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Jade’s hand and drag her out of there when Mr. Inquisitive

looked amused. “Both of you were going in to surprise him?

Hmmm. Lucky guy.”

Blood rushed to Donna’s cheeks and she felt her face

grow warm as his cocky gaze rested on her intently. “I’m

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Trilogy No. 108: Just Desserts

only here to keep her company while she waits for him.”

How come his cheesy assumption didn’t bother her? If some

sleazy drunk had made that comment in a bar, he would be

wearing his drink. But instead, there was a good chance the

warmth that suddenly filled the lower half of her body was

caused by the man-morsel before her and his perverted

insinuation.

He nodded in response and treated her to a gorgeous

smile. “Ah, I see.”

Definitely time to go before he made her an offer she

couldn’t refuse, something to the effect of ‘I won’t take you

down to the police station if I can go down on you right

now’. Moisture flooded her panties at that image and she

fought the urge to shake her head and knock the naughty

thought out of her mind. What had gotten into her? Maybe

that was exactly the problem, nothing had gotten into her in

far too long.

Glancing at Jade, who was no help whatsoever, she said,

“Well, we better get going and find that key. I’m sure it’s in

the car. Have a good night. Come on, Jade.”

Running down the stairs rather than wait for the elevator

with the overly observant hottie who still lingered in the

hallway, they spilled out the front door onto the sidewalk

with a burst of adrenaline-fueled giggles.

6

Cat Johnson

“I can’t believe you two got caught on your knees with your

ears pressed against Daniel’s door,” Donna’s friend Grace

said the next morning over coffee at the diner. The two met

for breakfast every Sunday morning and because of the

current Daniel situation, Jade joined them today, too.

Donna sipped her own blessedly hot, caffeinated

beverage and enjoyed the feel as it scalded its way down her

throat. “I knew going inside the building was a bad idea.”

Jade raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow and stirred her

herbal tea. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t know what else to do.”

She sighed, looking miserable and as if she had not gotten a

lot of sleep. Glancing at Grace she added, “You should have

seen the guy that caught us. He kept staring at Donna. He

was kinda hot…and scary, but that was probably the gun.”

Scowling, Grace slammed her coffee mug down on the

table so hard its contest sloshed over the side. As usual,

Grace ignored the mess. “You didn’t tell me he was hot
and

he was staring at you! That just figures, you run into hot men

in deserted apartment hallways and I probably couldn’t run

over one with my car. And you know I have a thing for men

who carry guns…cops, soldiers, prison guards…”

Grace always had been a little warped in the men

department. Donna took her own napkin and blotted the spill

Grace still ignored. “It’s not like I’ll ever see him again. I

have no intention of going back there.”

Jade’s big blue eyes turned glassy. “I’ll probably never

be in that building again either, once Daniel dumps me for

this new girl. I swear I heard something in that apartment

last night. What am I going to do?”

Donna grabbed Jade’s hand. “We’ll find a way to prove

that Daniel is not cheating on you somehow. I promise.”

Grace nodded. “Sure. We are three intelligent, savvy

women. We’ll come up with a plan. Don’t worry, Jade.” She

shoved a piece of muffin in her mouth.

Jade smiled sadly. “Thanks.”

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Trilogy No. 108: Just Desserts

Donna noted how the food in front of Jade remained

untouched. Obviously Jade was the kind of woman who only

picked at food and couldn’t eat when she was upset. No

wonder she had the body of a centerfold model. Donna broke

off another hunk of her own chocolate chip muffin and

popped it in her mouth. She and Grace were on the other end

of the spectrum from the
pickers
, they were from the realm

of the
eaters
. They ate when happy or when sad, when they

were alone and most especially when they were together.

One reason they’d been friends since grade school. Also the

reason they usually avoided scales like the plague.

Between the caffeine and the chocolate, on top of the

fact she didn’t have to pee anymore, Donna felt much more

clear on the situation this morning than she had the night

before. “I think we need professional help.”

Two sets of eyes turned to her.

“Like what? Should we call in to one of those

relationship experts on the radio or something?” Grace

suggested.

Donna shook her head. “I was thinking more of the

private detective route.”

Jade cringed. “Those guys can be expensive. I bet they

charge over a hundred bucks an hour.”

Grace nodded. “That could add up if he has to sit outside

Daniel’s apartment all night.”

“And we know how productive that was last night,” Jade

reminded them both.

“Maybe there are websites that teach you how to be a

detective, like an online course,” Grace suggested.

“Hmmm. Maybe. I can check the internet when I get

home later.” Donna nodded.

Jade glanced at them both. “What we need to do is get

inside the apartment and maybe plant a bug or a tape

recorder or something.”

As long as Jade planted the bug herself and didn’t intend

for the two of them to break into Daniel’s apartment, Donna

was fine with that idea.

8

Cat Johnson

“Where do you buy a bug?” Grace asked, signaling the

waitress for more coffee.

Jade sighed, still stirring her tea absently even though

the honey she’d added had to be long since dissolved by

now. “I have no idea. Maybe we can do that online, too?”

Donna nodded. “I’m pretty sure you can get anything

online now days.” Hadn’t she found her favorite shade of

nail polish, Bashful Pink, on the internet after it had been

discontinued? Buying a bug should be a snap. “I’ll check

that when I get home, too.”

