Avery stretched out from beneath the blankets sensing a soft brush
against her cheek as her eyelashes fluttered open and she caught her
first glimpse of the delicate pink rosebud before her. Unable to
contain the smile that built up inside of her as Russell teased the
flower over the side of her face, Avery turned in towards him, feeling
him steal a kiss from her surprised lips to awaken her
completely. Curling her arm around his shoulders, she pulled him
in over her savoring the taste of his mouth upon hers as this was
exactly the kind of morning wake up she could get very used to for the
rest of her days.
“Good morning beautiful,” Russell whispered against their lips as his
mouth drifted just above hers, “how are you feeling?”
“Like I’m in heaven especially after that kiss,” Avery confessed
stretching out from beneath the blanket again before wiggling her toes
out from beneath the sheet.
“That’s exactly what I was hoping for,” he whispered moving away from
her as Avery gave him a puzzled expression watching him head towards
the bedroom door to exit as she sat up.
“Russ, where are you going?” she questioned in confusion finding
herself alone again for a brief moment before Russ returned with a tray
in hand and Rusty trailing at his feet, prancing along with a proud
kitten stride before the two joined her again.
“Rusty and I were very busy this morning,” he explained matter of fact
setting the tray aside on top of the new dresser that he’d purchased
for their bedroom after he’d opted to give the room a complete makeover
once Bruce had turned things into a nightmare. Now as he could
see contentment wash over Avery’s features, he decided that this was in
fact the perfect start to a beautiful morning with his wife in their
newly redecorated room.
“I can see that,” Avery turned her attention to the tray briefly
listening to the sounds of Rusty’s tiny meowing while Russell picked
him up off of the ground and set him on the bed beside Avery.
“Rusty did most of the work,” he grinned sheepishly, “I just kind of
supervised.”
“He did, did he,” Avery couldn’t help but laugh as she turned her
attention to her kitten scratching the top of his head as he began to
purr against her hand, “You did all this for mommy?”
“That he did,” Russell nodded in agreement reaching for the tray once
again and circling around the bed before he settled in beside Avery,
“and he hopes you’re hungry.”
“Now that you mention it, I think I’m starved,” she admitted bringing
her hand over her abdomen.
“Even better because we have a lot for you to choose from,” Russ added
lifting a lid off of on of the plates before her, “look tempting?”
“Boy does it ever,” she nodded in confession, “although I’m starting to
think my boys are spoiling me far too much.”
“It’s only because we love you baby,” Russ leaned over to kiss her
tenderly before motioning to the plate of strawberry waffles before
her, “Might I suggest we start with these as they seem to be Rusty’s
favorite.”
“Yeah I’ll bet they are,” Avery laughed lightly thinking about
Russell’s obsession with strawberry waffles growing up, “and I assume
you just had to keep him away from all of this whipped cream and
strawberries too, right?”
“I tell you, he was ready to eat it all, but I told him we had to
share,” he continued with a tiny laugh dipping his finger into the
thick pile of whipped cream before him.
“Share with me or with you,” Avery threw out a pointed look watching
him reach for another swipe of whipped cream once again, “Russ, you are
so cute. Do you know that?”
“Of course I do,” he stated matter of fact as he savored his latest
taste of whipped cream before fishing for another dip of it, “as I
happen to know first hand that it’s part of the reason you love me like
you do.”
“Maybe just a little part of it,” Avery laughed lightly watching him
raise his finger as if he was going to take another taste of it before
he shifted directions bringing the white, sugary topping down over the
bridge of her nose causing her to squeal in response. “Russ!”
“What,” he questioned innocently unable to mask his amusement with her
reaction as Rusty leapt off of the bed finding himself rather bored
with his parents antics as he opted to chase after the beam of sunlight
coming in from the window at the far end of the room.
“Now you’re just being silly,” Avery reached for a napkin moving to dab
her face with it.
“You happen to like silly,” he pointed out stealing the napkin from her
and wiping at her face before claiming another kiss from her lips.
“Okay, so maybe I do, but still I have to wonder what’s gotten you in
such a good mood this morning,” Avery confessed with a slow murmur
against his mouth.
“Truth be told I think it’s a lot of this nervous energy I have inside
of me coming to the surface and I figure what better way to get it out
than to spend the morning entertaining myself with my wife,” he offered
up smoothly reaching down to the waffles and cutting a quick bite to
feed her.
“I must say I do appreciate your line of thinking, although I’m going
to take a stab at this one here and say that this has something to do
with the fact that you’ve been up for a very long time thinking about a
lot of things this morning,” Avery eyed him intently as she pondered
his eager behavior.
“Yeah, I have actually,” he confessed situating himself on the bed as
he offered her anther bite, “as I had to call in to the paper this
morning and fax over the article I’d worked up on Grady.”
“I didn’t realize that you were going to have that done so soon,”
Avery’s eyes widened in surprise. “I thought you said you were
going to have someone else write that for you.”
“I thought I would considering how personal it was, but under the
circumstances I couldn’t help but feel inspired last night after you
went to sleep. I got up around four and I started working on it
and when it was finished I faxed it over. Then I realized I had
some time on my hands so I thought I’d do breakfast for us,” he
admitted openly thinking about how he would have to face the world
around him over the next couple of weeks.
“Even so, I can only imagine how hard that must’ve been for you Russ,”
Avery reached out to squeeze his hand gently, “I would’ve tried to help
if you would’ve let me.”
“And wake you out of the first peaceful sleep you’ve had in a long
time,” he gave her a pointed look, “Not a chance as that’s the last
thing I wanted to do to you. You’ve been through enough stress
lately and besides, writing is my thing, remember?”
“Even so writing a piece on your brother’s ‘dying’ however fictional it
might be can’t be easy for you,” Avery pointed out with a frown
munching on a piece of fruit from one of the bowls before her.
“Actually it was one of the hardest damn things I’ve ever done in my
life, but I know it had to be done. I figured if I could do that,
then the rest of this will go over smoothly. I mean, it just
feels so strange to have to pretend that he’s gone, but I know what it
is we’re fighting for,” he admitted with a sigh, “it’s just…”
“That you never wanted it to be like this. Russ, none of us did
and if you don’t think you’re going to be able to pull through this
like we’d promised Grady we would, then we can just go on that
honeymoon like Grady suggested. We can take some time away and no
one will question it…” she offered up hating to see her husband so very
torn up about the choices that Cameron had forced their family to make,
“We can take your parents along and let the world think we are going
through our own grieving process…”
“No, as tempting as that is, right now we need to find out how Cameron
is setting up Grady,” Russell explained determination in his tone,
“because once we do that, then we’ll have Cameron right where we want
him.”
“I couldn’t agree more, but that’s going to be easier said than done,”
Avery added thinking about the case she had before her, “Dave is
willing to give us some time here with our keeping Grady away, but
that’s only until we can find out who tried to kill him.”
“I know and with Cameron, we might never know,” Russ frowned thinking
about the situation they’d fallen into, “Granted Grady’s safe as long
as he’s out of town, but eventually someone is going to slip.
