Monroe, Marla - Hot and Bothered (Siren Publishing Classic) Read Online Free

want to talk to you.” Savanna held her breath and crossed her fingers while Karen thought it over.
    “Okay, I’ll meet you at, say, six thirty.”
    “See you then.” Savanna hung up the phone and sighed.
    She hurried through closing and left the actual lockup to one of the specialists so she wouldn’t be late meeting Karen. She knew her friend would be tired just from hearing her voice over the phone.
    The little coffee shop they frequented had about eight or nine tables in it and was full when she got there. Thank goodness Karen had arrived sooner and gotten a table for them. She had also already ordered coffee as well. Savanna sank into the chair opposite her friend and took a sip of the coffee. It was her favorite flavor, Southern Pecan.
    “Thanks! I love this coffee.” She breathed in the pungent smell of roasted pecans and coffee.
    “So, you’re not going to try and back out of Saturday night, are you? Because I’m not letting you.” Karen sipped her own coffee.
    “No, I’m not backing out, under one condition.”
    “That would be?” Karen asked, narrowing her eyes.
    “That you don’t drink.” Savanna hurried to finish. “I’m not going to drink, either. Just think, no drinking means no glasses to have to watch. We can all three dance at one time.”
    “What gives?”
    “I just don’t want to see you mess up a good thing, Karen. You get all flirty when you drink, and it really hurt Ben last weekend.” Savanna winced when her friend crossed her arms and sat back in the chair.
    “He put you up to this?”
    “No! I just saw how he looked at you when you danced with that blond guy you were hanging all over.”
    “I was not hanging all over him. What is it with you two that I can’t have a good time? Ben and I aren’t married.” Karen slammed her coffee cup down on the table. Coffee sloshed down the sides of the cup.
    “Hey. What’s going on? I thought you two were doing good. You were committed to each other the last you told me. That means you don’t flirt with other men.”
    “I can damn well flirt with anyone I want to. Neither you or Ben can tell me what to do.”
    “Karen, wait. Something is wrong. You aren’t usually like this.” Savanna felt sick to her stomach. Something was really wrong.
    “Nothing. It’s just… I don’t want to settle down yet. Between work and Ben, I’m not getting to do anything anymore. Don’t you miss going out like we used to?” Karen asked.
    Savanna could see the tears in her friend’s eyes. “Hon, you go out with Ben all the time, like last weekend, and we’re going out Saturday night.”
    “It’s not the same as when we used to go out, you know. Just the two of us.” She sniffed. “I miss that, Savanna.”
    “Karen, we’re thirty years old now. We have jobs and responsibilities.” She grabbed her friend’s hand. “What brought all this on?”
    “Nothing. I don’t know. I guess work has been too much lately. My boss is stressed over this new project we’re working on, and I’ve had to put in all this overtime to help him with it.”
    Savanna wasn’t buying it. Yeah, the job wasn’t helping things, but that wasn’t the root of the problem.
    “Maybe you need some rest instead of us going out again this weekend,” she began.
    “No! I mean, of course we’re going out. I’ll sleep in on Sunday, so I’ll get plenty of rest.”
    “Then you have to promise me you won’t drink. It’s the only way I’m going out.” She hated making the ultimatum. When they were younger, it was always Savanna drinking too much and Karen who got them home safely.
    “Okay, okay. I won’t drink. None of us will. Does that make you feel better?”
    “Yes, it does. I want to have fun, and I can’t if I’m worried about you and Ben. Now what’s going on between you two?”
    “Nothing. I guess I am feeling old is all. I don’t want to settle down and lead a boring life like…”
    “Like me. You were going to say like me, weren’t you?”