“Well, I was pretty pissed that you just left, but the… I mean Peter was so cool about it, that I’m not really mad. I am concerned, though, you haven’t been yourself lately. I’d never presume to tell you your business, and it’s clear you’ve been through the wringer, but I’m afraid you’re making bad choices.”
“The trip to my dad’s ranch was bad, Jeremy, I didn’t want to go into it, but it was a very difficult time for me. I am on the road to recovery, though.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Joss, but it’s not a surprise, you’ve gotten thin and shaky since you got back. We’re concerned for you, but Joss, I don’t want to lose you at the museum, if it’s salary; we can discuss that, okay? Don’t get swept away by the biker, we all thought you were going for Peter.”
“Thanks, Jeremy; I’m afraid it’s too late about the biker, though. I’ll see you Monday, bye.” She touched her screen to end the call before Jeremy could say anymore. It bothered her that she had been the subject of their scrutiny, but it didn’t surprise her in the least. Looking at her phone she decided to text Peter. Be brave, Joss, she thought and called him instead.
“Joss?” He answered his phone on the first ring.
“Hi, Peter,” she said and he was quiet for a few seconds.
“You found your special agent, I see,” he said.
“Yes. Peter, I want to thank you again,” she said.
“So, I’ve only got myself to blame,” he chuckled. “Well, I’m sad that you’ll never look at me like that, but you are obviously crazy about each other, you’d never be satisfied with anyone else. I’m happy for you, Joss, and hey, think of me if it doesn’t work out.”
“Thanks, Peter, you’re a prince,” she said and they said their goodbyes.
***
“Do you want to go out to dinner?”
“I don’t have much in the way of clothing,” he smiled at her.
“Do you want to go get clothing?”
“I wasn’t expecting to need much in the way of clothing around you, but if you’re that eager to eat, I can’t say no.” He looked at his naked body. “Someplace really casual,” he said and they laughed. “Can you take time off and come to Arizona and meet my Dine grandfather?”
“Of course. Does that mean Navajo?”
“Mostly.”
“You have long lived relatives.”
“He’s just seventy five, Gerard’s close to ninety. So, if you don’t get me killed I should last a long time,” he kissed her. “Can Brent come, do you think?”
“Here?”
“To our wedding, Duchess. I’m planning our wedding.”
“Oh,” she said.
“I don’t know what you always had planned,” he said turning to her.
“Actually, I never thought I’d find anyone to suit me,” she smiled at him.
“I thought all little girls dreamed of the white wedding,” he raised one perfect eyebrow at her and she shook her head.
“Not all of us. I think I taught myself never to expect a smooth life after Brand.”
“Not surprisingly, I never considered getting married either, at least not until I drove around the state of Montana with your arms wrapped around me. I began to fantasize about neighborhood barbeques and it freaked me right out. But at the end of each of those fantasies you took me by the hand and led me to your bed and it suddenly wasn’t so frightening anymore.” Joss leaned in to him and kissed him. He looked shyly at her from under his long lashes. “I would rather not live in the suburbs, I think I need more space, and fewer neighbors coveting my woman.” Joss rolled her eyes.
“So, the city is out?”
“I don’t mind the city. I love this apartment, Joss. I just think I have a particular dread of lawn mowers.” Joss laughed and he reached for her and rolled on his side to face her.
“I would like a traditional Navajo wedding. It would mean a lot to me.” It was a rare thing to hear Buck sound uncertain and she laughed. “Don’t hurt me, Duchess.”
“I just want to be your wife; I don’t care how we get there. A traditional Navajo wedding sounds beautiful. You honor me, John Buckingham.”
“No, you have it backwards,” he kissed her. “Come on, I’m hungry, too.” He got up off the bed and helped her up. Felix watched them dress and went back to sleep. Joss straightened the bed sheets around him. “This is my second day in a row of inactivity, I’m getting stiff.” Joss laughed. “What?”
“If today was a day of inactivity, I can’t wait for the honeymoon,” she said smiling. He pulled her to him.
