Uncorked

by Rebecca Rohman

  “I love it. When was the last time you painted?”

  “Before my parents died. I took a walk through some of the galleries in downtown Aspen, and I felt inspired, so I picked up some supplies.”

  “You’re in Aspen, but you painted Morro Bay. You’re talented. You should paint more often.”

  That was my happy place…on Ciao Bella… with you and your beautiful daughter.

  “Maybe… we’ll see.” She looked at her watch. It was midnight. “Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas to you, too,” He replied, leaning over and kissing her gently on the cheek. “Now open your present. Tell me if you like it.”

  She opened the box. Inside was a diamond necklace.

  “It’s exquisite. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. I love it. Thank you,” she said as she removed it from the box. He helped her fasten it around her neck.

  “I’m glad you like it. Make sure you use those keys.”

  “Hopefully, one of these days when I’m back in town, I will. Do you want anything from the kitchen?” she asked as she got up.

  “No, thanks. Let me help you,” he said, about to get up.

  “I’ve got it. Relax,” she said, bringing the dishes to the kitchen.

  The truth was she needed a few minutes away from him. His gift touched her, and she wasn’t thinking about the stunning diamonds surrounding her neck. He opened up his home and his life to her at a time when things were rocky between them. Home had always been a figment of her imagination. No place had ever given her the comfort of what a real home should feel like. That he should give it to her spoke volumes.

  She wished she could forget about the stresses in her life and all the things that kept them from being together, because at that moment she wanted to forget about everything and be with him. She rinsed the dishes and slipped them in the dishwasher.

  Mitch walked into the kitchen.

  “You okay?” he asked, looking concerned.

  “I’m great, thanks.”

  “You looked really deep in thought.”

  “I just have a lot on my mind.”

  He massaged her shoulders, then said, “Try not to worry about anything. Let’s enjoy each other’s company until you get sick of me and throw me out.”

  Why do you have to make this so damn hard… I need to stay away from you…

  “I can’t get sick of you,” she said.

  An awkward silence fell between them.

  She turned and kissed him lightly on his lips. He returned her kiss, but was hesitant. She kissed him again, and he lifted her by her hips, and set her on the island.

  “Chella, I love you. I don’t want you to do anything you’re not ready for.”

  “I love you, too,” she whispered, circling her hands around his neck and leaning her forehead against his. “I miss you so much.”

  “I miss you too, Sweetheart,” he replied, kissing her lightly on her cheek then finding her lips once more.

  She pulled his sweater over his head and placed soft kisses all over his chest, allowing herself to feel every hard contour of his rugged body.

  He unbuttoned the closure to the side of her neck then slipped her sweater dress over her head. She slipped her strapless bra free, giving him full access to her breasts. He kissed and caressed them as she raked her fingers through his thick, dark hair. He pulled her to her feet, pinning her body against the wall.

  Even through the thick fabric of his jeans, she felt his erection as he kneaded his hips into hers. He trailed kisses down her throat, her neck, her bare shoulders. His hands roamed her body, creating pleasurable sensations and sexual desire as he fondled her between her thighs.

  She unbuckled his belt and released the buttons to his jeans, pushing away all the fabric between her fingertips and his body. He kicked away his jeans, gloriously nude before her, occupying her mouth, grinding his body against hers. He tugged at the red cheekies that sculpted her ass and worked his fingers inside her.

  Moments later, he dropped to his knees, slipping one of her legs over his shoulder. He pleasured her sweet, deep crevasses with his fingers. She felt every movement as he spread her lips apart and his tongue travelled through her slippery, wet trench. Ecstasy radiated through her body, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for the night to remain silent.

  “Oh, Mitch,” she cried, as she sank her fingers into his scalp.

  He stood and kissed her fervently on the lips. She responded to his passionate kisses. He raised her body, and she circled her legs and arms around him. He carried her to the living room, setting her on the floor pillows in front of the roaring fireplace. He lay next to her, devouring her lips and continued using his fingers to explore her as he rubbed her pleats.

  “Oh God, Mitch...”

  Her breathing turned to soft cries. She moaned with total indulgence. He stopped when her fingers dug into his scalp. For her, he knew, it meant she was nearing her peak.

  He lay on his back, and she kissed his lips, working her way down his neck, chest, and belly button. She took him, in all his glory, into her mouth, working the backside of his shaft up and down then repeatedly circling his tip with her tongue. She plunged him deep into her throat. Her hands massaged him, gliding up and down him, following with her lips.

  His moans increased. She worked his tip with her lips, sucking him hard as she worked her way down to his sacks, licking them, loving them, taking them into her mouth. She straddled him, taking him into her mouth once more, slipping him in and out of her mouth, encouraging his juices to flow as he became slippery and wet. She placed her body over his shaft using her trench to arouse him further as she glided her body around his.

