by Reina Torres
“Someday,” he repeated and walked away toward the bike that was in the center of the room.
As she watched him walk away, she smoothed her palm over the seat of the bike, enjoying the soft, supple texture of the leather, and how it warmed to her touch. Unbidden, the image of Adam entered her mind. Adam without his jeans and plain cotton t-shirts, bare on the seat, legs braced to keep the bike steady, his hand wrapped around his cock, slowly sliding up and down… his eyes on her.
Her breath slowly blew over her lower lip, sparking a bit of pain that told her she had been biting her lip, hard.
Oh, she would love to see that.
His beautiful body on that equally beautiful bike.
“I’d love to get my hands on that.”
“Blake?”
Startled out of her reverie, she turned to look at him. “Hmm?”
“Did you say something?”
“Me?” She lifted her hand off the seat like it burned her and pressed it high on her chest. “Did I? Uh… no. Why?”
He gave her a look that said he knew she was lying. “I was just curious.”
Turning her back on the bike and that particularly delicious daydream, she moved closer to his workspace. “What are you working on?”
He shrugged and bobbed his head for a moment. “One of my return customers wants a custom cover on the gas tank. I’ve been working on the AutoCAD program and the lathe, but there’s something that’s giving me fits over the fit.” He looked up at her with a wince as if he regretted his description. “I can smooth it out after the weld, but I’m a bit of a perfectionist on certain matters…”
“And this is one of those matters.” She smiled in agreement as she leaned forward to take a look. “What’s bothering you, specifically?”
As Adam described the piece and ran his hand over the area, not touching anything but just showing her the locations, she began to get a better idea of the problem and a possible solution.
“Can I see the piece that you think got the closest to the perfect fit?”
Standing up, Adam moved over to one of the shelves and picked up a metal piece. When he brought it right over and set it in her hands, she drew back a little in surprise.
“What?” He smiled at her, but his eyes shone with curiosity.
“You just gave it to me.” When he didn’t say anything, she continued. “You’re not going to ask me why I want to see it? Or tell me that you’ll take care of it and not to worry my ‘pretty little head’ about it?”
To his credit, he just shook his head and spoke. “No. If you want to see it, you can see it. If you think you can help. Great.” He chuckled. “Honestly, you’re the only one, aside from my customers that take an interest. Annalise grits her teeth and stares like she’s afraid I will literally bore her to death.”
“Well, I do like bikes, but if you wanted to talk to me,” she drew in a breath and almost missed his eyes flicking a glance at her breasts, “then talk. I love the sound of your voice and if nothing else, knowing that you want to talk to me… makes me really happy.”
Holding the piece gently in one hand, she moved to his desk and turned on the magnifying lamp. She turned the piece over once and then again, using the bright fluorescents to observe every inch of the piece that wasn’t quite meeting up with the rest of the cover.
“Can you call up your AutoCAD program and the file?”
Adam walked up beside her and started the computer up. When he had the file open, he stepped back and pulled the stool out so she could move between it and the desk. Adam scooted it back a few inches and helped her hop up on it.
His hands didn’t leave her hips when she started to work. “I’m saving my work as a separate file.”
She didn’t speak much as she worked, adjusting the angles and slopes of the design by tiny, almost imperceptible movements. When she had adjusted it enough to give it a real look, she sat back and felt Adam set his hands on her shoulders.
“You might want to try it like this,” she explained, “I think the fit will match up a little more.”
He leaned forward and she saw his face out of the corner of her eye. “It’s a different than the adjustments I’ve been focusing on,” he spoke softly as he looked over the design, “but yeah, I think that just might work.” He pressed a kiss on her cheek and turned back to look at the image again. “Where did you learn AutoCAD?”
Blake lifted her hand and reached across her body to cover the hand he had on her shoulder. “I have a degree in mechanical engineering, remember?”
“That’s right! Sadie mentioned that.” He stepped further to the side and turned the stool so she was looked straight at him. “And your acting jobs? When did you have the time?”
Laughing she leaned back to look up at him. “You’d be surprised all of the down time on a set. When we were waiting for things to be set or reset, I’d pull out my books and work on things. It was crazy for a while but it’s California and schools understand what it’s like to work in the industry and go to school. My teachers were willing to accommodate my crazy schedule and I finished with my degree.
