“I can’t believe you did that.” He ran his finger along my jaw and lifted my chin.
I’m laying on the couch with my head in his lap. “I still want to go somewhere with you. Somewhere romantic.” Bits jumped up on the couch and walked from my ankles to my stomach for affection and play. “Somewhere we can take the little troublemaker.”
His hand slid down the front of my jeans. I’d gotten dressed because I figured I’d be seeing Eddie and Barry today. Trace is wounded, and won’t be going anywhere, so he’s comfortable in his sweatpants once more. There’s not quite enough room for his hand, so he made room by unfastening and unzipping my jeans.
I wiggled my hips as he worked them down a little too far. I set Bits on the floor and scooted up to reach the blanket and put it over my lap. This put me within kissing distance, while giving him the perfect leverage to put the hand on his good arm to use.
I ravaged his face with kisses and little bites as he made love to me with his fingers. He bites back making me want more. More pleasure. I could drown in his expert touch. His mouth is a fountain of passion to drink from. His neck a delight to nibble on as the bites make his head fall back exposing his neck for more kisses.
“Shit baby. Ow. Oh Shit.” He’s shifting under me.
I realized why when his weaker hand grabbed my hip and pressed me into his lap. I knew he was hard. I could feel his struggle the entire time I was wallowing in my own disconnection from reality.
I had no idea he was so close. “Ow! Oh shit!!!” His mouth crushed into mine as his hands tightened their hold on my body. His fingers are deep and busy. His release is taunting another from my own body.
I gave up resisting the way he makes me want to explode, and erupted so hard I whimpered his name into our kiss. His lips moved into a smile making mine follow suit.
“I hope you’re ready to knock the earth off it’s axis the first time we make love.” He slipped his fingers all the way out slowly, then pushed back in steadily filling a void that surprised my body making it push back unexpectedly matching his force.
I buried my face in his neck as my body clenched from the orgasmic aftershocks. “I may not survive.”
“Oh, you’ll survive, you just won’t be able to walk for the first month afterwards.” He tensed and began working me in long penetrating strokes. “I love how you feel. Think about me inside you. Think about how good we’re going to feel together.” He dared as I came so hard I screamed for the first time at the touch of a man as I let go to embrace the pleasure he delivers so easily.
“Trace stop. I have to go.”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
“No. You won’t. Stay here.”
“I’ll wait outside.” He offered as I opened my car door.
“Wait here. Barry will be using the studio to announce the reruns, then gathering tapes for another hour. I want you here to lock up after he leaves.”
“I’ll call Nine Hole.”
I shook my head and rolled my eyes, “Why do they call him Nine Hole?”
He shut my door and bent down to my window. “He’s a groundskeeper for a golf course in Scottsdale. He likes to sneak women in after hours, and do them on the ninth hole.”
“That’s… wrong.”
“Text me when you get there.”
“Stop nagging.” I gave him one last lingering kiss then backed out of my driveway.
I’ve never been so uncomfortable in my life. Jackson. Ugh. How could I have slept with such a weasel?? I want to launch myself across this table and smack that stupid cocky grin off his face.
“Miss Skye?” The IRS attorney expects me to pay attention with all these homicidal tendencies rolling through every fiber of my being??
I forced myself to stop glaring at the piece of trash, and looked at the man addressing me. “Yes?”
“Do you realize that by not reading what you signed, you could go to jail?”
“I read what I signed. What I signed was laced with false information. It turns out my producer was giving Mr. Gold here royalty checks I didn’t know about. I didn’t need to know. I trusted Mr. Gold to deposit them accordingly. As I trusted him with all my finances, including taxes.” Georgia schooled me on the possible questions before we walked in the room, so I’ve been mentally preparing myself for the last hour.
“Maybe it would behoove you to be more careful who you trust.”
“Says the Internal Revenue Service that was put into play originally to pay for wars that were fought to keep peace. Are we at war now Mr. Simmons?”
Georgia sat back in her chair as if she was giving me the floor.
“Taxes are a citizens contribution to the welfare of their country.”
“Where’d you read that? Bend ‘Em Over U? Look. It’s pretty clear you only care about collecting the money, and putting me in jail doesn’t accomplish that. I have investigators working right now to track the money Jackson stole. We should have something by the hearing. Now, unless I’m under arrest, this meeting has given me all I need.” I stood ready to leave this nonsense.
The lawyers all stood, Jackson remained seated.
Jackson’s lawyer flipped a card at me across the table. “We’ll be seeing you in court.”
I flipped it back. “I doubt it. Did your client tell you he stole a million dollars from me?”
He looked at Jackson, who shrugged. “It was a loan.”
“Is there paperwork for this loan?”
“There is.”
I closed my eyes. How many things did I sign without reading?
“Get it to my office. Now.”
Jackson looked at me with those beady little green eyes, “Will do. Mr. Simmons is right. You should be more careful who you trust. You never know what snakes lie around dark corners.”
