by Claire Adams
“I’m not under investigation; there’s someone out to get me.”
Even as the words left my mouth, I could tell how fake they sounded. I sounded exactly like a guy who was under investigation and didn’t want to admit it. One thing I was certain of: Delilah wasn’t behind what was going on with me. I needed to see her to know for sure, but as I looked her in the eyes, I knew it for a fact.
“Well, that’s why I think I need some space. You should take care of whatever is going on and then we can look at getting together when it’s all figured out.”
“It won’t take long.”
“Okay,” she said and turned toward the building. “I better get back to Mattie.
I gently grabbed her arm so she wouldn’t go back inside. I had to say something, but the right words just weren’t coming to me. This was the moment I needed to say something profound to keep her there with me. The old me would have had plenty of lines I could have pulled out in that very moment, but I couldn’t think of a single thing.
“Josh thought you had something to do with my accounts being frozen,” I blurted out.
“What? Me? Why would I have anything to do with that?”
“I don’t think you did. I mean, I did for a minute when they pointed out that my card used for the Dating the Rich site is where everything started, but I don’t think it was you.”
She raised her eyebrow at me and didn’t say a thing. Her silence made me uncomfortable, and I found myself filling the space with words. More and more words that got me deeper and deeper into a mess of ridiculousness.
“There was this guy who came to my house with a thick neck and a suit; he threatened me. Then, every account got frozen. They said it was someone I know and tried to point to you,” I babbled on.
“Okay, well, this just goes back to my original point. Why don’t you call me when you figure everything out? I hope you don’t get arrested for whatever it is they think you did, but you really didn’t do. Goodbye, Brandon.”
She turned and made her way back into the club before I could protest. That wasn’t at all how I thought it would go when I got to talk to her. I was even more confused than before.
PART 4
Chapter Nineteen
Delilah
I had no idea what on earth Brandon was talking about. Of course, I didn’t have anything to do with his bank accounts being frozen. It was ridiculous that he and his friend would even think something like that. I almost started laughing right in his face when he said it, it was so preposterous.
“What was that all about?”
“Brandon is here. He fed me some story about his accounts being frozen and his friend thinking I had something to do with it… so bizarre.”
“Wait, were his accounts frozen? Is he really under investigation?”
“He says he’s not, but I don’t know what I believe. It’s too much of a disaster; I just don’t want anything to do with it right now.”
“Then, you better not turn around because he’s walking this way,” Mattie said as she smiled from ear-to-ear.
“Why are you smiling? This is bad. I don’t want to talk to him right now,” I said.
“Dance with me,” Brandon said as he pulled my hand and me toward the dance floor.
“No, Mattie doesn’t want to be left here alone. I need to stay with her,” I protested.
“I’m fine. You two go have fun,” she laughed.
“You’re the worst friend ever!”
“I really like Mattie,” Brandon softly said as he held onto me and we moved slowly with the music. “I need to feel you next to me. Whatever else is going on is just noise. This, right here between us, is real and I feel it. I know you feel it, too.”
“I’m sure that mass murderers have women that loved them, as well,” I snarked at him. “I can’t get mixed up in whatever is going on with you. It’s just not my style. I live a drama-free life.”
“Hey, me, too!” he said.
“No, you live a life where people are threatening you and hacking into your…” I trailed off as I started to think about the trouble I had been having at work. The hacker that was getting into accounts. The consultant who had helped me. The strange man with the exchange commission who had come in to interview me. I didn’t know how it was all connected, but it was starting to fit together.
“What?”
“Remember I told you I was having problems at work? There were coding issues and errors.”
“Yeah, that’s why Josh and the private investigator thought you probably had something to do with it all. Because you had access to my credit card and bank information through your system.”
“Do you believe me when I say I had nothing to do with it?”
“Yes.”
“You said a guy with a thick neck came and threatened you, right?”
“Yes, he was a really big dude. Looked like he’d been lifting weights with his neck and had arms bigger than my thighs.”
“A computer consultant came in to help me with my coding errors. The guy you’re describing sounds just like him. I remember Mattie and I talking about how we judged him and thought he couldn’t know anything about computers.
“But he fixed the errors. He came in and fixed them,” I said almost to myself as I started to trail off. “Unless, he had really planted the bug and then came in to use my access to get the information he needed. One day, he copied items to a flash drive. Shit, I think I did have something to do with this. I let him copy files from my computer.”
Brandon didn’t seem as upset as I thought he would be after learning that I had pretty much given some dude direct access to his financial information. I certainly hadn’t done it on purpose, but still I was very reckless with private customer information and financial data.
“So, who is this guy, and why is he after me?”
“Oh, I don’t know all of that.”
“We have made a lot of progress on this together. Much more than I was able to make with my lawyer and the investigator this afternoon. I think we should take a break and dance,” Brandon said with a sly smile.
“Your bank accounts are frozen. How can you be so calm at a time like this?”
“It’s nearly one in the morning on a Saturday. No matter what I find out, there isn’t anything that can be fixed until at least Monday morning. I’d much rather enjoy the evening with you,” he said.
