When he was completely inside her, Shane kissed Kate as passionately as he could, pressing his throbbing penis deeper and deeper in to her, until there was no deeper to go. It seemed to Shane he had just discovered the tingling, surging rewards of French kisses, paired with accompanying sensations, racing forth from every surface of his body. He felt new heights of passion never known, before Kate.
Each second left both lovers more fueled by pinnacles of fiery desire, a level of passion they had never experienced with anyone else. The two lovers soon moved together in heaves of hot breath, and wet luscious kisses. Hands and fingers were unable to rest. Muscles tensed and retracted, only to tense and retract, and repeat the movements, over, and over again. Toes curled, as eyes opened to see the incredible sight before them, only to close again, as they each relished unimaginable sensations.
Their bodies fit together as if they had been designed for just that purpose, to produce the greatest height of sexual passion and gratification possible. Shane opened his eyes and saw Kate’s heaving chest, her sumptuous breasts rising and falling, her red lips parted and gasping, as she strained for another breath. He kissed her even more lustfully, nearly losing control.
Kate opened her eyes without missing a thrust, pulled back to see her lover, and then pulled Shane’s mouth back to her, as she gave him a faint smile. Their tongues immediately met, and resumed the dance they had briefly left.
The lovers continued this blissful rhythm until they could barely move, continually urged on by the fuel of love and lust that now filled their minds, hearts and bodies. They began to arrive at the peak of desire, each wanting more, wanting to achieve the ultimate climax, and yet each, …not wanting it to stop.
They craved to feel each other more, to please each other as much, and as long, as possible. Neither wanted to slow the pace, as they were both urged on to seek new levels of sexual expression and release. They both yielded to some previously unknown force inside each of them…a force that demanded they continue, each releasing more to the other.
Both lovers gained strength to continue from the other, feeding off, and taking all they could from their new lover, while giving back even more than they had each dreamed possible. The pace and height of passion continued to race onward, spiraling upward nearly out of control, until there was no stopping the inevitable.
Suddenly Shane felt Kate’s orgasm rock from deep inside her, and move quickly toward him, seizing and releasing him in spasms. He feverishly kissed and licked her firm full breasts, as they revealed the telltale reddish spots of climax, nipples fully erect and enlarged. Kate moaned with fits of pleasure as her orgasm intensified. She released uncontrolled, enraptured gasps.
Shane felt the sudden ecstatic rush of release, and filled Kate, over and over, as he thrust deeper and faster in to the depths of her body, urged on by the rush of Kate’s blissful, contented convulsions. Her rapturous cries built to a crescendo.
Both Shane and Kate renewed their deep final kisses in the frenzy that the climax of lovemaking brings, ultimately slowing, as the last few thrusts brought Kate a second, shorter, but deeper, orgasm.
Kate smiled the pained smile that signals the blissful end of the pinnacle of sexual passion and romance. Then the two new lovers locked on to each other’s eyes, and simultaneously kissed their last deep lingering, romantic kiss, holding on as tightly to each other as they could.
Their tongues finally slowed and said their final goodbyes, and their wet lips finally parted. Shane smothered Kate’s neck in rapid tongue flicks and kisses, and then rolled over, bringing Kate with him, allowing her to rest on top of his spent, heaving body. The lovers spoke in hushed tones about the wonder of the night, and how neither wanted it to ever end. Neither could believe what they had just felt. And suddenly, neither lover could picture continuing in life, without the other.
Shane was totally drained of stress. He couldn’t remember ever being happier. “If I smoked, I think I’d smoke a pack of cigarettes right now, Kate, because I don’t think anything like that could ever be repeated, and I would just want to savor the moment,” he teased.
Kate looked down at him and smiled. “You had better repeat that again,” she countered quickly. “You can’t ruin me for all other men and then just move on, Shane Beckett,” she said with a grin.
Shane laughed and said, “I didn’t mean we would never try again to reach that magnificent place we just discovered. I just meant that I would never have thought it possible to go there, until I met you,” Shane explained tenderly. “In fact, I never knew something so wonderful could be possible!”
As they lay in silence, Shane realized that they were both covered in sweat, and he savored the sweet lingering scent of a night of lovemaking. He loved Kate’s scent, their scent together, and feeling like he did right now.
Realizing the same thing at the same time, Kate rose slowly off her lover’s body, and pulled him up to follow her to the shower. They entered a large tiled shower with a glass surround. The lovers showered silently, grinning at each other, as they carefully washed each other’s bodies for the first time. When they were done, they dried each other, and Kate slipped back into her suit and her robe. She threw Shane the trunks he now realized she had known, would fit him perfectly.
She led him back downstairs to the hot tub, stopping along the way at a full bar in a game room to make two more lemon drop martinis and grab a large glass of cold lemon water they could share. Shane followed Kate back into the hot tub without saying a word. He was in awe of the night, but he sensed that Kate wanted to talk and he thought he needed to listen to whatever his new lover wanted to say.
