Stilettos & Scoundrels

by Laina Turner

  Chapter 6

  I walked into La Casa a few minutes after seven, my heels making those annoying tapping sounds on the worn linoleum. I’d put on black jersey trousers and a belted red silk shirt with enough buttons undone to show a hint of cleavage, but not enough to say here I am, take me. Considered casual in the city at most places, I was a bit overdressed for the nightlife in Alkon considering there wasn’t any nightlife. However, the outfit gave me a chance to wear my hooker shoes, as I liked to call them. Black patent leather, three–inch heels, with the toe, cut so that my pedicured toes could peek through. Very sexy. I felt shoes made the outfit, and although I didn’t have anyone to impress, nor did I expect to meet my next Mr. Right at the diner, it wouldn’t do to not be prepared.

  Katy was already sitting in what, back in the day, we liked to call our booth—the one in the back corner that afforded us a view of everyone who came and went. We would sit there with sodas and fries, gossiping about everyone who came through the door. Now we had graduated to margaritas, and well, more margaritas and gossip. Some things never changed.

  Katy had two frosty margaritas sitting in front of her. I couldn’t wait for that first cold sip.

  “Those better not both be for you,” I said jokingly, sliding into the red vinyl–covered booth that accented the faux chrome–topped tables.

  “They would have been if you hadn’t shown up. It’s against my religion to waste a perfectly good margarita,” Katy said.

  Looking around the diner brought back good and bad memories. The garish red and black 1950s–era décor with pink and blue neon accents were still the same. However, what used to be tacky and old was now cool and retro without trying. People would pay a fortune for this look back in the city, and it wouldn’t be nearly as authentic. It was proof that everything does go full circle. “Our special booth,” I said.

  “Yeah, we made some great memories here. Though I’m surprised you remember since it has been so long since you’ve been back home,” Katy teased.

  “I know, I know. I hear it enough from my mother, so I’ll say it again: I am sorry I don’t come in from the city more. I am vowing to change. By the way, that color looks good on you,” I said. Noticing Katy’s top, a cute turquoise wrap–shirt, the kind that looked great when you had boobs to pull it off and weren’t shy about the amount of cleavage you showed.

  “So, tell me what happened to your job. I thought you loved it.”

  “I thought I did too, but things change. I had been unhappy for a while. But it took my boss coming on to me one too many times to make me realize I didn’t need to put up with it and that it was time to move on. I was in a rut.”

  “What are your plans now?”

  After giving the server our order and digging into the chips and salsa she left on the table to complement and soak up the margaritas. I filled Katy in on meeting the Senator, my mother’s antics last night at dinner, and the whole Brian situation.

  “You know, your mother just cares.” Katy had always felt I should be more tolerant of my mother’s interfering. Hers had run out on her family when Katy was ten, and she’d grown up wishing she had a mom. She’d often sought out my mother as a surrogate, which I had loved. It took the pressure off me at times. I knew I was lucky to have two loving parents. While I could understand Katy’s thinking, it still sometimes drove me crazy that Katy came off as the voice of reason on my mother’s behalf—especially when I wanted to complain about her.

  “ What’s so wrong with being single?” I asked. “Do I look that desperate?”

  “She just wants you to be happy, Presley. And your mother thinks this is how she can help.”

  “But I am happy being single. I mean, yes I would love to have my Prince Charming ride up on his white horse and rescue me, but I’m a confident woman, and I’m okay being self–sufficient. Sometimes being self–sufficient is even better than having a man.”

  “I like to think that the good men are just hard to find and that you have to have some fun weeding through the not so good ones. I think sometimes we try too hard. That’s what the ladies at the salon always tell me. They tell me that the minute I quit looking for Mr. Right he will come along.” I knew Katy was trying to cheer me up, but I could tell she was also trying to believe some of that wisdom herself. She had a bad habit of picking the wrong men and then stayed with them way too long. Giving them the benefit of the doubt and thinking they would change.

