Unchained Memories

by Dena Blake

  “Oh, sorry. I didn’t see you there,” Jillian said, steadying herself against the door frame.

  “No problem.” Julie stuck out her hand. “I’m Julie Mathews. I was at Jojo’s with Amelia a couple of weeks ago. I don’t think we were actually introduced.”

  “No. I don’t think we were.” She held out her hand. “JJ Davis.”

  “Why don’t you come have a seat in my office while Amelia’s on the phone?” She led her back down the hallway, stopping at the small break room to grab a couple of bottles of water on the way.

  “Okay.” Jillian glanced over her shoulder her to see Amelia craning her neck, watching as she entered Julie’s office. “You and Amelia have the same last name. Are you related?” Jillian didn’t remember any cousins living here when they were growing up.

  “Not anymore.” She smiled and handed her a bottle of water. “She’s my ex-wife.”

  Jillian’s mouth dropped open, but nothing came out. The information floored her. She had no words.

  Julie seemed to notice Jillian’s confusion and tilted her head to one side. “After the other night, I assumed you knew she was gay.”

  “I just didn’t know she’d been married.” Jillian adjusted the flow of conversation she thought was about to happen in her head, contemplating the direction of her next question. “You still work together?”

  Julie looked at her and pulled her brows together, seeming to wonder why Jillian was so curious. Possibly gauging what she should tell her. “We found we’re better off as friends.”

  “But you kept her last name.” For so many personal reasons, Jillian needed to know if that was about status or possession.

  Julie continued to study her as though she were assessing her next move. “It was just easier this way. We’d have to change the logo, letterhead, business cards, etcetera. How about you? Are you married? Divorced? In…volved?” Julie let the last word roll out of her mouth slowly.

  “None of the above.”

  Julie hit her again with the contemplative look. “Amelia tells me you live at Heartstrings House.”

  “I do. My niece and I have been there for a few weeks now. It’s a wonderful place.” She sat in one of the chairs facing the desk. “Maybe you could tell me a little about the grant. I’d like to thank whoever funds it.”

  “I don’t have the information on the Heartstrings Foundation. That’s Amelia’s passion.”

  “Passion?”

  “She and her brother worked long and hard to get that place up and running.” She sat back and crossed her legs. “She’s had a lot of obstacles to overcome, and Maxine hasn’t made it any easier.”

  “Maxine?” She played dumb, wondering when Julie would get tired of being led.

  “Maxine Freeman. She’s the grant administrator.”

  “Maxine controls all the money?”

  “Yep, and from what Amelia says, there’s not a lot of it.”

  “That’s ridiculous.” Jillian knew for a fact that there was plenty of money. Something fishy was going on. “I mean, it’s too bad there isn’t more. The place could use some fixing up.”

  “Don’t worry about that. Amelia won’t let the place fall down. She’s already put a good amount of money from her own pocket into it.”

  “She has?” Jillian knew that wasn’t necessary.

  Julie nodded. “She would never let her brother’s dream fail. Speaking of Blake, are you two dating?” Julie didn’t pull any punches.

  Damn! What have I gotten myself into here? “I wouldn’t call it that.”

  “What would you call it?”

  “We’ve just enjoyed each other’s company a couple of times.”

  Julie’s eyes narrowed. “Sounds like dating to me.”

  Jillian started to give in, but since Julie wasn’t going to let up, neither was she. “That’s really none of your business.” She heard Amelia’s heels clicking down the wood hallway, and then she felt her presence right behind her.

  “What are you two chatting about?”

  “You,” Jillian said, not swerving her stare from Julie.

  “Me?” Amelia’s voice rose, uncharacteristically innocent.

  “Among other things.” Julie stared back at Jillian and pursed her lips.

  “Seems your partner is also your guard dog.” Jillian stood, set the unopened bottle on the desk, and moved toward the door.

  “Jules?” Amelia’s brows pulled together.

