Champagne Brunch: The Stiletto Sisters Series by Ainsley Claire (easy readers .txt) 📗

I smile. “He found Nuzzle, my hedgehog.” I walk to her habitat. Reaching in, I pick her up and cover her with a dark cloth to soothe her. “It’s okay, baby. You’d hurt him more than he’d hurt you.”

As soon as she leans against my chest, her quills move from angry and crossed to flat, and her huffing and clicking stops. SoBe’s curious but is behaving well.

“SoBe, this is Nuzzle. Don’t let the name fool you. She’s not about to cuddle.” I put her back in her habitat, and she gets on her wheel and runs. “Now you’re just showing off.”

SoBe soon becomes bored with Nuzzle and wanders away.

“She’s adorable,” Axel says.

“Thanks. I got her in New York years ago and didn’t even realize I couldn’t have her here.”

I hear SoBe going upstairs.

“Sorry he’s so nosy.”

I smile. “I’m sure he’s trying to see if I have a friend for him to play with hiding upstairs. I saw my friend Toni today, and she has two Malteses, Romeo and Juliet.”

“That would get him going.” Axel looks around my living room. “You have a beautiful place.”

“Thanks. I think because I grew up in New York, I love views of the water, and I enjoy the people-watching from here.”

We look out, and a man in a Speedo is roller-skating down the boardwalk. Axel turns to me with one eyebrow raised. “I can see why.”

I laugh. “You’re from California. You know it’s a cereal box—the land of fruit, nuts, and flakes.”

He laughs. “So true. I’m from the southern part, and while people here like to think Northern California is so much better, the people really are all the same, and I prefer the weather in LA.”

“You’d better not tell that to Nate. He may fire Jeremy outright.”

He winks at me. “It’ll be our secret.”

“Deal.”

SoBe has rejoined us. “Sorry I don’t have anyone for you to play with,” I tell him.

He looks up at me, and I swear he’s smiling.

We settle into Axel’s Mercedes and make easy conversation as he drives to the open lawn in Golden Gate Park for our movie. I don’t even notice the traffic, though I do notice how long it takes to park. Poor Axel. When we finally arrive, the lawn is nearly full and many people are enjoying picnics.

“Have you done this before?” I ask.

“No, but my neighbor suggested it to me when my sister was coming for a visit once. He warned me that people may light up, so if you’re due for any drug tests, we’ll have to be cautious.”

I laugh. “I don’t drug test my staff. I hate to say it, but if I did, I wouldn’t have much staff left.”

“Yeah, the guys have to be careful. The league knows it’s an issue now that most states allow at least medicinal marijuana, and secondary smoke is everywhere. But until they have a test that tells us when someone used and if they used themselves or just caught some smoke, they have to be super aware.”

“That makes sense. I went to school with someone who was trying to develop that test, but he’d get so baked while working, I’m not sure he ever got very far with it.”

We agree on a spot not too far from one of the three screens, and Axel spreads out the blanket. When we sit down, SoBe immediately tries to crawl into my lap.

“No, SoBe,” Axel admonishes.  SoBe looks at him, and I’d swear he’s disappointed. “I’m sorry. He’s an eighty-two-pound lap dog.”

“I can’t get over his expressions.”

“I know. It’s not hard to tell what SoBe’s thinking. My favorite is when he’s in trouble. He closes his eyes, and I swear he believes if he can’t see me, I can’t see him.”

I laugh. “That’s priceless.”

Axel digs into the basket. “Okay, this is what I have. It came from a deli not too far from my house. Hopefully, I have something you like.”

“I eat everything.”

Axel looks at me, his eyes hooded.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean… I mean… Well, you know what I mean, right?”

He grins. “I think so, yes.” He leans in. “I eat everything, too.”

I have goose bumps, and my nipples pebble beneath my dress. I definitely should have masturbated before Axel picked me up. Right now, I have this desire to lean him back on the blanket and ride him until we both climax.

I return my focus to the food, which includes cold fried chicken, as well as potato, macaroni, quinoa, and fruit salads. He opens a bottle of white wine that’s perfect.

“What did you do today?” Axel asks as we enjoy our meal.

I shrug. “I met a good friend of mine, Toni, for lunch and relaxed.”

“Is she your best friend?”

“No, that’s my sister.” I debate a moment, but I guess I should get it out in the open. “My other best friend—well, former best friend—was recently arrested.”

Axel stops chewing, his eyes big. “What happened?”

“I shared with you about what happened to Nate’s wife.”

“Yes.”

“When Cecelia disappeared and was later confirmed dead, they began working through to eliminate each of us who was with her. After three years, they arrested several of the people involved, and it’s currently snaking its way through the courts.”

His brow furrows.

“Viviana Prentis was my close friend, and she was behind Cecelia’s death. She’d been stealing state secrets from a US Senator, and Cecelia saw them together.”

“Did you know Viviana was stealing secrets?”

I shake my head. “No. But the FBI is all over those of us who were there that weekend. There’s a whole group of women who were friends with her, knew her well, and interacted with her often.”

“Do they think you’re involved?”

“No, I don’t think so. But because we spent a lot of time together, they’re working