“Because I couldn’t share this information with you. I was on duty. At first, I didn't know he was her uncle, but when I found that out, it would have been a conflict of interest. I needed to know you more. I want you and I wanted you for me and me only. I've never let go from the start. I feel this and I know you feel it, too. Can't you see that?”
She turned her eyes away from me. “Look at me with those beautiful blue eyes of yours.”
“Evan, I want to be alone.”
I walk to get closer to her.
“I need you to leave.”
“Why? I am trying to explain to you what is going on.”
“I still want you to leave.”
“Please understand me. I was doing my job. I am not prepared to risk losing you. I deserve a chance to be with the love of my life. I know you were made and sent for me.”
“Please leave now!”
So I leave with a saddened heart but I guess I have to give her space. I didn’t want to, but I did. She will need time and tomorrow will be another day.
Natalia’s POV
Chapter 19
I have to sit down a minute to recollect myself. It has been a crazy last couple hours or so. I can’t believe I just kicked him out. Maybe I overreacted but right now, I didn't want to see him. I felt sad and empty inside. I don’t want to think that maybe he used me for some information on the case. I mean, after all, Alyssa’s family is dysfunctional and it was only a matter of time before something bad like this happened.
I need to wash my face and sleep some of this alcohol off. Tomorrow I'll wake up in a better state of mind and head to my best friend’s house.
I hope she believes me that I didn’t know he was a cop.
My small apartment begins to fill with the aroma of an egg omelet and sausages frying and hissing in the pan. I still have yet to open my eyes as I lie here in bed. Who can be in my kitchen? I ask myself, as if I don't already know. That is such an Evan move and I wouldn't put it past him.
I throw my hands on my sides to lift myself off my bed to a sitting position. I collect myself before heading out of the room. I walk out of my room and stand in the kitchen doorway. I watch him and he looks tired yet composed.
It was a hell of a night for all of us and yet he still manages to look so yummy. He still has on his black dress pants with his loose belt and he is shirtless with his dress shirt thrown on the sofa. He definitely made himself comfortable before starting breakfast. I love the sight of him and that he is here unannounced. I’m still not sure if I am ready to talk. I need to fix things with Alyssa before anything.
“Good Morning,” he says, winking at me. He walks over and places a cup of coffee on the table. I rub my face and sit down to try to enjoy my coffee instead of going psycho on him.
“How did you get in?” I ask but at the same time, I don't even want to know. “Never mind, I'm not even going to ask that. Why the hell you are here?”
“I’m cooking breakfast for us, and then we are going to sit down and eat it.”
I run my fingers through my hair. Clearly, he does whatever he wants whenever he wants. He frustrates me. I give him an intense roll of my eyes. He just smirks.
“I have to go in a few so, I will have breakfast to go. My friend is a mess and I have to make it better.” I have my face inside the palm of my hands and my elbows on the table.
I look up and he is attentively listening to me, then hands me a plate of food. I grab it and throw it on the table. I get up, infuriated and grabbing my purse. I’m about to walk out, but he grabs my arm with a bit of force that my hair swings in the air as my body whips back toward him. It takes me by surprise and I look up to him with a look of what the fuck written all over my face.
“I don’t give up easily!” He stands strong while maintaining his hold on me
“Can you let me go?”
He slowly releases his grip. “So where are we going?”
“Evan, I have to do this now and by myself.”
“First, I want us to eat some breakfast, and then I will drive you over and drop you off.” He gives me an innocent half smile, and as much as I want to turn him down, I can't. Besides, I look like a ridiculous mad person walking around looking like this.
“Fine,” I say softly and he finally lets go completely of my arm. “By the way, don’t grab me like that again, Evan,” I say, rubbing my arm and walking away.
He captures me by my wrists and pulls me, this time against his chest. Feeling his bare skin with the tips of my finger ignites a fire in me. He kisses my forehead, and even with that simple kiss, I feel a burst of firecrackers beneath my skin.
“I want us to make it work,” he tells me, looking like he is begging.
I look at him and I reply, “So do I.”
He nods his head and we sit together to eat his mouth-watering breakfast. We begin to eat and I don't know if I was hungry, but these scrambled eggs are even better than they smell.
After swallowing my eggs, I ask, “So you know how to cook?”
He looks pleased with himself before he says, “I am glad you like it.” Then he puts his head back down, looking like a teenager getting up the nerve to talk to a girl for the first time.
I’ve never seen him like this before. He reaches over my right hand with his left, intertwining our fingers together and he keeps a hold on it. He lifts himself up off the chair just enough to lean over and kiss my lips in slow motion, he sits back down after the kiss and we giggle while looking at each other.
We finish breakfast and I pull my phone out from my pocket to send a text to Alyssa to meet up for lunch or I can come over to her house. She responds and agrees to meet up at her place. It is a relief to me. I need to fix us. Our friendship is more valuable than anything.
All dressed and ready to head out, our arms are wrapped around each other while sweet little kisses are being passed back and forth between us.
“I had an amazing morning, baby,” he says while softly kissing my lips.
