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“But surely they’ll stop After six, I would think”

She shook her head “My building isn’t like your building It’s a rental, so they can do whatever they want Whenever they want,” she added for emphasis

“What do you want to do?” he asked Was she angling to spend the night at his apartood—idea

“I was thinking ht They’ll have to have the pipes fixed by tomorrow”

He hesitated, wondering if the pipes were an excuse If so, he’d be a fool to resist “Sure,” he said

“Oh, goody,” she exclai “You won’t even know I’m here, I promise I’ll sit on the couch and watch TV And you can work, if you want to Or whatever”

“You don’t have to act like a little orphan girl,” he said “I’ll take you to dinner”

While she was in the shower, he went into his office and scrolled through his e-ht to return, but hearing the shower running and i Lola’s naked body, he couldn’t concentrate and tried to read Variety instead Then she appeared in the doorway, da her hair in a towel “Where do you want to go for dinner?” she asked

He closed his coht around the corner, and it’s one of ood”

A little later, seated in a booth, Lola studied the extensive et the oysters and steak,” he said “Do you like oysters?”

“I love theerly “Have you ever had an oyster shot? They take an oyster and put it in a shot glass with vodka and cocktail sauce We had them all the time when I was in Miami”

Philip wasn’t sure how to respond, having never had an oyster shot, which sounded disgusting but probably made sense to a twenty-two-year-old “And then what happened?” he asked It was a random question, but it prompted a response

“Well,” she said, putting her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hands, “you get really wasted And one girl—she wasn’t one of ot so drunk, she took off her shirt for Girls Gone Wild And her father saw it And he flipped out Isn’t that disgusting, knowing your father watches Girls Gone Wild?”

“Maybe he’d heard she’d done it And he wanted to know for sure”

She frowned “No one tells their father they did Girls Gone Wild But souys interested They think it makes them look hot”