I bit my lip and put my arm on Georgia’s before she launched herself across the table and strangled him with her bare hands.
One thing you learn as a shrink, silence can be deafening. I gave him nothing. I forbade Georgia and my lawyer to speak with one look.
Jackson got up and left with the rest of them. Once the door shut I exhaled. “We need proof he stole that royalty money. That will go a long way to proving motive for trying to kill me. If Trace can track the food that snake was being fed back to Jackson, he’s going to go down hard.”
“Joe is working on it, but he’s having to go through Fletcher in order to make the evidence admissible.” Georgia assured me. “This is going to take some time.”
“How long before a hearing?”
“Two weeks.”
“I’m not under arrest am I?”
“No. By coming forward you give yourself a lot of freedom. He’ll rework the numbers, send you a bill, and likely never want to see your face again. Way to chew out the IRS guy Celeste. Although he is a friend, so I’ll pay for that one. Gladly.” She put her arm around my shoulders and led me to the door of the conference room. “It’ll be okay. Why don’t you take Wrangler and go make love all over the side of some mountain somewhere?”
“I don’t want to tuck tail and run from this.”
She looked up and over my shoulder, “Are you kidding me?? You’re like a giant blonde shadow with a bad disposition. Back. Off.”
I turned and looked to see Turner consuming the space in the hall. I’d met him briefly outside before we went in, but that was from fifty yards away. Georgia told me wave hello on our way inside. He’s a lot bigger up close.
He gave her a look only she can read.
“I know. Now go.” She shooed him away to reveal my Wrangler standing just behind him.
“Oh good grief. Are they all this clingy??” I asked her.
“I think so. Come on, let’s go outside and talk before they start scaring people.” She gave my arm another squeeze before hooking her arm through Turner’s.
“You are such a pain. Why couldn’t you wait outside?” Of course there was no answer.
Trace draped his good arm around my shoulders, “Well?”
“Well… you’re about as big a pain in the butt as Turner.” I teased earning a behind Turner’s back thumbs up from Georgia in front of us.
Trace missed it because he’s focused on me. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on??” There’s that demanding Colson I love.
“I have two weeks to tie Jackson into this. If I can’t, then I go down for tax fraud. I need to prove Jackson masterminded this whole thing.”
Georgia shooed the guys away once we got outside and faced me looking rushed, “Listen. The second this hits the media, which will be any day now that he feels threatened, I want you to down play it. Whatever you do, don’t mention the club. You can say you’re lawyers are handling it. That’s it. You need to make sure Wrangler does the same. If you bad mouth Mr. Gold in any way, this can backfire on us.”
“How is it going to look if I take off with Trace to make love all over some mountain? Who’s going to watch his company, and my house?”
“Slider wants you both out of town in case Jackson decides to take another shot at either of you. I suggest you go. I’ll take care of things on this end. Call me once a day. We’ll catch up. Okay?”
“I’m putting a lot of faith in you.”
She nodded her agreement, “Got a better idea?”
“No. If I go to jail, Trace is going to go bat shit crazy.” I feel the need to warn her, not only because it’s true, but I need someone to look out for him if I do end up in jail for a couple years. I doubt I’d get more than that, but it still wouldn’t go over well.
“You won’t go to jail. I can assure you that much. Worst case scenario you pay the IRS as much as Jackson stole, and live the next seven years with IRS audits.”
“I’m liking you less and less.” I joked. She knows better.
“That’s worse case Celeste. I want to nail this guy because he pissed Slider off going after Wrangler. Between you and me, if you and I can’t take him down legally…”
I put my hand up. “I don’t need to hear the rest of that.”
“Good. Now get out of town, tell everyone you and Jackson parted ways amicably, and you’re taking some time off to gather your thoughts. If it comes out you’re with another man, just be honest, but discreet. Got it?”
“I think so. Where should we go?”
She snapped her fingers and grabbed her purse off her shoulder to start digging. “I thought you might need a hand there. Turner has more money than sense. He bought this boat but we never use it. He prefers the woods to the ocean.” She handed me a set of keys. “I’ll text you the dock address and key code. Head to San Diego. I already called ahead, just in case, so the marina knows you’re coming.”
“What about Trace’s company?”
“He’s worked with enough prospects at the club I think they can field a few calls for him. He can advise from San Diego for a couple weeks. This is all doable Celeste. Try to relax and enjoy your old man. Keep your phones nearby.”
“I need a drink.”
She smiled and took my hand to lead us back to the two men who look nothing alike. “Me too.”
11
“Do you know anything about boats?” Trace asked handing his truck keys over to the prospect that will be filling in for him.
“No. I thought all men knew about boats. Aren’t you guys born knowing how engines work, and how boats float?”
He grabbed his two duffel bags like some strength is coming back in his arm. Good. Poor guy. I want to kiss all his boo-boo’s. After diving into the desert foliage to track down all his critters, he looks like was in a wrestling match with a cactus and lost.
“No baby, but I do know a little. We can ask somebody if we can’t figure it out.”
