The Party Girl

by Tamara Morgan

  “It’s up to Nikki where she wants to sleep, but we can go ahead and bunk together.” Kendra evaded her friend’s questioning glance. “I think I’ll play propriety tonight.”

  “What?” Nikki leaned on the counter and winked at the young man behind it, who was trying—and failing—to feign disinterest in their conversation. “I’ve never heard you use the words I and propriety in the same sentence before. I was counting on you to help me woo some twins or something. My heart hurts. I need twins.”

  Whitney’s eyes flashed. “Oh, my God. This is about Lincoln, isn’t it?”

  “What? No, of course it’s not.” Kendra spoke too quickly and too vehemently for her words to carry any semblance of truth. She winced at the eagerness in her voice and covered it by taking out her own credit card and handing it to the clerk. “We’ll take two rooms, please. Adjoining ones. We can figure out the logistics later.”

  “I’ll see what I can find,” he murmured, and spent far too long gazing at Nikki to be doing his diligent best to get them a good hotel room. Nikki gazed back and kicked the flirting up higher to get them a better deal, bless her gorgeous little heart.

  “You and I are having a long conversation later,” Whitney warned in a low voice, turning so that they faced the lobby. It was a nice hotel, classy—they didn’t do Girls’ Night Out any other way—with men and women in crisp business suits lounging in the overstuffed white chairs. “In our shared room. Where we’ll be alone. Just a pair of women practicing monogamy with the Fuller brothers.”

  “I’m not monogamous,” Kendra said irritably. She was no kind of gamous at all. “And I’m not practicing anything with Lincoln—unless you count my regular exercise in not murdering him with my bare hands.”

  “Ooh, who’s Lincoln?” Nikki asked. “Is that the guy who dropped you off at home yesterday morning?”

  “No. That was Noah.”

  “Noah?” Now Whitney’s interest was really caught. “Is that the other guy Matt was telling me about? The recluse?”

  “Just sign here, miss.” The clerk pushed a piece of paper her way, and Kendra gratefully accepted the distraction. Thinking about Noah made her heart hurt, and she doubted even twenty pairs of twins would make it go away. “And you ladies enjoy your stay.”

  “We intend to.” Nikki tossed him a wink as they grabbed their keycards and headed to the elevators. “Or at least, I intend to. You’re scaring me a little bit, Kendra. You can’t go respectable on me. You’re the only fun Khuso left.”

  “I’m still fun,” Kendra muttered. “I even brought my pink wig and glitter for tonight.”

  Her sister’s glance filled the elevator with doubt. “Well, if we’re going to be up half the night, I think I’m going to need to take a long nap first.”

  “No, don’t. You can’t leave me alone with Whitney.” Kendra was only half-joking. “She’s going to ask all kinds of nosy questions about my love life. She’s worse than a CIA interrogator.”

  Nikki ignored her and linked arms with Whitney as they got out on their floor, their chatter doing little to ease her sense of gloom. As awful as it was to form the thoughts, she couldn’t stop the slow, steady infiltration. Maybe her mother was right. Maybe it was time to hang up the dancing shoes for flats, the glittery thongs for more supportive undergarments. Maybe, horror of all horrors, she was getting too old for this.

  “Nap. Dinner. Dancing.” Nikki ticked off her itinerary.

  “And drinks,” Whitney amended. “Lots of drinks.” She put her hand on Kendra’s forehead in an exaggerated gesture as they approached their door. “She’s not even participating in her favorite part of Girls’ Night Out—the list making. She must be coming down with something.”

  Nikki nodded. “Or you’re right about that Lincoln guy. She must have it bad if she’s seeing long-term commitment in her future.”

  “She’s standing right here.” Kendra swatted them away. “And she can hear you. Why don’t you go in for that nap, Nikki? You’re officially on my little sister nerves right now.”

  Nikki stuck her tongue out from between bright red lips—a color she’d borrowed from Whitney’s purse on the drive over. “You just want to get rid of me so you can tell Whitney all the sordid details. I thought this whole trip was supposed to be making me feel better.”

