The Wrong Drawers

by Misty Simon

  I expected a fierce battle of tongues from his reaction. Instead, he caught me off guard by laying his lips gently on mine, minus the tongue. I melted inside when his hand brushed against my hair. His fingers tangled in the shorter length at my neck, sweeping the strands back and making room for his questing lips. He kissed a long line of delight over to the special spot behind my ear and whispered sweet everythings into my ear.

  My libido revved high with each new kiss and nip. His hands weren’t idle either, and they swept along my body, over lace and silk, finding flesh that delighted at his touch. My hands got busy, too, taking off his jacket and unbuttoning his shirt with a smoothness I had no idea I possessed. I wanted all of him naked on all of me, but he apparently had other ideas.

  “Let’s take it slow, Ivy,” he said, after which I was blind and deaf for an indefinite amount of time.

  My hearing returned slowly as I lay in the warm cocoon of his strong arms. Playing with the small patch of fur on his chest, I doodled my name and his, my name as his, and everything else I could think of. When I started tracing the alphabet, I stopped. No need to overdo a good thing.

  I basked in the proverbial afterglow, thankful no debilitating accidents had occurred. We would never again mention how close my knee had come to his happy man parts when I attempted to climb on top of him. Practice made perfect, right? Well, we’d simply keep practicing until I was a freaking champion.

  I lay on my belly, the silky teddy mere shreds hanging off my shoulders. Crossing my arms, I rested my chin on the back of my hands and gazed at him. His lashes were dark crescents on his cheeks. In their relaxed pose, his lips continued to call to me. I could see up his nostrils from this vantage point, but we won’t go there. Instead, I inched my way up his chest, making sure all my parts rubbed enticingly against his parts. His eyelashes fluttered, but I kissed his eyelids closed and made my way back down his torso, stopping to trace paths along his pectorals and stomach. I was almost to my destination when a ringing sounded in my ears. Maybe it came from my close proximity to where I wanted to be. Maybe it was some sort of cosmic chime letting me know I had found the one person who would truly complement and complete me.

  “Ivy,” Ben whispered, “were you expecting anyone? Because I think that was your door bell dinging.”

  I whipped the blanket out from under Ben so fast and hard he did a sideways somersault. Crap! Who could it possibly be? No one else had a key and no one good would show up close to midnight in a dark store without being invited.

  I grabbed Ben’s hand, once I remembered him through my panic, and tugged him over to the closet I’d been locked in before. This room didn’t have any exit other than the one doorway leading to the main room. There was nowhere else for us to go and nothing else for us to do. We’d have to wait out the intruder in the small cramped area as best we could. I also wanted to see what the hell someone was doing breaking into my store. I had toilet paper and paper towels here, but I didn’t think that particular burglar would take the time to visit my store when he’d been concentrating on homes.

  “Be very quiet,” Ben said from his crouched position. This place had been small enough when I was stuck in here by myself. Now with two of us crammed into the closet, I had feathers up my nose, Ben’s hands in not so comfortable places, and his elbow rammed into my spine.

  We heard footsteps on the staircase above us. I thought for a brief second about bolting for the door while the intruder was otherwise occupied. But this was the perfect time to see what the hell was going on and hopefully stop this guy from coming back to the shop. If we could get out of the closet at the right time without tripping all over ourselves, we could nab him and call the police. Of course, I’d be naked and so would Ben, but in the scheme of things it didn’t seem so important anymore, now that I had a plan. I whispered this fabulous plan into Ben’s delectable ear and gave him a nibble for the sheer pleasure of it. I got a cheek squeeze in return. Must I tell you where? Let’s leave it at: his hands were nowhere near my face.

  An eternity later, although it was probably only two minutes, a man emerged from the room separating the boudoir from the main room and made a beeline for the sideboard. I had left the door ajar just enough to be able to see what was happening without letting him see us. His gaze flicked over the candles still on the floor. I had been able to put them out in the few seconds before we scrambled in here. The champagne bottle I’d grabbed along with the blanket wrapped around us. Thankfully, it appeared he couldn’t hear the hammering of my heart or the hitch in my breath.

