Exclusive by Fern Michaels Read Free Book Online Page B

all the individuality it had. It was as empty of personal items as a burgled vault. Apparently the Center for Mind and Body had most of his personal photos. She had seen a few pictures of him and Amala displayed on his desk, but nothing more. No treasured souvenirs from his many travels, no collections of any kind. She supposed it really didn’t matter, but she still did not like the empty house that sat high above the Pacific.
    Ten minutes later, Ida was cruising along the Pacific Coast Highway toward Toots’s new house. Ida agreed the location was gorgeous, but the house itself was another matter. Poor Toots had her work cut out for her, but Ida knew how much Toots liked a challenge, especially when it came to decorating. Ida was positive that it was only a matter of time before the beach house was as glorious as Toots’s Southern plantation home in Charleston.
    “Drop me off at the end of the drive,” Ida said to Mohammed. She’d walk the rest of the way to the beach house. If any of the girls were to see her, she’d already planned her excuse for being out so early. She would simply explain she’d gone out for an early-morning walk. Nothing wrong with that. She’d been lucky so far. No one had caught her leaving the beach house late at night or sneaking back inside in the wee hours. Ida had mentioned to the girls how she just wanted to sleep late and relax now that she no longer feared germs and no longer had to spend hours cleaning and preparing herself for bed. They’d all promised they wouldn’t try to wake her. Ida felt guilty for lying, but for the moment she decided it was for the best.
    At sixty-five, she felt like a teenager sneaking behind her parents’ back again; but with all the talk of her reputation with men, Ida decided to keep her affair a secret. Sammy had agreed with her, saying he feared how it would appear since she was his patient. When the time was right, Ida would reveal her romance with Dr. Sameer. They hadn’t even told Amala, his daughter, yet. Both decided they would know when the time was right to reveal all.
    Ida managed to enter the house undetected. Inside her room she quickly changed into a summer nightgown. She lay down on her bed, then jumped up when she saw her reflection in the mirror above her bed. That had to go. Today. She’d remove it herself if she had to. Inside the equally hideous bathroom were black velvet walls, with Elvis in various poses wearing the outrageous sequined suits for which he was so well-known. Fake sapphires created a border around the top and bottom of the walls. The bathroom fixtures were all royal blue. Ida assumed they symbolized his song about those blue suede shoes. The mirror above the sink was in the shape of a giant guitar, with more of the fake sapphires surrounding the quirky pattern. She hoped this was just someone’s idea of humor and not a serious attempt at design. She mussed her hair and brushed her teeth before heading downstairs to the kitchen, where Mavis was slicing fruit.
    “It’s about time you got up. I was about to come and wake you. It’s almost nine o’clock. Want some coffee? I just made a fresh pot. Toots and Sophie are out on the deck enjoying the view. I thought we could all have breakfast together before Coco and I take our morning jog on the beach.” Coco reclined on a bright pink pillow in the corner of the kitchen.
    “Grrr.” Coco growled at her all the time. Ida knew the small dog hated her. She didn’t like her either. All she did was yap, and poop and pee in places she wasn’t allowed. Personally, Ida would rather have a fish if she were to have a pet at all.
    “And good morning to you too, Coco.” Ida said in a smart-ass tone. All Ida wanted to do was sleep. She’d spent most of the night having wild sex. At least it had been wild for her. Ida thought Sammy must have a lifetime supply of Viagra to keep up these all-night performances or, for a man in his late sixties, he was extremely virile. She