“So did I.” I know there is nothing but pure sexual bliss still shining on my face and I couldn’t be more content.
We did have an amazing morning, his surprise breakfast, and some hot and satisfying sex in the shower. Sadly, it has to come to an end momentarily.
He grabs my hand as we walk out the door. The unfamiliar feeling of him showing his affection has longing surging through my body.
He helps me in the car, and then walks over to the driver’s side, sliding in. He turns the car on and the radio is deafening. He must have been jamming yesterday. The song “Latching On To You” by Disclosure is playing and we both started singing along to the lyrics. He finishes with a loud woooooo. I laugh, not being able to stop. I have never seen this side of him before. He is so carefree.
He turns over to me and says, “I dedicate that song to you, baby.”
I blush and he leans over to kiss me on my lips. We buckle ourselves in and he takes off into traffic, taking me to Alyssa’s apartment.
We drive, still listening to the radio and being silly with one another before I notice him pulling up to Alyssa’s apartment.
He parks the car and turns to me. “Call me later when you get home.”
“Okay, I will,” I said, kissing him once more and jump out of the car.
***********
As I am knocking on Alyssa’s door, it slowly opens and Alyssa in front of me.
“How are you doing?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “I am as good as I can be. I called my dad and told him the situation about my uncle. It was just a matter of time, you know.” She lowers her head with a frown.
“I’m sorry.” I just go straight to the point. “Please believe me when I tell you I didn't know he was a cop. I swear from the bottom of my heart I didn’t know. Shit, you know if I would have known you would have been the first person I would have told. That’s important shit not to share.” I lean my body closer to hers and place my hand on her arm. I want her to believe me.
“I can’t lose you as a friend, not even a friend, a sister. I need you in my life to keep me from over thinking everything.”
“You know I have always thought of you as a sister, but I am so hurt. I don’t know what’s up or down. This whole situation is fucked up.”
“I know. Trust me, I know. I asked him several times what he did for a living and he kept saying he was a salesman. Now I get why he couldn’t tell me. He still isn’t telling me everything that is going on because of all the pending charges. I mean, really, Aly, your uncle has to be in some shit to be having an undercover FBI agent following him for this long.”
She looks up at me and wipes her tears away. “I get it. It just sucks to think that the only one person you thought was a hero is, in fact, just like his fucking sister. I never should have blown up on you like I did. I’m sorry for being a bitch.” She walks to the kitchen to pour us some orange juice.
I hug her tightly. “Babe, you had every single right to be upset and a bitch. You still do. Don’t apologize to me about it. I am the one needing to apologize and to let you know I will never leave your side.”
She pulls back and chuckles, “How about we both just be bitches?”
I laugh, “I love you, Aly.”
“I love you, too.”
“Now, we need to figure out what all is actually going on and see if your mom is involved, too.”
“We will, but for right now—” she holds her glass up, “—let’s drink to our friendship.”
Smiling, we touch glasses. “Yes.”
The rest of the afternoon, we don’t talk about the whole incident. We wanted to just savor our lives together as friends. We will figure the rest out eventually.
Evan’s POV
Chapter 20
It is already mid-way through the week and just thought it was over. It’s not. I came into my office this morning to find new information on my desk. Apparently, I have to investigate Claire Worth and some of her family members.
This is what comes with the territory of my job. Should I tell Natalia or just keep doing my job? That is the question. Claire is Frederic’s sister who is Alyssa’s mother and I hope like hell she has nothing to do with all this shit going on. As I continue to read, Alyssa’s mother has never been stable. She was more into alcohol and men than her family. Sighing in frustration, I’m torn by all of this. I thought all this stress was over.
I walk over to the coffee room to make me some coffee. I walk back to my office and stand in front of the window while sipping my coffee. I’m enjoying the NYC view that is filled with lots of cars and tall buildings. That is when an idea comes to mind.
I want to go away for the weekend with my stubborn kitten. That sounds perfect right about now and that’s what I am going to do. I don’t know where yet but I am going to plan it. It will be a weekend for the two of us to spend and get to know each other more.
I turn around and see my cell phone sitting there. Picking it up, I shoot a text to Natalia.
Evan: I want you beyond forever.
Nat: Good Afternoon. I want you too sir.
Evan: Let’s meet tonight. Be ready for me.
Nat: Be ready? Oh, I’m ready.
Evan: My naughty girl.
Nat: All yours. See you tonight
That made my dick stirs in my pants. It is now hard as a pole. A knock on the door interrupts and kills my hard-on quickly.
“Come in.”
I hear a “good morning, Mr. Daniels” as Marissa walks right in. I notice today she has on some makeup and looking polished. Not that she ever was, but something is different today. I look at her and smile. Thank God, I sat down before she walked in. She could’ve seen my dick hard through my pants when my thoughts we only for Natalia.
“I just came from a meeting; a new case was assigned to me.” She sits on a chair with her arms and legs crossed. “So what’s next, Evan?”
“Michael told me he put our new case investigation on your desk this morning.” I grab the manila folder and hand it to her. She grabs it and opens it and her eyes widen as she reads it.
