Dan had wasted no time once Serena left the office. Although disheartened over her chilly performance but grateful for the distance now placed between them, he needed to get back to his job. He’d hurriedly located and donned his discarded clothing, threw his jacket over his arm and rushed over to close the door before heading for her desk.
Turning on the desk light afforded him a better view of what lay strewn on her desk. Nothing much caught his eye, except for the information folder for the real Gino Conti. He grabbed it and tucked it into his folded jacket as he spotted what had rested under it. Another folder, one labeled “Mr. A”, had been stacked under Gino’s.
Mr. “A”? Dan raked a hand through his hair. That didn’t make sense. Hadn’t the men been given numbers and the women, letters?
What was going on? Perhaps she had two filing systems, one for legitimate clients and another one for some shady scam she was running. With a sense of dread looming over him, Dan snatched that folder and shoved it with Gino’s.
He let out a whoosh of air that had been pent up in his lungs as suspicions about her honesty crept back into his head. Serena could prove to be a resourceful and underhanded schemer, running a seemingly harmless business and portraying the image of a highly respectable company while covering for some devious sex-for-money ring. The two folders now tucked under his jacket could spur his investigation, causing her downfall while supplying evidence to work against her.
Nothing else on her desk gave the impression of useful information, so he turned off the light and trotted to the door. Dan opened it and peeked out, then closed it before jogging to her back office. Removing his keychain equipped with a tiny flashlight, he ascertained a minute or two still existed before Serena’s return. He needed to check out the filing cabinets but wouldn’t dare turn on the light for that room.
Serena stopped by the door, wondering why it was now closed. She had left it opened, figuring no one else would be wandering around the building at such a late hour. With a careful twist, she turned the doorknob, straining to keep the knob from squeaking and the door from creaking as she pushed it open.
With her office still blanketed in moonlit darkness, Serena strained to find Dan’s frame silhouetted somewhere in the room. Her eyes then focused on her back office, the door ajar and a tiny light shining inside it.
Waves of anger drenched her heart and soul. Dan, the man she’d given herself to, who’d brought her to oblivious satisfaction, was nothing but a phony. He’d used her for whatever purpose lurked in his sinister brain.
She backed out of the room, carefully pulling the door closed again without a sound. Her head spun with furious thoughts, even though her heart made an inexplicable last-ditch effort to hold her back from seeking revenge.
Revenge. Setting things right. Catching him in his own game and hauling his ass to jail would be rewarding. Serena would find a way to prove his guilt and turn him over to the police.
Determined to play along and nab him as soon as she had all the facts, Serena traced her steps back to the restroom, then yelled out, “Dan? Are you almost ready to leave?”
She then strode back to her door. Dan opened it before she could, guilt or sadness covering his face. She smiled, hiding the desire to pounce on him and smack both of his cheeks clear of whichever look he portrayed.
“I, uh, just need to get on my shoes and socks.” He turned away, found those items and put them on.
Serena didn’t respond but donned her shoes, minus the hose. She kept her voice level and asked, “Shall we go?”
He followed her out the door and she locked it behind them. They walked outside in total silence, neither offering a comment about their evening. A cool breeze made her shiver with a slight chill.
Dan reached out to put his arm around her, but Serena wanted no contact. She quickened her steps, assuring no part of his body touched hers. No more of his letters racing through her head could be tolerated. At her car, she unlocked the door and remarked, “Thank you for a lovely evening. I’ll plan on seeing you for your next date. Maybe after your three dates, you’ll get a better feel for how my business operates. We can talk about a possible partnership then.”
She extended her hand, gearing herself for the onslaught of his dancing letters. She’d control herself. She had to make it clear that Serena Xavier had no interest in kissing or making love with him ever again. Their relationship would be “business only” from now on.
Her heart, her Achilles’ heel and a weakness she’d have to work on, made a feeble attempt to soften her resolve and grant one last mind-blowing embrace, but Serena’s head won over. No expression of closeness or weakness could be allowed if she planned to maintain her sanity and determined plan of action.
Control. Serena had to stay focused and stay in command of her senses. Her “second sight” didn’t work for her with Dan. Just like with Alan, she’d made a terrible mistake.
Reality had to overcome fantasy. Wanting Dan to be someone else, someone honest and wonderful, was a whimsical daydream her heart craved. The cold hard facts before her, filling her head, told her otherwise.
He frowned, but took her hand and briefly shook it. She got into her car, never turning back to look at him. Eyeing Dan in her rearview mirror, she watched as he stood perfectly still, his figure growing smaller and smaller the further away she drove.
Dan Reese needed to be taught a lesson. And she was just the woman to do it.
Chapter Twelve
“Have a good time?”
Serena cringed, body frozen in place at the sound of her brother’s voice. Damn. Caught in the act. She’d tiptoed into her apartment, silently creeping across the floor and praying to manage a hasty retreat into her bedroom without waking him. She’d hoped Michael would sleep soundly, never hearing her early morning arrival.
“No. Goodnight. I’m going to bed now.” She pulled herself up vertically, straightening her back in an effort to appear totally in control. It was then that her thigh-high stockings slipped from her hand and wafted to the floor. No sound accompanied their free flow movement to the ground, but the visual image spoke volumes.