Cameron’s going to be looking for more answers and…”
“We have to be one step ahead of the game,” she nodded in agreement,
“which is why the sooner we find out what happened to Kipp Mahoney that
night, the stronger my case will be. If we can prove to the rest
of the world that Grady was no where near Kipp that night after the
party, then we can lay the groundwork for our theory that he’s been set
up.”
“That sounds like a great start except you and I both know that Grady
was bombed off his ass that night,” Russell frowned thinking back to
the night that damn near ruined his life, “I got into a fight with him
and then after he and Jade spoke with one another…”
“He was unaccounted for. I know,” she nodded once again, “but I’m
certain that he wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger that night.
I don’t think he’d shoot Kipp Mahoney. Granted he was upset with
things, but if Grady was going to kill someone that night in all
likelihood it would’ve been me.”
“Well that’s a refreshing thought,” Russ rolled his eyes in response as
a sarcastic groan spilled over his lips, “No your honor my client isn’t
capable of attempted homicide unless of course I’m the intended victim.”
“Hey, we both know it’s the truth Russ,” she turned to look at him
seeing the mixture of emotions behind his eyes, “regardless of where I
stand with Grady now, that night was about a lot of emotion.”
“I wish I could take that night back as it would’ve changed so many
things,” Russ confessed with a heavy sigh thinking to that turning
point in his life.
“Hey, we got past the situation we were facing and Grady will too,”
Avery insisted eagerly, “in fact, the more I think about it, the more I
realize we can do this. You and I can find a way to prove that
your brother is innocent and I think I know the perfect way to start.”
Russ gave her a long contemplative glance before finally waving his
hand at her, “Go on. I’m listening.”
“Well, I think the key to it all is starting at the scene of the
crime,” Avery stated simply as though it was the most obvious of
solutions to the problem at hand, “only then will we be able to take a
stab at learning the real truth about the night that your brother was
set up.”
“That’s not a half bad idea,” Russ agreed pondering it for a moment,
“maybe there is something that the police missed.”
“Given the things that have been happening in this town lately,” she
threw him a very pointed look, “trust me on this one Russ, Grady needs
us to do a little detective work on his case here.”
“So I take it we’re on our way over to the penthouse Kipp Mahoney was
staying at before the shooting took place,” Russ watched her finish off
the piece of waffle she’d swiped from him in his moment of
contemplation.
“Exactly. We do a little detective work of our own and we don’t
leave until we find exactly what we’re looking for,” she stated
decidedly ready to do whatever was necessary to prove that Grady was no
where near capable of the things that Cameron wanted the world to
belief about him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Deidra entered her office wishing that she could find a way to help her
mother through the obvious heartbreak she was going through, but as it
stood she didn’t even know where to begin in helping her mother after
the previous evening’s upset. Now she was just hoping she could
find a way to at least help her mother push the memory of her failed
romance with Rick aside long enough to get things back on track with
the both of them as it had been far too long since they’d had some
happiness in their lives. Of course unfortunately they both had
the same kind of horrible luck that lead them to heartbreak, but maybe
in time that would change.
“Yeah right,” Deidra grumbled to herself working her way around her
desk to check her messages when there was a knock on the door, “Come
in.”
“Morning,” Shannon muttered under her breath stepping into the office
as it seemed that she’d found herself less than comfortable in the
nurse’s uniform her undercover mission had placed her in on this
particular morning.
“Rough night?” Deidra questioned arching a curious brow as she watched
the way in which Shannon staggered into her office.
“I’ve had better, but what else is new around here,” Shannon shrugged
her shoulders simply, “the question is how are you doing?”
“You mean other than being a complete and total basket case about my
own life?” Deidra offered up a weak smile, “Well, truth be told I’m a
bit worried about my mother. She was seeing this guy for a while
and things didn’t work out…”
“Sounds like the story of my life,” Shannon remarked offhandedly
slumping down into the chair across from Deidra.
“I take it you had a really, really bad night huh,” Deidra noted
watching the woman assigned to help protect her.
“Pretty much,” Shannon nodded in confession, “ever experience the
horrors of first date disaster?”
“Far too many times than I care to admit,” Deidra offered up in
confession, “and anyone who tells you they haven’t is lying.
Believe me.”
“Yeah well I think I now remember why I gave up on dating to begin
with,” Shannon sighed heavily slumping further back into the chair.
“I take it he was a nightmare, huh,” Deidra questioned eager to bury
herself in something other than her own worries about her personal life
for a while.
“No,” Shannon confessed openly as her tone shifted, “he was amazing,
but this irritating, annoying, pain in the ass woman that stepped into
our dinner and ruined everything.”
“I know of her, but it doesn’t go much further than that, though the
rumors say quite a lot about her,” Deidra noted with the beginnings of
a frown.
“Yeah well there you’re very lucky as I’ve had the misfortune to keep
crossing paths with her. First with Brant and now with my date
last night,” Shannon shook her head in frustration, “of course the
worst part of it is as much as I’d like to wring Heather’s neck, I feel
like I have myself to blame for things going all wrong.”
“Want to talk about it,” Deidra questioned simply as Shannon’s eyes
returned to hers with an abrasiveness tacked on to them.
“Not particularly,” she paused, “though it just burns me to no end that
I always stress being honest in a relationship and yet I meet this
really nice guy and the first thing I do is put my foot in my mouth and
tell him this completely untrue story about myself. I mean okay
so maybe I didn’t really lie to him as he made a lot of conclusions all
on his own, but still, I knew better than to not set him
straight. I mean sure I could use the assignment I was on as an
excuse for not being up front with him, but maybe I wasn’t letting him
know who I was because I’ve just been too uninvolved in the world
around me for so long that I wasn’t ready to take that leap.”
“It sounds like maybe this situation got under your skin,” Deidra noted
watching Shannon spout off her thoughts out loud.
“Maybe a little,” Shannon sighed feeling another groan overtake her, “I
just hate losing something that I think has a chance to…”
“To what?” Deidra watched Shannon fall into silence.
“To start somewhere,” Shannon frowned as she shook her head, “This
sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?”
“No, not at all. It’s actually kind of refreshing,” Deidra
admitted catching the scathing look that Shannon shot her, “What I mean
is that it’s nice to be able to have a conversation with someone where
they aren’t asking me if I’m falling apart or treating me like I’m this
china doll that’s going to be shattered at any instant. It’s just
been a longtime since I’ve been able to just have an adult, real life
conversation with someone where they weren’t centered around my bad
choices and this is kind of refreshing in that sense.”
“I’m glad it’s productive for something,” Shannon frowned again, “but
then again I suppose if my dating life is doomed for failure, then at
least someone should get something out of it--even if it’s nothing more
than amusement.”
“You want my honest opinion here,” Deidra arched a speculative brow.
“Do I have a choice,” Shannon countered taking note of the expression
on Deidra’s face.
“Not really, but hey, a little advice never hurt anyone,” Deidra
pointed out feeling confident in her words as she tried to help Shannon
clear her thoughts.
“So they say,” Shannon muttered under her breath.
“Hey, if you’re not interested,” Deidra shrugged her shoulders simply.
“No, go ahead. Lay it on me. What’s on your mind?”
