Shedrow by Dean DeLuke Read Free Book Online Page B

the envelope on the dresser. Thumbing it casually, she noted that it contained a wad of hundred dollar bills. She did not count them.
    She appeared to be in her early thirties with a trim and athletic body, blonde hair and a stunningly beautiful face. Deep blue eyes looked directly into his. Her small nose was perfectly sculpted, without any surgery, it seemed. She brushed back a fallen tassel of hair and smiled, declining Gianni’s offer of a drink from the minibar.
    The room at the Delano Hotel was all white. White walls, bedcovers, and white sheer drapes floated in the breeze from the open glass doors. A peach colored bouquet of flowers sat on a glass table, providing the only color apart from the ocean and the clear blue sky. The ocean air was warm and it was nearing sunset.
    She walked towards Gianni and embraced him, her arms around him, her hands finding his neck. The scent of her perfume was delicate yet alluring. Lilacs, he thought. She kissed him deeplyand lingered a long time before dropping to her knees. Clothes were flung to the floor.
    “This is my favorite,” she said. She lingered there as well, then took his hand in hers and led him to the bed. Almost imperceptibly, she rolled on a condom and straddled his body, teasing him with gentle kisses. She seemed to enjoy it when he was finally inside her, if her chants were any indication. They were subtle, intense, genuine he thought.
    “Sex is
so amazing
,” she said.
    Gianni jumped up, breathing heavily when the alarm went off. He looked around the room and tried to recollect where he was. His breathing slowed. As the sleep faded, he gradually oriented himself.
Florida…the Delano Hotel…Florida Derby Day…Chiefly Endeavor.
He hadn’t set the alarm in his hotel room and was startled from a sound sleep when it went off.
But the dream was so real. Why did he have it? Nothing he would ever do, he thought.
    He would often try to recall or analyze his dreams, and could usually link the content to an event from the past day. He remembered that the governor of New York had once been linked to a prostitution ring and was forced to resign in disgrace. It had come up in a recent conversation. Perhaps that explained the content, but the intensity? Freud said dreams were often about wish fulfillment. Would
he
ever be so unrighteous?
    Gianni recalled that when he heard the news of the government official, he was incredulous, wondering how a man at the pinnacle of his career could flush it all in a moment of indiscretion. The same official had actually prosecuted prostitution rings during his time as Attorney General. Yet the very powerful come to feel entitled andinfallible. They take risks and seek excitement, even though it may be momentary, expensive, and dangerous. Gianni then thought of a quote from a character in a Robert Dugoni novel—something about being God-fearing ninety-five percent of the time and a sinner the other five percent. It was the five percent that got people in trouble, when they succumbed to a weakness or just did something plain stupid.
    With that analysis, he dismissed the dream and began to focus on the day ahead. Chiefly Endeavor was set to run in the Florida Derby, one of the major prep races for the Kentucky Derby. He was alone at the hotel. Janice once again had business at home. Brad Hill also remained in New York. Stu Duncker was recovering from hip surgery, so Gianni and Chet would be forced to get better acquainted. Gianni looked forward to that with little enthusiasm, to say the least. He would focus mainly on the horse and perhaps try to learn a little more about his new partner as well.
    TEN PALMS RESTAURANT is on level two at Gulfstream Park. A plenteous buffet had been assembled for the owners, trainers and others who had connections with the horses entered in stakes races that day. It included a carving station with slices of rare prime rib and freshly roasted turkey. There were a variety of pasta specialties, tomato and