by J. E. Taylor
“I have to finish these emails,” she said as he approached.
Randy raised his eyebrow. “Really?”
Carolyn chuckled and nodded. “Save that for later,” she said pointing toward the chairs. “Have a seat, it won’t take long.”
Randy sat in the chair, slinging his arm over the back as he watched Carolyn with a wisp of a smile on his lips.
Carolyn glanced up at him. “Stop!” Heat crept into her cheeks. His thoughts were quite graphic.
Randy’s smile widened. “See, you can read minds.”
Carolyn shifted in her chair, the blush now burning and she dropped her gaze back to the computer screen. “No,” she said, refocusing on her emails, but his train of thought kept dragging her away. “Do I have to send you out of my office, too?”
He grinned.
“Come on, Randy. I have to get through these,” she pleaded and plucked the newspaper out of the garbage, handing it to him.
“Okay.” Randy took the paper and flipped it open, scanning the old morning news between glances over the edge of the paper.
Carolyn caught each glance and decided against wading through the emails, at least not at the depth she wanted to, instead she tagged the ones that needed thoughtful follow up and shot off the quick hits. Twenty minutes later, she clicked the button to shut down her computer. “Thank you.” She rounded the desk and planted a kiss on his cheek.
Randy dropped the paper on her desk. “That’s what you were talking about?” He pointed to the headline.
Carolyn nodded. “Yes.” Her mood altering slightly, she caught herself before she let the dark frame of mind overtake her. “But I’d rather not talk about it right now.” She hooked her arm in the crook of his.
“You got it.” He escorted her out of the building, hailing a cab and giving address instructions to the driver.
“How was your day?” Carolyn asked, melting into the seat next to him.
“Pretty good.” He glanced out the window with a non-committal air.
Carolyn’s brow wrinkled. “Really?”
He turned and smiled. “Yes. I had a couple of fruitful client meetings.”
That was the extent of the information he offered but she knew there was more to it. She just couldn’t tap into what it was.
“What about you?”
“Plea bargains galore.” She leaned her head against him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. The heat radiating from him felt wonderful; like a warm soft blanket and she sighed, wishing they were headed home instead of to dinner. “My feet are killing me.”
He glanced at her shoes and offered a small laugh. “Regretting your impulse buy already?”
“You would think I’d learn by now,” Carolyn said.
“One would think.”
She glanced up at him. “You should have stopped me from buying these.”
Randy broke out in a grin. “When you get something in your head, there’s no stopping you.” The taxi pulled up to the restaurant and he peeled off the fare before helping Carolyn from the car.
The smell of cooked beef drifted over the underlying smell of hot tar and garbage. Carolyn’s mouth watered. “I’m starving,” she said as they stepped inside the crowded restaurant.
They were seated at a cozy table in the back corner. Carolyn already knew what she wanted and tapped her foot while Randy perused the menu. When the waitress came, she rattled off her order, “Petite fillet mignon with béarnaise sauce, steamed vegetables, and a side salad with raspberry vinaigrette accompanied by a glass of Shiraz.”
Randy, on the other hand, wasn’t quite settled on his order. “I think I’ll have the same, no wait, instead of the fillet, I’ll have the T-bone and instead of Shiraz, I’ll have a scotch neat. Everything else is the same.”
After the waitress left, he took a sip of water and leaned back in his chair. “Plea bargains, eh?”
Carolyn nodded. “I only have one more case on my desk that will be an absolute joy to prosecute. Looks like it could be as bad as Angel’s case.” She watched as the drinks were set on the table. “I need to take a look at the DNA evidence and make sure it will stand up. I’m not interested in plea bargaining that one.” She lifted the wine to her lips and let the sweet taste fill her mouth.
Randy smiled. “Are you ready to celebrate Angel’s win?”
Carolyn shrugged and nodded. “It’s bittersweet,” she said. “I’m glad her stepfather was put away, but she has no one. She’s in foster care.” Carolyn swirled the wine in her glass.
“You can’t save them all,” Randy said.
“I can try.”
“That’s why I love you.”
Carolyn raised her eyebrows, unsure of the unsettled brew those words produced in her stomach. “You love me?”
Randy cocked his head to the side. “What do you think we’ve been doing for the past year and a half?”
Carolyn shrugged. “Dating?”
“Exclusively.”
Carolyn nodded.
Randy leaned forward. “I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I never dated exclusively, until I met you.” He took another sip of his scotch. “I want you to move in with me,” he added.
The shock of his words forced the wine down the wrong pipe and she coughed, spraying the table with the dark liquid. She covered her mouth with the napkin and wheezed and sputtered the remainder of the stinging wine from her lungs. “What?” she asked when she got her voice back, wiping her watery eyes with the napkin.
Randy stared into his drink with his lips pressed together in his sure sign of irritation. “Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just that…”
“What do you want out of this Carolyn?”
“I don’t know. I guess I never thought about it, not seriously.” She tried to soften the blow. “My career is just getting off the ground and that’s where my focus has been.” She paused as the waitress set their salads in front of them.
