Masked Indulgence

by Michelle Love

  ‘It’s just a cottage, pretty scrappy too,’ she smiled as he helped her out of the car. She opened her mouth to continue but then saw he was gazing down at her, his eyes intense. ‘What is it?’

  ‘Pregnancy suits you,’ he said softly, ‘you’re even more beautiful than I remember.’

  Lila flushed with pleasure and embarrassment. ‘I’ll remember you said that when you’re holding my hair back because I’m throwing up everywhere.’

  ‘You’ve had sickness?’

  Lila grinned at him switching automatically to doctor mode. ‘I have a great OBGYN, relax. You can just be the Daddy.’ She flushed again and her eyes filled with tears and it was Noah’s turn to ask what was wrong.

  ‘Nothing, these are happy tears. I never thought this – us – would happen.’

  Noah wrapped his arm around her. ‘Well, then, show me to your castle.’

  Manhattan

  Tinsley had to wait to find out how Charlie knew where Lila was because no sooner had he dropped that bomb on her than the doctor had arrived to check him. She hovered impatiently outside his room until the doctor, shooting her an amused glance, left the room, then when she went in, she saw Charlie was up and getting dressed.

  ‘Doc says I can go home,’ he said cheerfully. Tinsley gaped at him.

  ‘You’re not going anywhere until you tell me how you know where Lila is,’ she said, gently pushing him back on the bed. Charlie sighed.

  ‘She wrote me, remember, when she left? She asked me not to tell anyone where she was but, of course, she was going to tell me, wasn’t she? So, that’s how I know and no, I’m not going to tell anyone, not you, not the Carnegies, and certainly not damn Riley.’

  ‘What is his problem, then? Why does he want to know where Lila is so badly?’

  Charlie’s face set in its grim expression. ‘I don’t know, but I’m going to find the hell out.’

  Harry Carnegie read through his emails hurriedly, not really taking much notice of them until he reached the last one. Then he cursed loudly and grabbed his phone.

  ‘Yeah, what?’ Brent, his associate back in Melbourne, mumbled into the phone and too late, Harry realized the time difference. It was four am. in the Australian city.

  ‘Brent, look, man, I’m sorry to wake you but I just got the email about the Landecker deal. To renew the contract, they want a price cut of seventy per cent….are they kidding with this?’

  He pictured Brent sitting up, rubbing his bearded face and by the grunting noises he heard, he was doing just that. ‘Look, mate, things have been screwy here ever since you left. I can’t do it all on my own. Yeah, we dropped the ball on that contract and they snuck in with a last minute renegotiation. We need you back, man.’

  Harry sighed. ‘Yeah, I know. Look, I didn’t mean to stay here so long…listen, I’ll get my stuff in order here and I’ll come back early next week. Can you hold on signing anything until then?’

  ‘I’ll try.’

  Harry said goodbye and ended the call. ‘Damn.’ He had known that postponing and postponing his return to Melbourne would come back to bite him in the ass eventually, but he was having such a good time here. And yeah, that was entirely down to Tinsley. They had stuck to their agreement – fun, no commitment, easy come, and easy go. But, despite himself, he’d grown attached. His spirit lifted every time she smiled at him; his entire body worshipped hers when they made love. She fit him.

  Not only that but during the time home, he’d reconnected with his family – each of them: Delphine, Richard and Cora – and felt a closeness to them he’d never felt before. Yet Australia was calling him home. It was his home. All of his friends were there now, the friends of his youth in Westchester all scattered and gone.

  His sister, still reeling from Rich’s murder and Lila’s disappearance, had been leaning on him and he had to admit, she was a really good kid with a lot of potential – if she could keep it together. Tinsley had equally taken the young woman under her wing.

  Tinsley Chang…darn it if she hadn’t gone and gotten under his skin. Harry shook his head. This was exactly what he’d tried to avoid his whole entire life.

  Falling in love.

  Tinsley’s cell phone buzzed just as she was climbing the stairs to her apartment. She had insisted on getting a cab with Charlie to his apartment and cooking for him. He had rolled his eyes but she knew he was grateful. Despite his protestations, his injuries had made him ache and she fussed over him, feeding him pasta and making him promise to take aspirin and go to bed.

