“Damn man, you were just grinning like somebody was giving you head. I wish thinking about work made me feel that good,” he laughed.
“Was it that obvious?”
Ty nodded. “I saw you with her today. I don’t like her, man. She’s big trouble,” Ty warned.
“She’s alright.”
Ty shook his head in disbelief at Hill’s naiveté. “Okay. Just remember, her husband already sent you to the emergency room. Maybe next time you won’t be so lucky.”
Hill pulled up to the curb, and Ty got out. “Thanks for the ride, man,” Ty said. “You won’t need to pick me up tomorrow. I’ll ride with Gabe in the morning.”
Hill gave Ty a tight-lipped grin and nodded. With Ty’s warning on his mind, he drove home, contemplating this shitty existence he called his life. First it was the loss of his career, then his woman. Now, the only woman who had ever drawn his attention away from Samantha was completely off-limits, despite her tawdry attempts at baiting him.
Finally home, he opened a beer—the last one—and plopped onto the sofa in front of the television. Before he finished the beer, he was out, more exhausted than he realized. He was awakened by his phone chiming. He felt around the table for it, knocking it onto the floor. He fumbled, banging his knuckles against the table a few times, shouting expletives as he did. Finally retrieving the phone, he answered.
***
Caitlin sat on the edge of her bed, noticing how eerily quiet the night had become. She was afraid to go back to sleep. Her dream had been brutally vivid. She propped up her pillows and lay back. It was too quiet. She could hear her every breath. Her heart thumped so hard she swore she could hear it beating. Although he was probably sleeping, she called Adam, who was still out of town, hoping his voice would soothe her.
“Do you know what time it is?” Adam asked impatiently. Caitlin could have sworn she heard a woman’s voice in the background.
“I know. I—I had another nightmare, Adam. You know how difficult it is for me when I’m here all alone.”
“You’re not alone. Rosemary’s there.”
“But she’s asleep. I thought I’d call you because . . . well, I just needed to hear your voice.”
“So now you’ve heard it. I have to go. I have meetings early in the morning, and you know I don’t function well without adequate rest. You’ll be fine. Good night, Caitlin.”
She stared at the iPhone screen. He’d hung up on her. But he’d done it before, and he’d probably do it many more times. She sighed heavily. An alarm sounded. Not her house alarm, though. It sounded like a car alarm. She ran to her window to see if she could see anything. Of course, she couldn’t. Their enormous property isolated them from their neighbors.
She went downstairs, giving up on getting any sleep. She noticed a light on in the basement. She was sure she’d turned the light off earlier today when Adam had forgotten to turn it off before leaving for the airport. But she could clearly see the light from under the small gap at the bottom of the door. She sighed. Maybe she was losing it. Opening the basement door, she flicked off the light, then closed the door again.
Her head was throbbing, and she rubbed it a little while going to her purse and digging out Hill’s business card.
She opened her Google app and dialed the number, hesitant about calling him. It was the middle of the night, after all. And even her own husband was put off by her calling. She took a deep breath and pressed send.
A groggy voice answered. Caitlin was silent for a moment. Hill spoke again. She realized it was a bad idea to call. But this time, his voice held more clarity and concern.
“Hill?”
“Yes?”
“This is Cate. Caitlin Church.”
“Caitlin, yes. . .” his voice sounded livelier.
“I know this will sound forward, but I’m—I’ve been having a little trouble sleeping, and I’m alone in this big house, and I’ve. . .”
“I’ll come keep you company,” he offered before she could finish.
“No, I’d rather come to you—if that’s alright.”
“I’d feel better if I came and got you . . .”
“The problem is my husband, Hill. I don’t . . .”
“I understand. Say no more. Absolutely. I’ll be waiting.”
She wrote his address on the back of his business card, dressed, and left.
10
As Hill waited for Caitlin to arrive, the rain began to come down in torrents. It became increasingly difficult to see through the windows. He ran outside and around to the side of the building, waiting by the heavy security fence at the opening of the long tunnel that led to the back of his warehouse. He saw headlights approaching and managed to get her attention. She turned into the tunnel, and Hill swiped his security card to let her in.
Most people who visited Hill could drive to the front of the warehouse, but he instinctively wanted Caitlin to be aware of the indirect, heavily secured, and obscure way to his property. She rolled down her window.
“A Maserati. Now that won’t stand out at all,” he said, smiling. He jogged around to the passenger side and got in. “You can park over there where your car will be sheltered.”
Once parked, Caitlin clasped the steering wheel so tightly, her knuckles whitened. She leaned her head onto the steering wheel, whimpering softly. Hill hopped out of the car and opened her door. As she got out, he held her tightly in his arms. She cried softly, tears rolling down her cheeks. Her body trembled in his arms.
“Come on, let’s go inside.”
***
Her head was down until she noticed the elegant floors, then she looked up and took in the richness of his place. She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up into his. He seemed concerned.
“Your place is beautiful, Hill.”
“Thank you.”
“Did you do this?” she asked, pointing at the unique bar in the corner.
“Yes,” he said, staring down into her saddened eyes.
