Mink Too, All the Riches in the World Can't Buy Love

by B. L Wilson

  Something had changed with Liz. Susan could see it when she looked at her annoyed face. “It’s this way, at the end of the hall.”

  Susan opened the door to a spacious bathroom with a dressing room attached. The bathroom walls were shades of blue, green, and gray. The outsized deep green tub looked large enough to hold several people. She turned on the motor and watched the water swirl around gently. “These are the controls that can make the water warmer or colder. Just turn these knobs.” She pointed to two shiny black knobs to the right. “The ones on the left change the water’s flow and force. Let me help you get in, Lizzie.”

  “No, I’m fine. I can get in without help.” Liz walked or, rather, limped over to the tub. She tried several times to step into the tub, but she couldn’t raise her stiff leg high enough.

  Tired of watching her struggle, Susan mumbled, “Why are you being so stubborn?” She helped Liz angle a leg over the rim of the tub and then slip into the whirlpool. “Did I do something to anger you, Lizzie?” she asked softly. She watched as Liz lay back against the ceramic tile at the back of the tub and closed her eyes.

  Liz shrugged.

  “Lizzie, look at me!” Susan demanded.

  Liz ignored her.

  “I asked you a question, Sergeant. I deserve an answer!”

  “Yes, Ma’am, you do. But in the mood I’m in right now, you probably wouldn’t like my answer!” Dark eyes shot daggers at Susan before they closed and she shut her out again.

  Susan stood staring at Liz, willing her to open her eyes, but Liz continued to ignore her. Finally giving in to her temper, Susan slammed the door closed on her way out of the bathroom. “Damn stubborn jackass!” she muttered as she marched down the hall to check on her father.

  “How’s he doing, Nurse?” Susan whispered as she exhaled and then marched over to her father’s bedside.

  “Why don’t you ask me yourself, Suzie Q?”

  “I thought you were asleep.”

  “Who could sleep with that rather loud discussion going on in the bathroom?”

  Susan flushed with embarrassment. “I’m sorry about that, Daddy.”

  “Yes, I know. Your sergeant is an interesting young woman. She’s got her head on straight, unlike some other people I know.” Owen Drummond stared at his daughter until she felt uncomfortable and looked down.

  “You two talked?”

  He nodded. “She apologized for hitting me, which probably saved my life. Mostly, though, we talked about you, Suzie Q. She told me about the second note, but she doesn’t think you’re taking these notes seriously. She thinks you oughta be under lock and key twenty-four hours a day.”

  “Well, that figures, being the bossy, arrogant bitch that she is!”

  “Take it easy on the woman, Suzie Q. She saved my life.”

  “That’s the only reason I haven’t kicked her ass out of here!” Susan glared at her father.

  Owen Drummond studied his daughter’s stormy face. “Okay. I can see you’re angry. Heaven only knows why, so let’s change the subject. How did the board meeting go? Are we gonna have us a private investigator or not, Suzie Q?” He looked anxiously at his daughter’s face.

  Susan hated to disappoint her father again so soon after his accident. It seemed as though nothing was going his way. First, the mall site blew up. He nearly died in the explosion. Then his own board of directors, men he’d known and trusted for the last forty years, wouldn’t give him permission to hire an investigator. She knew her father could hire the private investigator himself, but it was a matter of principle.

  He wanted the board to go along with his plan. If the board voted yes, it meant they supported his bid to keep the investigation open until they found out who blew up the place and nearly killed him. The explosion killed one of his employees and somebody ought to pay for that too. If they voted no, it spelled trouble for him and Susan as the acting CEO.

  Susan rubbed her neck. “Daddy, I don’t know what happened today, but the vote wasn’t even close. It was six to one against the investigator. I was sure we had the votes to move the motion forward. I don’t know what happened. I presented my case just as you suggested. The board asked all the questions you said they would. I had all the answers. Then Johnny, of all people, started showing the board how foolish our idea was. He said we should to let the thing fade away. He said opening an investigation on our own would just remind people about the tragedy again. He produced the sheriff’s report that called it an accident. The damn coroner’s report backed up the sheriff’s report. Both reports recommended closing the case, Daddy. When it was time for the board to vote, no one wanted to vote against Johnny. I couldn’t believe it!”