“It will all be honeymoon, from where the sun now stands,” he said quoting Chief Joseph.
“Oh good. There’s a pool in the basement, let’s swim tomorrow.” She said.
“Joss,” he said and the tone in his voice made her pull away slightly to see his face.
“You’re leaving,” she said.
“Yes, for a few days, that’s all, and then I’ll be here, and we can go to Arizona and do this thing.”
“Then let’s order in, why stray from all the comforts of home?” She smiled at him.
“You are a genius.”
***
There was a knock at her office door. “Come,” she called and one of her young assistants poked her head around the door.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” She asked.
“Sure, Debbi, what’s up?” Joss asked. Debbi came in and looked uncomfortable.
“I need your advice, I think, and maybe your approval,” Debbi said. “And I totally need to get the skinny on the biker!” Joss smiled and gestured to the chair and Debbi sat down. She was a perky Denver University grad student who was well on her way to being courted by some of the biggest museums in the world. Her chestnut hair was short and so was her skirt, and she was smart as a whip.
“So, Friday night,” she began and then hesitated when she saw Joss’s face harden. Joss was never one to be open about her personal life, mostly because she didn’t have any, and it was clearly off limits to ask, but her behavior the other night broke down some boundaries and Debbi felt easier with her all of a sudden.
Joss took a deep breath. She lost her professionalism in three minutes. The scarlet letter was back on her chest.
“You’re wondering who he is?” Joss said carefully.
“Among other things, yes, but really my question has to do with Jeremy,” she said.
“Jeremy?”
“Yes, I was hoping you were so into the biker dude that you would let me go after Jeremy.” Joss simply looked at her. “I don’t want to poach.”
“Debbi, I have no ties to Jeremy, I never have. He’s all yours.”
“Never?” Debbi asked.
“Never. He’s very cute, but he’s really not my type,” she said.
“Not your type? How can he not be your type? He’s so gorgeous!” Debbi didn’t get it.
“I have certain requirements, I guess,” Joss said. Debbi stared at her with her mouth open.
“Like fifty shades of requirements?” Joss laughed out loud.
“No, not quite like that, I need heat, and I haven’t felt it often.”
“Your biker dude does have heat,” Debbi said.
“Yup, for me, my biker dude has a lot of heat.”
“For anybody, he’s hot,” Debbi said and then cleared her throat. “So, how do I get Jeremy to go out with me?” Debbi asked.
“Have you asked him?”
“He’s my boss,” she said.
“Technically I’m your boss,” she said. “Are you sure you want to do this? Dating in the work place?”
“I would like to get to know him, but he spends so much time in his office or your office, it’s hard to strike up a conversation,” she said.
“Okay,” Joss said and stood up. “Come with me and follow my lead.”
“Wait, tell me about the biker dude, first,” Debbi said with a grin.
“He fulfills my requirements,” Joss said and Debbi sighed.
“You aren’t really forthcoming, are you?”
“No, I’m not.”
“That’s disappointing, give me some grist for the mill, please,” Debbi said.
“He’s a Native American, is that better?”
“Oh yes. How cool,” she said. “You didn’t actually meet him for the first time at the gala the other night, did you?” Joss laughed.
“Is that what the mill is producing?”
Debbi nodded. “He’s just so sexy, and you’re so gorgeous, we just thought it was pheromones or something. Maybe he was a friend of Connor Damon’s, rock stars have reputations, ya know?” She said. “Cathy at the door said he came in and flashed a badge, but she was too flustered to see what kind of a badge it was. He put his finger to his lips and he walked right in. She thought it had something to do with Peter. I saw him when he came up the steps, you know, he was in leathers when the rest of them were in tuxes, he stood out.
“He stood at the doorway perfectly still, staring at you and Peter. He didn’t scan the room for you, he homed in on you immediately, and when Peter stepped away, I love calling the governor by his first name, he moved to you like a panther stalking his prey. So cool.
