Aquarius Unquenched
THE ZODIAC CLUB 12
by Tammy Valentine
Breathless Press
Calgary, Alberta
www.breathlesspress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or
persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Aquarius Unquenched: The Zodiac Club 12
Copyright© 2012 Tammy Valentine
Published by Breathless Press at Smashwords
ISBN: 978-1-77101-080-1
Cover Artist: Justyn Perry
Editor: Sandra Rychel
All
rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced
electronically or in print without written permission, except in the
case of brief quotations
embodied in reviews.
Breathless Press
www.breathlesspress.com
Aquarius Unquenched
THE ZODIAC CLUB 12
by Tammy Valentine
Izzy could feel three pairs of eyes boring into her, but she refused to look up. Instead she fixed her gaze firmly on the sheet of paper she’d just pulled from Sarah’s brown envelope and pretended to read. She held out as long as she could bear, but the electricity in the air quickly overcame her.
“Yep. Pretty spot-on, as usual, Jess.”
She slid the sheet back into the envelope and casually handed it back to Sarah, who took it from her with a puzzled expression.
“Is that it? That’s all you’re going to say?”
Jessica was having none of it. She wrenched the envelope from Sarah’s hand and waved it assertively at Izzy. “Oh no. That’s not all. You’re not getting away with it that easily. Come on, girl. Spill the beans.”
Izzy struggled to make eye contact and offered only a half-smile to her friends. Inwardly she cringed at the very idea of explaining to them exactly what had happened in Las Vegas. She’d vowed to herself that the whole Capricorn escapade would go with her to the grave—not least for the sake of her young friend Amy—but she could feel the pressure piling on her as the Zodiac Club members met for their regular debriefing.
“You can tell us, Iz.” Amy looked concerned as she leaned forward and reached out between the coffee cups to lay a hand on Izzy’s arm. “Was it really so bad?”
Bad? Oh my God. I can’t begin to tell you how not bad it was. Especially not you, Amy.
“No, not really. It’s just that there’s nothing much to report.”
Sarah shrugged dismissively. “So just another one-night stand, then?”
“I guess it had to be.”
“Had to be? Why?”
“Oh, I don’t know. It was too complicated to be anything else.”
Amy’s frown deepened. “Oh, Izzy. You poor thing. Was he married?”
Jessica let out a snort and corrected Amy. “Not a chance. Jack would never allow a married man onto the dating agency’s books. He’s got more integrity than that.”
“He might not know.” Sarah shrugged again as they all looked at her, considering her words. “What? So now a prospective client can’t lie on his application form?”
“It’s possible, Jess.”
“No way, Amy. Jack’s too much of a professional for that.”
Izzy cut through the bickering with a decisive tone. “I didn’t find him through Jack’s agency. He was a nice enough bloke, but it’s just not meant to be. Now, full marks to Jessica for her predictions about Capricorn, but can we leave it at that? Please?”
As soon as she’d finished, Izzy realized the tone might have been a little too forceful for her own good. The three faces around the table in their regular coffee shop booth looked chastened, and Izzy felt doubly awkward.
She glanced at her watch. “Look, I’m due to meet Jack at two, and I wanted your advice first. I think he might be getting suspicious.”
“What about?”
“The whole Zodiac Club thing, of course. I’m worried he’s sussed what’s going on.”
“What makes you say that?”
“I don’t know. It’s just that every time I go back there to find another date, he seems a little bit more put out.”
Jessica grunted. “Can’t see why. You’re pretty much keeping him in business with your trip through the zodiac.”
Izzy chose to ignore the comment. “Well anyway, I’ve decided it would be a good idea to mix things up a bit, just in case he has got a sniff of what we’re up to. I know Aquarius is meant to be next, but I thought I’d try a Pisces instead. Just so it’s not too obvious.”
There was a pause as the girls mulled this over. It was Sarah, the efficient administrator, who spoke first. “Well, we never said you had to follow the star signs in astrological order, did we? So you do whatever you want, honey. But are you really sure you want to carry on with this? Capricorn seems to have shaken you a little.”
Amy’s hand was back on Izzy’s arm. “Yes, you do seem a little distracted. And so secretive about this last guy.”