by Gina Kincade
“Okay, I promise. As long as my eyes are still open, I’ll text you. I won’t call because you’ll be too busy, but I’ll text,” I said, glad I’d made the call. Although she couldn’t leave work, just talking to her gave me a slight bit of reassurance that all would be okay.
“If you’d stop trying to play this old maid role, you wouldn’t be alone. Maybe you should think of giving that sexy attorney a chance. Wouldn’t it feel good to have his hot behind next to you right now?” she joked, but I was beginning to think she may have been right.
“If I make it through the night without another incident, I just might give him a call,” I joked.
She gasped. “I’m going to hold you to that. You need a man in your life.”
After I hung up, I thought, I need a man like I need a fatal disease. I wasn’t cut out for relationships. They never ended well for me. Never.
Chapter Six – Reese
“I have to admit; I was a bit thrown aback when I got your message this morning. In a good way, of course,” I added.
Delilah hesitated for the third time since our conversation began. I wondered what she’d found out about Isaac’s death.
“Are you still there?” I asked, hopeful she hadn’t changed her mind.
“I’m here. Honestly, I don’t know why I’m doing this. I don’t do stuff like this. Ever,” she explained.
I sensed she was trying to find a way to back out of this conversation, so I had to do something to salvage what little progress we’d made over the last fifteen minutes of tentative conversation. “I’m pleased you called. You have no idea how pleased I am. How are you this morning?”
She hesitated again. Knowing she wasn’t a person who liked being pushed to do something, I held my tongue, biding my time with her. Eventually, she’d tell me why she’d called me in the wee hours of the morning.
“There’s no other way to say it; I’m glad I called you this morning too. I’m… well, I guess you could say, I had a bad night last night. I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but I didn’t know who else to call,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper by this point. “I’m sorry.”
My heart leaped up into my throat. “What’s wrong?” I thought she’d learned something more about Dr. Brooks, but now this sounded personal. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
She cleared her throat. “I… I… I had an intruder in my home last night,” she said, her voice breaking.
For some inexplicable reason, I wanted to reach through the phone and hold her. Something about her made me want to protect her, shield her from harm, but another part of me had to remember what my role was in this situation. Becoming involved with her was strictly prohibited in my book. I couldn’t and wouldn’t let that happen. There was too much at stake. Too much time and energy had been invested. A woman would just complicate matters for me. I knew myself well enough to know how quickly things turned sour when business and pleasure mixed. Relationships muddied the already dirty waters. I couldn’t afford that in my life. Not this time.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered when I didn’t respond.
“No, don’t apologize. I’m sorry. Are you okay? Are you hurt?” I asked, my heart beating rapidly in my chest.
I thought I heard her sigh.
I set my coffee cup down on the kitchen counter. “Where are you, Delilah?” I asked, reaching for my car keys.
She whimpered. “Home. Why?”
I reached across the counter and shut my coffee maker off. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Keep the doors locked until I get there.”
She agreed, raw emotion in her voice. “Thank you. I will.”
I was in my car and driving down the road within thirty seconds time. I didn’t care how much noise I made as I raced down the streets. All that mattered was I would get to Delilah’s building on the opposite side of town before something else happened. It didn’t occur to me that at some point she’d wonder how it was I knew where she lived or when she’d ask why I had raced to her place on a moment’s notice. None of that mattered for now. Eventually, I’d have to explain where I’d learned that information from and why I’d committed it to memory.
As I pulled up in front of her building, I glanced up at Delilah’s third floor windows. All the drapes were drawn except for a large picture window in the center. She was watching for me. That was a good sign.
“Good,” I said, glad she’d followed instructions. That would bode well for what we had planned for her in the near future.
I pulled the car around to the side of the building and jumped out, anxious to see if she was okay. Once I stepped inside the building, I was surprised to find there was no doorman to speak of. What kind of building is this? Why is there no security guard on duty?
