Read Online Love Can Be Murder by Stephanie Bond - Free Book Online
Authors: Stephanie Bond
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are hanging out."
Jolie started to take a step toward the bar when Carlotta ducked into an alcove next to a bronze sculpture. At a loss, Jolie followed.
"Isn't this a stunning piece?" Carlotta asked, stepping in front of the sculpture with her back to the corridor.
Jolie looked at the stack of cubes seemingly melting into one another. "I'm not an art connoisseur, but yes, it's interesting."
"Step closer," Carlotta urged, and Jolie obliged.
"Keep talking as if we're having a conversation," Carlotta said out of the corner of her mouth.
"I thought we were having a conversation," Jolie said, then noticed that Carlotta had opened her purse.
"Don't stare at my purse," Carlotta hissed. "Keep talking"
Bewildered, Jolie jerked her gaze back to the sculpture. "Y-You don't have a gun in there, do you?"
"What are you, crazy? Of course I don't. Talk, for heaven's sake."
Jolie swallowed. "As I was saying, my knowledge of art is pretty limited. I know some of the names, but I have a difficult time—"
"Here you go," Carlotta said, nodding and smiling while pressing something hard and cold against Jolie's hand. "You don't have to look down, it's a wineglass and a napkin."
Jolie curled her fingers around both items, now thoroughly confused. "What for?"
"It's a wine tasting," Carlotta said through clenched teeth.
"And we have to bring our own glasses?"
"Unless we want to pay a hundred dollars for one of theirs," Carlotta said, still smiling. "How do you think they make money at these events? Just come with me and do what I do."
Jolie watched as Carlotta casually peeled off, carrying her empty wineglass in her right hand, a cocktail napkin held beneath the stem with her pinky. Jolie made her feet move and she lifted her glass similarly, although it took her a few seconds to get the pinky thing down. She followed Carlotta past the table where a gloved waiter was handing wineglasses to patrons in return for one-hundred-dollar bills, then joined one of the lines behind a semicircle of tables where stewards poured an inch of wine from any of a dozen bottles before them.
Despite the encouraging glances from Carlotta, a sweat broke out along Jolie's hairline. What if someone had seen them? She looked around, fully expecting a security guard to bound over and oust them.
"It's just a little wine," Carlotta whispered. "They'll never miss it."
Jolie nodded and tried to smile, but her palms were slick against her glass as she watched Carlotta hand the steward the smuggled stemware. The young man seemed a little too dazzled by Carlotta's curves to pay much attention to the glass. Carlotta gestured to a bottle of chardonnay, and he nodded happily, pouring the requisite inch, then adding an extra splash. Carlotta twisted and smiled prettily, then winked at Jolie when she turned to walk away.
"What can I get for you, ma'am?" the young man asked.
Jolie jumped. "Oh...the merlot would be fine."
He smiled and gestured. "I need your glass,"
She flushed. "Of course." She handed it over, her chest tight.
He held up the glass and frowned, sending her heart pounding. "You have a smudge," he said finally, then polished the glass with a cloth.
She exhaled in relief and silently willed him to hurry as he poured the berry-colored wine into her glass. "There you are," he said, nodding.
She thanked him, then joined Carlotta, who was walking back toward the crowd.
"See, that didn't hurt, did it?"
Jolie sipped the ill-gotten wine. "It wasn't exactly honest, but I suppose the tickets to get in were expensive."
"I suppose," Carlotta said with a secret little smile.
"Did your friends the Holcombs give them to you?"
Carlotta shook her head, her lips wet with wine. "Jolie, I don't know anyone named Holcomb. My brother printed those tickets for me on a laser printer."
Jolie blinked and almost choked on her wine. "You mean, we're party crashers?"
Carlotta laughed. "You should see the look on your face. It's not a crime, you know."
"But it's
Jolie started to take a step toward the bar when Carlotta ducked into an alcove next to a bronze sculpture. At a loss, Jolie followed.
"Isn't this a stunning piece?" Carlotta asked, stepping in front of the sculpture with her back to the corridor.
Jolie looked at the stack of cubes seemingly melting into one another. "I'm not an art connoisseur, but yes, it's interesting."
"Step closer," Carlotta urged, and Jolie obliged.
"Keep talking as if we're having a conversation," Carlotta said out of the corner of her mouth.
"I thought we were having a conversation," Jolie said, then noticed that Carlotta had opened her purse.
"Don't stare at my purse," Carlotta hissed. "Keep talking"
Bewildered, Jolie jerked her gaze back to the sculpture. "Y-You don't have a gun in there, do you?"
"What are you, crazy? Of course I don't. Talk, for heaven's sake."
Jolie swallowed. "As I was saying, my knowledge of art is pretty limited. I know some of the names, but I have a difficult time—"
"Here you go," Carlotta said, nodding and smiling while pressing something hard and cold against Jolie's hand. "You don't have to look down, it's a wineglass and a napkin."
Jolie curled her fingers around both items, now thoroughly confused. "What for?"
"It's a wine tasting," Carlotta said through clenched teeth.
"And we have to bring our own glasses?"
"Unless we want to pay a hundred dollars for one of theirs," Carlotta said, still smiling. "How do you think they make money at these events? Just come with me and do what I do."
Jolie watched as Carlotta casually peeled off, carrying her empty wineglass in her right hand, a cocktail napkin held beneath the stem with her pinky. Jolie made her feet move and she lifted her glass similarly, although it took her a few seconds to get the pinky thing down. She followed Carlotta past the table where a gloved waiter was handing wineglasses to patrons in return for one-hundred-dollar bills, then joined one of the lines behind a semicircle of tables where stewards poured an inch of wine from any of a dozen bottles before them.
Despite the encouraging glances from Carlotta, a sweat broke out along Jolie's hairline. What if someone had seen them? She looked around, fully expecting a security guard to bound over and oust them.
"It's just a little wine," Carlotta whispered. "They'll never miss it."
Jolie nodded and tried to smile, but her palms were slick against her glass as she watched Carlotta hand the steward the smuggled stemware. The young man seemed a little too dazzled by Carlotta's curves to pay much attention to the glass. Carlotta gestured to a bottle of chardonnay, and he nodded happily, pouring the requisite inch, then adding an extra splash. Carlotta twisted and smiled prettily, then winked at Jolie when she turned to walk away.
"What can I get for you, ma'am?" the young man asked.
Jolie jumped. "Oh...the merlot would be fine."
He smiled and gestured. "I need your glass,"
She flushed. "Of course." She handed it over, her chest tight.
He held up the glass and frowned, sending her heart pounding. "You have a smudge," he said finally, then polished the glass with a cloth.
She exhaled in relief and silently willed him to hurry as he poured the berry-colored wine into her glass. "There you are," he said, nodding.
She thanked him, then joined Carlotta, who was walking back toward the crowd.
"See, that didn't hurt, did it?"
Jolie sipped the ill-gotten wine. "It wasn't exactly honest, but I suppose the tickets to get in were expensive."
"I suppose," Carlotta said with a secret little smile.
"Did your friends the Holcombs give them to you?"
Carlotta shook her head, her lips wet with wine. "Jolie, I don't know anyone named Holcomb. My brother printed those tickets for me on a laser printer."
Jolie blinked and almost choked on her wine. "You mean, we're party crashers?"
Carlotta laughed. "You should see the look on your face. It's not a crime, you know."
"But it's
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