“I’ve always thought they were too big, and they get in the way.” Zoe tried to shift away but got nowhere.
“Baby, your tits are amazing. A man dreams of getting to touch tits like these. They are one of the things that make you a beautiful woman. Soft and made for fucking.” Tony shared his attention with the other breast and tweaked a waiting nipple with a little more force to back up his claim.
Zoe moaned, not pulling away.
“Ah, you like a little bit of pain, and your breasts love the attention. I think that you should wear shirts that show your cleavage all of the time. I love it when I can see a hint of the curve here.” He lightly traced a hand over the inner curve of her breast. “I’d want to touch you every time I was near. I enjoy a little bit of teasing from my woman.”
Zoe could feel herself getting wet. God, the man could talk. His hands on her breasts made her so excited that she was ready to push his hand downward to help with the need pulsing in her pussy. Her hips were rocking back to grind against his groin.
As the pressure built, Tony commanded, “Tell me you like this, Zoe,” as he pinched her nipple hard and bit down at the muscle where her neck met her shoulder.
“God Yes,” she moaned.
“I want to keep going Zoe, but I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You’re not, you’re making me feel good,” she panted.
Tony chuckled as his hands gentled on her body, slowly stroking along her stomach. They stayed locked together for a few more quiet moments. “So you do like my way of saying good morning?” Tony arrogantly asked as he rolled off the bed.
Zoe shifted onto her other side slowly, watching him walk naked across the room to the bathroom. He was a beautiful man, his body sleek and defined. She wanted to ask him to come back to bed so she could run her hands over that golden skin. She couldn’t ignore what looked to be an impressive erection. It’s head brushing against his belly. He looked back and caught her gazing.
She started to giggle, the events of this morning felt surreal. She has a gorgeous man in her bed. Tony had taken care of her since she woke in the ER and didn’t complain. He was a completely different type of man than she had ever encountered. “You are so in over your head,” she groaned as she covered her face with her pillow.
As Zoe entered the kitchen, Tony pulled a chair out for her at the kitchen table so he could serve breakfast, French toast and coffee. He seemed to know his way around the kitchen and would not let her help. Feeling a bit embarrassed by being waited on in her own apartment, she needed to take back some control by discussing the plans for the day. “I’m supposed to speak with the detectives today. I should call and set a time to go in.”
“Call them and insist that the interview take place here. That way you can walk them through what happened in the location where it happened. Be determined in your request or in a few days they’ll call to have you do a walk through re-enactment and you will have to relive it all again.” Tony’s tone sounded nonchalant, but his hand held his fork in a death grip. She could see the bones push against the skin.
“I’ll do that. Plus, it saves you the excitement of driving me. I really don’t want a repeat of yesterday. I think the hospital’s instruction sheet said that I’m not supposed to drive for a couple more days.”
“Zoe, I told you I’m not leaving until I know you are safe. I will drive you wherever you want to go, whenever you want.” He pointed his index finger in her direction. “Stop looking at me like that, all haughty. I know that look. I saw it the first day we met when you emasculated that trainer in the gym.” Exasperation seeped into his tone.
Standing her ground Zoe said, “I don’t think that I could do that to you. You are too confident. I feel like I am taking advantage of your time. I don’t know what you want from me. I’m so much older and … I told you that I am not into casual sex.” She felt her body shake as she finished that honest speech. God what was it about Tony that made her be so open about her fears?
Tony stood and circled the table, towering over her as she sat in her chair and then, he lifted her chin for a kiss. It was a kiss that started whisper soft, quickly building into something combustible. Tony thrust his tongue into her mouth, invading and warring with Zoe’s. Slowly he released his hold and straightened. She was breathing rapidly, hungry for more.
“This is the last time I’m going to say this, so pay attention. I want to be with you. As far as I am concerned, we are in a relationship, this is not something casual. I’m being patient, giving you some time to catch up and accept it.” He then turned and started clearing the table.
