Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 65480 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 262(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65480 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 262(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
“Doubtful.” I stuff a handful of Cheetos into my mouth, speaking between bites. “All I have are dried up leads that have done nothing but waste my time and now yours.”
“It’s not a waste of time. This is fun. Better than researching what private schools are the best in the area or some of the boring-ass shit Fred has assigned to me lately. I swear he’s trying to get rid of me. Ever since I turned in my assignment on the school embezzlement case, Fred hasn’t given me anything worthwhile.”
“Your reporting on that story was perfect. It wasn’t you. He’s a dick because he wants to fuck you, and you want nothing to do with him.”
She sticks her tongue out and makes a gagging sound. “Gross. The last thing I want to think about is Fred and dicks. He makes my skin crawl with the way he stares at me during staff meetings.”
“Unfortunately, he’s our boss. It sucks. Get used to it. He likes to stare, but he’s harmless. Flirt back. It could do wonders for your career.” I say the last part with a wink, completely joking with her.
She lets out a frustrated groan. “You can’t be serious.”
“Fred’s a creeper, but you can’t pick your boss.”
“But you can pick your job,” Clarke counters.
“I pay him no mind. He makes advances on occasion. I ignore all of them. It hasn’t affected my ability to work with him. Being nice to him goes a long way. He gave me the go-ahead to work part-time on this case. Fred is like a little kid. If you give him some attention, he’ll simmer down and go play in the corner with his toys.”
“Ugh,” she groans. “Fine. Whatever it takes to get back to real journalism. Covering this local bullshit is boring me to death.”
“That’s why you should take our stakeout seriously. Imagine what a story like this could do for our careers.”
She bites her lip. “The dealers have ties to the Mafia, right?”
I drop the binoculars into my lap and look over at Clarke. “Other newspapers have covered similar cases related to the ring, but no one can confirm the supplier with absolute certainty.”
“And you think they run it out of this rinky-dink record store?” She stares at the storefront again and shakes her head.
“Better than slinging crack under the El.”
“Dumb place to sell drugs, don’t you think? I thought drug dealers hung out on street corners.”
“Nope, not anymore. Dealers are more sophisticated now. It’s like a drug delivery service. You make a call, and someone meets you. You can get anything you want. Sex. Drugs. You name it, and you can find a way to get it.”
“Should I be worried that you know so much about how to order drugs and hookers?”
I laugh. “It’s part of the job. I have to know a thing or two about how their business works if I want to bust them.”
“You should involve the cops. We can’t take down a bunch of thugs by ourselves.”
“I will. Don’t be silly. I’m not delusional.”
“You never told me about what happened with Ethan last night.”
A beat passes between us before I confess. “We almost had sex.”
Her mouth hangs open in shock, confusion scrolling across her face. “Almost? Why was that? Fill me in. I need the dirt. My sex life sucks ass. Let me live vicariously through you and hockey hottie.”
I cringe at her nickname for Ethan.
“There’s not much to tell. We pretty much air humped each other on the dance floor. Ethan kissed me, bit my neck, and I rubbed up on his dick. It was super hot, in case you’re wondering. Then, we went back to my apartment, where he gave me a few orgasms before Will came home. We were so close. Ethan was ready to put on the condom when I heard Will’s voice. Talk about the biggest buzzkill ever.”
“At least he didn’t catch you. How did you manage that one?”
“Easy, I never gave him a key. But now, he has one, so we have to be more careful.”
“Sorry.” I peek out the window at the record store and sigh. “I thought this would be more eventful than the two of us sharing Cheetos and talking about Fred and Ethan.”
“The Ethan part I can handle. Fred not so much. Go on, I want to hear the rest of the story. What happened after Will came home?”
“Nothing.” I sigh. “I told Ethan to pretend he was sleeping in the spare bedroom before Will could see him. I took my room. Will slept on the couch. He almost caught me with an open condom, though.”
She covers her mouth with her hand and giggles. “How would you have explained your way out of that one?”
“I guess I would’ve had to get creative. I’m glad it didn’t come to that, though. Sneaking around behind Will’s back is eating at me. Ethan hates it, too. I told Ethan we had one night to get it out of our systems.”