by Claire Adams
She smiled. “A bubble bath would get my vote.”
“Okay, why don’t you go fix it while I put these cups away and pour us a glass of wine.”
She giggled like a little girl as she headed down the hall to the bathroom. I heard the water running as I carried the wine glasses down the hallway toward the bedroom. When I made it into the bathroom, the first thing I noticed was that she’d stripped out of her clothes. I hardly noticed anything else but that. She took the wine glasses out of my hands and instructed, “Strip.”
Laughing, I did as I was told. She watched as I peeled off each garment and once I was fully naked, she sat our wine on the wide edge of the now bubble-filled tub and climbed in.
She turned off the water and I watched her sexy body disappear down into the water. I stepped in behind her and she leaned back into me. She had pulled her hair up into a messy bun and her gorgeous neck and shoulders were bare. I kissed across one shoulder and then up her long graceful neck. Then I started massaging them. She moaned and leaned forward slightly. I ran my hands down her spine, massaging with my fingers and when I reached the bottom of it, I slid them up her sides and brushed my fingers lightly against the sides of her breasts.
She shuddered and tipped her head back. I put my mouth to her ear and slipped a hand around her waist. I sucked the delicate lobe in between my lips and used my tongue to tantalize her as I slid her up into my lap.
I used the hand on her waist to caress her stomach and then slid it up to her breasts. She let out a little cry as I pinched one nipple firmly between my thumb and forefinger. I moved my hand over and did the same to the other one and then I slid my hand down between her legs. She squirmed against my hard cock, which she was sitting directly on top of, as I put my fingers against her clit and began to rub it in small circles. She had her head all the way back and pressed into my shoulder and her breaths were coming in short gasps. I rubbed hard and fast and loved the way her sliding against my cock felt as I did.
It didn’t take long to bring her to her first orgasm. She shivered and shook in my arms as she came and then relaxed back into me once she was finished. I could feel her legs shaking against mine. When she caught her breath, she pushed up and slid around to face me. She was straddling my waist with a knee on either side of me. I pulled her up on top of my cock and let the tip slide into her. I reached behind her and unplugged the tub…we were about to make one hell of a mess. She wrapped her legs around my waist and sat down, taking the rest of me inside of her as she did.
I started thrusting my hips up, and she clutched onto my shoulders and rode me as the water sloshed from side to side and over the edges of the tub. I didn’t care if we flooded the whole place. I’d buy her a new one.
I slid my hands down and gripped the firm cheeks of her ass and squeezed them. I used them as leverage to slide her up and down on my hard pole, striking deep and hard each time. Alicia was returning each one of my thrusts with one of her own. Her soapy breasts and hard nipples were pressed into me, and the sight of her and the smells of the perfumed bath and the sounds she was making that echoed off the walls filled my senses. When I couldn’t hold back any longer, I plunged into her all the way and held myself there as I came. It was another earth-shattering orgasm and once again, I reminded myself that I needed to get rid of Marjorie so that I could have this every day…and soon.
I held her in the tub until all of the water drained and then we got out and into the shower. Things got wild again and I ended up fucking her up against the cold tile wall before we could both concentrate on an actual shower. Once we were clean and dried off, I reluctantly told her I had to go. Brigham’s jet was picking me up at JFK in an hour.
“You’re going back out to his estate?”
“Yeah. I’d rather stay with you…”
She smiled. “Most people would rather stick needles in their eyes than spend an evening with those crazy people, I think.”
I laughed. “That, too. But I really would rather be with you than with anyone at any time.”
“I know,” she said as she leaned into me. “Me, too.”
“Want to go with me?”
She grimaced. “Do you need me to go…for business?”
“No, baby, this part is about the civil case.”
“Then, not a chance,” she told me with a grin. I didn’t blame her, at all. I kissed her again before dressing and forcing myself to leave. On my way out, I looked at the tree we’d decorated together once again. My heart swelled in my chest.