  “Whitney isn’t going to go home and report to the family all my deep, dark secrets.”

  “Are you questioning my loyalties?”

  “No.” Kendra pushed her sister in the direction of her room. “I’m questioning my sanity. Go. Sleep. Energize. We’ll meet up before dinner.”

  Whitney entered and took the larger of the two beds for herself, bouncing onto it with a comfortable groan. Kendra took the time to peel back her bedspread—travel rule number one was not to press one’s body on those unless absolutely necessary—and scour all the surfaces with an extra-large pack of sanitizer wipes.

  She felt Whitney’s eyes on her the whole time, but this was one area she didn’t skimp on. Hotel rooms were disgusting. She’d done her research. She’d seen the Dateline exposé.

  When she got tired of waiting, Whitney let out a low whistle. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this wound up before.”

  “You’ll thank me when you don’t go home with a staph infection.”

  “I’m not talking about the room.” She sat up and arranged herself cross-legged on the bed. “Is this about Nikki? Did she come at a bad time?”

  Kendra blew out a long breath as she put the finishing touches on her cleaning ritual. It was difficult to answer that question, because she didn’t know what was wrong with her—and worse, she didn’t even know where to start figuring it out.

  And here she was, the one who supposedly had her life all put together. The one who had all the answers.

  “Nikki came at a great time,” she said, not lying. If her sister hadn’t arrived when she did, there was a good chance she’d have given in and joined Noah and Lincoln out in the middle of nowhere for a weekend of fantastic conversations and painfully awkward longing.

  As if that would have ended well.

  “And I’m not sleeping with Lincoln,” she added. “Or Noah, for that matter.”

  “Are you going to sleep with one of them in the near future?”

  “No.” There was a note of desperation in her voice.

  “Do you want to sleep with one of them in the near future?”

  “It doesn’t matter what I want.” It was over between her and Noah—their story, short and bittersweet, had already been told. “That door has officially been slammed, locked and barred.”

  “Well.” Whitney tossed a pillow across the distance, hitting Kendra squarely in the face. Gross. She had her own pillowcases in her bag for a reason. “You just took all the fun out of that conversation with your gloomy metaphor. I think your sister might be right—you need your own room tonight.”

  “No, thanks.” She shifted uncomfortably. “I’m kind of doing a celibacy thing right now.”

  “What did you just say to me?” Whitney couldn’t have been more incredulous if Kendra had taken a vow of silence alongside one of chastity. “How dare you use such language in my presence? Who are you, and what have you done with my best friend?”

  She laughed. “Okay, maybe celibate is too strong a word. But I have to say—and don’t eat me for this—I’m beginning to think my mother might be right. I’m not as young as I used to be.” Since she’d already been infected with Whitney’s hotel pillow, she gave in and flopped on the bed. “And as much as it pains me to admit it, I’d rather spend the evening in your company than that of a hot, sweaty naked man.”

  Whitney put a hand over her heart. “Aww, sweetie—are you about to declare your love for me?”

  “Will it shut you up?”

  “For about five minutes. If
you’re lucky.”

  “Fine. I love you, Whitney. More than the sun loves the sky. More than the wind loves the trees. More than—”

  “Now you’re just being weird.” Whitney pursed her lips, growing serious. “What about Derek? He was cute. Maybe he can pound you out of this slump.”

  I doubt it. The awful truth was that cute was no longer enough. For all her assertions of self-sufficiency, Kendra wanted something more out of her relationships with men. She wanted laughter. She wanted personal discussions that lasted well into the night. She wanted the heightened sexual intensity of a courtship that didn’t require physical contact to flourish.

  What she really wanted was the one man she couldn’t have. What she really wanted was Noah.

  She bit back a sob, focusing on a smile that felt too brittle, too bright. “I don’t need a man to pull me out of my slump. What I need is to go spend inordinate amounts of money on purses. Trust me—I’m not so far gone I want to order room service and tuck into bed with a good book.”

