Despite how tired she'd been after their time together, she'd tossed and turned in her bed, her mind replaying the conversation she'd had with Steve about her marriage-an intimate conversation she'd never intended to have with him. Their relationship was short-term and purely physical and, out of self-preservation, shouldn't have crossed over into anything emotional or personal.
Yes, he'd been persistent, but she could have refused to talk if she'd really wanted to. Instead, she'd allowed herself to be swayed by his questions, willingly so. With that deep, mesmerizing voice of his, his soothing touch, and the genuine interest she'd seen in his eyes, it had been so easy to open up to him, to reveal details of her relationship with Travis that should have remained private. It had been too long since a man had made her the sole focus of his attention and treated her as if he really cared about what she had to say, and she'd taken advantage of his listening ear. After revealing so much about herself, she was now doubly curious about his own marriage-and especially the female name she'd seen etched on the tribal band around his arm.
Despite sharing part of her personal history with Steve, there were a few emotional issues and deeper secrets she'd managed to keep to herself. While he'd been so understanding about her turbulent marriage, and even a bit riled over Travis's thoughtless actions, she didn't deserve Steve's vindication on her behalf, because she was hardly faultless.
What she hadn't revealed was the crushing sense of regret she'd lived with since Travis's death, for disappointing her aunt and uncle by marrying Travis when she'd known how much they disapproved of him. She'd gone against their wishes, seeking instead the kind of excitement and adventure he'd brought into her life, not realizing that his wild ways would come close to destroying everything she'd worked so hard to attain.
Now she was living with the consequences of her actions and trying to make amends for a past mistake that had not only cost her financially, but she'd also hurt her aunt and uncle with her own rash actions. She was working hard to gain their respect back, to make up for the disappointment she'd caused by letting someone so reckless sweep her off her feet and take advantage of her in the process.
At least with Steve, she knew where they stood with each other right up front. He wouldn't be sweeping her off her feet, and she instinctively knew he wasn't a man to take advantage of anyone. Least of all her. Not when she was giving him what he wanted of her own free will.
At ten after ten, when a lull in business finally presented itself and Liz was certain her morning employee, Gloria, had things under control, she heated up a cafe mocha for Mona and strolled over to The Last Word with her offering. The new-and-used bookstore that connected directly to The Daily Grind already had customers strolling the aisles for a good read, some with one of Liz's specialty drinks in hand. While her and Mona's businesses were their own, there was no denying that their patrons enjoyed the services they offered and loved being able to buy a best-selling novel and specialty coffee drink all in one convenient stop.
"Good morning," Liz greeted, and headed behind the front counter, where Mona was sorting through a box of used books, her movements slow and sluggish. "I brought you an eye-opener."
Mona's expression turned grateful, and she eagerly reached for the hot drink. "With a double shot of espresso?" she asked hopefully.
"Of course." Liz grinned.
Mona closed her eyes, took a long whiff of the fragrant vapors curling upward, and moaned in appreciation. "You are so good to me." She took a tentative drink of the steaming liquid and sighed. "How did you know I needed a good kick of caffeine this morning?"
"You know your mood is a dead giveaway." Liz leaned against the counter and slipped her hands into the front pockets of her apron, having learned long ago how to judge her friend's disposition in the morning. "When you don't cheerfully breeze through the cafe and yack with all my customers before opening shop, it's a sure sign that you're either tired, grumpy, or have something on your mind."
"Tired," she murmured, and eyed Liz above the rim of the Styrofoam cup. "And if I wasn't so out of it, I'd take offense to that 'yacking' comment you just made."
Liz raised a brow, completely unfazed by her friend's cranky threat. "Late night for you, too?"
"Ummm. My current beau, Brad, took me out dancing until the wee hours of the morning, though I'm guessing my evening wasn't as interesting as yours." Mona tipped her head Liz's way, suddenly seeming very alert and awake. "How was your first night as a phone sex operator?"
Liz wrinkled her nose. "It's not a career I'd choose to pursue. I think I'll stick to what I do best, making coffee drinks."
"Did you find out anything on your cousin?"
"No, not yet. There's a few girls I'm trying to be friendly with, and hopefully they'll eventually open up and give me some information on Valerie, if they even know anything at all." She cast a quick glance back at the cafe, making sure that Gloria wasn't swamped with orders, which she wasn't. "I'm trying not to get discouraged. Steve did warn me that it could take time."
Mona nodded in understanding, but her gaze held a deeper curiosity she didn't hesitate to express. "So, did you at least have a good time talking about sex?"
"Not at first," she replied wryly. "Some of the callers were downright perverted and lewd."
Mona laughed. Obviously, the caffeine was kicking in and perking up her spirits. "That's only because they were strangers." She took another fortifying drink. "How did your call with Steve go?"
Liz had told Mona about her plan with Steve, to use him to get invited to one of The Ultimate Fantasy parties. "It was okay," she said, deliberately vague.
Mona's gaze narrowed skeptically. "Just okay?"
"All right, it was good." Her face flushed in remembrance, and she modified her rating. "Better than good."
A wide grin spread across Mona's face. "Now we're getting to the good stuff." A customer walked up to the counter with an armful of books, and Mona held up a stern finger at Liz. "Hold that thought."
As if Mona would let her drop the subject now that she'd managed to make Liz fess up. Liz waited while she rang up her customer and bagged the books for the older woman, and then she was back, anxious and eager to hear more.
"Spill all the juicy details," Mona said.
Liz gave her friend a very brief, clean-cut version of her phone conversation with Steve last night, not wanting to share just how sizzling and erotic the episode had been. She avoided specifics, giving Mona just enough information to draw her own conclusions, without really confirming anything at all.
Mona nodded. "So, things are working out between you and Steve, then, yes?"
"With business and finding Valerie, yes," Liz replied, deliberately misconstruing Mona's meaning.
"Your business with him happens to include hot and steamy phone sex," she said, and continued sorting the used paperbacks from the box on the counter. "So I'm assuming that your two-way banter was mutually satisfying?"
She absently turned the pencil in her pocket between her fingers. "Umm, you could say that." While Steve might have been the only one who'd climaxed from their phone conversation, he'd made up for that in spades later, as he'd promised.
Mona must have caught the dreamy smile that curved her lips, because she pounced on it like the curious feline she was. "It appears to me that the two of you have more than business going on." She gave Liz a quick once-over, then grinned slyly. "You slept with him last night, didn't you?"
Although an instinctive denial rose to her throat, Mona was her best friend, and Liz couldn't bring herself to lie to her- not when she trusted Mona unconditionally with something as private as her relationship with Steve. "Yeah, I did."