I raised my hand, hesitated for a moment, then rapped on her door. It occurred to me that, even though I had never been in front of a firing squad, now I knew how it felt.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Skeeve, Bunny. Have you got a minute?”
The door flew open and Bunny was there, grabbing my arm and pulling me inside. She was dressed in a slinky jumpsuit with the neck unlaced past her navel, which was a great relief to me. When I called on Queen Hemlock in her bedroom, she had received me in the altogether.
“Geez! It’s good to see you. I was startin’ to think you weren’t ever comin’ by!”
With a double-jointed shift of her hips she bumped the door shut, while her hands flew to the lacings in her outfit. So much for being relieved.
“If you just give me a second, hon, I’ll be all set to go. You kinda caught me unprepared, and …”
“Bunny, could you just knock it off for a while? Huh?”
For some reason the events of the last few days suddenly rested heavy on my shoulders, and I just wasn’t in the mood for games.
She stared at me with eyes as big as a Pervect’s bar bill, but her hands ceased their activity. “What’s the matter, Skeevie? Don’t you like me?”
“I really don’t know. Bunny,” I said heavily. “You’ve never really given me a chance, have you?”
She drew in a sharp breath and started to retort angrily. Then she hesitated and looked away suddenly, licking her lips nervously.
“I… I don’t know what you mean. Didn’t I come to your room and try to be friendly?”
“I think you do know what I mean,” I pressed, sensing a weakening in her defenses. “Every time we see each other, you’re hitting me in the face with your ‘sex-kitten’ routine. I never know whether to run or applaud, but neither action is particularly conducive to getting to know you.”