by Michelle Lee
“I give, I give.” She says breathlessly. She tries to catch her breath. “One of these days I will get you. I will win.” She uncurls from her ball and lies on her side all stretched out, propping her head with her hand.
I sit down next to her and say, “Sweetheart, the day you win, I will give you the keys to my house.” I try to sound as arrogant as I can.
“Hmmm, that sounds like a challenge. I do love this house.” She rubs her chin with free hand as if she is thinking. “I will think of something.”
“You can try, but you will fail.” I grab her hip and shake her. Before I know what I’m doing, I wrap my fingers around her hip. The air is heavier. The atmosphere, on the bed and in the room changes and I’m swept up in it. Instead of moving my hand off of her I move up her. Up her side and back down past her hip to her thigh. I move slowly back to her hip and pushes her onto her back.
I lie down next to her on my side. My hand moves to her flat stomach. I am watching her face to see if she enjoys me touching her. Her eyes are closed, her breathing slow, when I move my hand up her flat, soft, smooth stomach, she stops breathing for a second and licks her lips.
I run my hand back down and tease the skin between her jeans and tank top; I have wanted to touch this sliver of skin since forever. She is tall so it’s hard for her to find shirts long enough to cover all of her, all the time. It taunts me. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the matching bra and thong I picked out for her this morning. I dip my finger into the very top of her jeans and finger the lace of her thong. Her breath catches.
I pull my fingers out of her pants, and pull her into my arms and just hold her there. This has been the most intimate I have been with her. I want to stop before I can’t. I don’t want to rush her. I want her to be sure. Michael is our concern right now. Neither of us is going anywhere anytime soon. I can wait. I softly kiss the top of her head. She gives a sigh and relaxes with me holding her. We lie there with each other for the rest of the afternoon.
CHAPTER 16
Charlie wakes up later and is looking around her room. She loves the windows that go around half the room; three on one wall and three on the other; only the corner separates the large panes. They are the reason she picked out the gauzy curtains. At night she lets them hang all around the bed and opens the windows to let the breeze in.
Everything in the room is soft and dreamy. The queen sized four poster bed; with its cream colored fabric draped over white wood, caresses light maple wood floors. The pale yellow walls look almost white until the sun runs her long fingers through the windows bathing everything in a romantic glow. The corner of the room where the wall of windows meet, Charlie has a circular chair over flowing with soft pillows of different fabrics and textures, all in soft white and yellow hues. She loves to sit there and read.
Brody is sleeping contentedly beside her. She smiles to herself as she remembers his hands exploring her earlier; his touch, adoring her every plane. He was hesitantly fevered, touching her like she would say stop but needing to anyway. She was hot all over. I think I have blue balls, she thinks to herself.
She gets out of bed and tip toes down the stairs. In the kitchen she goes about gathering what she needs to make dinner. It’s gorgeous outside, so she decides on steak, salad, and a nice red wine. She walks outside to start the grill.
The grill is located on the deck. The deck; is out the kitchen door, and directly behind the house. It is very large. It measures 25 square feet. She walks over lights the grill and heads back inside to start the salad. And the wine.
After she opens the wine, she starts to cut up vegetables for the salad. Friends always used to tease her about her salads. They are a meal with everything she adds to her lettuce. This one has greenleaf lettuce, red and yellow peppers, fresh broccoli and cauliflower. She cuts up cucumber for herself but puts it separate from the main salad. Brody hates cucumbers.
She puts the salad in the fridge and sips her wine. She can’t believe how much has changed in such a small amount of time. She should be terrified at the thought of Michael back in her life, but she thinks she can take him this time. She is older, and not naive. She isn’t alone and will never allow someone to take everyone she loves from her. Maybe if he gets desperate enough to come after her the police can catch him and put him away. For good.
The state’s statute of limitations for rape is 5 years, 3 have passed. What if he hides out for another 2 years, then he will never be prosecuted for his crime against her. Furiously, she gulps the rest of her wine, sets down the empty glass, and heads up the stairs.
She opens the door to her room and marches over to the bed. “Hey, wake up.” She pokes Brody in his side.
“No”
Smiling, she remembers how rudely he woke her up this morning. “SMACK!!” she slaps his ass much harder than is necessary.
“Hmmm,” he opens his eyes and smiles his eyes twinkling “That was nice. I love when you smack my ass. Would you like me to get my fuzzy hand cuffs, then we can really make this a party!!”
“Pig.” She visibly swallows. “I forgot to tell you something this morning. I’m making dinner and getting drunk, come downstairs and join me.”
“Why are you getting drunk?” She has his attention now. She is not an excessive drinker.
