Dangerous In Love

by Alexa Davis

  He looked over at Detective Messinger in the corner for confirmation, and she nodded stiffly. His eyes were wide as we thought it over slowly.

  “You promise they won’t find me?”

  “Absolutely.”

  He sighed, scratching the back of his head through the handcuffs. “Alright, his name is Jeff.”

  “Jeff?” The detective scoffed. “I’m going to need more than that.”

  “Look, that’s all I know, I swear! His name is Jeff, and he lives over on Brentmoor Avenue. There are a couple of guys that stay there with him, and they all make the stuff together.”

  “Can you give us a description?” Mr. Hansen urged him gently.

  “Ugh, he’s got brown hair. It’s real short, like he’s in the military.”

  “You mean a buzz cut?”

  “Yeah,” Patrick nodded. “And, he’s got some funky-looking tattoos on his arm. You know, like…all up and it everywhere. It’s got a fish or something—looks Asian.”

  Detective Messinger nodded, writing all this down in her notepad and looked up over the rim of her spectacles. “And this is the man who’s been supplying you with drugs?”

  “Yeah.”

  “All of them or just part of it?”

  “Nah, all of them. He’s got weed, heroin, crack cocaine, molly… ”

  Jon and I both glanced at one another and nodded. “Alright, Detective, I think our client has been more than cooperative. Is the district attorney willing to offer him a plea deal?”

  She smiled while picking up her notebook on the way out the door. “I think that can be arranged. We’ll send an officer to pick up Jeff, and I’ll have him call you.”

  Patrick breathed a sigh of relief and buried his head on the metal table.

  “Don’t worry about a thing,” I offered him encouragingly. “The detectives are going to take care of it.”

  “I hope you’re right,” he muttered. “Because otherwise, one of them thugs is gonna find me up in here, and I’ll be dead.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” Jon promised him. “I’ll have them put some extra security around your cell.”

  He nodded stiffly and shook our hands before the officers dragged him back into the housing unit. As soon as he left, I breathed a tremendous sigh.

  What a rush!

  “You did well in there,” Jon complimented me as we were heading out the door. “Our client trusts you, and you were able to negotiate a deal that will likely get a drug dealer off the street and Patrick the help he needs getting clean.”

  “Thanks,” I told him dazedly. “What happens next?”

  He sighed as we passed on through security and made it to the car outside. “Well, if some officers are able to pick up Jeff, then we offer to represent him, as well. Hopefully, he’ll have some more information on whoever is behind this so we can build a case against them.”

  “Okay.”

  “Let’s head back to the office and see what else can be accomplished in the meantime, shall we?”

  I nodded as we climbed into the car and said, “That sounds good.”

  Jon and I drove back to the office and made it back shortly after lunch. I spent the rest of the afternoon filing paperwork and touching base with my other clients.

  A text came in from my father around three asking me if I’d join him and Sarah for dinner. When I saw it blink across the screen, I rolled my eyes initially but knew I couldn’t keep avoiding her forever. I texted back, letting him know that I’d come by after six, and I let Vanessa know I’d be out. Before I knew it, the work day was over.

  Jon and Leslie both waved goodbye to me on my way out the door, and I found my car covered with a layer of snow. Dad would be excited to have me, and I knew it was the right thing to do, but I was anxious to meeting Sarah for the first time. I drove over to his house and walked up the steps to knock on the wooden door. Dad was waiting just inside and opened it with a smile.

  “Son!” he cheered immediately, as he clapped his hand against my shoulder. “Glad you could finally make it. There is someone I’d like you to meet.”

  I chuckled softly. He led me through the living room to the kitchen where a lovely middle-aged woman was standing over the bubbling crockpot.

  “Sarah, look who’s here!” Dad told her happily.

  She glanced up at us over her shoulder and smiled. “Is that Adam?”

  I smiled and took a step forward toward the kitchen. “Yes, Ma’am.”

  She set down the spoon and spices she was working with and came to give me a hug. “Oh, none of that’s ‘ma’am’ nonsense, this isn’t 1950. You can call me Sarah.”

  “Alright, Sarah. Well, it’s very nice to meet you. Dad’s been telling me to come over for quite a while.”

  She smiled. “Yes, I know. Your father is very proud of you, you know. He talks about you all the time. We’re just so sad you’ve been so busy!”

  Dad looked back and forth between us happily and asked how my work was going. I wasn’t allowed to tell them about my case due to attorney-client privilege, but I let him know that things were going well and I was happy.

  “In fact, I took your advice and invited Vanessa to move in with me,” I told him boldly.

  He raised an eyebrow in surprise and dabbed his mouth with the corner of a napkin and stared at me in shock. “Really? Well, it’s about time!”

  “Who’s Vanessa?” Sarah asked me curiously. “Girlfriend or other?”

  I chuckled at her interest and told them, “She’s just a friend. I had a spare room, she needed a place to stay, and the rest is history.”

  “And, you’re getting along just fine?”

  “Yeah, everything seems to be going well.”

  “Then I’m happy for you! I still think you should have dated her in high school,” Dad commented quietly. “She’s always been such a nice girl; you’d like her, Sarah.”

