teacher, right?” Lola asked, and Ginger nodded. “ What’s your subject?”

“English. Composition , literature, that kind of thing.”

“High school?”

Ginger nodded. “ And community college. I don’t have a doctorate, but I have a master’s degree.”

“I bet you’ll be able to find something,” Anna put in. “ If not in the public schools, then at one of the community colleges. And private tutoring would be a possibility, too.”

“I hope so.” Ginger turned her glass in circles. “ Whatever happens here in Chicago , I’m not going back to Ohio .”

Lola frowned. “ Are things so bad there?”

“Not bad,” Ginger said. “ Just crowded. Too much family. We’re in each other’s pockets all the time. You have no idea how nice it is to have an entire apartment all to myself.”

“I remember those days. I have four brothers,” Lola explained at Ginger’s questioning look.

“Oh.” Ginger grimaced. “ I don’t know if that’s better or worse than four sisters.”

“The drama’s about the same, but they smell worse,” Lola put in.

“Well, I hope you stay here,” Anna said and snagged the last of the fries from Ginger’s plate.

“So do I ,” Lola put in, and raised her glass. “ To Ginger , and Chicago . May they find true love.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Anna said and clicked her glass with the others as Ginger chuckled.

“Well, if I can look Lola’s boyfriend in the face without dying of embarrassment, I’d say it’s a definite possibility.”

Anna started giggling again. “ Oh , I can’t wait to until Grant gets back from California tonight. He’s going to laugh his ass off when he hears this.”

Lola pointed a finger. “ You can’t tell him anything.”

“What?” Anna blinked. “ Why not?”

“Why do you think? Simon said if it got around, he’d take it out on my ass. And he didn’t mean a spanking.”

“Ulk,” Ginger said.

“And if he does, I’ll find a way to take it out on you.”

“Dammit.” Anna glowered. “ All right, I won’t say anything. But you owe me, because it’s going to physically hurt me to keep this one in.”

“What club?” Ginger asked.

“Um.” Lola and Anna shared a glance before turning to Ginger . “ Well , you remember what Simon and I were doing when you walked in?”

“Yes. Oh . Ohhhhh .” Ginger gulped down the last of her beer. “ A BDSM club?”

Lola considered her. “ Yeah . You’re familiar with BDSM ?”

Ginger shrugged, blushing again. “ Only theoretically. I read a lot.”

“Reading is good,” Anna said with a grin.

“I’ve never, you know, done anything.” Ginger winced. “ Which I guess is why I jumped to the wrong conclusion the other day.”

“It can be a bit of a shock to see it for the first time.”

“I think Simon’s the one who got the shock,” Anna said with a grin, drawing groans from her friends. “ What ? That was a great joke.”

“Don’t quit your day job,” Lola advised. She surveyed the table, full of mostly empty plates and glasses. “ Are we done here?”

“I am.” Ginger wiped her fingers on her napkin. “ If I drink any more beer I’m going to float away. Plus , I had two glasses of wine for courage when I was getting my hair cut.”

“Which is adorable, by the way,” Lola put in.

“You think?” Ginger lifted a hand to the newly shorn tresses. What had been a shoulder length mane of honey blonde was now a kind of shaggy pixie cut that made her blue eyes look bigger, her mouth look lusher, and left the delicate length of her neck bare. She looked, in a word, irresistible.

“Absolutely,” Anna agreed and raised a hand to signal for the bill. “ You look like a sexy fairy.”

“Is that a good thing?” Ginger wondered.

“Depends.” Anna dug out her credit card. “ Do you want to get laid?”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Ginger mused.

“Then it’s a good thing. Hey , let’s go shopping. We finally decided on the Caribbean for the honeymoon, and I need beach clothes.”

“I’m in. I’m not meeting Simon at the club at nine-thirty,” Lola said. “ But I have to have time to remember to eat something before I go.”