It took a moment for Zoe to gather her thoughts and to get a handle on her body. Her emotions might feel frazzled, but surprisingly, her body was humming. Tony could turn her on with just a look or a touch. I feel so off balance when he makes those declarations as if he has no doubts. Deciding her best move should be a retreat, she wandered off to find her purse with the detectives’ phone number to call.
Later that afternoon, Tony had just finished locking the front door after escorting the detectives out. Zoe she was vibrating with fury, her hands clenched and unclenched at her sides. “That seemed like a total waste of our time. I even started to feel like this was somehow my fault. Why is it so suspicious that I moved here from Denver? Is there some law that says a woman can only move where she has friends or family? Those guys were total dumbasses. I hate it that I let them make me feel this way.”
Zoe had been ranting and pacing since the two detectives had exited the apartment. Tony was trying not to laugh, and failing, as he leaned against the door.
“That’s why I took you through the steps before they arrived. I had a feeling they weren’t taking this very seriously.”
“God, I almost screamed in Detective White’s face when he said, ‘Usually these types of things can be explained by a hook-up gone wrong. Had any hook-ups recently Ms. Crawford?’ He was leaning over me the whole time trying to get a peek down my shirt at my boobs. DO I LOOK LIKE I GET A LOT OF HOOK-UPS? And why would my supposed hook-up bring a buddy? Looking for a three-way with breakfast?” She threw herself onto the loveseat dramatically. “Nope, this is all Zoe’s fault.” She threw a pillow across the room as “FUCK”, erupted from her lips. She could feel the tears start. God she hated all of this crying.
Tony noticed the tears of frustration in her eyes. “Oh Zoe, don’t let it get to you.” He walked over to the loveseat, lifted her legs and sat down beside her, then draped her legs over his lap. “Baby, they are doing what they have been taught and based on what they have seen. When you work in law enforcement you don’t get to deal with a lot of upstanding people. You spend the majority of your time with the bad ones who lie as easily as they breathe, so it starts to color your perception. The longer you work on the force, the more likely you are to think the worst of everyone.”
Zoe took a moment to absorb his words. Changing directions she asked, “Is that why you are thinking of a different career? You were only seeing the worst?”
“Babe, I was a part of the worst. I had to in order to survive.” Tony looked away abruptly after he answered. When he turned back to Zoe he had smoothed his features into an expressionless mask.
She didn’t pursue the topic. It wasn’t the right time. She could see that it made Tony uncomfortable. Falling back on her good girl training she asked, “Are you hungry? I’m not sure what there is for dinner but let me up and I’ll start looking for something to throw together.”
“We can look together. I think there are enough eggs. I can do an omelet that will satisfy. We will need to get groceries soon because your shelves are pretty bare.”
“I love it that you can cook. I took lessons once but I just didn’t show much aptitude for it. I can follow a recipe, although I don’t think it ever surpasses the mediocre level,” she said as she placed her hand in his.
Tony had made sure that Zoe had eaten, bullying her to finish every bite. She knew that she was fading fast, it h
ad been a long, emotional day. They were sitting on the sofa watching TV with her head resting on his chest and his arm wrapped around her shoulders. She felt warm, full, and safe. She was growing comfortable with Tony.
Tony cleared his throat, “I want to talk to you about moving forward with the investigation.” His tone was serious.
She pulled away and shifted so that she could see his face. “What do you mean?”
“I want you to hire Geno to find the thugs who attacked you and learn why they did it. I know that C.P.D. isn’t going to pursue it and we need to know the ‘why’ so it can be stopped. Geno’s good at his job and I think you need to be proactive on this.”
“Do you think he would help? I feel like I have already taken advantage of his time and manpower.“
“I know that he doesn’t see it that way. I think he would be willing to help if you asked.”
“Is it too late to call now to set up an appointment for tomorrow?”
