It Should Be a Crime by Carsen Taite Read Free Book Online

around the next corner.
    “Morgan?”
    Morgan realized she had yet to answer the initial question. She told Yolanda about how she had foolishly gotten locked out of the bar and gave up details about the bartender who rescued her. “She was gorgeous and expressed an immediate interest. I was pissed at Tina and had no desire to go home and deal with her shit, so I went home with the woman. One thing led to another and we had fantastic sex.”
    “Wow, you make my Saturday nights seem indubitably lame. Are you going to see her again?”
    “I don’t even know her last name.”
    “You know where she lives. How did you leave things?”
    “She was fast asleep when I left, as beautiful in the sober light of morning as she was the night before.”
    “Sounds like someone is kicking themselves over missed future opportunities.”
    “How do I say this? What was perfect that evening isn’t likely to be replicated. I needed the experience, needed confirmation I’m desirable. I got what I needed, end of story. No need to double-dip to try to make the experience more than it was.”
    Yolanda gave her a knowing smile, but didn’t pursue the matter. “Fine, now you’ve sown your wild oats. Ready for the first day of classes tomorrow?”
    “Actually, I’m looking forward to it. I have a genuinely positive outlook. After these last few months, I don’t think anything could throw me off my game.”

Chapter Four

    “When am I going to learn I’m not as invulnerable as I was in my youth?” Parker spoke to the mirror, whose unkind reflection revealed a bleary, puffy-eyed version of her former self. She splashed cold water on her face in a futile attempt to wash away the signs of her exhaustion. She had purposefully done absolutely nothing the day before, choosing to spend the Sunday before classes began nursing her hangover in hopes its effects would fade before Monday. Unfortunately, what once took a half day to recover from, now delivered a knockout punch that set her back much longer. She stalked from the bathroom into the hallway, muttering, “Damn you, Irene.”
    “Hey, Casey, are you still hungover?” Erin had made the mistake yesterday of beating on Parker’s door early in the morning in an attempt to rouse her for a morning run. This morning Erin was up early again, coffee in one hand, newspaper in the other.
    “Why do you want to know? Have plans to run a marathon and need a companion?”
    “A few miles are all I had planned. You act like I tried to get you to do an Ironman. Jeez, you’re still pretty grouchy. Maybe you should head back to bed and skip the first day.”
    “Where’s Kelsey?”
    “Long gone. She’s started a forty-eight-hour shift last night. Whatcha need?”
    “I want medical advice or maybe a quickie surgery. Look at these bags under my eyes. I feel okay, but I look like shit.”
    “Vanity, vanity. What if I told you I had something to fix you right up?”
    Parker grabbed Erin’s arm and jokingly twisted it behind her back. “I’d say give it to me now.”
    Erin slapped at Parker with her free hand, playing along. “Let me go, fool, and I’ll help you out. You’ve got to cheer up, though. This is the first day of your last year. You should be happy as a clam.”
    Parker pointed at her face. “Eyes, Erin. I need you to focus on fixing me up, and then I’ll be cheerful.”
    Parker followed Erin to her room and lay on the bed as Erin directed. As Erin fumbled through the drawers in her bathroom, she called out, “If having your way with me is a cure, I want you to know you don’t need any accessories. Get in here and cure away.” Parker was joking. Erin was engaged to a fellow grad student and they were madly in love.
    Erin emerged from the bathroom with a frosted glass jar. “You wish, Casey. Though I’m sure Bob would love it if I brought home tales of how I ravaged you while you lay helpless on my bed, I have better things to do. Now, close your eyes and lay back.”
    “I’m