by Various
She wondered if they would ever know, or guess, how much they’d meant to her. That in such a short period, they’d changed her life.
With a sigh, she got up to retrieve her phone. Time to get on with the rest of that life. The first thing she had to do was send her bosses an email to say she wouldn’t be in the rest of the week. A courteous, professional note to thank them for the opportunity to work with them, and wish them the best going forward.
Wouldn’t that be fun.
When she took the phone out of DND mode, the time said 8:30. Alex did a double-take; she never slept that late. The storm clouds blocking the sun must have fooled her brain into thinking it wasn’t morning yet.
She had several message and phone call alerts, all from Dayna. The last text was in all caps: ALEX!!!! CALL ME OR I’M COMING OVER THERE.
Alarmed, she made the call. “Hi, it’s me.”
“Alex. Thank God.”
Dayna’s relief was so palpable that it filled Alex with instant dread, the mood from her dreams re-infecting her. “What’s wrong?”
“Did you go in to work yesterday?”
Her intimate muscles clenched, even as her stomach lurched. “Dayna! Tell me what the hell is going on.”
“Sylvia’s dead.”
“What? Oh my god!” Her mind reeling, Alex flashed back to Sylvia’s dramatic exit from CityFarms Monday morning. She’d been distraught, but not despondent. “What happened?”
“She was murdered, Alex.”
“Oh my god, that’s terrible. Do they know who did it?”
Dayna hesitated. “Harper and McCall were arrested for it last night.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry, Alex. It’s all over the news this morning. That’s why I asked if you’d seen them yesterday, because—”
“I have to go.” She clicked off the call and rushed into her living room to turn on the television and find a local channel. Her phone rang; she ignored it.
The morning news was on; an anchor faced the camera, her expression professionally solemn. “Recapping our top story, celebrity philanthropist Cort McCall and his longtime friend, business executive Vance Harper, were arrested last night on charges that they murdered the president of a local nonprofit.”
Alex let the rest of the anchor’s words wash over her. It couldn’t be.
For one hideous moment, she let herself imagine the worst, that the men she’d been with were monsters under the skin, somehow able to hide it from her and everyone else. Her soul recoiled from it with absolute certainty. No. Whatever else they might be guilty of, it wasn’t that.
Back in the kitchen, she brought up a browser on her cell phone and loaded the local paper. The case took up half the front page above the fold, complete with a photograph of Vance and Cort being brought in for booking.
Cort was still in his bathrobe. Vance wore only slacks and an undershirt. Alex pressed a fist to her mouth, fighting back tears and a wave of irrational guilt. Next she read every word of the news article. Then she started making phone calls.
Twenty minutes later, she drove downtown.
*****
Vance peered through the blinds of an upstairs window. The media were camped outside the townhouse in force—local, state, national, even a couple of international crews.
“We’re big news,” he said to Cort.
“Naturally.” They’d been bombarded with phone calls, emails, and text from friends, would-be friends, business associates, and scores of media outlets. Except for a few brief calls to friends, they’d ignored them all and put their phones in silent mode.
Food was a problem. They ate out for most meals, so the kitchen wasn’t stocked with more than coffee. “We’ll have to order delivery,” Vance said. “Daley can probably get it to us and make sure the delivery person isn’t really a reporter.”
Cort nodded. “We need to resolve this quickly, Vance. You know better than I do that going through the trial process will eat into our lives for months, maybe years, even with a favorable outcome.”
The other man sent him an icy look. “What do you suggest?”
“I’m not talking about Alexa,” Cort snapped. “We keep her out of this no matter what.”
“I’m sorry,” Vance said after a moment. “It’s eating at me. I can’t make sure she’s all right without further endangering her.”
“I know. Once the initial media furor has died down, we can get some intermediaries to contact her, make sure she has whatever she needs. Maybe arrange a visit.”
Vance nodded. In his darkest moments, the fear that preyed on him wasn’t that he might be found guilty. He’d beat the case, one way or another. It was the possibility that Alexa might believe the charges, might think him capable of that.
If she carried his child and thought him a murderer … he shook his head and locked those thoughts away. Dwelling on them wouldn’t help anyone.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. “It’s Daley,” he told Cort when he saw the ID, and answered the call. “Vance Harper.”
“Mr. Harper. I thought you’d like to know your alibi’s here.”
Vance almost crushed the phone in his hand. “Goddammit, Daley—”
“Harper!” The attorney cut off his impending tirade. “It wasn’t my doing. She came in on her own.”
For a few seconds, the only sound was Vance’s ragged breathing as he got himself under control. When he spoke again, his voice was even. “She’s at your office?”
“She is. The cops and the DA’s office wanted her to come to them, but I told them to show up here if they want to take her statement in person. It’s better if no one sees you, but we can set you up in another room with a video feed.”
“How soon can you get here?” Vance said.
“The car’s on its way.”
“We’ll be ready.”
*****
Alex sat at the table in Daley’s conference room, her fingers worrying a pleat of her skirt. She’d worn another of her new outfits for confidence, not expecting to talk to anyone but the attorney. Now she was doubly glad; the ensemble was like armor, shielding her from her own insecurities.