He gave her a smile. “I’ll call now and set something up or do you want to?”
“Will you do it?” She felt nervous about calling his brother.
He reached for the cell phone sitting on the coffee table in front of them. “Thank you, Zoe.”
Chapter Seven
Riding in the car on the way to the meeting with Geno, Zoe kept telling herself she shouldn’t be this nervous for a meeting. Geno had set the appointment for three, so she had had plenty of time to work herself into a tizzy. Don’t think of Geno as Tony’s brother. Think of him as a P.I. whom I am interviewing to hire. Shit, shit, shit, her heart was racing and both palms were sweating. Damn it, she was a grown-up. Hell, she might even be older than Geno. She fought to get her emotions under control. I’m sure he will be professional and if it isn’t a good fit, then I can offer to pay for his time and trouble and end it. She let out a loud sigh, she could do this.
“This is their street.” Tony’s deep voice broke into her thoughts.
Pulling up in front of the garage attached to a large two-story brick home, Zoe could see that someone loved to garden. The fall flowers were blooming in full glory, there were hundreds of Mums. Every color imaginable, burnt orange, shining golds, vibrant purples, in pots, in the flower beds bordering the walk to the front door. It was a beautiful display. The front door opened and Geno walked out to greet them.
“Hello, Zoe. Glad you could make it.” Geno shook Zoe’s hand and nodded at his brother.
“Well, my driver managed to find the place,” she joked.
“Let’s head to the office.” Geno led the way to a building that was separated from the garage by a fence hidden by ivy and ornamental grasses.
Tony took Zoe’s hand as they followed Geno into a building the size of a large garage with a nicely decorated reception area and Geno abruptly halted the group. Turning to Zoe he said, “Have you considered allowing Tony to be included in this meeting? If that makes you uncomfortable then we say goodbye to him at this point. Your choice.”
Zoe felt both brothers’ eyes on her. This was a very important decision. Geno was waiting, trying not to appear inpatient and Tony raised one eyebrow in response. She spoke without any hesitation, “Yes, I want Tony in the meeting. Not only for his experience but I want him to hear my answers to your questions.”
She felt the tension decrease in the room. Zoe knew that she had just passed a test given by the Alessi brothers and that bolstered her confidence.
They entered Geno’s personal office. He took his seat behind a huge antique desk and Tony waited while Zoe selected a leather chair in front of the desk. As Tony passed, she touched his arm. “If you have any questions about what you are going to hear, we’ll talk about it at home, okay?”
Tony rested his hand over hers. “Sounds good, babe.” He sat in the other chair next to hers and unpacked Zoe’s laptop and removed a yellow legal pad.
Zoe felt her nervousness return. She took a deep breath to fight off the feeling of panic.
Geno tapped his pen against the desk while watching Zoe, he then looked down at the pad of paper in front of him. It was as if he wasn’t sure how to start.
She tried not to fidget in her chair. She was catching onto the fact that the Alessi men, used silence as a means to intimidate or show who held the power.
Tony tapped his foot a few times then spoke, “Geno, you want to start this thing?”
Geno grimaced then slowly looked up from his pad, “Yeah. I was trying to figure out the best approach.”
“Just start. Zoe will let you know what she is thinking.” Tony was showing signs of nervousness, in fact he was smiling.
Geno gave his brother a nod then spoke to Zoe, “I’m going to ask questions today, I’m going to pry but only because it might be germane to the investigation. If you think I’ve crossed a line just let me know and I’ll see if I can explain where I am going with that line of thought. Then you can decide if you will answer and if not….well let’s just wait and see. Now, let’s start with the easy ones. Your legal name and any you have used in the last ten years?” Geno’s tone was all business.
The easy questions were a warm up for the more difficult ones. She was experienced from the depositions she had endured in Denver. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but I have some experience with answering questions about my life so maybe it would help things if I just told you about myself and then you can ask questions.
“Would that make you feel more at ease?” Geno asked.
