LITMIR.BIZ

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      “Salsa music—what an invigorating way to begin the day! Oh—do you have company?” she inquired, glancing at one of Sunny’s suitcases on a nearby chair. “I hope it’s a handsome man,” she whispered conspiratorially. “It would be a shame not to properly break in that bed.”

      “Nope, just me,” Sunny commented.

      “Oh, I beg your pardon!” Angelica colored, the rosy tint making her even more lovely. “I didn’t see you there. And I didn’t mean to presume you required a man to break in your bed, either,” she told me with a wicked grin.

      I laughed. “Angelica, this is my best friend, Sunny. She’s visiting from Boston for the week.”

      “Nice to meet you, Angelica. And believe me, I would be just as pleased as you to see Syd break in her bed with a handsome man,” Sunny teased. She dodged as I swatted at her.

      “Lovely to meet you, Sunny,” Angelica replied as she continued into the sitting room to begin her cleaning routine. “Maybe, then, your combined powers of attraction will draw a pair of beautiful men to you before the week is out. Or at least one for you to share—when approached correctly, that can be a truly bonding experience between friends, you know.”

      I swallowed and shook off the unbidden image of Sunny, Sparrow and myself sharing my new bed. Sunny’s snort of mirth mirrored my own, and I said, “I’m not sure our friendship has a need for that type of bond, Angelica.”

      She shrugged as she bent over to dust one of my frogs. “Suit yourselves—a pair of men it is, then.” She grinned suddenly as she added, “Maybe hot Latin lovers, who’ll appreciate your taste in Salsa music.”

      “I like the way you think,” Sunny said.

      Angelica continued about her work as Sunny and I returned to our own. I couldn’t help but envy her unconscious sex-appeal as she matched her movements to the beat of the music. If I hadn’t liked her so much, I probably would have had a hard time not hating her. I was willing to bet that men fell helplessly at her feet wherever she went.

      She disappeared into the back rooms for a while and then began returning supplies to her cart. “Thursday?” she inquired cheerfully.

      “Yes, please,” I agreed.

      “See you then, Sydney. It was nice to meet you Sunny. I hope you enjoy your stay.”

      “Thanks—we’ll let you know how it goes with the Latin lovers!” Sunny called.

      Angelica paused and pursed her lips thoughtfully. “The angle and depth of that couch might be conducive to some interesting seated positions, especially if you enjoy being on top.” She gave it an appraising once-over and nodded before turning to push her cart into the elevator.

      “You know, I think she might be right,” Sunny mused a moment later.

      I shook my head and went back to work.

      ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

      Later that afternoon Sunny came for a ride with me as I made my rounds to pick up paperwork from my employers. Mr. H appeared at the back door to scream obscenities at Cindy for taking too long to talk to me. I grimaced and slammed the car door to drown him out.

      Sunny whistled. “That is one nasty little man.”

      “Ugly inside and out,” I agreed.

      I snapped up an empty parallel parking spot right in front of Haute Hannah’s on crowded Worth Avenue, and made a mental note to ask Lorien if she was responsible for my good parking fortune again.

      “You should come in with me. Hannah has a really nice shop, and you’ll get a kick out of her,” I told Sunny.

      “Sure, why not?” she agreed with a shrug. “She won’t try to get me to buy anything though, will she? I doubt she’s in my price range.”

      “I don’t think you have to worry,” I replied. “Hannah’s a consummate saleswoman who knows her clientele. She generally saves her sales pitch for the ladies in Chanel suits—or at least designer jeans.” I glanced down pointedly at our casual attire as we crossed the sidewalk.

      “Hey! I paid thirty dollars for these at The Gap,” Sunny argued with a laugh.

      “Twenty bucks at Ross,” I countered smugly, indicating mine.

      “Nice.”

      The spotless glass door glided open with the tinkling of a bell, and we stepped into the cool, bright interior of Hannah’s shop. Soft French jazz drifted over us, and brilliant shimmers of light dazzled our eyes as they reflected off of the precious metals and gemstones displayed throughout the store. The glittering intensity was relieved by pastel blue and white walls, delicately sponge painted to resemble a tranquil sky.

      “Oh! Hello, Sydney! I am so happy to see you!” Hannah rushed forward, a compact force of nature, sparkling with jewels and floating in a cloud of rich perfume. I leaned down so she could kiss me once on each cheek.

      She took my hands in the manicured fingers of her own, spreading them out to get a look at me. “You are looking good, no? You have lost weight! And who is your lovely friend?”

      I grinned, always a little overwhelmed by Hannah’s enthusiastic personality. “This is my good friend Sunny. She’s visiting from Boston for a few days.”

      “You look beautiful as well, Sunny!” Hannah complimented as she reached to squeeze Sunny’s fingers in greeting.

      “Why thank you,” Sunny smiled, reclaiming her hands just in time to stifle a sneeze.

      “À vos souhaits!” Hannah called out in response to Sunny’s outburst, as she bustled back behind a display case of multi-hued crystal perfume bottles to retrieve my paperwork.

      “So, you girls will hit the town tonight and paint it rouge, yes?” she continued, a mischievous twinkle in her eye as she glanced up from gathering files. “Les hommes, they will find you irresistible!” She spread her arms in a grand gesture as she sashayed forward to hand me my work.

      “That’s the plan!” I agreed. Actually, we were going to stay home and get takeout, but I wasn’t going to disappoint Hannah with the boring version of our plans.

      She tapped my arm and gave a delighted laugh. “Oh, to be young again!” she sighed dramatically.

      Sunny attempted to subdue another sneeze, and Hannah’s brows drew together as she gazed at her in concern. “But your friend, she is maybe coming down with the cold, no? Perhaps you should take it easy. You do not wish to chase the handsome men away with a dripping nose.”

      Hannah reached out to give Sunny a motherly pat, and she immediately sneezed again, retreating toward the door with a strangled, “I don’t want you to catch anything from me Hannah, but it was so nice to meet you, and you have a beautiful store! I’ll just wait in the car, Syd.” She exploded with a final sneeze as she fled.

      “You should see that your friend gets the rest. We are much susceptible to illness when we travel, yes?” I swallowed my laughter and thanked her for her concern as I left with the files.

      I dropped into the driver’s seat to the sound of Sunny purging her nose into a Kleenex. “Holy hell, Syd!” she sniffed. “What does that woman do—take a morning dip in a pool of perfume? That was worse than sticking my head in a vat of faerie dust! I’m going to have to change and wash my hair just to get the stench off.”

      “Hannah likes her perfume like she likes her jewelry,” I shot her a grin as I pulled into traffic and turned down a side street toward the nearest bridge spanning the inter-coastal, “outrageously expensive and displayed in overwhelming force.”

      “Well, she’s very sweet, but I’m surprised she doesn’t asphyxiate all of her customers. You’ve got allergies—how do you stand it?”

      “I seal off my nose and start breathing through my mouth

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