Olga reached blindly for the edge of the door. "We need to get the keys out. We need--"
"I need you," Gabe whispered in her ear. "Forget the keys."
She moved slightly away from him. Not far enough to be out of his grasp but far enough to be able to speak. "We have to close the door. I'm not comfortable with leaving the door open with keys in the lock. Can we take one second to do that?"
"If you insist." He sighed.
"I do."
He let her go and she removed the keys. She shut the door and tossed the keys on the floor. "There. At least they're in the flat now."
"You know you're going to have to find those for me before you leave, don't you?"
"I do and I will but, right now, I'm missing something."
"What's that?"
"Your lips on mine." She leaned in and kissed him lightly.
He took her by the hand and dragged her up the stairs. "Much as I may want to take you against that wall, I'd rather our first time be in a bed."
"Promises, promises." She laughed as she followed him up the steps.
He glanced back. "Oh, believe me, that's a vow. You, me, the wall in my foyer, it's a date. Count on it."
"I will."
At the top of the stairs, Gabe scooped Olga into his arms and picked her up. He carried her across the threshold and into his bedroom. He strode over to the bed and laid her gently on her back. She kicked her shoes off. They hit the floor with a thud.
She looked around at her surroundings. The room was very nice. His taste was calm and serene. The walls were painted a very pale blue. The comforter and pillow shams were a soft grey with a swirl pattern in white. She ran her hand across the counterpane. It was soft and silky. "Great décor. I love the way the room looks. You've got great taste."
He stretched out beside her and nuzzled her neck. "I know. I've got the most wonderful woman in the world -- or at least in my part of England -- in my bed. I must have good taste."
"Thanks. I think." She giggled. She reached around him and tugged at the back of his shirt. "I also think this needs to come off, mister. One of the other things I've wanted to do since I met you is kiss those spectacular stomach muscles of yours."
"Spectacular?" He sat up and stripped his shirt off, adjusting his glasses as he did so.
"Yes. I have a big vocabulary and it's the exact right word." She ran her hands over his muscles and was elated to see how he shivered at her touch. She placed her lips on his stomach and slid her tongue upward.
While she continued her exploration of his body, Gabe ran his hands through Olga's hair. "Time for you to lose your own jacket and shirt."
"Not yet. I'm not done here. Lay back and relax." She pushed him onto his back and leaned over his chest.
Her hair fell down around her. Gabe buried his face in it and inhaled. "You've got such a sexy, distinct scent, I think I'd recognize you anywhere."
"I think I'd recognize yours as well." Olga murmured against his skin.
"Tell me what mine is. Being someone who operates by my sense of smell, I've always wondered what mine is."
Olga sat up and ran her hand across his brow. "You smell like a combination of vanilla, musk and a tinge of wood."
"Wood? What do you mean?"
"Kind of like a fresh scent. One that would be in the air in the forest as a person hikes in the fall. It's hard to describe."
He nodded. "I know. I'm familiar with that smell. I'm not sure why I have that scent but I can live with that." He held his hand out. "Now, I think we've talked enough. Time to stop talking."
"Not yet. Remember, I had one request in the restaurant."
"You're really going to make me take off my glasses? What if you get turned off by what you see?"
"Gabe."
"All right, all right. They're coming off." He reached up. His hand hovered over the stems of the sunglasses. Finally, he removed them with shaking hands. He sat the glasses on the bedside table and sat silently.
Olga reached out to him. She patted the scars around his eyes and then leaned in and kissed them with a light touch. "My poor darling. That had to hurt."
"How bad does it look?" He grabbed her wrist and she realized he really was shaking all over.
"Darling, it's not scary at all. You'd be fine to go without the glasses. It's really not as bad as you made me think it would be. The way you talked about the scarring, I was afraid it would be much worse."
"It's bad enough."
"I didn't mean it wasn't terrible, what happened to you. I meant that it isn't something that would send children running and screaming in the other direction."
"I guess that's good to know."
"It is. Trust me." Olga stood up. "And now that we've had the great reveal and the glasses are cast into purgatory when we're together, it's time for us to literally get together. That is, if you still want to."
"Good God, woman, will you quit yakking and get yourself back in this bed?"
"As soon as I take care of something." She stripped off her suit and skinned off her pantyhose. When she was nude, she sat back on the bed and reached for his waistband. "I think you have on too many clothes, mister."
"No, I have on less than you do unless that rustling I heard was you taking yours off."
Olga took his hand and guided it to her naked breast. He sucked in a breath and in a husky voice said, "Come here, woman."
She giggled and lay beside him. He rested his hand on her hip. "You're beautiful."
"How can you tell?"
"Easy. I see you. I see your soul."
Tears sprang to her eyes and escaped down her face. He reached up and wiped them away with the pads of his thumbs. "Why are you crying, Olga?"
"That's the nicest thing I've ever heard. I'm not a clean soul, but the fact that you think I am means the world to me."
"What does that mean, not a clean soul?"
Olga shook her head. "Nothing. Nothing. Now, what was it I heard earlier? Something about us having talked too much already?"
"You're right, but we're going to get back to this conversation sometime. I promise you that."