  I know that’s probably true, Katy. It’s just depressing sometimes to think I might either be alone or worse—keep hooking up with losers.”

  “Don’t think like that.”

  “Okay, okay. No more negative thoughts. I was excited that I also ran into Dirt Robinson last night; it was so fun to see him again. I can’t believe he’s an officer of the law now. That’s sure not where I would have expected him to land career wise, but last night, he saved the day. Remember when—”

  “Speaking of which...” Katy interrupted me and with a big smile on her face, nodded to someone over my shoulder.

  “Are you talking about me?” Dirt asked as he slid into the booth next to Katy, putting his arm around her and squeezing it in the comfortable way old friends have. “Why is it I’m always the topic of conversation with pretty girls? Ladies, ladies, I know I’m irresistible, but you have to learn to control yourselves. Not everyone can have all this,” Dirt said motioning to himself.

  “Don’t let it go to your head, cowboy. I was just telling how it was such a struggle to not attack you last night,” I said sarcastically.

  “That’s me, sweetheart. One of my many talents,” Dirt said in an exaggerated drawl.

  “So, how’s my favorite cop?” Katy said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Presley here was just telling me how she was surprised to see you on this side of the law.”

  “Wait a minute, stop kissing,” I teased. “Isn’t it against the law to give favors to the police?”

  Dirt laughed. “I’ll take anything I can get. Besides, I’m not in uniform, so it doesn’t count.”

  I noticed he was blushing. Hmmm, I wondered if he still had the same huge crush on Katy that he did in high school. Wouldn’t that be something? I admitted he looked even better tonight in regular clothes. A plain gray T–shirt under a light blue oxford and faded jeans gave him a more relaxed look, but he just didn’t seem all that relaxed. There was something off in his demeanor. He just didn’t seem himself.

  “So, what are you two doing here?” he asked.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” I pointed to my now half–empty margarita and motioned the server over. “Can we get two more of these? And what did you want, Dirt?”

  “Just a Coke, please,” he said to the server. “I have to go into work a little later, so no drinking for me. At least not tonight, anyways. I just saw your car in the lot and thought I would stop by and say hi.”

  “I was just getting ready to tell Katy about my meeting with the Senator.”

  “That asshole,” Dirt said.

  “I don’t think he was an asshole, but he was very grabby. If he’s like this with all the girls, I don’t know how Helen puts up with it.”

  Katy chimed in. “Maybe she is in it for the power or prestige? It can’t be the money. She has her own. Who knows with those kinds of people? The few times she has been in town and had no choice but to come to my salon; she was a real bitch. She acted as if she was slumming it by coming to a small town salon instead of some fancy one in D.C. They probably deserve each other.”

  “She should consider herself lucky for you to do her hair,” I said, patting my friend on the arm. “You’re much better than anyone she could find in the city. She just doesn’t know what she’s getting and acts like a bitch because it’s probably been ingrained in her since birth.”

  Katy smiled. “I should have charged her double the price for having to put up with her. It’s not like she can’t afford it.”

  “Maybe you could start charging a surcharge for those high maintenance
clients,” I suggested.

  “Her wealth is probably what attracted Tom to her in the first place, or at least what has kept him with her. Although, some men seem to like mean, bitchy women,” Katy remarked. “Gotta admit, I am jealous sometimes. That woman has more Louis Vuitton bags than Saks.”

  “That’s my kind of woman. Maybe she isn’t so bad after all,” I said, joking.

  “And Tom uses her wealth to pay off those who don’t like his attitude toward women. It’s a surprise that there haven’t been any scandals in the paper,” Dirt said, ignoring our admiration of her accessories.

  “Are you sure? Usually, that kind of juicy gossip makes the front page of the supermarket rags,” I said. “People live for that kind of thing.”

  “Like I said, money buys silence. Money can buy anything if you have enough of it,” Dirt said, his words taking on a slightly bitter tone I had never heard from him before.

