Shame on Him (12 page)

I really need to stop confiding in Paige; she can’t keep her mouth shut.

Ignoring Kennedy’s outburst, I look at Paige. “I didn’t want to put him in that position. It was bad enough he had to witness how horrible my parents are; I don’t think he’s ready for a gay wedding.”

Paige sighs. “Tell me again about the first time he kissed you. It’s like something right out of a movie.”

“Wait, did I hear about that? I just know you two haven’t been able to keep your hands off of each other every time I see you in the office and now thanks to you I’ll have to burn my desk. Did you do something weird for the first kiss?” Kennedy asks.

“Oh, my God, Kennedy! He stalked toward her like a tiger going for his prey. Didn’t say a word, just slammed her up against her car and laid one on her,” Paige tells her excitedly.

“He didn’t exactly slam me up against the car.”

Paige raises her eyebrow at me.

“It was more of a push. A really, really hot push.”

“Nice. I knew you two would finally get your heads out of your asses and hump like rabbits,” Kennedy says with a smile.

“There is no humping going on!”

Kennedy stares at me in shock. “What do you mean there’s no humping going on? I saw him grab your ass the other day. Why isn’t there humping?”

I shrug and walk over to my vanity to add some nude lip gloss to my lips.

“It’s not like I don’t want it to happen, it’s just . . . it hasn’t. I don’t know. We get to a certain point and he always backs off. With the way he teeter-totters back and forth, who knows, he’s probably changing his mind about me again.”

Kennedy snorts. “Bullshit. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He would throw you down on the floor of the office, screw you ten ways to Sunday, and still want more.”

“Maybe he’s waiting for you to make the first move. I mean, he was the one who kissed you first,” Paige adds.

Make the first move? I wouldn’t even know where to begin with someone like Dallas. I’m not used to a man like him—someone who takes charge so fully.

“I think you need to get drunk. Liquid courage works wonders,” Kennedy says with a nod.

“I don’t get drunk. You know that.”

“You also don’t wear anything other than a suit, swear like a truck driver, kiss hot-as-balls men, or solve murders. I’m pretty sure you’re already out of your comfort zone, Lorelei. Might as well add one more thing to the list,” Paige says with a laugh.

She’s right. And I’ve never been happier. I just don’t know if I’m ready to throw that much caution to the wind right now.

“As much fun as it is to talk about humping and drinking, what’s going on with the case?” Kennedy asks.

“It’s such a mess. I still think his ex-wife is hiding something, but Dallas disagrees. She’s never been in any kind of trouble, never done anything shady that would make anyone suspect her, but there’s just something about her I don’t trust.”

Paige laughs and cocks her head at me. “Um, could it be the fact that you think Dallas slept with her?”

I huff indignantly. “No! It has nothing to do with that.”

Much
.

“Did you even ask him if he slept with her? That doesn’t seem like something Dallas would do,” Kennedy adds.

Of course I haven’t asked him. That would just scream “jealousy.” I’m not jealous of Stephanie Covington. Even though she’s ten years younger than I am and has the body of a porn star.

“It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t think we need to question her again, so we aren’t. We’re doing everything together so I’m just going to go along with it.”

“Just because you’re playing nice doesn’t mean you have to do everything he says. If you have a gut instinct about something, you should always go with it. Or at least argue your case. I’ve heard you know a thing or two about doing that,” Kennedy says with sarcasm.

I shake my head at her. “Fine. I’ll mention it to him again. He’s just convinced that Miles is guilty. I’ll admit, the guy is slime, but I just don’t see him shooting someone in cold blood. He’s kind of all talk. And he’s got an alibi for the time frame that Richard was killed,” I tell them.

“Well, don’t back down. You’ve come a long way, Grasshopper, but there is still more to learn,” Kennedy says in her best kung-fu voice.

Just then, Snowball jumps up onto the bed right next to her and hisses.

“Oh, my God, seriously? Get the fuck away from me, fur ball!” she shouts.

This just makes the poor cat angrier. She stands up on her hind legs and bats her paws angrily against Kennedy’s arm.

“OW! You are such an asshole!”

Rushing over to the bed, I pick Snowball up and carry her to the door, tossing her out into the hallway, where she runs away hissing and growling.

“Seriously, what is that cat’s problem?” Kennedy complains, examining the scratches on her arm.

“Cats can sense when people hate them,” Paige tells her.

“Of course I fucking hate her! All she does is bitch at me. She’s worse than my father,” Kennedy argues.

“Okay, I think I’m ready to watch my ex-husband get married to the man of his dreams,” I tell them, spinning around slowly with my arms out.

Kennedy whistles and Paige claps.

“If I was a lesbian, I would totally bang you. Just sayin’,” Kennedy tells me.

“Have fun at the wedding, get drunk, and then give Dallas a booty call,” Paige says with a laugh.

I shake my head at both of them, grab my black clutch off of my dresser, and head out. I’d much rather stay home and work on the case, but I need to get this over with. It’s time to say good-bye to one chapter of my life.

CHAPTER 15

D
arling, you look stunning,” Doug tells me, holding my hands and kissing each cheek.

I smile at him and take in his black Armani suit. “And you look quite dashing yourself. I’m so happy for you, Doug.”

I realize it’s true as soon as the words leave my mouth. I thought I would be bitter and angry being here at his wedding, but I’m not. Aside from his being gay, it’s glaringly obvious we weren’t meant to be married. Neither one of us was truly happy when we were together. We kept who we were buried deep inside. Looking back now, walking in on him with another man and then ending our marriage was the right thing for both of us.