“Well I was thinking that it sounds to me as if you wish things
could’ve gone better with this guy as he obviously made some kind of
impact on you. It would be a shame to not at least give it one
more try because hey as I said before first date disasters happen to
everyone. If he’s truly as great as you think he is, then maybe
he’s worth going out on a limb for. I’m sure he’s not perfect
either and if Heather Gibbons was trying to get in the way of your
dinner, then he must be someone worth getting to know better as I’ve
heard she had very incredible taste in men if nothing else.”
“Considering she was engaged to Brant Ashford that kind of speaks for
itself,” Shannon frowned again thinking about her own failed
relationship with Brant. Sure, that had been a long time ago and
she certainly wasn’t ready to roll down that nightmare course again,
but with Diego, he seemed really different, really in touch with who he
was and perhaps if she could find a way to work him past that initial
feeling of betrayal, then maybe things could have another go.
“Well?” Deidra questioned as if breaking through Shannon’s
contemplations.
“Maybe you’re right,” Shannon decided as determination carried over
her, “Maybe I’ll give it another try. I think I‘ll pay him a
visit later and give this another go.”
“See, now there’s the spirit,” Deidra cheered her on as she rose from
her seat, “Now since you’re feeling so very brave, what do you say we
get a jump start on seeing the first patient of the day?”
“Please tell me it’s not a delivery you’ve got scheduled,” Shannon
pleaded with her remembering all too well how the previous morning had
given her plenty to be squeamish about.
“Don’t worry Shannon. It’s only a routine checkup this morning,
so hopefully things won’t be too much for you,” Deidra added with a
sympathetic smile.
“Thank God because I don’t know how many more screaming women in the
throes of the endless torture of delivery I can deal with here,”
Shannon admitted wrinkling her nose with heavy displeasure, “Although
maybe after another day of that, I might actually decide to say to hell
with it as far as the whole dating thing goes.”
“Oh now, don’t try to find a way to chicken out already,” Deidra threw
out a stern expression before handing Shannon the chart that she’d
picked up from one of the other nurses on the way to her office, “as
we’ve got lots of work ahead of us.”
“Wonderful,” Shannon muttered reluctantly following Deidra out of her
office as she wondered how it was she always managed to get caught up
in these sort of things in her life.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Blake stepped into the kitchen unable to put her mother’s journal down
as she’d stayed up most of the night thumbing through the
entries. Suddenly Blake had found herself swept up in a world of
mystery that she hadn’t ever imagined possible where her mother was
concerned as it seemed as though she’d never truly known a thing about
her mother. Okay, so maybe in having lost her so long ago that
was a fair statement for Blake to make, but with the journals, it
seemed as though she’d tapped into a private part of her mother that no
one else knew--that no one else had ever known and for that Blake had
been completely engrossed in discovering more about the woman who’d
been so very absent from her life.
“And here I sit unable to refrain from thinking about what it means to
have his arms around me--to feel his breath against mine as his kisses
scorch me--to know what it is to have him with me touching me and
holding me as if this was how it was always meant to be,” Blake read
aloud as she sank down at the table completely wrapped up in the
passage as she could feel her own pulse racing with emotion, “If
Nicholas ever knew, then I’m certain that this would be my
downfall--that I would lose everything, but in moments like these I
would give my last breath to be able to lock the feel of him with my
forever--to be carried away from the world of obligations and
responsibilities I’ve pushed upon myself and just be his forever…”
“Good morning Squirt,” Brant’s voice called out to Blake causing her to
nearly leap out of her skin as she turned to find her brother standing
over by the kitchen counter eyeing her with curiosity. “What are
you up to this morning?”
“I was just reading,” Blake answered quickly watching as he stepped
towards her, brimming with his own interest about what was keeping her
so detached from his arrival.
“Reading what?” he questioned watching as the color rose over her soft,
pale features.
“Nothing,” she blurted out quickly stuffing the book into her purse as
she met his eyes once again.
“Nothing?” he repeated giving her a strange look, “Judging by the shade
of crimson you are right now, I’m going to guess that it’s more than
nothing Blake. What gives?”
“It’s just…” Blake found herself at a loss struggling to come up with
some sort of appropriate answer as she wasn’t ready to share her find
with her brother or anyone for that matter just yet.
“Yes?” he inquired again reaching out towards her purse as a teasing
grin expanded over his features. “Let me take a look.”
“Don’t you dare!” she swatted at his hand pushing it away from her
purse as she clenched her purse to her chest protectively.
“Why are you so worried about my seeing it Blake?” he questioned in
confusion.
“Because it’s embarrassing okay,” Blake blurted out feeling the heat
burning at her cheeks, “I was reading another one of those romance
novels that you and Kenny always felt the need to tease me about
growing up and I just don’t want you to do it again, okay?”
“Were we really that bad,” Brant frowned taking a seat beside her as he
reached for an apple from the center of the table.
“Yes, yes you really were and I’d just as soon avoid that kind of
mortification again if that’s alright with you,” she huffed in response
turning her eyes away from him as her pulse was still racing at the
heat that had been generated by the passage she’d been reading.
“Well, I have to say I haven’t seen you this worked up in a
while. It must be a good one,” Brant noted catching no response
from Blake before he eyed her intently as if trying to decipher her
thoughts, “Though something tells me there’s a reason that you’ve taken
to reading romance novels again as you haven’t done that in a long
time…not unless you’re having a bad time with the men in your life…”
“You don’t have to rub it in Brant,” she scowled back at him, her blue
eyes cutting an icy glare in his direction.
“So that’s what this is about,” he replied with a knowing stare before
his features shifted, “okay who do I have to kill for hurting my
sister?”
“You don’t have to kill anyone as I really don’t want to talk about
it,” Blake remarked stubbornly clenching her purse to her chest.
“The hell I don’t. You’re obviously wound up and I want to know
why,” Brant insisted once again sensing something behind what she
wasn’t saying, “Blake, come on. You know I’m only concerned
because I love you so much and I want the best for you.”
“I’m beginning to wonder if that’s something that’s ever going to
happen in my life anymore,” she sighed with heavy exaggeration as she
finally faced him again, “My life is a disaster Brant.”
“Oh sweetheart, it’s not that bad,” he scooted his chair over to bring
his arm around her shoulders as he could see she was hurting over
something, “You can tell me what’s wrong. You know I’ll only
break the guy’s legs once…maybe twice if he’s really done something
horrible.”
“Brant,” she let out a pinched laugh at his attempt at teasing her
before she leaned in against his chest, “It’s just…well, the truth is
that last night Seth and I broke up.”
“Really?” Brant’s eyes widened in surprise, “But I thought things were
going so well. The guy seemed crazy about you.”
“Or just crazy to want to be with me in the first place,” Blake sighed
forcing herself to sit up straighter as she met his eyes once again,
“He loves me so much Brant, but like an idiot I blew it.”
“Now why would you say something so silly? If the guy doesn’t see
just how good he has it, then forget him. You deserve so much
better,” Brant waved his hand dismissively at the thought.
“No Brant, I don’t think I do,” Blake sniffled wiping at her cheeks as
her tears returned to her, “as Seth is really everything that any woman
could ask for in a man. He’s loving, caring, handsome and so very
wonderful, but I’m just a moron.”
