"Do not sleep with Neil," Marcus said seriously. "If you do, that's it for us."
Tiffany perked up. "You have been itching to say that ever since you met Deidra."
Marcus walked over to her and stooped beside her. "I am serious, Tiffany. Don't let this Deidra issue cloud your judgment; what we have is not broken. I did not sleep with Deidra. I may have thought about it, but I didn't."
Tiffany looked at him and realized that he was being serious and honest. If he found out that she slept with Howard Green, his best pal and training mate, last year when he was away for three weeks, he would end it here and now.
Then she realized her utter hypocrisy in all of this. Marcus had far more to accuse her of than she did him.
She swallowed, offering him a concession, "I am going to miss you, and no, I'm not going to sleep with Neil and betray you."
Well, I do not plan to sleep with Neil again this year, she added silently. Last year she had been drunk and lonely, but surely, that didn't count.
Marcus kissed the top of her head and stood up. "Good."
*****
Tiffany entered Neil's upscale boutique three hours after she dropped Marcus at the airport. She was not thinking straight, nor feeling right. She felt unloved, lonely, and moody.
She made a beeline for Neil's fashionably empty office, which was at the back of the salon. Neil did not have many walk-in clients, as his store was not in a high traffic area; he was located in a semi-residential area, where only a few wealthy people lived.
She waved to Kiko, his salesperson, and went around to the back and knocked on his office door.
"Come in," he called out gruffly.
"It's me." Tiffany went into his spacious office and leaned on the door. As usual, he was dressed to the nines in full black. He thought it would hide the slight paunch that he was developing from his lack of exercise. He had also shaved his head to hide his receding hairline and premature bald spot. The shaved off style suited him though. It gave him a rogue look, especially with his moustache, a new whimsy of his that he thought made him look like a pirate.
He was handsome in a laid back kind of way, and he made for a good listener and friend. She smiled at him broadly and realized that she missed him these past couple of months. She could bet if she had gone to Europe with Neil she would have had a blast.
Neil got up and headed toward her. "Hey, Tiffany. It's great to see you. To what do I owe this surprise visit? I know it's not clothes because I heard you were just in Europe. No doubt shopping up a storm… spending Marcus' money while he makes it."
"You sound jealous," Tiffany grinned and hugged him.
"I am jealous," Neil smirked, "Perishing with it. So what gives?"
"I am depressed." Tiffany sat in the chair in front of his desk. "I am lonely."
"I can help you out if you were thinking hungry, or horny," Neil said wickedly. "It's near lunch time and we can stop at my apartment, or yours, doesn't matter."
Tiffany looked at him squinting her eyes. "Marcus just left."
Neil raised his brows. "So? That has never stopped you before."
"Oh brother," Tiffany rolled her eyes, "we did it only once. I was drunk and lonely."
Neil leaned back in his chair. "And it was a wild ride. Okay, I am going to play," he glanced at his watch. "What's eating you?"
"Deidra Durkheim." Tiffany growled. "She's a home-wrecker."
"Deidra?" Neil laughed. "I doubt that. I heard that she was at university up in the hills."
"You know her?" Tiffany snorted. "Figures, little miss beauty queen would know anybody who sells high-end clothes. Well she met Marcus this summer. You should have seen how she practically drooled over him."
Neil nodded a gleam of interest in his eyes. "She drooled? I can't imagine the stylish Deidra drooling."
"Not only that," Tiffany said resentfully, "she is driving Marcus nuts. I have never seen him so worked up about anyone before. He wasn't even this worked about me in the early days. He actually went up to Mount Faith to see her."
"So he is with Deidra now?" Neil asked, almost salivating at the good news. For a long time now, he had wanted Tiffany all to himself.
"No," Tiffany squealed. "He is on his way to Africa."
"For how long?" Neil asked eagerly. He was rearranging his diary in his head. He was currently single. He had a buying trip in November, which meant he had a lot of time to allocate to Tiffany.
