The Wives of Beverly Row 1: Lust Has a New Address Read Online Free PDF Page B

practices?” Ariel said. She knew she was being nosy but Zola had made her curious.
    “Oh no,” Zola said, raising her hands and shaking her head. “I have to be very drunk before I’ll talk about all that crap.”
    Ariel nodded. “Sorry, I shouldn’t pry.”
    “Oh, don’t worry about it,” Zola said. “I’ll tell you what, let’s go out for a drink tonight and I’ll talk. I’ll tell Trudy and Veronica. It will be a better chance for you to get to know them, since the party was such a fail!”

VIII
    A RIEL LOOKED AT HERSELF IN the hall mirror one last time.
    “I’ll be back by ten, Becky.”
    Becky was setting herself up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and a bunch of romance movies.
    “Sure, mom. Have fun.”
    Ariel took a deep breath as she stepped out of the house. Zola was waiting in the driveway in a white convertible Mercedes. Ariel hopped into the seat next to her.
    “So where are we going?” she said.
    She was surprised at how excited she was to be going out for a few drinks with the girls. She’d spent two whole days thinking that her entire neighborhood hated her. She was delighted that Zola and the other women still wanted to be her friend.
    “We’re just going to pick up Trudy and Veronica and head into Hollywood. Is that cool?”
    “Perfect,” Ariel said as she put on her seatbelt.
    Zola had a funny way of driving. Trudy Luxton’s house was barely a hundred yards from the end of Ariel’s driveway but Zola lunged the convertible forward at a high speed before immediately jamming on the brakes. The tires actually squeaked as they came to a halt.
    Ariel loved the look of Trudy’s home. It was modern with a lot of polished white concrete and large windows.
    “Nice place,” she said as Trudy hopped into the back of the car.
    “All in my settlement,” Trudy said and laughed.
    “Trudy had one of the best divorce lawyers in LA,” Zola said. “Apparently he worked for Robyn Moore when she broke up with Mel Gibson.”
    “Wow,” Ariel said.
    “Twenty-two years I was married to the son of a bitch,” Trudy said.
    “Wow,” Ariel said again, “You hardly look old enough.”
    “I was eighteen when we got hitched. Biggest mistake of my life.”
    “Tell her how old he was,” Zola said as she pulled down Veronica Roycroft’s driveway.
    “Fifty-six.”
    “Holy cow,” Ariel said. “I hope you got every penny you could out of him.”
    “I got what I deserved,” Trudy said. “You have no idea how humiliating it is to be divorcing a seventy-eight-year-old. The whole court looked at me like a hooker. But after twenty-two years I’m ready to make up for lost time.”
    “She’s not kidding,” Zola said.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Oh, you’ll see at the bar,” Zola said. “Trudy doesn’t waste any time.”
    “I spent my entire youth sleeping with an old man. I can’t believe I did it. Now I’m getting what I wanted all along.”
    “Young men?” Ariel said, trying to keep back laughter.
    “Young cock!” Trudy said. “And lots of it.”
    “Trudy!” Zola said.
    “Well, you brought it up.” Trudy shook her hair back. “That’s right girls. I’m a cougar and proud of it.”
    “She’s already made her way through half the pool boys, paper boys and garden boys within a ten mile radius,” Zola said.
    “And believe me, I’m going to make my way through the other half too. Just watch me.”
    All three of them were laughing when Veronica climbed into the backseat next to Trudy.
    “What did I miss?” Veronica said.
    “Zola was just filling Ariel in on my sexual preferences,” Trudy said.
    “Oh no,” Veronica said, “and we haven’t even started drinking. I can already tell where this night is headed.”
    *
    T HEY PULLED UP OUTSIDE A very trendy looking place on Melrose called Plush Palace. Zola threw the keys to the valet and the four women walked into the bar like they meant business. More than one set of eyes rose to meet them as they came in. It was a