“You most certainly not. No sister of mine would ever be dubbed
such a horrible title. I simply won’t hear of it,” he stated
firmly pulling her into another embrace, “I just think you’re being too
hard on yourself Blake.”
“Not nearly hard enough,” she admitted tearfully, “When Kenny called me
last night, he told me that Zack married Johanna over in Seattle while
they were out there checking in on his father.”
“He did?” Brant’s eyes widened in surprise as he thought to his words
of warning to Johanna to get that loser out of Blake‘s life, “Well, hey
that only proves he wasn’t worth your love and devotion in the first
place, right?”
“Maybe,” Blake shrugged her shoulders simply, “but I was just so upset
because it meant that Zack and I would never be and given how long I
waited to have a chance with him… Well, to make a long story
short, Seth was there when I was falling apart and he saw what Zack
being married did to me and I guess it was just too much. He told
me he felt like he was my second choice and he couldn’t live like
that. He walked out on me and said it was over.”
“Just like that?” Brant watched the tears pour down her face as he
reached out to her again, “Oh Blake honey, everything is going to be
okay.”
“No it’s not,” she sobbed harder, “If I’d only been able to make up my
mind sooner and be sure of where my heart was…”
“Blake, no one is ever really sure,” Brant offered up sympathetically,
“They just like to believe they are and usually that’s the time when
things blow up in their faces.”
“You’re telling me,” Blake sniffled again as she tried to pull herself
together, “so as you can see, I’m in the midst of a romantic crisis all
because I was dumb enough to find two very wonderful men that I wanted
to share my life with.”
“Well hey, let me ask you something,” Brant threw out on the table as
she wiped at her tears, “Now that you know how things are, has that
cleared up any of those conflicts you’ve been having about where your
heart is?”
“Do you think I’ve had time to really think about that one,” she huffed
in response, “Brant, I’ve just lost both the men in my life and now I’m
faced with the fact that I’m just a big loser.”
“Blake, you’re not a loser. You aren’t any of the things that
you’ve been saying about yourself and if things were really meant to
work out with one of those guys, well then it would’ve happened by
now,” he paused thinking about Zack and Johanna’s wedding feeling a
breath of relief past his lips that Zack would no longer be around to
ruin Blake’s life, “In fact, you know if you’re really feeling this
upset, I could always arrange for another spa visit for you.”
“Brant, a visit to the spa isn’t going to fix this. Nothing can
until I can figure out what’s going on inside my heart. Only then
will I be able to move forward--even if the men I love have already
done that without me,” she slumped over on the table top with an
exaggerated groan.
“Tell you what Blake. How about I have a talk with Seth and see
if I can set him straight?” Brant suggested thinking about the other
man in his sister’s life.
“No, you can’t do that!” Blake squealed upon the request, “That’s
absolutely out of the question!”
“Hey, I’m only trying to help,” Brant pointed out with a shrug, “as
it’s my job as your big brother to do these things.”
“If things are going to work out with Seth it has to be because I’m one
hundred percent committed to our relationship and as it stands I
haven’t been able to give him that,” Blake admitted poignantly, “he
deserves no less than that and unless I’m sure I’m ready for that, then
I don’t want to waste his time.”
“Does that mean that you’re thinking about trying to find a way to
salvage what’s left of the thing you two have going on with one
another?” Brant arched a curious brow.
“It means that right now I need to get in touch with who I am before I
can take a step forward,” Blake thought aloud wondering if that day
would ever truly arrive in her life after the string of bad choices she
had behind her.
“Well when you do that, let me know because you know I’ll always be
there for you Squirt every step of the way,” he stood up from the chair
he was seated in upon checking the time. Leaning down to kiss the
top of her head gently, he reached out to tuck his finger underneath
her chin to urge her to look at him, “Until then try not to be so hard
on yourself, okay?”
“I’ll try,” Blake offered up weakly watching him leave to get ready for
work as she wondered if there would ever truly be a way to find where
her heart was leading her before it was too late for love in her life.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jenna sipped her coffee wondering if it would have the same calming
effect it usually did on her after the night she’d had at her
apartment. With the police hanging around until the break of dawn
on top of her father’s uninvited arrival, she was fit to be tied to say
the least. She’d wanted to strangle him and that feeling had
stuck around with her most of the night into the morning as well when
Hart had urged her to take the day off, yet Jenna couldn’t find it in
her to skip out on work yet again. It just didn’t feel right to
stay home because at least at work she could feel like she was
accomplishing something other than fighting the urges to share with her
father what she really thought about him all over again.
“Knock knock,” a voice called out to her as Jenna looked up to see
Diego standing in her doorway with his same pleasant disposition, “got
a minute?”
“Sure,” she waved him inside of her office, “how did you know I was
needing a good therapist this morning? Well, that or a good
defense attorney as I’m about ready to kill my father.”
“Ah, the man of the hour,” Diego noted with a strange expression, “as I
was actually coming down here to have a word with you about him.”
“What has the son of a bitch done now,” Jenna frowned finding her
tolerance and patience where Douglas Mahoney was concerned flying out
the window more and more with each passing moment.
“I take it he’s worked a number over on you,” Diego noted the scowl
that tarnished her otherwise flawless features.
“No more than he has everyone else in his family,” Jenna confessed with
a huff, “but that seems to be the name of the game with him.”
“I take it you heard something more on your brother, huh,” Diego
questioned sensing something dark brewing behind her expression.
“Well, let’s see, where do I start? Hmm, I suppose I could begin
with the fact that my father is not only a waste of airspace, but he’s
sleeping with Cameron Stone’s executive assistant and that in itself
puts everyone close to him at risk even if he refuses to see it,” Jenna
blurted out with obvious distain, “or we could go to the fact that last
night I got a package hand delivered to my apartment with a finger
inside and a note warning me that this is what happens to those who are
close to Douglas Mahoney.”
“You mean someone sent you a finger in the mail?” Diego’s jaw dropped
in astonishment.
“More so they decided to drop it off on the porch and the FBI is laying
odds that the finger belongs to my brother who is probably dead thanks
to Cameron Stone since we both know what he‘s all about,” Jenna added
bitterly as she clenched her fingers in fists on her desktop.
“All too well unfortunately,” Diego thought to the man who’d ripped his
happiness away from him a few years ago as thoughts of his beloved
Maria passed through his mind.
“Oh Diego, I’m sorry,” Jenna began with a gasp realizing what she’d
said as she could see the pain register in his features.
“It’s okay. I mean it’s not okay, but I’m well aware what you’re
up against especially if Cameron is involved in your life even
indirectly,” he nodded accordingly, “as that man spells trouble.”
“Exactly, which is why I don’t understand why my father has taken to
bedding that she-devil, but apparently that’s his way of saying that
he’s just as soon have his family destroyed since he’s a selfish,
manipulative bastard who only cares about himself,” Jenna added with a
hiss feeling her nails dig into her skin as she fought to keep her
anger from overwhelming her. “But enough of that, what can I do
for you Diego?”
“Actually, maybe this can wait,” Diego started feeling a hesitance
overtake him as he thought of Jenna’s obvious agitation with her father.
