The Panty Raid Read Online Free Page B

say?”
    “He said that he thought it would be impossible for a bunch of Baldridge boys to get inside Compton Hall in the middle of the night.”
    Dot shrugged. “Maybe you are just the man to do it.” The soda jerk brought the chocolate-coconut malt in its tall glass and set it between them. He picked up the shiny quarter and replaced it with a nickel in change. The drink was topped off with two bright green straws and a cherry.
    Hank reached over and carefully picked up the cherry by its stem.
    “I believe the crowning glory always goes to the lady,” he said.
    She liked his hands. They were large, sun browned and seemed no stranger to hard work. The ripe, red fruit was delicate, but there was no clumsiness in the way he held it.
    “Yum,” she said, reaching to take it from him.
    He tutted and shook his head, preferring to carry the prize to her lips. She bit. “Sweet,” she told him.
    “Yes,” he agreed.
    “I was talking about the cherry.”
    “I was talking about you.”
    Dot ignored that comment and focused her attention on her soda straw. She took a sip of the ice-cream concoction and made appreciative noises.
    “This is really delicious,” she said.
    Hank leaned forward slightly, putting his mouth on his own straw to taste it as well.
    “It’s good,” he agreed. “And I’d never have known that if I hadn’t run into you.”
    “So the cold water was worth it.”
    “Some guys tell girls they’d march through hot coals to get to them,” he teased. “You already know that I’d shiver up a wet ladder.”
    They shared their shake, sometimes talking, sometimes laughing, sometimes complaining about the shreds of coconut that got caught in the straws.
    “You know what I like about sharing a soda?” he said to her as they neared the end of the glass.
    “Saving half the price?” she suggested.
    He shook his head. “Being so close to a girl I like. And the way I see it, there’s not a much better way to spend time together out in public. Seated close enough to smell the scent of your hair, our faces almost touching, our mouths open, our lips pursed. When you think about it, sharing a soda is almost like kissing.”
    Hank’s eyes were all soft and dreamy. Dot was sure he needed another cold douse of reality. She jumped to her feet and grabbed the nickel off the counter.
    “Let’s dance,” she said.
    They made their way toward the back of the joint, where a half-dozen couples were crowded together on a square of hardwood dance floor.
    Dot walked directly to the brightly lit jukebox that was spinning out rock and roll. She leaned against it, reading the tunes available for play. She felt Hank’s presence right behind her. He didn’t so much as graze her, but he was standing so close it somehow felt more intimate than touching. When he spoke, his words were very near her ear and the whisper of his breath sent a shiver down her body.
    “Three songs for a nickel,” he said. “You pick two and I’ll pick one.”
    “Okay,” Dot said. Carefully she chose both for content and dance style. She wanted to keep moving and send a message.
    “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers was her first choice, A7. Followed by C4, Patience and Prudence singing “Gonna Get Along Without You Now.” Both tunes were good for bop or jitterbug jive.
    “My turn,” Hank said, quickly punching the buttons for Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender,” unmistakably a romantic waltz.
    Her choices played first. Dot had never been a great dancer, and Hank was not exactly the suave, debonair type who could really lead a girl across the floor. But they were well matched. Dot lost all sense of being self- conscious and together they managed plenty of one- handed swings, twirls and sugar pushes.
    They were both laughing and exuberant by the time the slow dance began to play. Hank pulled her into his arms, snuggling his chin against her hair.
    “You’re holding me too close,” she protested.
    He