Michael eyed them, then glared at her. “You’re out until early morning and come home half-undressed. So, what? Did he force you? ‘Cause if he did, just say the word and I’ll kill him.”
The night’s pleasantries at the restaurant, overwhelming expenditure of passion in her office and Dan’s turning cold, threatened to explode Serena’s already pounding head. Now, to add to her misery, here stood her brother, fists clenching at his sides, both chastising her and ready to do battle with mystery man, Dan.
In one unladylike and definite lack of grace movement, she flopped down onto her sofa, letting out a whoosh of air from her lungs. Serena dropped her purse onto the cushion next to her, making a mental note to be careful and not open it in front of her brother. Her underpants and bra still remained crumpled up inside it.
“Michael, calm down. No. He didn’t force me to do anything. If you must know, I’m the one out of control. See? You don’t know everything there is to know about your horny sister. I’m the one who jumped him.”
Michael’s stance drooped and a confused look covered his face. “Oh. I thought you wanted to wrangle information out of him.” He shook his head from side to side. “I’ve been telling you to get out and date. See what happens when you’re love-starved? You grab the first guy you’re attracted to, warts and all and go at it.”
“Michael, let it be,” Serena snapped. “I did get information. Well, sort of.” She placed both hands on her temples and vigorously rubbed. “Look. I’m tired. It’s late. I have good reasons to still not trust him even though I sense no negative thoughts from him.” She threw her hands up in the air in a moment of disgust. “Oh, hell. What do I know? I was wrong about Alan. Dan’s probably just like him.”
“All the more reason I should get to know him.”
Serena shook her head no. “While I’m happy to have you here for support, I
need to work on this myself a little longer. If I get bogged down, I’ll let you do whatever you think needs to be done.”
Her brother remained silent for a minute, then said, “Let’s get some sleep. We can talk more about this in the morning. Deal?”
“Deal. Now, leave me alone. Please.” Her plea came out in a whisper as she tried to hold back the tears building up and near falling.
* * * * *
The next morning and with stomach clenching, Dan stomped into work and threw both folders on his desk, disgusted with himself and the whole operation. He’d screwed up and allowed his body to overrule sanity and logic, spurred on by one beautiful, sexy woman.
After an hour in Steve’s office, anger at himself burned in his brain. Rightfully so, his boss/friend had nailed him, chewed him up and down with one blowout bomb of a reprimand. Warning Dan to end the case one way or another, Steve had slapped him on the back and called him a horny womanizing bastard. He’d then softened his tone, stating Dan had let Serena get to him and maybe that fact had some other meaning in his life, especially if she proved innocent.
Yep, she’d wrangled her way under his skin, in his dreams, toyed with his common sense, but any scenario including her other than job-related would have to take a long-distance hike. Serena had to be kept in her place…that of a suspect, not a love interest triggering his body’s reaction, minus brain cells functioning in full gear.
He slapped open Gino’s folder, reading and rereading every line. At one point, he unconsciously read out loud. Raising his head around the office, Dan noted quizzical stares aimed in his direction from other detectives and realized what he’d done. Embarrassed, he forced his lips closed and made a point not to open them again while engrossed in his file perusal.
Staring off into space after the words began to blur before him, Dan weighed the misinformation Gino Conti had written against what he knew to be the truth. He puzzled over a comment Serena had written on the inside cover in big letters.
“Client removed”.
What the hell did that mean? Dan knew for sure it was her handwriting. Was it some type of code? Removed? To where? Did it mean the real Gino had been moved to another level? Maybe from her business-front façade to a more sinister, lucrative venture?
He swung back in his seat and let out an audible rush of air from his lungs, frustration mounting with each passing minute. Flinging that folder aside, Dan decided to tackle the next mystery from Second Sight Dating, the other folder he’d snatched from her desk.
Who the hell was Mr. “A”? He began reading the file’s contents, realizing this one sounded like Serena had been more personally involved in this case. This character received more attention from Serena than she’d indicated anyone else received. Hell, she’d made a point of mentioning how she hadn’t dated clients before.
She wrote of misgivings in keeping this guy interested. Reading further, Dan examined Mr. “A’s” wants and desires, all mapped out in front of him in black and white. She couldn’t keep him happy? With what? Who was she? Had Serena passed him on to another, more eager-to-please female in her files?
He slammed the folder shut. This client might not be around her agency anymore, but Gino seemed to still be a player. Dan knew full well that the Gino he’d met was a phony. Nothing about him came close to resembling Gino Conti’s actual description. The file for the “real” Gino left too many unanswered questions. And now this other file pointed to some possible shady dealings.
Dan rubbed his face, hoping to make some sense out of all of this. His case-related phone rang, shaking him out of his miserable thoughts. He attached the phone to a taping device and answered.
Serena’s voice resonated and she quietly asked to rearrange his next date. Miss “E” wondered if he wouldn’t mind going to a dinner related to her job instead of the restaurant they’d selected. Serena would also attend and she mentioned the moderate price for each ticket since Dan would pay his own way.
