by A. R. Case
“Poor baby.” Alexis kissed his cheek.
“Before you go, I have a favor to ask,” Mills said.
“No.”
“I didn’t tell you what it was.”
“Answer is still no.” Chris stood up and pulled out Alexis’s chair so she could stand up. “You want to go get your coat from Bob?”
“That wouldn’t be the one you got from Chris, would it?” Mills asked.
“Go fuck yourself, Mills,” Chris interjected.
She glanced between him and Mills. “Don’t get in another fight, please?”
“Am trying not to. I think Mills can kick my ass.”
“Even when you’re in a suit?”
“Even in my suit,” he replied.
Both men watched her walk away.
“You fucking DeSantos men get so damn lucky with women.”
“It’s because we’ve got big dicks.”
Mills rolled his eyes. “Seriously, just listen for one minute. I want an introduction.”
Chris pinched the spot on his nose, just above his eyes. “I’m going to regret asking this, who?”
“Crank.”
“Who?”
“Don’t bullshit me, DeSantos. I know you visited him a couple of days ago.”
“Fuck you, it’s a free country, and fuck no.”
Mills caught him before he could walk away. “Longport knows a man with a coat that matches the one Alexis was wearing was in a marina the same night Whitehead was murdered. The storm sent the current from the marina toward the point, where your rental was. While there are two coats out there with that patch, or three, according to you, only one person in the area that night who had motive to want Whitehead dead. That was you because of that business with Tony two years ago. You don’t turn that coat in for testing and they’ll haul you in. Get me an introduction to Crank.”
Chris flinched. He couldn’t help it. Mills knew too damn much. He felt it prudent to try to talk some sense into him.
“There’s no way he’ll talk to you, and me? If I suggest he talk to a Fed, I’m dead, just dead. No.”
“Well, hope it works out for you when they issue a search warrant for that coat.”
Chris shook his head. “Later, Mills.” Alexis had her fur, and he left to help her get it on.
~~~~~~~
Chris turned on the low lights next to the bar as they walked in. He stored his coat in the entry closet and then helped hang the fake fur up.
“I didn’t lose this coat.”
“Didn’t think you would.” Chris fished in the closet for a suitable hanger.
“It was nice of you to let me borrow it.”
“It’s yours.”
“No, it was supposed to be Vianne’s.”
Chris made a sound of disgust. “Her loss.”
Alexis looked at him in the low light. There was a bruise beginning to form on the edge of his jaw, and his shirt had dirt on it from the floor of the bar. She hadn’t noticed it in the Cave, but did now, despite the light being lower. Maybe it was the light coming from the city beyond the windows. He shouldn’t look as good as he did, but the extra dirt and bruises made him more approachable. “You are pretty, even with bruises.”
“Thanks. You look really handsome in that dress,” he said.
“Want to see me out of it?”
Chris stopped what he was doing with the closet.
“What happened to no strings?” he asked.
“Never mind. If you’re not into it, you’re not.” Alexis started to move past him to her bathroom. But his next words stopped her.
“I’m in, just trying to make sure I don’t get whiplash. Kind of had enough of that with Vi tonight.”
“Is she always such a bitch?”
“You want the truth or an elaborate lie?”
“Oh, lie to me, my prince. It’s so sexy.” She put her hand against her forehead and dipped backward to fake a swoon. Chris laughed at her antics.
“I don’t do stories as well as you do.”
“You lie better than I do. What is Dan, really? He doesn’t look like an FBI agent. He looks like you should look if you were still a biker.”
“He’s complicated.” Chris wandered into the living room, and Alexis followed.
“Old lover?”
“Jesus, no.” He caught himself. “Not that there’s…I mean, no. I don’t swing that way.”
“You are so uptight sometimes, and at others…”
“Others what?”
“You know,” she teased.
“Sorry, I don’t. And I’m too tired to play guess your thoughts.”
“Tonight, when you were in that fight with Ghost?” She waited to see if he’d say something. “You were holding your own. The punch at Dylan wasn’t a fluke, was it?”
“Nope.”
“Man of many talents.”
“Hitting people isn’t a talent.”
“No?” Alexis made a fist and mock swung but spun in a circle. “I couldn’t do it. Do you box?”
“You want a lie?”
“I’d rather have the truth, I’m too tired to play guess that lie.” She parroted part of his words back at him as she followed him into the living room.
“My dad taught my younger brother how to kick my ass.” He sat down on the window end of the sectional. Alexis curled up in a seat next to him but didn’t touch him. Something was off with the tension around him.
She tried to smooth it out. “I bet your younger brother wanted to kick your ass anyway.”
He shook his head. “When I turned eighteen, my dad took me to the club to see if I could beat him.”
Her smile fell and she was quiet for a moment. “He ever hit you before that?”
“Nope. Knew he could get thrown in jail if he did.”
“Wow. Father of the year right there.” The cold from outside drifted through the window and sent a shiver down her back.
“Change the subject.” Chris didn’t look at her. He wasn’t looking outside either. Just staring into space.