The ringing of a cell phone caused Jade to visibly jump

in her seat. The poor girl was strung so tightly at the

moment, Donna was afraid she would literally snap and

bounce off the walls. Jade recovered herself enough to

realize it was her own phone ringing and pawed through her

purse until she located it.

Looking at the caller ID, she paled. “It’s Daniel.”

“So answer it!” Donna cried.

Jade swallowed hard and flipped open the phone.

“Hello.”

There is nothing worse than being privy to only one side

of a conversation when you are really, really interested in

what was being said on the other side. Donna managed to

keep from pressing her ear against Jade’s head to try and

hear what Daniel was saying, but it was a struggle to control

the impulse.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity Jade

disconnected the call and put down the cell phone with a

shaky hand.

“Well?” Grace prodded impatiently.

“He wants me to come over.”

“Great! See, I told you he wasn’t cheating on you.” With

a feeling of relief for her friend, Donna took another bite of

muffin and washed it down with a swallow of coffee.

Jade shook her head. “He says he was up sick all night.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m sure he only wants

me to think that so I don’t get suspicious when he looks as if

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Trilogy No. 108: Just Desserts

he hasn’t slept because he was really up doing
her
all night.”

“Jade! You don’t know that. And if he was, why would

he want you to come over now?”

Jade’s face dropped and her lower lip trembled. “I don’t

know. Maybe to dump me.”

Donna sighed. Having no boyfriend of her own, she

really had no right to advise Jade or criticize what she

considered her insane behavior but Jade sounded crazy.

Didn’t Daniel say he was tired last night? He probably came

down with something. Maybe the guy really had been sick.

“So are you going over?” Grace asked with interest.

Jade nodded and straightened her spine, sitting taller in

the booth. “Hell yes. If Daniel is getting rid of me, I’m not

making it easy for him. He is going to have to do it to my

face.”

She reached into her wallet, threw cash on the table and

stood with a loud, shaky breath. “Might as well get it over

with.”

Donna grabbed her hand. She hoped Jade was being

paranoid, but just in case she wasn’t, she said, “I’ll keep my

phone on and with me. Call if you need anything. Okay?”

Jade nodded, her blonde curls bouncing in the ponytail.

“I will.”

All three of them were sporting ponytails. It was Sunday

morning, which meant the typical ‘I’m not out to impress

anyone today’ look—hair pulled up in an elastic band and no

makeup. Well, maybe a little bit of lipstick…and sunglasses

if the night before had been rough, but that was it.

When Jade and her luscious blonde hair were out the

door, Grace looked at Donna and grabbed a piece of Jade’s

untouched muffin. Shaking her head and causing her own

black curls to bounce she declared, “Men suck.”

Donna laughed. “Yeah, but I wouldn’t mind having one

around to suck on me for a bit.”

Grace practically choked on her coffee laughing at that

comment. “I totally agree. It’s too bad we enjoy penises so

much. It has to be easier being a lesbian.”

10

Cat Johnson

Donna nodded. “Mmmm, probably, and you could share

clothes and hair products.”

They both pondered this concept for a moment in silence

until Grace finally shook her head. “Nope, I’d miss the

penis.”

Donna agreed with a sigh. “Me, too.” Too bad penises

always came attached to men who were such dicks.

~

Sam Smith took the phone line and plugged it into the

brand new, overpriced and totally unnecessary computer on

the desk in his apartment. High-speed DSL connection his

ass! He liked the good old days when he was a cop and all he

needed was his gun and once in a while a typewriter to fill

out a report.

The computer sprang to life and he held his breath as all

sorts of programs and things flashed across the screen. He’d

never felt so out of his element in his life. At least he still

had his gun. He read the message on the screen that

demanded his attention with an annoying beep and

commented aloud to the empty room. “What the fuck is a

POP3 server? And how am I supposed to know its address?”

He grabbed for the instructions that had come from the

phone company with the DSL setup crap. Forced to read

instructions, how emasculating.

This entire situation was his sister’s fault. She was the

one who talked him into registering with The Private

Detectives of America Corporation. “They’re national,” she

said. “They’ve been on all the television talk shows,” she

said. “They have a great website,” she said.

A great website! It was a sad day when people chose a

private dick based on his website rather than skill or

reputation. He had the skills, but he was too new to have the

reputation, and he sure as hell didn’t have a website. So he’d

agreed and joined the hundreds of other PIs nationwide

working for PDA. If it were up to him, he’d try and survive

on just his pension and the little bit of business the guys on

the force could throw his way. But he had a mother who

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Trilogy No. 108: Just Desserts

right after he retired had a stroke and was currently in a

nursing home. Now she depended on him, too. He was not

the kind of man who would let his sister solely support their

mother, so here he was, watching Internet Explorer kick his

sorry ass. He’d be damned if he would call Customer

Support for help.

It was touch and go for a while, but about one hour and

two beers later he was finally up and running in the cyber

world. With two index fingers, Sam labored to meticulously

type in the website of his new employer, hoping it would

work. When the PDA site filled the screen, he wished it

hadn’t. His eyes popped open wider at the provocative