  “It’s okay.” Jillian took Amelia’s hand, led her back into her office, and closed the door. “You didn’t tell me the two of you had been married.”

  “That’s not something that usually comes up with an acquaintance in casual conversation.”

  “Is that what I am?” Jillian moved closer and could feel Amelia’s breath on her lips. “An acquaintance?” Her body buzzed at the proximity. She couldn’t focus when they were this close, so she continued across the room and leaned against Amelia’s desk.

  Amelia surveyed her from head to toe, made an obvious gesture of taking in every inch of her, and Jillian felt the familiar bounce in her stomach. Amelia cleared her throat. “We got married because we could. To prove a point. Then we found out I wasn’t good at it.” Jillian shot her brows up, which prompted Amelia to explain further. “Now we use our experience to show our clients that couples can get along after divorce.”

  “Okay. Then I’ll give her a pass on the interrogation this time.” Jillian pushed herself up on the desk and crossed her legs, fully utilizing her sexuality. “Do you think there’s any money in the budget for an air conditioner upstairs? It’s already been pretty warm this spring. It’s going to be unbearable during the summer.” Jillian glanced at the thermostat on the wall. It was a currently a cool sixty-eight degrees in Amelia’s office, but Jillian could feel the heat all the way down to her toes.

  “I’m not sure, but I’ll see what I can do.” Amelia strolled to the bookshelf. She seemed to be keeping herself distracted as she reached up and pulled one of the law books from the shelf.

  “Do you have to ask Maxine?”

  Amelia nodded, then plucked her glasses from the top of her head where they’d been resting, slid them on, and thumbed through the book. “She holds the purse strings.”

  “Do you want me to talk to her?”

  Amelia gave her legs another glance. “No. That would be a bad idea. She needs to be worked in a certain way.”

  “Worked?”

  “Complimented, stroked. She’s more agreeable when she’s feeling good about herself.”

  “Okay.” Jillian rubbed her hand across the mahogany desk and then pulled her lip up into a smile. “This is a beautiful desk.”

  “It’s an antique. I bought it at an estate sale and refinished it.”

  “You did this?”

  “I did.” Amelia smiled with obvious pride.

  “What an amazing job. The lines and the color are just perfect.” Jillian knew how to stroke as well.

  “Thank you.”

  “Have you ever had sex on it?”

  Amelia’s eyes went wide. “What? No.” She walked to the side of the desk, careful to keep space between herself and Jillian.

  Amelia’s shocked expression was thoroughly amusing. It was difficult for Jillian to hold in her laughter. “Word on the street is you have.” She pulled her lip up to one side.

  “I can assure you, I have never had sex on this desk.” Amelia took in a deep breath as though she were contemplating her next words. “Not that it’s any of your business.” She reached up, adjusted her glasses, then pulled them off and dropped them on the desk. “I think you should go.” She walked to the door, grabbed the knob, and opened it.

  “Let’s get something straight.” Jillian followed her and pushed the door closed with her hand. “If there’s going to be no more kissing, you’re going to have to stop all that stuff you do.” She moved her finger in a figure eight at Amelia.

  “What stuff?” Amelia cocked her head and raised an eyebro
w.

  “That right there. The cocking of the head, eyebrow thing you do when you know exactly what I’m talking about. The rubbing of your temple when you’re deep in thought. The shifting of your glasses when you’re nervous. Not to mention the twisting of your hair when you’re daydreaming.”

