Needless to say, this was an unexpected . . . and unpleasant . . . surprise.
“Urn . . . Actually I was just getting ready to go out.” I managed politely.
She took it well. In fact, she seemed to brighten at the news.
“That’s a great idea!” she said. “Hang on a few and I’ll duck back to my room and change and we can go out together!”
“Urn . . . Bunny . . .”
“To tell you the truth, I’ve been starting to go up the walls a little myself. It’ll be wonderful to get out for a while, especially with you, and …”
“BUNNY!”
She stopped and cocked her head at me.
“What is it, Skeeve?”
“I … actually . . . well . . . I have a date.”
The words hung in the air as she stared at me with eyes that had suddenly gotten very large.
“Oh,” she said finally in a small voice. “I … Then I guess I’d better be moving along.”
“Wait a minute, Bunny,” I said, catching her as she started for the door. “Maybe tomorrow we can . . .”
There was a soft bampf in the room behind us, and we turned to discover that my date had arrived … at least, I assumed she was my date. I could think of no other reason for a creature appearing in my room that looked like that.
She was pale, even paler than Queen Hemlock, which only served to accent the deep red lipstick she wore. She was short, though her hair nearly made up for it as it rose from the top of her head in a thick dark wave before cascading all the way down her back well past her rump. Her body was heart-stopping, abundant to the point of exaggeration on top, narrowing to an unbelievably tiny waist before flaring into her tidy hips. It would have been noticeable in any situation, but her dress made sure it wouldn’t be overlooked.