He’d assured her it would be fine with him and waited an agonizing few seconds for her to say something else, maybe make a personal comment.
In a complete businesslike voice, she gave the time and directions, no hint of wanting to see him before or offer to help train him for the upcoming date. Dan figured he’d played the “I need your help” card already and Serena wouldn’t fall for that again.
After assuring her he’d arrive on time for their next double-date, he’d hung up and reluctantly focused his attention back to the two folders on his desk, the mystery men from her files.
Somewhere in those files had to be the answer, the true story behind Second Sight Dating.
* * * * *
Serena snuck out of her apartment before Michael had gotten up, avoiding a confrontation she wasn’t ready for. No way did she want to relive the events from the previous night, at least not until she could do so without pain. She’d taken the coward’s way out, the only way to regroup and hope to stay sane.
She’d done a background check on Dan, reviewing the county’s online criminal records. His name didn’t appear. Next, she’d called the number for his insurance agency, a well-known business. The personnel director assured her Dan was employed there. Michael could look into that part of Dan’s life a little further.
Letting out a heavy sigh, she figured nothing could lead her to believe he wasn’t as he appeared…except for the sneaking around in her files. She’d have to avoid having him in her office. Mentally cringing at the connotation “having him in her office” held, Serena’s face warmed with memories of their heated lovemaking session. Trust was important and she didn’t, couldn’t, trust him.
She called Mr. “Four” and rearranged their meeting location for dinner, praying for a better night. How bad could the evening get? A dinner titled “Awesome Pawsome Friends” sounded relatively harmless. It would probably turn out to be some type of fundraiser for a local pet charity. Mentally perusing the outfits stuffed in her closet, Serena wondered what type of dress code she needed to follow for a dog-related evening of whatever.
Jason, her date-to-be for the gala event, sounded sincerely enthused, causing her to wince with a smattering of guilt at using him for an escort/chaperone. She didn’t need any complications with him trying to involve himself in her life. She calmed down after her instincts assured her they wouldn’t possibly find enough in common to convince him to attempt a second date.
Soon she’d be shuffling through another first and only date with no future. Although these were business-only ventures from her standpoint, it still made her wonder at her appeal.
Serena wanted to stick close to Dan and watch his every move so these dates were vital. But, why hadn’t Sean even tried to call her for another romp out on the town?
Great dating record. How many other men will run screaming from me as fast as they can? Alan had.
And so has Dan.
If his sudden coldness after hours of wondrous foreplay and lovemaking were any indication, something was definitely wrong with her. She just didn’t have what it took to keep a man interested. Tears welled in her eyes, but she refused to allow them to fall.
Channeling her resolve once again, Serena banished her love life, or, lack of one, to the back of her mind. She had the here and now to contend with so she concentrated her energy into getting through the day. Nothing else could be done but to sit on the sofa and stare out the window while she braced herself for an evening of uncertainties.
At noon, her brother marched into her office, startling her out of a daydream of days gone by. He held up two bags of fast food, the kind he knew she liked. Plastered on his face was the unmistakable “now we’ll talk” look she’d encountered a few times before. There’d be no wiggling her way out of postponing their inevitable discussion.
“Eat first, then talk. I’m not leaving here until you do,” he commanded. He dropped one bag of food onto her lap then planted his bottom on her desk and opened his bag. Short, sweet and to the point, but she wouldn’t have
expected anything different from the brother she knew so well.
Resigned to get something solid in her stomach while she had time to formulate a brief summary of her night’s folly, Serena answered, “Works for me.” In a move to gain more time, she asked, “By the way. How did your night go?”
Getting her brother to talk about a safer topic would prolong Serena’s rendition of her night with Dan. Michael stopped chewing his burger, narrowed his eyes and frowned.
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. But, to satisfy your curiosity, I’ll tell you.” He gave her a no-nonsense stare. “Then we’ll talk about you.”
“How’s Annemarie?”
He relaxed a little and swallowed. A wide grin spread across his face. “Fine. Wonderful. It was like old times. She seemed really glad to see me.”
“I told you she would.”
“We’re gonna talk some more today.”
“Great. I always liked her.”
“Now, eat up. It’s your turn to talk.”
Serena gulped down her drink, the cool liquid chilling her insides as she screwed up the courage to tell her brother an outline of her disastrous, sex-frenzied night out.
She’d leave out most of the sex part.
After Michael left, Serena dragged herself over to her sofa and plopped down onto it. Dan’s image plastered itself everywhere she looked around her office. The sofa reminded her of him and what they shared. The chair did, too. Ditto for the desk and the carpet.
Inhaling deeply hadn’t helped. His scent, the one that filled her with a heady, lusty urge the night before, still lingered in the room. Dan’s physical being wasn’t there, but everything else about him was, tormenting her heart. Her damn pulse quickened, just at the mere thought of Dan’s last appearance in her office and their overwhelming surrender to temptation.
Her brother had been patient and listened to her tale, only interrupting a few times to verify information and ask a few pointed questions for more descriptive facts. While not immediately concluding Dan’s motives as sinister, Michael acknowledged and agreed with her suspicions. The sneaking at her files worried him as much as it did Serena.
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