“No, go ahead and lay it on me as I’m more than eager to find another
reason to let loose on Douglas,” Jenna waved him on encouragingly,
“Whose life has he managed to destroy this time?”
“Well,” he paused for a brief moment before letting out an unsteady
breath, “it’s not so much what he’s done yet, but more so what he’s
going to do.”
“Which is?” she questioned again.
“Heather Gibbons is pregnant with your brother’s child,” Diego stated
simply watching a flash of something pass over Jenna’s features, “and
it seems that now your father it ready to see to it that Heather will
never get a chance to be a mother to her child.”
“What?” Jenna’s eyes widened in astonishment, “You mean he’s going to
take Heather’s baby away from her?”
“That’s what the papers he had his lawyers send to Heather implied,”
Diego nodded thinking back to Heather’s night of hysterics at the
thought of losing her child.
“But he told me he didn’t even believe that Kipp was the father--that
he didn’t feel that Heather had any kind of connection to my brother…”
she trailed off thinking about the brief time she’d shared with her
father, “but I’m guessing those were all lies as well.”
“I don’t know Jenna, but Heather’s already in a bad situation.
She let Cameron convince her that getting married to him would save her
from something like this, but…” Diego began feeling tension creep in
over his neck and shoulders.
“Heather’s married to Cameron Stone?” Jenna’s jaw dropped as she found
herself unable to mask her surprise, “Since when?”
“Not long ago,” Diego sighed, “I don’t think she was in her right mind
when she did it as he’s nothing but a master manipulator, but
regardless of my warnings she married him and now I think she’s seeing
what a mistake it was.”
“Wait a second,” Jenna waved her hand out in the air as a thought
occurred to her, “this all makes sense. Douglas was misleading me
to think that he didn’t care if that child belonged to Kipp, but now
that Heather’s married to Cameron…well, they have to be in on this
together. They’re just seeking out a way to ruin Kipp’s life and
in using her as a little game of theirs, well either way my niece of
nephew is going to be screwed, aren’t they?”
“Look Jenna, I didn’t come in here to go over the hows and whys, just
to try to see if you could help me get your father to back off on
Heather. Despite the fact that she’s married to Cameron, she’s a
woman in some need of serious help. She loves this child already
with all that she is and if she loses her baby…” Diego began making a
desperate plea for Heather.
“If she’s married to Cameron then chances are she’s already lost that
baby Diego. We both know that,” Jenna stated bluntly thinking
about the evils of the man they’d grown to despise.
“Even so, I can’t turn my back on her. Heather’s a friend…” Diego
began again.
“Who just so happens to be pregnant with my brother’s child,” Jenna
added with a frown as she thought about the situation at hand, “Truth
be told Diego, there’s no reasoning with my father and if he’s serious
about this, then he’s not going to back off one bit.”
“I’m well aware of that, but I thought that maybe if you spoke with
him…” he started again, “I know it’s asking a lot, but maybe just
maybe…”
“He doesn’t want to hear what I have to say. He’s made that
apparently obvious,” Jenna admitted thinking of her father’s selfish
actions, “though maybe if he truly means what he says about wanting to
be a father to me, then perhaps he’ll listen to what I have to
say. He’s already ruined Kipp’s life and if he has any shred of
decency, then maybe he’ll steer clear of his grandchild’s life so that
the baby doesn’t end up like Kipp or worse.”
“Do you really believe he’ll just walk away?” Diego watched her
expression change as something was clearly going on in her head.
“Probably not, but maybe by the time I’m through speaking with him,
it’ll give him some perspective. If not, at least it will give me
some peace of mind in getting out what’s been bothering me for quite
some time,” Jenna replied realizing that she had some unfinished
business with her father that needed to be dealt with sooner rather
than later.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Heather stomped her way into Cameron’s office not giving a damn about
the warnings his secretary had thrown out to her about him being busy
as she’d found herself far too wired up to listen to yet another feeble
excuse as to why her husband wasn’t around. This was the end of
her tolerating his absences as Heather was going to demand his full
attention and by every power she had about her, she was going to make
him listen!
“Mrs. Stone,” she could hear his secretary chasing after her, but that
would not thwart Heather’s mission to seek Cameron out as she threw
open the doors to his office finding him seated at his desk with Thea
standing over his shoulder.
“I should’ve known,” Heather hissed as her eyes narrowed in Thea’s
direction, “is this why you haven’t been around?”
“Excuse me,” Cameron glanced up from the papers before him seeing
Heather in a fury as Thea stood upright from the position she’d been
seated in at the corner of his desk.
“Is this why you haven’t been coming home?” Heather demanded raising
her voice with each word that spilled from her lips.
“Heather, you’d be best to watch your tone,” he warned sharply as Thea
snickered in over his shoulder.
“Oh come on Cam. It looks like your wife has her panties in a
bunch,” Thea mused with a wicked smirk while throwing Heather a
taunting expression, “so really there’s no need to be shy about what’s
been happening around here.”
“That’s enough Thea,” Cameron warned sharply before directing his
attention to Heather once again, “and I think it’s time that you and I
have a talk Heather.”
“Fine because from the way things have been lately I was under the
impression that you weren’t interested in any kind of conversation with
your wife,” she remarked sourly throwing a glare out in Thea’s
direction as Thea hovered in over Cameron’s shoulder watching Heather
like a hawk, “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”
“As a matter of fact she does,” Cameron answered for Thea before waving
his hand at Thea dismissively while not bothering to look away from his
wife, “good-bye Thea and lock the door on your way out.”
“But Cam…” Thea began curling her lip in a pout.
“We’re finished in here Thea,” he glanced over his shoulder at her
throwing out a stern warning glance, “I’d like to speak with my wife
alone now.”
“Fine,” she huffed reaching for the papers she’d brought with her to
the office before marching out with obvious agitation before slamming
the door behind her.
“Heather,” Cameron spoke his wife’s name in an attempt to keep his
voice sounding cool and even as he turned towards her to offer up his
attention, “what can I do for you this morning?”
“For starters you can begin by explaining where the hell you’ve been
lately. You say you’re coming here to the office and then when I
call they say they can’t find you or your service picks up and while I
know you’re dedicated to your company, no one works that much
Cameron. I’m not stupid, so how about we start with you being
honest about where you’ve been?” Heather demanded.
“My my…” Cameron shook his head offering up an ironic chuckle, “so the
honeymoon is over and marriage sets in.”
“That would have to start with your actually being around for it to be
considered a marriage. Of course given your current behavior I‘d
have to make the assumption that you aren‘t man enough for the job
these days,” Heather shot back at him standing her ground as her anger
overtook her.
“And here I thought we had an agreement about things,” Cameron rose
from behind his desk making his way towards her as he held his hands at
his side, “Have I not offered you unlimited funding to start up your
company? Have I not provided you with a secure lifestyle that
opens you up to everything that you’ve ever hungered for?”
“That’s irrelevant to what I’m saying and you know it,” Heather stood
her ground seeing something burning behind his eyes as he bridged the
distance between them.