She put her hands on his hard chest. “Thank you,” she said, “for letting me come over.”
“No problem. Can I get you something?”
“What do you have?”
“Water, coffee, beer, tequila.”
She smiled. “Tequila, please.”
“Good choice.”
He poured them each a drink. He gave her a glass, and she downed it.
“Maybe I should bring the bottle,” he said, chuckling.
“Maybe. And some lime.”
“No lime, darlin’.”
He poured her a refill and sat beside her. He drained his glass. He put his hand on her leg and smiled. “So what’s going on? You seem . . . I don’t know— shaken up?”
She looked away but he reached out and snagged her chin with his finger, turning her face towards him. Her eyes were captivating.
“Sometimes, when I’m all alone,” she began, “I have nightmares. And my fear can sometimes be . . . overwhelming. Adam had the doctor prescribe me Xanax. But it’s not Xanax that I need, you know?”
He caressed her arm. “Yes, I know.”
“It’s like I’m his mistress, Hill, and he’s married to his work.”
“What does he do?”
She shrugged. “This and that. He doesn’t tell me much.”
He couldn’t help but notice how bright her eyes were, the way her eyelashes draped in front of them. He liked how she fidgeted with her wedding ring, which let him know she was fully aware of and not ignoring the obvious problem between them. As she looked away from him, her chin to her shoulder, he glimpsed the beautiful column of her long neck—he wanted so badly to kiss it.
“You’re beautiful,” he said.
“I don’t feel beautiful.”
“Are you kidding?” Something about her accent wowed him. Even the pout of her lips made his heart skip a beat.
She grinned a crooked smile. “May I have another?”
He poured her another double shot. “You might want to slow do
wn, darlin’. This is the cheap stuff. Probably not what you’re used to. You’ll have an awful headache in the morning.”
“Well, at least I’ll feel something.”
“What does that mean?” he asked, but she didn’t answer.
“May I?” she asked as she laid her head against his chest. She tucked her legs under her bottom and rested her arms on his thigh.
“Not a problem . . . at all.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and they sat silently for a long stretch. He had actually begun dozing off when he felt her head loll. She’d fallen asleep.
He scooped her into his arms and carried her into his bedroom. He laid her on the bed and pulled the covers to her chest. He stood in the doorway and watched her for a while. He wasn’t in the habit of bringing women home—the last woman who had slept in his bed was Samantha.
Caitlin . . . there was something about her that made Hill break all his rules for her. But he had no idea the sea of trouble in which he was about to swim, and that certain events had already been set in motion for him to take the dive. He watched her turn onto her side and then went into the living room and made up the couch for himself.
11
Hill awoke to the aroma of coffee. His automatic coffeemaker was set to brew at five-thirty. He sat up, swinging his legs to the side of the couch and knocking the covers to the floor in the process. He stretched and yawned then mindlessly walked into the bathroom. When he came out, he remembered he had company. He stood in the doorway of his bedroom, staring at her sleeping soundly in his bed. Faint snores—more like deep breathing— from the room. He smiled and went into the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee.
He scrolled through his task list on his phone. He had to be at the Marriott Courtyard this morning, and then he’d meet Ty and Gabe at the Church property. He checked on his guest, who was still asleep, and hopped into the shower. He wondered about Caitlin and what her story was. She had seemed so distraught last night. Nightmares were pretty freaky, he understood that. But her reaction was a little deeper than just a bad dream. She seemed genuinely frightened of something. The way she slept so soundly in a stranger’s bed, she probably hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time.
He stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He brushed his teeth, shaved, splashed on a little aftershave then walked into the living room. It was six-thirty. He had plenty of time before he had to leave. Once again, he checked on Caitlin. He leaned against the open door with the towel around his waist, a cup of coffee in one hand, and his phone in the other, smiling as he watched her sleep.
His phone vibrated, and he looked at the screen. It was just a pop-up reminder that he was having drinks with Samantha and Perry—their usual routine. But because Samantha was now engaged, Hill scrolled down to the ‘delete all’ option and considered pressing it. But what about Perry? Maybe they could meet separately for drinks. That way, he wouldn’t have to endure Samantha and that atrocious ring on her finger. He decided to press delete. He no longer needed the reminders to meet for drinks or lunch or whatever. That was, sadly, a part of his past. When he looked up, he saw Caitlin staring back at him. He smiled.
“Well, well, well . . . look who’s joined the land of the living.” Hill grinned.
She stretched and sat up, fingering her hair away from her face. “Wow. I slept. I haven’t slept like that in a very long time.”
“It’s the bed,” he said with a big grin.
“What time is it?”
“Six thirty-five.”
She popped up out of bed, both happy and disappointed to discover herself fully dressed. She looked up at him and said, “Thank you.”
“Stop thanking me. I’m not that kindhearted. I have definite ulterior motives,” he joked. But before he could continue, she had wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. He almost spilled his coffee when he tried to return the hug.