  Owen Drummond listened intently to his daughter’s description. He didn’t say anything for a few minutes, mulling over what he’d just heard. “It’s okay, Suzie. We’ll just do it another way. I think you should listen to the sergeant. Do what she says, Sweetie.” He reached out to pat her hand.

  Susan shrugged and he removed his hand.

  “Suzie Q, it’d be good if you listened to her.” Owen Drummond noted the stubborn look in her eyes and decided to change the subject. “So Johnny did all the damage at the meeting today, huh?”

  Susan nodded and, for moment, she saw a look cross his features that reminded her of a person who suddenly figured something out but couldn’t believe it.

  “Are you okay, Daddy?”

  “I’m not happy we lost, but there’s always another way to skin a cat. I’ll just have to find it.” Owen looked wistful as he studied his daughter. “You look so much like her, Suzie Q. Your temperament is my only contribution to your heritage. The rest is your mother’s genes. When I look at you, it’s like seeing her as a young woman.” He sighed as his face filled with worry again. “Thank God you’re all right, Susan. If I lost you, I don’t know what I’d do. Please, do whatever the sergeant says, Honey. You’re all I have left.”

  Susan leaned over to hug him. “It’s okay, Daddy. Nothing is gonna happen to us. You get some rest.”

  “Goodnight, Sweetie.” He sighed and then closed his eyes as she tiptoed out of the room.

  CHAPTER EIGHT …Who do you think I am?

  Liz was getting sleepy as she felt the rhythmic motion of the hot water against her bruised skin. She floated in space as she closed her eyes. God, it was an exhausting day. A good night’s sleep would help. If she could just keep her eyes open, she’d make it to bed. She groaned and opened her eyes when she thought about all the stairs that she’d have to climb down to get there. Too bad Jake had left. She wouldn’t mind him carrying her to bed right now. She struggled to lift her sore leg over the tub’s edge and finally climbed out on the second try, then peeled off the suit without help this time. She snatched a towel as the door swung open.

  Susan Drummond stepped inside the bathroom. “I thought you must be a prune by now. How do you feel?”

  Liz quickly tied the towel snugly around her chest. “You could knock, you know! It’s still polite to do that, isn’t it?”

  Susan sighed as she studied Liz. “Here we go again. Do you dislike me that much, Sergeant Gilmore?”

  “No, I… Actually, I…er…” Liz stammered, then flushed. “I, ah, oh hell, you make me crazy sometimes but I don’t hate you, Drummond. I like you more than I should.”

  “Well, if that doesn’t beat all!” Susan stared at the flush that started at Liz’s cheeks and traveled down her chest. The towel hid the rest of it. A honey-colored hand reached out to trace the path of Liz’s flush.

  Liz closed her eyes as Susan ran a hand lightly from her cheekbone, slowly down her neck, to the edge of the towel.

  “Tell me if I’m hurting you, Lizzie,” Susan asked softly as her hand glided over the bruised section of Liz’s towel-covered chest. A nipple hardened under the towel. She could see its impression against the towel. “It would help if you removed the towel, Lizzie. Then I could see what I’ve only imagined.”

  Brown eyes opened and stare
d at Susan.

  Liz’s eyes reminded Susan of a rich mink coat when she gazed into them.

  “Your hand feels nice against my skin,” Liz whispered as she loosened the towel and let it drop to her ankles.

  Susan leaned over and gently kissed a chocolate nipple until it grew hard. She applied butterfly-light kisses on Liz’s other breast and then moved down to her belly.

  “Oh, Jesus, that’s good!” Liz cried out when Susan kissed the area where a tiny appendix scar was visible. Her stomach muscles quivered and she groaned. “Ooo, God! That’s my sensitive spot,” she rasped and felt a hand cup her mound.

  “I know, Sugar, I know.” Susan knelt down on the marble floor to caress muscular thighs and then kissed the inner part of them. She felt them tremble against her lips and smiled. Mmm, she’d found another sensitive spot. “Open your legs for me, Sugar.” Susan glanced up at Liz, who’d closed her eyes. She was breathing heavily.

  Dreamy dark eyes looked back at her. “If … I… do …that,” Liz gasped, “I’m gonna collapse from …the sheer pleasure of it. As it is, I’m … finding it difficult to remain standing.”

