Free When Lightning Strikes by Brenda Novak Page A

unstable” theory. “And those bikers?”
    Joshua adjusted the scarf he wore with his pink button-down
shirt. “I think he wanted to get his ass kicked that
night. Why else would he drive to the shitty side of town and confront so many
dangerous gangbangers? He was all alone, had no chance from the beginning.”
    That was what she thought, too. Nothing else made sense. After
the judge signed the restraining order that would keep Simon from his wife and
son, he found a seedy bar he later admitted he’d never been to before, one with
a row of motorcycles out front, and picked a fight with three Hells Angels. They
would’ve destroyed his face, maybe a lot more, if not for one of their own.
Fortunately, a member of the club happened to be a big fan. He saved Simon an
extended hospital stay by pulling the others off and pushing him out of the
joint while he could still walk—but the biker later confessed he was
disappointed that Simon didn’t really know kung fu. He’d expected more from him
after watching Take It or Leave It, Simon’s most
violent movie.
    “Honestly? I think the worst he’s done is cheat,” Joshua
said.
    “You say that like it’s nothing.”
    “It’s nothing to you.”
    She cocked her head in challenge. “I’m only his future
wife!”
    He cocked his head right back at her, exaggerating the
movement. “But you don’t love him. Cheating on you would be more of a…breach of
contract.”
    “It’ll be adultery to the rest of the world! And he might have
other problems, ones we haven’t discovered yet. Maybe he’s a sex addict.” He’d
certainly made a big enough deal about her refusal to service him....
    “You should ask.”
    “I did. Ian and I talked about the possibility last night. He
says no. Claims there were extenuating circumstances to Simon’s extramarital
affairs.”
    “Like…he got bored and horny?” Josh said with a laugh.
    “Ian doesn’t know for sure. He thinks she may have cheated
first, but he can’t substantiate that and it doesn’t really make sense. Wouldn’t
Simon have said so if it meant keeping custody of Ty?”
    “No doubt.” Josh swung his foot. “You didn’t confront Simon
himself?”
    “I’d already called him an alcoholic. I didn’t think it would
go over too well if I accused him of being a sex addict, too.”
    “So what do you want me to say, Gail? Don’t do it?”
    The anger drained out of her. “More or less.”
    “Then don’t do it. We’ll…go into promoting beauty products or
something.”
    If that happened, she’d have to start over alone. “What about
Sonya? And Serge? And you and everyone else? I have to do this.”
    “Then keep Simon in bed.”
    “ Excuse me?”
    Eager to convey his point, he leaned forward. “If you’re so
worried he might stray, keep him in bed, darling. Don’t give him time for anyone
else.”
    Sometimes Gail wished she could be as sexually unfettered as
her assistant. She was beginning to feel a lot older than she was.
    What are you doing this
weekend?
    Working.
    Any plans for Friday night?
    Catching up on some paperwork.
    Tell me you have a hot date for
Valentine’s Day.
    With my television.
    She’d fallen to a new low when she went to a movie alone on her
birthday. She was still mad at herself for not heading back to Whiskey Creek,
but she’d been so slammed with new clients she hadn’t wanted to take the time
off.
    “Thanks for that piece of advice, but I don’t want to talk
about what I should do to keep Simon interested on a sexual level.” He wasn’t
interested to begin with.
    “Why not? You can do it. So what if you’re a late starter?”
    “I’m not a late starter. I’m selective. ”
    Josh formed a steeple with his fingers. “You didn’t lose your
virginity until you were twenty-six. That definitely qualifies as a late
start.”
    She should never have admitted that. Josh had a way of getting
personal information out of anyone.
    “I was twenty- five, ” she corrected.
“But