Page 48 of M for Murder

‘Define good.’

Vic grinned. ‘I got laid.’

‘Oh,’ Rebecca said, suddenly wishing she hadn’t asked.

‘Yeah, sorry, sweetheart.’ He winked at her. ‘Looks like you missed your chance.’

‘I’m crushed.’

‘I can imagine.’

‘So who was it then? Jill?’

Vic nodded and grinned.

‘Yeah, we were going at it hot and heavy for most of the weekend.’

Rebecca gave a sardonic smile. ‘Lucky girl.’

The grin disappeared as quickly as it had surfaced. ‘Hey, quit it with the smart comments, okay?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘I mean it, Angell,’ he threatened, a scowl breaking out across his face. ‘I’m getting a little sick and tired of your big mouth. You think you know everything, don’t you?’

Ignoring his outburst, Rebecca grinned at him across the desk. ‘Well, it’s nice to see your good mood lasted a long time.’

Vic glowered at her, his face reddening.

Aware that he had a short fuse and not wanting to push him too far, she backed down. Although the guy could be a jerk, he had for once come into work in a good mood. She didn’t want to be the one to go and ruin it. Keeping her tongue in check, she smiled sweetly at him.

‘So, you and Jill are a steady item now?’ she asked, trying her best to sound genuinely interested.

Vic gave her a dubious look before answering. ‘Hardly. You think I want to be tied down to one woman?’ He raised his eyebrows suggestively. ‘Still, I am meeting her for lunch today, so who knows what we might end up doing.’

Rebecca screwed up her nose, feeling disgusted at the thought. She glanced down at the half empty bag of doughnuts sitting on the desk between them.

‘Well you’d better cut those sugared rings out, pal, or you won’t have an appetite.’

Vic’s grin returned to his face as he rubbed his belly. ‘Sure I will,’ he said, reaching for another doughnut and cramming half of it into his mouth. ‘Good sex is enough to give any guy an appetite,’ he mumbled through his mouthful.

Rebecca screwed up her nose. ‘You know what?’ she muttered, half under her breath. ‘I really didn’t need to know that.’ Rolling her eyes, she turned back to her paperwork.

They broke for lunch at one.

Vic disappeared to meet Jill and Rebecca went window shopping before stopping at one of her favourite coffee houses for a cappuccino. As she sipped her drink she wondered how come it was so easy for Vic to meet someone and so difficult for her. After all, she’d been in the city now for over a month and, aside from her brief liaison with the philandering David, the closest she’d been to a date was on Saturday night when she had gone to the Blue Moose with Hickok.

Not that she would ever count that as a date. Beer and bourbon with her favourite FBI Agent was not an experience she wished to repeat.

You could do worse.

And you could do better.

Special Agent Joel Hickok, with his dishevelled dark hair and taunting eyes, wasn’t a bad looking guy. He was a couple of inches taller than Rebecca, who stood at five-nine in her bare feet, and he was in good physical shape. That didn’t change the fact though that he was rude and arrogant and had a boorish attitude, and that he made her so mad at times she just wanted to punch him.

Punch him or kiss him?

Remembering the feelings that had surfaced immediately after their fight on Saturday night made her uncomfortable and she immediately scolded herself.