Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 102903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
“You also threw in a children’s fairy-tale book or two,” Shane updates me, and my jaw gapes.
“Children’s fairy tales?”
“Little Red Riding Hood,” Shane clarifies, his mouth settling into an expression that somehow manages to showcase a cringe and a smile at the same time.
I look at Dom. “I quoted Little Red Riding Hood?”
Dom nods, a grimace making his bright-white teeth show briefly. “Unfortunately, yes.”
“Oh my God.” I groan and run a hand down my face. “What am I doing? Blacking out? How can I be this bad at phone sex?”
“Hey, don’t sweat it.” Dom grabs my shoulder and rocks me soothingly back and forth. “You just need to relax,” he encourages me. “Sex with a guy is a really simple thing. It doesn’t need to be flowery. Just stick to the facts, you know?”
“The facts?” I question.
“The basics.” Dom shrugs one nonchalant shoulder. “Boobs, butt, balls, and some good ol’ p in the v. I’m guessing that’s all you really need, and the guys, freaks that they are, will do the rest.”
“The sex basics?”
“Uh-huh,” Dom agrees, sliding the door open with a quick shift of his body and then stepping onto the sidewalk to hold out a hand toward me. “What do you say, Ruby Cocklover? Wanna get back in there?”
Less than I want to do literally anything else. But I guess that doesn’t matter.
It’s showtime.
And now, Detective Dunn is going to be sitting right next to me . . . helping me with my calls.
Good grief.
12
Dominic
3:30 p.m.
Straightening the extra headset Hannah and I borrowed from Monica as she left for her college classes, I click my pen into the active and ready position and lean over the notebook in front of us. Hannah nervously tugs her bottom lip between her teeth as she stares at the phone, and it’s . . . distracting. Her innocence is endearing, and I wish we weren’t here, doing this, where it’s nearly impossible to protect it.
Her breaths are anxious as the next call rings in our ears, and I give her a thumbs-up in an attempt to ease her mind.
Part of me is still reeling from the revelation that she’s a twenty-five-year-old virgin with zero phone sex experience, but the part of me that’s seasoned from more than a decade of police work with the MNPD knows better than to spend more than a minute or two thinking about it.
Just like in life, people are always, always, always going to surprise you. It’s what you do with the information that makes the difference. In this case, I’m going to help out where I can and ignore the rest. Besides, if I think about who’s really sitting next to me—the girl with the cute laugh; the bright, expressive eyes; and that soft curve to her lips when she smiles—I’ll lose it.
I offer a gentle squeeze to her shoulder and whisper, “You got this.” She takes a deep breath, nods, and answers the call.
“Hi, there. You’ve got Ruby. What’s your pleasure today?”
I listen intently, ready to help her, but also ready to take notes if this caller turns out to be related to the case in some way, shape, or form.
“Hi, Ruby. You . . . sound different than you used to. Is everything okay?”
I take immediate notice of the caller’s words, as they signal that he’s, at the very least, called in before. I scratch a word quickly on the notepad—Name?—and Hannah leans forward to read it.
The slight brush of her shoulder against mine as she moves closer pulls my awareness for a moment, but I force myself to focus.
“I’m great, don’t you worry. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?”
“Felix.”
“How can I make you feel good today, Felix?”
“I’d just like to talk with you, Ruby. Just want to hear your voice.”
“Of course,” Hannah agrees. “That’s what I’m here for. What do you want to talk about?”
I nod, assuring her she’s going in the right direction and continuing to listen closely as Felix answers.
“I’ve just been stressed,” he says, a deep sigh escaping his lungs. “And you always know how to calm me down. Though I’m still wondering why you sound so different.”
Hannah looks at me with panicked eyes, and I quickly scribble something on her notebook.
I just got over a cold.
“I just got over a silly cold,” she says and even pretends to cough a little into the phone.
“Aw, my poor, sweet Ruby. I hate that you’ve been sick,” Felix says. “I tried to call you a few times a while ago, but you didn’t answer. I’ve missed you. But I guess I always miss you most when I’m feeling so stressed out.”
Hannah’s eyes go wide. Her hackles are clearly rising from just how familiar this caller seems with the Ruby persona, and I know if I don’t cut her off at the pass, things could head in the do-you-want-to-cut-my-tits-off-and-wear-them direction again. I scribble on the notepad in front of her quickly.