by J. S. Cooper
“So she has a dimple, so what?”
“So does the lady in the street.” I sighed. “Didn’t you look? That woman in the photo is the same one who’s been begging in the streets.”
“You think so?” He frowned and then closed his eyes. “Let me think.” He stood there for a few seconds as he pictured the woman he’d just seen. His eyes popped open and he stared at me, staggered. “It’s the same lady.”
“I always wondered about her.” I ran to the window and looked down at the street. “She’s been there, in that spot, for the last year or so, and I always had a weird feeling about her. She’d always quote Bible verses at me, and she never really looked like someone that should have been in the street. There was one time I saw her and I noticed that she had perfectly even, straight, white teeth. I always wondered how her teeth were so white when it was unlikely that she brushed them twice a day and who knows how often she went to the dentist. I barely go every few years and . . .” I shook my head in disgust. “I can’t believe I didn’t suspect her before.”
“I mean, what would you have thought?” Jakob sat down on my couch. “What was there to think?”
“Why is someone that appears to have money begging in the streets?” I groaned. “I’m an idiot.”
“Should we go down and see who she is?” he asked me softly.
“Yes, let’s.” I nodded.
“What if she’s your mother?”
I rolled my eyes. “My mother is dead, Jakob. You need to get over this fixation you have about my mother and your father. Larry obviously lied. Why can’t you just accept that? My mother didn’t have an affair with your dad. The beggar in the street is not my mother. The lady in the photograph is not my mother. My mother’s dead. I don’t know that lady from Eve.” I was about to pull him up from the couch when my phone rang. I saw Rosie’s name and groaned.
“Don’t answer it.” He shook his head. “We don’t have time right now.”
“I’ll tell her I’m going to call her back.” I shook my head. “Hey, Rosie.”
“Bianca, where are you? I’ve been calling you.” She sounded frantic. “I was worried about you after our call. You never called me back.”
“I met up with Blake.”
“Blake, your history-nerd friend?”
“Yes, I told you the history department was calling me. We went and got a coffee.”
“Did you change your locks? How are you feeling? Do you want to come over and stay with me?” She kept rambling and I quickly interrupted her flow of words.
“Rosie, can I call you back?” I sighed. “You won’t even believe what I found out today.”
Her voice rose. “What did you find out?”
“There is no Mattias Bradley!” Jakob frowned at me and shook his head. I turned around and ignored him. “David created him.”
“What?” Rosie’s voice dropped. “He what?”
“Let me call you back, I have to go downstairs. There’s a lady following me.”
“What?”
“There’s a lady watching me.”
“Watching you?” Rosie repeated slowly.
“It’s a long story. I’m going downstairs to confront her now.”
“How do you know she’s watching you?”
“I . . .” I paused as Jakob’s hand went across my mouth. I turned to him with a frown and his eyes were a deep, fiery midnight blue as he shook his head. “I’ll tell you later.” I sighed. “I’ll call you later.”
“Bianca, wait.” Rosie sounded worried. “Shall I come over?”
“No, no. It’s fine.”
“Bianca, hurry up,” Jakob hissed at me.
“Who’s there with you?” Rosie’s voice rose.
“What do you mean?”
“I just heard someone in the background.”
“No, no.” I lied. “Maybe the TV.”
“Okay.” She sounded doubtful.
“I’ll call you, okay.” I hung up quickly. “What are you playing at?” I frowned at Jakob.
“Don’t give away all your secrets.” He frowned. “You don’t know who you can trust.”
“I can trust Rosie. She’s my best friend.”
“Uh-huh.” He walked to the window. “Well, there goes our biggest clue.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your beggar lady just hailed a cab.” He sighed. “And for some reason, I don’t think she’ll be back.”
“Shit.” I ran to the window and watched a yellow cab pulling away from the curb. The pavement directly in front of the apartment was now empty. The strange woman was gone. “Maybe she saw us watching her.” I stared at his blank expression. “Maybe she realized I’d caught onto her.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
“Wait.” I froze as I remembered something that Larry’s wife had said. I put my fingers to my lips and grabbed Jakob’s hand, leading him to my bedroom.