“I can’t believe I actually fell for that guy who said he was with the exchange commission and was going to stop talking to you all together,” I muttered. “How does he play a role in all of this?”
“Maybe that was his purpose? Maybe he wanted you to stay away from me so I’d be hurt? I have no idea; I’m just glad we are straightening this part of things out. I hated that for a moment I thought you might have been involved. I couldn’t believe it, though. I just knew it wasn’t true.”
“You didn’t know,” I teased. “You were angry with me – I saw it in your eyes when I turned around outside.”
“Not exactly angry. I was confused. But that’s just normal life for me when I’m around you,” he laughed and I laughed and our connection eased the tension between us. “Now let’s forget about that for just tonight. There will always be tomorrow to worry about this mess. Can we just have tonight?”
“Yes, we can have tonight.” I leaned in and put my head on his chest.
The chaos of the last few days wasn’t lost on me. I knew there was still so much we had to figure out, but in Brandon’s arms, I also knew I felt safe and I trusted that feeling more than the chaos and noise going on all around us.
His hands were like home as he wrapped them around my back and pressed me up against him. The warmth of our bodies offered comfort, and I felt that warmth exploding across my body.
Whatever else was going on in both of our worlds didn’t seem to matter in that moment. We swayed in perfect time with the music and the club belonged to us. I relished his touch as his hands moved up and down my back.
“I hate to interrupt, but am I on my own for the rest of the night?” Mattie said as she tapped me on the shoulder.
“Crap, I should probably check in with Josh,” Brandon added. “How about you two come sit with us. I can get a VIP… Oh wait, I can’t,” he started to laugh. “I don’t have any money! Well, we could just join Josh and all hang out.”
“But he thinks I’m a horrible person, remember?” I was joking a little bit, but I was a little serious, as well.
I didn’t feel comfortable hanging out with the guy who had convinced Brandon I was after him. Even if there had been a little circumstantial evidence, it would be really uncomfortable for me.
“Oh, he’ll get over it. Let me go talk to him for a minute and then you guys can come over.”
As much as I didn’t want to be around his friend, I really did want to be around Brandon, so I agreed. He went off to find his friend and straighten things out. I was left to straighten things out with Mattie because I could tell by the look in her eye that she did not agree with the way Brandon and I had been dancing.
“So apparently, his friend convinced him that I had something to do with his financial information being stolen. And, I guess the computer consultant who was at my desk probably was the same guy who threatened Brandon. Basically, I don’t think he’s under investigation for real, but I do think he’s still got someone after him. I know I really should stay away from him, but he was outside when I went out there and I couldn’t resist.”
“I think you should give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Of course, that was what Mattie thought. This was the same woman who continually took her no-good boyfriend back after he cheated on her. But in this circumstance, I was glad she was a forgiving soul and could go with me and let me give Brandon a second chance.
“Thanks, Mattie. I’m sorry I always give you a hard time about Markus. I won’t do that this time if you decide you want to give him another chance.”
“Oh, heck no! I’m done with him,” she said. “I gave him plenty of chances, and he proved they weren’t enough for him. I’m moving on. But, I do think giving Brandon the benefit of the doubt is a reasonable thing to do. You like him, and I can tell by the way he looks at you that he likes you. Things will either work out, or they will get worse, right?”
“Yes, exactly. Thanks, Mattie! I was so worried after that investigator came in and told me about Brandon. Now, it seems even he was a fake. It’s all a ridiculous mess.”
“I’ve got a picture of the investigator if it helps?”
“You do?”
“Yep, when we were taking our selfies, he had come up behind you. Here, look at this one; you can see his face perfectly.”
“Oh, that’s awesome. Let’s find Brandon and show him.”
It took us nearly twenty minutes of walking around the club before we finally found Brandon and his friend Josh. As nervous as I was, I was also excited to be able to show Brandon the picture of the guy who said he was with the SEC. Hopefully, he would be able to use the picture to figure out who was after him and why.
“Hi, ladies, glad you found us. I was all the way over here when I realized it was going to be messy finding each other in this busy place. Delilah, this is Josh; Josh, this is Delilah and her friend Mattie.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Delilah. Brandon says an apology is in order,” Josh said as he held his hand out for me to shake. “I was just going with my gut. I hope you can appreciate that I just wanted to protect my friend.”
“Sure, I understand.”
“We have a picture of one of the bad guys,” Mattie blurted out while she held her phone out to Brandon to look at. “This is the guy who said he was investigating you.”
“His name was Carlos, and he showed me a badge and looked really professional.”
Both Brandon and Josh grabbed for the phone as shock washed over their faces. I instantly knew they recognized the man in the photo; there was no doubt about it.
“Who is it?” Mattie asked.
“It’s Brandon’s ex-wife’s fiancé,” Josh said.
“What?” I couldn’t figure out what was going on.
“It’s definitely Carlos,” Brandon muttered as he looked at the photo. “Can I send this to myself so I have a copy?”