It was the little things like that I wanted to do with her forever. I’d never had fun with Marjorie – or any woman really for that matter. My marriage to Marjorie had always been more like an unpleasant business arrangement and any women I was with before her had been strictly for sex. With Alicia, I wanted it all, and no matter what I had to do, I was going to have it. I was beginning to think fighting Marjorie over “things” was completely moronic when it took time away that I could be spending with the most beautiful, amazing girl on earth. I’d have to call my attorney before we went to court on Monday. Maybe I would be willing to change my terms to please her…and get rid of her.
CHAPTER SIX
ALICIA
I actually spent a lazy Sunday just reading and catching up on housework and laundry. I didn’t hear from Adam, but I knew he was stuck at the Brigham mansion all weekend, so I didn’t worry about it. I thought it was a lot better than the alternative actually: being stuck at the penthouse with Marjorie. On Monday morning, I called him to wish him luck with his and Marjorie’s court date.
“Thanks, baby, but I don’t think I’ll need much luck today. I think she’s finally going to agree to our terms and accept them.” I wasn’t sure what had changed, but he sounded excited and hopeful for the first time in quite a while, and I was happy about that.
“Well, luck or no luck I hope all goes well. I miss you,” I told him.
“I miss you, too. Dinner tonight?”
My mood elevated at the mere thought. “Absolutely.” We made plans to talk later and after saying good-bye, I got ready for work and got my own day started. I was humming when I stepped off the elevator until I saw Carla’s face. Suddenly, I knew for sure it was Monday.
“What’s up?” I asked.
She gestured her head to the waiting room to the left. I glanced over, and in the waiting area sat DA Dawson. He was dressed to kill in what I could only imagine was a suit he had purchased in the children’s department, and his bald little head was so shiny that I almost couldn’t look directly at it.
He stood when he saw me notice him. “Ms. Winston,” he said, holding out his pudgy little hand with the stubby fingers on it for me to shake. I had to force myself to take it.
“Mr. Dawson, to what do I owe the pleasure of an early morning visit from the District Attorney?”
Dawson looked at Carla as if he was concerned she may be a spy and then said, “Perhaps we could discuss it in your office.”
“Sure, this way.” As I passed Carla’s desk, I rolled my eyes and made a face. I could tell she was trying not to laugh. Once inside the office, I offered Dawson a seat and a bottle of water. After he was settled, I asked again, “How can I help you, Mr. Dawson?”
“Well, Ms. Winston, I believe I am actually here to help you.”
“And how is that?”
“Well, I have a warrant for the arrest of one of your current clients, and I wanted to offer you the chance to surrender him, as opposed to me sending the state police to fetch him at his home or his office.”
Knowing who it was without asking, I asked anyways, “Who is this client, and what is he suspected of?”
Dawson smiled his little gnome-like smile. “The great man, Miles Brigham IV is the client, and I think you and I both know that the crime he is suspected of, as you so delicately put it, is murder.”
I could feel a headache beginning to start just slightly behind my eyes and in my temples. I had a feeling that it would only get worse
as the day went on and by sundown I might be sporting a full-blown migraine.
“Murder?” I said to Dawson in a skeptical tone. “May I ask what evidence this is based on?”
“You may, indeed,” he answered smugly. “First of all, your client had motive. He had recently discovered two things about Vick Landon, the first being that he was sleeping with his daughter’s boyfriend. I’m sure that set his teeth on edge.”
He smiled that nasty little smile of his and then went on, “Secondly, Mr. Brigham had also recently discovered that much of the monies he believed had been sunk into the Presidential campaign had actually been diverted into Vick’s own account and used to keep his stripper girlfriend set up at the Plaza and in designer shoes.”
“Okay, so he had reason to dislike the man and possibly have him arrested for embezzlement or misappropriation of funds,” I agreed. “But kill him? I do think that if the affair had pushed him too far, perhaps David would have been the target of a murder, rather than Vick?”