“After that it was like watching some naughty movie, the temperature in the room went up twenty degrees. Peter had a funny look on his face, and Jeremy,” she shook her head. “His mouth fell right open, you could have knocked him over with a feather. Then you two were suddenly all over each other and just waltzed right out. The place was silent until the sound of the Harley faded away. Then Connor Damon said: ‘You were right, my love, Durer is sexy,’ in that awesome accent of his and people started laughing and chatting again.” Joss laughed.
“Wow, Debbi, you notice a lot. Buck and I knew each other before Friday. We had somehow gotten lost, but we’re found now.” Debbi had watched as Joss got thinner and sadder since she came back from Montana, and now she was a completely different person, Joss was actually smiling. “Come on,” Joss said and they walked next door and knocked on Jeremy’s open door.
“Joss,” he said standing up from his chair and looking over Joss’s shoulder. “Oh, hi Debbi.”
“Jeremy, you need help, and Debbi has finished what I’ve asked her to do for me today already, she’s very efficient. Together you need to catalogue everything on this desk; it’s been driving me crazy for months.” Jeremy looked at Debbi and smiled sheepishly.
“It is kind of a mess,” he said and they giggled together and Joss closed the door on them and went back to work.
Two days later Debbi was still helping Jeremy with his desk and Joss wondered if she’d lost her assistant. Joss would need her when it was time to dismantle the Durer exhibit in a few days. There was a knock on her door.
“Come,” she called. Buck walked in and Joss stood.
“Can I take you to lunch?” He smiled at her and her stomach flipped inside her.
“God yes,” she said and they met in the middle of her office. “I’m so glad you’re back.” They kissed and he pulled her into his body and went deeper into the kiss.
“I’m glad I’m back, too,” he said into her mouth. There was a quick knock and her door opened. Buck wasn’t about to let her go, he wasn’t finished. Joss pulled reluctantly away and turned her glazed eyes to the doorway. Buck was only watching her. She smiled.
“Jeremy,” she said.
“Joss, we were just going to lunch, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he said. Buck dragged his eyes and finally his body from her and turned to Jeremy and put his hand out.
“Jeremy,” Buck said. “I’m John Buckingham, Joss’s fiancé. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Fiancé! That was fast. And I haven’t heard anything about you,” Jeremy said completely stunned. Jeremy must be in the just met at the gala camp.
“My mama didn’t raise no fool. I wasn’t about to let her get away,” Buck said taking Joss’ hand.
“What do you do for a living, John?” Jeremy asked his distrust was obvious.
“I’m an indolent trust funder, Jeremy, I just follow my bliss,” Buck said and squeezed Joss’ ass and was delighted when she jumped.
“An aimless biker, Joss? Really?” Jeremy asked Joss.
“Have a nice lunch, Jeremy,” Joss had to stop them before they started throwing punches. Jeremy nodded and walked out of her office.
“I’m so happy asshole Buck hasn’t left the building,” she said wryly and Buck laughed. “Okay, two questions: what was that all about? And what did you do to your hand?”
“He was making assumptions about me because of my appearance, and my fist came in contact with a wall because I couldn’t very well hit Gillian Abrams.”
“Your job is all about making people think what you want them to by your appearance, you’re a master at it. There is more to it than that.” He grinned at her. “And you could so hit Gillian Abrams.” He laughed.
“He wants you, I have you, there’s animosity there,” he said.
“Who knew you were such a Neanderthal?” He laughed again. “Don’t squeeze my ass like that again, this is where I work.” He looked chagrinned.
“I missed you. I’m sorry, I’ll play nice, Duchess. Now where were we?” He leaned in to kiss her again and she was going to turn and ask about the hand, but he met her lips and it left her mind. They stood in her office becoming reacquainted and her stomach growled. He smiled on her lips. “I hear the bear in you, Duchess, let me feed you before you devour me.”
“I thought you liked it when I devoured you?”