  “Money can buy you into trouble, too, if you aren’t careful,” Katy said.

  “Don’t I know it,” Dirt replied.

  “Well, I’m just glad I only had to spend a short time with him. He did make me feel a little uncomfortable.”

  “I bet he wished it was longer.” Katy giggled.

  “Here’s something interesting, though: I had to wait outside his office while he was on the phone, and I could hear some of what he was saying. He was arguing with someone, and it was pretty intense, something to the effect of owing somebody money. He seemed ticked that this person; I’m pretty sure the senator called him Peter, contacted him.”

  “Really?” Dirt seemed interested at this piece of news. “Did you catch anything else?”

  “No. Why?”

  “Ummm...there have been rumors that he's involved with some people he shouldn’t be. If you believe what people are saying.”

  “What kind of rumors?”

  Dirt seemed reluctant to say. Made me wonder if the police had some news he couldn’t reveal. “He has a bit of a gambling problem.”

  “Seriously? I could see him being caught with someone’s wife, but would he gamble? It’s not as if he needs the money.”

  “Gambling isn’t always about money,” Katy said. “It’s about the thrill.” Dirt and I both looked at her in surprise. “What? That’s just what I’ve heard. Don’t you guys ever read People or OK Magazine? Many of the stars have had gambling problems, and they sure don’t need the money. It’s not as if I have personal experience with the matter,” she said, rolling her eyes.

  Dirt shrugged. “He spends a lot of time in Vegas. I believe that he and Helen have a condo there, so who knows. Like I said, it’s all gossip.”

  All of a sudden Dirt’s expression changed to one I couldn’t read. He was looking past my shoulder at something or someone he didn’t like. His eyes turned cold, and his lips pressed tightly together. I turned around in my seat to see what was so distasteful.

  “Eavesdropping on someone’s conversation is not polite,” Cooper whispered softly in my ear, his lips barely touching my skin. He ran his hand down my neck to the middle of my back, and I shivered involuntarily. Against my better judgment, I wanted to close my eyes and let him continue. Damn him for sneaking up on me.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, trying not to let on how I was feeling. The way he looked at me again gave me a reason to believe he wasn’t falling for my I-don’t-care act.

  “Hey, Chris.” I nodded to Chris Stone, another old friend, who’d walked into the diner with Cooper. The two had been friends in high school.

  Cooper was at my ear again, his warm breath doing things to me. “Isn’t this the second time today that you’ve asked me that, King? I’m beginning to think you don’t want me around. Besides, I told you earlier today that I wasn’t through with you.”

  Again, with the touching. He needed to stop. This wasn’t the most appropriate place to lust after him, and I wasn’t at all sure I wanted to in the first place. I was still mad at him about earlier. Or, at least I thought I was. It was difficult to keep my thoughts straight with him so close. What his simple touch was doing to me— wow.

  While this exchange was happening, Dirt jumped up from the table as if he’d been bitten. “Sorry to interrupt, but I need to get going,” Dirt said tersely.

  “Hey, man...” Chris started to say then trailed off as if he, too, noticed the stormy expression on Dirt’s face.

  “I thought you were going to stay and hang out for a while. You said you didn’t have to go to work until later. Just spot a criminal you need to catch or something?” I asked, confused about why he was suddenly in a hurry to leave.

  “Something like that,” he replied as his gaze traveled over Cooper. The air was thick with tension as Dirt made it clear he didn’t want to be around Cooper.

  Obviously the feeling was mutual. I noticed that Cooper wasn’t surprised that Dirt was acting this way. This was certainly interesting.

  “I’ll catch up with you later, Pres, Katy.” With that, Dirt strode out of the restaurant.

  “What was that all about?” Katy asked to no one in particular. “Dirt doesn’t usually act that uptight.”

  “So, do you want to enlighten us about what just happened?” I asked Cooper; eyebrows raised.