Kate set the jets to a steady motion of water that massaged Shane’s wound and kept the noise low. She raised her glass to his and they clinked to celebrate their newfound love. Then Kate just sipped her drink and gazed into Shane’s eyes for the longest time, as if trying to build the courage to move on to the topic she wished to discuss.
Shane said nothing, having already decided to accept what was to come, however it played out. He had met the girl he had dreamed about and just had the most exhilarating lovemaking experience of his life. And now, he was in a hot tub with this wonderful woman, sipping a lemon drop martini in her mansion. Whatever was to come, it was okay with him.
“I may even adopt this martini as my signature drink,” he thought, grinning to himself.
Kate began, “Shane, you have been totally honest with me and you have waited patiently to hear about our real first date, or dates, to be correct.” As Kate spoke, Shane thought he detected a note of sadness in her voice.
“Shane, I need to start by taking you back to why my father met with your father, when we were just kids. My hesitation in telling you this is that I need you to promise to hear me out completely. Some of what I tell you may be painful for you to hear. Some of it you may not believe. But just as you made me promise to keep your secret, I need you to promise to think about what I tell you, and never repeat it to anyone else, not even your employer.”
Shane looked at Kate intently. He saw the worry in her eyes and heard the concern in her voice.
“Kate, there is nothing you could tell me that would possibly cause me to doubt you or change my feelings for you. This may sound silly and premature, Kate, but I am falling in love with you. For the first time in my life, I can imagine being with only one person, and that person is you. I’ve been wanting this to happen for months, but never dreamed it could, and now that it has…”
Kate put two fingers over Shane’s lips to stop him. “Shane, I feel the same way, but I don’t want you to finish that sentence or say anymore until you hear what I have to say. If you still want me when I finish my story, then we will have a lifetime to explore our love together, but first you need to hear the whole truth.”
4
“Acquaintances are always there when they need you. Friends are always there when you need them.”
(Lee Parley Cunningham)
Kate’s f
ace took on a solemn foreboding look as she spoke. Shane watched her closely, his stomach tied in knots by the anxiety and fear of losing this magical woman he had just found. Shane had been in love maybe once before, so he thought. But after six months of a building relationship he and she lost the spark and drifted apart. He felt relieved when they broke up. Since then he had always believed that something was wrong with him, and that he lacked some essential essence of normality to be able to fall in love. He thought he would always be alone…until now.
But then he had seen Kate, a woman seemingly designed by the Creator just for him. If the truth were known, he had been falling in love with her day by day, as he watched her and listened to her with friends and staff at their favorite café. To finally have all his dreams fulfilled and experience the wonder they had known in such a brief time, was more than he could have hoped for.
Already though, he felt the stinging fear of loss of the greatest love in his life. Kate sounded and looked ominous. It was as if a horrible storm were approaching that could possible destroy everything they had just begun to build together. He felt helpless. But he was committed to fight for what he wanted and needed. He would make it work, whatever the problem.
Kate searched Shane’s eyes for the sign that everything would be all right. His return gaze conveyed the reassurance Kate needed, and she began to speak to him softly.
“My hesitation at telling you this is partly based on the belief that I should have told you what I knew many years ago. For reasons you will understand soon, I was prevented from coming to you, and later chose not to tell you all I knew out of a growing concern for you. Some of this you may know, but since I don’t know exactly what you do know, I’ll start at the beginning.”
She continued cautiously, “Our fathers were more than business associates, Shane. They developed a close friendship and trust that grew from their business contacts, which spanned many years. My father was part of a construction empire that my grandfather and his brother built in southern California. The brothers, working part-time when they were in college, started a concrete business that eventually became the largest concrete and excavation company in California, and one of the most successful in the country.”
“The business was always family owned, but Great-Uncle Charles had no children. When Charles died, my dad took over more and more of the business to help Grandfather. Eventually they began expanding out of the State of California and focused on large government projects. By then Grandfather had begun additional businesses and was buying land and developing shopping centers. Finally they began working in Nevada. But I’m getting ahead of myself.”
As Kate spoke, the words seemed to come easier, and the tension drained from her speech. She continued the story in the melodic tones that Shane was used to hearing; tones that comforted the listener as they conveyed truth and trust.
She went on more confidently. “Your father was more than an attorney representing interests in my family’s business. He was also dad’s personal attorney and friend. They spent a great deal of time together in meetings about work, but they also travelled a great deal together. Some of what they did together I knew about, but there is much I didn’t.”
“Eventually your dad was selected by the California Department of Justice to review an investigation completed by a task force that targeted organized crime in California in the construction industries, especially involving state and federal contracts, and focusing on government corruption. The California State Attorney General and your father had gone to law school together, and he held your father in high esteem as an honest, incorruptible and ethical person and attorney.”
Kate’s words were flowing freely and quickly now. “Your dad specialized in corporate law, specifically in business and corporate contracts and contract fraud. And although the Attorney General had specialists in his own department, he suspected ties to organized crime compromised his department, along with many others in state government. He knew your father was competent, discrete and trustworthy, and he convinced your dad to take on the role of special prosecutor to review an investigation and make recommendations to him for prosecution.”