“I’m so glad you could be here today, Lorelei, especially after everything that happened between us. It means so much to me.”

I can tell he’s getting choked up. I don’t want him to have any regrets. This is his day and he should be ecstatic. A waiter passes by with a tray full of champagne and I quickly grab two glasses, handing one to Doug.

“Now is not the time to be maudlin. Drink up and be happy.”

We clink our glasses together. Doug takes a sip and I down my entire glass in three swallows. Setting my glass on the bar, I grab the arm of another waiter and snatch a second glass off of his tray.

Doug’s jaw drops as I chug this one as well.

“Lorelei Warner, are you going to get drunk tonight?” he asks with a laugh.

I nod my head. “I was thinking about it. Gary’s cousin hasn’t left me alone the entire evening. I thought I told you not to seat him anywhere near me?”

Doug laughs and has the decency to look guilty. “Sorry, darling. Gary was sure you and Niles would hit it off.”

“Five minutes after he met me, he asked if I wanted to go out to his car and smoke pot. Then he told me I reminded him of his mother and immediately asked if we could make out.”

Niles is the reason why I’ve had three glasses of champagne so far. Wait, no, make that five.

Doug laughs again and pats me on the arm. “I’m sorry. If it makes you feel any better, Niles’s mother is stunning.”

“It does NOT make me feel any better, thank you very much. You’re lucky this wedding is open bar,” I scold.

“It’s about time you let loose. How is that new case you’re working on? I’m seething with jealousy that this is your life now. So exciting.”

It makes me feel good to hear this from Doug. While it’s true that my parents have always adored him and he played the part of son-in-law to a T, he’s always had my back and been a good friend.

“It’s hard work, but it’s exhilarating. I don’t know how close we are to figuring things out, but hopefully something will develop soon,” I tell him.

“Gay men are never good at keeping secrets, so I’m sure Richard would have told someone
something
that will help you,” Doug says, looking away from me to wave and smile at a guest.

“Wait, what? Richard was gay?”

Doug turns back to me. “Well, that’s the rumor I heard from a few people. I myself always wondered about him. According to some people, he was the most homophobic man they’ve ever met. He doth protest too much . . .” Doug trails off.

“Since you seem to be in the know, did you ever hear anything about Miles Harper being gay? You remember him, right? He went to school with us and is practicing law at my father’s old firm.”

It’s a long shot, but who knows? I’m willing to try anything at this point. Maybe that’s the secret Miles was trying to blackmail Richard with—the fact that Richard was gay. Maybe the two of them were lovers. Could Miles have killed Richard in anger because Richard wouldn’t give him more?

“Oh, I definitely remember him. If only it were true. That man is gorgeous. I haven’t heard anything, but I could ask around for you,” he tells me.

“I’ve never seen such magnificent flower arrangements. I always knew Doug could do anything.”

I whip my head around at the sound of my mother’s voice.

“Mother, what are you doing here?” I turn to Doug. “What is she doing here?”

Considering how adamant she was that the two of us should work things out and how she wouldn’t hear a word of it whenever I tried to explain about Doug being gay, her being at this wedding right now is nothing short of astonishing.

“Doug invited me. I must say I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I’m having a wonderful time.”

“Where’s Dad? Did he come with you?” I ask.

Not that I want to see him, but he might be able to shed some light on why in the world my mother would ever step foot in a gay wedding celebration.

“Your father is at home with . . . how do you say it? A stick up his ass. Actually, he’s been sleeping in the guest house since your visit,” she informs me.

I’m stunned into silence. I don’t know if it’s the champagne or not, but my head is spinning.

“Breathe, Lorelei,” Doug tells me with a laugh. “Your mother called and told me the three of you had a very unpleasant dinner a week ago. I gave her some advice on how to handle things, but I didn’t expect she’d go at it so wholeheartedly.”

My mother smiles at me and grabs both of my hands. “Lorelei, I would just like to apologize for the way I’ve behaved. I realized after you left that you’re doing something I’ve always wanted to do—be my own person. I’m envious of you. So I told your father where to stick it and kicked him out of the house.”

“Oh, my God!” I exclaim in shock.

“Do you know I’ve never had an orgasm with your father? And I signed up for a pole-dancing class. You should go with me.”

“Mom!” I scold in embarrassment, glancing around to make sure no one heard her.

Doug is too busy laughing to care.

It’s impossible for me to even try to say anything more. Turning away from her in a daze, I signal to the bartender. “Bourbon, straight up. And keep them coming.”

I giggle softly to myself when the cab driver asks me where I’m going. Where
am
I going? My face feels tingly. I tell him to hold on for a second and pull my phone out of my purse.

It takes me a few tries and a few more giggles to punch in the right number.

Paige answers on the first ring. “Did you have a good time?”

I snort in a very unladylike fashion and hiccup. “I had a FABULOUS time! My mother’s never had an orgasm!”

I laugh so hard that my stomach hurts.

“Oh, my God. You’re drunk! Why am I missing this?” Paige asks.

“I feel funny. Everything is funny. I want to have sex with Dallas right now.”

The cab driver stares at me through the rearview mirror and I wave to him.

“Get your ass to his house PRONTO! Now is your chance. Remember what Kennedy said: liquid courage.”