“Christ.” He sounded pained and she once again focused on his hand, lifting it gently to her lips. “Come on, Duchess.”
“We should probably go somewhere Jeremy won’t be,” she said as he dragged her down the stairs.
“I’m way ahead of you, Duchess.” Five minutes later they were in her apartment lying in bed half undressed.
***
“Can you tell me where you were?” She asked as he spooned with her. He was tired, but she was wide awake.
“Montana mostly, then Headquarters in DC. I saw the footage of your debriefing and your polygraphs. They were pretty nasty, Duchess, I’m sorry you had to go through that. Never again, though, I promise. I resigned for good this time. Now I truly am an indolent trust funder.” She laughed.
“I didn’t know how to keep you from going on dangerous assignments, I have to say I’m so relieved,” she said.
“You didn’t say anything,” he said.
“I can’t tell you to quit your job, I have no right,” she said. He rolled her to her back and looked at her face.
“You have every right, Duchess.”
“What else can you do with your particular skill set? My job pays well, but I think you might get bored being a house husband.”
He fell back on the bed next to her. Joss rolled over to face him. He looked up into her concerned face.
“I could raise the kids,” he said smiling.
“Hmm, I had hoped to participate,” she said.
“You can, Duchess, neither of us needs to work, but you’re right, I need to do something, or I’d go crazy.”
“Trust fund?”
“I’m afraid so. Sir Gerard is loaded, and so was my father. He was also with the Bureau; it’s what brought him to Arizona in the first place. He met my mom and they had a torrid affair which led to my birth and his doing the right thing. Times were different then, but from all accounts they really did love each other,” he shrugged. “They were married about two years when he was killed, and my mother had a pretty rough time of it. She was suddenly single with a mixed race child and two tons of grief. She took me back to Arizona while Sir Gerard watched me from a distance the whole time, as is his M.O.
“Eventually my mother remarried and I moved in with my Dine grandparents because her new husband was a bastard. He beat her, he beat me, and when my sister was born he started beating her,” he pointed to the mark on his left cheek that she noticed in the
Thai restaurant. “This is one of his gifts to me, I was seven.” Joss gasped and a single tear rolled down her face. He brushed it away with his thumb and absently put his wet thumb to his lips. “My mother couldn’t or wouldn’t leave him, it was something I could never understand, and eventually he went too far and beat her to death when I was thirteen.”
“Oh Buck. How horrible for you,” she said.
“That’s when Sir Gerard took me back to Boston. You know that part of the story, but what I didn’t tell you was that on my twenty-sixth birthday I was contacted by my father’s attorneys. At my birth he made arrangements for me to inherit everything he had at the age of twenty six. I’ve barely touched it. Like I said, I really am a trust funder.”
“What happened to your sister?” She asked nervous about the answer, but he smiled at her.
“She’s a success story. My Dine grandparents took her in, too, and she had a very happy childhood with a very protective big brother,” he grinned at her. “She is a general practitioner with three kids, whose husband dotes on her, and she has the complete respect of everyone who’s ever met her.”
“I’ll have nieces and nephews?” She said delighted.
“And sons and daughters if I have anything to say about it,” he kissed her. “We could fill the ranch with them.”
“Don’t freak me out,” she said smiling.
“You don’t want kids?” He was crestfallen.
“I want kids, I want your long legged kids, but I need to have you all to myself for a while first. We’ll know when the time is right, then we can fill up the rooms at the ranch,” she kissed him. “I saw the photo of three kids in your book at the ranch; I thought they were your kids.” He smiled at her.
“I thought you might have. I shouldn’t have even brought that picture, I just miss them; they are a lot of fun.”
“Thanks for telling me about your mom.”
“You’re the only one I have ever told. I’ll have no more secrets from you,” he kissed her.
“What happened to her husband?”
“He’s dead, Duchess, let’s just leave it at that,” he said and hugged her to him. So much for no secrets, she thought. “It’s not my secret to tell.” He touched her cheek, and she wondered how he read her so easily.
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