One Wild Ride (Lords of Mayhem 2)

“Hey. Am I the first to get here?” Joey asked, looking around.

“Aren’t you always?” Juliette replied.

Joey laughed. “Usually, I can’t help it. You know Hil’s penchant for getting into trouble, and Evonne is a right on the dot kind of woman.”

“Until recently,” Juliette observed.

“Aaah, the mysterious Levi has loosened her up a bit. It’d be nice to actually meet him, so we could decide if we like him or not,” Joey said. She kept her tone light, but the situation bothered her.

Juliette snickered. “I’m with you. But with his business often taking him out of the country, I find her claims of the timing always being off legit.”

“I still don’t like it one bit.” Joey frowned.

“Well, don’t give her a hard time. She’s been pulling away lately because of the pressure.”

“You noticed too?” Joey shifted her weight. “I was hoping it was just me.”

“No, Hil and I were talking about it the other day¸ when she came over on one of her self-imposed writing breaks.”

Joey laughed. “Is she going crazy trying to get her new story off the ground?”

“Of course, and I’m lucky enough to live closest to her.”

“Please…you love her.” Joey snickered.

Juliette laughed. “I do, it’s part of why we’re all so certifiable. How many snags did she get us into?”

“Enough to keep us from becoming completely boring.”

“Yeah, you would say that.” Juliette rolled her eyes.

“Hey—”

“Y’all talking about me again? My ears are burning,” Hil said.

Joey smiled at Juliette and they both burst into giggles.

“I knew it, wenches,” Hil scoffed, then leaned in to hug Juliette.

“Hil, you know we love you. I’m worried though,” Joey said as she accepted her hug from Hil.

“Why?” Hil leaned back.

“Because you beat Evonne here, which means hell surely must’ve frozen over.” Joey saidas they all laughed.

“Do I even want to know?” Evonne asked, appearing a few moments later.

Joey shook her head.

“We were all marveling over the fact that Hil beat you here,” Juliette said.

“Ahh. Well, I’m on time, so she was early…which is rather shocking. How did that happen, Hil?” Evonne said.

“You guys are awful. Maybe I happened to be in the area already,” Hil said.

“Come on, guys, let’s meet up with Lisa,” Juliette said, offering her arms. They all linked arms with one another and marched toward the viewing area like a choreographed dance team.

“My pretty-in-pink bride and entourage.” Lisa grinned as she walked over in a pair of black designer heels. This particular black suit fit her like a glove and outdid the one she’d worn previously.