Be My Baby by Susan Andersen Read Free Book Online

establishments’ doors all stood wide open, and smoke and music poured out. Up ahead on the sidewalk a chalkboard advertised in quite graphic terms the live sex show going on inside. She’d never even dreamed such things existed , and as they passed by she lagged in Beau’s grip just a bit to see if she could catch a peek.
    She was still gazing back over her shoulder when he pulled her through the entrance of the establishment next door. Her pupils dilated in the sudden dimness, and the smoky haze that swirled down from the ceiling made her sneeze. “Excuse me,” she murmured, rooting in her clutch for a handkerchief as she sneezed again. She was vaguely aware of a bluesy instrumental with a strong downbeat that was heavy on the horns playing over the speakers. Beau led her to a stool at the bar and seated her. Gradually her eyes adjusted to the change in lighting.
    She discovered a woman with impossibly large, bare breasts, squatting on a pair of spike-heeled shoes right in front of her. Juliet’s head reared backas the woman’s knees suddenly spread wide, exposing her crotch, which was clothed only in a gold sequined G-string that seemed to provide less coverage than the three limp, folded dollar bills that sprouted from it. The woman braced her hands on her knees and her bottom raised slightly as she swiveled her hips in a small bump and grind that was compellingly lewd. Dear God, this was a strip joint.
    How utterly fascinating.

4
    J osie Lee checked her lipstick, then tilted her tiny compact this way and that as she fluffed her dark curls. The elevator eased to a stop on the second floor and she snapped the compact closed, tossing it in her shoulder bag as the doors slid open. Tugging down her top, she took a deep breath. This was it.
    For as long as she could remember she’d been in love with Luke Gardner, but he’d never regarded her as anything other than his partner’s kid sister. Well, that was about to change. She had a window of opportunity here while Beau’s new assignment kept him out of the office, and she was about to take full advantage of it. She was making her move.
    God, please don’t let me throw up .
    No. She could do this. She sucked in air through her nostrils and blew it out through her mouth, then patted the dampness from her palms against the linen skirt covering her thighs. It’s do or die,girlfriend; put up or shut up. You can do it .
    The moment she saw Luke, with a phone pressed to his ear and hunched so far over his desk that his shirt stretched taut over his shoulders, her nerves disappeared. She still got that whole-body hot and flushed feeling she always felt around him, but the fear dissolved like a discarded Sno-bal on a sizzling July banquette, as old-timers called the sidewalks. This was the man she’d spent what felt like forever praying to St. Frances of Rome over—figuring as she had with teenage fervor that if ever there was a saint who knew a little something about waiting, it was F of R. Josie Lee had been scared to death Luke would find someone else before she had a chance to grow up. He hadn’t, thank God; at least not anyone with any staying power.
    Well, she was all grown up now, and through with patiently sitting back, waiting for him to take notice. If he failed to do so this time, it wouldn’t be because she’d lacked the courage to launch a campaign. Taking yet another bracing breath, she set out for his desk.
    Only to ease it out again anticlimactically when she was intercepted by another of her brother’s fellow officers.
    Luke cradled the phone receiver to his ear with one hand and bent over his desk, rummaging through its clutter. Where the hell was his notebook? Finally locating it in a place he could have sworn he’d already checked, he rapidly thumbed through pages of cramped writing until he reached the right entry. He read the pertinent information to the cop on the other end of the line and leanedback in his chair…where he found himself at