Love, Lies, and Deception

by L. P. Dover

  “Alec,” I whispered, moaning. My core tightened around him again and he momentarily faltered.

  Alec groaned, “If you do that again I won’t be able to stop from coming.” He kissed me harder and slid his hand down to my breast, stroking and massaging it gently to match his slow thrusts.

  When Alec gazed down at me, I knew what I was about to say would be his undoing. I clenched tighter around his cock, making him hiss and close his eyes. My orgasm was building slowly and getting stronger with each stroke.

  “Marissa …”

  “I’m so close. I want to feel you come inside me, Alec. I want to feel what I do to you.”

  Immediately, his eyes flew open and he clenched his teeth, pounding deeper inside me. He pushed a couple more times, sending me over the edge with a loud scream of his name. I could feel his release inside of me, hot and full of desire, and the idea of knowing how intimate it was had me arching off the bed and screaming louder.

  Alec collapsed on top of me, breathing hard and running his hands through my hair. I let him inside my heart and in my soul even though I knew what he was capable of. Would he keep my heart safe if I gave it to him willingly?

  Tears pooled in my eyes and they fell. When Alec felt the wetness slide down across his wrists he snapped up to look at my face. “Marissa, what’s wrong?” His concern was heartwarming, and it made me cry more.

  “Nothing’s wrong,” I cried. “For once it all feels right.”

  He wiped away my tears and kissed me softly on the lips before smiling down at me. “It’s because things are right, Marissa. What we have is right, and I’m not letting it go.”

  I smiled through my tears. “Neither am I.”

  After the third round of love making I had to call for a break. “Alec, you’re killing me,” I sputtered weakly.

  “Is it too much for you?” he teased, rolling off of me. We were sweaty, sticky, and I was really sore between my legs. Even though he was gentle, it still didn’t matter, I was hurting. I also wanted a shower, desperately.

  “Yes, you’re too much. Why don’t we get out for a while and go for a walk. It’ll feel good to be outside, but first I’m going to rinse off in your shower if you don’t mind.”

  Alec got up and threw on his clothes. “Be my guest, babe. I would join you, but I’m starving. What kind of sandwich do you want? I have ham and turkey.”

  “Neither,” I muttered, getting out of bed.

  Picking up my clothes, I headed for Alec’s bathroom. “If you have peanut butter I’ll take a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

  Alec’s grin was the biggest I’d ever seen. “Yep, it’s official. I am utterly and completely in love with you. Peanut butter and jellies are my favorite. Take your shower and I’ll have you one waiting.”

  My heart swelled and I couldn’t help but feel weak in the knees for him. “Sounds good. I’ll be out in a minute.”

  Even though we were from different worlds, it was amazing how many things we had in common. We loved the same movies, food, and a fascination for the ocean, except his was with surfing and mine was with researching. Maybe our relationship would work out after all.

  After we ate our sandwiches, he agreed to go for a walk, so we took off for the woods behind the apartment complex. The path we took was about two feet wide and continued on throughout the woods for a couple of miles until it circled around a small lake and looped back. The ground was a little wet and muddy so I was glad I wore my old shoes.

  Alec looked over at me and smiled. “This is a nice trail out here. As you already know, I usually come out this way when I run and circle around the lake.”

  “Yeah, there were plenty of times when I wanted to join you, but I didn’t want to impose,” I said, following behind him.

  Stopping mid-step, Alec peered down at me with an incredulous look. “You should’ve just said something and joined me. Think of all the time we wasted just watching each other through windows.”

  “It sounds creepy when you mention it like that,” I remarked.

  Alec chuckled. “Yeah, you’re right it does.”

  Taking my hand, Alec pulled me along behind him, looking sheepish. “Well … I do have a sort of confession to make since we have this policy of being honest with each other, but first, did you realize your bathroom is above my bedroom?”

  I gasped. “No, I didn’t know that. Okay, where are you going with this? I do not want to imagine you being able to hear me use the bathroom. That’s really embarrassing.”

