Sunlight streamed into the rear windows of the house and across the bed. They lay in each other’s arms, sweating, breathing hard.
“I thought that went very well,” Arrington panted.
“All three times?” Stone asked.
“Don’t brag. Oh, all right, all three times.” She kissed him noisily on the ear. “I’m hungry; it’s your turn to make breakfast.”
“Eh?” he shouted, cupping a hand behind his ringing ear.
She got out of bed and headed for the kitchenette in the hall. “And turn on the Today show,” she called.
“Television? In the morning?”
“I never miss it.”
“The honeymoon’s over,” he grumbled, fumbling in a drawer for the remote control.
She came back with juice, muffins, and coffee.
“How’d you know what I wanted?” he asked.
“Easy. That’s all there is in your kitchenette.”
“Would you like me to lay in a stock of whatever you eat for breakfast?”
“This will do nicely,” she said, “as long as I can keep having you as well.”
Stone ate his muffin and gazed at the TV. “I don’t think I can make love to Bryant Gumbel,” he said. “But I might be able to manage something to Katie Couric.”
“I told you to stop bragging,” she giggled. “Now eat your muffin.”
“This muffin is not all I’m going to eat,” he replied.
“You never told me you were a sex maniac,” she said. “But it’s a nice surprise.”
The phone rang. Stone unconsciously reached for it. “Hello?”
“My name’s Bob,” a man’s voice said. “Dino said to call.”
“Right. I’ve got some work for you.”
“He gave me a couple addresses.”
“Why don’t you start here, and I’ll brief you on the others.”
“Okay, half an hour?”
Stone looked at Arrington, sitting cross-legged, naked, in his bed. “Make it an hour,” he said.
Bob Cantor had been in the house for two hours when he came down to Stone’s office.
“Come in, and have a seat.”
He closed the door behind him.
“Well?”
“Somebody’s very interested in you,” Cantor said.