Stuart Woods - Reckless Abandon

“I’m relieved to hear it.” To his surprise, she started undoing buttons.

“Mind if I use your shower?” she asked, continuing to undress. “The water pressure isn’t too great upstairs.”

“Sure, go ahead,” Stone replied. “In New York, we have these water tanks on the roof, and sometimes the upper floors don’t get the best pressure.” As she continued to undress he reminded himself not to get the water pressure problem fixed.

“Water tanks? No kidding?”

“You can go up and take a look,” he said, “but I wouldn’t go like that.” She was down to a bra and panties, or more accurately, some sort of semi-thong thing. “You’d have the neighbors climbing out windows.”

“Aren’t you sweet,” she said, flashing him a big smile. She turned and went into the bathroom, reaching behind her for the bra hook while displaying the backside of the semi-thong thing and a fine pair of buns. She left the door open, but he couldn’t see her. He heard the shower turn on, though.

“How was your day?” she called from the bathroom.

“Hairy,” he replied. “A very strange morning in court.”

“You can tell me about it later,” she said.

He heard the shower door open and close.

Five minutes later, she came out, loosely dressed in his terry robe, toweling her hair. She hopped onto the bed and turned toward him, close. Daisy was between them. “So, tell me about your morning in court.”

“I had this extremely annoying client, Herbie Fisher, with whom I’ve dealt before. He was charged with-”

” The one who kicked the cop in the balls?”

“Yes, and the cop was there with his three big brothers. Their sister was prosecuting.”

“Stacked deck, huh?”

“You might say that.”

“How many years did he get?”

“Twelve months, suspended, a ten-thousand-dollar fine, and loss of his license for five years, which is a godsend to the community.”

“Suspended? Wasn’t this his second DUI?”

“Right.”

“We’re tougher in Florida. You must be some kind of lawyer.”

“I employed no lawyering skills this morning. The CIA guy fixed the judge.”

Holly lifted her head off the pillow. “You’re kidding.”

“I kid you not. Now Herbie is on a plane to Saint Thomas, and the world is a better place, except in Saint Thomas.”

“How did he fix the judge? Pay him off?”

Stone shook his head. “I don’t think Judge Goldstein is the sort who would take a payoff. Lance said the judge was a patriot.”

“Lance is the CIA guy?”

“Right.”

“So he said something to bring out the judge’s patriotic instincts?”

“Apparently.”

“What did he say?”

“I don’t want to know. By the way, did I mention that we’re having dinner with Lance?”

“Yes. Why?”

“I don’t know,” Stone admitted. “I’d just as soon not see him again.”

Holly planted a kiss on his cheek. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from the bad CIA guy.”

“I don’t know that he’s bad. I used to think so, but now I’m not sure.” He liked the kiss. He wanted to put his arm around her, but Daisy was staring right at him.

“Daisy,” Holly said, “get off the bed and lie down.”

Daisy immediately hopped off the bed and lay down beside the bed.

“Go to sleep,” Holly said.

Daisy laid her head on her paws and closed her eyes.

“Is she really asleep?” Stone asked.

“Close enough,” Holly said. She turned his head toward her and kissed him on the lips.

STONE WOKE WITH a crick in his neck, the result of napping most of the afternoon with Holly’s head on his shoulder. That was all they had done, nap, and he wasn’t too happy about that, but somehow, he hadn’t felt it was the right time to go further.

The sound of his hairdryer was coming from the bathroom, then it stopped, and Holly emerged, stark naked, her underwear in her hands. “I’m going to take Daisy for a nice long walk,” she said. “I’ll be back in time for dinner.”

“Wear something,” he called after her, while appreciating the sight of her departure. “I wouldn’t want you to get arrested.”

She laughed and disappeared upstairs.

Stone got up, still groggy, and got into a shower. He emerged feeling brighter. The phone rang.

“Hello?”

“It’s Dino. Dinner?”

“Sure, meet me at Elaine’s. Lance Cabot will be there.”

“No shit? The CIA guy?”

“One and the same.”

“How’d Herbie’s courtroom appearance go?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Tell me anyway.”

Stone told him.

“I don’t believe it.”

“See?”

“Goldstein did that? I thought he was Mr. Ironass.”

“Lance says he’s a patriot.”

“He’s lucky Goldstein didn’t have him arrested on the spot. I wouldn’t mess with that guy on a bet, especially about a DUI.”

“A DUI that included violence upon the crotch of a police officer. Turns out the cop was Dierdre Monahan’s little brother, and she caught the case.”

“You’re lucky Lance showed up.”

“Herbie was lucky. I had negotiated thirty days in Rikers for him, and he got off with a suspended sentence because of whatever Lance said to Goldstein.”

“Go figure.”

“Yeah. Eight-thirty?”

“See ya.” Dino hung up.

Holly came back into the room, this time, to Stone’s disappointment, fully dressed. “Is there some sort of park that’s closer to your house than Central Park?” she asked.

“Not so’s you’d notice it,” Stone said. “In Manhattan, a park is often the space where a building used to be. By the way, did I mention the leash law?”

“No, but I figured. Not in the park, of course.”

“Especially in the park. It’s a hundred-buck fine.”

“That’s cruel to dogs.”

“And to dog owners.”

“You’re perfectly serious about this?”

“You didn’t believe me about picking up the dog poop, either, did you? We do things differently in New York.”

“This is taking some getting used to.”

“Daisy seems to be managing.”

“She’s very adaptable, like me.”

“ You’re adaptable?”

“Of course. Have you heard any complaints from me? I mean, any at all ?”

“Only about having to pick up dog poop.”

“That’s about Daisy, not about me.”

“You’re the one picking it up. Daisy is just doing what comes naturally.”

“All right. Have you heard any complaints from me, except about Daisy?”

“Not so far.”

“That sounds as though you’re expecting some.”

“I hope not.”

She came over, grabbed him by the front of his robe, and kissed him. “Don’t worry about it.” She turned and walked down the stairs, followed closely by Daisy.

They got a cab to Elaine’s. As they approached the restaurant, Stone noticed a man standing out front, just uptown from the yellow awning, holding a briefcase. He looked out of place somehow. Stone wasn’t sure how. “Driver, stop here,” he said. The cab halted a couple of doors up, and Stone looked hard at the man. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and switched hands with the briefcase. Stone noted a Cadillac double-parked just downtown from the entrance.

“That’s seven-fifty,” the cabbie said.

“Drive around the block,” Stone said.

“Huh?”

“Start the meter again and drive around the block to your right, slowly.”

“Whatever you say, mister.” He pulled away from the curb.

Stone got out his cell phone.

“Are we early?” Holly asked. “Do you have a thing about being early?”