  “Not really,” Cooper said, blowing me off. “Hi, Katy, haven’t seen you in a long time. My step-mom says your salon’s fabulous.”

  The way Cooper quickly changed the subject confirmed that there was a story behind the tension between him and Dirt, though he clearly didn’t want to talk about it. Little did he know that I was an expert at getting information out of people. I had my ways, and he inspired me to consider some new persuasive tactics. That thought was putting my hormones back into overdrive. I took another sip of my margarita to cool off.

  “She should know. She’s in every week, one of my best customers. Thanks, though. What brings you into town?”

  “My company, Sands Security Solutions, provides security to the senator. We do a lot of work with politicians. In fact, I saw Presley earlier when she was trying to finagle her way in to talk to him.”

  “Oh really, she hadn’t mentioned it,” Katy said, giving me a look.

  “What could he possibly need security for in Alkon?” I asked. “For that matter, anywhere? He’s a senator for God’s sake, not the President,” I said, ignoring Katy’s look and feeling my face get red.

  Cooper shrugged. “I’m sure he has his reasons. It’s not my place to ask, nor do I care, as long as I’m paid. But even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you,” he said, eyes twinkling.

  “Why? Is there something called security–client privilege?” I asked, wanting to give him a hard time.

  “No, it’s just none of your business, nosey. It’s called being a professional.”

  I just looked at him and shook my head. “What’s your opinion of the senator, Cooper?”

  “Not my place to judge.” Cooper knew that giving me short, vague answers was driving me crazy. And I could see he was enjoying it. I wasn’t the only one trying to get a rise.

  “Surely you have an opinion. After all, you do work for him.”

  “I don’t agree with everything he does, but he’s a nice guy. Besides, in my line of work, it’s important to stay objective, and again, as long as he pays me, I don’t care what he does. As long as it’s legal.”

  “Which don’t you agree with, Cooper? The gambling or the womanizing?” Maybe if I asked enough questions Cooper would give an indication about the alleged gambling problem that Dirt alluded to. Instead, he just raised his eyebrows questioningly at me and smiled in an irritating way.

  Katy interrupted, changing the subject, obviously worried that Cooper and I might be heading into an argument. She always wanted people to get along. “So, have you provided security for anyone famous? There has to be some juicy gossip you can tell us about a politician. Or have you ever provided security for an actor?”

  “Probably no one you’d recognize,” Cooper answered K
aty.

  “Besides Katy, he wouldn’t tell us anyway. There’s that security–client confidentiality.” I couldn’t resist needling him.

  Cooper and I continued teasing each other for a bit. I could tell he was more amused than annoyed, but I could also tell that under his cool exterior, there was something going on with him. He didn’t seem so relaxed. Maybe that was normal for him these days with his job; maybe he had to be vigilant and on edge. Or maybe it was still a conflict with Dirt. I knew I probably shouldn’t even be trying to figure it out. What did I know about him or his personality these days? More importantly, why did I even care?

  As we talked, Chris just sat there quietly. I almost forgot he was there. I noticed he kept checking his watch furtively. Eventually, I asked, “You got a hot date, Chris?”

  “What?” He glanced up, startled, his brown eyes wary.

  “You keep looking at your watch. Do you have somewhere to be?”

  Chris just stared at me as if in a trance or maybe he didn’t know what to say.

  “Are we not interesting enough for you?” I teased.

  “Yes. No. Well, I do need to go.” He stood up. “Catch you later, Coop. Ladies.” He turned and left. Katy frowned as she watched Chris leave, and I looked at Cooper. “Didn’t you two come together?”

  “Nope. Just met up in the parking lot. I haven’t talked to him in a long time and thought we could catch up. Guess not.” Cooper shrugged.

  He stayed and chatted with us while we ate our food. I found myself enjoying his company. Not only was he hot, but he was intelligent and funny as well. Just as I remembered. He told us some funny stories about clients he had worked with, of course keeping the names private. I found out that this was the first time in a long time he’d been back to Alkon, too. He said he had just recently started working with the Senator Daniels, and this was his first trip back here with him. He also opened up a little about the senator, and while he didn’t come right out and say anything bad, Cooper conceded that the man wasn’t always ethical but doubted he’d done anything illegal.