“Oh, is tonight my lucky night?” He grinned as he spied my bed. I rolled my eyes and guided him into the bathroom, closing the door behind us. I turned on both sinks and the shower.
“Get in,” I whispered, and pointed to the shower.
“What?” He frowned as I stepped into the shower with all my clothes on.
“Get in.” I eyed him and wiped the water away from my face as my hair and clothes started to weigh me down.
“Okay.” He grinned and I watched as he peeled all of his clothes off. I couldn’t keep my eyes off his body as he stood there naked in front of me and stepped into the shower.
“You didn’t have to get naked.” I licked my lips nervously.
“You don’t look so comfortable with your clothes on.” He grinned and leaned into me. “Why are you in a shower with your clothes on by the way? That’s an odd way to try and seduce me.”
“I’m not trying to seduce you,” I hissed, and my body trembled as he pulled my black skirt down. “What are you doing?”
“Getting you more comfortable.” He threw the skirt onto the floor and then grabbed my top. “Don’t you feel better now?” he whispered in my ear as he pulled my top off.
“Jakob,” I moaned as I felt his cock pressing against my stomach.
“Why are we in here, Bianca?”
“I think my apartment is bugged,” I whispered in his ear. “I went to visit Larry’s wife and she told me her house was bugged, and I figured if they bugged her place, maybe they also bugged my apartment, and maybe that’s how that lady in the street knew to leave. Maybe she’s working with the same people who are behind everything.”
“Hmmm.” He nibbled on my earlobe. “I suppose that makes sense.”
“Jakob,” I groaned as I felt him unclasping my bra. We were both now naked in the shower.
“Yes, Bianca.” He growled as he hands clasped my butt cheeks and pulled me into him.
“What are you doing?” I moaned as he pushed me back into the wall, his fingers running up and down my back.
“What do you think?” His mouth found mine and he kissed me hard, his tongue entering my mouth at the same time that his hand ran in between my legs.
“I—oh!” I cried out as he slipped a finger inside me.
“You’re wet.” He laughed against my lips.
“We’re in the shower.” I moaned and bit down on his lower lip.
“So?” He growled and picked me up. “Wrap your legs around my waist.” He growled and pushed me back harder. “Hold on to my shoulders so you don’t slip,” he commanded me, his eyes dark with desire.
“Jakob,” I moaned as I wrapped my arms around his neck, my breasts pressed against his chest.
“Yes, my dear?” He kissed me again as he guided his cock inside me slowly.
“Ooh,” I cried out as his hands moved my hips slightly and he filled me up.
“I’ve wanted to do this since I saw you today.” He grunted as he moved his hips back and forth urgently. “You’re mine, Bianca.”
“Jakob,” I cried out as his cock slid in and out of me with
ease. “Oh, Jakob.” My fingernails dug into his skin and I tightened my legs around him.
“Fuck.” He pulled out, his breath coming heavy. “Give me a second.” He kissed me furiously.
“What happened?” I whimpered, needing to feel him inside me again.
“I’m close to coming already,” he growled. “What do you do to me?”
“I don’t know.” I held his face in my hands. “What do you do to me?” I muttered, not believing how easily my heart was opening up to him again.
“Give me a second.” He grabbed a bar of soap and I slid down off him. He ran the bar of soap all across my body, cleaning every inch of me and scrubbing my skin with his hands.
“You don’t have to do that,” I gasped as he continued to clean me.
“I don’t want you to feel dirty.” He looked into my eyes. “I don’t want you to think I’m an asshole who—”
“Jakob.” I shook my head, not wanting him to continue. “Don’t.”
“I’m sorry.” He slipped the soap between my legs and ran it back and forth, his fingers running over my clit as he attempted to soap every single part of me. “I think I might be falling in—”
“Jakob.” I shook my head and leaned forward and kissed him. “Not now.”
