Chapter One
Ashley Steele lounged
across her king-sized bed in nothing but a thong-style panty and a bra,
twitching her foot. Her best friend, Rebecca Sue
"Don't-Call-Me-Becky" Davenport stood in the walk-in closet, trying
on the clothes that Ashley didn't want anymore. It was great having a girl of
Ashley's taste and means as her best friend. Her parents hadn't needed to buy
her clothes since the fifth grade.
"Becky,"
Ashley called. Rebecca Sue suppressed her annoyance as she poked her head out
of the closet.
"Yeah?"
"I'm bored."
"So, what's
new?"
"Let's do
something."
"Okay. What?"
"Let's go dancing.
Wanta drive into Denver, grab something to eat and go to a club in LoDo?"
"Sure! Am I
designated driver again?"
"Nah, I'll get a
hotel room for us. We can drive back tomorrow."
"Sounds good. I'll
go home and get my stuff."
"Don't bother,
I've got enough for both of us. See if you can find a couple of tote bags in
there."
"Okay. Which
outfit do you want, so I won't pick it."
With that, Ashley
levered herself off the bed and strolled over to the closet. Flicking through
the section where she kept her clubbing attire, she picked out a hot little
sleeveless pencil dress in black. With sheer chiffon covering a keyhole cutout
that would reveal her cleavage as well as the entire back, it would require
some art to show off her curves to perfection. Fortunately, her boobs were
still firm, thanks to a little help from a cosmetic surgeon who added a cup
size to her natural Bs. Ashley dug through her lingerie drawer until she found
a black backless bra with under wires that would help keep her girls in place.
Digging a little further, she found the double-sided body tape that would hold
it on. A fresh thong, this one sporting red rhinestones in case she wanted to
flash someone, went into the bag along with the bra. Black strappy heels
followed.
Ashley moved over to
her casual rack, giving Rebecca Sue free run of the clubbing outfits. Long
accustomed to dressing as a sort of accessory to Ashley, Rebecca Sue found a
form-fitting electric blue sheath, featuring a scoop neck decorated with an
attached two-strand silver chain. The back dipped, but a normal bra would do.
Rebecca Sue traced Ashley's steps to the lingerie drawer, where she found a
black lace bra and thong set that went into her own bag. Silver heels with
laces to wind up her ankles would go nicely with the dress.
By now, Ashley had
picked out a pair of jeans and a tunic blouse to wear to the hotel and to
dinner. After dinner they would get dressed and made up at the hotel and afterward
decide whether to go to the Beta Nightclub and put up with the under-21 crowd,
or to Howl at the Moon and take a chance on the band. No one showed up anywhere
before 10:30, so they had time to kill, too.
"Are you going to
call Dirk and tell him where to find us?" Rebecca Sue asked.
"I guess so. Want
me to have him bring a friend for you?"
"Duh, of
course."
"Okay."
The girls made a
striking pair. Ashley, a little more blonde than nature intended, with perfect
features, a mouth made for sin and gray eyes. Rebecca Sue, while not a
show-stopper, was nevertheless pretty, with a rounder face than Ashley's, dark
chestnut hair and brown eyes. She was content to play the sidekick role, aware
that living Ashley's dream life with her would not otherwise have been possible.
The only price: that she be okay with leftovers. Hand-me-down clothes, leftover
boys, admiring looks only from men who, realistically, didn't think they could
ever be in the same league as Ashley. Somehow, knowing Ashley's secrets and
what made her who she was made it all so much easier to deal with. Ashley
relied on her best friend for emotional stability, and she gladly provided it,
loving Ashley like a sister.
Both girls scanned the
room for interesting men, but Rebecca Sue spotted him first. His blonde hair
glinted with red highlights whenever the spotlight hit him. A scruff of blond
five’oclock shadow, a
P. G. Wodehouse
Pat Kelleher
Tom Franklin
Linda Howard
Michael Foss
Alison Weir
Carole Mortimer
Tyffani Clark Kemp
Juliet Anderson
James Hadley Chase