“Oh my God. Be still my beating heart. A man who will ask for help?” I gasped. Seriously, that’s rare.
“You’re quite the comedian this afternoon.” He dropped the two bags in my car. There better not be any spiders in there. Maybe Bits will eat them. Ew. No. Then he’d have spider breath. I like his little snout wiggles and kissies.
“I’m hiding my apprehension about this IRS, and this Jackson crap, behind a really bad sense of humor.”
“I wouldn’t say really bad.” He opened the passenger door. “In you go.”
“You don’t want me to drive?”
“No. You drive like a little old lady. We’re going to get run over with you behind the wheel.”
“Ouch.”
“Come on Cookie, it’s a six hour drive. I want to get it over with so I can get off my ass and start nibbling on yours.”
I sunk into my car picking up Bits along the way. As usual he’s eager to see me. Between Trace and Bits I feel very loved.
We stopped at my place so I could pack a couple bags and lock up the house before heading south via Florence. The drive to Yuma is boring. It doesn’t get much more exciting from Yuma until you’re making the final descent into San Diego.
Trace and I talked about the case. He didn’t want to hear anything that suggested I might go to jail for a while. Me either, so we changed the subject.
We talked about the current living situation. I told him to just bring over whatever he wanted, that my house is his house now. He promised not to take over my life. I laughed and told him it was way too late for that.
Sometimes when there was a comfortable break in our conversations I’d think how wonderful it is to know he’ll be home with me every night. I never had that with Jackson. He might spend the night once a month, if that. I stopped counting. Stopped caring.
It occurred to me in one of my silence introspects that I’d stopped caring about Jackson a long time ago. I just hadn’t gotten around to doing anything about it. The talk of marriage stalled out because I didn’t want to move, and neither did he. My lazy non-confrontational side rode that out for a long time.
Not anymore. It’s pretty clear what Trace wants. Me. He can be a little rough around the edges, something I never thought I’d find attractive in a man, but this one wears it well.
He is definitely all man. His arms are huge. I can’t wrap my hand around them all the way. Two hands, almost.
“What are you doing?” He asked as I try to find a place where my fingers can touch around his bicep.
“Playing. Am I bothering you?”
“Not at all. I just wondered what you were fitting me for.”
“I need a new car with no console. Do they make cars with front bench seats anymore?” I shifted hating this hunk of plastic separating me from a man who’s begging to be touched.
“We’ll look into it. Any idea how big this boat is?”
“No. She just gave me the address of the marina, and the slip number. It’s going to be dark when we get there. I hope we can find it.”
“We’ll find it. You have Georgia’s number, right?”
“I do.”
“Remember those words. I plan to make you say them in front of a preacher here soon.”
“How soon?”
“How soon can you be ready?”
“Good question.”
We found the marina. We found the boat. Someday we’ll find our jaws that dropped so far they hit the dock, and bounced into the water. It took us a full two minutes to register this was in fact the correct boat. The writing across the side towards the front should have given it away, Georgia Peach, but we still couldn’t believe it.
The dock master assured us this was the right boat, or yacht, as he gave us quick tour, then helped us locate a few key things on the boat we’d need for the night. I called Georgia as soon as he left.
“Are you kidding me??”
“What?”
“Do you know how big this t
hing is??”
“Turner’s a big guy, he needed a big boat. Do you like it?”
“I want to live in it!!”
“It’s all yours until the hearing. Maybe once this is over we’ll take it out for a celebratory spin.”
“Why on earth did Turner buy this monster boat if he never uses it?”
“Hang on. Honey, why’d you buy the boat? . . . I should have known. For me. I probably said something about wanting to go sailing in passing.” She explained.
I laughed, “Tell him it’s a beautiful boat, and thank you very much for letting us use it. We’ll take good care of her.”
“I know you will. I don’t know much about that thing, so you’re going to be better off asking the harbor master, or one of the guys working the docks, for help.”
“Got it.”
“Goodnight Cookie.” She teased.
“Ha ha. Night.”
Trace appeared from inside where he’d been unpacking. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just thanking Georgia for the water mansion. How are you doing?”
He stretched out on one of the longer parts of the sectional sofa on his stomach. “Ass hurts from sitting so long.”
“I’d offer to rub it, but I don’t think that would help.” I sat where the couch takes a turn along the back of the boat. We’re under a clear dark sky littered with stars.
“No. Probably not.” He nodded his approval when I chose to play in his hair instead.
“It’s been a long day.”
“Mm hmm.” I think I have a sleepy wrangler on my hands.
“Come on. I’ll lay down with you until you fall asleep.”
“I’m already asleep. You’re not tired?”
“No. My brain is going nuts. I was going to sit up and go through some emails. Write down some show ideas. Maybe read.”
“We could make out.”
“What are you? Fifteen? Besides, you look beat.”
“I’m getting a second wind.” He lied.
“Can I get you anything?”
“No Cookie, I’m fine. Go get your laptop and come back. I want you close.”
Wrangled Mess Page 11