“Ah, let’s see, Vi…how did she learn to swear like a merchant sailor?”
He snickered. “Probably boarding school.”
“I have a song for that.” Sure enough, the lyrics fit and they made Chris laugh.
As she sang, Chris had many thoughts, but foremost was how often he smiled tonight. It could have been a terrible night. There were so many things that could have gone worse. Through it all, he smiled. So much so, his cheeks hurt. Other things hurt, due to his scuffle with Ghost. He was worried, too. Without the coat, his alibi looked worse. But his cheeks hurt, and they would continue to hurt because he was still smiling.
He glanced at the source of it all. Alexis had so many secrets. She wasn’t naive, but she embraced the moment with exuberance every chance she got. She swore, wore ripped clothes, looked sexy as hell in that dress, and most of all, she illuminated from within. Except when she didn’t. That’s why he had forced her to go to the Cave. It was her home, and Ghost had invaded it and messed with both of their lives.
Her song wrapped up. She was smiling at him. He smiled back, feeling the bruises, the pain in his cheeks, and mostly feeling like they’d both weathered something fierce. Whatever it was they’d weathered, he couldn’t name. He draped his arm over the back of the couch, including her in his space without touching. “No strings, but…”
She shut him up by kissing him.
It was better than the kiss at the party. Slower, deeper, and had much unsaid behind it. His arm slid from the back of the couch to her waist. The bangles and strings from her dress tangled in his fingers, so he couldn’t stroke her like he wanted. Because of this, he came up for air. “Last chance to back down.”
“I probably should. Karma doesn’t like it when I’m hap
py.”
“Alexis.”
She cut him off again with more kisses. He pushed her back to talk. “If you have doubts, I’ll back off. I don’t want you regretting this.”
“I want to regret this. You’ll be my biggest mistake.”
His head went back. The light wasn’t strong enough to see if she was lying. “Alexis, I’m getting whiplash here.”
“That wasn’t a no, suit man.”
“You think this will end in disaster?”
She sighed. “It’s what always happens. I mean, my last boyfriend dumped me off in a snowdrift and threw my clothes into a dirty alley. It’s my life. But, hey, it’s fun.” One eyebrow went up as she stared at him.
“Fun. No strings. Disaster. Just what I’ve always wanted.”
“Now who’s lying?”
He laughed. “Seriously, I would have loved you when I was eighteen. Wouldn’t have a clue how to handle you, but I doubt I ever will.”
She pouted. “You think I need handling?”
He flicked at a few strings and tugged on the neckline of her dress. “If I wasn’t afraid to ruin this, I’d show you how I’d handle you.”
Alexis shivered. “I do need help with my zipper.” Then she fluttered her eyelashes at him. Her giggle at the end ruined whatever seductress role she faked.
“Turn.” Chris had her almost on her back, so retreated to his spot and sat upright.
She complied, pulling her hair away from the back with a smile.
He searched but was having difficulty. “Where is it?”
Her laugh was contagious. “It’s on the sides, silly.” She stood up and reached across to loosen one side, then started to work on the other side.
“Hang on. I want to do it.” He moved her hand away. The tab was tucked just under her arm. He worked it down slowly, being careful of the bangles and strings. The dress gaped forward, but the darkness didn’t let him see much. He was very aware she wasn’t wearing a bra. “This have a built-in bra or something?”
“Or something.” Her breath brushed his ear. She was inches from him. Her fingers tangled in his tie. “I think I like ties.”
“They come in handy.”
Her eyes glanced at his. “How?”
“You’re taken seriously in meetings.”
“Boring.” She began to pull him away from the couch and down the hall. Both hands held the tie, using it to guide him.
“They supposedly give you confidence.”
“So does a shotgun.” She pulled him further down the hall.
Chris fought to keep from taking over. “They look better than just a plain shirt.”
“Who wears shirts?” She shimmied her dress over her head and tossed it to the side.
He couldn’t think. Her top half was naked. “They don’t leave marks if you’re tied up with them.”
“Now we’re getting somewhere.” She tugged him over a threshold.
They were in his room. She was in panties, stockings, and her heels. His tie slipped out from the trap of his collar. Alexis wrapped it around one hand and smiled.
Chapter 11 — Shoes
The sun tinted the eastern sky. Chris rolled over, the aches of the previous night were now stiff and sore. But he was relaxed. He opened his right eye to see Alexis’s side of the bed. Her blue hair stuck out of the fortress of blankets and pillows she’d pulled around her. If he didn’t know the hair, hadn’t spent hours learning her shape, kissed swaths of smooth skin, she might be invisible under the pile.
She was a messy sleeper. The bed in her room was a jumble just like his sheets this morning. Surprisingly the chaos brought back memories of how much fun it was making the mess. He smiled and moved to pull her close.
With a scream and a scramble away, she fell off the bed.
“Shit! You okay?” Chris leaned over the edge. Her flight had pulled all the covers with her, burying her. She was fighting the mess now.
“I’m okay.” Her face came into view. Blue tangles stood up in spots, and in at least one place, clung to her face. At one point in the night, she’d washed the makeup off and came back to bed, but there were still smudged remnants of mascara around her eyes.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.”
