Love, Lies, & Crime: Anthology

by Kimberly Blalock

  I continue hitting her, never leaving more than five seconds between each of my swings. Each one touches to a different part of body. Some give me the victory of hearing a bone snap, others just give me the dull thud of hitting flesh. Still, every single one is music to my ears.

  When I finish, my arms are dead and I can barely handle the heft of the bat any longer. That’s how I know I’m done. If I had the energy, I’d keep swinging. The last one, the one to her face that left her jaw cocked off to one side, was the one that did me in. I drop the bat and it clangs against the floor a few times before leaving me in silence. The only sounds around me are my heavy panting, and Jen’s shallow, barely there breaths.

  Making my way back to the sink, I wash myself clean of her disgusting fluids, and retreat to the door where I change my shoes back. I walk away with her still hanging in the center of the room. She’s still breathing, and that’s how I plan on leaving her. That’s how I leave them all. I know the next time I see Jen’s face will be on the evening news, or the front page of a newspaper. I also know that when I come back, it will be as if none of this ever happened. Just how it should be because that’s how this game works. I get to play, to strip the sins from the whores, to take the evil lurking inside of me and let it out. I get to do all of that without worrying about cleaning up after myself, because what fun would that be?

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Have you ever had a pounding headache? One that sits just behind your eyeballs, constantly throbbing, reminding you that you won’t be able to function until it decides it’s done with you. One that no amount of medication will take it away? Well, that’s where I’m at right now, lying on the couch with a pillow pulled tightly over my head, trying to escape the world until I feel better. It would probably help if my subconscious wasn’t screaming ridiculously loud right now.

  “Are you done being a bitch?”

  OK, I know that was not in my head…

  I pull the pillow back just enough to see Harper. She stands, unmoving, with her thumbs tucked into the sides of her painted on jeans. The shirt she’s wearing looks small enough for a damn ten year old. However, the black eye and sassy attitude throws me off more than her clothing choice because I don’t know why they’re there.

  I fling my legs over the edge of the couch and stand up, moving way too fast for my heads liking. “What the hell happened to your face?” Harper steps out of my reach as fast as she can and glares at me.

  “This is the only warning you’re going to get, Dani. You hit me, I’m going to hit you back this time.”

  Cocky bitch.

  “This time? What the hell are you going on about? Who hit you? Do I need to terminate a client’s contract?” I rattle off questions as fast as they pop into my aching head, not even thinking about what she said in the first place. When her words finally hit me I narrow my eyes at her. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Exactly what I said. You only get one free hit. You used it up. So, the next time you hit me, I will hit back.”

  “Again,” I urge her, “what the hell are you talking about?”

  “Uh, let’s see, two days ago I walked in here after you found out that Jen was killed and you mumbled something about me being a stupid conniving whore. Then you decked me and told me to leave. I don’t know what the hell has gotten into you, and I know this entire situation sucks, but this is ridiculous.”

  “What? Jen?” I choke out. I rack my brain, trying to figure out when the hell I was told about that because I can’t for the life of me remember. I don’t even realize I’m crying until I run my hands over my face.

  “Dani,” Harper shakes her head slowly, “what’s going on with you? I know I’ve only known you for a short time, but lately you haven’t been yourself. Even the other girls have noticed.”

  None of them know shit.

  I drop back onto the couch, pulling my feet up under me and wrap my arms around a pillow like it might protect me from everything bad. How did we get here? Why is someone targeting the people I love? They’re all questions I’ve asked myself before, but still don’t have answers to.

  Harper slides down onto the couch next to me and just sits there. She doesn’t talk, doesn’t push me to talk; I don’t even think she looks at me. Honestly, if what she’s saying is true, and I did actually punch her in the face, I deserve anything she’s going to throw at me. The question is, why don’t I remember doing it?

  “What is wrong with me?” I whisper desperately. Hesitantly, she slides over to me, pulls me down so my head rests on her chest, and runs her fingers through my hair. “Harper, I don’t remember anyone telling me about Jen, or hitting you.”