“Yes, I thought about that. But, have you seen David since any of this took place? The man is hiding out, running for his life. I don’t believe Brigham intended to leave him as a loose string. The night that Vick died, he and David had made plans to rendezvous. I believe Brigham got impatient and scared David off before he could kill them both.”
“Fancy little theories you have there, Mr. Dawson,” I said with a smile. “But there is the small matter of proof. You haven’t forgotten that, have you?”
Dawson snorted out a laugh before saying, “I have a ninety percent conviction rate, my dear. No, I have not overlooked the proof. Vick lived in a very swank apartment building in SoHo. There are security cameras everywhere. Mr. Brigham, be he a formidable business man, is not skilled at playing the dress-up game.”
I continued to sit silently. I had the feeling that Dawson was about to tell me they have Miles on tape, which was definitely a game changer. I waited for him to continue, however.
“He wore a plaid flannel shirt and a pair of jeans. The ball cap that he wore was pulled low, almost over his eyes. His tennis shoes were well-worn. He made it through most of the place without getting his face on camera. I’ll guess he’s become pretty good at that over the years. Unfortunately for Mr. Brigham, there was one camera in the back stairwell that was not obvious. In fact, a pigeon had actually built a nest on the brackets that held it to the wall. We almost didn’t find it ourselves.”
“So, you have a man who resembles my client leaving the building on the night of the murder. No smoking gun? No witness?”
This time, Dawson laughed out loud. “Oh, I have a witness. Did I forget to mention that David contacted us? He was scared to death of facing Brigham in court, but we assured him that we would provide for his safety. So, my dear, I have to ask again… Would you like to surrender your client or should we fetch him?”
My headache began to spread. Damn Brigham if he lied to me. Taking a deep breath and calling again on my professional façade, I said, “Give me a few hours to get a hold of him. I’ll call you by noon and let you know when and where.”
Dawson rose from his seat with a satisfied smile and held out his pudgy hand once more. “I will look forward to your call, Ms. Winston. Have a pleasant morning.”
I shook his hand, and as he let himself out, I slumped down behind my desk. If they really did have video of Brigham in the building and if David really is willing to testify against him, our case was all but lost already. Brigham was a villain in the media already because of the oil spill – finding an untainted jury pool anywhere in this country would be a challenge, if not impossible. There was also the gay angle. If the gay activists attached themselves to this case as the EPA had attached themselves to the civil one, we were in for even more bad P.R.
Carla cracked open the door, and poking her head inside, asked, “Anything I can do for you?” I smiled at her, grateful I had good people in my corner.
“Yes. Please get Miles Brigham IV on the phone, ASAP. Call Mr. Hanson’s team if you need to, one of them will have to know where he’s at. Oh, and Carla, get the investigator in here, too. I need him to find someone, today.”
Carla headed out to make her phone calls, and I started making my own. First, I called Miles’s cell phone. It went straight to voicemail, and I left a message telling him he needed to call me and it was urgent. I tried his home, and left another message, this time with Hannah to have him call me as soon as he got in. Before I began dialing his office, Brett, one of Adam’s best investigators knocked on my door.
“Brett it’s so nice to see you.” I shook his hand and said, “I need to you to find someone, fast.” I told Brett a little about the case, and then gave him a description and a picture from the Brigham file of David. “I need to speak to him right away.”
“I’ll get right on it,” he said, “I’ll call you as soon as I get anything.”
I thanked him, and after he left, I called Miles’s main office and again left another message. No one seemed to know where he was. I glanced at the clock as I hung up the phone. It was ten a.m. Adam’s hearing had started at eight-thirty. I was surprised I hadn’t heard from him by now, telling me how it went. I decided to try his phone, hoping that the hearing had gone well, and perhaps he may know where I could locate Miles. Adam answered on the first ring, but he didn’t sound happy.
