Read Online Diva Las Vegas by Eileen Davidson - Free Book Online Page B

his eyes were so sweet, so open. I smoothed the hair at the nape of his neck and kissed him. He tasted like peppermint. It quickly began to build into something else, and before we knew it, he was gently lifting my shirt over my head. I fumbled with his pants zipper. We made love in a gentle yet frenetic way, right there on the wooden dock in broad daylight. It was as if it was our first time, and in many ways it was. I had never been so available to him, maybe because I felt so vulnerable. He brushed the tears from my cheeks and kissed my eyes and mouth.
    “What happened?” he whispered.
    I replied simply, “Randy happened.”
    “What? Randy? That asshole—did he hurt you?”
    “No,” I said, “not physically. He wants shared custody. I can’t deal with that. I can’t!” I grabbed my clothes and walked into the house. I was putting on my jeans when he came up behind me.
    “It’s going to be okay, Alex. One way or another. We’ll get through this.” He grabbed my shoulders and turned me around. “I’m here. You’re not alone in this.” He made a point of looking at me. He meant it, and I got it. I wasn’t alone in this. And I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Damn. I was really messed up. Like a Gloria Steinem experiment gone horribly wrong. I was so sick of myself. I mean, really sick of myself.
    Okay. So I’d been hurt in my life. Who hadn’t been? Who? So I shut the fuck up and just said, “Thank you.” It took a second, but I managed to squeeze out a timid but sincere, “I need you.” I thought he was going to fall over, but he had great composure and just shrugged.
    “I mean it,” he said. “Now tell me what happened.”
    “I’m hungry. I didn’t get groceries,” I said as I looked around the bare kitchen. “Are you okay with Cheerios and bananas?” He nodded, and we grabbed the cereal and milk while I filled him in on Randy.
    “Interesting perspective your ex has, Alex. I’m not sure if he’s a hundred percent correct in his assumptions, but we’ll find out.” His whole demeanor made me feel better. I guess it wasn’t the end of the world. We’d figure it out, right?
    We moved to the living room, spreading our dinner out on the coffee table.
    “As if my day wasn’t full enough . . .” And I told him about what I had discovered in Barry’s dressing room.
    “You actually broke into his drawers? You’re very gutsy, Alex. That’s against the law.”
    “It was worth it. Look.” I retrieved the prescription bottles from my purse and put them on the coffee table in front of us.
    “Do you know what this stuff is?” he asked, lifting the bottles to read the labels.
    “Yeah. I have people, too. And she confirmed they’re used primarily after surgeries, to prevent pain, infection and swelling. The bottles were both in Shana’s name and Barry’s.”
    “Barry Stern has already been questioned by phone. He has an alibi for the night of the murder, but I still need to speak to him in person. I need to look into his eyes as he answers questions.”
    “I found out he’s not scheduled to work for a couple of weeks. He’s probably at his Vegas home.”
    “And this doctor? Have you looked him up in the phone book?” he asked.
    “No,” I said. “But my consultant is positive he’s not local.”
    “Consultant? Look at you.” His eyes twinkled as he grinned at me.
    “I take this seriously.” I jabbed him in the arm.
    “Okay, well, let’s get a phone book and make sure of that.”
    I got the yellow pages. We looked through the general MDs, even though I was pretty certain he was a plastic surgeon. Then went on to other specialties.
    “Nothing,” Jakes said. He picked up the bottles again. “Local pharmacy, but maybe not a local doctor. Some pharmacies are open twenty-four hours. Let’s see.”
    He dialed, got a message telling him the hours of the pharmacy.
    “I’ll have to check with them tomorrow,” he said, breaking the connection.
    “But where else do we