“Sure. Do you want a copy, too?” Mattie asked Josh.
“If you want to give me your number, you don’t have to ask,” he joked.
“Ha, ha, very funny.”
The guys spent some time texting Brandon’s lawyer and the investigator working on the case while Mattie and I got drinks for all of us. It seemed like we had solved a big part of the mystery around what was going on with Brandon. Of course, we still had no idea why this guy was after Brandon, but he knew who the guy was, so that was a huge load off of his back, I was sure of it.
“Man, I’m sorry you had to pay for the drinks,” Brandon said as we got back to the group.
“I’m not. I doubt you’d ever let me pay for the drinks in any other situation. At least let me enjoy the independence of this moment.”
“Yeah, women can buy drinks for men; it doesn’t always have to be the other way around,” Mattie added.
“You can buy me drinks anytime, darling,” Josh suavely said as he started to make the moves on Mattie.
I moved over to be closer to Brandon while Mattie and Josh moved to the other end of the table. It was nice to see them keeping each other company so Brandon and I could spend the evening together and not worry about the two of them.
“I think he likes your friend,” Brandon said.
“I’m pretty sure he likes all women,” I laughed. “I’m glad things are starting to get straightened out. Still sucks that your ex is involved, though.”
“Yeah, I’m not sure if she knows what this guy is up to or not. But I’m relieved that we have some answers. You know what else I’m feeling?” He raised an eyebrow and moved closer to me.
“That you’re exhausted and want to go to bed?” I was joking, but I really was exhausted and could have gone to bed that very moment if I had been back at my place.
“Oh, I’ll take you to bed right this second. You don’t have to ask me twice.” And just like that, Brandon grabbed our drinks and put them in front of Mattie and Josh as the two of us made our way out of the club.
I gave the cab driver my address, and we went to my house to avoid any complications that might come up by going to Brandon’s place. We still didn’t know how serious everything was with this Carlos guy or if he was intending to hurt Brandon psychically, so it seemed like a much better plan.
I kept my eyes open for the ten-mile drive to my place, but just barely. When we climbed out of the cab and into the house, all I felt was total relief that I had made it back to my house and was going to get to climb into my bed in a few minutes.
“Let me give you the grand tour,” I said dramatically as we walked into the house. “Living room, dining room, bathroom over there, and bedrooms down here. It’s small, but it’s ours, and we love it.”
“I love it. Very cute.”
“I’m going to bed. Are you game?”
“Oh, I’m definitely game for getting in your bed.”
The second we got into my room, I pulled out a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and started to undress so I could change into them. Brandon got to work unzipping his pants and getting out of them as we both stood near the bed and next to each other.
It’s funny just how much comfort you had to have with someone to get undress and put pajamas on in front of them. It seemed like a more intimate thing than even undressing someone totally.
“This is my side,” I said as I climbed in. “You can have that side.”
Brandon dutifully climbed in to the bed on the other side and moved over next to me. There was no talk of making love or having sex, although I was sure that Brandon wouldn’t have objected to the idea.
Instead, he held his arm up and slipped it behind my head while I cuddled n
ext to him. Intimacy was something I had struggled with far more than anything else since losing my husband.
“This is nice,” Brandon said softly.
“It is, isn’t it?”
“I’m really glad you answered my call tonight.”
“Yeah, that was pretty creepy when I turned around and you were standing in the alley, though. Did you plan that? Tell me the truth.”
“No way. I just wanted to talk to you. Josh and I had gone out because I was pissed off about everything that was going on, and I didn’t have the cash to go out alone.”
“Mattie took me out because I thought I was dating a criminal and was a little sad about it,” I laughed. “What are you going to do about your ex-wife and this guy?”
“I really don’t know yet. I guess I need to assess if she knows what he’s up to or not. My gut says that she doesn’t and he must be playing her, which is really sad because she loves the guy. I don’t know how well me telling her what he’s doing is going to go over.”
“Whatever you decide, I’m sure it will be the right thing. Your gut seems to be a pretty good guide. I mean, it told you I wasn’t involved in all this. So, I’m on the side of your stomach. I’m also really, really tired, so I’m going to go to sleep now, if you don’t mind.”
“Sleep your little heart out. I’ll be right here the whole night. I really like this sleeping with you thing. I mean, going to sleep. You know what I mean.”
He had gotten himself flustered and it was adorable. I was glad he was in my bed that night and even happier that we were both so comfortable with just going to sleep. The signs a real relationship was building were right there in front of us. We didn’t have to be perfect; we didn’t need to make love every night. We could both just be there for each other and sleep next to each other.
Chapter Twenty
Brandon
I woke up to my body raging with desire for Del. She was still curled up in my arms and started to stir a little as I did. It was well into the morning because the sun was up and the streets sounded busy with people.
My hands stroked her back and slid up under her shirt so I could feel the softness of her skin against my fingertips. Slowly, I moved my hand up and down her back, applying pressure as I reached the muscles of her lower back. I remembered how much she said she liked having my hands on her body, and I wanted to wake her up feeling as good as she possibly could.