Temptation In Black

by Rice, Rachel E.

  “All right, Josh, you don’t have to be nasty. It doesn’t become you.”

  “It comes with the job.” And he flashed a bright, new wicked smile. “How am I doing? Do I remind you of someone?”

  “Yes, and it’s scary.”

  Chapter 9

  Finding a small bungalow with what Alex could afford wasn’t easy. When she did, she moved out of Joshua’s apartment before Max got wind of it.

  A persuasive knock shook her door, and Alex scooted to it, peeping reluctantly through the small rectangle, filled with Tiffany glass. “Who is it?”

  “Detective Blake Scotto. Please open the door.”

  He heard the sound of a latch and then the door swung wide. Alex stood in shorts frayed on each leg and a halter top. She appeared much younger than her twenty-three years. Blake thought that she was hotter than he could imagine any woman he had set eyes on. “I have a bell,” she said, annoyed, pointing to it. “What brings you her, Detective Scotto?” Alex leaned on the wood frame with her legs crossed. She remembered thinking that if he could find her then so could Max.

  “It’s out of habit. Please call me Blake. I’m here on a personal call. I’m here to warn you that we don’t have anyone in custody for that heiress’s murder.”

  “It was murder?” Alex’s blue eyes opened wide, and her voice was shrill.

  “We’re not quite sure…it’s still under investigation.” Blake stood at the door then asked, “Can I come in, Ms. Bishop?”

  Alex did not say a word; just the gesture of moving away from the door was the invite. He walked in and looked around. “Please sit…Blake.” His eyes darted around the room. It was the nature of his job. He didn’t know how to be anything but a policeman. He had joined the police force after three tours in Afghanistan. He had been a policeman at twenty-five, but in his heart, he had been a cop since he could remember. All he’d ever wanted to do was prevent bad things from happening to people, but he found that was impossible so he settled for the next best thing and that was catching the bad guys.

  He’d wanted nothing more until he felt his heart hitch when he met Alex. Alex’s glance covered Blake. His face handsome and rawboned, with a strong jaw and piercing deep blue eyes. His clothes were casual—his brown slacks fell on his hips and his long-sleeve shirt, rolled at the wrists, revealed muscles in his taut arms. He wore an inexpensive Swiss watch with a leather band, but his shoes were expensive. His shoes indicated that he respected his feet and probably the time he spent on them.

  “Detective Scotto…” Alex caught herself, “Blake…you didn’t tell me why you’re here.”

  “I was wondering whether you would like to go to dinner with me.”

  “You didn’t come to Seattle to ask me out to dinner, did you?” A small, easy smile crossed her face.

  “As a matter of fact, I did.”

  “I don’t know what to say. Is that allowed?” Alex queried. “I mean…to date someone that’s involved in one of your cases?”

  “You’re not a suspect in that case. There is only one person of interest…”

  “And that is?” Alex’s and Blake’s eyes locked.

  “It’s Maximilian Blackstone. It won’t be long before we know how the girl died.” Alex’s heart sank and her pulse raced.

  “Did you come here to get more information on Max? Because…”

  “No. I came here to see you.” Silence passed between Blake and Alex. She felt as if she was being unfaithful to Max. The intensity of Blake’s eyes was compelling, as if he could make love to her with his eyes. She felt uneasy, and her heart fluttered and screamed, Take me away, Max. Take me away from this man because you are in jeopardy of losing me.

  Alex rose and said, “Give me a few minutes and I’ll get dressed and meet you on the Wharf.”

  “Do you know Andres? It’s a wonderful seafood place where we can talk.”

  “Yes, I know exactly where it is. This is my home. I was born in Seattle,” Alex added.

  “So was I. That’s amazing.”

  Blake rose from the couch and stood. Walking to the door, he paused a moment and leaned in to kiss Alex, and she pulled away. He understood. Maybe it was too early to try to kiss her. Maybe she didn’t like him that way. Maybe I’m not rich enough, he thought. But how could it be? It was Alex who left Blackstone, who could buy and sell him a thousand times over.

