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“Oh, that’s gorgeous,” she said. “What shoes?”

“Shoes are problematic because of my height. He’s six foot, but if I wear heels, well, there goes that illusion.”

She was close to five ten on a short day.

“Wear those low-heeled Louboutins. They’re perfect.”

“Good idea.”

“You’re beautiful,” Claudia said, admiring her friend. “A real head turner.”

The doorbell rang at seven sharp. Fixing a bracelet, Maggie went out to answer.

“Wow, Maggie, you are stunning,” Russ said. “Just gorgeous.”

They kissed hello and he fixed the clasp on her bracelet.

“Come in,” she said. “I’m almost ready.”

Claudia walked out at that moment, and later Maggie said it was like time had stopped. They stared at each other and didn’t move. It was so obvious that Maggie had to acknowledge it.

“Do you two know each other?” she asked, pinpricks of something akin to fear dancing around her arms and cheeks.

“No, I don’t think so,” Russ stammered. He took a step forward and reached his hand out.

“Russ Clark.”

“Claudia Morgan.”

Her little hand intertwined in his, and cringing, Maggie thought he held it a moment longer than necessary. It was taking Maggie every ounce of self-control she had not to yellknock it off, you two.

It was so obvious, and so embarrassing, that she just wanted to sayfuck it, you two go off to dinner. I’ll stay home and read my book.

Russ had other ideas. “Would you join us for dinner?” The polite thing to say, and of course, she’d refuse. If she was a decent person, she’d refuse, but Maggie was learning that Claudia was far from being a decent person, and she agreed right away to dine with them.

“I’d love to! Let me run up and change. I won’t be a minute.”

Maggie and Russ stood across from each other, the vacuum unmistakable.

She finally looked at him. “That was weird.”

He fumbled for a moment. “Was it? I didn’t know what else to say.”

“It’s not that, Russ. I could feel the electricity coming from both of you. How embarrassing.”

“If you did, it was nothing I could help.”

“Gosh, where does that leave me?”

Something snapped, and he quickly had a one-hundred-eighty-degree turnaround, and when Claudia appeared in a wholly inappropriate gold lame dress that appeared to have been spray-painted on her body, Russ had his arms around Maggie with his back to the staircase.

“Wow, we’re just going out to dinner,” Maggie said, trying not to laugh.

“You know me, never ready for anything. I’m sure the waiter won’t mind.”

But I might, Maggie thought.

The evening was strained for her. As attentive as Russ tried to be, there were moments such as when he asked Claudia to dance, or she flirted unmercifully, and insisted on one more round of drinks that put her over the edge, and all Maggie wanted was to scrub the makeup off her face and get into bed. Russ came in for a nightcap at Claudia’s invitation. They sat on the couch chatting like they’d known each other forever. Finally, Maggie couldn’t keep her eyes open.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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