by Michelle Fox
“I have a short term gig lined up overseas and then I’m not sure. What about you?”
I sipped the champagne and found it to be better than I’d expected. I hadn’t caught the name on the label, but this was several steps up from the cheap grocery store brand. Not that I was an expert, but living in New York had given me a fledgling awareness of high brow alcohol.“I’m supposed to go to California with Lilli. She’s launching a new act.”
“I make it out that way from time to time. The magic academy is there.”
“Oh” I said, doing my best to sound cool. “Look me up some time.” Oh please.
He drained his glass. “I will, but right now, I want to see you in my bed.” He took my glass and set it aside. With a firm grip on my hand, he led me back to the end of his trailer where a large bed ran from wall-to-wall.
“Round two already?” I asked even though the answer was obvious. He was hard again and my body answered with its own pulse of want.
Pushing me back onto the bed, he said, “Yes, already. It’s going to be like this all night, I hope you’re ready for me.”
“I’m more than ready.” I gave him a wicked smile.
He shed the rest of his clothes and then climbed on top of me. Straddling my hips, he gathered my breasts in his hands, kneading the soft flesh with a firm grip. “I could do this forever.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Just that?”
He cocked his head and gave me a wicked smile. “Other things too. You worry about being too much when I can’t get enough.” Leaning down he sucked my nipples, scraping them with his teeth, the rough edges making me moan. Then he kissed his way down my stomach, and my body, knowing what was coming next, trembled.
Blake kneeled at the end of his bed and with a hand under each hip, he yanked me down toward him. “Spread your legs.”
I let my thighs fall open, but he shook his head. “Wider.” With strong hands he spread me apart until I felt cold air hit my hidden warmth. His hand went to my wet cleft. “Tonight this is mine.”
I nodded in agreement.
He pushed his finger hard against me. “Say it. Tell me.”
“It’s yours,” I whispered. He could have the rest of me too, if he wanted.
Blake dipped his head. I whimpered when his tongue touched me for the first time. He explored me slowly, delicately as if taking my measure. Needing more pressure I chased his tongue with my hips.
Blake lifted his head and said, “Be still, Ruby.”
I tried not to move, to do as he asked, but his tongue assaulted me with unstoppable pleasure. He licked me, stroked me and flicked my most sensitive spot until every muscle in my body strained with unsatisfied tension.
“Blake,” I said, my voice a keening plea.
“What do you want? More of this?” He sucked my nub into his mouth, giving it a good tongue thrashing. It was almost enough to cast me over the edge. “Or I could do this.” Blake resumed sucking on me and thrust two fingers into me. They wiggled deeper and deeper into me and then crooked in a ‘come here’ gesture.
My body obeyed instantly and a hard climax flattened me. I could barely breathe. My heart thundered while my body rode out the storm.
Blake gave me no time to recover. While I still writhed in the throes of the orgasm, he thrust into me with his long, delicious cock. My entire being seemed to shudder with recognition and pleasure at the penetration. He owned me and my body knew it.
“Push up your breasts.” Blake said.
I complied and he sucked my nipples into aching points as he pumped in and out of my core. His mouth was savage, taking in more and more of my breast, tongue whipping me, teeth nipping. I bucked under him and my hands went slack allowing my breasts to spill sideways.
“No, don’t let go. Don’t deny me. I’ve wanted you for so long.” There was a note of pure need in his voice that gave me pause.
“How long have you wanted me, Blake?” I put my hands back on my breasts, but didn’t push them together just yet.
His pace slowed and his gaze caught mine. “Since I first saw you.”
Curious, I persisted. “When was that?”
“The day you arrived in that tight pencil skirt and even tighter sweater.”
I smiled. I almost hadn’t dressed up that day, but some instinct had urged me into an outfit I called ‘the pin-up girl’s Sunday best.’ It consisted of a pencil skirt that emphasized my ample hips and curvy bottom paired with a sweater that skimmed my body like a second skin. It had sequins too, a subtle dusting of white pearl ones. High heels lent a pin-up swagger to my walk. The cirque’s home lot at the time had been so busy with people running here and there to set up for rehearsal that I didn’t think anyone had noticed me.