“Hi, babe,” I said. “How did it go?”
“It was ridiculous!” Adam barked into the phone. “The judge gave that worthless bitch everything she wanted – everything, Alicia. She has my home, my assets, and is even a financial partner of the firm. Isn’t that just great?”
I was stunned. I didn’t know what to say. Adam had been so sure that things would end on a more positive note for him. “How did this happen?”
I could hear Adam sigh. “She had pictures of us. She told the judge that we had been seeing each other even before she and I split up. She actually cried and gave him some big story about how much she had loved me. How much she had given up so that I could go to law school and establish my business. The judge bought it all.”
“Oh, baby, I’m so sorry.” I was in shock myself. I didn’t know what else to say.
“Nothing to be done now,” he said, abruptly
I allowed the silence to fall between us for a moment, and then said, “I’m sorry to ask this right now, but do you know where I can find Miles? Dawson has issued a warrant for his arrest.”
“Damn!” Adam said too loudly into the phone. “No, I haven’t spoken with him today. Find him though, quickly! If the police or the press finds him first, there is no telling what the old SOB might say to get himself into even more trouble.”
“I know. Adam, I’m looking. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he said as he disconnected the call.
CHAPTER SEVEN
ADAM
Alicia called me around six. “I found Miles. I see why you were so worried about what he would say. He’s an idiot for such a smart man.”
“I know,” I said. “You can fill me in on the details at dinner if we’re still on?”
I could almost hear the smile in her voice as she said, “There is nothing I’d rather do tonight. You sound better than earlier, I’m glad.”
“Yeah, I feel better. I’ve spent the day with Mac going over just exactly what Marjorie can and cannot do as far as my firm is concerned. I stand to lose a chunk of money, but she cannot take my business over.”
“That is good news!” Alicia said happily. “Does this mean she can’t fire me, either?” She sounded like she was kidding, but it had crossed my mind, too.
“Never!” I told her, “My employees, and my lover for that matter, are out of her control.”
“I’m really glad things are looking better, babe. Where are we having dinner?”
“At Romaletti’s, if that’s okay?”
“Of course.”
“Would you mind meeting me there at seven-thirty? I just have a few more thin
gs to take care of first.”
“Not at all, I’ll see you then.
Alicia was already seated at the table Marco saves for us when I walked in at seven fifty-five. She was looking out the window watching the ducks and I got to study her profile as I approached the table. She’s so beautiful it takes my breath away. When she looked up and saw me, I could see the light in her eyes, and I loved it. I bent down and kissed her cheek. “Hi, baby, I’m sorry I’m late.” I had stopped and bought her a bouquet of orchids from a street vendor. I handed them to her and she buried her nose in them and then smiled up at me. “It’s okay, I was just getting worried.”
“I’m sorry you worried, but all is well.” She didn’t ask any questions about why I was late and I was glad. I was just happy being here with her and I didn’t want anything else getting in the way of that. Marco prepared an exquisite meal for us, and while we ate, I said, “Okay, tell me what happened with Miles today.”
She rolled her eyes. “So, I was in my office making phone call after phone call and he was suddenly on the line saying, ‘Hi there, young lady, I hear you’re looking for me.’
“‘Yes, Mr. Brigham, I have been. I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but the District Attorney has issued a warrant for your arrest.’ He cussed so much and so loudly I had to hold the phone back from my ear. Finally, he calmed down and said,
“‘So what now?’
“‘I need you to meet me at the station, to turn yourself in.’
“‘And why the hell would I want to hand myself over to the piranhas?’ was his reply.”
I shook my head. I could just hear him. “So what did you tell him?”
“The truth,” she said. “I told him, ‘Because, sir, if you don’t, they’ll come looking for you. It won’t be pleasant when they find you, and they’ll make sure the media is on full alert, as well.’ He didn’t agree to turn himself in right then; he wanted to see me at the office first, so I agreed.’”