who actually wanted to know her. Since coming to New York, she had been subjected to some of the most ham-handed wooing since her uncle Smokey had proposed to his first wife while teaching her the rudiments of silage.
âIn my family,â she said slowly, âboring is boring. You have to be a character or you fade into the woodwork. So I became Dixieâwith some help from Granny Butterfield and Mama, that is. Between having Miss Texas and a fan dancer for tutors, andâwell, this is what you get.â She lifted her arms from the bath bubbles. âTa-da!â
Flynn smiled, one brow raised wryly. âItâs a pretty nice package, I must say. Youâve certainly knocked New York on its ear.â
âThe Sexiest Woman on Earth? Oh, thatâs nonsense!â
Flynn took a breath and let it out slowly, trying to fight down the feelings that were starting to bubble inside him again. It was hard watching her enjoy her bath. âYouâre the sexiest thing to come to this city in a long time.â
She slid over to the edge of the tub again. âDo you think so?â
He couldnât help leaning closer, longing to take her lips with his to see if they melted like cotton candy. âI think everybody thinks so.â
âJust because I have a sense of humor about my body? About sex?â Dixie shook her head, looking wise. She laid her forearms on the edge of the tub and floated on her belly. âListen, this is the body I was born with, so what am I supposed to do? Hide it because big breasts are politically incorrect right now? Hell, I might as well have a laugh at my own expense and enjoy it!â
âSome women would say youâre being exploited.â
âMaybe some women who take their clothes off are exploited,â she retorted. âBut I take care of myself. I donât jump into bed with anyone who comes along. I donât do bump-and-grind stuff or humiliate myself. If sex canât be fun, itâsâwell, it feels dirty to me, you know?â
âYou certainly look like youâre having fun,â Flynn agreed, trying hard to keep his eyes from traveling down the heaps of bubbles to get a glimpse of the body in question.
âI am having fun. Iâve got a life besides sex, though. Everybody assumes Iâm thinking about bedrooms all the time because I look the way I look. But I have a real life!â
âFlaunting yourself onstage?â
âThatâs not why Iâm here,â she began. âI mean, Iâve got a job to doââ
âActing like the new Marilyn Monroe?â
âNo! Yes. Well, maybe. Look, underneath the Texas Tornado act, everything is really pretty innocent, donât you think?â Her blue gaze was direct and challenging as she looked at him from the mounds of perfumed bubbles.
Flynn didnât feel the least bit innocent at that moment. All he could think about was diving into the tub with her and covering her talkative mouth with his own.
âIf you wanted to be innocent,â Flynn said slowly, âyouâd be wearing a nunâs habit around town instead of that big white hat and a push-up bra.â
âI do not wear push-up bras!â She sat up again.
âYou know what I mean.â
âNo, I donât! Hand me that towel!â Her temper began to blaze. âI have a body that gives out messages maybe I donât necessarily want to broadcast to the world, but I canât help the way I look!â
âYou could tone it down.â Flynn pulled a fluffy white towel from the heated rack and passed it to Dixie.
âWhy should I?â she demanded, snatching the towel from his grasp. âAm I supposed to be punished for having this figure?â
âNo, butââ
âShould I be forced to wear uncomfortable clothes because of the way I look?â
âWellââ
âI hate being told what to do!â
âIâm
Learning to Kill: Stories