“That sweater should be illegal.” Blake groaned and gathered my breasts up himself, burying his face in my cleavage. He kissed his way around each mound and then zeroed in on my nipples again. I slipped my hands under his, holding my breasts up for him.
My core quivered as his thick shaft stroked me in a spot that threatened to electrocute me with pleasure. I panted as my body surged with a sudden climax. That drove Blake over the edge too and he came with me, his hard length dancing inside me.
He rolled off me then and we sighed in unison. Drowsy contentment filled me. That had been the best sex ever. Seriously.
I sighed again. “I knew there was something magic about you, magician.”
He stroked my cheek. “I aim to please.”
I snuggled up against him with a happy sigh. “I wish tonight could last forever.” The idea that this might be the first and last time with Blake twisted my heart. If only I’d known how he felt that first day I wouldn’t have wasted so much time, wouldn’t have been so shy. I frowned at that thought. “Blake?”
“Yes?”
“Why did you act like you hated me?”
I felt him shake his head. “I didn’t.”
I pushed myself up on an elbow and looked down at him, resisting the counter pressure of his hands trying to pull me back. “Yes, you did. You never made eye contact or spoke to me until today. Why?”
He was silent for a long moment. “There are things I can’t tell you. Things that mean I can’t be with you the way I want to.”
“So what was tonight?”
“A risk, one I had to take.” He pulled me back to him. “Don’t pick tonight apart. There’s time enough for that tomorrow.”
“I’m glad you took the risk,” I murmured into his shoulder.
“Me too, Ruby, me too.” Blake kissed the top of my head and his fingers travelled my body in light caresses that lulled me into a deep, satisfied sleep. For once, my life was perfect, but you know what they say about gravity; what goes up must come down. I was in for a hard landing and didn’t even see it coming.
Chapter Four
A loud bang woke me the next morning. I jerked upright in the bed and blinked the sleep out of my eyes. Judging from the little bit of light outside, it was dawn. No one at the cirque was ever up this early, not unless they hadn’t gone to bed yet in the first place. I looked to my side and found the bed an empty rumple of black satin sheets. Blake had slipped out.
The bang sounded again. My groggy mind identified it as a knock at the door this time.
“Open up!” shouted an authoritative voice. “This is the police.”
I froze and then leaped out of bed, scrabbling for my clothes, which were nowhere to be found. The pasties and thong, I didn’t care about, but it would have been nice to find the robe. After several seconds of desperate searching, I gave up and just wrapped the sheet around me. It would have to do.
Cracking open the trailer door, I poked my nose out and blinked at the officer standing there. “Yes, officer?”
He took in the sheet along with my, no doubt, spectacular bed head and his lips thinned in a grimace of disapproval. He flashed a badge at me too fast for me to see anything but the gleam of brass. “I’m Detective Bowler. Is Blake Cannon in there?”
I shook my head. “No, sir.”
He held up a piece of paper that looked very official, with a court seal at the top. “I have a warrant for his arrest. I’m going to ask you to step outside while my partner and I search the premises.”
I cringed inwardly, realizing this meant I would be standing outside for everyone to see in my ‘just been fucked’ sheet. As I stepped out of the trailer, I thought, ‘At least I’m not being arrested.’ Clutching the sheet tight around me, I passed the other detective and hunkered down at the back of the trailer. No way was I going to stand out on the main drag for everyone to gawk. And where the hell had Blake gone? I’d apparently slept too deeply to notice his departure and he hadn’t left a note. Had he known about the warrant out for his arrest?
Trouble with the law wasn’t unheard of for show folk. At least half the crew had served time for some offense or other. I’d seen the police escort one of the cook staff away in hand cuffs at the first stop of our tour. Rumor said he’d violated parole by crossing state lines. But performers were of different stock. Many of them were third or fourth generation acts and much too proud of their heritage to sully it with crime. I couldn’t picture Blake as a criminal. Clark, yes, but Blake? No way. Something was off.
