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week, I would guess.” He curved the
    lower half of his face into a grim smile. “Try to think
    of it as a well-deserved vacation, not as a discipli-
    nary action.”
    Audra suppressed a sigh. “I understand, sir.”
    Woodburn took a nervous sip of his coffee.
    “There’s . . . uh . . . one other thing,” he continued,
    licking his lips. “Regarding the . . . uh . . . wardrobe
    malfunction? That’s not likely to happen again, is it?
    Because it poses . . . uh . . . all kinds of problems. I
    DIARY OF AN UGLY DUCKLING
    37
    mean, this is a men’s correctional institution and—”
    “I know, sir. It’s not appropriate for a woman to—”
    “Oh, it’s not that,” Woodburn said, dismissing her
    femininity behind another quick gulp of his mug.
    “It’s a question of maintaining authority and order
    here, Marks. This is a prison, not a comedy club. Im-
    pressions and wisecracks are fine, but they are sec-
    ondary to the realities of what we do. Just lose
    weight or buy the right size or . . . whatever . . .” His
    eyes found hers. “Right?”
    “It won’t happen again,” Audra said quickly be-
    fore the man could skip down this yellow brick road
    any further. She cut another surreptitious glance
    Bradshaw-ward, but if the size of Audra’s ass was of
    any interest to him at all, she couldn’t read it on his
    face.
    Woodburn shifted his attention to Bradshaw, too.
    “How are you adjusting, Bradshaw? I suspect Man-
    hattan Men’s is a walk in the park compared to Up-
    state, huh?”
    “Yes, sir,” Bradshaw said, filling the room with
    his mellow baritone for the first time. Audra turned
    toward him, reveling in the sound of his voice, but
    again, the man wasn’t looking at her.
    He hadn’t spoken to her, hadn’t looked at her at
    all, not even when she was wiggling her ample hips
    Mae West style . . .
    Audra frowned, suddenly unsure. Maybe it was
    just being in Woodburn’s office. Or maybe he was
    concerned about being involved with anyone who
    was accused of brutality and now relieved of duty.
    Or maybe . . . maybe . . . maybe her mother was
    right, and he didn’t like the way she looked—
    38
    Karyn Langhorne
    Audra smoothed a nervous hand over her hair and
    then along the crease of her new uniform pants. She
    licked her dry lips, wondering if she still had the
    nerve to vamp up to him with the lines of a movie on
    her lips. Abort, abort, abort , something in her brain
    was screaming, and Audra was inclined to obey.
    “Anything else?” The deputy warden’s eyes
    flicked over them both one last time, dismissing
    them. “If not . . . thank you, Officers.”
    And before she could even turn to glance at him,
    Art Bradshaw had unfolded his big, tall body and
    made a quick, silent exit.
    “There’s a speed limit in this state, mister—uh—I
    mean, ma’am.”
    Audra stopped short. There was no doubt who
    was speaking—there was no one else in this silent
    office corridor far from the day-to-day activities of
    prison life.
    Relieved of duty, after leaving Woodburn’s office
    Audra had changed back into street clothes and was
    about to leave the building when the big man’s voice
    arrested her, not far from the officers’ break room.
    Audra whirled around, staring into the man’s
    face in surprise.
    He was so handsome, with those liquid amber
    eyes and perfect bow-shaped lips . . .
    “There’s a speed limit in this state. Forty-five
    miles an hour,” he repeated, and then paused,
    clearly waiting for her response.
    Speed limit? There wasn’t a statewide speed limit,
    and in the city the limit was more like thirty or
    thirty-five.
    DIARY OF AN UGLY DUCKLING
    39
    “Come on, Marks,” he rumbled at her, a glimmer
    of playfulness in his eyes. “ Double Indemnity , re-
    member?”
    Audra cleared her throat.
    “How fast was I going, Officer?” In her nervous-
    ness and surprise, her voice was less Barbara Stan-
    wyck and more hoarse whisper, but somehow even
    that felt loud in this quiet