Lady Be Bad by Elaine Raco Chase Read Free Book Online

you
know, those biscuits would be gone."
    At Marlayna's silent inquiry, Sylvia shook
her head. "He wasn't eating them; I was. Only I never remembered
doing it until my bathroom scale registered five pounds more!" Her
index finger tapped against her temple. "The brain is an
interesting organ, much more powerful than the heart or the glands.
Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"
    "Shoot."
    "What is it you fear the most?"
    "Finding out that Noah never loved me and
our marriage was a sham."
    "Can this happen?"
    "Yes."
    Sylvia hesitated. "If it actually does
happen, what is the worst result?"
    Marlayna opened her mouth, then closed it.
"Well, I guess..." Her hands slapped her thighs as she straightened
her spine. "I guess the worst has happened — divorce."
    "Then that takes care of that particular
fear. Any other fears?"
    "Gwen Kingman."
    "The lipstick princess?" Sylvia laughed.
"Come on, you must be joking."
    "Have you ever met her?"
    Sylvia nodded.
    A shaky hand rumpled her highlighted ebony
curls. "Is she --" Marlayna swallowed around the rapidly growing
lump that blocked her throat. "Is she charming? Special? Desirable?
Attractive?"
    "Yes. To her father. Not particularly.
Maybe." The platinum blonde reached to grab her friend's hand.
"She's twenty-three, Marlayna, a very young twenty-three. An
adolescent who giggles and gushes and goshes. Who bounces and
bubbles and brags. When King Arthur's not waxing lyrical about his
anti-wrinkle cream, he waxes about his little princess."
    "She sounds nice."
    Sylvia shrugged. "So who wants nice?"
    "Apparently Noah."
    "And you want Noah." A peremptory palm was
held up. "I'm getting dizzy!" Sylvia recreased the knife-edged
pleats on her red and white patterned silk dress. "You, do realize,
Marlayna, that you can't force a man to love you."
    She stood up and surveyed the clothes that
littered the bed. "I realize that."
    "Do you also realize Noah could actually be
in love with Gwen Kingman?" At Marlayna's nod she continued. "You
know there are other men out there. Look at me," Sylvia joked. "I
found Mr. Right three times."
    "I found him too." Marlayna lifted a white
negligee that was draped across the pillows and a black lace teddie
that hung from the French provincial headboard. "Should I be nice
or try for naughty?" She inquired. "This was the same dilemma I had
when I packed for my honeymoon."
    "Honeymoon!" Sylvia echoed sharply. "You're
not going on any damn honeymoon!" Lunging to her feet, she snatched
the silken lingerie out of Marlayna's hand and threw it back on the
bed. "What makes you think Noah and Gwen haven't already taken a
pre-honeymoon honeymoon of their own?"
    Ignoring her friend's stricken face, Sylvia
went on ruthlessly. "I was convinced that you had yourself all
together, that you had matured and grown strong. But I find that I
was wrong. You are one very vulnerable lady when it comes to Noah
Drake." She inhaled sharply and continued.
    "Do you think two people become engaged
because they hate each other? So she's thirteen years younger than
he is — maybe he's trying to recapture his youth. Who knows what
the hell a man thinks! And …" Sylvia's small breasts heaved "… and
did you even stop to consider that after six years, Noah Drake may
look like a goddamn toad!"
    After a minute's silence, Marlayna's dry,
slightly whimsical voice returned. "Don't be ridiculous. King
Arthur would have slathered wart cream all over Noah's body."
Blue-gray eyes held gilded brown ones, traded a wink, and then
companionable laughter conquered the anger that had built up.
    "Maybe hysteria is contagious," Sylvia said,
shaking her head to clear it. She settled next to Marlayna on the
bed. "I apologize." Her fingers squeezed her friend's shoulder. "I
shouldn't have trespassed into your dreams."
    "I’m glad you did," Marlayna returned at
length. Her head lowered, eyes making a study of the pink cotton
weave on her shirt. "I've spent the past week living in a fantasy
world, talking with