Page 1 of Hot to Trot

CHAPTER ONE

SCARLET ROSE GLANCED in the rearview mirror at the lights flashing behind her. Dang it. She’d only been going 75 mph in a 65-mph zone. Wasn't there a ten-mile cushion or something?

Obviously not in Texas.

The cop was taking his time emerging from the depths of the silver cruiser, so Scarlet gave her lips another swipe of the Chanel ruby-red lipstick resting in the cup holder. After all, her lips were her greatest weapon. Overly large and plump, they had their own fan page on Instagram. She'd always thought the attention given to them a little absurd, but if she had to use them to get out of a ticket, then she would. After all, who in his right mind would give the vampy Veronica Collins a speeding ticket? Her luxurious red locks, gleaming white teeth, and kick-ass curves clad in the trademark cat suit costume inspired kinky fantasies for those who followed the soapy dramaDeep Shadows,which had debuted six months ago to a rabid fan following. Currently, Scarlet was on hiatus, so she looked nothing like the naughty vampire Veronica. Just plain ol' Scarlet Rose in faded jeans and a ponytail.

But she had those lips.

She slumped against the leather seat and watched in her side mirror as the cruiser's door opened and a police officer climbed out.

Easily six foot tall, military haircut, mirrored sunglasses. Good body. Stiff demeanor. She had a fifty-fifty chance of getting out of this one.

Her director's voice popped into her head.

Veronica will smile at the officer, feigning innocence. Camera One, capture the gleam in Veronica's eyes as she knowingly plays with the unsuspecting cop.

Scarlet turned and delivered a smile. "Hello there, officer. Is there a problem?"

She pulled the end of her ponytail forward so it brushed her bared collarbone while curling her shoulders forward, smooshing her boobs so the cop had a nice vista of flesh to contemplate. She couldn't tell if it worked or not. His gaze could have been on her girls... or on the steering wheel. Darn mirrored sunglasses.

"Yes, ma’am, we do have a problem," he said, his voice melodious, almost like an announcer on a game show. It was definitely cultured. No Podunk, Texas accent. He wasn't from Oak Stand. "You were doing seventy-eight in a sixty-five zone, and you have a brake light out.”

She smiled again before giving him a flirtatious shrug. "Surely I wasn't going that fast?"

His jaw tightened. It was a nice jaw. Cleanly shaven and tanned. He had a good mouth, too. Straight lips with a slightly sensuous curve to the bottom lip. It was the kind of mouth a girl wanted to nibble into a smile. Total challenge.

But he didn't smile.

"Surely you were."

"Sorry. Look, I'm trying to get to my sister's house before she runs off with some horrible, horrible guy. No one is answering the phone, and I'm worried, you know? I guess I should have had my mind on the road, but-"

"That doesn't explain the brake light," he said.

Scarlet tamped down the annoyance at being interrupted. Syrupy sweetness worked on hard asses like this. At least it usually did. "I bought this car three weeks ago and had everything inspected. The light must have burned out without my knowledge. I'll get it replaced tomorrow. Promise."

He didn't move a muscle. She could tell he stared hard at her, even though there was mirrored glass between his gaze and hers. Seconds ticked by. Had she worked it hard enough to get out of a ticket?

"Are you asking me to overlook a violation?”

Oh-kay. She wasn’t getting out of a ticket. Just needed to keep it a ticket. "Of course not. No."

"Because that's what it sounds like."

Scarlet tossed her flirting ploy aside and straightened. "I don't always agree with the laws you enforce, but I would never ask you to compromise yourself."

She gave him the schoolmarm stare she'd perfected in her off-off Broadway debut ofMrs. Tingle's Jingles.He didn't wiggle the way he was supposed to. He merely stood, straighter and taller.

"Just give me the ticket so I can get on with my day. I've got a wedding to stop."

At this, the officer's mouth drew into a line. No more semi-mocking curve. "What wedding?"

Scarlet gave him a New Yorker smile, kind of a smart-ass smirk. "Now, that, Officer-" she looked at his nameplate "-Hinton, is none of your business, is it?"

Officer Hinton jabbed a finger toward the city-limit sign that sat behind her black BMW convertible. "This is my town. Everything in it is my business."

Scarlet pulled on the viperous persona of Veronica as easily as she shrugged into a jacket. "Now, that's where I'm thinking you're wrong, Officer Hinton."

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