Page 75 of Whatever Lola Wants

Lola stared at Simon. Was he unconscious? Was he dead? Oh my God, what was happening? “Ginger, what the fuck?”

“Stun gun,” Ginger said and held it up.

Lola stared at it. “It’s pink.”

Ginger shrugged. “My mother said it was more ladylike.”

“Oh my God,” Lola breathed, caught between horror and laughter. “Why did you do that?”

Ginger frowned, laying a hand on Lola’s cheek. “It’s okay, Lola. We’ll call the cops. It’ll be okay.”

“What?” Lola said, then gasped in realization. “Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no.” She began struggling with the ropes on her arms, yanking and pulling in panic.

“Hey, hey, hold on a second.” Ginger knelt on the bed and fumbled with the ropes around Lola’s arms and legs. “Fucker must have been a boy scout. These knots are ridiculous.”

“Scissors,” Lola gasped. “On the pillow. Get the scissors.”

“Oh. That’s handy,” Ginger commented and reached up for the safety shears. “Hang on.”

There was a brief increase in tension when the scissors pinched the rope, then they sliced through and the ropes fell away. She scrambled to her feet, darting around a confused Ginger to kneel next to Simon.

“Um, Lola?”

Lola ignored her. “Simon? Can you hear me?” She laid her fingers on the pulse in his neck, going limp with relief when she felt the beat. “Oh, thank God.”

“Lola, we should really call the cops before he comes around. And we should tie him up.” She frowned at the ropes lying on the bed. “Maybe we could use this stuff, that’d be poetic. Do you know how to tie knots like that?”

Lola shook her head. “Help me get him up on the bed.”

“What? Why?” Ginger dropped the rope fragments and grabbed Lola’s arm, trying to tug her to her feet. “Lola, honey, you’re in shock. He was attacking you.”

Lola shook her head again, smothering the hysterical urge to laugh. “No, he wasn’t. He wasn’t,” she repeated calmly. “He’s…he’s my boyfriend.”

Ginger’s mouth fell open, her eyes going round with shock. “Your boyfriend? You mean, that was…”

“Entirely consensual.”

“Oh, shit.” Ginger crouched next to Lola. “I didn’t kill him, did I?”

Lola bit her lip. “No, but he’s going to be really pissed off. Can you help me get him up on the bed?”

Ginger eyed Simon’s naked form sprawled out on the floor. “He looks like he outweighs both of us together. I don’t think we’re going to be able to lift him.”

“You’re right.” Dammit. “Grab me a pillow and blanket?”

Ginger bounced up and dashed to the bed, grabbing a pillow and the duvet. She handed the pillow to Lola and spread the duvet over Simon.

Lola lifted his head gently and slid the pillow underneath. “Simon, can you hear me?”

His strangled groan was music to her ears. “What. The. Fuck.”

“Just a misunderstanding,” she told him, stroking his cheek. His color was coming back, and his breathing seemed a little less strangled with each passing moment.

“Misunderstanding, my ass,” he muttered. His eyes drifted past her face to where Ginger stood near his feet.

Lola swallowed. “Um. Remember my neighbor, Peter? This is his house sitter. Ginger.”

Ginger gave him a tentative smile and a little finger wave. “Hello.”

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