“I have a few projects this morning, then I’ll be at your place this afternoon, but you can stay here as long as you’d like. The bottom lock on the door automatically locks when you leave, and the gate auto-opens when you exit. There isn’t much food here, but you could probably rustle up some breakfast with what’s in there,” he said as he slipped on his shirt.
She nodded and walked away to give him some privacy. When he was fully dressed, he emerged from the bedroom to find Caitlin gone.
12
As Caitlin banked around the corner into the winding driveway, she saw Adam’s Audi TT parked in the circular driveway. She slowed to a crawl as she dug her cell phone out of her purse. Her heart pounded in her throat. When had he gotten home? It couldn’t have been long. Why hadn’t Rosemary warned her? She opened her Google Voice app and texted “911” to Amelia. There wasn’t much time for her to explain since she feared Adam was watching as she parked behind his car.
She walked through the cavernous hallway into the brightly lit space just beyond the foyer. She heard Adam’s voice, and then Rosemary’s. Caitlin knew he was interrogating Rosemary, questioning her whereabouts. She turned the corner and quickly ascended the spiral staircase, which led to an even wider and longer hallway where Adam’s voice bellowed. A wave of nausea rose within her as she thought about facing him. She swallowed hard, taking a deep breath as she slowed her pace. Adam’s voice echoed into the hallway, bouncing off the walls.
“Who gave you the authority to fire her?”
“You did, Mister.”
“I did? When did—”
“When you put me in charge of the housekeepers. She was no good at her job. So I let her go.”
“And these are her things?”
“Yes, Mister. I was sending Javier to deliver them to her.”
“Give me the box,” he said calmly. “I’ll deliver it to her.” He walked away, and Caitlin’s stomach churned as his footsteps came closer. But he stopped suddenly. “Where’s my wife?”
“I think—”
“I’m not interested in what you think. Do you know where she is?”
Caitlin didn’t like Adam’s menacing tone. She looked to her left then to her right. She wouldn’t make it back downstairs before Adam reached the hallway. She couldn’t walk past the room without being seen. If she entered the room now, he’d suspect she heard his conversation with Rosemary. But that didn’t really matter to her. What did matter was that he had seemed more concerned about Mindy’s whereabouts than hers.
She continued toward the room just as Adam entered the hallway. Caitlin managed to muster a convincing smile.
“Hi, baby,” she said, noticing the box he carried. “When did you get home?”
“Where have you been?”
She kissed his lips briefly. “I went to Amelia’s. After I called you last night, I still couldn’t sleep. So I slept at Amelia’s.” She caressed his arm with her right hand. “You’re home earlier than you said. Did everything go okay?”
“Yeah, I have to fly out this afternoon. Nevada this time.”
“But you just got home.” Caitlin feigned disappointment.
“I’ll be back in tomorrow. You can check with Tiffany for my itinerary.”
“I’m going to make breakfast,” Rosemary said as she walked by.
“What’s in the box?”
“Nothing to concern yourself with. I’ll meet you downstairs.” He kissed her forehead and continued down the hallway with the box cradled in his arm.
***
As Hill sipped his coffee and read the newspaper someone left behind, he saw Judge Sterling walk into the restaurant. He’d only noticed her when he had put the newspaper down to receive the food he’d ordered. She stood at the doorway waiting to be seated. What a sight for sore eyes. He hadn’t seen her since the disposition of The State vs. Crawford, three years ago.
He watched as the hostess escorted her to a table near the window on the opposite side of the restaurant. He could see her clearly but didn’t think he was in her view. He called the waitress to his table.
“Certainly, sir.”
He ate his food, periodically picking up the newspaper to read and peering at the judge. He wanted to go speak to her, but he feared she’d try to convince him to get back into the courtroom.
He’d gotten drawn into a news article about an investigation into a money laundering operation involving synagogues, churches, and local elected officials. He snickered when he recognized a few of the names. When he placed the newspaper on the table, he saw Judge Sterling standing in front of him, smiling as if she’d just seen a long lost friend.
“Hill Parker. You’re looking well,” she said, still smiling, her suit jacket draped over her arm. He’d never seen her without her judicial robe. She had long, athletic legs and a tiny waist. Her skirt and blouse were expensive, tailored.
“Your Honor,” he said, motioning for her to sit. She did. In the three years since he’d last seen her, nothing had changed. Even her hairstyle was the same except for a little graying at the temple, but it was slight . . . hardly noticeable.
“To what do I owe your generosity? Thank you for breakfast.”
He smiled, though briefly. For whatever reason, she’d always favored him. He took full advantage of it, too. He leaned forward a little, and she mirrored his action.
“It’s my pleasure, Your Honor.”
“So good to see that you’re well, Hill,” she said, noticing his stare. “Is there something you want to say to me?”
He looked down at his plate contemplatively then at her. He nodded. “You’ve always been partial toward me in the courtroom. Even when I was screwing up or when I was late, you always gave me a little more leeway than you’d give anybody else.”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“I’m ashamed to admit that I took full advantage of it.”
“I know.” She grinned.
“I was wondering, Your Honor . . . why? Why have you always been so favorable toward me? I didn’t deserve it.”
Dangerously in Love Page 4