“So, I’m just a good fuck?” Randy asked after the waitress was out of range.
“I didn’t say that,” Carolyn shot back. “I said it never occurred to me.” She took a bite.
Randy wolfed down the salad without saying a word. He set the fork down and looked across the table. “Will you move in with me?” he asked again.
Carolyn glanced down at her plate, weighing her answer. When she raised her eyes again, his jaw clenched with aggravation. “Give me some time to think about it,” she stalled.
Randy downed the remainder of his scotch and raised his hand, flagging down the waitress for another drink. He stared at Carolyn in silence.
Carolyn sighed. “I’ll think about it,” she said again.
He continued the silent treatment.
“I’m not going to make a decision like that off the cuff.” She sat back in the seat.
Randy nodded as their main dishes arrived. “When will you have an answer?”
“You’ll be the first to know when I’ve made a decision.” She glanced up at him, tilting her head a fraction. “I signed a one year lease a couple of months ago.” She pointed out. “I can’t just up and leave.”
Randy took a deep breath followed by a large pull on the scotch.
Carolyn could feel the indecision radiating off him. Randy didn’t know whether to stay and let it go for now or just walk away and cut his losses. She wasn’t sure how she felt about him. Randy was fun and downright sexy, but she never considered him long term, yet there was no one else she’d rather be with. “I know you’re pissed off but just give me some time.” She raised her eyes and offered him a small smile. “Okay?”
“Okay,” Randy agreed, ending his silence.
Carolyn finished her meal. She lifted the half empty wine glass, finishing it off in one gulp. “Are you staying tonight?”
Randy shook his head. “I don’t think so.” Coolness brushed his tone.
Carolyn raised her eyebrows in a challenge. “Will you at lea
st come up?”
Randy cracked a smile for the first time since he blurted out the invitation to move in together. “Why?” He swirled the scotch, letting the ice clink against the side of the glass before he took another sip.
“Because I need a good fuck,” she whispered.
He chuckled at her brazen response, the mischievous light returning to his eyes overtaking the raw irritation reflected in his grey-blue irises.
Chapter 7
Carolyn and Randy stumbled into the apartment an hour and a few too many drinks later. He was already groping her before the door shut behind them.
“Do you mind?” Olivia shot from the couch.
Randy didn’t mind at all. Hell bent on making Carolyn realize the mistake she was making, he continued his exploration of her neck with his lips. Her scent drove him wild, a mixture of clean ivory and the spicy musk of her sweat was enough to stimulate every nerve ending in his body, driving his blood south.
Carolyn smiled in her direction, pushing Randy off for the moment.
He followed and shut the bedroom door against the increased volume of the television. The buzz of alcohol and burning irritation at her avoiding any commitment pounded in his chest, and both were as intoxicating as her scent; he spun her around, pressing her against the door.
Sweet Shiraz still lingered on her lips and bloomed in his mouth as her tongue circled his with the same level of heat and passion flowing through his veins. God how I want her, and not in this back and forth, part-time fashion. He wanted every morning and every night. He wanted forever with her but she just wanted this.
Randy tugged her suit jacket off, tossing it aside and returning to the silky fabric of her shirt. His fingers flew through the habit of unlatching each button and seconds later, he peeled the shirt off. Her bare torso caressed his palms, just as silky as her shirt had been and he gave in to the lust wracking his body, reveling in the need.
With a flurry of discarded clothing, he navigated her toward the bed, kissing, nipping, and stroking her body with every step. They tumbled onto the bed, her chuckle muffled under his lips. Randy maneuvered his way down her body, alternating running his tongue on her hot skin and blowing on the wetness, smiling as she broke out in goose bumps. He continued teasing her with his mouth and his hands, almost bringing her to climax and backing off, watching her cool down a fraction before he resumed.
The sheen of sweat covering her body along with the escalation of her breathless pleas for him to keep going gave him a certain satisfaction. His quest to drive her mad was working.
Her body trembled and he pulled away again, diffusing her oncoming orgasm.
Carolyn let out a frustrated moan. “Don’t stop,” she gasped.
“Move in with me,” he whispered and flicked her with his tongue. He waited for an answer.
“Please, don’t stop.”
“That’s not the answer I’m looking for.”
“Damn it, Randy!” Irritation crossed her delicate features and she went to sit up.
Randy pushed her back down, tempering his lust. This time he didn’t stop when she trembled under the caress of his tongue, taking her to where she demanded.
His reward? A rush of wetness and a moan with his name on it.
Not exactly what he was looking for at all, but her husky voice drew his lust back into domination and he kissed his way up her body, lingering on her breasts before he moved back to her lips.
His entire being burned for her and the first thrust into her wet canal brought him as close to heaven as he thought he’d ever get. Wet, slick and hot, and she cried out his name, bringing her hips to his in the same frantic, almost violent beat.
Panting and covered in sweat, they rode the next wave in together and Randy collapsed on her until his last shudder subsided.