The lobby was expansive by city standards with mirrored walls and dark cherry wood trim on the walls. The floors were comprised of large, highly polished tile, made to resemble Travertine. Clearly, people with money lived in this building, despite the absence of adequate safeguards like guards and locked entry doors, or main lobby security cameras.
I took the elevator up, taking note of the lack of security cameras there as well. When it stopped on her floor, the first door I saw in front of me was Delilah’s. While not the closest door to the elevators, it was the first one a person saw as the doors opened. That wasn’t doing her any favors.
She opened the door before my knuckles made contact with it. “Hi!” she said, clutching the door with her small hand.
Her eyes were red and swollen like she’d been crying for some time. While dressed in nice clothing, I got the impression, she’d thrown clothes on for my benefit. Her long, red hair was tied neatly behind her head in one long ponytail, the smell of sweet shampoo wafting in the air around her.
“How are you?” I asked, noticing her full lips purse.
She took a step back to let me in the apartment. It was impeccable just like its owner. With soft curves and luxurious fabrics draped over them, every piece of furniture was both elegant and inviting. She hadn’t been robbed, I thought as I took in the whole room. Not unless she did a really good job of cleaning up afterwards.
“Did they take anything?” I asked as I continued my assessment of the scene.
When she didn’t reply, I turned to find her sobbing quietly. “I’m so sorry,” I said, wrapping my arms around her quivering body. “You’re not alone. I’m here. You’re going to be okay, I promise.” I don’t know why I was making promises. I had no idea if I could guarantee she’d be safe. First, I needed to find out if this break-in was related to Isaac’s death or had Delilah just been a victim of circumstance. Either way, as unnerving as I imagined it was for her, it was equally unnerving for me. I had no clue how to proceed and, even more disturbing, I had no explanation for the sudden rash of emotions I was feeling for this beautiful woman.
After a moment, Delilah pulled away from me, scrubbing the tears from her face with the back of her hands. “I don’t know where that came from. I’m so embarrassed.”
I could tell by her body language how frightened she was. Her shoulders were hunched close to her ears. Her hands trembled, keeping time with the rapid heartbeat, I felt beating through her blouse.
“What did the police say?” I asked, taking her arm and guiding her to the large, white sofa in the center of the room.
“They are working on it, but I’m afraid I didn’t have much information for them. I only saw the man for a second. I could barely remember what color his suit was, let alone remember anything else about him. I didn’t get a chance to see. He took off running as soon as I stepped into his view. All I remember was the look in his eyes. It was like he wasn’t afraid or surprised. It was more like he was pleased with having been caught in the act,” Delilah explained.
“He was wearing a suit? What kind of suit?” I knew right then and there this was no random act. In my experience, thieves didn’t normally dress in formal attire to break into homes.
Delilah la
ughed a nervous laugh, wrapping her trembling arms tightly around her body like a protective shield. “It was a black suit. Nothing too fancy. Business attire. Weird, huh? Who goes around committing crimes dressed like they’re on the way to a funeral?” Her laughter swelled. It was clear to me she wasn’t handling things well.
I reached for her hand as I took the seat next to her. “I know this is hard. I can’t imagine how frightened you must be, but if you could, tell me what else you remember, okay?” I had a hunch, I knew what was going on but needed more solid information to be sure. “Did the man say anything to you?”
She shook her head, indicating the man hadn’t said a word to her.
“Come here,” I said, opening my arms to hold her.
A slight hesitation before she conceded and walked over, leaning her head on my shoulder. “I don’t know why I’m crying. He didn’t do or say anything to me.”
I placed my hand on the back of her head, feeling the soft tendrils that cascaded down her back. “You’ve had a scare. That’s why you’re crying. It’s perfectly natural. There’s no need to apologize for that. I’d be upset too if someone had disturbed the place where I felt more secure.” I wrapped my arms around her trembling body to console her.