  “Excellent plan.” Whitney shot to her feet. “We’re buying all the purses within a ten-mile radius—and we’re going to like it. We can’t let your gorgeous younger sister become the fun one without putting up a fight first.”

  Kendra didn’t say what they were both thinking.

  Too late.

  Chapter Eleven

  “You’ll be okay?” Noah tried to keep the note of anxiety out of his voice as he helped Lincoln load the last of his things into the car—Kendra’s board games, Lincoln’s clothes, the extra food he’d never eat before it went bad.

  “Of course.” Lincoln slammed the trunk closed and refused to meet Noah’s eyes. “You know I only stayed out here for Kendra’s peace of mind. I’m looking forward to getting back into my apartment. The sound of my own breathing is starting to drive me crazy. I don’t know how you do it.”

  Noah’s lip firmed. Not a word about his job. Not a word of his plans. Even less about when Noah might expect to see him again.

  “Sorry I couldn’t do more to make you comfortable,” Noah said. “You know I’m here if you need anything else.”

  This time, Lincoln did manage to look him square in the face. “You’d love that, wouldn’t you?”

  “To help you? Yes. I would.”

  Lincoln shook his head, his hair flopping in his eyes. Two weeks of convalescence had softened him, made him appear younger than his thirty-one years. “You know what your problem is, Noah?”

  He had lots of them, but it was clear Lincoln meant to supply one for him.

  “You’ve been away from the real world for too long. Out here, your survival is a matter of nothing more than food, water, shelter. Easy stuff. Anyone can do that.”

  “It’s harder than you realize.” Because once the food and water and shelter were secured, it was just Noah and time. A man could only spend so long keeping company with his own thoughts before they took on monstrous proportions.

  All Lincoln offered in reply was an enigmatic, “Most things are.”

  As it was most likely months before he could expect to see his friend again, Noah nodded once and extended his hand. Parting on good terms was the only option. “You make a hell of a good cop, Lincoln, and an even better friend. I don’t think I thanked you properly for getting rid of that guy the other day.”

  “Any time.” Lincoln took his hand and shook, genuine concern flashing across his face. “I mean that. I know you still feel guilty about your part in how things unfolded, but you’re not responsible for Danielle’s actions. You were just as much a victim as that guy. More so, if you ask me.”

  Noah hadn’t heard her name spoken out loud in years, even though she’d made countless appearances in his litany of regrets. Her name grated. And burned. He strove to think of something to say—that he might not have been responsible in the eyes of the law, but his conscience was another question. That it was clear the world didn’t share Lincoln’s easy assignation of blame.

  But as he usually did, Noah kept his mouth shut, took a step back, retreated.

  “If that man comes back, I want you to let me know,” Lincoln said. “I mean it. Harassment is a crime—one I can actually do something about.”

  Noah just nodded. Harassment seemed a small price to pay when all was said and done.

  “So, anything else before I go?” Lincoln asked. “Should I, uh, tell Kendra you said hello?”

  “Nah.” Noah shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded toward the road. The lie—hopefully his last one for a long while—would have to be parting gift enough. “She’s probably moved on by now. We were never destined to be great friends. Can you imagine her splitting firewood in those shoes? She’s as bad as you are at living off the fat of the land.”

  “That just shows how little you know her.” Lincoln banged on the roof of his car before sliding in, his movements only slightly stiff. “If you ask me, she’s about a hundred times worse.”

  * * *

  “You have to hold perfectly still, Nikki.” Kendra put a hand on her sister’s shoulder to keep her from trying to sit up. “You keep jiggling the clamp.”

  “But I want to watch.”

  “No, you don’t. You scream when you get a hangnail. If you saw the size of the needle I’m about to jab through your belly button, you’d pass out.”

  “Fine.” Her sister lay back on the padded table, her eyes closed, her body about as tense as a thousand rubber bands strung side by side. “I’m ready.”