"You have a one track mind," Tiffany growled. "All I want right now is to get rid of Deidra. Then I'll be happy. Then we can play."
"But she's no threat to you." Neil frowned. "She is in the hills. Marcus is going to be in Africa. You and I can have some harmless sex. What's the big deal?"
Tiffany placed her hand on her forehead dramatically. "Get rid of Deidra first."
Neil shook his head, "I don't do murder. I am a lover not a fighter."
Tiffany gave him a funny smile. "I was thinking more of scarring or injuring or something to make her face ugly." She pulled the picture from her pocket and slammed it down on the desk.
"Oh," Neil picked up the picture and caressed the paper absently. "She's gorgeous. Injuring her I can live with, death not so much. So when do you want this done?"
"Whenever." Tiffany shrugged, "I was thinking. Could you have somebody torture her first? Play with her psychologically: make her go crazy and then little before Marcus gets back do something really sick to her. Marcus is coming back the first week in December. That will teach her not to mess with my man."
Neil shrugged. "Seems as if you have it all planned out."
Tiffany smiled wickedly. "That's all I could think about since Marcus told me he visited her at Mount Faith. How can I make sure that this witch dies. She's evil. She's messing with my life. You are such a good friend Neil. I knew you would be able to help me."
Neil shook his head, "I don't want any friendship talk Tiff. I am doing this for sex." He hooked his fingers at her. "Come here, come sit on Daddy's lap."
Tiffany jumped up. "Thank you Neilykins." She headed to his side of the desk and sat in his lap. "I feel happier already."
He kissed her hard, running his hands all over her body hungrily. "You are welcome, it will be my pleasure to help you."
Chapter Six
Deidra could not shake the feeling that somebody was following her, or that she was being watched. She headed to the Business Center on Thursday afternoon and sat in the courtyard area. She was waiting for Kylie who was working on improving some aspect of her project but it seemed that she had completely lost track of the time. They were supposed to hang out and catch up.
Deidra glanced at her watch. It was a diamond-encrusted timepiece that her grandmother had sent to her for her birthday a week early. This watch, she couldn't wait to wear. It was beautiful. It looked old and refined, and worked well with her skirt suit ensemble.
"Dee Dee," someone called. When she looked around, she saw that it was Charlene, who looked better than usual, much better.
Deidra looked her over in shock. Char had braided her hair in micro braids and put on lip-gloss and was wearing dress pants which molded her body in the right places. She couldn't recall her step-sister having such a lovely shape. Charlene was hot.
Deidra grinned. "Hi Char. I thought you were working further up in the hills."
Charlene gave her a smile and then came over to sit beside her. "I told you about my first day in the hills last week. The boys at the school are very lively. You laughed at my predicament remember?"
"So what are you doing back here?" Deidra asked cheekily. "Coming to look for your boyfriend?"
Charlene sighed and twisted her hands nervously. "Nope. Micah is not my boyfriend. He is a commitment phoebe with daddy issues."
"No, not Micah," Deidra said sarcastically. "Surely, he does not have any issues at all."
Charlene chortled. "I came to give him some seeds that he had asked me for. He is going to do aquaponics at his place."
"
Aqua' what?" Deidra asked.
"It's a technique where you grow food in water. I already helped him to build his greenhouse, and we put in some fish. Actually, he has a large pond of tilapia. I put in the waterfalls. It's gorgeous."
"Sounds interesting," Deidra said uninterestedly. "So that's why you are so dressed up?"
Charlene sighed. "I am just coming from work. What are you doing here?"
"Supposed to meet Kylie." Deidra shrugged. "The girl forgot me. She is doing some project or the other with Gareth and completely forgot that she promised to meet me and yet all the time she calls me, frantically saying she believes she has lost touch with the world and she needs my company to keep her sane."
Deidra got the sensation that somebody was watching her again and started looking around.
"I feel as if somebody is watching me."
Charlene frowned and looked around. The courtyard was in the middle of the Business Center; anybody could be watching Deidra.