With effort, he rolled off her onto his back and stared at the ceiling and suppressed the chill that ran down his overheated body. No matter what he did, she still hadn’t agreed to move in with him.
“Damn,” she breathed and turned her head toward him. “That was so incredible and so very unfair.”
Randy allowed a slow sarcastic smile to form. “But I still didn’t get the answer I wanted.” Bitterness edged into his voice and he cursed himself for allowing her to get the best of him. He glanced in her direction. “Now did I?”
Carolyn sighed and shook her head.
Is she holding out for a ring?
Her gaze changed in response to his thought, becoming guarded and distant. Aggravation came back in full force, burning a hole in the lining of his stomach, his dinner souring in the mass of alcohol and acid.
Randy sat up and gathered his clothing, pulling them on hastily. He had to get out of there before he said something he couldn’t take back. He glanced over his shoulder at Carolyn as he pulled on his shirt and the thoughtful crease between her eyes gave him a spark of hope.
“What are you thinking about?” He took a seat on the edge of the bed and her eyes found his and he braced himself for the disappointment he knew was coming.
“I need a couple of days.”
“Even after tonight?”
Carolyn offered him a smile and a slight shrug.
It wasn’t much of a consolation and despite the attempt to brace himself, her nonchalant attitude toward his offer burned him. “I’m sorry I brought it up.” He stood and headed toward the door.
“Randy,” Carolyn said as his hand fell on the doorknob.
The question in her voice gave him pause and he looked in her direction.
“What if I say no?”
Randy clenched his jaw against the raw hurt her question inflicted. “Then it’s over.” He slipped out, restraining himself from slamming the door.
Chapter 8
I scanned the dark tunnel and approached her from behind. Stealth, I scurried forward until I was within reach. I raised my blade and swung it in a graceful arc making the sharp edge whistle through the air.
At the last moment, she glanced behind her and her eyes widened in the fraction of a second it took to recognize the silver flash heading in her direction. Her scream never made it past her vocal chords.
With a powerful slice, I cut clean through her throat, disconnecting her head from the rest of her body. Blood shot out of her neck and her body took a couple of steps forward, not understanding it was dead yet. It finally registered and fell to the ground with a last shuddering tremor.
I reached down and picked up the severed head, holding it up to get a better look. The shocked blue eyes stared back at me, her blue eyes. Satisfied, I pressed my lips to the forehead, leaving the telltale scarlet mark.
Without further study, I dropped the head, watching as it rolled to a stop before I turned and walked away from the carnage.
Chapter 9
Carolyn sat up, the bile rising in her throat. She threw her legs off the side of the bed and bolted into her bathroom, barely making it to the toilet as the evenings overindulgence spewed into the commode.
She shivered on the cool tile and sat back, flushing the toilet. The vision persisted and Carolyn spit a few more times then stood on shaky legs, crossing to the sink. After brushing the acid from her mouth, she grabbed a bathrobe and her cell phone, dialing nine-one-one as she crossed to her bed.
“Nine-one-one. Operator thirty-three. What is the nature of your emergency?”
“I believe there was just a murder in Central Park,” she said breathlessly. “In one of the tunnels,” she clarified.
“What’s your name and location?”
Carolyn opened her mouth to answer and stopped. All the possible outcomes for answering that question flooded her mind and she disconnected the call. She closed her eyes and swiped her face with her palm. “What was I thinking?”
She knew well enough that they now had her phone number and it was only a matter of time before someone followed up and she wondered what Jim would say. She trembled on the bed at the vision and flipped open her phone again.
She turned, draining the glass and setting it on the table before she headed back to bed. Sleep didn’t come, only the repetitive visions of the last four deaths.
“Why am I seeing this?” she asked the dark.
No answer came.
Chapter 10
The clock struck five and Carolyn rolled out of bed, heading for the shower. She got ready for the day without enthusiasm. A soft rapping on the door interrupted her breakfast routine. She crossed the room, looked through the peephole, and stepped back, blinking. She looked again before swinging the door open.
“Jesus Randy, it’s the crack of dawn,” she said.
Randy nodded and she scanned his rumpled attire, the same clothes he wore last night.
“You look like shit.”
Dimples made a brief appearance along with a shrug. “I’ve been thinking about what I said when I left last night,” he said and stepped across the threshold.
“You’ve been out all night?” she asked closing the door. He smelled like a distillery and his bloodshot eyes were encircled by dark crescents, evidence of his lack of sleep.
“Yes.” He peeled of his trench coat. “Can I throw this in your washing machine? Some jackass spilled their bloody Mary all over it.”
Carolyn blinked and nodded pointing toward the small laundry area they had in the back. Randy stumbled down the hall and struggled with the folding door that led to the washer. She let out an amused laugh and came to his rescue, easily pushing the panels aside.
When she reached to take his dirty coat from him, Randy glanced sideways at her and pulled the coat away. “I got it.” His voice clipping short and he flipped the machine open, shoving the jacket inside.