"Promises, promises." She reached for his zipper and tugged it down. "Now, shut up and make love to me like you've been threatening to do for too long."
"Threatening, huh?"
"Yeah." She grinned. "Make good on your threat, mister. Make me know I've been in bed with the great Gabriel Swicord."
He smiled the smile that made her heart melt. "You got it, babe." He captured her mouth with his and it was a long time before she spoke again.
*****
Afterward, they lay tangled in the sheets. Olga placed her left hand on Gabe's cheek. She reached up and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Can I ask you something?"
"I think you can ask me anything you want. After that exercise, I don't think we have any secrets, do we?"
"No, I guess we don't." She smiled.
He lifted her right hand from where it rested on his chest. He kissed each finger in turn. "What did you want to know?"
"It's related to exercise."
"You know, it's been a while since I was with a woman but I do still need a little time to recover before we exercise again." He laughed.
"Not that kind of exercise, silly." She swatted his chest.
"Then what?"
"Dancing. I know you said you used that to stay in shape. I know I can never be as good as you, but would you consider teaching me some moves so I can work out with you? I mean, I spend a lot of time in a lab and in a seated position and I'd sure like a way to work some of that off."
"Sure. I could teach you, but I think we'll be doing some more workouts like we just did if you want to."
"Of course I want to." She kissed him again. "But it may not be enough to keep me from putting on weight."
"Do you really want to learn ballet? I could show you some ballroom stuff. I did that for a while, too. I'm into all kinds of dance and music."
"Ooh, ballroom sounds wo
nderful. I've always loved to watch people who can do that. It's so cool to see two dancers moving together as one."
"We can do that. The only issue I see is that I work at the club five nights a week after working at the radio station five days as well. With your job, it may be hard to find time."
"We'll make time, Gabe. We will."
"Yes, we will. I want to make time for us. I want us to learn all we can about each other and spend every minute we can together."
"Sounds wonderful."
"Guess what else is wonderful, darling?" He pressed against her side.
"What's that, Gabe?" She grinned.
"I think you can feel what I mean."
"Time for more exercise?" Olga reached over and placed her hand on his thigh.
He pulled her hips to his. "Yes, my darling, yes."
Chapter Thirteen
"Nobody's sweetheart is ugly."
Dutch Proverb
The next morning, around five, Olga crawled out of the bed with the intention of sneaking out to catch a cab back to her place to get ready for work. No such luck.
Gabe woke up. "Are you leaving me alone?"
She pushed her hair out of her face and pulled on her skirt. "No. Well, yeah. I was going to leave a note. I have to go home to get changed for work."
"Never leave without telling me goodbye. Please."
Disturbed at the tone of his voice, Olga sat on the side of the bed. "What's wrong?"
"Just promise me that you'll never leave without letting me know."
"Okay. I won't."
"Good." He pushed her hair off her neck and kissed the spot right below her ear. "And it wouldn't do me any good to leave a note. I can't read it. I'll have to show you how to use the Braille machine."
"God, I didn't even think of that. I'm sorry. I really have to get going. It's a long way to Chelsea."
"I know." He leaned back on his pillow. "When you go, leave my keys on the coffee table so I can find them."
"Oh, yeah, I remember now. I did toss them aside, didn't I?" She laughed.
"Yes, you hussy. You were so eager for me that you couldn't wait."
"I don't quite remember it that way." She swatted at him.
"Hmm. I think that's the way it played out."
Before she could respond, the phone rang. Gabe held up his index finger then answered the phone. "Hello?"
The voice on the other end said something that Olga couldn't understand. She moved off the bed. Gabe reached out and grabbed her wrist to stop her.
She sat and listened to his end of the conversation. She didn't garner much information until he said, "This time I have an alibi."
She frowned. "What the hell?"
Gabe shushed her and mouthed the word, "Wait."
When he hung up, she said, "Who was that?"
"Jacob Rhys. Someone else was killed last night. A customer. Female."
"Geez. What's going on in this city?'
"I don't know and I don't like it but, this time, they can't say I had anything to do with it since you've been here with me all night and we didn't sleep much at all."
"Nope. We didn't. There's no way you could've gotten out of here without me knowing it."
"Thank God for that." Gabe ran his hand through his hair. It stuck up in tufts. "At least, this time, I'm not going to be front and center on the interrogation."
"If I don't leave now, I may not get to work on time. I really have to go." Olga kissed Gabe lightly on the lips and evaded his arms as he tried to snake them around her waist. She swatted his forearm, "Stop. I have to go."
"I'll be at the studio until four and then I have to get to the club tonight around six-thirty. Will you have time to grab something to eat with me?"
"I doubt it. I have to work until five-thirty and I avoid the tube at rush hour since I'm a bit claustrophobic in crowds. Too many bodies pressed together makes me panic."
"Sometimes it bothered me, too. Back when I rode the tube, I remember how disgusting it could be to have all those perfumes, colognes and other scents mingling as one."
"Not to mention the sweat and unwashed bodies, right?"
"Exactly," Gabe laughed. He swung his legs around and when his feet touched the floor, he said, "Might as well get up."
