Read Online Killer Queen: A Painted Faces Novel by L.H. Cosway - Free Book Online

hers and leaning closer. I allowed my bare arm to brush
against hers for a second, and I saw her eyes trail to the small contact.
    “It was brilliant!” she replied with gusto, and some
of the tension inside me instantly evaporated. It was a relief to know that
she’d enjoyed the show.
    “I was a little gobsmacked when you first walked out
in that getup, but I was kind of expecting it, given the venue,” she continued,
and took another sip of her drink, her golden eyes alight. This was good. She
was just as excited as I was.
    “I knew you'd like it — I just had a feeling,” I
said, and then remembered Nora. I’d seen her when I was looking for Fred, and
she was pale as a ghost. “Although when I waved hello to Nora a minute ago, she
seemed less than impressed.”
    Fred brushed away my concerns. “She's just put out
because she had you down as her new potential love interest. Little did she
know you'd turn out to be gay.”
    Okay . So perhaps my
excitement was a little premature. I didn’t even consider the fact Fred would
think I was into blokes. It was silly of me, because clearly that’s the most
obvious conclusion she would make. I was about to enlighten her, but first I
needed another drink. Do not frown at me. I wasn’t falling back into my old
ways. I just needed a little Dutch courage. The barman poured me a whiskey
while I replied to her, “You think I'm gay? Even after what I said to you last
night?”
    “Well, I was thinking maybe you were pulling my leg
or something. Besides, apart from Eddie Izzard, I don't think I've ever heard
of a straight drag queen.”
     I smiled at her then, because it suddenly occurred
to me that she was hedging for information. She didn’t want me to be gay, that
was pretty evident. “Yeah, well, you're looking at one.”
    “You're joking, right? You have to be at least bi.”
    All of a sudden, her response pissed me off. I’d
spent my entire life dealing with people’s assumptions and judgements, and I
really didn’t want to have to deal with them from Fred.
    “Nope. I only have eyes for the ladies.”
    She frowned and swallowed. “Sorry, sometimes I don't
think before I open my mouth. That was rude of me.”
    Immediately, I’d forgiven her. After all, I was
prone to speaking before thinking myself. I guessed it was further evidence of
just how kindred we were.
    “It's okay, no offence taken. I'd offer to buy you a
drink, but you seem all set. What is that, anyway?” I leaned closer to her and
allowed our arms to touch again. “Ah, minty. Mind if I have a taste?”
     “Not at all. You've never had a mojito before?”
     I was playing dirty, no one could deny it, but I
desperately wanted to turn the conversation sexual. She looked amazing tonight,
her hair wild and a slight sheen of sweat on her décolletage. I found it
terribly appealing, and it made my mind wander.
    If you haven’t noticed by now, my mind was prone to
wandering.
    “I have, but I wanted to have a taste of yours. Put
my lips where your lips have been.”
    “You're such a pest,” she giggled, and stole the
drink back from me. I smiled widely because I’d already managed to have a
taste.
    “That's quite a fetching outfit, Fred. Can I take a
loan of it next week?”
    She gave me a comical grimace. “After the way I've
been sweating in it tonight, you don't want it, trust me. This club is stifling
hot.”
    I decided to bait her. “Not necessarily. The sweat
is an added bonus. I can sniff on it while I have some private man time.”
    The way she took it on the cheek was further
evidence of how alike we were. “Ugh, even I think that's disgusting, Viv, and I
work in a charity shop. Dealing with ‘soiled’ clothing is part of my job.”
    I was enjoying this back and forth between us. And I
thought she might actually be flirting with me. I loved the way she flirted.
She didn’t act all coy and girlish. Instead, she goaded me, gave me shit, and
said whatever weird thing was inside her