“No Heather, I don’t think it is as I’ve held up to my end of the
bargain. I’ve given you what you’ve asked for in our arrangement
and that in itself should prevent you from bursting into my office and
making a mockery of me in front of my staff with your wild
accusations,” Cameron’s voice darkened as he glared at her.
“I’ve been trying to reach you for days Cameron as this was supposed to
be a partnership, not me doing it on my own with you always away,”
Heather began to pout feeling something spark from his dark eyes as he
reached out to her seizing her arms harshly.
“What’s wrong Heather?” he questioned in a menacing tone shaking her
with each word, “Is it not enough for you to be able to buy everything
that you’ve ever wanted? Not enough to be given the opportunity
of a lifetime built upon my hard work?”
“Cameron, let go of me,” Heather pushed against him only fueling the
fire behind her husband’s sudden rage as he shoved her in against the
couch set up in the far corner of the room.
“What’s wrong Heather? Am I not giving you enough attention yet,”
he growled as his fingers dug into her arms flinging her down onto the
couch as fear began to shine behind her eyes. Moving in over her,
he pinned her down beneath him squeezing away at her arms as he hovered
over her needing an outlet to channel his frustrations upon.
“Cameron stop,” Heather began in a state of shock feeling his weight
upon her as his mouth dropped down over her neck kissing her roughly as
he tore at her designer dress taking no liberties with manhandling her,
“Cameron please…”
“What? Isn’t this what you wanted?” he dared as his eyes grew
wild with some kind of primal force that Heather had never witnessed
before in her husband, “Isn’t this what you were seeking? For
some kind of husbandly attention? Well, I’m giving it to you now
Heather,” he forced his hand up her thigh in a rough, jerking movement,
“this is how you wanted me to respond to your little temper tantrum,
isn’t it?”
“No, Cameron stop,” Heather cried out feeling his weight crushing down
upon her as he continued to assault her with his anger.
“Stop,” he repeated with a wicked laugh watching her squirm beneath him
as her cries intensified with each movement he made over her, “but now
Heather wasn’t it you who came here demanding that I be a man and give
you what you need?”
“Cameron I…” Heather started in a panic.
“You were completely out of line and I think it’s time I start putting
you in your place where you belong,” he commanded of her wrenching away
underneath her dress as Heather cried out in horror.
“Cameron stop it!” she screamed louder than she’d intended unable to
contain the fear that his sudden actions had pressed upon her as she
felt him commanding complete control of her.
“Shut up,” he warned her sharply as her whimpers continued and his
features tightened, twisting into something completely foreign to the
man Heather had married.
Suddenly the room seemed to smolder with hellish fires from within as
Cameron felt all his frustrations mount and build into the explosive
blow that he delivered across Heather’s cheek to shut her up. He
watched her cry out in protest once again as he reached for her arms
pinning her down more completely on the couch as he vowed to continue
teaching his wife the ultimate lesson in control where their marriage
was concerned one way or another.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Blake carefully closed the door behind her as she made her way inside
the Ashford guest house. While she’d been careful not to give
herself away with Brant, she couldn’t help but find herself mesmerized
by what she’d happened upon with Seth. Sure, maybe it gave made
her a voyeur in on her mother’s life, yet as she found herself unable
to turn away from the pages before her, she began to wonder if she was
more like her mother than she’d ever thought possible. Could it
be that her mother had experienced a similar situation? One that
lead her to ultimately love with Blake’s father or was it that her
mother was plagued with regret, much like Blake felt for the loss in
her life with Zack and Seth?
“Oh mom, how I wish you were here to help me right now,” Blake sighed
plopping down into the chair before her as she pulled the book out of
her purse. Slowly, she trailed her index finger in over the cover
before a breath caught in her throat, “How I wish you could help me
understand what it is that my heart is trying to tell me? How I
wish things could be easier…”
Unable to take it any longer, Blake reached for the journal opening it
up to a new entry as her blue eyes searched the page, “Tonight I think
I made a mistake. I knew that I shouldn’t be doing it, but there
he was. We were hosting the Christmas party and I’d heard he was
in town again, but I never imagined that he would be so bold to show up
uninvited. Nicholas had no idea that he was around, but I could
feel it in the air the moment he stepped into the mansion. I
could sense it on my skin with the warmth that his arrival had stirred
up inside of me. I tried to ignore it--tried to run, but once
again, he wouldn’t be denied. I tried to pretend that I wasn’t
effected by him, that his overwhelming presence didn’t touch me, but
the moment he kissed me underneath the moonlight I knew that I was
forever lost. I knew in that instant I would allow him to take me
anywhere…”
Blake’s eyes widened as she felt her throat go dry. Reaching for
the bottle of water she’d been drinking on the walk out to the guest
house, she raised it to her lips as she continued to read.
“Nicholas was off with our guests charming them as he often does
completely unaware of the sins I’ve committed--of the ways in which I
betrayed him tonight. I knew I shouldn’t have gone to the guest
house with him, but there were so many feelings I couldn’t fight any
longer--so many things I could no longer deny and as we made love, I
silently cursed myself for stepping away from my marriage vows. I
know that I shouldn’t have betrayed Nicholas in such a horrible way,
but I had to let him know--I had to spend just one last night in his
arms or else I was certain I would die never knowing what it was I
truly was meant to see. After it was over I swore to the both of
us that we would never allow such a thing to happen again and I left
him once more this time swearing him out of my life forever yet knowing
in my heart that in denying my heart the opportunity to love him, I’d
just walked away from the only man I’d ever truly allowed myself to
love in every sense of the word,” Blake finished reading the passage as
she sank back further into the chair unable to contain her tears as it
seemed that her mother knew exactly how Blake felt. She had two men in
her life, one she loved and the other one she was obligated to so it
was a different story but with a similar situation. She closer her eyes
and sighed as she thought about her life, "Oh mother, how do I know
what to do? How do I make sure I don't make the same mistake? Mom, give
me a sign on what to do!"
Blake ran her hands through her hair and pulled her knees up to her
chest. She sat like that pondering the thoughts that could change her
life. She needed to figure out her life before it came to a point she
no longer had a choice. She convinced herself she wasn't going to leave
that chair unless she made a decision once and for all.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Cameron sank against Heather’s body feeling her grow rigid beneath him
as a smirk spread over his features upon hearing her tiny
whimpers. Slowly he rose up from her shoulder watching the trail
of tears track down her face. He pushed one of the damp droplets
upon her cheek away with the pad of his thumb memorizing the moment as
Heather finally understood what it meant to be his wife. Unable
to suppress the feeling of pride that overtook him, he reached out to
cup her cheek gently. Cameron smiled at the moment never finding
her more beautiful than he did in this second in time when she was
finally seeing the way things were to be for them.
“Shh,” he instructed pushing her tears away as his hushed tone
commanded her complete attention, “now sweetheart, I’m sorry that
things had to be like this, but hopefully now you’ll understand what I
mean when I say not now…”
“But how could you…” she began trembling beneath him as her throat grew
dry in this moment of realization between them and she found herself
unable to keep from crying.
“You needed to be taught a very important lesson and I had to be the
one to show you,” Cameron continued lazily tracing her features as his
grin widened, “but I’m certain that after today we won’t be having
these kind of problems again, now will we?”
