Free An Indecent Longing by Stephanie Julian Page A

way to the street. Would’ve been just her luck.
    Sliding into the backseat, she told the driver where she wanted to go then settled into the seat and took a deep breath and another. The driver probably thought she was a nutcase as she sucked in air and fanned her face.
    Then again, the sun shone and the temperature was already in the sixties. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day.
    And she had a date tonight.
    How pitiful was it that she was twenty-seven and felt like a teenager simply because a guy had asked her out?
    Shaking her head, she dug out her phone. Risa was sure to have heard about what had happened last night and was probably about ready to call in the cavalry because Dorrie hadn’t responded to her texts.
    Sure enough, Risa had blown up her phone.
    Heard about shooting. You okay?
    Is everything okay?
    He says you’re fine. Are you fine? Call me.
    Did you go to bed already?
    Risa had sent her last text at 1:43 a.m.
    I am so going to kick your ass the next time I see you. You better call as soon as you get this and your phone had better be in about 100 little pieces as your reason for not calling me back. Love you. Call me.
    Time to face the music. At least she didn’t have to deal with their dad. And she’d have to call her mom, too, although there was little chance her mom had any idea she’d been in that hotel last night.
    She could’ve taken the easy way out and texted but figured it was better to rip the bandage off.
    She dialed her sister’s number, who picked up before the first ring had ended.
    “Seriously? It’s taken you this long to call? You know I love you but I am so angry with you right now. Did you think I wouldn’t find out what happened? Please tell me you’re fine.”
    “I’m fine. And I love you too. I’m headed back to my office now. I’m going to check on Blank.”
    Risa’s indrawn breath hissed through the line. “What do you mean, check on Blank?”
    Shit, she hadn’t heard. “Don’t panic, okay? He’s fine. But…he got shot last night.”
    “ What? ”
    Risa’s voice barely registered through the phone. Dorrie had never heard her sister sound so shocked.
    “He’s going to be fine. The bullet didn’t hit anything major—”
    “But it did hit something . It hit him .”
    “Yeah, it did. So you’re lucky I’m a damn good doctor and now maybe you’ll make a move on the guy.”
    Risa didn’t reply with her normal snark. In fact, she went silent for several long seconds. “You know that’s not possible.”
    “No. You just think it’s not.”
    Another pause. “It doesn’t work that way for me. You know that.”
    “No, I don’t know that, Ris. You just believe it and so you haven’t tried to do anything about it.”
    Another silence, shorter this time. “Will you tell Blank I asked about him? And…take good care of him. So where have you been? Why didn’t you answer my texts?”
    It was Dorrie’s turn to pause. “I might have spent the night at a man’s house?”
    “You what ?”
    “I said, I spent the night at a man’s house.”
    “What man? Who was he? When did you meet him? Wait, where did you meet him?”
    “He was there last night. He…works with Ian.”
    “ What? ”
    “Ian vouched for him to Blank and when Blank… Well, when Blank nearly passed out because he was an idiot and didn’t tell me he’d been shot right away, Ben helped me get him back to my office.”
    Risa sighed heavily and Dorrie knew her sister was shaking her head. “I don’t… What the fuck happened after I left last night? Jesus. Just tell me you’re okay.”
    Too much had happened for Dorrie to go through it all, especially with someone she didn’t know possibly listening to her conversation. “I’m fine. And so is Blank. I’m going to see him right now. You could meet me there if you want.”
    “I can’t. I…just can’t. Shit.”
    Dorrie grimaced. Like their father, Risa was intractable about some things. Blank was one. Dorrie shouldn’t