  She smiled at him and said, “I’m sure I would.”

  They seemed good together, and Dad was happy for a change. It was wonderful seeing him so calm and relaxed after all this time. He needed a partner to keep him balanced. Every now and then I thought it would be nice to have a committed relationship of my own, but I wasn’t any good at things like that. I always let people down.

  Besides, I didn’t have time for a stable relationship that’s what made this connection with Vanessa so perfect: no expectations.

  Chapter 18

  Vanessa

  Monday

  When I arrived at the office, one of the secretaries walked me through getting a badge and ID so I could be put on the company payroll. As soon as they were finished, I was given a schedule with a list of clients already set up for me.

  Wow, they didn’t waste any time.

  The first one was a restaurant that was updating their website after a complete remodel of the building. It seemed like an interesting challenge, and I was looking forward to it. The business card had the name and address of the company, so I took my camera and drove to the location.

  It was a rustic, red brick building with a green awning and metal railing along the windows. The scene was beautiful by itself and dusted with a fine layer of snow; I knew the photo shoot would be fantastic. I was getting out of my car when a handsome, middle-aged gentleman came outside and greeted me on the sidewalk. “Buongiorno! Welcome to La Dolce Vida. I’m Carlo. This is my restaurant.”

  I shook his hand and smiled. “Hi, Carlo! I’m Vanessa, and I was sent here from Frank Howell Photography. I understand you wanted to get some pictures taken?”

  “Si! Si, signora. Please, come inside.”

  Taking my bag and camera, I followed him side where the chef and other staff were waiting. One of the men stepped forward and shook my hand with a toothy smile.

  “This is our executive chef, Michael. He was hoping you might be willing to take a few pictures of the food, as well, for the menu.”

  “Yeah, of course.”

  He clasped his hands together and smiled
. “Gratzie, signora. I will start cooking the dishes right away.”

  As he and the sous chef went back into the kitchen, Carlo showed me around the building, pointing out all the changes they had made. I nodded eagerly while he spoke, taking note of the Tuscan plaster on the walls and decorative bottles of wine. I assured him that we’d be showing him all the pictures I took before charging them for anything and it was completely under control. That seemed to ease his mind a bit, and he let me walk around freely, adjusting the lighting where it was needed, and setting up the tripod.

  It was everything that I wanted it to be: the scene was beautiful, and the client was enjoying himself. Glancing over at him sitting at the bar, I saw the light was hitting him just right and stepped over to ask politely.

  “Excuse me, Carlo?”

  “Si?”

  “Would you like to be in one of them?”

  He looked surprised at my request, but then he smiled. “You think that would be appropriate?”

  “Of course! You don’t mind, do you?”

  He shook his head and grinned, repositioning himself carefully on the stool. “Where did you want me to be?”

  “Just right there, don’t move an inch!”

  Carlo smiled nervously, looking past me at the bottles of wine behind him. There was a far-off look in his eye and the hint of a smile creeping up around the edges of this mouth.

  Bingo.

  I snapped a few pictures of him, looking regal in the perfect setting of his Italian restaurant. When I was finished, I brought the camera over to him and let him see the shots. As he scrolled through them carefully, I saw his eyes get misty as he became overwhelmed with emotion.

  “Gratzie, Signora. It has always been my dream to own a restaurant, and you have captured her essence more beautiful than a poem.”

  My jaw fell open in shock, and he embraced me with a hug.

  “Oh, Carlo! I’m so glad you like them.”

  “I do,” he told me adamantly. “Very much.”

  Just then a thought occurred to me as I heard the sizzling oils frying something in the kitchen. I glanced over at it across my shoulder and opened the door to the kitchen. Through the metal shelves where the food was set to order, I could see Michael working above the stove. It was the perfect opportunity to catch a few shots of him as well, in action, as it were.

  Carefully, I clicked some candid moments of him cooking and grinned to myself wickedly. Michael saw me working and glanced through the metal slots, leaning down to speak with me. “Did you need anything, signora?”

  I shook my head and smiled. “Do you mind if I take some pictures of you working?”

  He shrugged. “Not at all.”

  “Okay, great! Lean forward slightly and set the plate in front of you, like your setting it out to order.”

  “Like this?” he asked while replicating my instruction.

  “Yes! Now, keep your hand on it and look up at me and smile.”

  He laughed, and the look of it was so genuine and happy that I snapped as many pictures of it as I could manage.

  “Is that all?”

  “Yes, just let me know when the food is ready, and I’ll take pictures of those, as well.”

  “Si.”

  With the pictures of the photo shoot stacking up, I was more pleased with how the day had gone than I could have possibly imagined. A server had set one of the tables up for me like it was on display for dinner service and a few minutes later, Michael came out with a dozen different dishes. It was relatively easy to photograph the food, though I did have to set up my flash so that the lighting would be correct.

  Once I was done, I thanked them for their time and let them know it would be two days before I got the pictures back to them with editing. Carlo was so impressed, he sent two of the dishes back with me for lunch and a coupon for the restaurant. I thanked him profusely and took my things before heading back out into the cold.

