Circus of the Damned - Laurell K. Hamilton [99]
She gave a brilliant smile and strutted down the hall on her man’s arm. The two men sort of fell in beside me. The lamia spoke back over her shoulder, “Ronald here is my special beau. I don’t share him; sorry.”
I had to smile. “That’s fine. I’m not greedy.”
She laughed, a high-pitched delighted sound with an edge of giggle to it. “Not greedy; oh, that’s very good, Ms. Blake, or may I call you Anita?”
“Anita’s fine.”
“Then you must call me Melanie.”
“Sure,” I said. I followed her and Ronald down the hall. Blondie and Smiley hovered on either side of me, lest I trip and stub my toe. We’d never get down the stairs without one of us falling.
I turned to Blondie. “I believe I will take your arm.” I smiled back at Smiley. “Could we have a little room here?”
He frowned, but he stepped back. I slipped my left hand through Blondie’s waiting arm. His forearm swelled under my hand. I couldn’t tell if he was flexing or was just that musclebound. But we all made it down the stairs safely with lonely Smiley bringing up the rear.
The lamia and Ronald were waiting by a large black Lincoln Continental. Ronald held the door for the lamia, then slid into the driver’s seat.
Smiley rushed forward to open the door for me. How had I known he would? Usually I complain about things like that, but the whole thing was too strange. If the worst thing that happened to me today was having overzealous men open doors for me, I’d be doing fine.
Blondie slid into the seat next to me, sliding me to the middle of the seat. The other one had run around and was getting in the other side. I was going to end up sandwiched between them. No big surprise.
The lamia named Melanie turned around in her seat, propping her chin on her arm. “Feel free to make out on the way. They’re both very good.”
I stared into her cheerful eyes. She seemed to be serious. Smiley put his arm across the back of the seat, brushing my shoulders. Blondie tried to take my hand, but I eluded him. He settled for touching my knee. Not an improvement.
“I’m really not into public sex,” I said. I moved Blondie’s hand back to his own lap.
Smiley’s hand slid around my shoulder. I moved up in the seat away from both of them. “Call them off,” I said.
“Boys, she’s not interested.”
The men scooted back from me, as close to their sides of the car as they could get. Their legs still gently touched mine, but at least nothing else was touching.
“Thank you,” I said.
“If you change your mind during the drive, just tell them. They love taking orders, don’t you, boys?”
The two men nodded, smiling. My, weren’t we a happy little bunch? “I don’t think I’ll change my mind.”
The lamia shrugged. “As you like, Anita, but the boys will be sorely disappointed if you don’t at least give them a good-bye kiss.”
This was getting weird; cancel that, weirder. “I never kiss on the first date.”
She laughed. “Oh, I like it. Don’t we, boys?” All three men made appreciative sounds. I had the feeling they’d have sat up and begged if she’d told them to. Arf, arf. Gag me with a spoon.
39
WE DROVE SOUTH ON 270. Steep, grassy ditches and small trees lined the road. Identical houses sat up on the hills, fences separating the small yards from the next small yard. Tall trees took up many yards. Two-seventy was the major highway that ran through St. Louis, but there was almost always a feeling of green nature, open spaces; the gentle roll of the land was never completely lost.
We took 70 West heading towards St. Charles. The land opened up on either side to long, flat fields. Corn stretched tall and golden, ready to be harvested. Behind the field was a modern glass building that advertised pianos and an indoor golf range. An abandoned SAM’s Wholesale and a used-car lot led up to the Blanchette bridge.
The left side of the road was crisscrossed by water-filled dikes to keep the land from flooding. Industry had moved in with tall glass buildings. An Omni Hotel complete with fountain was nearest the road.
A stand of woods that still flooded too often to be torn down and turned into buildings