  I was sure the room smelled like sex, but this guy didn’t take time to do anything but crouch in front of the hollow leg on the antique and take out a knife. I almost screamed when he made to stick the knife in the leg, but let the air slowly leak out of my mouth when he jiggled the leg instead.

  Dressed all in black, his face covered by a black ski mask, he had matching gloves—a very fashion-savvy burglar. Great. Regardless, he wedged his fingers under the edge of the fake niche in the wood and tugged. The door fell open and the guy’s cursing was very colorful, if not inventive.

  I enjoyed his frustration for a couple of seconds, until he started tearing apart the room. Lingerie went flying and baskets were tossed to the floor as he swore vehemently (oh, nice word). I almost popped out of the closet. I would have, too, if Ben hadn’t held me down by grabbing onto my meaty thighs and not letting go.

  I wanted out and into the guy’s face so badly, I didn’t register Ben’s whisper at first. I couldn’t hear anything over the blood rushing through my head. Who did this burglar man think he was, and what did he hope to accomplish by ruining all my stuff? He’d better not rip anything, or I was going to rip him a new something.

  Ben pinched the back of said thigh, and I clamped my hand over my mouth to muffle a yelp. I couldn’t see Ben’s face, but I still made every effort to send my evilest glare in his direction.

  Although I was extremely displeased with him for pinching me, what he was saying into my ear finally dawned on me.

  “You know that voice,” he whispered again, once he’d gotten my attention.

  I certainly did.

  Chapter Twenty

  I burst from the closet like an avenging angel. Well, I’d like to think I did, but it may have looked more like a clumsy tumble of flailing arms and legs.

  Regardless of how ridiculous we looked rolling out of the small space, we still took Chad Darmore by surprise. He stopped his tossing and throwing and looked around at the noise we created. Stunned, either by our unexpected entrance or by the sight of Ben and me—naked and nearly naked, respectively—Chad fell back on his rear end, shock evident in his eyes.

  I took the opportunity presented by his speechlessness and ran with it. “What the hell are you doing here?” I swung at him with one of my spare mannequin legs from the closet, the one that had been poking me in the neck.

  On the heels of my question, Ben, in all his flagrante delicto glory, stormed over to Chad and popped him in the nose. Apparently, he didn’t need verbal confirmation of Chad’s transgressions.

  “So, what do we do with him, now?” I asked, pulling the tattered remains of the teddy around the front of my chest and tapping my foot at the same time. I whacked Chad one with the fake leg even though he couldn’t possibly have felt it at the time.

  “As much as it pains me to say it, I think you, my delicious Ivy, should get dressed in something a little less revealing.” His leer spiked my temperature about twenty degrees. “Then, we should call the police. While we wait for them, you can run home and grab the diamonds. After all, they’re what he’s after. He can explain the whole thing to the police, and we can hand over the evidence at the same time.”

  “Brilliant. Can you handle him while I go to the house?”

  “Sure. Do you have something to restrain him with?”

  ****

  Ben and I watched as the police escorted a bound Chad from the shop. The local fuzz had been a little su
rprised to find him in furry handcuffs, attached to the clothing bar in the lingerie room closet, but I couldn’t think of anywhere else to put him. They’d been even more surprised when I’d produced the black velvet bag of diamonds from the pocket of my green cords, which I’d matched with a dark pink sweater.

  Chad, the bastard, wasn’t very forthcoming with answers as to his activities or where the diamonds had come from. Before the police carted him away, Ben extracted a promise that we would be told what they got out of Chad. It was important enough for Ben to go a couple of rounds with the arresting officers before they left. I fully intended to press charges, so I thought I deserved to know how he’d managed to get into my locked shop not once but twice, and why.