“But I want to tell you what I’m—”
“Right now, all I want you to do is fuck me.” I groaned as my body trembled with need. I’d been so close to coming earlier. “Please,” I begged him as the soap made its way across my nipples.
“Your wish is my command.” With a grin, he dropped the soap on the shower floor and pressed himself into me. The water cascaded down our bodies for a few seconds before he lifted me up again to enter me quickly.
“Ooh!” I screamed out as he pushed me back against the wall and slammed into me. “Jakob,” I cried out as his cock moved with an urgency I’d never felt from him before.
“Come for me, Bianca,” he shouted, his eyes never leaving mine. “Come for me, my sweet darling,” he growled, then opened the shower curtain wide, soaking the floor.
“What are you doing?” I gasped as my body approached orgasm. I held on to him and sank my teeth into his shoulder as the first body-shaking orgasm hit me.
“If they want to listen, they might as well see too.” He winked at me. “This is for the cameras if there are any.” He growled as he thrust into me two more times and then exploded inside me, his body shuddering against mine. “I’m falling in love with you, Bianca London. I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” he whispered into my ear. “Let me prove to you that I can be a friend as well as a foe. Though, I want to be so much more than a friend.”
I kissed his shoulder, suddenly exhausted as my feet slid back down to the ground. His arms wrapped around me and his body felt hot against mine as we just stood there. All of a sudden the last words of my father’s letter hit my mind. It had said, All I ask is that you be careful of who you trust. Friends can be foes and foes can be friends. Maybe he would have wanted me to trust Jakob. Maybe Jakob was my knight in shining armor. Maybe he could help me solve this puzzle. I felt him kiss the top of my head as his hands rubbed my back. I snuggled into him, feeling safe. I trusted him, I really did. I just wasn’t sure why I couldn’t get that dire feeling from my stomach. Something was still off—I could feel it in my soul, but I had no idea what it was.
eleven
“Pack a suitcase with whatever you want for the next couple of days.” Jakob dried me off with my big, white, fluffy towel.
“Huh?”
“We’re not staying here.” He encircled my body in the towel and pulled me toward him. “So I need you to pack up some of your stuff.”
“You’re right, we’re not staying here. However, I am.” I glared up at him.
“No, you’re not.” He spoke matter-of-factly, as if he could just tell me what to do.
“Yes, I am.” I tried to pull away from him.
“No, you’re not. It’s not even up for discussion.” He gave me a pointed look. “You’re leaving. You can do it willingly on your own two feet or I can carry you.”
“You’re not carrying me anywhere.”
“Me Tarzan, you Jane.” He winked at me. “I can beat my chest as well, if that makes you happier.”
“You’re a Neanderthal,” I growled at him. “You think you can just control me?”
“You weren’t complaining just now.” He licked his lips and winked. “You seemed to like it when I took control of you just now, when I pulled your legs up and—”
“I was there. I don’t need a play-by-play.” I blushed. “And that’s not the point. The point is just because we have sex, it doesn’t mean that I trust you, and it doesn’t mean I’m just going to move in with you and—”
“Umm, move in with me?” He smirked. “Moving a bit fast, aren’t you?” He took a step back. “I never said anything about moving in with me.”
“I didn’t mean move in with you like that.” I looked into his eyes, feeling embarrassed. “Stop laughing at me.”
“I’m not laughing at you,” he said with a straight voice. “Does it sound like I’m laughing at you?”
“Your eyes are laughing at me.” I glared at him.
“My eyes are laughing at you?” His irises positively jumped for joy.
“Jakob,” I growled.
“Yes, Bianca?”
“You’re an asshole.”
“I think I’ve told you before that I’ve been called a lot worse.”
“I think I can understand why.”
“As much as I love bantering with you, Bianca, I’d much rather you get dressed, pack some clothes and whatever other junk you want, so we can leave.”
