Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 85135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
She makes me look at things differently.
“I’m here to cheer you up. You look gorgeous,” I say. Her short, platinum-blonde bob is scraped back from her face and she’s wearing a jumper and trousers in the same soft, peachy-colored material.
She rolls her eyes and I laugh. She’s behaving like a moody teenager. But she stands aside and I follow her into the hotel suite.
“I’m serious. You look super comfy and soft and actually, that probably gives you an advantage tonight.”
She narrows her eyes, her gaze flitting from me to the large sports bag I’m carrying.
“This is what I use to carry dead bodies,” I say, deadpan. “I’m kidding. I brought some stuff for us.”
“What kind of stuff?”
“Let’s have a look, shall we?”
I take a seat on the sofa and pull the bag in front of me. “Twister,” I say, pulling the game from my bag. I made an emergency dash to Hamleys during my break at lunch and picked up a few games I thought would be fun.
“Twister?” She doesn’t sound as excited as I hoped she would.
“And a Cove family favorite, Operation.” I pull it from the bag and slide it onto the table. “Connect Four and Cluedo. There we go. Shall we order some food and then start with Operation? It’s important for me to assert my dominance straightaway.”
“This is…different.” Her tone has softened slightly and she comes to sit next to me, picking up Operation. “I didn’t have this as a kid, but I wanted it. My best friend had it. We weren’t really a board game family.”
“We definitely were,” I say. “What did you do instead?”
“Sing around the piano.”
“Your entire family is musical?” I ask, pulling the lid off the game.
“I guess. My dad is the only one who makes a living out of it, apart from me. My mom was a piano teacher, but she gave it up as soon as she could.”
I glance over at her, wanting to know more.
She continues. “You know, as soon as the mortgage was paid off.” I assume Vivian is the one who paid off the house, but I don’t ask. “But my dad? He won’t ever give it up. He loves it too much. Still works twice a week at a hotel bar playing jazz standards. He’s a great piano player. And a good singer too.”
“Do the people he’s singing to know he’s your dad?”
“I’m not sure the clientele at the Chicago Four Seasons is my audience.”
I set the game up in front of us and open a bottle of wine from the bar. We order room service.
“May the best player win.” I raise my glass. She smiles, more relaxed than she was before. “There’s just one rule with Operation,” I say, shuffling the doctor cards.
“You don’t touch the sides or the machine will buzz?” she suggests.
“Two rules. The buzzing rule and one more: no touching.” I deal out the specialist cards.
“What do you mean? I gotta touch the tweezers.”
We both start dropping the plastic parts into the patient in front of us. “I mean if you’re playing, I can’t touch you and vice versa.”
She narrows her eyes. “Weird rule, but okay.”
I chuckle to myself. “You go first.”
She picks up a card. “Butterflies in the stomach.” She glances at me then quickly looks away.
“Embarrassed, Ms. Cross?” I ask. “Do you have butterflies in your stomach?” I’m flirting and I just can’t help it. I may be gun-shy about relationships, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the energy coursing between me and Vivian every time we’re together.
Vivian ignores me and picks up the tweezers, so I continue. “Maybe you’re just shy when you think about me kissing you,” I say. I’m pushing things a little, but…I suppose that’s who I am. She pauses but doesn’t look up. I bide my time, waiting for her to get closer to that metal edge. “Maybe when you think about my mouth on your pussy.”
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
She turns to me and I can’t conceal my grin. It’s a game, right?
“It’s just a game,” I say, trying to look innocent. I’m doing what I need to do to win. That’s all. Right?
“You cheated!” she says.
I shrug. “There’s only one rule, remember. My turn.” I pick up the tweezers and gently get hold of the butterfly. “My favorite and the easiest piece, in my humble, medical opinion.” I pull it out and toss it onto the table. “As I said, easy.”
“I only messed up because you interfered.”
I raise my eyebrows. “If you’re not going to play the game to the best of your ability, you have to deal with the consequences.”
“You want me to dirty talk to win? That’s playing dirty.”
“Did I mention I have four brothers? If you’re following the rules, it’s not playing dirty. Your turn.”
She sighs and turns over the card. “Spare ribs.”