“I am getting drunk because I have a low tolerance, now come on.” She laughs and walks out the door.
Downstairs she pours glass number 2 and promises herself to drink it slowly. She already feels her tongue thickening. The heat in her cheeks tells her she’s flushed. If she drinks too much she may jump on Brody and ride him like a bucking bronco. Wow, that was bad, she laughs shaking her head at her inter dialog.
“What’s funny?” Brody is walking in the kitchen all messy from sleep. He looks scruffy, and beautiful.
Charlie can feel the blush start to creep into her cheeks, “Nothing, just caught me talking to myself. Sleep, well?”
Rubbing his eyes and yawning he says “I think I slept too long. The day is over now and I wanted to take you somewhere to do something.” Looking at me he shrugs his broad shoulders. Then his phone goes off. He takes it out of his pocket, reads it, and stuffs it back in his jeans.
“Well, we will be seeing a lot of each other for awhile, so there’s still time.” sip of wine, I quirk an eye brow at him and ask, “What was that all about?”
“That was work; there is a problem in accounting. Some asshole downloaded a virus watching porn.” He shakes his head. “How much have you drunk?” he asks, lifting an eyebrow.
“This is only my second glass.”
“Your eyes are glassy.”
Ignoring that, “Let’s go sit outside it’s really nice and the sun is setting soon. I don’t want to miss it.”
“Ok, I will grab the steaks you grab the salad.”
They get what they need to have dinner outside. Charlie makes three trips in and out making sure everything is there so when they sit they don’t have to move.
The steak is done, the salad is served, and the wine is poured. They eat in companionable silence for a few minutes. Then Charlie speaks, “So I was watching the news last night, and they ran a story about a girl out west who had been raped and murdered.”
Fork halfway to his mouth, Brody asks, “Yeah, so what?”
“The girl was thirty, with curly brown hair.”
“Oh?”
“I think Michael did it. I don’t know why, but that’s what my gut says.” She empties her wine glass. “He was sending me flowers when the girl was killed, but I know it was him.”
“So what?” He pushes his plate away, “What good is it doing you thinking about all this? What, do you think you can do?”
“I want to look and see if I can find any other related murders.”
“What happens if we find there are others?”
I love that he said we. And that he hasn’t tried to talk me out of it. “We go to the police.”
“Don’t you think they check this sort of thing
?”
“I don’t know? I guess it’s possible, but it happened so far away.” I fill our glasses and play with a curl helping me think. “It’s not going to hurt to just check, right?”
“No, I guess not. Just promise me, look me in the eye, promise me you won’t go off alone and play detective? If we do this, we do it together.” He gives her a stern look that says he means business.
Putting her hand over her heart, “I promise.” Then smiling, she sticks out her pinkie, “I pinkie swear.”
He throws his head back and laughs, twines his pinkie with hers, “pinkie swear.”
“Ok, good now, let’s watch the rest of the sun set.” She is definitely feeling the wine.
Sitting on the deck, watching the sun turn into every shade of yellow and orange, relaxing with Brody, She feels like the events, of the last couple days, happened to someone else.
She reaches over and takes Brody’s hand into her own, intertwines their fingers, like he did at the police station, and looks at him. He really is the most handsome man she’s ever met. “Thank you.”
He lifts her hand and rubs her knuckles gently across his soft lips before placing a kiss on it. “You are very welcome.”
They sit hand and hand, just enjoying each other’s company. Neither speaking too much, too wrapped up in their own thoughts, until it was dark. They cleaned up the table and go inside. Washed dishes, put leftovers in the fridge, and Brody makes them each a cup of coffee. Charlie needs it more than Brody.
Charlie picks up her coffee a heads into the living room and sits down on the sofa. When Brody comes in, she turns and asks, “So, when do you want to start our research?”
“I think we should worry about getting some sleep and starting fresh, tomorrow.” Sighing, he runs his hands through his hair, the way I love, when he is thinking. “I think maybe after you sleep on it you might change your mind.”
“I don’t think I will” I stick my chin out and look him square in the eye, “Now, I’m going to bed, I have a meeting in the morning.” I walk over with every intention of a quick kiss on the cheek, but something maybe the wine makes me kiss his lips, “Good nite” I say a little breathlessly. I turn and walk up the stairs to my room.
CHAPTER 17
Brody sits in the living room watching Charlie go up the stairs to bed. Licking his lips where he can still feel the lingering kiss. “It’s going to be a long night” he says to himself. As long as she sleeps with clothes on he would be ok. Better think about something else.
Getting up and going into the kitchen to put away the coffee cups, he turns and looks at the kitchen table. He is glad Charlie wanted to eat outside; he felt mortified thinking about her sitting at his table with the events that took place there one day ago. “I think I will replace it first chance I get.”
