Free Smashwords version Sweet Surrender by Georgette St. Clair

always keep my
promises; you know that. And I also promise you this; as soon as you’re better,
I walk away for good, and do not even think about calling me the next time you
get yourself in trouble. If you choose to keep in touch with me, fine, if not,
also fine, but don’t call me to bail you out ever again.”
    “I should
have known you’d abandon me,” Penelope spit, eyes snapping with fury. “You want
me to fail. You’re just like mom.”
    “I’m nothing
like our mother,” Poppy said wearily, and she spun on her heel and walked out
of the room, with Rafe right behind her.
    When she
got to the elevator, he threw open his arms, and she sagged into him, all the
strength drained from her body.
    “Are you
okay?” he said. “Are you feeling like the queen of the world? Because I’ve got
to tell you, that was magnificent.”
    She
forced a smile. “I actually feel like throwing up, but I also feel an amazing
lightness now. I really don’t have to spend every waking minute worrying about
Penelope’s next disaster, do I?”
    “Never again.” His arms folded around her, warm and strong, and
she rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes.
     
    Now that she no longer had to worry about being Penelope’s
fulltime bail officer, she only had one little problem to deal with: the psycho
who was stalking the bakery and who very likely wanted to kill her.
     
     
     

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Twelve
    “Don’t say it,” Poppy scowled at Viola over the bakery counter. Rafe had spent the night at her house again, chastely. They’d
ordered in pizza and wings, and watched an old movie on Rafe’s laptop, and then
Poppy had tossed and turned all night, drifting in and out of sleep, waking up
exhausted and frustrated in a tangle of sheets. She hoped she hadn’t moaned in
her sleep. Or begged Rafe for sex.
    “What? That you guys should just hurry up and do it already?”
    “Yeah, that. Don’t say it.”
    “Okay, live like a nun, see if I care.  I’m going to go restock
the pussy pops. Customers have been just been eating those up.” Viola flashed
an evil grin at her.
    “Viola, language!” Poppy gasped.
    “Uh, Poppy, hello?” Viola waved her hand around the room.
“Remember where we are?” She grabbed the last chocolate vagina lolliop from the
display stand on top of the bakery counter, and held it up.
    “Eat me! Eat me!” she said in a high squeaky voice, thrusting the
lollipop towards Poppy.
    “Oh, my God. You were born to work at this place. Get away from
me, woman!” She turned and ran for the back of the store, with Viola chasing
her and waving the lollipop
    . “Hello?”
     Both
women froze in place and turned to see Jeff, standing in the middle of the
store, a look of amusement on his face. Viola held out the lollipop to him.
    “Chocolate vagina? Only $3.99. Plus tax. Cheapest  pussy in town.”
 
    Poppy made spluttering noises of indignation and fury, but Viola
ignored her, waving the lollipop under Jeffrey’s nose.
    He grinned and shook his head. “Thanks, I’m trying to cut back.
 Want some help here today? My fiancée is on a shopping rampage this
morning, so you really, really need me to stay here and help you, right?”
    Viola shrugged indifferently. “As long as you promise not to
deliver any lectures on Republican politics, you may stay.”
    Jeffrey scowled at her. “That will be no problem, as long as you
promise not to make any narrow-minded, cliché, incorrect assumptions about
people who don’t dress like they’re going to a funeral every day. And by the
way, Vampira, I vote Democrat.”
    Viola flipped him the middle finger and turned her back on him,
swiftly slicing open the tape on a cardboard box of vagina lollipops and
restacking the display rack.
    Rafe was
standing in the doorway of the bakery’s office.
    He walked
over to Poppy and slung his arm around her shoulder.
    “By the
way, look what I found behind Penelope’s desk drawer.” He held up