Page 29 of Conquering Oz

Elodie immediately straightened, feeling the tension in her shoulders. She brushed her hand against her cheek. Her skin was warm. “It’s the wine.”

“No, it’s not! The only thing redder than your face is the tablecloth. Cut the shit and give me a number. Solid eight?”

Elodie flattened her lips, refusing to answer. That didn’t stop her friend.

“Nine?” Madalyn’s tone spiked.

“I’m not gonna rate a man.”

“Why not?” Madalyn scoffed. “They do it to us all the time.”

True.

“All right, fine. Aside from being incredibly handsome and mysterious, and his voice,” —she grinned and fanned herself dramatically— “Gah, it’s so fucking sexy. But he had this confidence, or maybe it was arrogance, but he just owned it like it was second nature. So damn sure of himself. Not a weak bone in his body. He just…”

“What?”

“So, he’s the polar opposite of other men I’ve dated, right? I like a chill, happy-go-lucky guy, right? But this guy is alpha 2.0. He’s intimidating, intense is putting it mildly, and there’s this aura of power around him.”

Madalyn leaned forward, whispering, “And?”

Elodie bit her lip, hesitating. “I’m so fucking attracted to him. He said happy birthday, and I swear my panties got wet.”

Madalyn’s eyes widened, her jaw dropped, and she slammed her hand on the table. “You need to have sex with him. And tell me everything. Likeeverything. Even if you don’t think it’s important” —she pointed to Elodie— “tell me anyway.”

Elodie grabbed her glass, sat back in her chair, and giggled.

“It’s just strange. He’s not my type.”

“Girl, he sounds like everybody’s type.”

Elodie chuckled, shaking her head.

All talking about men ceased when Chris walked into the room, grabbing two trays off the table. Madalyn sipped her water, smiling up at her husband. Chris knew the conversation wasn’t meant for his ears and didn’t bother asking. He returned to the kitchen, and Madalyn leaned on the table.

“This guy sounds like a ten, Elle. And I would know since I married one. You should go out with him.”

Elodie scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“You said he comped the entire night, right? That’s gotta count for something. Plus, he basically swooped in, defending your honor with asshole and the eighteen-year-old.”

Elodie squinted. “Twenty-fucking-four!”

Madalyn waved her hand. “Whatever. Same thing. You need to go back to the club. Just casually wander into the elevator again.”

Elodie furrowed her brows. “The wife of a police officer is suggesting I stalk this man?”

Madalyn shrugged. “Some men like that.”

“Not the sane ones.” Elodie sipped her wine, refusing to speak further about Oz. “New subject.”

“Fine.” Madalyn pouted, and her shoulders hunched, but she quickly recovered with a new topic. “Did you get a chance to read through those notes I took?”

Her friend’s timing was perfect. Elodie had finally gotten some downtime earlier in the day to go over Madalyn’s notes. There were a few details she hadn’t known from her own research but nothing explosive. Sal Caruso was suspected of quite a few crimes in what seemed like a forty year reign as an alleged crime boss. Everything from drug trafficking to racketeering, and embezzlement to assault. The one thing all his charges had in common was they were dismissed. The most popular reason being insufficient evidence.

“Yes, I read them. Good notes, by the way.”

Madalyn winked and grabbed her glass of water. “What’s your biggest takeaway?”

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