  Finally, she allowed him to enter her, spanning his body. He lay back while she worked him, touched him, stroked him, kissed him, and loved him all while he slipped in and out of her. He groaned with pleasure, pulled her toward his chest and seared her lips with his. She arched her back, and he helped her slide over him. He teased her clit as she moved over him, setting her off with cries of complete sensuality. He gently pushed her off him and braced her body against the window seat, both looking out toward the snow-white mountain views.

  He entered from behind, plunging his stiff shaft into her wet folds. He relished the view of him sliding in and out of her. Holding her by her waist, he continued to circle himself inside her. Her soft cries gradually increased. Raising one of her legs onto the nearby window seat, he pinned it in place with his, rubbing her clit and repeatedly moving in and out of her, in an erotic dance. Extending one of her legs aside, he continued to plunge inside her, hitting her sweet spot repeatedly.

  “Oh, yes, yes…baby…I’m coming…” And as she started her release, he went into waves of violent convulsions behind her, plastering his lips onto hers and circling his arms around her as he held her tight. They collapsed onto the plush rug.

  Slowly, their breathing eased.

  “I love you. Sweetheart.”

  “I love you, too,” she replied, laughing as he held her close. They wrapped themselves in a nearby throw and watched the snowfall outside.

  A while later, Chella said, “You never told me how long you’re here for.”

  “Forget the fact that I couldn’t get out of here even if I wanted to. How long do you want me to stay?”

  “What I want is irrelevant. We have to think about what’s in everyone’s best interest.”

  “Everyone else isn’t here right now. It’s just you and me.”

  “As lonely as the past few weeks have been, I never worried about my safety. That is, until you showed up here and told me a private investigator found me.”

  “He said you were hard to find, that you hadn’t left a paper trail. When he couldn’t find out who occupied this house, he had it under surveillance for a few days before he could ID you.”

  “Is that supposed to ease my mind?”

  “Yes. Now that I’ve found you, are you going to move again?”

  “I don’t k
now. I don’t think so. It’s been lonely and sometimes boring, but I’ve also enjoyed the solitude and being away from the stress. I’d be lying if I said the thought hasn’t crossed my mind to stay away. Part of me wishes I could have it all back in San Diego. I don’t know.”

  “Having it all—what does that mean?”

  “Love, health, a career, happiness.”

  “Chella, I want to share all those things with you.”

  “I do, too. But for now, I don’t think Emily and I can be in your life at the same time. It’s not safe.”

  “What if we kept things separate until an arrest has been made?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I spend time with you and Emily separately.”

  “You’d be spreading yourself thin.”

  “I want you in my life. I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

  “That sounds so tempting. I’m afraid that you or Emily will get hurt again.”

  “Trust me, Chella. Trust me to handle this.”

  “It’s not you I don’t trust. If the police are right and Jade is the one responsible for all this, she knows everyone I’m close to, and she knows you have a daughter. Mitch, these people were in my private space, in my computer and in my house. God alone knows what information they have about my friends, your family, and me. I’m not willing to risk anyone’s safety.”

  “But you’re willing to risk your sanity, your health, and your emotional needs?”

  After some thought, she replied, “I guess I am. Yes.”

  “Chella, I can’t accept that.”

  “I don’t think you have a choice.”

  “What if I don’t leave?” said Mitch. “January is a slow month. I don’t need to be in San Diego. Maybe by then an arrest will be made, and we can go back to our normal lives.”

  “Why do you try so hard?”

  “Because I love you.”

  “I love you, too. More than you’ll ever know. I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” she whispered.

  “We don’t have to. At least not right now.” He kissed her lightly on her forehead.

  Early the next morning, Chella had a conference call with Jamie Cooper, the undercover officer doing her old job, to go over the last details of the promotion. After, she called Detective Carter.

  “Merry Christmas, Detective. How are you today?”

  “I’m great. Merry Christmas to you, too. I was going to call you yesterday but things got a little crazy over here.”

  “Do you have news?”

  “Yes. The two employees I spoke with yesterday confirm that Jade and Mr. Stewart were in a relationship. One of them told me she was sure the romantic relationship ended. It confirms they knew each other. Jealousy may play a part in her motive to do this, but I think money might also be a factor. We’ve subpoenaed her bank records. We may not get all of them until the new year. I tried to get a search warrant to check her home before the holidays, but the judges had already left for the long weekend. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get that sometime next week.”

  “Okay. Anything else I should be aware of?”

  “We ran that partial print we lifted off Mr. Mariani’s Jaguar when it crashed. It was inconclusive, not enough of a print to make a clear identification. We also interviewed three of the people at the café the day you got the email—all but the woman you said looked familiar. They’re all in the clear. I need to find some sort of DNA or physical evidence placing her at the scene of any of the crimes before I can have her arrested.”

  “Were you able to see anything off the cameras from my old condo building?”

  “No. The night in question, there are six people walking by at one time or another that are unidentifiable. Mr. Mariani is also out of town. He’s been a bit difficult to reach. We need his permission to get copies of the surveillance cameras from when the last package was delivered to identify who dropped it off.”

  “I’ll ask him to call when he wakes up.”

  “Oh, he’s with you?” he replied, sounding surprised.