  Alec doubled over laughing, holding his stomach. “No, Marissa, it’s nothing like that. You have a really beautiful voice.”

  My eyes went wide and my mouth dropped open. “Are you saying you can hear me when I’m in the shower?” I asked.

  He laughed. “Yeah, whenever I’m around and you’re upstairs taking one I always listen to you. The first time I ever heard you was when I first moved in. I missed home so much and I’d just recently had a bad accident on my motorcycle so I was in a lot of pain. Your voice helped me during that time. Do you remember seeing me then?”

  Furrowing my brows, I tried to remember back to that time I first saw him. I remembered seeing him limp around a couple of times, but back then I was too wrapped up in my own life to think much of it.

  “I remember you limping around a couple of times, but I didn’t really see you out and about much there for a couple of weeks. What I want to know though is if you had an accident on your motorcycle, why do you still ride?”

  Alec laughed and his eyes sparkled. “It’s in my blood, Marissa, just like surfing is. I couldn’t give it up if I tried. Anyway, I waited on you to sing here, but you didn’t. I must say I was a little disappointed.”

  I smiled. “That’s because I took a shower in your bathroom. I guess you can say I’m a closet singer. I don’t like to sing when others can hear me.”

  Exasperated, he shook his head in disbelief. “You have an amazing voice, Marissa. You should’ve tried out for American Idol.”

  I rolled my eyes and smiled. “My parents used to say the same thing. I thought about it, but I didn’t want to be embarrassed on national television. Honestly, I don’t see how you could handle being in the public eye.”

  Alec shrugged, but gazed at me wearily. “It had its ups and downs, but you get used to it. For the most part I liked being in the spotlight, but now I couldn’t care less. I do want to surf again, though. I’m hoping one day to go back to it.”

  “What’s going to happen to us when you go back?” I asked. “Will we just go on with our lives? I can’t follow you, Alec. I have my own dreams to go after.”

  Frowning, he took my hand and kissed it. “I would never ask you to give up your dreams to follow me, Marissa. I want you to do what you love, but when the time comes we can always do the things we love together. My life is a little more complicated than most men you’ve been with, and you have to be willing to put yourself out there. You’ve seen what my life entails and privacy is hard to come by. Would you be willing to sacrifice all of that to be with me?”

  Would I be willing to give up my privacy and way of life for his? Yes, I would, but not yet.

  Sighing, I said, “I would do anything to be with you, Alec, but what I need to know is if once you go back will you change into what you used to be? I love who you are now, who you are here, and I definitely don’t want to meet the person you once were.”

  He shook his head. “I promise you’ll never meet him. He’s gone and never coming back. I just want you with me, and I’ll do anything to make you happy.”

  After kissing him gently on the lips, I leaned my forehead against his. “Well, then I guess you have your answer.”

  Alec smiled and sighed with relief. “You have no idea how happy that makes me. I know my family is going to love you.”

  “I wish you could’ve met my parents,” I muttered sadly. “I definitely know my mother would’ve swooned all over you. You and she would have gotten along great. My father w
as a little strict, but all he ever wanted was to make me happy. I miss them so much.” A tear escaped out of the corner of my eye, but Alec caught it and wiped it away.

  “They would be so proud of you right now. My parents have been so disappointed in me for so long, I’m hoping I can make it up to them one day.”

  “You already have.” I smiled.

  We were almost to the lake, trudging along the trail that was a little wet and muddy with the smell of decaying leaves. Alec held my hand, squeezing it every so often, and each time it made me smile. The air smelled fresh and clean, but once we got closer to the lake the wind blew the most rancid smell toward us. I covered my nose with my hand and started to gag.

  “What the hell is that smell? I feel like I’m gonna throw up.”

  Alec wrinkled his nose and peered around cautiously. “It must be a dead animal or maybe even a skunk. I’ve never smelled anything this terrible before.”

