Heat of the Moment

by Lori Herter

  Al chortled. “You think she’ll admit she’s a spy? She’ll just tell you again that she came here for ethical reasons, that she felt guilty because Earthwaves caused your injuries. And you’ll sit there and fall for it again. You have gotten cozy with her, haven’t you? I can see it in your face. Oh, no, not my sweet little Josie,” Al mocked him. “She’s so innocent, and oh, by the way, her body feels so good against mine! How do you know she didn’t set out to seduce you? Keep you distracted while she gathered our company secrets and fed them to Lansdowne? Keep you busy humping her while Lansdowne tried to lure me out from under your nose? The two of them set out to pry apart our partnership and leave our company in a shambles! If you don’t see that, you don’t know fourteen carat from fool’s gold.”

  Peter worked to keep his cool. “For your information, she hasn’t been humping me, as you so crudely put it!”

  “Maybe not yet. Maybe she’s got a timetable. When she does, it’ll be her coup de gràce, and you’ll be screwed in more ways than one!”

  Peter listened to Al’s tirade, feeling more and more shaken. Josie had gotten much more sexual with him lately. Faster than he’d anticipated, given her story of how she’d been traumatized. Should he attribute her willing response to his sensitivity and terrific technique? Peter had never thought he was any better with women than the average guy.

  Why had Josie been so willing to go topless in the spa lately? It wasn’t so long ago she’d been reticent to even get into the spa with him. He’d wanted to think it was because he had gained her trust and because she liked him, possibly even loved him. But maybe it was the other way around. She’d gained his trust, made him love her.

  Peter steeled himself, wanting no emotion revealed in his voice. “Maybe you’re right, Al. I’ll do what needs to be done. Better go. She’ll be back soon. I want to handle this myself.”

  “It would be better if you weren’t alone with her when you fire her. You don’t want to be sucked in by her tears and denials—”

  “I can handle it!” Peter felt angry now, with Josie and Al.

  “Okay. I’ll go. Don’t let her get to you.” Al looked at him, as if wondering if he’d gotten his warning across well enough. Peter just stared at him until Al turned and walked out of his house.

  Once Al was gone, Peter slumped in his chair. He rubbed his eyes with a hand that shook with anger and a sense of betrayal. He’d fallen in love with Josie, had only just discovered that those were his feelings. But before he could even get used to that idea, he’d found out he should never have trusted her. He’d suspected she might be a spy when she’d first walked through his door. He’d kept warning himself it might be true as they began to work together. But once he’d kissed her, he’d thrown out all his suspicion and placed his trust in her. He’d become a victim of his own bad judgment yet again.

  But the memories of kissing her put doubts in his mind. Had he really been taken in so completely, or was there a possibility Al’s interpretation was all wrong? What would Peter do if he had to drum Josie out of his life? Already she’d become so much a part of it, of his happiness. She’d made him forget how lonely he’d become. She’d made him want her so much, he didn’t know what was true and what wasn’t.

  Maybe that was exactly the effect she’d planned to have on him. One thing was for sure—he wasn’t going to let himself fall prey to her. Al was right, he told himself. He ought to let her go.

  All at once a key turned in the lock again. The door opened and Josie walked in. She smiled at him, then turned to punch in the alarm system code—slowly, as if unsure she was doing it correctly. Peter watched her, thinking how effortlessly she conveyed innocence and gentle femininity. The dainty hands, the sweetly earnest expression on her face, the long sweep of hair over her shoulders as she inclined her head, the vulnerable, soft curves of her breasts. How could such a woman have betrayed him? He wanted to believe that Al was wrong. But everything his longtime partner had said made too much sense. Peter was gullible when it came to women. He hadn’t needed Al to tell him that. He’d let himself become putty in Josie’s hands. Only this time his company, and maybe even his life, were at stake.

  When she finished punching in the code, she closed the door and walked up to Peter. “Sorry I was gone so long.” Her eyes scanned his face. “Is something wrong?”

  He lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “No.”