  I had forgotten how fun Cooper was to talk to, and I had to admit that was more important, since at some point hotness wears off.

  I was curious to know why such a seemingly great guy was still single. And though I was sure Cooper would reveal his flaws sooner rather than later, he sure didn’t seem to have any now.

  We finished way too many margaritas and said our goodbyes. I told Katy I would call her the next day. She didn’t work on Sunday, and we’d have a bit more time together. We had decided to have a picnic and hang out—catch up on more old times. I had hoped Cooper might ask to join us. I felt nervous asking him but no luck.

  I headed back to my parents, thinking about Brian. Maybe I should swing by his shop and talk to him. That would probably be the right thing to do—try to smooth things over. There was no reason we couldn’t be friends. As I started to turn right on Darby Street, on the way to Brian’s, I saw something strange out of the corner of my eye. I slowed down and pulled off to the side of the tree–lined road.

  I glanced in my rearview mirror and saw something shocking, and I wished I had a video camera. I was looking at Helen Daniels, the senator’s wife, and someone whose face I couldn't see from my sight sitting in a red car I didn’t recognize—making out. Like a couple of teenagers. Holy crap! No one would think she was the one cheating on Senator Daniels. Who the hell was she with?

  I shook my head, as if that would clear up my sight and looked again. Nope. It didn’t change anything. I didn’t know what shocked me more, the fact that Helen was cheating on her husband or that she was doing it in her car, where the entire world could see. Was she nuts? Who knew who might come along? Someone more threatening than I could cause Helen’s reputation some damage. What the hell was going on?

  I sat there thinking about how this changed my opinion of Senator Daniels just a little. He wasn’t the only one with a roving eye. However, if Helen knew the way he acted then maybe she figured that what was good for the goose was good for the gander. You couldn’t blame a girl for getting even. I tried to change my position to see if I could get a better look at the guy Helen was with. I was dying to know, but no matter which way I turned, I couldn’t tell. So, short of walking up and knocking on the window, (and I didn’t have the balls for that move) I knew I wasn’t going to be able to identify the person Helen was kissing.

  As I sat there trying to process this chain of events, Helen and the mystery man must have gotten tired of their tryst and started the car. I shrank down in my seat when they drove by, praying they wouldn’t see me. I wanted this to stay a secret until I could figure out what to do with this information, if anything. Maybe Cooper, Dirt, or Katy would know who drove a red car and might have the hots for Helen Daniels.

  Once they were far enough past me, I started the engine backup to continue to Brian’s.

  It only took a few minutes to get to Brian’s. As I pulled in, I thought about what I’d witnessed and what it meant. I wondered what I should do about it, if anything. This could be a great scoop for my article, but I wasn’t sure I was comfortable with that. I didn’t want to be malicious. I just didn’t have the stomach for that.

  As I stepped out of my car, I saw Brian in the garage working on some old car. It brought back memories of days when I stopped by to visit Brian at his parents’ house. He always seemed to be working on a car. It was something he’d done with his dad all the time. He was lucky in some ways to have something he enjoyed and to be able to turn it into a lucrative business. He had what I’d been missing. I had fallen out of love with my job long ago but kept at it because I didn’t know how to get out of the rut. Lucky for me, I no longer had that problem.

  I walked up the drive, and finally, Brian heard me and looked up. When he saw it was me, he scowled.

  “What are you doing here? Do you realize what time it is?”

  “I know it’s late, but I wanted to talk to you about last night.”

  “What about it, Presley?”

  “You just caught me off guard. I haven’t talked to you in forever, and you just sprung that on me.”

  “I know. I guess I just was caught up in the moment.”

  “Let’s catch up now, I said and we started chatting while he worked.