When she’d met with him in his office on her arrival, the attorney had strongly suggested scheduling a time later in the day for her to give her statement, so she could practice. “I don’t need to practice, Mr. Daley,” she told him. “I’m not trying to hide anything.”
He rolled a quarter in his fingers as he regarded her across his desk. “You ever give a statement to the police before?”
“No.”
“It’s not always a pleasant experience, Ms. Knight. They’ll try to trip you up, make you say things you don’t mean.”
Her chin came up. “It’s a simple story, Mr. Daley, and it has the virtue of being true. There aren’t a lot of details to confuse.”
His eyes measured her, and then he nodded in approval. “You’ll do. I can see why your menfolk wanted to keep you hidden.”
“Excuse me?”
“They didn’t tell you. Not surprised.” Daley leaned back, folding his hands over his stomach. “They refused to give up your name, even though you were the only alibi they had. Wouldn’t even admit someone else was there with them.”
Now, as she waited for the police and the DA’s office to arrive, her mind kept going back to that exchange. The newspaper story had mentioned the estimated time of death, and Alex had tracked Mr. Daley down. She’d assumed her testimony would only be one detail among many in the defense; the possibility that the entire case hinged on it had never occurred to her.
But Vance and Cort knew it. They’d put themselves in danger for her sake.
Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and Alex raised her head as everyone crowded into the conference room. The detectives from the case, the district attorney and some of his staff, a videographer, a court stenographer … so many people. Take deep breaths. You have nothing to hide.
*****
In a tiny storage room at the other
end of the hall from the conference room, Cort and Vance huddled in front of a small monitor. “Our tech guy rigged up one of those little spyhole cameras in the conference room,” one of Daley’s assistants had explained, “and there’s a separate microphone. The quality might not be perfect, but you should be able to see and hear everything.”
Alex sat alone on one side of the long table. Vance wanted nothing more than to race down the hall and take her out of there. When they arrived at Daley’s office, his first act had been to ask if Alex really had to do this.
The attorney fixed him with a beady eye. “She wants to do it, Mr. Harper, and she’s a strong woman. For her sake as well as yours, don’t be a damn fool.”
He was a fool, all right, Vance thought now. The question was what kind.
*****
When all the equipment had been hooked up and tested, Mr. O’Connor, the lead detective in the case, read out the date, time, and case number for the record. “Ms. Knight, you’ve provided the court with an affidavit regarding your involvement in this case?”
“I have.”
“Please explain the circumstances that led to your giving this statement.”
“When I learned that Mr. Harper and Mr. McCall had been arrested, and read the news account stating the estimated time of death, I contacted Mr. Daley.”
O’Connor looked down at his copy of the affidavit. “You state that you were with both men at their townhouse from eight-thirty a.m. yesterday morning until approximately three p.m. that afternoon.”
“That’s correct.”
“What were you doing during that time?”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “That’s in the affidavit too, detective.”
“You and the defendants had sex for almost seven straight hours?”
“Well,” Alex said, “there was a lot of foreplay.”
O’Connor turned red, and a titter of suppressed laughter rippled through the room. Scowling, he tapped his finger on the affidavit. “How long you have known the defendants, Ms. Knight?”
Daley had warned her this would happen. “Since Monday morning,” Alex said.
The room went still. O’Connor said, “Monday, as in two days ago.”
“That’s correct.” Her stomach was in knots, but her voice was calm, her gaze direct.
“So when you went to the defendants’ townhouse to have sex with them, you’d known them for twenty-four hours.”
Alex was sorely tempted to congratulate him on his ability to count, but restrained herself. “Yes.”
“Are you in the habit of making assignations with men you barely know, Ms. Knight?” O’Connor had an ugly gleam in his eye.
“No.”
“But you expect us to believe that you did in this case.”
She looked at him coolly. “They’re exceptional men, detective.” Not like you.
“Can anyone corroborate this … story of yours?”
“If you mean did I contact any of my friends to inform them of my plans, no.”
“You understand that giving false statements under oath is the equivalent of perjury, and that you could be arrested and charged with same?”
Alex leaned in. “Every word in that affidavit is true, detective. The only problem with my statement is your attitude.”
*****
“She’s amazing,” Cort said softly.
Vance didn’t reply. He was watching O’Connor leave the conference room, his eyes burning. “Assaulting a cop is probably not the best idea you’ve ever had,” Cort told him. “Besides, she wiped the floor with him.”
This might not the best time for him to tell Vance he had the biggest hard-on of his life, either. Cort had always cared about justice, but this was the first time it had ever given him a boner.
Or, rather, Alexa had. She was talking to Daley now, spine straight, chin high. His soft, voluptuous, kick-ass warrior.
“I’m in.” The certainty came to him all at once, no anxiety, no doubt.
Vance turned and met his eyes. Cort let him search, let him see whatever he wanted. Eventually, Vance nodded.
“It’s gonna be a hell of a ride,” he said, and they smiled.