  Breathing through my mouth, I swore I could taste the stench going down my throat. I couldn’t handle it any longer. To avoid embarrassment, I ran away from Alec and leaned over an old fallen tree, heaving my guts out. Alec quickly came up behind me, pulling my hair away from my face, and rubbed my back.

  “Are you okay?” he asked soothingly.

  Sagging against the tree, I took a deep breath and groaned as the stench grew stronger. I heaved and threw up again. “No, I’m not okay,” I answered hoarsely, hating the taste in my mouth. Just then, I saw the reason for the horrible smell.

  Screaming, I scrambled away, making Alec fumble behind me into the wet grass. I shut my eyes against the horrible sight that had been branded in my mind.

  “Alec, oh my God, look over there!” I shrieked, not daring to look again.

  Never in a million years would I forget the vision of those unseeing and cloudy eyes staring back at me. The dead female sprawled out on the forest floor with the bloated and misshapen body was someone I had seen before … in a video two weeks ago.

  Alec walked over to the body and took one glance before sharply turning away. “What the fuck,” he mumbled, backing away quickly.

  The tears had obscured my vision, but I couldn’t blink them away. I was frozen, scared and completely terrified. Alec bent down in front of me and helped me to my feet by taking my elbows and lifting me up. I shivered, unable to get my body to function.

  “Marissa, we have to call the police,” Alec said, trying to snap me out of my stupor. Everything he said garbled together in my mind and it didn’t make sense. Only when his frantic gaze caught mine and he shook me by the shoulders did I finally snap to attention.

  “Did you not just hear what I said?” Alec shouted impatiently.

  I shook my head, and blinked to clear my eyes. “No, I’m sorry, Alec. What did you say?”

  “I said …” he began, holding onto my shoulders and staring worriedly into my eyes, “… is that the dead body is the girl who spiked your drink? Now we know why they couldn’t find her.”

  “I know,” I cried, feeling sick all over again. “I recognized her from the video.”

  The world began to spin and my knees gave out, except instead of falling to the ground Alec scooped me up and swiftly carried me down the trail, all the way back to our apartment. The last thing I remembered was passing out on his couch while he phoned the police and reported the dead body.

  When the police arrived, including Detective Michaels, Alec led them to the body while I stayed behind; I couldn’t go back there. I stared outside the window while people congregated around the outside hoping to catch a glimpse of what was going on.

  I did, however, see Emily’s feet as she frantically ran down the steps and straight for Alec’s apartment. I opened the door before she had a chance to knock.

  She gasped at the sight of me. My eyes were red and swollen, and I knew I looked as pale as a ghost. “Rissa, oh my God, what the crap is going on? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  She sauntered past me and into Alec’s living room where I quickly shut the door and leaned against it.

  “More like a dead body,” I choked out, starting to sob again.

  She shrieked and put a hand over her mouth. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Who? Where? Explain … now.”

  Crying, I staggered over to the couch and sat down, remembering every horrifying detail. I took a deep breath before explaining, “It was terrible, Emily. I swear I never thought in my life that I’d ever see a dead body. I don’t think I’ll ever get the sight out of my mind … ever.

  “Alec and I had decided to go for a walk, and everything was going fine until I smelled something that stunk like hell. It was so bad it made me vomit everywhere, and when I looked up from throwing up that’s when I saw her. Her eyes stared right back at me, all haunted and empty.”

  Emily flung her arms around my shoulders and hugged me tight. “Oh, Rissa, that’s terrible. You don’t know who it was, do you? Do you think she goes to ASU?”

  I shrugged in her arms. “I don’t know what her name is, but Alec and I know who she is,” I informed her wearily.

  She quickly let me go, but held me in place so she could look at me. “Who is she?” she asked, her eyes wide and voice quivering.

  Blowing out a shaky breath, I wrapped my arms around my stomach to help stop me from shaking. I couldn’t stop the tears from spilling down my cheeks when I told her, “It was the girl from the bar, the one in the video who put the drug in my drink. It looks like she might’ve been murdered.”