  Before she went, he’d called her back. ‘Tins…don’t mention our conversation to Riley. Let me look into it a little.’

  She smiled ruefully. ‘I don’t think me and Riley will be talking about anything much for a while so I think I can promise. Look, I have to go into work for a couple of hours…sure you don’t want me to come back and check on you later?’

  Charlie chuckled. ‘No, Mom, I’m good. I’ll call you tomorrow.’

  Now, she took out her phone and checked the caller i.d. and smiled. ‘Harrison Carnegie, you won’t believe the day I’ve had.’

  ‘Bad or good, sweetheart?’

  She balanced the phone between her ear and neck and she dug in her bag for her keys. ‘Um, I’d say, a bizarre day. You okay?’

  ‘Oh yeah, yeah…listen, can you meet me for drinks?’

  ‘When?’

  ‘Um, kind of now? I‘m outside.’

  She laughed, letting her front door close again and turning back to the stairs. ‘You doofus, why didn’t you just catch up with me?’

  ‘Didn’t want to intrude.’ There was a chuckle in his voice. Tinsley jogged down the stairs and out onto the street.

  ‘You mad man,’ she said into the phone as she saw him. He was leaning against a very nice Porsche.

  ‘A loaner from my dad,’ he grinned as he held the door open for her. He took her to a quiet bar on one of the side streets.

  ‘The amount of time I spend in bars, I should just put a bed in the corner of mine and have done with it,’ Tinsley said as they found a quiet booth. The waitress came over and took their orders.

  ‘You know, Melbourne had a wealth of bars just crying out for a manager like you,’ Harry smiled but she could see wariness in his eyes.

  ‘I love New York,’ she said, gently. ‘Melbourne will always be home for me, but my heart is here now. What’s up, Carnegie? You look squirrely.’

  He grinned wryly. ‘You know me too well. I have to go back to Melbourne. Next week. I’ve been neglecting the business and I’ve exhausted my partner’s patience.’Tinsley found she couldn’t speak for a moment but then she nodded. ‘We knew this wasn’t a forever thing, Harry. We said it wouldn’t be.’

  He nodded, somberly. ‘We did.’

  They sat in silence for a few minutes, the atmosphere between them awkward. Harry sighed and took her hand. ‘Look, truth time. I didn’t want to get involved. But something happened when I met you – ‘

  ‘Don’t say it, please,’ Tinsley begged him suddenly, ‘don’t make this harder than it has to be. We’re both adults, and this is the real world. A long distance relationship isn’t what either of us want or need. Let’s just…god, Harry don’t look at me like that…’ She broke off and looked away.

  ‘I’m sorry. But I’ll miss you more than you know,’ his voice was gruff.

  Tinsley half-smiled at him. ‘I never said I wouldn’t miss you like crazy. You’d better stay in touch.’

  ‘I will.’

  ‘When do you leave?’

  ‘Monday.’

  ‘God, so soon.’ Another silence.

  ‘Tinsley, would you spend the weekend with me? I mean, I have a family thing on Sunday, and I’d like you to come with me to that too if you would like, but the rest of the weekend…’

  ‘Me, you, my bed and food delivery,’ she said firmly and grinned. Harry laughed softly.

  ‘Well, that sounds about perfect.’

  Tinsley gazed at him. ‘For
what it’s worth, these past few months with you? Best of my life.’

  Harry leaned forward and brushed her lips with his. ‘Ditto.’

  Much later, they walked hand-in-hand to her apartment, stopping every few minutes to kiss. As she slid her key into the door, she stopped and frowned, pushed on the door without turning the key. It opened. ‘Shit.’

  Harry stepped in front of her, shielding her as they entered the apartment. He quickly stepped into each room.

  ‘No-one here. Anything missing.’

  Tinsley, on edge, glanced around the kitchen then went into the living room. ‘Fuck,’ she said and with a resigned sigh, she pulled her cellphone from her pocket. Harry looked confused and she raised a hand, signaling she would explain in a minute.

  ‘Charlie? My apartment’s been broken into and guess what’s missing? Yep, that’s right. Okay. Okay, see you in a few.’

  She ended the call and looked at Harry. ‘It’s a long story, but Charlie’s on his way over and I’ll explain them.’