  I drove back to Frank Howell with my entire body buzzing with excitement. It was such a high feeling, like I was in my element and doing something productive for a change. I was so glad that Adam had put me up for this position and I was able to get hired. It was everything I wanted.

  When I pulled into the parking lot, I grabbed the takeaway food and my camera and brought it inside with me. I walked right past the secretary’s desk, since Meghan wasn’t working, and went to check in. As I came to Frank’s door, I heard him talking curtly on the phone, so I knocked outside and waited for him to answer.

  “Alright, I gotta go. We’ll talk later,” he told the person on the other line. “Vanessa, how was your first day on the job? Did everything go alright at the restaurant?”

  “Yep! It went great. Carlo seemed really happy with the pictures that I showed him, and I even brought you back some lunch?”

  “You did?” he asked me with a smile. “What is that for?”

  I giggled. “Oh, it’s no big deal. The chef made all this food for me to photograph and they weren’t open for a lunch service. They just let me take a couple dishes home.”

  “That was very nice of them,” he said while taking the package from me. “Thank you for this, and I guess I’ll let you head on home so you can get to work on editing.”

  “I should have those ready first thing in the morning.”

  “Thanks, Vanessa.”

  I nodded, skipping out happily through the door and went to my car outside. When I got home that afternoon, I was pumped up and ready to relieve some sexual tension. Hopefully, Adam would be thinking the same thing. I sighed to myself happily while setting my bag down on the table, and pulled out my cell phone.

  Maybe I could send him a dirty text to let him know I’m in the mood.

  I flipped it open and saw there was already a text from him, letting me know he’d be at his father’s for the evening.

  Having dinner with my dad tonight. I won’t be home till late.

  My heart sank slightly as I was reading it and I pouted.

  Damn, I was really looking forward to rolling around naked in his bed. I guess the ship for sex has sailed. Now what am I going to do?

  In a flash of brilliance, I started flipping through my contacts until I found Meghan’s number. I pressed the call button and brought it to my ear, listening to it ring before she eventually picked up on the other line. “Hello?”

  “Hey, girl! Whatcha doing tonight?”

  “Not much, I’m just hanging at my place.”

  “Do you mind if I come over? My plans fell through this evening; Adam went to have dinner with his dad, so I want to get ugly drunk and talk about it to a bottle of wine.”

  “Hell, yes! I’ll text you my address.”

  “Perfect, I’ll head out in about fifteen minutes.”

  We hung up the phone with each other and I sighed contentedly. It would be good to have some girl time away from Adam. Now that we lived together and spent so much time alone, it was getting pretty intense. I took a few minutes to put away my camera and change into comfortable clothes.

  Once I was changed and ready, I grabbed my keys off the counter and walked back out to the car. Meghan had sent a text to my phone with her apartment address, so I plugged it into the GPS and was on my way. The radio played some pretty upbeat love songs, and I was singing along while I drove, but all I could think about was Adam.

  The memories of last night came flooding back to me and the way his hands could drive me crazy; I wanted them all over me. Why did he have to leave tonight? I pouted.

  Before I knew it, I was pulling up inside Meghan’s complex and found her number on the building outside. I knocked on the door to her apartment, with the bottle in my hand, and waited for her to answer. A moment later she opened it with a big smile on her face. “Vanessa! Did you find the place okay?”

  “Yeah, it was pretty easy. The directions you gave were really helpful.”

  “Great! Come on inside, let’s get this party started!”

  As she sidestepped out of the w
ay, I came into her apartment and looked around at the change in ambiance. It was appropriately lived in and had a comfortable, homey feel about it. On the opposite wall was a fireplace with crackling flames burning from the log inside.

  “Man, this is nice,” I complimented.

  “Thanks; just make yourself at home. I’m gonna get some glasses down and uncork this wine.”

  “Sounds good.”

  I took off my coat and hat and hung them on the rack beside the door before walking across the carpet toward the couch. Meghan flitted around the kitchen and pulled out a couple things while humming to herself.

  “So, how are things with Adam?” she asked me conversationally. “You said he was having dinner with his dad tonight?”

  “Oh, they’re good. It’s just weird to be in that apartment all by myself. It still feels like his place, you know?”

  “I feel ya. What’s it like? Any updates in the spank bank department?”

  I blushed embarrassedly and laughed. “Um, yeah… We may have had another incident.”

  “Another one? Sheesh,” she teased me happily. “Was it any good?”

  “Only if you consider mind-blowing sex that makes me re-evaluate all of my previous life choices leading up to that ‘good,’ then yeah.”

  Her jaw dropped as she tried not to smile. “Wow.”

  “I know, it’s incredible.”

  “So, do you think you guys are going to get together?

  “I don’t know; part of the fun is that there are no strings. I don’t want to spoil that.”

  “Alright, well, just be careful because things get messy in relationships. Someone will always want more.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know; he seems pretty happy.”

  She nodded thoughtfully. “Just think about it, ‘kay?”

  “Alright.”

  In my head, I was hoping she was wrong, so I blew it off and decided to enjoy the rest of our evening. Besides, Adam would have said something if he wanted more and I certainly wasn’t going to fall for him.

  Right?

  Chapter 19

  Adam

  (One Week Later) – Monday