Shane sat wide-eyed as Kate filled in the gaps he had needed, to understand all that had happened to his family.
Kate continued. “As I understand it, when your father was personally selected by the Attorney General himself, there were only a handful of trusted people outside the task force who knew about the investigation and the identity of the special prosecutor.”
“The California State Attorney General was a man named Scott Mayfield. He had made quite a name for himself in Orange County, prosecuting organized crime and large fraud cases that took many millions in savings from a large number of innocent trusting people. He was brash, dedicated, outspoken and aggressive, and as such, his list of enemies was as impressive as his reputation as an incorruptible prosecutor. He earned the nickname of “The Little Pit Bull with the Large Bite,” from both his size and the power of his successful prosecutions. He sent some wealthy, powerful people to prison, and easily won the next Attorney General election on his spotless reputation.”
“Mayfield knew, from his contacts in law enforcement, that contract fraud in California was costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year, and he ran on a platform to expose those responsible and save the taxpayers a bundle. My dad used to talk about him for hours during the year before the election. Dad supported Scott vocally and openly to anyone who would listen. He served on Scott’s campaign committee and did all he could to help Scott get the support he needed to win.”
“Once Scott Mayfield won, he wasted no time organizing the task force and assigning members he believed he could trust. He created a state-wide tip line, targeting government contract corruption. The task force worked on the investigation just short of a year, and already had more people identified for prosecution than a team of prosecutors could charge and bring to trial in twice that time. But the biggest surprise to the team was that the loss due to corruption didn’t run in the millions…it was in the billions!”
Shane marveled at the knowledge and eloquence of Kate’s speech. She was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and committed, to say the least, but her mannerisms exposed the pain, anger, and contempt for corruption she felt. He was intrigued and enthralled as she continued.
“Of the four people in the original task force, two died in suspicious accidents, leaving an FBI agent named William Conrad, and a California Department of Justice investigator named Craig Robinson. The only other people who knew details of the investigation, and the identity of the special prosecutor, were the Attorney General, my dad and your Uncle Pete.”
“My dad, your dad, and your Uncle Pete were the inner circle of family and friends, outside the investigation, that consulted on the details of the investigation and made recommendations to the task force. They also formed their own plans for security and protection of a back-up copy of the files and documentary evidence.”
Shane bolted straight up and jumped angrily out of the Jacuzzi. “You mean to tell me that my own Uncle Pete knew about all this and didn’t tell me?! I can’t understand why…I mean…but we don’t have any secrets. He’s like a dad to me.” Shane was obviously in distress. He flailed his arms about, looking around as if searching for a way to vent his disappointment.
Kate had planned for this moment she knew would come. She was already out of the hot tub, holding Shane’s hand and standing at his side. She grabbed two towels, gave one to Shane and then, thinking better of it, started back toward the Jacuzzi, looking back at Shane as she pulled him gently along behind her.
She spoke softly, but with such authority and reassurance that Shane could only listen. “Shane, I told you this would be difficult, and you promised that you would listen to the entire explanation before you made any decision about who did what, or how and when you should have been included. Shane, you promised, and I won’t hold you to anything more than that…your own word! So,
do we end all of this, or do we move forward, as agreed?!”
He looked at her sheepishly and nodded his head in agreement. When Kate had begun the account, Shane had relaxed and sunk deeply into the hot soothing water, feeling the welcome deep massaging of his exhausted and sore muscles. He had finished the martini, and almost all of the cold lemon water in the bottle, not realizing how thirsty he was. Now that he was up, he was beginning to feel sore and stiff, and he wanted another drink. But he followed her and got back in the water.
They sat silent for a few seconds as Shane contemplated what he had learned. He picked up the glass of lemon water and as he swallowed the last sip of water, Kate smiled, and stroked his face and lips with her fingers. “Think we could use a little more?” she said coyly. Kate picked up a remote that had been resting on the Jacuzzi surround and asked for two more drinks and a pitcher of lemon water. A woman’s pleasant voice answered that they would be delivered shortly.
Out of habit, Shane promptly said, “I really shouldn’t…I’ll need to drive home.” But, immediately after the words had left his mouth, he realized the folly of the statement.
Kate gave him a knowing smile, and countered, “I really don’t think so, Mr. Beckett. I have more plans for you.” Their eyes connected with the love and joy that lover’s eyes convey, as they both laughed together. Kate’s eyes also flashed a hint of embarrassment that her cheeks confirmed with a crimson glow. But Shane’s face soon returned to a confused and concerned expression.
Kate suggested they shower, and get into white cotton robes waiting in the shower room. She promised to continue the explanation when they met back in the viewing room. She wanted to give Shane a chance to be alone for a moment, and reflect on what she had just told him, before she continued. She knew the next part would be much more difficult for both of them, and she wanted to buy more time.
The Case Page 10