  Harry shook his head. ‘What’s going on? What was taken?’

  She sighed. ‘My laptop, Harry. My laptop with possibly a way to trace where Lila went. Jesus.’ She sat down heavily on her couch.

  ‘What’s the big deal about that?’ He sat down beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders.

  She put her head in her hands. ‘Harry…whoever took my laptop broke in to take it. That person does not have good intentions for Lila. That person could be the one who wants to kill her.’

  I know where you are now, my darling Lila. Soon, so soon, we will be together and I will show you how much I love you – again. My knife will sink into your flesh once again and you will smile and thank me for the gift I am giving you. I will watch as you fight the loss of control as your rich ruby blood covers us both, as all the breath leaves your lungs and the light in your lovely eyes starts to dim and flicker.

  But first, Lila, first I need to make another pay for their treachery, for keeping you from me. Someone you love will pay the ultimate price, my love.

  Watch. Despair. It will be your turn soon…

  San Juan Island, Washington State

  Lila stretched her body like a cat, and turned to face her sleeping partner. Noah Applebaum is in my bed, she said to herself a little smugly. She gently touched her fingertips to his cheek, felt the beginnings of stubble. She loved the feel of his sculpted cheekbones, the short, thick dark hair at his temples, the way his ears were slightly too big. Thank god for them, she grinned to herself, or you would be too perfect, Doctor.

  On cue, Noah opened those clear green eyes of his and smiled. ‘Wasn’t a dream, then?’

  ‘Wasn’t a dream.’

  He cupped her face with his big hand. ‘Just checking you’re real.’

  She chuckled. ‘I have the very real morning breath to prove it.’

  ‘I don’t care.’

  She giggled as he tickled her. ‘You will, I was too, um, occupied last night to brush my teeth.’

  ‘In that case, I apologize for not brushing mine either but I don’t apologize for distracting you.’

  Lila stretched again and he ran a leisurely hand down her body, settling on the small bump. He traced the still pink scars that crisscrossed her navel, made more vivid by the pressure of the pregnancy. ‘Do you know the sex yet?’

  She shook her head. ‘No, I’m old-fashioned like that, I wanted to wait but do you want to know? Because we can go find out.’

  Noah considered, his hand gently stroking the bump in which his first child slept. ‘I’m not sure…can I think about it?’

  ‘Of course, I want you to feel you are making as many decisions as me. God, this is difficult for me to get a handle on.’ She pulled herself into a sitting position, grinning as Noah eyed her breasts lasciviously. ‘Yesterday I was alone. Now the man I’ve been dreaming of for months is in my bed and we’re talking about our child.’ She shook her head. ‘Crazy.’

  ‘You’ve been dreaming about me?’

  She touched his face. ‘I thought about you every day, every minute. I know it’s crazy, but I spent three years with Richard and yet in those few weeks when we spent time talking when I was in hospital, I learned more and shared more with you than with anyone. Even Charlie. It was just…right.’

  Noah sat up and took her in his arms. ‘Screw the morning breath,’ he said, ‘that deserves a kiss.’

  Eventually they made it out of bed and into the shower. They tried to make love, giggling and splashing, but Lila’s bump kept getting in the way.

  ‘The acrobatics will just have to wait until the little one is born.’

  They made breakfast together, Lila scrambling eggs, Noah grinning as she whipped them. ‘Your sweet little ass jiggles when you do that.’

  She grinned and exaggerated the movement then pointed at the pan he was holding, ‘Your pancakes are burning.’

  ‘You better bet they are,’ he muttered, but he turned back to the stove.

  They sat out in her favorite place on the deck, eating breakfast.

  ‘It’s so peaceful here,’ Noah said, ‘I kept waking up last night because of the quiet. How’d you find this place?’

  ‘Realtor,’ Lila suddenly looked downcast. ‘It’s small but its location made it perfect for a hermit like me. Rich…left me some money and I hated to do it but I had to use some of it to buy this place.’

  ‘Hey, you had to do what you had to do.’