  She hesitated, still studying him. “You seem…upset or something.”

  “Not a bit.”

  “You look pale. Are you feeling all right?” She stepped closer and placed her hand softly on his forehead.

  Peter felt pained by the sweetness of her touch. He steeled himself against it. “I’m fine.”

  She drew her hand away, as if sensing something was very amiss. “Are you mad because I was gone so long?”

  “No. But we do need to get back to work.”

  “Sure. Let’s go.”

  She walked beside him as he wheeled himself out of the house and to the cottage lab. They resumed their work in silence. Peter did his best to regain his composure. He needed to have a talk with her, to give her a chance to explain things, just to make sure he was doing the right thing in firing her. But he needed some time and space before he could manage to do that.

  He glanced at her as she worked at her computer. She’d obviously sensed something was very wrong. He ought to just tell her and get it over with, he decided. As he began to think what to say, he heard a phone ring.

  Josie went to her purse and got out her cell phone.

  “Hello?”

  He watched her expression change from a quiet listening mode to a look of shock. She murmured, “Oh, no,” several times. She asked a few questions, and Peter realized she was talking about Martin Lansdowne to whomever was on the phone. Finally, she said, “Thanks, Ronnie,” and closed the phone. She looked across the room at Peter, her eyes fearful, even frantic.

  “What’s up?” Peter strove to remain unmoved by her shaken expression.

  “Ronnie called to warn me. Martin’s in a rage and vowed to get me for betraying him. He’s angry because he heard I’m accusing him of trying to kill you. He gathered the employees and told them he’s going to sue me for slander, and vowed that Earthwaves would demolish Frameworks.” Tears filled her eyes. “Peter, I’m scared. He’s got a violent streak. What if there’s another attempt on your life? What should we do?”

  Peter had no idea what to say. He felt all turned around, totally bewildered. The call seemed to have come unexpectedly, and she seemed genuinely upset. If she was still in cahoots with Lansdowne, could she carry off such a convincing performance? Every instinct of Peter’s told him to believe her. He wanted to comfort her and tell her they were safe. But for once he had to rely on his brain, not his heart.

  “Who’s Ronnie?”

  “My friend. She works at Earthwaves.”

  Peter kept his voice matter-of-fact. “I didn’t know you still had friends at Earthwaves.”

  She paused, as if taken off guard by his comment. “She’s the only one I stay in touch with. We’d gotten to be good friends over the years.”

  “You never mentioned her.”

  Josie swallowed. There was a trace of guilt in her eyes. Now we’re getting to the truth, Peter thought.

  “No, I didn’t mention her. I—I was afraid you might think it odd that I still spoke to someone from there. Appearances can be deceiving.”

  “Yes, appearances can be deceiving.”

  “You’re doubting me, my integrity, aren’t you?” She stiffened and drew her arms around herself. “You’ve been different ever since I came back from lunch.”

  “Is that what you were doing? Having lunch? You didn’t say.”

  “I had lunch with Ronnie.”

  Peter nodded. “I see. Anything else you want to tell me?”

  “No. That’s all. I have no other connection with Earthwaves, and she and I are just friends.”

  “What did you tal
k about? Over lunch.”

  He was surprised to see her face redden. Obviously, she did have something to hide!

  “It was just…girl talk.”

  “Girl talk? You mean about fashion? The latest shade of lipstick?” He cocked his head at a questioning angle. “You aren’t into those things.”

  “We talked about relationships.”

  “What sort of relationships?”

  “Th-that’s between her and me.” She turned away from him, as if deeply annoyed that he was asking prying questions.

  Peter ought to consider this as proof that she had something to cover up. Except that she seemed embarrassed, as if what she was hiding was very personal. If she were covering up that she’d been passing industrial secrets to her Earthwaves friend, he would have thought she’d find a smoother way to do it. Under ordinary circumstances, he’d even have suspected that she and her girlfriend were talking about Josie’s relationship with him. Women talked about men in their lives all the time—he knew this from having sisters.