  “You’re sure you wouldn’t rather have me do a nipple or two?” Kendra asked. As her sister’s eyes flew open in surprise, she jabbed the needle through the opening in the clamp. Twist. Push the silver ring in. Close. And done. Piercings were one of the easiest and least invasive of all her services.

  Nikki, though more still than she’d ever been in her life and a little nauseated-looking around the edges, let out a shaky laugh. “I guess that wasn’t so bad.” She peered down at her naked torso. “Did you throw the nipples out there to distract me?”

  Distracting her prey with nipples was a fairly failproof tactic as far as Kendra was concerned, and she said as much. Ripping off her latex gloves and tossing them in the bin, she said, “The buildup is always the hardest part—that’s big-sister wisdom right there. Six weeks and you can change it out for something nice and bejeweled. Just in time for bikini season.”

  “It’s not going to get all red and puffy and gross, is it?”

  “Not if you take care of it.” Kendra pulled out the standard care instruction kit and tossed her sister the tank top she’d come in wearing. “And don’t tell Mom it was me who did it. She already thinks I’ve defiled you enough for one lifetime.”

  Nikki barely glanced at the kit. “Oh, please. She thinks you’re the incarnation of perfection. You should hear the way she goes on and on about you and your fancy medical practice.”

  Even though Nikki’s voice wavered on a dangerous note, Kendra looked around, pleased. The muted blue walls, the generically comforting nature paintings, the soothing scent of peppermint oils—all of it was as familiar to her as home. She loved the hands-on aspect of her esthetician work more than the bureaucracy of running a medical spa, but she knew her parents tended only to focus on the latter. “Really?”

  “Duh.” Nikki slid off the table and turned, admiring the new piercing in the full-length mirror. “Every time I come home with anything less than a dean’s list accolade, they start pulling out your New Leaf pamphlets to show me what success really looks like.”

  “Cheer up, sis.” Kendra chucked Nikki lightly on the chin. “All you have to do is get married to a nice, respectable man with a good job and I’ll be pushed to the bottom of the heap in no time. Joni’s been way ahead of me for years.”

  Without warning, the door pushed open. Both women turned to see
who was entering the sanctuary without a knock, Kendra unconsciously stepping in front of her half-naked sister to shield her from view.

  The staff knew better than to enter one of the client rooms when the door was shut—as did anyone with a modicum of common sense and decency—so she could hardly be surprised to find Lincoln bursting through the doorway, oblivious to anything but the air two inches in front of his nose.

  “Are you deranged?” She rushed forward and pushed him toward the door. “I have a client in here. You can’t barge in like this.”

  “Whitney said you were with your sister. I wanted to see—” He stopped, and it was clear to everyone in the room what he saw. Nikki stood, unabashed in a white cotton bra, just a few steps behind Kendra.

  In almost complete defiance of everything she knew about Lincoln, he whirled politely around, an apology dropping easily from his lips. “Oops. I didn’t realize she’d be, um, naked.” He raised his voice. “I’m sorry, Kendra’s sister. I didn’t see anything.”

  “More’s the pity.” Nikki’s voice dropped an octave. “I just got my belly button pierced, but I think Kendra put it in crooked. I was hoping for a second opinion.”

  Kendra laughed and swatted her sister on the arm. “You brat—it’s perfectly centered. Put on some clothes. Otherwise Lincoln is going to start making inappropriate comments about sister fantasies.”

  “I didn’t even know you had a sister,” Lincoln protested, his back still turned.

  “I have two. And a brother.” Kendra struggled to keep the triumph out of her voice. See? For a man who seemed to take pride in his unrequited passion for her, he sure didn’t know very much about her. She could count on one hand the number of questions he’d asked about her personal life.

  Kendra waited until her sister was clothed before making the introductions—and even then, it was with reluctance. “This is my baby sister, Nikki. Nikki, this is my friend.” She emphasized the word friend very carefully. “Lincoln. He’s Matt’s brother.”