Heather remained silent feeling a shudder pass over her at the way he’d
touched her, the way he’d forced himself upon her when all she’d been
asking for was a little of his time--a little of his help, but now as
the memory of him was still inside of her another kind of fear overtook
her. Closing her eyes she strained to come up with anything at
all that she could say to change the situation, but all she could feel
was the weight of Cameron’s body over hers, the pleasure he’d taken
from her protests and the way it had been when she’d tried to make him
stop forcing her to buckle under his urgings.
“I believe the appropriate answer in this situation is, ‘Yes
Cameron. I understand and I can assure you that I won’t ever act
out of line this way again,’ now isn’t it?” he taunted her pushing off
of her as he adjusted his pants watching the way in which she turned
away from him lost in her tears, “Oh Heather, I know it’s upsetting,
but you left me no choice.”
“You had no right,” Heather wrapped her arms around her body straining
to pull together the last ounce of dignity from within as Cameron rose
from the couch leaving her to feel cold and alone as she struggled to
find the strength to get up--to pull herself together and get as far
away from him as possible, yet all she could do was cry endlessly
wishing that she hadn’t sought out her husband to begin with.
“No right,” he repeated with an amused chuckle as he spun around to
face her again, “I’m your husband and I have every right to all that
you are. I own you Heather and I would’ve thought by now you’d
see that.”
“You’re sick,” Heather found the courage to spit out at him as she
forced herself up off of the couch pulling at her tattered dress in an
attempt to shield herself from anymore of his torture.
“Sick as I might be, the fact remains that you’re still my wife--a fact
that you were very eager to remind me of when you came into my office
in a fury,” Cameron threw back at her reaching out to cup her face in
his hand as he forced her eyes upon him, “and besides, you can’t tell
me that I haven’t given you a life better than the one you were living
before you met me. No one else would give you what I have.”
“No one else would’ve done this,” Heather kept her arm across her chest
trying to hide the shame she’d felt in having been assaulted by her
husband.
“Oh no, they would’ve done much worse,” Cameron mused with a wicked
smirk, “as William had a whole new string of adult films set up for you
before I did you this favor. I rescued you from that and for that
you should be grateful.”
“What?” Heather’s jaw dropped in horror as Cameron seemed to relish in
the knowledge he’d presented her with.
“Don’t tell my you actually believed I didn’t know about your screen
time out in Hollywood,” Cameron knelt down before her brushing his
fingertips over her shoulder and down her arm causing her to shudder
upon his contact with her skin, “Oh yeah baby I knew all about your big
screen debut and all about the arrangement you made with your agent
when you first started.”
Heather said nothing as she tried to look away from him feeling as if
she’d been slapped in the face yet again by the viscous tone he was
using with her. Closing her eyes, she felt her breath catch in
the back of her throat as her stomach began to grow queasy with the
moment Cameron’s laughter flooded her ears.
“Sure maybe Brant wasn’t smart enough to figure out what you were all
about, but I am. I’m not stupid Heather and I always, always
investigate any and all business ventures that I enter into,” Cameron
continued to taunt her, “and that’s exactly what you are Heather--a
business venture that I can do with as I please.”
“You bastard,” Heather threw her fists out at him in a rage flailing
her arms in the air wildly before he seized her wrists forcing her up
off of the sofa.
“I own you Heather, so get used to it,” he mouthed heatedly drawing her
in against him, “It would be in both of our best interest if you see
fit not to forget that or else things will turn even uglier than you
felt they were today,” he felt her whimper once again in understanding
as he hugged her to him proudly, “besides, you can’t tell me you didn’t
enjoy that far more than you did all those other nameless faces in your
past that keep returning to haunt you on the shelves of video stores in
Los Angeles where things are far less conservative than they are here
in Coral Valley.”
“You make me sick,” she spat out behind her tears, “All I wanted from
you was for you to protect me like you promised--to help me now that
Douglas has…”
“Now that Douglas has what?” Cameron paused from his train of thought
as he felt her sobbing into his chest. Pushing her away just
enough to see her face, he questioned again, “What has he done?”
“He’s going to take my baby away from me,” Heather sobbed harder than
before as Cameron found himself in a moment of complete
understanding. “He had papers sent over and…”
“Oh Heather,” he gasped unable to contain his surprise as he pulled her
into his arms completely, “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to be with you
when the papers came.”
“Sure you are,” Heather scoffed pushing away from him as she wiped at
her face, “You lied to me Cameron. You promised me that you
wouldn’t let any of this happen, but now it is…”
“He’s not going to get his hands on your baby,” Cameron vowed watching
her disbelief, “I swore to you that he’d never be able to do that and
I’m going to hold true to that.”
“Why should I believe anything you have to say,” she questioned in
confusion feeling as if something changed in him as his eyes took on a
more nurturing expression.
“Heather, you’re my wife and this child is a part of our family,” he
reached out to her watching her wince as he began to collect her in his
arms.
“No, we’re not. You don’t believe that,” Heather argued thinking
about what he’d just done to her.
“Yes, I do,” he forced her to look up at him, “Heather, I only do what
I do because I want to make you understand. Don’t you see that
when you came in here making those wild accusations about my
relationship with Thea, it drove me crazy? For you to think that
I don’t care about you… Heather, do you have any idea how far
from the truth that is? How insane you can drive me with your
words?”
“I…” she started unsure of what to do or say as he reached for her hand
bringing it up to his chest.
“Heather, you’re my wife and I just want you to understand that if we
work together, we can accomplish anything. That’s what I’ve been
trying to show you--that when you put your faith in me, we can do
anything. We can fight anything that comes our way and we won’t
let Douglas win this ridiculous battle he’s initiated,” he eased his
fingers into her blonde hair, “You must believe that.”
“I don’t know what to believe anymore Cameron,” Heather admitted unable
to contain her tears as he spoke in such a tender, loving tone after
showing her the monster he’d unleashed a short while ago.
“Believe me when I tell you that I won’t let Douglas get his hands on
your baby. I‘ll do everything in my power to make sure that never
happens,” he whispered solemnly pulling her into an embrace as a
crooked grin pressed over his features upon the realization that the
battle was about to begin for him leaving him ready to unleash the
worst in his quest to destroy Douglas Mahoney forever.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“You sure you can handle this?” Russ questioned feeling a flash of
worry as he perused his wife’s attire finding himself a bit uneasy
about the plan they’d come up with on the way over to the uptown
apartment complex that Kipp Mahoney had been staying at until the night
of his shooting.
“Russ, do you doubt my charms for a second,” Avery threw back at him,
curling her full, luscious lips in a flirty pout. She extended
her newly painted nails out over his shirt, teasing over the buttons
while she batted her eyelashes at him.
“No and that’s the problem,” he confessed with a frown, “What if the
loser working security decides that you’re quite tempting in that getup
and he tries to do something I‘m going to have to kill him for
attempting?”
“Russ, you don’t have to worry about it,” she waved her hand at him
dismissively listening to her high heels clicking on the pavement as
she thought to the mission at hand, “All I’m going to do is flirt with
him long enough to get us upstairs and then you can work on the rest.”