  She turned to face him again. “Why are you doubting me this way? Peter, you’re in more danger now than ever. This isn’t the time for you and I to be at odds with one another. I’ve trusted you. We’ve been so close. How can you even think that I’d still have some connection to Earthwaves? I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”

  She walked up to him, sat in his lap and curled her arms around his neck. “I care about you,” she whispered, tears glazing her eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Ronnie. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to say and what not to. I never meant to mislead you.”

  She seemed so sincere that Peter began to think everything Al had said was nothing more than the bitter words of a misogynist. He found his mouth nearing hers. He slipped his hands around her waist, barely bothering to think whether doing so was wise or not. This was the woman he loved, and good or bad, he loved her still. Her mouth met his, and he closed his eyes at the tender warmth of her lips, the sweet eagerness of her kiss. His hand slid upward over the swell of her breast, and he felt the peak of her nipple through her sweater. He tugged the garment upward, and she lifted her arms to pull it over her head.

  She wore no bra. This was another first, going bare breasted under her street clothes. As she stretched up, arching her back so that his mouth could reach her breasts, he wondered if this new freedom in her was designed to further seduce him. Or was she merely anxious to explore newly discovered pleasures, to feel sexy with him?

  Peter didn’t care right now. If she was seducing him, then he yearned for that seduction. She was like a narcotic, dulling his brain, heightening his senses. He slipped his hand beneath her pants and soon she writhed in ecstasy. She unfastened his belt and stimulated him.

  A half hour later, as both recovered from release, he wondered why, if she was indeed seducing him, she didn’t take off all her clothes and straddle him? If this was seduction, why wasn’t he getting the full treatment?

  Peter’s mind swirled neurotically with two opposing thoughts. He could hear Al chastising him for letting himself give in once more to her feminine wiles. And yet he could see Josie, learning to be sensual and seductive, but still afraid of the sex act itself. Which version of the truth was true? Was he Josie’s target or her salvation?

  8

  THAT NIGHT Peter left Josie in the cottage lab at about eight o’clock, too tired and emotionally drained to work any later. She’d asked if he was going to get in the spa, and he’d simply replied, “No.”

  Her crestfallen expression was still in his mind as he made himself get on his treadmill. As he picked up speed, his brain began to clear. Not that he was able to sort everything out or come to any conclusion. But moving, getting his heart rate going, seemed to have a numbing effect and he was able to let his mind wander. And then the old Irish song crept into his brain and, like an unwelcome guest, wouldn’t leave. The ominous feeling of being on the verge of calamity took hold. He increased the treadmill’s speed, hoping to drum it out of himself.

  After twenty minutes, the phone rang.

  Peter turned off the treadmill and went to the phone, out of breath. “Hello?”

  “Did you fire her?” It was Al’s voice.

  Peter leaned into the wall. “No.”

  “No! What, are you humping her now? You’re all out of breath.”

  “I was on—” Peter caught himself before saying the treadmill. “I was doing some arm and shoulder exercises. She’s at the cottage. I’m in the house.”

  “She stays overnight?” Al asked, sounding perturbed.

  “We work late, and I didn’t want her going home alone.”

  “Convenient! So why haven’t you fired her?”

  Peter hesitated. “I’m still not convinced she’s a spy.” Ordinarily, he would have told Al about the phone call she’d gotten from Ronnie and how she’d reacted. But he knew Al would only tell him he was being a stooge for Josie’s wiles.

  “You’re thinking with your dick, Pete! Wise up, will you? We need to get rid of her, now!”

  “Not until I’m convinced.”

  “Look, if you don’t fire her, I will!”

  “I hired her, and she answers to me!”

  A silence hung between them for a long moment. This was the first time Peter had ever had to stand up to Al so forcefully. Peter didn’t like it, but he felt his partner was behaving unreasonably. He began to wonder what was going on with Al. Why was he in such a hurry to fire Josie? He had no actual evidence yet that Josie was spying, other than the fact that he’d seen her at lunch with Ronnie. They ought to have conclusive proof before letting her go. Or maybe it was just that Peter couldn’t bear to part from her and was ready to hang on to whatever he could to keep her near.