  “When I went to the doctor’s the other day, I asked them why I still couldn’t remember anything. I mean, I have tiny bits and pieces that I dream about, but nothing major. They told me that my mind might be hiding stuff because it doesn’t think I can handle it right now. It’s your body’s way of helping you cope. Maybe that’s what’s going on.” She stops talking for a minute and takes a deep breath. Reaching over, she sweeps my hair away from my face. “Whatever it is though, you need to figure it out because missing clients isn’t good for your business.”

  I shoot up and stare wide-eyed at her. “What do you mean missing clients?”

  “Well, uh…”

  “Harper!” I yell, killing my head.

  “I was taking calls yesterday in the office since Jen is gone, and Senator Ledger called because you missed your appointment.”

  Oh, shit, Brendon.

  I check the clock, seeing that I still have a few hours before he’ll be leaving the office, and rush to get dressed. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten ready to see a client so fast and I probably look like a hot mess, but I have a lot of making up to do.

  “Do you actually think this is a good idea?” Harper asks from where she’s leaning in my bedroom doorway.

  “I didn’t get to where I am by flaking out on people, and I don’t plan on starting now.” I fasten the button on my grey military style jacket and push my way by her.

  My fingers tap on the counter in front of me as I try to keep myself calm and not pull this bottle blonde bitch over it by her throat. “Do you think I’m stupid or something? I understand that I missed my appointment, I’m just asking to see him for a few minutes.”

  With her hands pressed flat on the desk, she stands and inches herself closer to my face. “I don’t know how many times I need to say it, but he’s busy. I hate to tell you, but for once in your life, you aren’t going to get what you want just because you’re pretty.”

  “Listen, you bottle blonde twit,” I snarl. Leaning closer, I swivel her computer screen toward us. “His calendar is clear right now. I’m not blind.” When I hear the malice in my voice it surprises me and makes her take a step back.

  A warm hand presses against my lower back but I don’t flinch away as it sends shivers across my skin; I know that hand. I’ve felt it on every inch of my body and can’t help but smirk at the bitch in front of me as I lean into it.

  “Is there a problem, ladies?” Brendon’s voice washes over me as he addresses us.

  I turn my body into him, sliding my hand onto his forearm. His fingers flex into my hip and I beam up at him. “No, no problem now. I was simply trying to get in with you today since I regretfully missed our regular Monday appointment.”

  “Well,” he smiles warmly down at me, “I have some free time right now between meetings. Deanna, please hold all my calls until we’re done.”

  Once his back is turned away from us, I sneer at Deanna and blow her a condescending kiss before following him down the hallway to his office. I can feel her glare at me until I step out of view. The door latches, the lock turns, and before I know it I’m pressed firmly against the wall next to the door.

  The fast shove against the wall is a total contradiction to the agonizingly slow pace he uses to drag his hands up my body and fist them into my hair. Brendon slides his lips over m
ine, his tongue invading my mouth and I match the urgency I feel coming from him in the kiss.

  He pulls back, panting, and looks into my eyes. His eyes narrow more the longer he stares and I begin to wonder if he’s seeing something new. I drop my gaze to his chest, afraid of he might find a tainted soul inside a perfectly packaged body if he keeps looking.

  “What happened to you?” he whispers and for a second I wonder if he means yesterday, or what made me like this. “You didn’t even call. You know I only look forward to Mondays because I get to be with you.”

  I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out. For the first time in my entire life, I’m speechless and I don’t know why. I’m not sure if it’s everything that has occurred finally hitting me, or if it’s because of what he just said. Brendon runs the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip and pulls my face up to kiss me again but stops short when he sees the fact that I’m crying.

  He wraps my arms around his neck and sweeps me off my feet. Holding me close to his chest, he walks us slowly to the wingback chair that sits in the corner of his large office. My legs dangle over the arm when he sits and I pull my arms free but he doesn’t let me go. With his large hand, Brendon pulls my head against him and tucks me into his neck. Every time I go to move, to do what I actually came here for, he pulls me back against him and tells me to just let everything out.

