Page 26 of Hot to Trot

“Do you? You have farm girl fantasies? That why you move here, cowboy?”

He looked up and gave her a glower.

She smiled. “So do I get a meal or a bathroom trip?"

"Huh?"

She cocked her head. “Food. Or will you shove gruel under my cell door then make me use the empty bowl for my toilet?"

Adam saved the document, then spun in his chair. "Maybe that's part of your punishment. No meal. No potty."

She rolled her eyes and tossed the magazine onto the blanket at the foot of the cot. "Seriously. Protesting gives me a high and makes me ravenous. Do you still have my cooler and bag? I have crackers in there."

"That's evidence."

She snorted. "Really?"

He nodded. "Don't worry. I'll get you something to eat. It’s required by the state.”

"I'd prefer something now."

He stood. "I'll get it when I'm ready to get it."

"You really do like having power, don't you?" Scarlet made a face. “No reason to lord over me. I've been a model prisoner, haven't I?"

"Definemodel,"he said, stretching his arms back. "You've been annoying, demanding, and an absolute diva since I met you. If that's your definition ofmodel,then we're all in trouble."

"I'm not a diva," Scarlet muttered, shifting her legs and clasping her arms around her knees. "Sure, I can be dramatic, but that's my job. Comes with the territory."

She was about the sexiest thing he'd ever seen this side of the Rio Grande. She'd released her hair for the mug shot, flipping upside down and fluffing it. She'd also pinched her cheeks and given him a winning smile when he positioned her against the white background they used for taking the photos. He was surprised she hadn't asked for lipstick and better lighting. She hadn't put her hair back up, so it now lay in soft dark waves, framing her face. The top and shorts left little to the imagination,and her bare toes wiggling atop the bunk sent hot, tight darts of desire to his gut. He wanted to touch her.

Instead, he reached for the telephone and dialed the number he knew by heart. When Drake Marciano said, "Mamma Mia's Pizzeria," Adam recited his usual order adding an extra side salad for Scarlet.

"Be there in twenty, Chief," Drake said, after repeating the order for accuracy.

“Good deal,” Adam said, his stomach already growling at the thought of the feta-and-grilled-chicken pie covered in Roma tomatoes. He was hungry for more than Scarlet.

"I don't like tomatoes," Scarlet said.

"So pick them off. And be glad I'm letting you have a piece."

"I only get one piece?"

"You'll have to be a good girl to get an extra piece," he quipped, walking toward the cell.

"If I'm a bad girl, can I get three pieces?" She delivered a wicked smile. He should retreat. Not move toward her. But he couldn't seem to stop his feet from taking him toward the cell where she now stood at the bars.

"Don't tempt me," he said.

"Why not? Temptation is fun." Scarlet ran her fingers lightly over the aged bars of the cell. "Don't you like when women flirt with you? Bet a lot of women around here do. How many have you let out of a ticket?"

"None."

She raised one eyebrow. "None? I don't believe you. You said you would have let me slide."

"I say that to everyone. It's a strategy I use in order for the subject receiving a ticket or citation to view me as magnanimous or sympathetic. Take your pick."

A crinkle marred her forehead. "That's deceitful. Manipulative."

---