"I don't want to discount what you are saying, Dee, but this is the courtyard. A thousand eyes could be looking out here on you."
"I know." Deidra nodded. "It's not just now. I have been feeling this way for a while, since September,… since Marcus went away."
"Marcus?" Charlene asked incredulously. "Marcus Bancroft? I thought you said it was over. And that it never got off the ground because he was still with his girlfriend?"
"It is over," Deidra said, rubbing her neck. "It has been a month. I've tried hard not to stalk his social network profile. His pictures in Africa are pretty, though."
"That means you are stalking." Charlene grinned.
"Okay, I check his profile everyday." Deidra ran her fingers through her hair, "I just don't talk to him. I don't make contact. We kind of talk to each other anonymously."
"How do you do that?" Charlene asked. "That sounds intriguing."
"Well, yesterday he posted a verse from Khaled's song, “can't forget, can't dismiss..."
"So?" Charlene said, "What does that mean?"
"He means he can't forget me or dismiss me from his mind."
"You are reaching." Charlene crossed her legs.
"No, I am not. I wrote on my profile the other line: "if I didn't tell you, I'd be remiss... and he liked it."
"Dating in the twenty-first century." Charlene chuckled. "Why don't you two just talk?"
"He has that uppity Tiffany," Deidra said, "and I have too much self respect to share him, no matter how gorgeous a man he is."
"Good for you." Charlene slapped her on the leg. "I raised you well."
"Since you raised me," Deidra said cheekily, "you better remember my birthday next week Wednesday."
"I remember," Charlene got up. "I also remember that last year I gave you my gorgeous lavender and purple hybrid Vanda orchid and you killed it. I gave you your favorite colors. You love flowers and you ill-treated the poor thing."
"It didn't die," Deidra said, "you rescued it."
"In the nick of time." Charlene shuddered. "This year I am going to buy you a cake."
"No sugar." Deidra grimaced. "Sorry."
"Well," Charlene tapped her chin. "Let's say I give you the money to buy your own present, not much though; my teacher's salary isn't that great."
"You have a wealthy stepfather." Deidra snorted. "You live in a big house all by your self… you get a housing allowance, what do you spend money on?"
"Plants," Charlene said dreamily. "And I want more. I am going to turn the backyard garden into a fairy tale plant world."
"Why don't you and Micah do a joint greenhouse thing then?" Deidra asked. "It's so obvious that you both love that sort of thing."
Charlene hugged her step-sister closely and kissed her on the cheeks. "You brat… you are a smart girl. Gotta go. Love you."
"Glad I could help." Deidra said, shaking her head and watched as Charlene marched towards Micah's office.
It was not long before the creepy sensation that she was being watched returned.
She got up and headed toward the parking lot. She would visit Kylie at the lab instead.
Deidra woke up on her birthday feeling a little paranoid and feeling unable to shake the sensation that someone was lurking in the shadows and tracking her every move. It was eerie and made her feel unaccountably nervous. She was jumping at shadows. When she told the people at her job, at MFTV they laughed.
Her executive producer, Lance Heiman, had said, "It's television; of course, you are being watched."
When she told Mrs. Bancroft she looked concerned, but quickly re-immersed herself in her own world.
She had yet to tell President Bancroft because he was hardly home, but she was feeling more and more hemmed in.
That's why she found Taj's office first thing that morning. The office staff was just putting down their bags and hadn't yet turned on the soothing music that was ubiquitous with the lobby.
She marched right into Taj's office. He was on the phone arguing with someone.
"I can't talk about that right now," he growled to the person. He looked up when he saw Deidra and frowned. "I have a patient," he said abruptly, and then hung up the phone.
"Girl trouble?" Deidra asked him, jokingly, and closed the office door. His hair was ruffled and overly long. It looked as if he could catch it up in a ponytail if he wanted to. He looked gorgeous.
Something about him reminded her of Marcus, though they didn't look much alike. Maybe it was the height or the way he was holding his body; maybe it was his build, though Taj was nowhere as muscular as Marcus.