  After the eventful evening we’d had—sex, burglars, and the lack of answers—I was ready to call it a night. I still had to go home again and explain to my dad what had happened. He’d been at the house, in his room, when I went to change. I’d dashed down the hall without facing him. Talk about what an awkward moment that would have been. Anyway, I had dashed back out of the house before he could get any questions or demands in, and I knew he was sitting in the living room, waiting for me to come back and explain.

  “Well, I’d better get going,” I said, scuffing my toes on the sidewalk. I looked up into Ben’s handsome face and sighed. I would have given anything at that moment to be able to stay with him, rest in his arms, wake up next to him.

  Sadly, it was not to be, and I knew it wouldn’t happen until we could figure out who had murdered Tarrin and my dad went home. I was still pulling for Chad to be the culprit in everything, but the one thing he did say as the police dragged him into the back seat of their car was that they wouldn’t pin her death on him, because he knew I’d done it. His statement had garnered me a quick stare, but I shrugged my he’s-a-lunatic-and-a-thief-to-boot shrug and hoped I wouldn’t be called in for additional questions. I had nothing else to add, but you never knew.

  “Will I be able to see you tomorrow?” Ben snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me to him in a very smooth move designed to make me melt. It worked.

  Before I answered, I put a little extra hitch in his step with a kiss designed to make him miss me. “We’ll meet up during the day.”

  “I’ll look forward to it.” He left me with another killer smile and sauntered over to his SUV.

  Sigh, sigh, and sigh, again. My dad needed to go home. Now!

  After the short walk from the shop, I trudged into my house and met my dad in the living room. He closed the newspaper he was reading with a decisive snap, then laid it on the floor next to his favorite chair. He sat in silence, trying to do the whole you’ll talk before I do thing. He wasn’t going to force me to tell him everything. Quite a few things would be left out of this little discussion.

  About a minute later, when he finally figured out his silent stare wasn’t working, he asked, “So what happened tonight, and why did you tear out of here so fast? In different clothes than when you left the house earlier, I might add.”

  He might add that, but I was not getting into it. I chose to answer the part I could, and sat down on the couch. Tucking my leg under my rear end, I made myself comfortable, settling in for the long conversation we were about to have.

  I told him everything I knew and everything Ben, Bella, and I had done (leaving out the sexy parts between Ben and me, of course). He sat through the whole recitation without a word, which was unusual for him. When I wound down, getting to the part about the police taking the stoic Chad away, Dad shook his head.

  “What?” I said, crossing my arms and preparing myself for the lecture I knew hovered on his lips.

  “Nothing. I’m shaking my head because I can’t believe how much trouble you always manage to get yourself into.” He held up his hand; he must have known I was going to protest. “The thing is, I talked with Martha tonight, and she told me how you outwitted and beat the perpetrator last time. She also told me how smart she thinks you are, and that if anyone can figure this whole thing out, it’s you. She thinks I should leave you alone to take care of this yourself, and let you know you can ask me for help if you want but I won’t interfere.”

  Smart woman, that Martha.

  “I agree with most of what she said,” he continued, “but, and this is a big but, I’m not leaving you alone. I’ve read my fair share of mysteries and bet I could help you.”

  Great, like the blind leading the blind. But his concession called for some kind of compromise. “Let’s do this. I’ll let you know when I need help, and you stay out of the rest. How’s that?”

  “Not quite what I had in mind.”

  “Well, it’s what I’ve got, Dad, and you’ll need to be satisfied with it. I have too much going on right now to deal with anything else.” Mutiny gleamed in his eyes, so I changed the subject before we started an argument no one would win. “I’m due at the shop tomorrow morning, and I need to sleep. We’ll talk in the morning.”

  “Fine,” he grumbled.

  I could tell he was unhappy with the whole thing and wanted to see more action. But we were all at a dead end until the police told us what Chad had been up to. I still thought he was a viable suspect for all of it, despite his protests, but I’d been wrong before and couldn’t be wrong again. It was my freedom at stake this time.

  ****

  The ringing phone blasted me out of sleep. I let my dad get it. I normally turned the ringer off before going to bed, but after all the excitement of yesterday, I’d totally forgotten. Not surprising, considering I’d pretty much fallen into bed last night still in my clothes and was snoring seconds later. I shuddered to think of the marks left on my legs from the cords.

