Slow Seduction (Struck by Lightning)

Author:Tan, Cecilia [Tan, Cecilia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2014-01-28T05:00:00+00:00

The words repeated around and around the protrusion. I ran my fingers up and down it lightly; my heart caught in my throat.

Oh, James.

If I had wondered if the photographs of the glass slippers meant he was thinking of me, now I was completely sure. But the angry red and the dangerous-looking spikes made me think he wasn’t thinking of me fondly.

I turned the lights back off and slipped out the door, hurrying back up to the patio. Linae and Helen were standing very close together, punch cups still in their hands. I sneaked in behind them. “I’m back.”

“Jaysus, give us some warning next time,” Linae said. “Well, did you find him?”

“I don’t see him anywhere, but that’s definitely his workshop down the hill,” I said. “Let’s try to come back when there isn’t a party going on.”

“Oh, Karina, you’re no fun!” Linae said.

Helen saw the sense in us making a quick getaway before we were found out. “If you think Peter’s going to be angry about us going out, what if he gets wind of this? We better get out of here, Linae.”

“Oh, all right. That door guard is going to know something’s up if we just waltz right back out again, though.” She turned to me. “Can you sick up on command?”

“You mean vomit?”

“Yeah.”

“Not that I know of.”

“All right, I’ll have to do it.” Linae sighed and set down her punch cup on a cocktail table. “You two act like you’re helping me because I can’t walk straight.”

She was much taller than either Helen or me, which made for a comical stagger down the walkway toward the butler.

“Everything all right, ladies?” he asked, one of his eyebrows arched in concern.

“Oh, I think I’m going to be—!” Linae threw her head into the bushes and made puking noises. When she pulled free, she had twigs and leaves in her hair. “I think I better go home.”

“Um, we’ll take her home,” Helen said and steered her toward the car again.

When we got to the car, Helen took the keys and got into the driver’s seat. Linae lay down in the back and I took the passenger seat. Helen waved to the butler as we drove past him and then turned us onto the lane toward the highway.

Once we reached it, Linae sat up, cackling. “Was that brilliant? Tell me I’m a brilliant actress!”

“You’re a nutter, you are!” Helen said. “I can’t believe you! And you!” She glanced at me a moment before turning her attention to the road again. “Taking us into some kind of secret sadomasochistic soiree! We need the story on this, sister. This isn’t merely some artist who owes you a piece, is it?”

I sagged against the seat of the car. “No.”

“He’s your ex-lover!” Linae guessed.

“I hope not,” I said. “I hope we’re still…I mean, he dumped me, but I think it’s all a mistake. I think if we could sit down and talk, he’d stop overreacting about everything! He’s afraid. I get that, but come on, tons of guys are afraid of commitment!”

“That’s true,” Helen said.

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