“Oh shit. It’s Natalia’s best friend's mother. How are things working out with her?”
“Marissa, please keep it professional.”
She lets out a low laugh as she gets up to walk around my desk. She leans against the desk. “That kiss you almost returned to me the other night told me otherwise.”
I get up from my chair and she senses I am furious with her, her demeanor changes. I am not playing with her.
“Take the information with you to go over and we can start tomorrow. Now would you excuse me, I have to be somewhere that is none of your business.”
She smirks as I walk around her and storm out of my office. I went to the break room to calm myself down for a few minutes. Marissa sure knows how to wind me up. She pisses me off so bad but then again, she is a great job partner. Fuck!
Leaning up against the counter, all I want tonight is to see Natalia. I can't explain what I feel for her; I don’t even understand it myself. She came into my life like an unexpected gust of wind. She has taken over my thoughts along with my body and heart. I know she is the one. I can actually imagine my future with her.
Getting back to focus, I walk back to my office and work for the remainder of the afternoon. I do as much research on my current case, for Claire, as I can do through the internet. I get up from my office to go to Marissa's office and walk right in since her office door was already open.
“I hope you have come in here in a better mood.” She eyes me.
I sit down at a chair in front of her desk. “Let’s get down to business with this case.”
She looks at me with a hidden smile and I see straight through it. She’s up to something, but instead of her normal banter, she gets right into business. She has researched her own way and we begin to compare information.
We couldn’t find anything that would link her to her brother and his crimes, yet. She actually has not been in NYC for a couple of years. She is residing in the state of Florida. It looks like this case was going to be all about Frederic and his team.
The lounge has been temporarily closed for ongoing investigation. Once he gets sentenced, I am sure we will not be opening it back up. Frederic has a couple of charges on him and his team for being his accomplices. I know there has to be a link there somewhere but I just can’t seem to find it.
I’m holding my head in my hands when Marissa’s phone rings. She picks it up and all I hear is a one-sided conversation. I hear her say thank you and she hangs up.
“I think we may have found our connection.”
“What do you mean?”
“Claire has been working in Florida sending girls here. She finds them, making sure they are worthy enough for her brother's club. She also has been having somebody else look for her. Apparently Alyssa’s dad is trying to kill her.”
“You have to be shitting me? That means that the case against Claire will fall under the Florida State Jurisdiction and we can get it off our hands.” I am standing, pacing the room while talking.
Marissa throws the folder into her incoming bin on her desk and wipes her hands. “We should go for a drink and celebrate this, Evan.”
I do want to celebrate, but it’s definitely with someone else I say to myself. I mean, Marissa is my partner and we have been working together for a couple of years now. “Sure, let’s go and then I have to leave to meet up with a friend.”
“Okay, let’s go.” She stands up, getting her bag from inside her desk. I let her out of the door first and I close the door behind us. We drive in our own cars and head down a few blocks to a bar.
We sit down in the back of the bar where all the pool tables are. The bar is not too full since it is still early, but I’m sure it starts getting packed after five when people get off of work. I make my way up to the bar and order two beers and two shots of tequila to celebrate our victory.
We clink to the end to all of the case and slamming it
back, chasing it with our beers. No lemons or salt needed.
A couple of beers later, we are still talking nonstop. Marissa has been telling me about her family in Pennsylvania and her soon to be vacation to spend some time with them.
“What about you, Evan. Is it serious between you and Natalia?” I eye her and she shrugs her shoulders continuing, “You’ve seemed different ever since she came in the picture.
“I really like her Marissa.” I have to be honest, after all. It’s how I feel. As far as Marissa and me, we were never an item. Strictly partners. Sure there have been flirts her and flirts there but nothing more.
My mind is reeling over these past few days. Marissa has been acting strange and I know she wants something else but I choose to leave it alone for now.
I smile looking down. “She lights up my world.” I laugh, knowing I might sound like a cornball but she does light up my world and I can’t wait to see her tonight. “What about you, Marissa? Are you seeing anyone?”
“Nothing serious but I have been on a date or two with this one guy. He seems like a good catch, we’ll see what happens.”
I nod. “I wish you the best. You need a tough man that can handle a woman carrying a gun.” We both seemed to be laughing for no reason. No more alcohol for us.
“I need to get out of here.”
“Yeah, me, too,” she says. We both stand up and walk out. I walk her to her car. Before she gets in, she turns to me. “Evan, I’m really sorry about the way I have been acting. I’m not going to lie and say that I don’t want you because I do. I always have. I should have never kissed you like I did. I am really happy for you though. I see how you look when you talk about her and I just wanted the same thing. Will you forgive me?”
I hug her tightly. “Of course I will. I know you will find someone one day who does the same thing to you that Natalia does to me.”
She pulls away and kisses my cheek. “Thank you, Evan.” She gets in and waves as she drives off.
I get into mine and I drive over to my mother’s to kill some time until Natalia gets off of work and will be home.
Conflict Of Interest Page 10