  “And if I don’t?” Amelia did it again, cocked her head and lifted an eyebrow. That was a dare, if Jillian ever saw one. She closed the distance between them, and Amelia’s back thudded against the wall from the motion. Air whooshed out of her lungs, and Amelia’s lips parted in surprise. Jillian ran her thumb across them, amazed at how soft and full they were. When she looked up into Amelia’s eyes, they were no longer filled with surprise. They were dark, heavy with arousal. Jillian plunged forward, reaching up, hooking her hand behind Amelia’s neck, pulling her into a kiss. Her mind went a bit hazy at that point, and then she felt Amelia’s hands on her waist, pulling her closer, leaving no space between them. Jillian’s lips parted, and to her surprise, Amelia deepened the kiss, plunging her tongue inside, touching, baiting, dueling with Jillian’s. It was the most wonderfully arousing kiss Jillian had ever experienced, even better than the ones before. She could honestly kiss Amelia forever, and she wanted more…so much more. Jillian let her free hand travel inside Amelia’s perfectly tailored suit coat, up Amelia’s side to find a surprisingly full breast. She cupped it in her hand, flicked the nipple with her thumb, and felt it harden beneath the silk camisole. Amelia let out a moan that sent Jillian’s arousal soaring, prompting her need to feel the warmth of the skin beneath the shirt. She tugged at it, trying to free it from her slacks, but she felt Amelia grip her wrist with one hand, then the other pressed against her chest, pushing her back.

  “Stop,” Amelia said breathlessly. “I can’t do this. You’re dating my brother.” Her head fell against Jillian’s.

  They stood for a moment, forehead to forehead, chests heaving, still close enough to feel each other’s breath on their lips. Jillian backed up slowly, shook her head, and quirked her lip up into a half-grin. “I have absolutely no interest in doing that to your brother.”

  “I certainly hope not.” Amelia rubbed the back of her neck. “Jesus.”

  “Yeah. I know.” Jillian pressed her lips urgently to Amelia’s and let out a growl. “We will definitely have sex on that desk.” She blew out a breath, then spun around, pulled the door open, and left.

  Amelia followed her to the front door of the office and then walked to the waiting-room window. JJ glanced up and smiled before she got in her car and drove away. Amelia was so hot, she was sure she was going to burst into flames at any moment. This was wrong in so many ways. She raked her teeth across her bottom lip, looked down the hall at her desk, and smiled. She’d always had a strict no-sex policy at the office, but she’d seriously consider making an exception for JJ.

  Julie’s voice pulled her from her thought. “Look at you. Lips all swollen, cheeks all pink.” Julie gave her a wink. “Another phenomenal kiss?”

  Amelia shook her head. “Understatement.”

  Julie let out a chuckle. “I guess that meeting didn’t go as planned?”

  “Shut up.” She went back into her office and flopped into the chair behind her desk. “There’s something about her I can’t resist.”

  “Clearly. I’ve never seen you like this.” Julie sat on the edge of the desk. “You want me to run a background check on her?”

  “That’s not the way I like to start a relationship.”

  “Oh, my, she is special. I haven’t heard you say the R word in a long time.”

  “I don’t know any other way to describe it. I honestly have no idea what it is, but I want more than just a hookup.”

  “Tell you what. I’ll run the check, and if nothing shows up, no harm done.”

  “No, don’t. If she’s got a past, I don’t want to know about it right now.” Amelia just wanted to enjoy the amazing feelings she was experiencing for as long as she could.

  “Whatever you say.” Julie got up to leave. “Did you find out why she showed up in your courtroom the other day?”

  “No. Sorry. I got distracted.”

  “It seems she has a way of doing that.” Julie headed for the door. “I’ll be in my office if you need me.”

  Julie was spot-on. Amelia couldn’t focus when Jillian came into the picture. Just her presence could jumble every cognizant thought and every bit of reasoning Amelia contained. When she’d seen Jillian seated in the back of the courtroom earlier in the week, her train of thought had gone right out the window. She’d had to force her arms to remain at her sides as the nervous tingle washed through her and settled on the back of her neck. What the hell was she doing there? In my courtroom, messing with my mojo? She’d taken a deep breath, settled her nerves, and thankfully, she’d gotten her bearings back. It wouldn’t have done her client any benefit for her to get flustered in the middle of her summation. Judge Johnson was a stickler for protocol, and asking for a recess midstream because the woman in the back row had sent her mind into a tizzy would have totally pissed him off.