The detective stormed around inside the RV. I heard the thud of his feet on the floor and the bang of cupboards being slammed shut. His partner, a squat portly man positioned himself in front of the door. He didn’t look at me directly, but darted little side glances at my chest. Like that made his ogling any less obvious.
I rolled my eyes. “Do I need to be here? Can I go?”
He cleared his throat and finally looked at me. Only instead of my face, his eyes fell to my breasts. “Not until we ask some questions.”
I gestured at my improvised toga. “Can I at least go get some clothes?” Things were still pretty quiet, but the arrival of the police had not gone unnoticed. I saw more than a few heads poke out of trailer doors and windows, curious to know what the early morning disturbance was. The last thing I needed was a public walk of shame.
He shook his head. “You can’t go in there, Miss.”
“My stuff is in another RV.” I pointed in the general direction of Lilli’s trailer. “I live in the light blue one down that way.”
He thought for a moment and then nodded. “That should be okay, but be quick about it.”
I scurried off, choosing to slink behind the trailers instead of taking the public walkway. The last thing I needed was to run into Clark and his buddies. I darted into Lilli’s trailer like a mouse fleeing from a cat and heaved a sigh of relief when the door shut behind me. I was safe.
Passing through the little galley kitchen, a large canvas propped up on the dining table caught my eye. I stopped in my tracks with a gasp.
It was Blake’s painting from the last show. The one that changed from a rose to a heart to a couple. He hadn’t sold it. Instead he’d fucked me senseless, snuck out of his trailer and then broken into Lilli’s to leave it for me to find. There was no doubt that he’d intended for me to have it. Instinctively, I knew it was his way of saying goodbye.
I reached out and touched it, the rough canvas weave tickling my finger. Last night had been a dream. So much had happened that I almost didn’t believe any of it was true. Yet here I had undeniable proof.
Too bad everything had gone poof so quickly. It would’ve been nice to have more time to savor it all.
Sudden tears dripped down my cheeks. I couldn’t stop myself from getting emotional about Blake. I didn’t want him to be just a one night stand, but that option was, apparently, off the menu. Stupid me, I’d gone to sleep believing in happy endings and woken up to find that dreams don’t come true. Not for me.
He did warn you, said a mean, tiny voice in my head.
“He also said he might look me up.” I found a tissue and blew my nose.
My tiny voice snorted. That’s the same as ‘I’ll call you.’ You’re a fool, Ruby.
I brushed off my inner demons and headed to the back of the trailer where Lilli and I bunked together. Thinking of her reminded me I hadn’t checked in with her since the ambulance took her away. I’d been too distracted with Blake.
Feeling guilty, I located my cell phone and checked my messages. Poor Lilli had sent me fifteen texts. They’d cleared her for knee surgery later that afternoon. I sent her a quick note, grateful for the voice recognition software that made it a breeze to compose a message.
The performance went great. I have so much to tell you. Be there before your surgery. Hugs, Ruby.
Text sent, I quickly pulled on a very supportive sports bra followed by a red cirque t-shirt and some sweatpants, eschewing my usual sequined pin-up girl look. For once, I didn’t want anything to do with sequins. I wasn’t up to the bling. A few minutes later, I was back at Blake’s trailer.
A crowd had gathered in my absence and I gave a silent prayer of thanks for small favors. I would have died from embarrassment if everyone had seen me in a bed sheet.
The shy pervert cop still guarded the entrance to the RV. He nodded at me when I appeared and a second later, Detective Bowler emerged from the trailer, a dark scowl on his face. His gaze settled on me and he glared at me like I was dog poop on his shoe.
“You,” he barked, beckoning me forward. “Come inside.”