  For the first time ever, I break and show who I truly am to a client. It might come off like I have the perfect life, like I’m always happy; but deep inside I know something about me is broken. I just don’t know what or why yet, but Brendon might just be the only one I want to pull it out of me.

  CHAPTER NINE

  I tap my fingers against the polished wooden bar, gaining the bartender’s attention and raise my glass. He works his way down to me, refills the two shot glasses in front of me, and walks away again without a word. My finger traces around the rim, dipping in. I bring the liquid dripping from my finger to my mouth and suck it clean.

  “I think that might just be the slowest, albeit sexiest, way to do a shot.”

  I push every ounce of emotion I am currently trying to drown down. I push away every thought about the girls I’ve lost, and about what happened with Brendon yesterday, and put my usual game face on.

  Can’t have people thinking you’re weak, now can we.

  Crossing my legs, I swivel the bar stool and smile brightly at Cooper.

  “Didn’t you hear, Detective Hayes? Everything I do is sexy. In fact… it’s what I get paid for.” I lick my lips and toss back one of the shots in front of me. “So, what happened? Did my Police Chief father send you to make sure I was still breathing?”

  Cooper draws back his jacket, pulls his badge off his belt, and drops it onto the bar. He gives me a cocky grin before stealing my other shot. I watch his throat constrict as he swallows and want nothing more than to lick the stubble that lines his skin.

  “Off-duty. Can’t a guy just get a drink without a beautiful girl thinking he has ulterior motives?”

  “Can’t a girl get a drink without having to have security?” I counter.

  He leans in close, close enough that his scent fills my nostrils and I’m afraid I’m going to do something stupid. “Not when your name is Danielle Beckett and there’s a serial killer out there killing off your staff.”

  I order another round and a beer for Cooper, hell-bent on making my mind forget, and that scares the hell out of me. The buzz I’m already feeling is helping a little, but I’m nowhere near ready to stop.

  “We’re going to catch this guy, Dani.” Cooper’s fingers dance across the bare skin between my shoulder blades. They drag up, circle, drag back down, and repeat. With his fingers on me, it’s the calmest I’ve felt in months other than when I’m with Brendon. “I promise we’ll find him, and you’ll get your happily ever after like every girl dreams of.”

  “This isn’t a romance novel, not everyone gets a happy ending.” I swivel back toward him and grip his tie, pulling him a little closer. My eyes drop to where Cooper is licking his lips and back to his eyes. “I’m more into erotica anyway.”

  My phone vibrates on the bar, interrupting my train of thought and Harper’s name and face flashes across my screen. Since I’m not in the mood to talk I press ignore and go back to my drink.

  “Erotica, huh?” he chuckles, the bottle between his fingers spinning on the bar.

  I slide down off the bar stool and lean into him, resting my hands on his powerful thighs. All the alcohol that I’ve been dumping down my throat for the past few hours hits me all at once and I let my mouth work faster than my brain.

  “Yeah, sex,” I whisper against the shell of Cooper’s ear. “I’m good at more than just looking pretty in front of a camera. I’m also really good in bed.”

  “And your father is also my boss.” His words say no, but his actions scream yes. His fingers wraps around my hips and he slides me between his thighs.

  I shrug. “What Daddy never knows, never hurts him.”

  Cooper pushes me back a bit so he can look in my eyes. “Dani, there are things about me that would hurt a good girl like you.” He sounds ashamed but I bet if he knew even half of what I do on a daily basis he would run away scared.

  I sigh. “And there are things about me, the good girl, which would destroy everything you have ever worked for… Everything you believe.” He narrows his eyes at me, trying to figure out what I mean and I know I’ve said too much. “And on that note, you can either choose to join me and I’ll show you all the fabulously dirty things I’m good at. Or, I can pay off my tab and you can watch my perfectly shaped ass sway out of here while I pour myself in a cab.”