  * * *

  Traffic had been light this morning. It was after ten when Julie arrived at the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation office in Oklahoma City. Not wanting to explain where she was going, she’d slipped out of the office after Amelia had gone to court and Fran was fully engrossed in her newest People magazine. She wouldn’t even notice she was gone for at least another hour.

  Inside the OSBI office, a couple of people were sitting in the chairs that lined two of the walls in the small waiting area, but the usually busy office was somewhat deserted today. Julie pulled the Criminal History Record Information Request form out of her purse. She’d filled it out earlier this morning with whatever information about JJ Davis she could gather without making Amelia suspicious. She wanted to abide by Amelia’s wishes, but at the same time, Julie wanted to make sure JJ Davis wasn’t going to hurt her best friend. JJ had asked her some interesting questions yesterday, questions she wouldn’t expect from a woman who merely needed assistance. She was awfully curious about Amelia and the Heartstrings House foundation funding. Too curious.

  “Good morning,” Martha, the OSBI officer, said over the rattle of the sliding-glass window as it opened.

  “Hey, Martha. How are you? I bet those kids of yours are keeping you busy.” Julie had become friendly with Martha years ago, when she’d worked with her on a foster-kids charity event. Martha and her husband had adopted three foster children last year, who’d been living with them previously. They’d had a couple of kids of their own before that, so now they had a full house.

  Martha’s smile widened. “They keep me so busy I have to come to work to relax. Seems you’re busy too. I haven’t seen you in a while.”

  “Yeah. I know. Haven’t needed many background checks lately.” She handed Martha the form along with the cash payment. She knew her name would be on the form as the requester but didn’t want any record of the payment going through the law firm’s accounts.

  “You want the works run on this one?”

  Julie nodded. She’d requested record checks on name, sex offender, and violent offender as well as a name and fingerprint check. After JJ’s visit yesterday, Julie had taken the bottle of water she had left in her office and put it into her desk drawer. She’d waited until after Amelia had left for the day to pull the prints and transfer them to the fingerprint card. They weren’t the best, but she’d gotten a good thumbprint, which should be enough to pull at least a DMV record.

  “Just give me a minute,” Martha said.

  Julie paced the small waiting room, truly hoping this woman came back legit. She didn’t know what she’d do if some kind of criminal activity showed up. She heard the glass window rattle open and stepped back to the counter.

  “Good news and bad news.” She slid a small stack of papers across the counter. “Your lady doesn’t have a criminal record, but she’s lying about who she is.”

  Julie
pulled her brows together as she read the name on the report. “Jillian McIntyre.” Holy shit.

  “Looks like she’s using Davis as an alias, and she’s from New York, not Missouri.”

  “This is very helpful.” Julie folded the report in half and slid it into her purse. She’d have to wait until she got in the car to read the rest of the multiple-page report.

  “Sure thing. Let me know if you need anything else on her, and I’ll see what I can dig up.”

  “I think this will be sufficient, but thanks, Martha.” She smiled and headed out to her car. How was she going to handle this newfound information? Clearly, Jillian McIntyre didn’t need monetary assistance. She got into her car and started the engine. The cool air flowed through the vents and slowly brought her body temperature down. Fuck! What the hell is she doing here?

  Julie thumbed through the pages. The report was thicker than the one page she’d expected. She took a few minutes on each page to scan for important information. One page in particular caught her eye, where she found that at least one piece of information Jillian had given Amelia was true: Abby was her niece. Her heart clenched as she read the circumstances in which she’d gained custody of Abby and honestly hurt for both of them. Julie hadn’t experienced any similar losses but knew the impact they would have on her life if she had. She continued flipping through the pages and came across more than one incident report where Jillian had been the victim of domestic abuse. The last one was dated just a month ago. She’s hiding from someone. She read further and realized not even fame and money can protect you from a crazy ex-lover. She tossed the papers onto the passenger seat.