  Lila sighed. ‘The thing is, Noah, Richard and I had ended our engagement a few days before he was murdered. We both knew it hadn’t been working, even before I was stabbed, but because we were such good friends, and the family was excited, I think we made a silent agreement to go through with the wedding. One of the many reasons I know it wasn’t Richard who tried to kill me is that there wasn’t a sly or vindictive bone in his body. If he had really wanted out, he would have talked to me.’

  ‘You miss him?’

  ‘Of course, but I miss him as my friend, not my lover.’ She looked a little nervous as she answered his question but he smiled.

  ‘Lila, he was your fiancé for three years. Do you think I wouldn’t expect you to talk about him?’

  Lila half-smiled. ‘Thank you. The reason I took the job in town was that even though I used Rich’s money to buy this house, I refuse to use his money to pay for the baby.’

  Noah nodded. ‘That’s fair but you don’t need to worry about that anymore.’

  Lila looked uncomfortable. ‘I really get a reputation as a gold-digger.’

  Noah laughed. ‘You will not but, hey, does this make me your third rich man?’

  She groaned as he laughed. ‘Oh, that sounds terrible!’

  Noah leaned over and kissed her. ‘Listen, I have an idea…’

  Lila was still shaking her head. ‘God, what now?’

  He laughed again. ‘In honor of your spectacularly successful gold-digging career – ‘

  ‘Stop it!’ but she was laughing hysterically now, and his eyes were twinkling with merriment.

  ‘I think we should call our first born…Kanye.’

  Crying with laughter, Lila flicked a piece of pancake at him. ‘That’s it; you’re not naming our child.’

  ‘And your name from now on will be ‘GD’,’ he ducked to avoid a whole pancake.

  ‘Stop, I can’t breathe,’ she said, gasping. She put her hand on her chest, breathing hard. Noah sat back, grinning.’

  ‘Well, it’s ridiculous; anyone who spent even a minute with you would know you’re no parasite. Believe me, I know those types of people, men and women. I’ve dated a few.’

  ‘Men and women?’ She was joking now but Noah, his grin widening, nodded.

  ‘Yes. Does that bother you?’

  Lila was taken aback. ‘You’re bisexual?’

  ‘No, I was messing with you. But that’s my point. You don’t know until you know someone what they are like, what they do. If people want to paint you as something, they will until th
ey know you. And anyway….fuck ‘em.’

  She was looking at him, her eyes both wondering and curious. ‘Noah Applebaum, I really have never met anyone like you.’

  ‘Right back atcha, shorty.’

  ‘I’m tall.’

  ‘I’m a doctor and five-five isn’t tall.’

  ‘That’s heightism and just when I was being so understanding about your taste for cock,’ she stuck her nose in the air for a moment. ‘Seriously though, it wouldn’t have bothered me if you were bisexual.’

  Noah shrugged. ‘Wouldn’t bother me either. But I only have eyes for one person.’

  She blew him a kiss then checked her watch. ‘I have to be at the bookstore by ten.’

  ‘And I,’ he said regretfully, ‘have to go back to the city, at least for today. I’d like to come back tonight, if that’s okay?’

  She smiled. ‘Bring a big, full suitcase of your stuff. Make yourself at home.’

  Noah leaned over and kissed her, then leaned his forehead against hers. ‘You and me and Kanye make three.’

  She giggled. ‘Not Kanye. You insist on that, I’m calling you ‘Applebum’.’

  ‘Like I haven’t heard that before.’

  They drove into town together then, kissing her goodbye, Noah stroked her face. ‘Until tonight, then.’

  She got out of his car. ‘Hurry back to me.’

  ‘I will. You and little K look after yourselves.’

  ‘Hahaha, get lost, Applebum.’

  She watched as he drove down to the harbor where the ferries connected to the mainland. Again, she marveled at the change in her life within one day. She smiled to herself. A new day, a new life.

  She unlocked the bookstore and went to work.

  Manhattan

  Charlie Sherman walked into the precinct on Monday morning and went straight to his captain. The man listened as Charlie outlined his concerns about Riley Kinsayle but Charlie could see he wasn’t taking him seriously.

  ‘Charlie, what happened between you two? It’s been months that you’ve had this distance and now you come to me with this idea that Riley Kinsayle – that goofy man-child - could be obsessed enough with Lila Tierney to want to kill her? Even though he’s shown no sign of psychopathy…ever?’