  Liz reached down to pull Susan up against her and then grimaced as a healthy shoulder bumped into a bruised breast. “Ouch!”

  Susan’s eyes widened. She reached out and gently touched the bruised area. “I’m sorry, Lizzie.”

  Liz kissed her hand, then looked into hazel eyes that were turning darker. “It’s okay, Baby Cakes. I have a feeling you could hurt me a lot worse if I let you.”

  Hazel eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means I could easily fall in love with you. If I did, I think you’d drop me as soon as something better came along. That’s how you rich women operate, isn’t it? Love them and leave them for something better.” Liz waited for the slap that she knew was coming and tightened her jaw in preparation.

  Instead, Susan stared at her in horror as hurt rapidly spread across her features. She fled from the bathroom, but not before Liz saw the tears in her eyes.

  Liz realized what a stupid jerk she was. “Why did I say that? Maybe that’s what I thought early on, but she’s been nothing but gracious to me. God, why can’t I just shut up?” she muttered glumly as she awkwardly bent to pick up the towel and wrapped it around her. She walked into Susan’s bedroom to grab her clothes. She limped downstairs and heavily sank down on the spare bed. “I should go find her and apologize,” she mumbled, pulling on the T-shirt and jeans she’d worn earlier today.

  The doorbell rang as she stuck her foot into the second sneaker and tried to lace it. It was too much of an effort to bend down and press against bruised skin, so she left her shoes untied. “I’ll get it,” she called out. “That is, if I can figure out how to shut off the damned alarm!” she muttered, walking through the dining room.

  “Key in the code numbers 4967 and press off.” Susan was sitting in the darkened dining room. “Don’t open the door yet, Liz. Let them wait a minute. What you said upstairs, is that how you see me? A rich bitch that runs over people or uses them just to find the next good deal?”

  In the dark room, Liz couldn’t see Susan’s tears, but she could hear the hurt in her voice. “I don’t know if…okay, yeah, in the beginning. I thought you were a rich, spoiled brat looking to get even with me for some injustice you thought you’d suffered by my hand.”

  “Lizzie, who do you think I am now?” Susan’s eyes glowed in the dark room.

  “I believe I told you some of it in the bathroom. You’re someone I could easily fall in love with. What I didn’t say is that I … I don’t … I … can’t,” Liz stuttered. It was hard for her to admit she’d gotten used to having Susan Drummond nearby.

  “I see, Sergeant Gilmore.” Susan got up and walked over to the wide staircase. “I think you’d better get the door.” She sighed. “I’m tired. I’m going to bed. Good night, Sergeant.”

  Liz watched Susan’s hips as they swayed from side to side when she trudged up the steps. This is worse than before, Liz thought. Before I made my half-assed confession, I knew she was pissed. Now I can’t get a read on her. Why she went back to calling me Sergeant Gilmore instead of Lizzie, I’m not sure. Hell, I don’t even know if she likes me anymore. She frowned as she opened the door.

  Jake Sr. greeted her with a hug. “Good to see you up and about, Baby Girl. How do you feel?”

  “Mostly sore, Dad. You want some coffee or something?”

  “Yeah, I’ll take a cup.”

  Liz reset the alarm. “Which way is the kitchen?”

  “It’s to the left. I see Susan hasn’t given you the grand tour yet.”

  “I’ve been out of it, Daddy. Seems like all I’ve been doing since I got here is sleeping and making people angry.”

  “By ‘people,’ I take it you mean Susan Drummond.”

  Liz grimly shook her head. “She’s different, Daddy. I don’t know why, but she changed somehow. I thought I’d be dealing with a spoiled, lazy, annoying rich bitch.”

  Jake Sr. raised an eyebrow.

  “Sorry, Daddy, I meant to say ‘rich woman.’ Instead, I find an attractive, bright woman who should have been running her father’s company ages ago. I like her, Daddy, but she scares me.” Liz sighed as they walked to the kitchen together. “When she’s not busy scaring me, she makes me crazy. You know how nasty I can be when I’m upset.”

  Her father smiled and nodded.

  “I say stupid stuff. I said some pretty mean things to her a while ago.”

  “So go apologize, Lizzie.”

