Richfield & Rivers Mystery Series 2 - Stellium in Scorpio Read Online Free Page A

off her swept-back, Norwegian-blond
hair, making her look like a movie star from some long-forgotten era. My entire
body went weak when I saw her. The connection I felt for her was inexplicable.
It was as if I'd been hypnotized by her. I moved toward her as if reeled in on
a magnetic wire, unaware of people parting to get out of my way. She turned and
looked over her shoulder, catching my eye as if she'd sensed my presence. Her
smile was electric. I had never felt such heat from so far away, as if a piece
of the sun had broken off and landed at my feet: a gift from the gods.
    A
slightly tipsy fiftyish man who was about my height stood beside her trying to
strike up a conversation. She leapt to her feet and said breathlessly,
"I'm so glad you're here!" I fell into her arms, swept away in her
sheer sensual warmth, like that first blast of heat as one stands in front of a
fire on a cold winter's night. I could have stayed there, warming myself in her
for hours. When she tried to pull away, I refused to let her go. Gone was any
thought of being reserved because of her having put off our reunion.
    "Don't
you look great," I whispered, as my eyes met hers.
    "Do
you think you should let go of me?" she asked. "Before you singe my
suit?" Her mouth brushed my lips, sending seismic waves of heat rippling
through my body.
    "Are
we checked in? Let's check in," I breathed as the inebriated man wedged
himself between us.
    "You
gonna introduce me to your friend?" the man asked Callie, his stale breath
hitting me full in the face.
    "Fella,
I've had a bad day in L.A., so how about leaving us alone?" I said in my
friendliest and most tolerant manner.
    "Maybe
you meet my friend Paco." He slid his hand into the pocket of his baggy
silk pants. His fingers moved up and down inside the loose pocket like a hand
puppet straining to escape. "Paco, say hello to the nice lady." The
bobbing cloth lunged at my thigh and suddenly pinched me. I took a step
backward, shocked at having my skin mashed in a public place by a total
stranger pretending to have a friend in his pocket. Callie couldn't suppress a
giggle as she told the drunken man he should leave us alone.
    "Oh,
I get it." He dragged the words out. "You two are dykes."
    It
was bad timing on his part. As we say in Oklahoma, I'd "had an
ass-full" for one day. I spun my body around, keeping my arm bent at waist
level, and buried my elbow under his left rib. He doubled over and groaned.
Callie grimaced, and I realized once again that knowing how to defend myself
had always been a two-edged sword. I signaled for the bartender to come over
and give me a hand, explaining that a man had just suffered an accident.
    The
young bartender bounded around the brass-studded leather bar and got the man by
the arm, asking how he'd injured himself.
    "With
his mouth," I replied.
    The
bartender grinned at me and said it happened a lot around here. He led the half-drunk
man away explaining that he was an old-time club performer, a regular at the
hotel, and sometimes he drank a little too much and lost his manners.
    Callie
studied the pattern on the carpet. "You've got Mars square Mars today. It
means you could get into a fight with someone, most likely a man."
    "Men
only know three labels: bitch, whore, dyke."
    "You
need to unwind," Callie said. "I ordered you a drink, because our
room's not ready. In fact, no rooms are ready." As I began to moan, Callie
interrupted, taking my hand. "I've missed you, and I can't wait to get
into bed with you. I intend to ravage you," she said, barely moving her
lips, her facial expression as serene as Grace Kelly's. I burst out laughing.
    "Well,
now that I know your intentions, I can relax."
    "Tell
me about your meeting," she said.
    I
told her about Granger and Nan trying to rewrite the movie in the CBS lobby
five minutes before the pitch and how I'd made the silent decision on the walk
to Marshall Tevachney's office to pitch the show as I'd developed and written
it.
    "So
we said our hellos