  “Here we are again, Ms. Chase,” Detective Michaels said, taking a seat across from me.

  He had his notebook and pen at the ready to record my answers, along with a voice recorder. We were sitting in Alec’s living room while he was outside talking to the other officers. From what I heard, they had the scene marked off and were collecting the evidence. The girl’s body had already been bagged and taken away to be examined.

  They wouldn’t let Alec in the room with me because they wanted to see if our answers matched up. It kind of made me feel like I was the criminal, but I tried to remember that they had to do it.

  “Where were you last night between eleven and two in the morning?” Detective Michaels asked.

  I sat up straight with my hands clutched tightly in my lap. “I was here, Detective. I spent the night here with Alec.”

  Nodding, he wrote down my answer. “Was Alec here the whole time with you?” he asked, staring at me blankly. Why was he asking that? Did they think Alec was a suspect?

  I nodded cautiously. “Yes, he was here with me the whole time.”

  “Did you go to sleep during that time between those hours?”

  Narrowing my eyes, I crossed my arms over my chest. “Why are you asking me this? Do you think Alec’s a suspect?”

  Detective Michaels sighed and shook his head. “It’s too soon to rule anybody out. Mr. Holden wouldn’t tell us exactly what he was doing during that time, so it makes him look suspicious.” Relief washed over me and I smiled; the detective pursed his lips.

  “Would you care to tell me why you’re smiling?” he asked, giving me an exasperated look.

  “If you want to know why Alec didn’t tell you what he was doing, it’s because he was trying to maintain my privacy. And to answer your question, neither one of us slept during those hours. If you must know the intimate details, we were having sex during that time.”

  Detective Michaels blushed bright crimson and scribbled in his notebook. “Well, that answers that,” he chuckled before turning serious again. “Anyway, as you already know we suspect this may be the girl who put the Rohypnol in your drink. We’re investigating all angles, and all the samples we collected have been sent to the lab. We should know more by tomorrow. I don’t like the way things are looking right now. We haven’t had a murder here in a very long time.”

  Wearily, he stood and patted my shoulder. “If I need to ask you more questions I’ll call you in. Just be careful, Marissa. I have a bad feeling about all o
f this, and you’re right in the middle of it. Stay with your friends and don’t go anywhere alone, okay?”

  I nodded. “I understand. I’ll stay safe.”

  He smiled warmly at me and traipsed out the door, giving Alec a clear path to come back inside. Alec shook the detective’s hand before shutting the door and coming to sit beside me.

  “Why didn’t you tell them what you were doing during those hours?” I asked him curiously.

  He shrugged. “I figured you would tell them the truth, and besides, they didn’t need to know exactly what we were doing. It was none of their damn business.”

  “True, but it’s not a good thing if they think you’re a suspect. What did they say when you took them to her body?”

  Sighing, Alec patted my knee and got up to go into the kitchen. “They didn’t really say too much considering I was the number one suspect … again. They asked why we went out that way, and I said that’s usually the trail I run every day.”

  I threw my hands up in the air. “Well, that right there made you definitely look like a suspect.”

  “And what’s bad is that I’m usually the only person out there when I go for my runs. I never see anyone. Hopefully, they’ll find some answers soon, especially since the girl is the one who drugged you. My guess would be that whoever made her do it didn’t want any loose ends.”

  Alec came back from the kitchen with a glass of wine for me and a beer for him. Taking the wine, I asked, “But why would anyone want to drug me other than to make it look like you did it? Who would want to pin that on you?”

  Alec took a sip of his beer and stared worriedly at me. “That’s exactly what I’d like to know. If more things keep happening, I might not be able to stay here any longer. If word leaks out that I’m here, it’s going to be one huge clusterfuck of problems.”

  The thought of Alec having to leave because of some psycho out there tore me to pieces. We were supposed to have the summer together, and other than his past revelations things were going good between us. I didn’t want him to go, and I prayed that nothing else bad was going to happen.