*****
“You think they’ll drop the charges, then,” Alex said as they went back down the hall.
“Before the day is up, I imagine. The DA’s no fool. He doesn’t want to try a case he can’t win, and you’re too strong a witness.”
Alex’s glow of satisfaction faded into sadness. “Poor Sylvia.”
Daley said, “You’ve done a doubly good thing here, Ms. Knight. Without your men as scapegoats, the police can get on to searching for the real killer.”
She didn’t correct his assumption that they were still her men. They reached Daley’s office, and he opened the door and gestured her inside. “You’ll notify them?” Alex said. “About my statement?”
The attorney’s eyes twinkled. “Oh,” he said, “I think you can do that yourself.”
A noise behind her made her turn just in time. Vance’s arms came around her in an embrace that might have been too tight, if she hadn’t wanted to crawl right inside his skin. Alex pressed herself against him as fully as she could, breathing in his scent, soaking up his warmth.
He held her close for long moments before their mouths met. His kiss was an unabashed claiming, but it held a tenderness that hadn’t been there before. Alex held on tight and kissed him back, letting the moment be what it was, letting go of her worries about the future.
When Vance finally ended the kiss, she looked around for Cort. He stood a few feet away, watching them, an utterly peaceful smile on his face. Then he looked directly at Alex, and heat flared in his eyes.
Her breath caught. Whoever had decided to associate sex with sin had to be wrong; there was nothing fallen about the golden angel facing her now. He was celestial and sensual, with no conflict between the two. “Cort …” she whispered.
He took a step closer. Vance released her, taking a step back. Cort closed the distance, unhurried, sure of himself and her.
When she came into his arms the kiss went on forever, a claiming in its own right, that much more devastating for its gentleness. At last he raised his head. Alex couldn’t speak past the lump in her throat, so she nestled against his chest and closed her eyes.
If this was goodbye, it was going to break her heart.
Then Cort’s hands slid down to cup her ass, and her eyes popped open. He said, “The thing is, Alexa, we’re in love with you.”
“Oh!” Her gaze flew to Vance.
He moved in behind her, resting his hands lightly on her waist, and brushed his lips against her ear. “Stay with us, sweet Alexa. We need you.”
The same thing he’d said during her exit interview. So much had changed in two days. “I’m in love with you too,” she whispered.
“You as in us?” Vance’s grip on her waist tightened a fraction.
“Yes.” She looked up at Cort almost shyly. “If you don’t mind.”
“We don’t mind.” It was Vance who answered, closing the gap between them to press his erection against her ass, right in between Cort’s hands. “I have a place up in the mountains. Come away with us, Alexa. Be with us.”
“Yes,” she said, and they took her arms and escorted her out.
*****
The cabin was beautiful, all wood and stone, with a gorgeous view into the valleys on three sides. They’d taken enough time for each of them to pack a bag—and for Alex to send Dayna a quick note of apology and reassurance—before they drove out of town. The only dark spot in the day came just before they moved out of cell tower range, when Daley sent Vance a message that Sylvia’s husband had confessed to killing her and trying to frame him and Cort. It left them all in a somber mood, but the mountains were too beautiful, and they were too content with each other’s company, for it to last.
They arrived as the sun dipped below the tree line. Vance parked under a huge old pine, then swept Alex into his arms to carry her
over the threshold. She giggled at the gesture, but it gave her heart a momentary pang. Growing up, she’d always figured herself for a traditional type, white picket fence and all. Vance and Cort would never be her husbands in any official way. On the other hand, she knew plenty of legally married couples who were miserable, so that was no guarantee.
Inside, it was all one big room, with furniture and flooring types designating different areas. The bed wasn’t as high as the four-poster in the townhouse, but it was massive, probably wide enough to sleep six adults comfortably. Vance tumbled them both onto the mattress, ending with Alex beneath him. He settled himself between her thighs, her skirt riding up to give him room.
“Have I mentioned how much I like your new style of dressing?” Vance said, smiling at her with sensual promise.
Alex gave him a saucy look. “You might have, but you were too busy gaping.”
“Ohhh,” he said in her ear. “Does somebody need a spanking?” She gasped, her nipples going hard against his chest. “I’d say that’s a yes.”
“I don’t really like pain,” she protested. With unerring instinct, Vance reached between them, arching a brow when he found her panties soaked. Alex turned pink.
“Let’s just have a little warmup,” he said, and the next moment she was across his lap, skirt up and panties down. Even though her clit was swelling, her hand came up by instinct to shield herself. Vance caught her wrist and tucked her hand out of the way, his other hand stroking and squeezing her ass.
When he finally lifted his hand and brought it down, her sharp intake of breath was followed immediately by a moan. The sting became a tingle that spread through her core, igniting her nerve endings with pure pleasure. If it was going to feel like this, Vance could spank her all he wanted.
And he wanted. By the time he stopped, Alex had never been wetter in her life. Vance didn’t release her immediately, but smoothed his hand over her stinging flesh, sending fresh waves of sensation through her. She wriggled, trying to rub her clit against his thigh.