The Path of the Crooked (Hope Street Church Mysteries Book 1) (37 page)
Read The Path of the Crooked (Hope Street Church Mysteries Book 1) Online
Authors: Ellery Adams
Tags: #mystery, #Bible study, #cozy, #church, #romance, #murder
Georgia stood in front of the chairs and grinned. “Thank you for coming to my first Pajama Party! As married women, we sometimes need to shake things up a bit, especially if you’ve known your other half as long as I’ve known mine. The way I see it? It’s our duty as wives to please our husbands and for our husbands to please us
.
So, in the name of marital bliss, I invite you to bring a little sizzle and a whole lot of
ooh-la-la
home to your hubby tonight. All purchases are private and will be conducted on a discreet, one-to-one basis in my kitchen. This is Lola.” Georgia gestured at the woman in black. “She’s given all of you order forms and pens. You’ll find them under your seats. Simply check off the items you’d like to buy as they are modeled for you. Now, is everyone armed with bubbly? Good, because this is not the time to be timid!”
A glass of champagne was shoved into Cooper’s hand. She took a grateful sip and, finally letting go of her coat, draped it over the back of her chair. The lights dimmed, the music was turned up a notch higher, and three voluptuous girls in their early twenties strutted into the room, wearing fishnet stockings and sexy silk nighties.
“Oh, my! I like the peach one!” A woman slid on a pair of reading glasses and uncapped her pen. “Would you look at that? They come in plus sizes, too. How nice! I can order one for my sister-in-law.”
The models did a brief twirl and then handed some of the ladies in the audience packets of panties to examine.
“Edible underwear!” One of the partygoers giggled. “Chocolate, strawberries and cream, vanilla caramel, and mocha. Charlie loves coffee. Should I try one?”
“Go for it, Dolores!” another woman coaxed her. “You heard what Georgia said. It’s our duty!” Both women laughed raucously.
The models returned wearing lacy bras and matching briefs. The women around Cooper muttered in approval over the ample coverage provided by the boy-cut briefs. “I thought this would be all about thongs and strapless bras. I could actually wear that outfit and not look too fat,” declared a woman Cooper believed was surely a size zero.
Pens scribbled on order pads. Cooper glanced shyly at the models and gulped her champagne, accepting a second glass from a tray that seemed to magically appear by her elbow just as she finished her first drink. The models were busily handing out black and red boxes labeled
Dirty Girl, Lover Girl,
and
Naughty Girl
. Each box contained a minuscule pair of panties, breath mints, a toothbrush, a condom, flavored body oil, a perfume sample, and two energy pills. The
Lover Girl
box also included a red feather and the
Naughty Girl
package came with a silk blindfold.
Cooper handed the boxes to her sister. “Are you getting any of these things?” she asked her while trying to get a clear view of the order pad on her lap.
Ashley shook her head. “I’m not feeling inspired yet, are you?”
“Inspired? I am totally weirded out.” Cooper guzzled more champagne. “I don’t need edible underwear,” she whispered.
Ashley scowled. “We’re here for
me,
remember? You don’t have to buy anything.” She examined the
Dirty Girl
box and passed it to the next woman.
Wire baskets filled with massage oils and scented candles found their way to Cooper’s row along with a serving tray loaded with truffles, bite-sized raspberry mousse cups, and strawberries dipped in white chocolate.
Amid all this excitement, the models came into the room for their encore wearing flowing nightgowns trimmed in lace. The cream-colored silk combined with the tight, brocade bodices produced an ethereal effect. Cooper was sorely tempted to make a mark on her order sheet, but something held her back.
“That’s
what I want!” Ashley was thrilled. “Something beautiful, captivating, utterly romantic. With white candles, that nightgown and robe, and maybe a gardenia in my hair . . .” She made hasty marks on her paper.
“Where are you going to get a gardenia in the middle of winter?” Cooper inquired.
Ashley smiled. “I know an excellent florist. I’ll look like a spring bride. Fresh and lovely. He won’t be able to resist me.” She reached over and squeezed Cooper’s hand. “Thank you for coming with me tonight. It turned out to be a success. Cheers!”
Tapping the rim of her glass against Ashley’s, Cooper realized that she couldn’t recall whether she’d consumed three drinks or four. Her cheeks felt warm and the upbeat music and high-pitched laughter of the women seemed pleasantly boisterous.
Still, Cooper was glad that Ashley was more interested in placing her order and getting home than mingling with her friends. By the time the models had taken their bows and clothed themselves in jeans and sweatshirts, Ashley had already paid for her purchases and said her good-byes.
“Everyone was glad you came,” she said to Cooper once they were back in the Lexus. “They all think you’re really pretty. Georgia told me that her little brother’s single and quite a catch—but I told her you were perfectly happy.”
“Thanks,” Cooper replied, her words slurring slightly. “I am happy.”
Kneeling beside her bed a half hour later, Cooper folded her hands together and prayed that her sister’s marriage worries would come to a quick and decisive end. “And if Lincoln’s avoiding her, please guide him back home,” she added. “Before he wanders too far.”
Books by Ellery Adams
The Hope Street Church Mysteries
The Path of the Crooked
The Way of the Wicked
The Graves of the Guilty
The Books by the Bay Mysteries
A Killer Plot
A Deadly Cliché
The Last Word
Written in Stone
Poisoned Prose
Lethal Letters
The Charmed Pie Shoppe Mysteries
Pies and Prejudice
Peach Pies and Alibis
Pecan Pies and Homicide
The Book Retreat Mysteries
Murder in the Mystery Suite
Writing as J. B. Stanley
The Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries
A Killer Collection
A Fatal Appraisal
A Deadly Dealer
The Supper Club Mysteries
Carbs and Cadavers
Fit to Die
Chili Con Corpses
Stiffs and Swine
The Battered Body
Black Beans & Vice
Ellery Adams’s books at Amazon!
About the Author
Ellery Adams grew up on a beach near the Long Island Sound. Having spent her adult life in a series of landlocked towns, she cherishes her memories of open water, violent storms, and the smell of the sea. Ms. Adams has held many jobs, including caterer, retail clerk, car salesperson, teacher, tutor, and tech writer, all the while penning poems, children’s books, and novels. She now writes full-time from her home in Virginia.
Contents
Excerpt from The Way of the Wicked
