palm. Suitably warned, Sebastian skulked down to the end of the bar and nursed his beer.
* * *
She made him wait an hour and a half. He couldn’t even order a second beer without breaking his cover and was enduring nasty looks from the bartender as he nibbled on peanuts and made the last half inch of his drink last forever.
He’d just about had it. His idea of a good time was not sitting in a smelly bar watching some sumo wrestler paw the woman he’d come with. Even if he didn’t have any emotional investment. And even, he thought darkly, if that woman giggled with every appearance of enjoyment every time one of those ham-size hands rubbed herleg.
It would serve her right if he just strolled out, caught himself a cab, and left her to it.
In Mel’s opinion, everything was going just fine. Fine and dandy. Sir Eddie, as she called him—much to his delight—was getting slowly and steadily drunk. Not pie-eyed, just nice and vulnerable. And he was doing plenty of talking. Men just loved to brag to an eager woman—especially when they were juiced.
He’d just come into a nice chunk of change, so Eddie said. And maybe she’d like to help him spend a little of it.
She’d love to. Of course, she had to get to work in a couple of hours, and she didn’t finish her shift until one, but after that …
When she had him softened up, she gave him a sob story. How she and Harry had been together for almost six whole months. How he ran through money like water and kept her from having a good time. She didn’t ask for much. Just some pretty clothes and a few laughs. And now it was really bad, just plain awful, because her TV had broken down. Here she’d been saving up for a VCR so she could tape shows while she worked, and now the TV was on the fritz. Worse, Harry had blown his money and hers on cards, so now she didn’t even have the fifty to fix the set.
“I really like to watch, you know?” She toyed with her second beer. Eddie was working on number seven. “In the afternoon they got these shows, and all the women have these pretty clothes. Then they switch me to the day shift and I miss out. I can never catch up with what’s happening. And you know …” She leaned forward, confidentially, so that her breasts rubbed against his forearm. “They got these love scenes on them. Watching them just gets me so … hot.”
Eddie watched her tongue peek out and run around her lips. He plainly thought he’d died and gone to heaven. “I guess it’s not much fun watching something like that all alone.”
“Be more fun with somebody.” She gave him a look that told him he was the only possible somebody. “If I had a set that worked, it might be nice. I like daytime, you know. When everybody else is working or shopping, and you can be … in bed.” Sighing, she ran her fingertip around her mug.
“It’s daytime now.”
“Yeah. But I haven’t got a TV.” She giggled, as if it were a great joke.
“I might be able to help you with that, baby.”
She let her eyes widen, then brought her lashes coyly down. “Aw, gee, that’s really sweet of you, Eddie. I couldn’t let you give me the fifty. It wouldn’t be right.”
“What do you want to toss money at an old set for, anyway? You can have a new one.”
“Oh, yeah.” She snorted into her beer. “And I could have me a diamond tiara, too.”
“Can’t help you on that, but I can get you a set.”
“Come on.” She shot him a disbelieving look and let her hand rest on his knee. “How?”
He puffed out his massive chest. “Just so happens, I’m in the business.”
“You sell TVs?” She cocked her head and had her eyes blinking in fascination. “You’re pulling my leg.”
“Not now.” He winked. “Maybe later.”
Mel laughed heartily. “Oh, you’re a card, Sir Eddie.” She drank again, sighed again. “I wish you weren’t fooling. If you could get me one, I’d be awfully grateful.”
He leaned closer. She could smell the beer and
* * *
She made him wait an hour and a half. He couldn’t even order a second beer without breaking his cover and was enduring nasty looks from the bartender as he nibbled on peanuts and made the last half inch of his drink last forever.
He’d just about had it. His idea of a good time was not sitting in a smelly bar watching some sumo wrestler paw the woman he’d come with. Even if he didn’t have any emotional investment. And even, he thought darkly, if that woman giggled with every appearance of enjoyment every time one of those ham-size hands rubbed herleg.
It would serve her right if he just strolled out, caught himself a cab, and left her to it.
In Mel’s opinion, everything was going just fine. Fine and dandy. Sir Eddie, as she called him—much to his delight—was getting slowly and steadily drunk. Not pie-eyed, just nice and vulnerable. And he was doing plenty of talking. Men just loved to brag to an eager woman—especially when they were juiced.
He’d just come into a nice chunk of change, so Eddie said. And maybe she’d like to help him spend a little of it.
She’d love to. Of course, she had to get to work in a couple of hours, and she didn’t finish her shift until one, but after that …
When she had him softened up, she gave him a sob story. How she and Harry had been together for almost six whole months. How he ran through money like water and kept her from having a good time. She didn’t ask for much. Just some pretty clothes and a few laughs. And now it was really bad, just plain awful, because her TV had broken down. Here she’d been saving up for a VCR so she could tape shows while she worked, and now the TV was on the fritz. Worse, Harry had blown his money and hers on cards, so now she didn’t even have the fifty to fix the set.
“I really like to watch, you know?” She toyed with her second beer. Eddie was working on number seven. “In the afternoon they got these shows, and all the women have these pretty clothes. Then they switch me to the day shift and I miss out. I can never catch up with what’s happening. And you know …” She leaned forward, confidentially, so that her breasts rubbed against his forearm. “They got these love scenes on them. Watching them just gets me so … hot.”
Eddie watched her tongue peek out and run around her lips. He plainly thought he’d died and gone to heaven. “I guess it’s not much fun watching something like that all alone.”
“Be more fun with somebody.” She gave him a look that told him he was the only possible somebody. “If I had a set that worked, it might be nice. I like daytime, you know. When everybody else is working or shopping, and you can be … in bed.” Sighing, she ran her fingertip around her mug.
“It’s daytime now.”
“Yeah. But I haven’t got a TV.” She giggled, as if it were a great joke.
“I might be able to help you with that, baby.”
She let her eyes widen, then brought her lashes coyly down. “Aw, gee, that’s really sweet of you, Eddie. I couldn’t let you give me the fifty. It wouldn’t be right.”
“What do you want to toss money at an old set for, anyway? You can have a new one.”
“Oh, yeah.” She snorted into her beer. “And I could have me a diamond tiara, too.”
“Can’t help you on that, but I can get you a set.”
“Come on.” She shot him a disbelieving look and let her hand rest on his knee. “How?”
He puffed out his massive chest. “Just so happens, I’m in the business.”
“You sell TVs?” She cocked her head and had her eyes blinking in fascination. “You’re pulling my leg.”
“Not now.” He winked. “Maybe later.”
Mel laughed heartily. “Oh, you’re a card, Sir Eddie.” She drank again, sighed again. “I wish you weren’t fooling. If you could get me one, I’d be awfully grateful.”
He leaned closer. She could smell the beer and