Eve by Iris Johansen Read Free Book Online Page A

Eve’s?”
    “I’m trying to be.” He smiled at Teresa. “John Gallo. Nice to meet you, Teresa.”
    Teresa’s smile was brilliant. “Me, too. You wouldn’t have any trouble being friends with me. Eve has other fish to fry. She’s so serious, she even spends her breaks doing homework. Can you imagine that?”
    “I can imagine.” His gaze was on Eve. “I can imagine all kinds of things about her.”
    Eve could feel that now-familiar heat moving through her. She abruptly turned away. “You two get to know each other. I’ll go clean the soda machine.” She disappeared into the kitchen, and she kept busy doing preps for the next twenty minutes. She was aware of Teresa’s laughter and John’s voice, but avoided looking at them. It was only when she saw John leaving the restaurant that she came back out front to finish the counter fill-ups.
    “Thanks for giving me my chance with him.” Teresa’s gaze was on John moving across the street toward his Chevy. “Damn, he’s sexy. Will you look at that tight butt?”
    Eve automatically glanced at John, then hastily averted her eyes. She didn’t need Teresa drawing her attention to anything about him. “Did you make any progress?”
    “Maybe. I gave him my telephone number.” She was still staring at him as he got in the car. “Of course, he wouldn’t make a move on me since he was here to see you. He said he’d wait outside for you.”
    “Why don’t you go out to the car and talk to him? It’s eleven now. Clock out, and I’ll finish your side work.”
    Teresa’s brows rose. “Are you kidding? Are you trying to get rid of him?”
    “Yes.”
    Teresa stared at her in disbelief. “You’ve got to be crazy. I knew the minute I saw him that he was a good time walking. He could give a girl a really good ride.”
    “Then go have your good time.” Eve didn’t look at her as she finished filling the pepper. “Like you said, I’m too serious for him.”
    “Well, I’m not.” Teresa clocked out and was heading for the door. “Thanks, Eve.”
    Eve put the cap on the shaker. Don’t look out the window and see whether Teresa had been welcomed by John. Of course, she would be. She was pretty and sexy and very willing. Eve had done the right thing. Soon she wouldn’t have to worry about—
    “Eve.” It was Mr. Kimble, frowning as he called her from the kitchen. “Phone call for you. It’s your mother. I’ve told you all that there are rules about receiving calls here unless it is an emergency.”
    “Sorry.” She moved quickly toward the phone on the wall. “You know I’ve never gotten one before, Mr. Kimble. There must be some mistake.”
    He turned away. “See that it doesn’t happen again.”
    “Yes, sir.” She picked up the phone. “Sandra, I can’t talk now. Why did you call me here?”
    “He hurt me.” Sandra was sobbing. “I thought Jimmy was such a nice man. We had such a good time. But he hurt me. I’m bleeding, Eve.”
    Bleeding?
    Eve stiffened. “How did he hurt you, Sandra?”
    “He slapped me and cut my lip. And then he punched me in the stomach. Why would he hurt me like that? It wasn’t as if I wasn’t going to let him—but a woman has to be treated with respect.”
    “Where are you?”
    “A hotel room at the Marriott.”
    “Is he still there?”
    “No, he said he was going to go out and find a dealer and score some heroin. He said I needed to be sweetened up a little.” She paused. “I’m scared of heroin, Eve. I take other stuff, but I’m scared of heroin.”
    “Sandra, why are you calling me? Why don’t you just walk out of there?”
    “He locked the door from the outside.”
    “How did he do that? Never mind. Call downstairs to the front desk and have them send someone up to let you out.”
    “I can’t do that. That would make a fuss, and those security people would be on the lookout for me if I ever came back into the hotel.”
    “Then don’t go back.”
    “That would be … awkward. There are a lot