Anna handed her card to the server. “ Don’t worry, we’ll make sure you don’t get into trouble again.”

“You got into trouble for not eating?” Ginger echoed.

“It’s a long story,” Lola explained. “ I’ll tell you while we’re picking out fuckwear for Anna’s honeymoon.”

* * *

They ended up back at Anna’s place for dinner, simply because they didn’t want to lug all her new clothes into a restaurant.

“You’re going to have to bring extra suitcases to hold all this stuff,” Lola commented, dropping her share of the bags at the base of the staircase.

Anna set hers down beside them. “ Nah . Most of these things are really small.”

Ginger snorted. “ Bikinis and lingerie. Your honeymoon priorities are clear.”

“Duh.” Anna pushed her hair out of her face. “ You guys want to order a pizza?”

“What, you’re not going to cook for us?”

Anna shook her head. “ I’m too tired. My man is coming home tonight and I need to conserve energy. And shopping is exhausting.”

“You just don’t do it enough,” Lola told her. “ You have to build up your endurance.”

Ginger shook her head. “ And I thought my sisters were bad. I lost track of how many stores we hit.”

“And while it was totally worth it,” Anna put in, “ I’m beat. I say pizza.”

“I want anchovies,” Lola said.

Ginger grimaced. “ Maybe Chinese instead.”

Anna pulled out her phone. “ Chinese it is.”

“Today was fun,” Ginger said.

“It was,” Lola agreed. They were in a ride share, headed back to their apartment building. It was nearly nine-thirty, and Saturday night traffic was thick. She tapped her hand nervously on her thigh, eager to pick up her bag and get to the club. “ I’m glad you came along.”

“I am, too.” Ginger smiled. “ It’s nice to have girlfriends.”

“I know what you mean,” Lola said with a little laugh. “ I mean, I love my brothers, but I was so happy when I went to school and there were other girls there.”

“I love my sisters, too,” Ginger conceded. “ Except when I have to share a bathroom with them. I practically had to take a number to get any mirror time.”

“There’s a good argument for staying here after the summer,” Lola pointed out. “ Your own bathroom.”

“Don’t think it’s not on the list.” The light from the streetlamps flickered over Ginger’s face as the car wove through the streets.

“ I’m going to start apartment hunting this week, just to see what’s out there.

I figure it can’t hurt to see what it will cost me in rent if I decide to stay, and it’ll give me a good idea of what I’d need to make to pay the bills. ”

“Smart.”

“I just hope I can find something I can afford,” Ginger fretted.

“If you want, I’m happy to help you look.”

Ginger’s face brightened. “ That would be great.”

“Just let me know when you want to start, and I’m in.” Lola looked up as the car pulled up in front of their building.

“You coming up?” Ginger asked.

“I have to get my bag, so yeah.” Lola unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled her phone out of her purse, wincing at the time. “ Then get another car and get to the club in eight minutes or I’ll be late.”

“I can get it,” Ginger offered.

“You sure?”

“Sure. You can keep this car, right?”

Lola turned to the driver. “ Can you add a stop?”

“You gotta do it in the app,” she explained, “but yeah, sure.”

“You add the stop, I’ll get the bag.” Ginger opened the door curb side. “ Where is it?”

“On the kitchen counter. It’s a small leather overnighter.”

“Got it. Be right back.”

“Thanks,” Lola called after her, and Ginger waved over her shoulder as she trotted up to the building entrance.

Lola opened the app, went through the steps to add another stop to her ride, then opened her texts to send Simon a quick message.

If he was already in the club, he wouldn’t get it; cell phones, and their cameras, were strictly prohibited.

But at least she’d have let him know she’d be late, and he wouldn’t be able to fuss at her too hard.

She glanced up as Ginger trotted up, bag in hand. “ That was fast. Thanks .”

“No problem.” Ginger shifted her purse on her shoulder, leaning in the open door. “ I’m going to walk down to the market to pick up a few groceries. Do you need anything?”