Read Online Sunrise in a Garden of Love & Evil by Barbara Monajem - Free Book Online
Authors: Barbara Monajem
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took a long swallow of coffee and draped a banana along the side of the bowl.
"Did Andrea pose, too?"
"No!" A solitary apple remained on the table. Art took it in one hand and the stem in the other, and twisted until the stem came off. "Big Simon took a picture of her nursing little Simon. She's naked and so is the baby. The blackmailer's threatening to report her to Children's Services."
"For what?"
"Using her baby for sexual gratification."
"That's crap!" Ophelia said. "They can't take her kids away because of one perfectly innocent picture."
"You'd be surprised. The world is full of prudish Neanderthals. I know. I was married to one." Art reached into a drawer for an apple corer. "We know the blackmailer's connected with the print and photo shop, but we're not paying him one red cent. Andrea's gone to her mom's. Big Simon's out of town on business. I'm going to tell my brother about me, nothing about Andrea, and he'll shun me even more than he already does, but he'll arrest the guy and it'll be over with." Her voice trembled. "If the pictures get out, I'll give up teaching. Maybe I really am an exhibitionist. My ex certainly thought so. Oh, and I like hugging my students, too. That definitely makes me a pervert. I'll go tend bar in a vampire club, and my students can sneak in and leer at me, and the hell with everyone."
Ophelia grimaced. "You want to work in a club?"
Art banged a cutting board on the table. "You have a problem with that?"
"Of course not. My sister owns one." She frowned. "Do you like teaching? Do you really want to give it up?"
Tears glistened at the corners of Art's eyes. "What difference does that make?" She set the apple carefully in the middle of the board.
"It makes all the difference," said Ophelia. "You can't let some asshole destroy your career. I only met Gideon today, but I'm sure he wouldn't want that!"
Art poised the corer over the apple. "You want to know what'll happen when I tell him?" She lowered her voice and imbued it with obnoxious, patronizing patience. " 'Why did you have to pose nude, Art? That was asking for trouble. In fact, why did you divorce Steve? He's a perfectly nice guy.' Shit. Shit!" She jammed the corer down on the apple and caught her little finger underneath. Blood welled up, red and juicy and irresistible.
Ophelia grabbed Art's hand and clamped her mouth around the bloody finger, closing her eyes to savor every drop. The cut sealed shut. It was the crowning moment of a perfectly stupid day.
Gideon stopped the Mercedes at a light. "What next? Her sister or mine?"
Gretchen opened one eye and shut it again.
"Fortunately, the pervert's watching Ophelia, not those kids," Gideon said. "Which I wouldn't have thought a positive, but at least Ophelia can defend herself." He ruminated a moment. "Joanna's a hormonal catastrophe. Add peer pressure, a hefty dose of guilt, and a crush on a dude in his twenties." Women. Life would be so simple without them.
It struck him, quite suddenly, that his father must have come to the same conclusion. He continued in uneasy silence to the main intersection in downtown Bayou Gavotte. Ahead was the Impractical Cat, but he didn't need to see Leopard yet. To the left were most of the clubs in his kinky little hometown, including Blood and Velvet, Violet's club. Not much happened till after dark, however, so he made a right toward the residential area where Artemisia lived.
As Zelda opened the door she saw Joanna Wyler flinch. Wimp, she thought, but she felt sorry for the girl and so bathed the poor preppy thing in a friendly smile. "Hey, come on in." She wiped her flour-covered hands on the frilly pink apron she'd had since she was a kid.
"I can't." Joanna gulped. "I just came to bring your necklace. I found it in Ophelia's driveway."
"Thank you!" Zelda took the pentagram on its chain and gave Joanna a hug. "That's so sweet of you." She scanned the street. "How'd you get here?"
"Mom dropped me at the coffee shop. I'm supposed to
"Did Andrea pose, too?"
"No!" A solitary apple remained on the table. Art took it in one hand and the stem in the other, and twisted until the stem came off. "Big Simon took a picture of her nursing little Simon. She's naked and so is the baby. The blackmailer's threatening to report her to Children's Services."
"For what?"
"Using her baby for sexual gratification."
"That's crap!" Ophelia said. "They can't take her kids away because of one perfectly innocent picture."
"You'd be surprised. The world is full of prudish Neanderthals. I know. I was married to one." Art reached into a drawer for an apple corer. "We know the blackmailer's connected with the print and photo shop, but we're not paying him one red cent. Andrea's gone to her mom's. Big Simon's out of town on business. I'm going to tell my brother about me, nothing about Andrea, and he'll shun me even more than he already does, but he'll arrest the guy and it'll be over with." Her voice trembled. "If the pictures get out, I'll give up teaching. Maybe I really am an exhibitionist. My ex certainly thought so. Oh, and I like hugging my students, too. That definitely makes me a pervert. I'll go tend bar in a vampire club, and my students can sneak in and leer at me, and the hell with everyone."
Ophelia grimaced. "You want to work in a club?"
Art banged a cutting board on the table. "You have a problem with that?"
"Of course not. My sister owns one." She frowned. "Do you like teaching? Do you really want to give it up?"
Tears glistened at the corners of Art's eyes. "What difference does that make?" She set the apple carefully in the middle of the board.
"It makes all the difference," said Ophelia. "You can't let some asshole destroy your career. I only met Gideon today, but I'm sure he wouldn't want that!"
Art poised the corer over the apple. "You want to know what'll happen when I tell him?" She lowered her voice and imbued it with obnoxious, patronizing patience. " 'Why did you have to pose nude, Art? That was asking for trouble. In fact, why did you divorce Steve? He's a perfectly nice guy.' Shit. Shit!" She jammed the corer down on the apple and caught her little finger underneath. Blood welled up, red and juicy and irresistible.
Ophelia grabbed Art's hand and clamped her mouth around the bloody finger, closing her eyes to savor every drop. The cut sealed shut. It was the crowning moment of a perfectly stupid day.
Gideon stopped the Mercedes at a light. "What next? Her sister or mine?"
Gretchen opened one eye and shut it again.
"Fortunately, the pervert's watching Ophelia, not those kids," Gideon said. "Which I wouldn't have thought a positive, but at least Ophelia can defend herself." He ruminated a moment. "Joanna's a hormonal catastrophe. Add peer pressure, a hefty dose of guilt, and a crush on a dude in his twenties." Women. Life would be so simple without them.
It struck him, quite suddenly, that his father must have come to the same conclusion. He continued in uneasy silence to the main intersection in downtown Bayou Gavotte. Ahead was the Impractical Cat, but he didn't need to see Leopard yet. To the left were most of the clubs in his kinky little hometown, including Blood and Velvet, Violet's club. Not much happened till after dark, however, so he made a right toward the residential area where Artemisia lived.
As Zelda opened the door she saw Joanna Wyler flinch. Wimp, she thought, but she felt sorry for the girl and so bathed the poor preppy thing in a friendly smile. "Hey, come on in." She wiped her flour-covered hands on the frilly pink apron she'd had since she was a kid.
"I can't." Joanna gulped. "I just came to bring your necklace. I found it in Ophelia's driveway."
"Thank you!" Zelda took the pentagram on its chain and gave Joanna a hug. "That's so sweet of you." She scanned the street. "How'd you get here?"
"Mom dropped me at the coffee shop. I'm supposed to
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