"But you don't go on the air for hours."
"I'm awake and have never been one to laze around, so I'll get you to find my keys before you go and then I'll get in a workout before time to go to work." Gabe reached for a pair of sweat pants from the chair beside the bed, giving Olga a tantalizing glimpse of his bottom.
Olga turned away from the temptation and went out of the room and down the stairs. She picked up Gabe's keys and turned to head back upstairs to give them to him.
He was right behind her. He pulled her into an embrace. "I guess I won't see you for a few days, will I?" he kissed the top of her head.
"Probably not. I can't go clubbing every night and, much as I'd love to cross the Thames to meet you for a quick dinner, I don't see that's possible. But the weekend will be here soon."
"I'm going to have to see what I can do about my schedule. I work at the club partly to keep myself busy and, now that you're going to be around, I may cut down some of my nights there."
"That would be great." Olga put her hand on his shoulder. "I really have to scoot. I'll call you later."
"I'm not going to try to hold you or I'll never let you go." He kissed her cheek.
"I feel the same way." She smiled. She moved away and out the door before she changed her mind and skipped out on work. A day in bed with Gabriel sure seemed like a better way to spend time than looking at rocket schematics.
*****
As soon as the door closed behind Olga, Gabe took a quick shower and dressed in a George Harrison concert tee shirt and a pair of jeans. He hadn't wanted to tell Olga that he was going to the police station to be interviewed about the latest crime. Jacob was meeting him there so they could each give a statement about what they knew about the victim. It was better than the inspector in charge coming to his flat so he'd agreed to meet there.
He grabbed his cane and left his flat.
The station house was close to Gabe's flat. It always amused him when he walked past it since there was a pub on the corner and the police station was right next to it. On the other side of the police station was the municipal court. It was quite convenient for the police to arrest a drunk at the pub, walk him next door to book him and then one more door down for the first appearance in front of a judge. Not for nothing were the British known for their efficiency.
Detective Inspector Benjamin Carlyle led Gabe and Jacob to a room in the back of the station. It was eerily quiet. Gabe could almost swear he smelled fear in the walls.
As he opened a door, the inspector said, "There's a table with four chairs here, Mr. Swicord. Step carefully and have a seat."
Gabe moved toward the middle of the room and pulled out a chair. It made a screeching noise as the leg scraped the lino. He cringed as he sat. The chairs had leather seats that were so cracked with age that Gabe was fearful that his butt would get caught in one and he'd never be able to get up again. He nodded in Jacob's direction. "Is it normal to question two blokes together?"
"No. But I figure I can get a lot more done today if I try to get information from the both of you at once."
Gabe put his hands on the table. He splayed his fingers on the surface. "I don't know what we can tell you. It's odd to me that whoever is doing this has targeted the patrons of Jacob's club for his attacks, but I really don't know anything. Hell, I don't even know who the latest victim is."
"I don't know either," Jacob said. "Can you tell us?"
Carlyle looked down at the file and flipped a couple of sheets of paper. "Her name is Bettina Black." He looked up at both of the men on the other side of the table. "Either of you know her?"
"Nope." Gabe shook his head.
"Yeah. I do. She comes in several times a week -- a small blond woman with re
ally long legs that she makes sure to show off whenever she comes in." Jacob tapped Gabe on the arm. "You know her, too, Gabe. She always wants to hear the Bee Gees."
Gabe snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah. I do know her. I didn't realize her name was Bettina. I always referred to her as the Night Fever girl."
"You have a habit of that? Knowing the customers by their choice of music?" Carlyle asked.
"Yeah. It helps me keep them straight. I recognize voices and music requests since I can't see them to recognize their faces. It's a trick I've learned in the last couple of years."
"I can't even begin to imagine adjusting to a loss of such magnitude."
"You have no idea, Detective Inspector. No idea, and I hope you never do."
"Me, too." Carlyle shuffled more papers. "Either of you ever heard of a couple of guys named David and Marcus who might have been in the club or the area with a group of young thugs?"
"No. I haven't," Jacob said.
"Don't think so." Gabe shrugged. "Are they suspects?"
"I don't really know. We've heard rumblings of some kind of gang activity and these are two first names that have come up. We have no last names as of now. I was hoping one of you could help me with a lead on one or both of them."
"Sorry. I don't know them, but I'll keep my ears open since I live and work right here." Jacob stood. "Speaking of work, I need to get to mine. Are we done here?"
"Sure. Sure." Carlyle stood as well and held his hand out to shake Jacob's.
"Can I ask you one more thing?" Gabe stayed in his seat.
"I'm going, Gabe. See you tonight." Jacob left the room.
Benjamin Carlyle sat back down. "What did you want to know?"
"Do you have any idea at all who is behind these murders?"
"No. Not really. We have a few leads but no real progress at this time. Why?"
"I'm concerned about these ladies being out on the streets and vulnerable. I wondered if you were close to an arrest because I hate to see this happening in my city."
"Me too, mate, me too. All I can say is we're working it as hard as we can. If you hear anything -- and I mean anything at all -- that you think will help us, let me know."
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