She blinked and sat up. “Wow. Jumped right off the bed.”
“You’re cute all mussed up.” He watched her reaction to see if he’d made a mistake in speaking his mind. Vi would have had his head for seeing her less than her best.
“Thanks, Mr. Musser.” She smiled. Then she surprised him by putting both hands in her hair and messing it up further. Now, more than a few sections stood up. “Major Bedhead, reporting for duty!” She saluted him.
“That’s Captain Musser to you.”
“I outrank you, then. Salute, soldier.”
Chris looked down. “Saluting, ma’am.”
Alexis peeked over the edge of the mattress. “So you are. At ease.”
He laughed. “No. Get up here.”
She tossed a couple of pillows up first. “Incoming.”
Chris ducked one that almost hit his head and it went over the other side. He grabbed it and lobbed it back. “Fire in the hole.”
She returned fire with two pillows at once. Chris caught them, but she tried to pull them away. Using her forward movement to trap her, he managed to roll her on top of him.
“Got you.”
“Release me, you swine!” She struggled, laughing.
A knock at the door interrupted them.
Alexis was breathing heavy, and Chris held his breath to listen for another knock.
It repeated. “Shit.”
“Ignore it,” Alexis said.
“Done.” He smiled up at her.
The banging got louder, followed by a shrill voice. “Chris open the damn door. It’s me, Vi.”
Alexis rolled her eyes and moved off Chris. “That’s all yours.”
His head hit the bed underneath him. “Ugh.”
The banging became a sharp staccato from an object being knocked against the door.
“That sounds like a heel,” Alexis observed.
“She’s going to ruin my fucking door.” Chris got up and stalked to the door. He opened it.
Vi gasped at his nudity and dropped the shoe she’d been holding in her hand.
“Leave or I’m calling the cops,” he barked.
Mrs. Wheldon opened her door and glanced out. Her eyes got big when she saw Chris, then she promptly closed her door, but opened it up a crack to watch.
Alexis snagged Chris’s dress shirt and followed him to the door. “Chris, where’s your phone? I’ll call them.”
Like a tea kettle firing up to full whistle, Vi’s reaction started slowly but hit shrill in seconds. “You bitch!” She tried to push past Chris. His arm blocked her and with both arms, he picked her up and dumped her fully into the hall. Then he picked up the shoe she’d been using on his door and pulled the other shoe off her foot and stalked over to the garbage chute and dumped them both down it.
“Those are Jimmy Choo’s!” She crawled at him in chase.
He side-stepped her, got into his apartment, slammed the door and locked it.
“You bastard! Those shoes cost three thousand dollars!”
“Then I suggest you go to the basement and retrieve them before they’re incinerated!” Chris called back through the door.
She hit the door once, hard.
He listened for more commotion outside. It got quiet. Alexis moved up against him, the giggles she was fighting made her entire body shake.
“Mrs. Wheldon was out there,” Chris groaned.
Alexis looked him up and down and burst out laughing. “You think she’d take cookies in apology?”
“Probably dog biscuits and cookies for a year.” He scrubbed
a hand over his face. A grin slowly crept up his face. He glanced down at Alexis. Her hair was soft under his fingers. The morning light filtered through the windows and the colors shifted as he pulled her closer.
“Best damn birthday present, ever.”
~~~~~~~
The weekend was too short, and his days were all mixed up because of holidays landing between workdays. Chris sorted through email and meeting notes for the next week. He made certain to pencil the two extra meetings with Ellis Franco and Mr. Hammond into his schedule. “Alexis? Did I give you Ellis’s card?”
There was no answer. She was sitting in a pool of afternoon sun by the balcony windows. He called again. Her head was bouncing up and down to music he couldn’t hear. That’s when he noticed she was wearing headphones.
Instead of interrupting her right away, he dug in his closet for the jacket he’d been wearing. Sure enough, the card was in his pocket. Retrieving it, he curled up by her. The sun felt good on his back. She was scribbling in a notebook and had her sequencer and laptop gear scattered around her. There was barely room for him. He dropped the card in front of her.
She jolted and took her headphones off. “What’s this?”
“Ellis’s business card.”
She picked it up. “Trying to pawn me off already?”
He smiled, despite a flicker of terror inside. “He knows someone in the music business. Apparently, he might be able to set up a meeting.”
“What?” She looked at the card again. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope.” A small part of him wished he was. “He liked what he heard Saturday, so you’re supposed to call him tomorrow.” Ellis had said Wednesday, but he knew Alexis would lose track of time without an immediate goal.
“Wow.” She alternated between looking at the card and him. “Wow.”
“You okay?”
“I think so.” She was lost in thought for a moment. “What do you know about this Ellis guy, is he a skeeze?”
Chris shook his head. “He’s always been a character, but never a creep when I’ve been around. And I don’t think he is. It’s pretty easy to hear about people’s exploits in their circle.”
“And you’re okay with this? Me going to see him?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” He frowned. “Was Dylan that much of a dick?”