  “You always think you run the show.” Al’s voice had an ugly undertone, one that Peter had never heard before. “You charm the staff, you finesse the investors. Meanwhile, I’m in the background making it all work! You’d be nowhere without me, ol’ pal.”

  Peter began to recall that Al never had many friends, and in college often seemed jealous if Peter spent time with his fraternity buddies. It was as if Al felt he should be Peter’s only friend. He’d thought Al had outgrown that. Perhaps not.

  Peter used a reassuring tone. “I don’t deny that. But I had input into the retrofit method we developed. I may have taken over dealing with people because that’s not your strong point. You were happy to leave that to me, remember? It was never my purpose to upstage you.”

  Another silence ensued. Peter could sense Al still felt angry. Had Peter been insensitive? He’d never realized until now that perhaps Al had felt left out, unappreciated.

  “Al? Still there?”

  “So what do we do about your cutie-pie?” Al sounded as if he were keeping a lid on his temper.

  Peter took it as a sign that Al didn’t want to continue to argue and was looking for a compromise. He searched his mind for some sort of temporary solution. “How about if I give her another week? If she can’t prove her loyalty by then, I’ll fire her.”

  Al laughed in a jeering way. “What’ll be the test for her loyalty—a roll in the hay? It’s for sure you won’t fire her then! That’s probably just what she’s waiting for. Like I said, you’ll let her screw you in more ways than one. The next thing you know, Frameworks will go down the tubes because you couldn’t keep your pants zipped.”

  “Al, I may have a weakness for women, but I’m not quite as stupid as you make me out to be.”

  “You married Cory.”

  “Why throw Cory in my face? You had a crush on her, too, as I recall. Sometimes I think that was why you tried to talk me out of marrying her. Cory was a piece of work, Al. Beautiful, but self-centered. My sisters sensed that, but I think you warned me off of Cory for your own reasons. You didn’t see her flaws any better than I did back then. Maybe you have some buried hang-ups yourself!”

  “I’m not in a wheelchair getting seduced by a sly-shy spy who’s out to
destroy my company. Can’t get much more hung up and stupid than that!”

  Peter exhaled, having no reply. “‘Night, Al.”

  “‘Night, chump!”

  Peter put down the phone, angry and unsettled. Sly-shy spy! Was Al right? He remembered the phone call Josie had gotten from Ronnie. Martin Lansdowne had had a fit because he’d learned Josie believed Lansdowne had caused Peter’s injuries. How had Lansdowne found out? The answer was obvious—it was right after Al had met with him. Al must have told Lansdowne. Why reveal that information?

  In fact, how did Lansdowne find out Josie was working for Frameworks in the first place? Either Josie had told him herself, if they were still secretly allied, or…maybe Al had told Lansdowne.

  Was Al jealous of Josie? He seemed to be targeting her for some reason.

  Everything felt unreal now to Peter. He’d lost his bearings because his sense of judgment had failed him once again. He could no longer trust Josie or his oldest friend. He felt all alone.

  SEVERAL DAYS PASSED. As Josie looked out the cottage window after getting up and dressed, she discovered it was raining. The day looked gray and dismal—exactly how she felt. It was Sunday morning.

  The beginning of each day had brought Josie new hope that it might be the day Peter would be his old self again, would flirt with her and tease her. But as each day had ended, after working late in the lab, he’d gone back to his house and she’d remained alone at the cottage. No time together in the spa. No touching or kissing. No flirting. They discussed work, and that was all.

  Josie didn’t understand what was going on with Peter. Did he still doubt her, because he’d learned she’d been in contact with Ronnie? But if he thought she was passing secrets to Earthwaves, why did he keep her working for him? Since Ronnie’s phone call, Peter hadn’t questioned Josie any further, and she hadn’t wanted to bring the matter up herself, fearing she might rock the boat by broaching a subject that appeared to have been forgotten.