  “Yes. What about the promotion tomorrow? Is there extra security?”

  “There is. At this point, I see no reason why everything shouldn’t run smoothly.”

  “Great. Thanks again for all your hard work. Don’t forget to leave work on time so you can spend time with your family.”

  “I promised my wife and daughter I’d be home right after work.”

  “I’ll have Mitch call you later. Have a great day.”

  Later that day, Mitch made calls to Emily and some friends. Chella called Craig and Maggie. They finished cooking dinner together and enjoyed the fruits of their labor. When dinner was done, they cuddled up on the sofa to watch Christmas movies.

  Christmas had tuned out so much better than Chella could have imagined. She wasn’t sure how it would end. It was nice being in her own little world with Mitch, but she knew they would have to discuss how they were going to move forward in their relationship. She wasn’t sure she was ready for that.

  Chella’s cell phone rang at 2 a.m. the day after, waking both her and Mitch.

  “Hello?”

  “Hello, Ms. Noon, this is Detective Carter. I have some bad news.”

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, immediately switching the phone to speaker mode.

  “There’s been an incident. Mr. Spencer is in the hospital.”

  “What?” She sat up in bed. “What happened?”

  “He was poisoned. Someone slipped something in his drink. He is in critical condition.”

  “Jade?”

  “We suspect so. We’ll have her in a lineup over the next few days. See if the bar tenders recognize her—perhaps she was lurking around the bar. We had hidden cameras installed at the after-party venue. We’ve already started reviewing them.”

  “I have to be there for him.”

  “Ms. Noon, I strongly advise you not to do that. Stay where you are. It is not safe for you to be here. This is exactly why they did this, to lure you out so they could get access to you.”

  “Craig and his family have always been there for me. I can’t abandon them at a time like this.”

  “I have some more bad news. Someone placed pictures of you in all the gift bags for the guests. We were able to retrieve about eighty percent of them, but we were unable to get them all. I’m so sorry.”

  “I can’t believe this is happening. Can you recognize me in the photo?”

  “Unfortunately, in the one that was used, your face is clear.”

  As Chella listened to Detective Carter’s words, anger consumed her. She handed Mitch the phone and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

  “Detective? It’s Mitch. Be honest with me. How bad is it? Is he going to make it?”

  “It’s hard to say. He was unconscious when he arrived at the hospital. Mr. Mariani, I know Ms. Noon wants to come back to San Diego, but I can’t reiterate enough what a bad idea that is. I have a hunch this is exactly why they did this, to get her to return.”

  “I’ll see what I can do. She’s a stubborn woman when she makes up her mind. Please keep me informed. I’ll turn on my cell phone in case you need to reach me.”

  “I will.”

  “How many pictures got out?”

  “About a hundred.”

  “Any way to trace who received them?”

  “Guests signed for the bags when they received them.”

  “Chella might need that list later.”

  “I’m so sorry about this. I’ll be in touch.”

  Mitch knocked on the door to the bathroom. He heard a faint, “Come in.”

  Her tears were gone. He pulled her into his arms and held her. Eventually, he convinced her to come back to bed.

  “I need to call Maggie.”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “Craig and Maggie are the closest thing I have to a family. I won’t allow these people to stop me from calling to check on them.”

  Chella
listened as Maggie answered the phone.

  “Maggie, its Chella. “I’m so very sorry. How is he?”

  “The doctors think he will make it.”

  Chella released a breath she didn’t know she had held. “Thank God. Is he conscious?”

  “No.”

  “I want to see him. I need to be there for him.”

  “Stay where you are. Craig would be furious with you if he knew you came back here. Chella, you know how much we love you. Be smart. Stay safe.”

  “I love you, too. I’ll call tomorrow. Let me know if there are any new developments.”

  “I will honey.”

  Chella had a hard time sleeping the rest of the night. She paced the floors, worrying about Craig, wondering what she could have done to stop this. Too many people were getting hurt. Too many innocent lives were being affected.

  Mitch woke up the next morning and found Chella packing her things.

  “Chella, what are you doing?”

  “I’m going back to San Diego. This nonsense has to stop. If I don’t go, they will continue to hurt my friends. None of them deserve this.”

  “And neither do you. This is exactly what they want. I refuse to let you leave.”

  “What makes you think you can stop me?”

  “Chella, you’re not thinking straight.”

  Mitch took her hand and pulled her over to sit on the bed.

  “Sweetheart, why do you need to do this?”

  She hesitated for a moment then replied, “I don’t know. I need to be there to help in some way. He’s family.”

  “What would you do if you went back to San Diego?”

  “I just feel so helpless, so out of control.”

  “Sweetheart, this is out of your control whether you’re here or there. If you’re there, though, your life will be in significant danger. Trust me. I understand how hard this is. I know it’s not always easy to let things work themselves out. You think it’s been easy to know you were violated and I did nothing to prevent it—much less not being there for you in the aftermath? Or that there are people who continue to hurt you, and I can’t do a thing about it?”

  “I’m sorry I’ve been so selfish.”