“I already told you that I’m not—”
“Stop.” He grabbed me and leaned forward. “Your apartment is bugged. People are threatening you. People are spying on you. You are not safe here. Now, you can call me whatever you want. You can fight me. You can punch me. You can do whatever you want once we make it to my place. But right now, I need you to pack your stuff and come with me. I’m not going to take no for an answer.” He paused and gazed at my shocked expression and gave me a small smile. “No answer, Bianca?”
“You think I’m . . .” I stopped as his eyes narrowed.
“You have five minutes and then I pick you up and carry you out of here. I don’t care if you’re naked.”
“You can’t carry me out,” I muttered angrily. “You can’t carry me down the street. I’m not a hundred pounds.”
“I can bench-press three-fifty.” He smirked at me. “Trust me. I could carry you for ten miles if I wanted to.”
“Whatever.” I flounced out of the bathroom and hurried to my closet. He wasn’t going to just leave, and I had a bad feeling that he would carry me out in the street in my bath towel.
“You have five minutes.” He pulled on his pants and shirt and watched me as I grabbed some pants and a top and pulled them on quickly. I looked in the closet for a small duffel bag and pulled some random clothes into it. “Where are you going?” He followed me as I left the bedroom.
“I need to get my father’s papers.” I looked back at him and grabbed the plastic bag full of documents. “I’m pretty sure there are clues in here that I didn’t get the first time around.”
“What clues?”
“If I already knew, I wouldn’t need to go through the papers again,” I huffed.
“Anything else you want to bring?”
“Are you going to follow me around the apartment as I pack?” I glared at him.
“Why so hostile, Bianca?” He grabbed my hand. “Do you need me to soften you up again?”
“You’re a pig. Do you really think that sex is the answer to everything?”
“Not to everything, no.” He grinned.
“Do you take anything seriously?”
“I take everything seriously.” He frowned. “Don’t you get it, Bianca? I’m not the enemy here.”
“Your f
irst interest is yourself, not me.” I shook my head. “Your first interest is getting revenge for your mother.”
“We have the same interests, Bianca. We both want to figure out who the lady spying on you was. If she had an affair with my dad, why is she spying on you? Where is Larry? What happened to Steve?”
“Do you think David has anything to do with it?” I licked my lips and shivered, still not quite believing how David had tricked me so cleverly.
“No.” Jakob frowned. “I don’t think he could have pulled this off without telling me.”
“I just don’t get it.” I gasped, a memory hitting me. “I can remember phone calls he had with Mattias.” I remembered the time in his apartment when I’d stormed out and come back without his noticing. He’d been on the phone with someone—he’d said Mattias’s name. He’d been making plans with someone. Whom had he been talking to if there was no Mattias? It just didn’t make sense. Unless David and Jakob were both lying to me . . .
Maybe there was a Mattias, a third man. It would make sense. Maybe Jakob’s new devotion, his supposed “openness,” was still a part of the plan. Were David and Jakob in on this together? Could Mattias be, not Tyler Durden, but Verbal Kint from The Usual Suspects? “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”
“Remember, Bianca, David knew from the beginning who you were and what you were up to. He planned every single detail he was going to let slip. Every thing he said and did was cleverly masterminded.”
“Were you the one on the phone with David that night?” I asked Jakob softly. “Were you the one telling him what to do? If you’re saying that David couldn’t have done all this other stuff by himself, how did he come up with everything by himself?”
“Bianca.” Jakob frowned. “Let’s talk when we get to my place.”
“What don’t I know, Jakob?”
“There are things we both don’t know.” He walked into the bedroom and grabbed my duffel bag. “Is there anything else you need?”
“Does Mattias Bradley exist, Jakob?” I walked over to him and grabbed his chin. He blinked down at me, his eyes revealing nothing. “Does Mattias Bradley exist, Jakob?”
“What are you talking about?” He frowned. “We already told you there is no Mattias Bradley.”