  “It is a pretty nice ass. I’ve watched you walk away a time or two and I like it,” Cooper groans. “But I love my job.”

  I replay his words in my head a few times before they finally sink in and hit me. “Did you just reject my offer of string free sex?”

  The realization stings. I don’t think I’ve ever been turned down before. I signal for my tab, handing the bartender my black card. Looking back at Cooper, I wait for him to change his mind. When he doesn’t, I do exactly what I told him I was going to do. I sway my drunk ass out of the bar without turning around. I don’t call a cab though. Since I live close, I decide that I’ll walk.

  I make it about a half a block before I’m being shoved against up against the fender of a black truck. With everything going on lately I want to scream but I can’t seem to make my voice work. Hot breath skims across my bare neck and it terrifies me right up until the second the person starts talking.

  “What your father doesn’t know, won’t hurt him, right?”

  I spin in Cooper’s arms and drape mine around his neck, pulling him closer until we’re close enough that my lips drag over his when I talk.

  “I won’t tell if you don’t,” I whisper with a smile.

  I throw my head back and laugh when my back hits the wall in my entryway. Cooper digs his fingers deeper into my ass as he lifts me a little higher on his hips. His lips work their way down my neck, teeth scraping against my skin as he gets closer and closer to my chest.

  “Where’s your bedroom?” he murmurs against my skin.

  I’ve never let anyone into my bedroom. Hell, I’ve never had sex in my house, and I don’t think I can start now. Instinct kicks in and I throw out the only thing I can think of.

  Biting Coopers lip, I point to the door on my left. “Balcony. I want you to fuck me on the edge of the railing.”

  Dropping my legs from around his waist, I walk backwards toward the door. I pull at the zipper on the side of my dress, letting it pool at my feet. Stepping out of it, I turn and push my way through the door, smiling at the growl of approval coming from behind me.

  Cooper stalks me, trapping me against the railing. His hands slip into my hair, fingers tangling themselves through the strands as he tilts my face up to kiss me. He starts slow, and I know he’s holding back because my father is his
boss. So I decide to push him a little faster. I reach up, wrapping one hand around the back of his neck and plaster my body against his and start undressing him with my free hand.

  I push him back until he lowers himself into the chair behind him before I step back, letting my fingers trail over my skin. Every move I usually make is calculated, carefully thought out, and I’m always sober. This time I’m not, so I just do whatever my hands want. My nipples grow painfully hard under his gaze and I roll them between my fingers, sucking in a harsh breath when I pinch them. I drop my head back and moan when I slide my hand further down and my fingers find my clit.

  I hear the sound of Cooper’s zipper slide down and when I raise my head I intend on daring him to come get me. Except I can’t because I’m so caught up in the sexiest thing I’ve ever witnessed. Cooper’s fingers wrap around his thick, perfect cock, sliding roughly up and down as he watches me. He doesn’t watch what I’m doing with my hands; his eyes never leave my face.

  “If doing it by yourself is what you like, I can sit here all night long and just watch,” his voice carries over the sound of the wind.

  Swiping my hair out of my face, I pull my fingers away from my clit. I lift them toward my mouth but before I have a chance to slide them between my lips, Cooper leaps out of the chair, grabs my hand, and sucks my fingers between his lips. The wet heat has my knees almost buckling. He drops my fingers, working his way down my body until he hits his knees. He lifts my leg, draping my thigh over his shoulder and brace my hands on the metal bar behind me, crying out when his tongue dives straight into my clit.

  Cooper works me into such a frenzy that I’m afraid I’ll lose my mind before he comes up for air. I hit the crest of an orgasm and he slows but never stops, drawing each and every shudder and twitch from my body. He slides back up my body and kisses me, letting me taste myself on his lips. I finish unbuttoning his dress shirt and pull the front of his undershirt up between us and over his head, letting it rest on the back of his neck and trail my fingers over his perfectly sculpted body.