  He had to take it slow. Walking to his car he, noticed a car parked a few houses away. Why was someone watching Alex’s house? It came to Blake immediately that it had to be Blackstone.

  * * *

  “Max, she invited that detective in, and he stayed there for an hour.” It was a mere fifteen minutes, but Jonas was prone to exaggeration.

  “He could be questioning her,” Max said casually, trying not to reveal how his heart ached for Alex, and how he had to prevent himself from rushing to her house, which would put him in a bad position in family court.

  “Look, Jonas, I have to speak to my lawyers. I have to be in court tomorrow. Call me in twenty minutes.” He could not concentrate because of Jonas’s meddling.

  Jonas’s constant interference had taken a life of its own. The first girl Max fell in love with in high school, Jonas followed her around to prove that she would sleep with anyone. His rationale was that if she really liked Max then she would never have gone to bed with him . What he neglected to tell the girl was that he was Max’s twin. His explanation was that she should have known the difference.

  When he could no longer persuade Max to give her up, he set her up with a date, and when she accepted, he hired a private detective to get pictures and sent them to Max. It had been three years since Max had heard from or about Gale. Then on the day that he discovered that Alex and Rebecca were the same person, she was found strangled in his apartment.

  Until he resolved the problem of Gale’s murder, there would be no rest for Max. Now he had to contend with a man vying for Alex’s affection. Max would have Detective Scotto investigated, and then he would know whether there would be a problem with him.

  He called his security personnel in San Francisco. “Do whatever it takes to find out about Scotto. And use the same methods as usual—keep everything from Jonas.”

  * * *

  Blake watched in awe as Alex strutted through the doors of the restaurant and their eyes met. She pointed, and the young maître d’ led her to Blake’s table. He stood, and the maître d’ pulled out her chair. “So formal. Please sit, Blake.”

  “I was only acknowledging that a beautiful woman had entered the room.”

  “Thank you.” A server placed water at the table, and a waiter standing nearby asked for their drink order. “I seldom drink liquor,” Alex said, “I’ll have…”

  “Please have a glass of wine. You do drink wine?” Blake questioned.

  “Well, just this time. I’ll have…”

  “What is it?”

  “I was going to order a very expensive wine out of habit,” Alex said with a smile.

  “Do you think I couldn’t afford it?”

  “It’s not that…” she said, apologizing for what she thought was an insensitive and rude statement on her part.

  “Well, you are correct. I probably couldn’t afford it.” They looked at each other, and they both laughed. “I know I can’t compete with Blackstone, but I’m willing to try. I can barely afford to take you here, but I can do it maybe once a month, if you don’t mind?”

  “I like your honesty and straightforwardness,” Alex said, glancing warmly at Blake.

  “Tell me, Alex, how did you meet Blackstone?”

  “That’s very private and very personal.” Alex lowered her eyes and turned her head away from Blake.

  “You are direct. I guess I have overstepped my bounds.”

  “Please understand that I’m in love with Max. I don’t want to encourage you. If you want to see me as a friend, then that’s all I can give now. We have a son together and he may try to take him and I can’t allow him to us
e anything against me.”

  “I understand.”

  Blake’s and Alex’s eyes met. “I’m sorry, Alex, enough with the questions. I’ve been a policeman so long that I don’t know how to be with a woman without interrogating her. I see you need to relax and I need the time off.”

  “Maybe you need to be on the hot seat.” She eyed Blake, raising one eyebrow. “So, what made you leave Seattle for San Francisco?”

  His eyes lowered as if searching for an answer, and a long pause ensued. Then he raised his head. “I arrived home from the army and found that my sister had disappeared. I searched for her, and then I joined the police department. I came across some leads but never was able to locate her. The department that I was working in promoted me to detective and then let me go because the case consumed all my time; it had gotten too personal. The department in San Francisco decided to take a chance on me, and I was able to spend my time searching for my sister and working on my cases.”