“I still don’t like it Avery,” Russ continued to protest as he opened
the door to the marble floored lobby before them.
“Trust me sweetheart, this is going to work,” Avery promised blowing a
kiss out in his direction before adjusting her dark sunglasses just
enough to give off that air of mystery she was hoping to convey as she
strode through the lobby making her way over to the security
station. Adjusting the ties on Russell’s oversized black trench
coat she’d twisted his arm into letting her borrow, she held her head
up higher thinking of the goal they’d set out for themselves as she
cleared her throat in an attempt to gain the security guard’s attention.
“Excuse me,” Avery threw out in a sultry tone, allowing the shoulder of
the coat to fall from her shoulder to reveal her bare skin just enough
to raise an eyebrow from the security guard as she leaned in over the
desk ever so slightly, “perhaps you can help me with something.”
“Yes,” he questioned with a gulp setting aside the comic book he’d been
reading as his gaze dropped down to the part in the front of Russell’s
jacket where Avery was certain to tempt him with just the right amount
of cleavage to capture his full attention. “What can I do for
you?”
“Well,” she let out a flirty giggle as she leaned in closer to him,
“you’ll never believe what I did earlier before I left to go shopping?”
“What’s that?” the guard questioned with obvious interest as the coat
slid further down Avery’s shoulder.
“Silly me. I left my purse upstairs and well, truth be told it’s
caused a big damper in my mood. I just can’t have that happening
now can I? Especially not when I was shopping for something to
wear under this old thing,” Avery raised her hand to her cheek feigning
embarrassment. She could see the guard practically salivating
upon her words no doubt wondering just what she wasn’t wearing beneath
the trench coat as Russ was easing his way towards the stairs just
beyond the guard’s post.
“You don’t say,” the guard grinned wildly unable to contain his
amusement as his eyes dropped down to her breasts again causing Avery
to fight the urge to groan at his lecherous stares.
“Oh but I do,” Avery nodded in confession, “and not just that, but
well, I forgot my key up there as well. I’m new in the
neighborhood and wouldn’t you know it, I’m completely helpless right
now.”
“Oh I don’t think I’d go that far,” the guard prompted pretending to
have more interest in her tale than Avery was certain he did as he
seemed to be insistent upon undressing her with his eyes.
“Then you give me far too much credit than I should be having after
such a silly mishap,” Avery casually glanced over in Russell’s
direction watching as he stopped just short of the staircase looking as
if he was going to blow their plan apart with the way he was glaring at
the security guard. She waved him on from beneath the desk before
she focused on the security guard once again.
“Sweetheart, I’d be more than willing to give you more than credit
right about now,” he muttered as Avery began to trace her index finger
up over the top of the trench coat while giggling in a stereotypical
bimbo fashion.
“Hmm, now that does sound very tempting,” she lowered her sunglasses a
bit as she read his nametag, “Ian, but I must confess that at the
moment I’d really settle for my room key as it’s getting a bit chilly
underneath this jacket if you catch my drift.”
“I think I’d like to,” he grinned from ear to ear eyeing Avery with an
obvious hunger as she parted the top of the jacket just a bit further
to give him a glimpse of the black lace bra she’d been sporting
underneath.
“How about we start with your letting me upstairs and then we’ll work
our way up to what comes next,” Avery winked at him tapping her nails
on the desktop as she motioned to the computer, “so what do you say?”
“I think I can work on that,” he decided practically drooling as he
clicked away at the keyboard before him. “Where did you say you
were staying again?”
“I didn’t,” she answered simply realizing that she was slipping out of
the role she’d placed herself into much sooner than she’d hoped for as
the security guard gave her a strange look, “I mean I’m staying in the
penthouse. My company rented a few of them out and well…”
“I’m going to need some identification to let you up there,” the guard
remarked seriously as Avery curled her lip in a pout.
“I already told you that I left my purse upstairs,” Avery explained
taking off her sunglasses and setting them down on the desktop as she
batted her eyelashes at him, “Certainly you should have some kind of
methods for dealing with situations like these.”
“Actually, I’m new here,” the guard confessed with a frown, “and I was
told not to let anyone up unless they were able to provide some kind of
identification--especially not to the penthouse.”
“Well what if I told you that my employer was the one providing me a
place here? Would that help?” Avery questioned with a pout, “As
I’m sure Mr. Stone would be less than thrilled to know that I wasn’t
able to get to my things after he was expecting to meet with me in the
next half hour.”
“Mr. Stone,” the man repeated suddenly growing quite serious as he sat
up straighter in his chair, “oh, well let me see what I can do.”
“Please do,” Avery urged him on watching as he clicked a few more
keystrokes before looking to her once again.
“You must be Ms. Denton,” he half questioned as Avery offered up a
quick nod.
“That’s right,” she added catching a glimpse of the monitor as Susan’s
name flashed upon the screen, “I’m Susan Denton.”
“In that case, I suppose bending the rules just this once won’t hurt
anything,” the guard slipped her the spare key offering up a wink as
she accepted it, “but don’t tell anyone that I did this for you.”
“Don’t worry Ian. Your secret is safe with me,” she smiled once
again before heading towards the elevators and getting inside noting
the way in which he watched her every step of the way making no qualms
about hiding his enjoyment in watching her so completely.
Once the doors closed, Avery let out a breath of relief as she pushed
the button for the basement ready to get back on track again. The
doors opened soon after as Russell stepped inside handing her the bag
of clothes they’d brought with them on the way over. Reaching for
it, Avery discarded the trench coat feeling a tiny shudder rush over
her as she reached for the blouse she’d packed in the bag.
“For the record I hated absolutely every second of that while I was
waiting downstairs because it left me wanting to kill that jerk,” he
blurted out with a frown having taken a detour to the lower level as
they’d discussed on the way over to the building.
“So did I Russ,” Avery confessed finishing with her blouse as she
turned to him, “but that’s irrelevant right now because I did discover
something very interesting.”
“Yeah, what’s that?” he questioned gruffly.
“It turns out that our crime scene is now Susan’s apartment,” Avery
held up the key the guard gave her, “Not only has she moved in on
Kipp’s job, but she’s living in the same place he was staying at when
he came to town. Coincidence?”
“I think not,” Russ added with a frown, “though something tells me that
Susan knows more about this than she’s willing to let on.”
“Of course she does because you and I both know that she’s looking for
a chance to bury Grady again,” Avery continued with a scowl.
“Still, if Susan’s living there now, well how in the hell are we going
to find any evidence from the night of the shooting? I’m sure
that Cameron’s covered all the bases if he’s moved Susan in,” Russell
continued thinking about the flaws in their plans for proving his
brother’s innocence.
“We might not find what we set out to discover, but if Susan’s staying
there, I have no doubt in my mind that we’ll uncover some of Cameron’s
dirty little secrets and maybe just maybe one of them will lead us to
clearing Grady’s name and taking Cameron down forever,” she stated
confidently as the elevator doors opened alerting them to the fact that
they’d at the penthouse area.
“In that case, after you,” Russell stepped aside allowing her to exit
the elevator first as he realized that she had a point. One way
or another they were going to find a way to shake up Cameron’s world
and teach him a thing or two about the true meaning of misery.
