ARILYN LOOKED IN the mirror.
No. Way.
She couldn't go out looking like a--a tramp. A hot tramp, but still. She turned around to check out her behind and admired the snug fit over her curves. Hmm, she had nice assets back there. Too bad no one was ever around to enjoy them.
She bet Stone Petty was a butt man.
No. Not thinking about him. He was completely off-limits on girls' night out.
Arilyn dragged in a breath, thought about changing, then realized Kennedy wouldn't allow it. She'd probably march her right back inside and wait until she chose another outfit. Might as well stand tall and try to pull the look off.
The short black miniskirt barely skimmed the tops of her knees. The boots covered her whole calves and boasted high, chunky heels, making her even taller. The shirt was a button-down silk, but it was defective. The buttons only began halfway down, so what little cleavage she had was on display. The badass fake leather jacket gave the whole outfit a naughty edge.
She squinted at her face. After carefully checking to make sure the makeup Kennedy dropped off had been produced without animal testing, she buckled and used some of it. Mascara darkened her gold lashes, blush highlighted her cheekbones, and red lipstick brought out the paleness of her skin and the green of her eyes. Pretty cool.
Her hair was left loose, but Kennedy made her curl it with the iron. Fat waves rolled over her shoulders and tumbled over one eye. She looked sexy.
Maybe this wasn't so bad after all. If she could walk in the heels, that is.
A loud beeping echoed down the street. Arilyn grabbed her clutch and raced out the door. The white stretch limo pulled to the curb and a bunch of giggly, happy women waved through the tinted windows. Oh, boy, what was she in for?
A tingle of excitement shimmered down her spine. Maybe she'd let go tonight. Kiss a strange boy. Man, she corrected herself. She'd kiss a hot, sexy man in the club, in the dark. Maybe that would get Stone Petty off her mind. She needed this night to get a fresh perspective. Getting involved with him was bad on all levels. If she was attracted to someone else tonight, maybe it would prove that her hormones were overloaded and it had nothing to do with him.
Oh, she hoped.
Arilyn ran to the limo and climbed in. The scents of mingled perfume, alcohol, and feminine excitement simmered in the air. Kate, Kennedy, and Genevieve were dressed to the max, so she suddenly didn't feel awkward. Everyone wore short skirts or dresses, cool jackets, and super-high heels. Kate's sister-in-law, Jane, even sported a flouncy skirt and boots. She was introduced to three other girls Kate had met from Slade's office, and then they were zooming down the Verily streets toward wildness.
Champagne flowed, gossip flew, and bonding began in the primitive way only females knew. After eating and partying at the famous Lucky Cheng's, they piled back in the car and hit a few trendy after-work bars, then a gay strip club where they danced like no one was watching. And no one really was.
By the time they headed back to Mugs in Verily, they were ushered to the back room. Halfway drunk, relaxed, and finally not caring, Arilyn waited for the big event.
The male stripper.
Kate bumped into her, spilling some of her drink and groaning. "A, you gotta help me. I don't want another naked man pawing me, and Kennedy won't listen. As the single one in the group, you need to step up and be my wingman."
Arilyn hiccupped. These cosmos were so good. Extra fruity. Oh, and she felt so light and warm. How long had it been since she'd gotten tipsy? Way too long. "Wing woman. What do I gotta do?"
Kate motioned to the chair in the middle of the room. "I overheard the plan. The cop comes in, pretends we're too rowdy, and then drags me to that chair so he can writhe all over me."
"A solid plan, according to Kennedy."
Her friend glared, but it was ruined by the slurp from her drink. "I need you to take the hit for me. When the guy comes in, you take my place."
Another hiccup. "I don't look like you," she pointed out.
"I know! I'll be hiding in the corner, so you go by the chair and offer yourself up. Everyone's drunk, no one will notice. They just want him to take off his clothes."
"Yeah. How did we end up with more women than we started with?"
Kate squinted. "I think we picked up Janet and Evelyn in the gay bar. I don't know about the others. They want to see a stripper. Will you do it?"
Would she do it? On a normal day her response would be a loud "Heck, no." But tonight she was in the mood to view a hot, naked man who wanted nothing from her but to give some visual pleasure. How bad could it be? It would take her mind off the other man who remained nameless who she really wasn't thinking about. At all.
"Okay, I'll do it."
Kate pressed a noisy kiss to her cheek. "Thanks, babe. Oh, here, you'll need a lot of these." She stuffed a handful of dollar bills into her fist.
Cool. She'd finally get to stick money in a guy's G-string. Arilyn hugged Kate. "I love this party!" she gushed.
Kate hugged her back. "Me, too. And I love us." She raised her glass. "To friends forever!"
"Friends forever!"
Their glasses clinked and tipped over, and half their drinks spilled on the floor. They looked at each other and burst into giggles. "Bartender, we need another one!" Kate yelled.
Arilyn snorted with laughter.
This was gonna be good.
"ANOTHER ROLLICKING EVENING IN Verily. Why are we here again, Devine?"
A few days back from his suspension and he was itching
for some action. Not that there was any. Already at the end of his shift, the night was barren of anything interesting. This should be a good thing in Verily, especially since he had never had that problem in the Bronx. Drug raids were routine, gangs were hunted regularly, and crime abounded. He'd craved to take it down a notch, but sometimes on a night cruising the still streets of the small town, he wondered if he'd been nuts to leave.
Not that he'd had a choice. After the shooting and its fallout, the only logical thing was to request a transfer. Stone wondered again how different his life would've turned out if Devine had been on the scene with him a year ago. But he hadn't, and his life had fallen apart. No going back now.
His partner shot him a look. "Good retirement. Great odds we won't be shot at. Excellent karma for our next life."
Stone rolled his eyes. "Now you sound like Arilyn. She gave me an amethyst to help with the smoking cravings. The other day she made us chant 'Om Nemah Shit' something."
"Om Namah Shivaya."
Stone remained silent. "Now I'm worried."
Devine shrugged. "It's a common phrase to reach your highest center. I read about it in a book. Sounds cool."
"It's crazy."
"Like you're not crazy? Dude, you got more issues than a phone book has pages. At least her stuff tries to make the world better."
Yes. She did want to make things better. He couldn't get their last encounter out of his mind. The way she admitted her feelings. Damned if that didn't take balls. Of course, if they ever did manage to get together to explore an affair, he'd probably become her charity project. "I guess."
"Is the amethyst working?"
"Doubt it. Probably the patch." Sure, he'd begun experiencing fewer cravings since he put the amethyst on, but that was coincidence. Crystals didn't do stuff like that. Still, it was nice of her. Most people couldn't care less if he smoked his whole life. There was no one left to care.
That sad thought pissed him off, so he buried it deep and kept driving.
He felt Devine's hard stare. "You kissed her, didn't you?"
Stone winced. "Yeah. Stupidest thing I ever did in my life."
His partner let out a shout of laughter. "Or the best. Why not see what happens? Why do you have to doom everything from the start?"