“This whole thing is so insane. I’ve lived here for almost five years and nothing like this has ever happened. In fact, part of the reason I chose to live in this building -- this neighborhood -- was because of how safe it was. We’re a tight-knit bunch, even if we don’t know each other’s name. We know the other’s habits. We recognize when something isn’t right. Nothing ever happens here,” she explained.
“I’m sure it’s still a safe neighborhood,” I assured her, having no idea if my attempt to console her would ring true, considering what I thought I knew about the situation. “Did they take anything?” I asked.
“Not that I know of. There’s really not much to take. I don’t own any real valuables to speak of. I’m rarely home. Even if I am home, I’m either asleep or lying in my bed wishing I was asleep. I don’t understand why anyone would target me. I don’t have anything to offer them,” she said, looking around at her personal items.
I shrugged, struggling to find words that would answer some of her questions. “Sometimes people do things for inexplicable reasons. We’ll probably never know the answers.”
She laughed. “You’re right. I know that for sure. So many bad things happen for no reason whatsoever. I see it every day at work. People come with benign symptoms, then suddenly, things change and we’re racing to save their lives.”
I wondered if there was a deeper meaning behind her words. Was she speaking about Isaac? I didn’t want to raise suspicion by pressing the issue. “You probably see a lot of that at work, don’t you?”
She cast her eyes down on the floor, focusing her attention on something I couldn’t see with the naked eye.
“What is it?” I asked. “What do you see?” I squinted my eyes to try to see what she was looking at.
She shook her head as if trying to clear it. “Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about why this could have happened. I’ve never done anything to anyone. At least, not intentionally.”
I couldn’t let her sit there and believe she was targeted because of something she might have done, but I couldn’t tell her why I believed she’d been chosen either. I needed to learn more information first. Gather the facts as some would say. At this point, the less I said, the better.
“This might seem like bad timing, but have you eaten yet today?” I asked, desperate to change the subject and eager to spend some more time in her home to see what I could ascertain.
She shook her head. “No. I don’t know if I could stomach eating something right now.” A sad smile shone on her face.
“But you haven’t tried my cooking yet? Here, let me fix you something to eat. You sit back and try to relax and I’ll take care of everything,” I said.
Her large eyes grew wider. “You’re going to cook for me?”
I laughed. “Yes. Why are you surprised by that? I can cook. I’m actually a pretty good cook. In some circles, I’m a rock star in the kitchen.”
Delilah giggled. “You’re kidding me, right? You want to make me something to eat?” She looked into the kitchen. “I’m not sure I actually have any food in the house.”
Now it was my time to shine. “I’ll tell you what; you go take a nap and I’ll run to the store and pick up some things. I should be back in an hour. How does that sound?”
She giggled again. “Honestly, it sounds a little scary.”
“Nothing to be afraid of. You’re in good hands. It will be fun.” I paused for a moment, remembering how busy she’d told me her life was. “Do you have to work today?”
“No, I’m off for a couple of days.” Narrowing her eyes at me, she asked, “What are you going to make?”
I offered her a sly smile. “If you agree to take a nap and let me back in, you’ll find out.”
She seemed to be contemplating her choices, assessing me from head to toe like I was a display item. “Okay. One hour, right?”
I nodded. “If that.”
“Well, I’ll see you then and, by the way, I’m not afraid of a little spice,” she said before blushing.
“Neither am I,” I answered, hoping she and I were talking about the same thing.
We locked eyes, heat permeating between us. Her eyes radiated with fire as she stepped forward. I opened my arms to welcome her back into my embrace. As our lips touched, all of the day’s worries melted away. She and I were one and nothing else mattered.
I lifted her soft, curvy body and carried her down a small hallway in search of her bedroom.
As I laid her down on the bed, she inhaled, lifting her full breasts up into the air.
“Breathe,” I whispered as I positioned myself over her, hovering until she gave me a sign that she was ready.
