Fun with Dottie and Shay
My two favorite characters in Ruby Slips and Poker Chips are Dottie Gale and Shay Fields. Their chemistry and constant banter is intoxicating. Today I want to share a couple of scenes from their highlight reel.
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“So why am I an orange?” I pushed my hair over my shoulder knowing that unlike the police officer, my female powers worked on Shay.
He reached over and swept a stray strand of my hair over my shoulder. “Because you’re full of life. I can already tell.” The sides of his mouth crept upward into its crooked grin and his eyes swam with mischief. “And I know if you had your choice, you’d truck surf with me.”
“You are so wrong.” I picked up the drink sequins man brought over, lifted it to my lips and took a swig. The glass almost fell from my hand as the liquid poison ran down my throat. “Aggh! What is this?”
“Your test.” Shay took the drink from my hand and set it on the bar. A stray drop of the prairie fire ran down the side of the glass and onto the napkin below, seeping into the fabric. “To see if you’re an orange. I guess I was wrong about you. It’s been known to happen, as hard as that is to believe.”
“Give me that drink.” I mustered three tons of determination into my eyes.
“I don’t know if you can handle it. You must be a brown or even a gray.” Shay’s eyes were laughing at me now. His hat lay on his lap and somehow the first three buttons of his white collared shirt were now open, revealing the definition of his chest below. He was so cocky.
“Give me that drink!” I piled on another ton of determination, knowing he couldn’t resist.
The man beside me leaned toward Shay. “I’d give her that drink if I were you. And people wonder why I don’t date women. Too emotional.”
Shay handed me the drink and I downed it in ten seconds flat, despite the tears that flowed from my eyes. My throat burned and my vision blurred, but I proved that I was an orange, gosh darn-it—which I knew all along.
Pages 50-51 of Ruby Slips and Poker Chips
“Do you mind if I cut in?” Shay had his hand on my arm, tapping Buck with his finger.
“Actually, I do.” Buck whipped me around so my arm was ripped free from Shay’s hand. “I don’t see your name on her.” With those words, I wrenched myself free from the slave master.
“The tattoo shop a couple of doors down closes at three.” Shay moved around Buck toward me. “So I thought my name would look perfect in some type of flowery script right about here.” He pushed back my hair and kissed me on my neck sending a pleasant chill down my spine.
Buck grabbed my hand and yanked me away from Shay again, clutching me against his chest in a way that had me regretting not taking those self-defense classes offered at the community center last year. Although, I did have one trick up my pant leg. Turning toward Buck, I placed my arms around his neck, luring the fly into my web. When my lips met his, I heard Shay grunt behind me. Buck’s kiss became more forceful, but I had him exactly where I wanted him. With one swift soccer-style knee to the groin, I had him collapsing to the floor in pain.
“Remind me to always stay on your good side.” Shay touched my arm. “When I saw him grab you like that, I was ready to knock him out.”
“That’s why I took matters into my own hands,” I said approaching the Jeep. “You need to use a little more of your brain and a little less of your testosterone.”
“Now about that tattoo.” He brushed my neck with his fingertips again.
“You’re using your testosterone again. Do I need to knee some sense into you, too?” The engine sputtered when I turned the key, but with a couple of revs, it roared to life.
“Tempting, but no.”
Pages 99-100 of Ruby Slips and Poker Chips
To read more of Ruby Slips and Poker Chips: The Modern Tale of Dorothy Gale, click on the link below.
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