Read Online Carnal Curiosity by Stuart Woods - Free Book Online

together.”
    “We’re not getting married, Stone, she’s just coming to work for me.”
    “Where? In New York?”
    “Yes.”
    “Don’t you have an Alaska office?”
    “Stone, you really got up on the wrong side of the bed thismorning. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but she only accepted yesterday. I was going to invite you to lunch, by way of thanking you.”
    “Not today, Mike,” Stone said. “I’d be poor company, I think.”
    “I’ll call you again, then. Take care.” Mike hung up.
    Stone finished the snail mail, then turned to his e-mail. He worked through the list for twenty minutes or so, then he came to the last one: it was from Crane.
Dear Stone,
I want to thank you again for referring me to Herb Fisher, who did such a brilliant job. Also, Michael Freeman has offered me a job at Strategic Services, and I’ve accepted. A good week for me!
Something else: Don and I had dinner together last night. He was very sweet and apologetic about his behavior. We managed to clear the air, and we’re back together again. In an odd way, I have you to thank for that. Of course, this means that you and I can’t see each other anymore, but things have all worked out for the best.
Affectionately,
Crane
    Stone’s jaw very nearly hit his desktop. He stared at the screen, uncomprehending, for a long moment, then he typed a reply:
Congratulations on the new job. As to your personal life, I knew you were smart, but I didn’t know you were crazy.
    Joan came back in and took the mail, then she regarded him closely. “Now what? You look as though you’ve been poleaxed.” Stone’s phone rang, and she picked it up. “Hi, Dino. Yes, he’s here, hang.” She handed the receiver to Stone.
    “Hey, Dino.”
    “You sound hungover.”
    “No, just tired. I didn’t sleep well.”
    “Had to do it alone, huh?”
    “Don’t start.”
    “Well, I called to tell you that I’m going to shoot you on sight for sneaking out to dinner with my wife last night, but I don’t want to add to your woes.”
    “Thanks so much.”
    “I hear the lovely Crane has a new job.”
    Stone sighed. “I heard that, too.”
    “Yeah, Viv interviewed her and recommended her to Mike.”
    “Funny, Viv didn’t mention that.”
    “She also said she saw Crane with that psycho, Don Dugan.”
    “Yeah, I had an e-mail from her this morning—they’re a happy couple again.”
    “You’re shitting me.”
    “I shit you not.”
    “Maybe I should just assign a couple of homicide detectives to her now, instead of waiting until he offs her.”
    “That might be a good move.”
    “You think you can get your head together by dinnertime? Viv’s working.”
    “Sure, why not? Where?”
    “Well, you were at Clarke’s last night, so let’s make it Patroon. I never get tired of Ken’s Caesar salad. Seven-thirty?”
    “Yeah, good.” They both hung up.
    Joan buzzed. “Ann Keaton on two.”
    Stone immediately felt better and pressed the button. “Good morning.”
    “And the same to you. You remember the giant guy you warned me about the other day? I read on Page Six that he got into a fight at the Waldorf right after he left our offices.”
    “I heard something about that.”
    “Thanks again for the advice.”
    “Listen, would you like to go to a dinner party Saturday night?”
    “Sure. How am I dressing?”
    “It’s black tie, so dress to kill.”
    “I’ll get my grandmother’s jewelry out of the safe, then.”
    “Good idea.”
    “Who’s our host?”
    “A couple named Jack and Hillary Coulter—she’s Hillary Foote Coulter, if that rings a bell.”
    “It does. She’s high up on our contributor list.”
    “Then you can thank her in person. Drinks at seven-thirty. Where do you live?”
    “Park and Sixty-third, number five-seventy.”
    “My ex-partner and his wife live there.”
    “Who are they?”
    “Dino and Vivian Bacchetti.”
    “Oh, I’ve met them. I’m on the co-op board, and we interviewed them when they were