  Alex listened and watched Blake’s eyes; there was honesty and caring when he spoke of his sister. She was never able to read Max. He was a ball of confusion. One minute he appeared to be troubled and the next he was a carefree sexual animal. It was when he spoke of their son that she recognized the honesty and caring she had not seen in his face before. It was as if he had secrets and this troubled her.

  Her life was a fairy tale when she first met Max, but now it was fractured. Now she had to live in the real world and become the person her parents had hoped she would be.

  Blake was the first chance she had to show her parents that she was no longer a child and accept her working-class roots. My father would like Blake, she thought.

  He reached across and placed his not-so-manicured hand over hers. It was not the hand of a man who received manicures every day; it was the hand of a man who had a tough life. His knuckles were scarred and an old wound ran across both hands. The wounds were deep.

  “I see you looking at my hands. Well, this occurred,” he said, pointing at the wound, “when arresting a fugitive and I tried to talk him out of killing his wife. He turned the knife on me, but the woman was safe. And no, I didn’t shoot him. It’s all part of the job.” Blake saw an expression of relief cross Alex’s face.

  “I would be terrified if I had a man who risks his life each time he leaves the house.”

  “If you were mine, I would get into another line of business.”

  “You’re making me uncomfortable,” Alex said, reaching for her glass of wine.

  “That’s not my intention. My intention is to tell you that I plan on making you my girl.” And he reached for her hand and placed his on top of it. She didn’t flinch or pull it from under his. Blake captured her gaze, but from the corner of Alex’s eye, she spied a figure.

  There was a silhouette of a tall man in the dimly lit restaurant gliding in her direction. His stride was long to fit the long legs that strutted across the floor. His face was pensive and his brow knitted as he headed closer. Alex soon recognized the figure, and a sigh of excitement and panic crossed her lips.

  Max stalked in their direction. His gorgeous face with a short, manicured beard, deep dimples, and sea green eyes made Alex hot for him, and she crossed her legs tightly to keep from shaking. She felt Blake could feel her nervousness and Max would tune into her sexual heat any minute. It was impossible, but nevertheless, she wasn’t taking any chances. He wore an off-white V-neck silk sweater and black pants. He had on black loafers, and he looked smoking hot. “No, it can’t be,” she said. Her hand trembled under Blake’s, and she pulled it to her.

  “What is it, Alex?’

  “It’s Black. I mean Max.”

  “Blackstone. What is he doing here?”

  “He came for me.” She turned in her chair to face Max, and his gaze locked on her. Then he focused his eyes on Blake. Max strode up to their table.

  “Alex, what are you doing with that detective?”

  “She’s having dinner with me.”

  “I did not ask you, Detective Scotto. I asked my fiancée. She can speak for herself.”

  Blake rose from his chair and met Max eye to eye. Alex rose and stood in between them.

  “Please don’t make a scene, Max. I have a right to see whomever I want whenever I want because I’m no longer your fiancée, remember? I sent you back your ring and necklace and all your little playthings.”

  “Not all of them,” Max quipped with a wry smile and a twist of his head. “We have a child together, and you are out with this person whom I have yet to investigate fully.”

  “The only person that needs investigating is you, Mr. Blackstone, and I will do my best to find out what you’re hiding.”

  “Call me Max. I’m sure you have a few skeletons that would interest your department, and besides, I can recognize a fox when I see one,” Max stated with a wrinkled brow and his dimples digging into his chiseled face each time he spoke.

  “And I can recognize a wolf,” Blake retorted, tightening his jaw. “You are interrupting my dinner and I’m going to see if someone can have you removed from the premises.” Blake took a step past Max.

  “It would take a court order because I own the place,” Max said, straightening his head and planting his feet in a wide stance.

  “Let’s go, Blake. We can get a hamburger. I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth,” Alex said, her eyes cutting through Max’s heart as she picked up her small purse and headed for the exit with Blake bounding after her. Max watched as she walked out of his life once more.