Upstairs, in bed, he is thinking about everything they talked about. Can they really find out if Michael had something to do with other people getting hurt? What if he is some kind of serial rapist? Do they stand a chance against someone so sick? He knows Charlie isn’t going to give up. He could see it tonight in the stubborn set in her jaw right before she went up to bed. Right before she kissed his lips.
I really need to stop thinking about that. Smiling to himself he recalled touching her earlier. He thought she would be weird around him. She seemed fine. Her soft skin, lush lips, and glassy eyes lulled him into a sweet, sound sleep. His last thought was of them holding hands watching the sun set.
CHAPTER 18
Michael woke up feeling refreshed. He couldn’t remember sleeping so soundly. As he stretches his arms above his head; he remembers what he did last night. An ominous smile breaks across his face. He hadn’t planned on going over there so soon, but an opportunity presented itself and he took it. He is so glad he did. Just thinking about how freaked out she must be this morning has him shuddering with excitement.
“I can’t wait to see her today.” He says out loud. Jumping out of bed he goes to the window and lifts the binoculars to his eyes. He sees police everywhere. He continues to scan the faces in the apartment. He can’t find Charlie anywhere. He wants to see the fear in her eyes. He wants to see the tears fall unrelentingly down her pale face. See the loneliness in her body language, the slump of her shoulders.
Looking out the windows he can see none of that. He feels robbed. Where could she be? He throws the binoculars across the room. They hit the wall and put a hole in the sheetrock. He is so crazy mad, he starts destroying anything in his way. A few minutes later, he feels calmer. Sometimes, destruction can be cleansing. He takes a breath; and another.
He walks into is bathroom and showers. After getting dressed he has a plan. He feels much better now that he is doing something. He will wait till after work tomorrow, and follow her to where ever she is now. Smiling, he watches the Charlie’s apartment until the cops leave. Tomorrow he will find her, and then he will start the next part of his plan.
**********
Michael has decided that in order to blend he needs to work. Five days a week he drives to the local home improvement store and works the morning shift. He puts on non prescription glasses and changes his golden eye color with contacts, to a non-descript brown. He acquired a fake stomach through a costume/prop website. It gives him just the right amount of fat to hang slightly over his belt, without being too fake with the rest of his build. He has been able to get close to Charlie while being incognito. That’s how he knows it works well.
Working gives him other advantages. He has unlimited access to supplies he needs to complete his plan. He has to be careful not to draw attention to himself though, so he usually does shipments. When a new supply comes in he takes what he needs and never catalogs it so the store never knows they are short. It is usually marked as an error on the part of the shipping company. It works beautifully.
Donning his disguise, he walks into work to start his shift. He works 5 minutes away from the office Charlie works at. He is done usually an hour before her. It gives him plenty of time to watch her. Today he hopes she is a mess. That way when he follows her she won’t notice.
Michael has been waiting about 45 minutes when Charlie comes out of the building. She looks around slowly, before she leaves the protection provided by the awning above the doors. Walking quickly, she gets into her car about half a block away. “I’m ready for you this time, Charlie.” Michael says as he sits in his car waiting for her to pull into traffic.
Michael follows her at a safe distance. She drives about 25-30 minutes outside of the city to a nice sized brick house. When she pulls into the driveway, he drives past at a leisurely pace, not to draw attention to himself. He pulls around the block and parks the car, grabs is binoculars, and walks back to the brick house.
Michael stands on the street talking to himself, “I have never seen this place. I’ve been keeping track of her for months. How could I have missed it?” Pretending to bird watch he looks towards the other end of the neighborhood and sees a truck round the corner. This must be Brody’s house. This is her safe house.
Smiling and whistling, Michael walks back to his car and waits. He is very happy with the turn of events. He hates that she is staying, and doing god only knows what, with Brody, but this makes it easy for him to work on them both. All he needs now is patients.
CHAPTER 19
Charlie wakes up to the blaring alarm. Her head feels like there is a drummer boy in it playing “wipeout”. Moaning she rolls out of bed and drags her sorry ass to the shower. She washes her body and starts on her hair noticing Brody has stocked the bathroom with her strawberry shampoo and conditioner. Smiling, she starts to feel better and better as she showers. By the time she exits the bathroom she feels right as rain.
She decides on a white skirt suit. The light weight jacket has black trim on the lapels and around the edge of the ¾ sleeves that house two black buttons. The white pencil skirt is straight to her knees with a slit up the back that could almost be inappropriate. She finished it off wi
th a pair of 3 inch black heels.