What Lola Wants (London Dolls Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

and my credit card account is safe.” She kissed his cheek and lingered for a moment. Resisting the urge to tilt to the left so her lips would meet his, she put on a smile. “I need to call my bank first thing. And I have a paycheck due in a few days so I’ll need to divert that to my credit account or something. I’ll figure it out.”
    The barmaid plonked their fancy pink drinks in front of them and took the tokens. The concoctions were decorated with miniature pompoms stuck on glow-in-the-dark cocktail sticks. The whiff of alcohol tickled her nostrils, telling her they were strong drinks. She took a tiny, testing sip.
    “Hmm, fruity.” With one hell of a kick.
    “Do you want straws? I’ve got some under the bar.”
    “No,” Lola Louisa blurted, “if I drink this through a straw I’ll be pissed pretty darn quickly. I want to relax, not forget.”
    Dennis grabbed his drink and knocked back a mouthful, without even a flinch to acknowledge the strength of the triple whammy dose of liquor. “So, you ditched Al six months ago?”
    “Uh-huh.”
    He ushered her to a table with a clear view of the stage.
    She sat, straightened her back, and crossed her ankles. Her ballet instructor had drummed it into her to sit like a lady. Good posture was now a part of her, and concentrating on that took her mind off the discomfort the conversation had brought. “I’m sure Jane filled you in on all his wonderful qualities. Probably raced to tell you.”
    Red curtains drew open, revealing a wall of hanging beads and a gleaming, pale wood dance platform. The lush décor and pristine stage told her the owner had pride in his offerings to the public. And a lot of class.
    “I’m sorry, seems I’m not helping matters. Perhaps going back to your mum would have been a better retreat plan?”
    “You’re a good friend, Dennis. But really? Bringing my mum into it?”
    “Yeah, I wasn’t thinking.” He dipped his gaze to his drink and took a gulp. Had she not been so riled up, she’d have found the sight of Dennis drinking a pink cocktail comical.
    “Being with friends beats going back to my drunken mother who cares only where her next bottle of liquor is coming from. Why would I go to her? This is my home. London. With Jane. With you.”
    “Jane isn’t the little girl you left behind.”
    “I know. We’ve all grown up. It’s been ten years since we’ve seen each other, but we chatted all the time on the phone. I’m sure she’s not that much different. But you, well, it looks like the big city has changed you a lot, Mr. Serious.”
    “This is true. Circumstances, I guess. Jane needed financial help. Actually, it goes both ways. She’s taken care of me, offered me so much support in the last few months, I’d have been lost without her. But you? Where have you been?”
    “Yes, yes. All the blame is on me.”
    “I didn’t say that.”
    “If I could go back in time, I would.” She slumped and sank lower in her chair. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Dennis.”
    “You really don’t consider anyone else until it suits, do you?”
    “Do you really think that little of me?”
    Glancing away, he murmured, “Until you prove otherwise.”
    “There’s nothing I can say to convince you that I regret leaving after our kiss?”
    “Are you telling me, in all that time away, you never loved your fancy foreign choreographer of a boyfriend?”
    “He had his benefits, but I never loved Al.” Not the way I love you .
    His glare narrowed. “I’m still not altogether clear as to why you didn’t report him to the police sooner.”
    “Because having someone give two shits about me felt kinda nice at first, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear?”
    “I couldn’t care less.”
    “Clearly, you could. And I like that you do. I won’t lie. My dance career benefited from the prestige of dating the Alfonso Albeta. When I first danced with the company… Oh, Dennis, performing was glorious. I was ballet: lived it, breathed it, loved