Yet a Stranger (The First Quarto #2) - Gregory Ashe Page 0,145

face. That…that new-money prick was groping Truck through hir jeans. Truck was so scared!”

“Truck offered to spank my monkey—those were hir words, by the way—this week, Pari. Twice. Ze’s not exactly a sexual shrinking violet.”

“We’re getting into the weeds here,” North said.

“I’m sorry,” Pari said. “I’m sorry, did I hear you correctly? Are you slut-shaming my datemate? Ze’s level of sexual activity is none of your business.”

“Well, it’s kind of my business when we’re talking about my monkey.”

“Let’s not—” North tried.

“Truck is an unbelievably generous lover,” Pari said, shaking the set of keys she’d lifted from Hobson.

“So is North!”

“That’s really not—” North said.

“And Truck is extremely well endowed.”

“So is—”

“Ok,” North said, grabbing the keys from Pari’s hands. He caught Shaw’s arm and dragged him down the block toward The Luxemburg. Over his shoulder, he called back, “Let us know if we need to hurry.”

“I’ve seen North when he wears those cutoff gray sweatpants,” Pari screamed after them. “He might as well have been holding a measuring tape for me.”

“Jesus Christ,” North muttered.

“It’s very difficult to have a conversation with her because she’s so—”

North growled and shook Shaw by the arm. “Don’t. Start. You two were fucking made for each other.”

By then, they were getting close to The Luxemburg. North released Shaw’s arm, and Shaw stumbled a few steps before catching himself. He set off toward the condo building, glanced back, and said, “I don’t want you to feel bad, so I just think I should tell you that I think you look really good in those gray cutoffs. They make your whole, you know, business area look very impressive.”

“I’m going to murder you,” North stage-whispered. “Get the fuck in there so I can be done with this nightmare.”

“Very bulge-y.”

North packed a snowball faster than Shaw expected, and it caught him in the back of the head as he ran toward the condo building. He was still shaking snow out of his hair, the snowmelt trickling down his nape, when he stepped into the lobby.

It was about what he had expected from The Luxemburg’s outside: tile and wainscotting, coffered ceilings, lots of white paint. A mural of the 1904 World’s Fair covered one wall; in the bottom-right corner, a young lady looked like she was having an indecent relationship with a waffle cone, although Shaw would have to inspect further to be certain. On the other side of the lobby, a security desk marked the midpoint between the front doors and the elevators.

Two women stood behind the desk: one was white, in a security uniform, a hint of a pink-dyed curl slipping out from under the peaked cap. The other was black and wore scrubs. An ID clipped to the waistband identified her as Dr. Holloway. The women had been looking at something on a phone, and now they both turned their attention to Shaw.

“Hi,” Shaw said, wiggling out of his sherpa cloak. “I’m—” He’d gotten his arm stuck, and it took him a moment to get it free. “I’m Max. I’m here to see my cousin. Oh, I like your nails!”

The women exchanged a look as Shaw approached the desk. “Sir,” the woman in the security uniform said. Her nametag, now that Shaw was closer, read Weigel. “You said you’re here to see your cousin? What’s the name and unit number?”

“I told my boyfriend I wanted to get rainbow-painted cat claws for Pride,” Shaw said wistfully, staring at Weigel’s nails, “and he told me no. Oh, you’ve got a tattoo! Is it a rose?”

“It’s a carnation,” Weigel said, rotating her arm to display the underside of her wrist.

“For purity,” Holloway said and started to laugh until Weigel slapped her leg.

“My boyfriend won’t let me get any tattoos. Or piercings. I told him I wanted to get my nipples pierced, and he said he’d break up with me. He said he’s the only one allowed to touch my body.”

“Boy,” Weigel said, drawing out the word. “What’d you tell him?”

“Oh, I know he just wants what’s best for me. Davey’s so sweet. He picks out what I’m supposed to wear—well, not my cloak. He told me I couldn’t have this, but I bought it anyway. But he made me wear this stuff.” He gestured at the long-sleeved tee and jeans. “And I have to hide the cloak at Mom’s. But I can’t tell her about Davey because when I said something about the diet Davey put me on, she just about lost her mind.”

Holloway narrowed her eyes at him; she was picking