“You’re so tense. I can feel it over here,” Tony added.
“I’m sorry. This whole thing, the attack and break-in, well it’s all so surreal.”
Geno rushed to reassure her. “That’s understandable. I think you should do it your way, and then I will take the lead with questions. Tony, you chime in if I’m missing something.”
Tony nodded, sitting back in his chair and crossed his ankle to his knee.
Zoe shifted trying to find a comfortable position. “I’m not going to share my entire history when I first meet someone. Plus, I am embarrassed about the Old Zoe. I am not that woman anymore. I put her to rest when I left Denver. That’s why Tony doesn’t know most of this. I am trying for a fresh start here.” Geno nodded and Zoe took a breath before she continued. “I was born in California to a career Air Force Captain. My mom died when I was two. Father was military all the way, serious about discipline and compliance. He loved me and was good to me, but it was a very rigid home. I was taught not to question, just follow.
“I met Nathaniel Baxter during my junior year at the University of Florida. We married right after I got my degree. After graduating law school, Nate was hired by a top Denver firm. I completed my post-graduate work there. I had this big fancy degree in Education and it was clear that my skills were more suited for administration than a classroom. I was hired to take over a troubled public school on the outskirts of Denver.
“At work I was known for being decisive, but at home I allowed Nate to run our lives. If I balked, then he would enlist my father’s help to change my mind.
“My reputation for being an innovative administrator came to the attention of Brooks Academy. They were beginning their search for a new headmaster. Nate saw this position as a huge feather in his cap and another stepping stone in his career advancement. I was thirty-one when I was named headmaster. My father was so proud and Nate seemed thrilled. I told myself that if the men saw this as such a great move, then it had to be.
“So we moved into a larger house in a gated community on a golf course. Nate made partner at his firm, and our life consisted of work, then rounds of parties with both of us making connections to help our respective careers. On our anniversary, Nate told me that he wanted a divorce. I was shocked. He admitted to being involved with a co-worker for some time. My father was devastated. They kept in touch through the separation and divorce right up until my father’s death. Luckily, I had the good sense to hire a terrific attorney to handle the divorce. Bill and his wife, Anna, have since become clo
se friends and I needed them because the knocks just kept coming.”
Geno interrupted. “How many years were you married?”
“Too many. Eighteen.”
“I am guessing that you have copies of the divorce and settlement?”
“Yes, I have them on my laptop. I will e-mail them to you.”
“You have been through this.” Geno looked impressed and a bit worried.
Curling her legs underneath her, she asked, “Could I have something to drink?”
Tony immediately went to the outer office and returned with a bottle of water.
“Thanks.” She opened the bottle and took a few sips. “My father seemed to be getting weaker by the day. At first I thought it was because he was grieving over the break-up of my marriage, but when he went to the doctor, he received a death sentence. Pancreatic cancer and it was in an advanced stage. I immediately took a leave of absence from Brooks. He lived eight weeks from the day of the diagnosis.”
Tony pulled his chair closer and began rubbing her back in a comforting manner. “Take a moment Zoe. It’s okay.”
The sadness that she felt was heard in her voice. “It was hard to watch such a strong man, become so weakened so fast.” Zoe stood and began to pace, stone faced, she continued. “I woke up one morning to the local newscast’s lead story that a prominent, local attorney had been charged with embezzling millions of dollars from his firm’s escrow accounts and other accounts that he managed. In the world of law firms, getting caught screwing the clients is looked down upon, but screwing your fellow partners is the death sentence. They believed that Nate was guilty of both.
“Because of his crimes, I was investigated, interrogated, deposed, and monitored for months. It was a nightmare and eventually I was cleared of any wrong doing, although many in our social circle gossiped that I had knowledge of his actions. During that period, the board at Brooks suggested that I resign before they relieved me of my duties. They couldn’t afford the negative publicity attached to my name.
A Change for the Good Page 6