Taj still looked annoyed after the phone call and stared at her blankly. "You know that there is an appointment system in place, don't you?"
"I know," Deidra nodded, "and I am sorry for barging in without an appointment, but I think I am going stir crazy. I feel as if somebody is following me. Even coming over here, I think I saw a gray car trailing mine. I am too young to be mentally unstable, so fix me. Today is my birthday by the way."
Taj smiled. "Happy birthday. Have a seat." He gestured to the plush chairs in front of his desk. "Deidra, I think you need a detective rather than a psychiatrist, and we don't use the word crazy loosely around here."
Deidra laughed. "Sorry. I thought it was all in my head at first, but this morning I am sure I saw a gray car on my way over here. Dark gray, tinted glass."
"Did you see who was driving it… took the license plate number?" Taj asked, frowning.
"I couldn't, really." She shook her head. Her hands were still trembling. "It turned off when I drove into the parking lot here. I am going to have to tell my Dad. I mean, this must be related to him. Who would want to follow me around and watch me?"
Then the thought occurred to her that it might be Gilbert Hibbert, the rapist who had been on campus a year ago, the one who almost raped her.
"Taj, do you think it could be Gilbert Hibbert? I mean, he is still in jail isn't he?"
Taj shrugged. "He should be. I don't know. You could ask Natasha, she worked on your case."
"But she is not here anymore; Kylie is living in her apartment."
"She is here; she came back to start the new semester. Finally!"
"Uh oh." Deidra forgot her problems for a while and focused on Taj. "Trouble in paradise?"
"Not trouble really." Taj sighed and blew some air toward his curls, stirring them. "I am in a small dilemma."
"What is it?" Deidra leaned forward in her chair interestedly.
"Well, I live with Jackie Beecher. She... er... lives with me actually. Since I was at the house first, the school okayed her moving in. No single family accommodation were available and she pushed to live in a house."
"Jackie Beecher, Gareth's ex-wife, Kylie's nightmare, lives with you?" Deidra asked as if she didn't know. Kylie had gone on and on about it when she heard.
"She lives at the house," Taj corrected quickly. "And it so happens that Natasha is back from an undercover case and she is doing her masters in forensic science up here, so I'm havi
ng a little domestic problem."
Deidra whistled. "Whoa! Nothing that a little marriage to one Natasha won't fix."
"Yes, whoa." Taj fiddled with a pen on his desk.
"You have feelings for Jackie." Deidra surmised.
Taj shrugged. "She is a nice person, if one gets past the tough lawyer girl exterior."
"And how far past have you gotten?" Deidra put on her best psychiatrist face.
Taj laughed. "We are housemates, nothing more. Natasha is suspicious of her, and both women hate each other."
"Jackie is beautiful and sinister," Deidra said. "Natasha is not going to adjust to that anytime soon. I know, it would drive me crazy."
Taj shook his head. "I can always move out. Maybe move back to Miami. It would simplify my life. I mean this year will be my second year here. The center is running like a dream, far past my expectations, and I have a hankering to do another specialist degree in neurology."
"What about Natasha?" Deidra asked concerned.
Taj shrugged, "Natasha will come; she loves me."
"What about me?" Deidra asked, "I may need your services."
Taj laughed. "There are three other doctors here. If I leave, they will find a replacement. You'll be fine. However, you have a bigger issue to deal with." He handed her a business card. "Talk to Natasha, maybe she can help you. She still works part time with the police up here."
Deidra took the card and got up. "Thanks Taj. I really hope you don't leave."
Taj nodded, "I may leave as well as I may not. Who knows? Take care of yourself out there, this car following you thing does not sound right."
*****
When Deidra left Taj's office, she stood outside the main door looking up and down through the parking lot for a dark gray car. She almost jumped when her cell phone rang. She didn't bother to look on her phone's display. She answered absently.
"Hello," she started walking to her car gingerly, looking around the parking lot.
"Hi, Deidra. Happy Birthday."
Practice Run (Mount Faith Series: Book 5) Page 5