  Max reeled around and his long legs strode across the floor. He reached Alex at the doorway. Blake stepped aside to open the door. Max softly touched her elbow. She turned, knowing the touch. “Talk to me, Alex.”

  “We have nothing to say to each other.” Blake stood waiting. Max leaned in to kiss her, and she moved away.

  “You don’t want my kisses?”

  “I don’t need them. There is a difference.” She walked away from Max.

  When they reached the second door, Blake held it open and Alex stepped outside. He turned and sent Max a long stare. “Blake…Blake, our evening is ruined. I don’t feel like eating or anything.”

  “That’s exactly what Blackstone wanted,” Blake said, clutching her hand.

  “You’re right. He’s probably celebrating with a drink and having both of us followed and you investigated right at this moment. My car is in the parking lot.” She looped her arm under his and they strolled uneasily to her banged-up yellow-and-black convertible Volkswagen Beetle.

  “This is yours?”

  “Yes, do you have a problem with it?” A peal of laughter rang from both.

  “I thought you would be driving a Mercedes. I was told—”

  “But did they tell you that I returned everything to Max including the engagement ring.”

  “I think someone did mention that, but I didn’t believe him.”

  “Tell your partner that there are some people in the world that do not define themselves by how many things they accumulate. I never wanted anything from him. I have all I need now.”

  “Your son,” Blake interrupted.

  “Yes, my beautiful son, Maxim. Blake, this will never work out. Max will never give us a moment of peace,” Alex said, facing reality.

  “I’m used to living on the edge. I can handle him.”

  “I said before that I love him. I don’t want you to handle him. I can’t see you or anyone else until we resolve our problems.” Alex placed her hand to Blake’s face, “You don’t understand. A man like him will never give me up even if he doesn’t want me. I’m like a trophy he hangs on the wall, where he can look at it and show it off to his friends, or keep for his own amusement.”

  “No, you’re wrong. You’re his everything. I can see that in his eyes. If you were mine, you would be cherished.”

  “I’m my own person and don’t you forget it, Detective Scotto.” Alex placed a kiss on his cheek.

  Alex stepped into t
he Volkswagen and held the wheel as Blake closed the door. She hit a switch and her window slid down.

  “I’m going to follow you home to make sure you’re safe,” he said.

  “No, don’t do that. I’m in a custody battle with Max for my son. I don’t need him bringing up anything concerning another man.”

  “Does that mean that you won’t see me?”

  “No, it doesn’t mean that. It means that I won’t see you until this matter is over between me and Max.” Alex glanced up at Blake and saw disappointment in his eyes, and she fastened her seat belt and drove off. She couldn’t handle any more possessive and domineering men. Her mind was full with the lack of money and a battle with a man that could buy her and sell her many times over. I must be a fool to think that I can fight Max in court. But I have to try. Alex talked to herself the next ten miles home.

  Chapter 10

  Arriving home earlier than she anticipated, Alex decided to update her résumé and send out a few applications online. She had joined LinkedIn but then decided against it. She didn’t want him to have a paper trail on her. An e-mail came in, and she looked and saw it was from Blackstone’s company. There is nothing wrong with opening it, she thought.

  Alex,

  I’m sorry. Can you forgive me? I can’t sleep without you. You’re making me crazy.

  Max

  She was excited that he e-mailed her. She didn’t want to have to worry about whom he was thinking about. She knew his sexual appetite; it was enormous.

  Mr. Blackstone,

  You have embarrassed me. What are you going to do next?

  Alex

  Alex,

  I wouldn’t do anything to hurt my beautiful, sexy girl. I need you tonight.

  Max

  Can I trust him? she questioned. She needed to be with him and know that he loved her and that he wouldn’t take their son if she didn’t agree with him. She needed to know that he still desired her, and most of all, she needed to be in his arms and feel him inside of her.