A ripple went through the crowd when they realized he meant me. So much for discretion. The rumors would have me pregnant with Blake’s love child in five minutes flat. They’d be talking about it on their CB radios while driving to their next destination. I knew most of the performers had a gig with another circus starting out in Ohio the next week, so they would caravan together and pass the long drive talking about my sex life. All the live long day.
Fantastic.
I stood up straight as I marched into Blake’s trailer, where I promptly froze at the sight before me. The entire trailer had been tossed. The kitchen cabinets hung open, their contents thrown on the floor. The couch cushions and the ones on the dining bench had all been sliced with a knife, spilling white fiberfill like snow.
Frowning, I looked at the cop. He was tall and lean with a sharp face. A jagged scar ran from his check to his jaw. As cops went he looked dangerous, like maybe he’d started out as a bad guy and switched teams. “What the hell happened in here?”
His eyes narrowed. “I’ll ask the questions, young lady. Where is Blake Cannon?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea. He was here last night and then gone when I woke up this morning. I never knew he left.”
“You known him long?” He pulled out his phone and began typing. I couldn’t say for sure, but I assumed he was noting my answers. Or maybe texting his wife, who knew?
“Well,” I hedged not sure how to explain it. In truth, I barely knew the guy, but I’d obsessed about him for months. “We knew of each other since the circus started six months ago. I tailored his suit once or twice.” At the cop’s confused look, I added, “I’m the seamstress for the cirque.”
“How long have you been involved with him,” he paused and waved his hand in the air, not quite sure how to phrase it. Finally, he settled on, “in a personal capacity?”
I cleared my throat, my cheeks burning. “Just last night.”
The detective raised his eyebrows at me, judging my loose morals. “Did he say anything? Mention anything?”
I shook my head. “We didn’t talk much.”
The cop’s eyebrows drew together, the expression skeptical. “All right. Give me your contact information and we’re done here.” He fished a card out of his back pocket and handed it to me. “Call me if you hear from him.”
I took the card. “What is he charged with, Detective?”
“Stealing from the wrong man,” came the cryptic reply. Finger poised over his phone, he prompted, “So how can I reach you?”
I gave him my cell phone number and just shrugged when he asked for an address. I didn’t have a home other than Lilli’
s trailer. He sighed at that, but allowed me to leave. The crowd had grown while I’d been inside Blake’s RV, and refusing to make eye contact, I skedaddled to the back of the trailer, taking the same route I’d used earlier. Although I was dressed now, I still didn’t want to face people’s questions, not when I didn’t have any answers.
I didn’t know if Blake was a thief or not, but it sure felt like he’d stolen my heart.
Chapter Five
The cirque buzzed with the news of Blake’s disappearance and my suspected involvement. I couldn’t say for sure, but the snippets I overheard sounded like the prevailing theory was I’d killed Blake and stashed the body.
Never trust anything a carnie tells you.
Really, don’t trust them. They’ll say anything and they never care about the truth.
I could’ve told them what happened, but they would’ve stuck with the murder story. It had a better angle.
They gossiped over breakfast, while they packed up and as they drove off. I sat inside Lilli’s trailer watching them all through the window. Soon, I would be alone on the lot and free from further scrutiny. I couldn’t wait.
After everyone had cleared out, I changed into a sage green A-line dress, put on matching vintage costume jewelry and some high high-heels. Then I grabbed the keys for Lilli’s little VW Beetle and drove to the hospital. Because we were in Small Town USA with exactly two stop lights, it didn’t take long to locate the tiny local hospital. They probably wouldn’t have even had a hospital except the teeny town was also the county seat. I think that meant all the other towns were even smaller.
Lilli greeted me with a wan smile. Her red hair was twisted into an elegant chignon. The goose egg had disappeared leaving a gray smudge behind. “Hey girl, I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Sorry. It’s been crazy.”
She gestured to a chair, the movement regal as a queen’s. “Sit. Spill.”
“The performance was okay,” I said perching on the vinyl chair next to her bed.
“No.” She waved her hand. “It wasn’t okay.”