eyebrow in speculation.
April flinched, paused. Her mouth opened. She licked her lips and then laughed a hollow sound. She gave the monitors her full attention for thirty seconds while the clock continued to count down. There were hot spots of color on her cheeks and a little tremble in her fingers. I watched her carefully.
She flicked me a bashful look and then said, “We’re about to go into the news. After that we’ve got callers for the next hour solid.”
I nodded. The news bulletins usually ran for three or four minutes. I heard the fanfare of familiar music and as the announcer began to read the top item I slipped the headphones off.
“I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” I said to April.
She shrugged her shoulders and then turned in her chair to face me. Her expression was disturbed. “You think I go and get myself off in the ladies’ room because you make me horny, right?”
I said nothing. April’s lipsticked lips twisted with a little wrench of something that might have been malice. She nodded her head. “Well I do,” she confessed. “But not because of you, stud. I’m gay.”
I said nothing, but this time because I was surprised. April had been flirting shamelessly with me since we had first met. I recalled what Grover had said about her ‘cock teasing’, and suddenly it began to make strange sense.
“I like other girls,” April went on, as though she took my silence as a lack of comprehension.
I nodded numbly. “I get it,” I said. “I don’t understand, but I get it.”
She tilted her head to the side, jaw thrust out in a challenge. “What don’t you understand? You think you’re irresistible to women?”
I shook my head seriously. “I don’t think that at all,” I said. “I just don’t understand why you were always so overtly sexual around me.”
April nodded. “It’s my disguise,” she said in a voice that was revealing a secret. “I flirt with guys so no one will suspect.”
I nodded. For long moments the tension between us crackled like electricity. April was leaning forward, her eyes snapping with sparks of defiance, and I sensed a fiery temper simmering just below the surface.
“Well your secret is safe with me,” I said softly. “I’m sorry I brought the subject up.”
She sat back slowly. She glanced up at the clock and then back to me.
I took a chance.
“You’re not the only one with secrets here at the radio station,” I said delicately. “Grover was just telling me about young Cindy, the receptionist.”
April laughed, but it was a sound like grating shards of glass in the back of her throat. “Cindy is no secret,” April said bitterly. “Everyone knows the kind of girl she is.”
I made a face. “Well I didn’t.”
April ran her fingers through her hair and let out a long exasperated breath. “She’s a slut!” April said without any heat in her voice. “That girl is the wildest, most outrageous nymphomaniac…” the words trailed off as if April had run out of metaphors. She shrugged her shoulders and her lips became a pout. “I’m surprised she hasn’t made a play for you, yet,” she muttered off-handedly.
I said nothing.
Chapter 9.
I woke at midday. The apartment was warm. I rolled wearily out of bed and tottered to the window. Down on the sidewalk pedestrians were scurrying along the streets, pressed tightly together, moving like a stream. The roads were choked with traffic, the sound of car horns muted through the glass. I yawned and checked my phone.
There was a message from Nancy Collett.
I dialed the number and sat back onto the edge of the mattress. The call was answered almost immediately.
“Jericho?”
“Hi. What’s up?”
“I wanted to talk to you about last night’s show.”
I felt myself frown suddenly. “Was there a problem?”
“No,” she said. “Not at all. The early figures coming through for ratings are through the roof. I wanted to congratulate you.”
I hesitated suspiciously.
April flinched, paused. Her mouth opened. She licked her lips and then laughed a hollow sound. She gave the monitors her full attention for thirty seconds while the clock continued to count down. There were hot spots of color on her cheeks and a little tremble in her fingers. I watched her carefully.
She flicked me a bashful look and then said, “We’re about to go into the news. After that we’ve got callers for the next hour solid.”
I nodded. The news bulletins usually ran for three or four minutes. I heard the fanfare of familiar music and as the announcer began to read the top item I slipped the headphones off.
“I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” I said to April.
She shrugged her shoulders and then turned in her chair to face me. Her expression was disturbed. “You think I go and get myself off in the ladies’ room because you make me horny, right?”
I said nothing. April’s lipsticked lips twisted with a little wrench of something that might have been malice. She nodded her head. “Well I do,” she confessed. “But not because of you, stud. I’m gay.”
I said nothing, but this time because I was surprised. April had been flirting shamelessly with me since we had first met. I recalled what Grover had said about her ‘cock teasing’, and suddenly it began to make strange sense.
“I like other girls,” April went on, as though she took my silence as a lack of comprehension.
I nodded numbly. “I get it,” I said. “I don’t understand, but I get it.”
She tilted her head to the side, jaw thrust out in a challenge. “What don’t you understand? You think you’re irresistible to women?”
I shook my head seriously. “I don’t think that at all,” I said. “I just don’t understand why you were always so overtly sexual around me.”
April nodded. “It’s my disguise,” she said in a voice that was revealing a secret. “I flirt with guys so no one will suspect.”
I nodded. For long moments the tension between us crackled like electricity. April was leaning forward, her eyes snapping with sparks of defiance, and I sensed a fiery temper simmering just below the surface.
“Well your secret is safe with me,” I said softly. “I’m sorry I brought the subject up.”
She sat back slowly. She glanced up at the clock and then back to me.
I took a chance.
“You’re not the only one with secrets here at the radio station,” I said delicately. “Grover was just telling me about young Cindy, the receptionist.”
April laughed, but it was a sound like grating shards of glass in the back of her throat. “Cindy is no secret,” April said bitterly. “Everyone knows the kind of girl she is.”
I made a face. “Well I didn’t.”
April ran her fingers through her hair and let out a long exasperated breath. “She’s a slut!” April said without any heat in her voice. “That girl is the wildest, most outrageous nymphomaniac…” the words trailed off as if April had run out of metaphors. She shrugged her shoulders and her lips became a pout. “I’m surprised she hasn’t made a play for you, yet,” she muttered off-handedly.
I said nothing.
Chapter 9.
I woke at midday. The apartment was warm. I rolled wearily out of bed and tottered to the window. Down on the sidewalk pedestrians were scurrying along the streets, pressed tightly together, moving like a stream. The roads were choked with traffic, the sound of car horns muted through the glass. I yawned and checked my phone.
There was a message from Nancy Collett.
I dialed the number and sat back onto the edge of the mattress. The call was answered almost immediately.
“Jericho?”
“Hi. What’s up?”
“I wanted to talk to you about last night’s show.”
I felt myself frown suddenly. “Was there a problem?”
“No,” she said. “Not at all. The early figures coming through for ratings are through the roof. I wanted to congratulate you.”
I hesitated suspiciously.
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