She extended her arms, gently massaging the back of my neck with her smooth fingers. “I’ll try to remember that,” she whispered back.
My body writhed with heat and desire as her words sank in. “You’re so beautiful,” I hummed, feeling my body electrified by her gentle, knowing touch.
“Hold me,” she begged.
I wanted to do far more than hold her, but I tempered my desire, steadied my anxious hands until I knew she nor I would be able to hold back any longer. “I’m here. I’ve got you,” I whispered into her luscious locks. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re safe.”
After a moment, I could feel her begin to relax. A gentle kiss on her cheek first, then a kiss on the neck, just below her jaw line. Her shoulders relaxed against the mattress. I moved up to her ear, taking it in between my teeth, tugging until I heard the familiar sound of pleasure escape her lips.
Still hovering over her, the lower half of my body begged to make contact with her, I willed myself to remain in the moment, enjoy the painstaking dance in full-on pleasure. As my hands skimmed down her silken skin, my erection grew larger and more animated, pulsating like the beat of a snare drum.
I breathed her in -- the sweet, lavender scent of her hair melded with the heat permeating from our bodies as our sensual exploration continued. My hands twitched as they made contact with her full breasts. With the precision of a professional, I cupped her breasts, massaging their girth with my thumbs as my fingers traced around her hardened nipples, threatening to escape the tightly woven fabric of her blouse.
A small whimper expelled from Delilah’s full lips. “Yes.”
That word enough to push me further into the abyss of carnal desire and wanton need. I had to have her. I had to make her mine.
As if she was thinking the same thing I was thinking, she lifted her legs and wrapped them tightly around my waist, pulling me to her. “Oh my…” her voice trailed off as I placed my body flush against hers, allowing her to feel my erection against her. “Please,” she begged, her voice breathy.
She didn’t have to tell me twice. I was read
y to give her what she and I both wanted. Something in the way she said it, told me her need for contact meant more to her than anything in the world right now. The way every ounce of my body pulsated, let me know, there was no hope I’d ever walk away now. This was going to happen, regardless of what the consequences would be for either of us. I needed this release.
I don’t know if it was the throbbing in my pants or the rabid throng of my heart bouncing off my chest walls, but looking down at her beautiful face and her soft, luscious body… my body writhed with a desperation. I could feel my muscles detract and retract as liquid moistened the tip of my dick. A single dimple surfaced on her right cheek at the sound of my zipper. I turned her over, surprising her. I heard her gasp before her hips began to sway. I crushed her face onto the bed… hard and steady on the back of her head as I tangled my fingers in her silky hair. My thrusts got harder as I slid my hand down to the back of her neck, still gripping her hair. I increased my speed with the sound of her hums of pleasure, teasing her until neither of us could breathe steadily.
“Please,” she begged.
One word. One word was enough to make me will my body not to explode until I reached maximum satisfaction. I yanked her pants down to her knees. She finished the job, squirming out of them, tossing them to the floor. I slipped my hand under her blouse. She shivered at my touch. I could feel her muscles tightening and slackening as my fingers found her erect nipples. Her full hips pulsated back and forth, hitting my sensitive, engorged dick. I hissed at the sensation, desperate to fill her, but it wasn’t time yet. There was so much more I wanted to do to her.
I slid my hands down her body, luxuriating in the soft contours until I reached her knees and slipped my hands underneath them, lifting slightly to maneuver her to the side of the bed to rest her hips flush against the edge. Drawing her knees apart as I aligned my hips with hers, I pushed forward, allowing her the pleasure of acquaintance with my hardness. When she was ready, heat penetrating from top to bottom, I slid my fingers around her hips and onto her wetness, slipping two fingers into her silken folds. My fingers swam in her hot juices, tugging, pulling, rubbing her until her cries of pleasure turned to screams of ecstasy as her body pulsated with the fervor of a steel drum, crescendoing into a loud satisfying bellow.