Offensive Behavior

After that there was much coming and going from Vi as she negotiated with Reid and much yelling from Lou for someone, someone, anyone to please make love to a pole before he had another birthday, and for Vi to get her tush back on the floor or find another club to hostess at. Lou was all talk, he’d never sack Vi, she was as much an institution here as he was.

Reid wasn’t all talk. He didn’t throw up an excuse or leave and not come back. Lizabeth knew a place open twenty-four hours with a whatever you liked menu. Reid sent back a message to say he was delighted they’d taken up his offer and would Lux please reconsider.

“He actually used the word delighted?” Kathryn asked Vi on one of her many backstage flits.

“He did. He’s a little weird. Not a regular Joe. He has that glowering thing going on and I’m not sure if he has a sense of humor.”

“Think he’s married?”

“No ring.” Vi shrugged. They all knew that didn’t mean anything.

“You’re really doing this, even though it will only encourage him and that’s not what I want,” Zarley said, while around her the girls were changing into their street clothes, taking a little more care with their makeup and hair than usual.

“It’s free pancakes and bacon, Zar. We don’t like him we walk away. We don’t want him out the front, we tell Lou to bar him,” said Vi. “He drank nothing but Coke tonight. Lou will bar him anyway if he keeps that nonsense up.”

Zarley shook her head and shouldered her bag. She quit the club with Melinda, leaving the others to their primping. Reid was waiting on the street when they emerged from Lucky’s. His face lit up with a smile that made Zarley stop dead so Melinda walked into her.

Melinda grunted and sidestepped. “Damn, it’s going to rain,” she said, looking up as if the thunderous, low-hanging sky was the reason Zarley had two lead feet.

But Zarley had never seen Reid smile before. It took ten years off his face. He looked almost boyish. It made her wonder for the first time how old he was, not as old as she’d thought judging by his usual scowl.

“I hoped you’d change your mind. I’ve got a car coming,” he said, then stuck his hand out to Melinda. “I’m Reid.”

“I’m delighted, but I’m going home,” Melinda said, playing up his word, avoiding his hand.

Reid didn’t appear to care. “Let me pay for your cab.” He strode to the curb and flagged one down.

Melinda stood there as the cab pulled up. “Why would you do that?”

“It’s late and you’re tired and I want to,” he said, but he wasn’t looking at Melinda. He was looking at Zarley and he was further gluing her feet to the pavement with this new manipulation.

Melinda looked Reid up and down. “I guess it’s no different from a tip, okay then.” He opened the back door of the cab and Melinda scrambled in, then he handed the driver a couple of bills and by the time Melinda’s ride pulled away, the others had piled out Lucky’s front door.

They crowded Reid, Vi handling the introductions. Reid smiling like he’d entered the candy store and had an unlimited budget and a genius metabolism. He’d hired a car for them. Who would do that? Crap. She could be halfway home by now.

“Goodnight,” she said, and it stopped their chatter. Any minute now the sky was going to open up and wash the world. “Have fun.”

“You’re seriously not coming,” said Kathryn.

“Nope,” she said.

“Let me get you a cab,” said Reid. She might’ve expected that, but she’d been braced for him to pressure her into going with the group. Before she could decline his cab offer, his car pulled up, a big black SUV.

“We can drop her off,” said Lizabeth, as if this was her expedition.

“No.” Last thing she wanted was Reid knowing where she lived. “That’s not a good idea.”

The girls started scrambling into the SUV, Lizabeth snagging shotgun. Reid stood apart, watching Zarley with that intense stare.

She bounced her bag, pulled the strap higher onto her shoulder. “Why are you doing this?”

“I was hoping to show you I wasn’t a threat. That I didn’t want anything from you. I didn’t intend to be inappropriate.”

There was a shriek of laughter from the SUV, followed by a rumble of male protestation and a blast of music, and then the rain started.

Zarley pulled the hood of her jacket up. “I think they’ve got inappropriate covered. Thank you again for the flowers. Goodnight.”

“Please let me drop you somewhere. I won’t look. You can blindfold me.”