  My shudder was warranted as I undressed and showered. Creases ran the length of my legs and stung under the spray. Note to self: change into pajamas no matter how sleepy I might be.

  Shower done and hair arranged to the best of my ability—which wasn’t saying much—I went out into the kitchen to grab a muffin, or something, and get my day started. My father had already beaten me there, thank God, because the smell of fresh-brewed coffee infiltrated my nose and gave me the perking up I needed to drag myself to the counter.

  Pouring the liquid into one of my thousands of coffee mugs, I took a sip. Burning my tongue was worth the jolt of caffeine. If I could have IV’d the stuff into my veins, I thought everyone would have been much happier. I wasn’t such a coffee freak earlier in my life, but the constant cold weather in these parts, a cold I was not used to in the least, was draining my normal energy. I could barely wait until my blood started thickening and I could go out in thirty-degree weather in a T-shirt like I’d seen one woman running around in yesterday. Now that took some chutzpah.

  A note rested on the basket of napkins on the kitchen table. Dad was out looking at Christmas trees with Martha and would see me later. His P.S. made me snort coffee out my nose. He’d look for clues while they were out and planned on beginning his investigation and interrogation of all suspects as soon as they picked up some milk for my house. Apparently, I was out.

  I ran to the refrigerator. I was out of milk? How on earth would I make my standard breakfast? Chocolate chip cookie cereal loaded with milk was the other constant of any properly started morning. Gah!

  Then the rest of his message sank into my clouded brain. Investigation? Interrogation? What suspects? Lord above, help me. He’d gone Perry Mason on me, and I had no way of reining him in until I saw him.

  Back in my room in record time, I threw on some clothes, then caught sight of the digital clock. Crap. I had no time to run after the maniac right now. I was due at work in fifteen minutes. Maybe it was time to look into finding a new assistant instead of running myself ragged trying to keep all these balls in the air and still show up at the shop on time.

  ****

  I arrived on the scene of the previous night’s crime seconds before ten. As I strode briskly down the sidewalk, I barely registered the cold snap and the smell of win
ter because a woman stood outside the shop looking at her watch and tapping her toes. Impatience radiated from her even from thirty paces, and I moved my striding to loping to get to her.

  A scarf wrapped around her neck and a hat on her head prevented me from recognizing her. I greeted her while poking the key in the lock, then ushered her in. Flipping on all the lights, I removed my outer jacket, keeping my fleece jacket on underneath. Had I mentioned it was freaking cold outside? I always turned the thermostat low in here after each day was done, and now went over to slide it to warmer before approaching the woman again.

  “Can I help you with anything?” I asked, chafing my hands together. Despite having just removed my fur-lined gloves, they felt chilled.

  The mystery woman unwound her scarf from around her neck and took off the hat, revealing a blond bob and rosy cheeks. It took a moment for her appearance to register in my brain, so I was at a loss for her name until she laughed.

  “It’s Chrissie,” she said, her giggle girlish. “Surely, you remember me from the party.” The smile on her face melted into a look of grief, and I felt for her. She’d lost a friend, too, or at the very least a colleague.

  “Hey, how are you doing?” I asked, leading her over to the ledge built onto the mermaid fountain. Charlie, my old plumber guy, may have been a dirty scoundrel, but he certainly knew his way around plaster.

  “Oh, you know, I’m holding up most days.”

  “I never got a chance to tell you how sorry I was about Tarrin.” I put a consoling arm around her shoulders, though I wasn’t much of a personal space invader as a rule. She just looked like she needed a friendly touch.

  “Thanks, Ivy. Regardless of what everyone is saying, I know you didn’t do it. I can’t believe you would be so cruel.”

  A vote of confidence from such an unexpected quarter gave me pause. She didn’t know anything about me, but I must have given off the good-girl vibe. Why couldn’t the police see it? “Thanks. You don’t know how much that means to me.”