What A Girl Wants Read Free Page A

fit together into a coherent thesis whatsoever.” She put down thehandheld and pulled off her sweatshirt, used it to absorb the water at the ends of her hair, then tied it around her waist. “You know, it’s too bad I’m not still seeing Bud. He would have been convenient subject matter.”
    â€œI don’t think he would have hung around for that. He broke up with you because you kept overanalyzing his bedroom technique. If I recall, you likened him to a shar-pei.”
    â€œI never said that.”
    â€œYou told him that his technique was cute and he obviously was trying to be cuddly, but after a certain point you just wanted him to get off you so you could get back to work.”
    â€œOh, I did say that.” Diane shrugged. “He was sort of like a lapdog. With an equally useless flapping tongue. He would have made a good subject for the paper, though.” She finally glanced up at this point and did a double-take that must have seriously tweaked her neck. “Are you okay?”
    Hayley obviously looked as glazed as she felt. “Well, actually it’s like this. I found my copy editor dead at work on Friday, then lost control of myself somehow and followed it up with a sexual interlude in my cube with the investigating detective.” It was odd the way it came out of her mouth so matter-of-factly. Made the whole thing seem even more disturbing than she’d originally thought. “I really think it speaks to larger issues. It’s serious.”
    â€œWhat’s serious?” Audra strolled up to the table decked out in full khaki and black Banana Republic regalia—her version of the weekend sloth look—and pulled a gorgeous silk scarf from her Kate Spade tote bag. She used it to wipe off her chair before sitting down.
    â€œHayley’s got boy trouble.”
    Huh? “Wait, what?”
    Audra patted Hayley’s hand and drawled, “Lucky you! What a delicious mess. I wish I had boy trouble.”
    Hayley managed a weak smile. “No, you don’t. You hate messes of any kind. Sometimes I think you hate men.”
    â€œI don’t hate men. I love men. I just have a habit of loving the wrong ones. And nobody’s even made the first cut in a while. I’m almost willing to go B-list, at this point. Almost.”
    Right . Audra rarely went less than A-list on anything. Of course with a six-figure salary from the city’s most prestigious boutique venture capital firm, she could afford not to. But to her credit, Hayley had to admit that it was nothing less than sheer loyalty that kept Audra coming back week after week to a diner she referred to in exaggerated tones as “the palace of squalor.”
    â€œI’d be scared to be your boyfriend,” Diane mumbled. “All that pressure.”
    â€œIt’s called standards, ladies. Being effectively high-maintenance is an art. Don’t forget that. Anyway, Di, with your record, you’re not one to talk. Hay, what kind of boy trouble are you in?”
    â€œIt’s not boy trouble. It’s bigger than that.” She sighed. “Suz is going to want to hear all this, so I’m only giving you the digest. On Friday I found a corpse and fondled a police detective.”
    Audra gaped at Hayley, her expression equal parts disgust and admiration. Then she pulled back dramatically and flashed Hayley a sly look. “This is one of your exaggerated stories, isn’t it? Naughty girl, I almost believed you this time.”
    Before Hayley could protest, Suz ran into the café, looked around wildly, and flew toward the table.
    She sported a fitted pink and white V-neck baseball jersey with a shiny decal spelling out Angel across the chest and double-dyeddenim jeans and Nikes. Her wavy red hair stuck out of a high ponytail.
    â€œSorry, couldn’t find parking. Had to wedge the cruiser into an electric-car spot. Wasn’t pretty. Christ, it’s hot out there.