  Liz shrugged as she played with the coffeemaker. “It’s not so easy, Daddy. A part of me still believes she’s what my first impression was.”

  “What about the other part, Lizzie?”

  “The other part’s in love with her, Daddy,” Liz quietly admitted.

  “Then that’s the part oughta be talking to her. Take it from me, Lizzie, you gotta tell her how you feel now. You never know what tomorrow’s gonna bring, Baby Girl.” He patted her hand. “How about making the old man a little iced coffee?”

  “You got it, Daddy. You want anything else … a sandwich or something?”

  “Nope, I ate already.” He patted his belly.

  They talked about the board meeting until the coffee finished brewing.

  Liz poured the coffee into a thermos filled with cream and ice cubes.

  “Thanks, Honey. See you in the morning. Lizzie?” He turned around to face her.

  “Yeah, Dad?”

  “Have you ever considered the same person coming after Susan might come after you too?”

  “Yeah, I thought about it. The way I figure, whoever it is doesn’t see me as much of a threat because he could have killed me at the hospital.”

  “Maybe not, Lizzie. Ted, Jake, or I was there twenty-four hours a day for the first three days of your stay. We had ICU covered.”

  “Oh.”

  “Us being there is probably what kept Drummond alive too. We should think about this case again. You might need just as much protection as she does, Baby Girl.”

  Liz shook her head. “It doesn’t fit, Daddy. There have been too many opportunities to get me since I arrived here or even before I got here. The trip here was just her and me. They coulda killed me then, or they coulda done me when Jake took Susan to the board meeting. It was just Drummond, the nurse, and me. Nah, my gut says I’m not in this mix yet.”

  “Just be careful, Lizzie. Here; take this.” He handed her a .38 handgun.

  Liz tucked the gun in the middle of her back. “Thanks, Dad. See you tomorrow morning.” She hugged her father and he left. After she reset the alarm, she stood at the kitchen window, looking out at the night sky. She was deep in thought and didn’t hear Susan enter the kitchen.

  Susan cleared her throat. “Do you have to wear that thing in the house, Sergeant? I don’t like guns. They make me nervous.”

  At the sound of Susan’s voice, Liz turned around to glance at her. She frown
ed. “Yes, I have to wear it, Drummond. Get used to it. It’s what I do for a living.”

  Susan sighed and then said, “Yes, I know what you do.”

  “I just brewed coffee. Do you want a glass of iced coffee?”

  Susan shrugged. “Yes, if it will make us friends again.” She watched Liz reach into the cupboard and bring down two glasses. She watched large hands prepare the coffee. Liz’s hands mesmerized her with their nimble movements. She wondered if Liz touched her again, what it would feel like. She closed her eyes. She imagined Liz’s hands stroking her face, then moving down to cup a breast and pinch a nipple until it became hard. She clenched her thighs in anticipation, imagining what they’d touch next.

  “Susan? I said, here’s your coffee. Hey, are you all right?” Concerned dark eyes stared into hazel ones as Liz handed her the iced coffee when she sat at the kitchen table.

  “I’m fine, thank you.”

  “My father says I should tell you how I feel about you.” Liz studied Susan’s wary face. She pushed the coffee glasses away and then stood up to walk over to Susan. She pulled Susan into her arms. “But I’d rather show you.” She kissed Susan’s eyelids, her forehead, and then her lips until she felt Susan’s warm arms surround her waist. The kissed lasted longer than forever and the women were breathless when it ended.

  Liz rested her forehead against Susan’s and smiled. “I wanted to do that in the hospital last night, but I didn’t think that you’d like…”

  Susan interrupted her speech with a finger across soft lips. “Shush, Lizzie, you’ll spoil the moment. Kiss me again, please.”

  “Yes, Ma’am. Your wish is my…”

  “You talk too much, Sergeant.” Susan pulled Liz by the neck of her T-shirt into another blazing kiss that made her ache with longing. She wanted more from this woman. She cupped Liz’s face to stare into dark soulful eyes. “Are you sure this time, Lizzie? If you leave me hanging again, I’ll have to tell your father.”

  Liz groaned and then placed a hand over her heart in mock surprise. “Not the daddy threat, anything but that, My Love. I’m wounded that you feel the need to call for backup.” Her eyes twinkled merrily as she glanced at Susan.