“They also remind me of that every year when they call to ask for donations to the school.”
“God, you’re amazing.”
He leaned in for a kiss and she met him halfway.
Someone with a death wish cleared their throat. “Umm… sorry to interrupt-”
Chapter 11
“Umm… sorry to interrupt-”
Adam put himself between their visitors and Blake. “But you’re still interrupting.” Nodding at Hank, he made sure that his tone was calm because Sadie was there as well. “And just how did you get inside?”
“Uh, that would be me, sorry.” Annalise poked her head in the door. “I was coming by to drop off some things for Blake.” Leaning to the side so she could see Blake, his sister waggled her fingers. “You’d be surprised how quick Amazon delivers underwear.” With a bright grin she gave him a wink. Or Blake a wink. Either way, he still wanted to strangle his sister. “I’ll take it upstairs and get out of your hair.”
When Annalise was out of the room, Hank drew their attention again. “I’m guessing that neither one of you have been listening to the radio or watching television this morning?”
Sadie reached out and took his hand but directed her words toward Blake. “They found Zoe.”
Adam moved to Blake’s side and held her hand securely, but as strong as he was, her hand was like an iron vise on his.
“Found?”
“She was found on studio property. We don’t have much information, just what the news outlets are saying right now.” Sadie let go of Hank’s hand and moved toward Blake. “She’s gone, Blake. She’s dead.”
A cry, the kind he’d never heard… and never hoped to hear again, tore from Blake’s throat, but she found the strength to get up and wrap her arms around Sadie. The two held onto each other tightly. Sadie, who had more time to accept the news comforted Blake, rocking her slightly as Blake sobbed into her shoulder.
Adam hated to watch her cry.
He hated that he couldn’t shield her from the pain she was feeling.
If there was a way, he could have kept the information from her, he would have, but now everything had changed from just waiting this out to protecting her from what came next.
And something was going to come next.
That was the horrifying truth of it.
Before he could think of something to say, Blake lifted her head from Sadie’s shoulder and asked her friend a question. “Where?”
Adam shook his head. “Blake-”
“No,” she shook her head but kept her gaze on Sadie, “where did they find her?”
He could tell by Sadie’s hesitation and her quick look toward Hank that the answer wasn’t going to be a good one.
“Stage Eight.”
Blake sagged and Adam wrapped his arms around her to hold her against his side. He knew he had to wait for an explanation, this wasn�
�t the time to push.
“That’s impossible.”
Adam saw Hank’s expression and knew that there was a reason for Blake’s reply.
“She would never go near it.”
Sadie nodded and looked at Hank. “I told you that she’d say the same thing.”
“Yes,” he leaned closer and pressed a kiss to his wife’s temple, “you did.”
Adam was rubbing Blake’s arm when Sadie turned to him.
“Stage Eight is part of Hollywood history. It predates the new studio name. It was part of the original set of stages built.” She cast a worried look at Blake before continuing. “A young woman died there under mysterious circumstances and since then it’s been kind of a white whale for paranormal enthusiasts.
“And actors, like most creatives, have a large number of paranormal curious people in our craft, but not Zoe.”
Blake lifted her head and looked up at Adam, her eyes fixing on his face. “She’s terrified of anything like that. It was a problem for her when she started working for Megalodon. They wanted her to do horror films.”
Sadie shook her head. “It was Seth who pushed it. There was some new up and coming director and he wanted Zoe to be the main character, run around a summer camp in a bikini getting blood splashed all over her body.”
Adam could feel Blake’s anger building as she stood beside him. “But Zoe refused, not that Seth really cared, but he thought he’d show her that it wasn’t a big deal and had someone splash stage blood on her as she was walking into the make-up trailer on the last day of filming for ‘Love Story.’
“She freaked out! I mean, who wouldn’t when you have blood just thrown in your face when you’re not expecting it- oh! Sorry.” She darted a concerned look to Hank and then back to him. “I didn’t mean-”
“It’s okay, babe.” Adam knew he was speaking for Hank too. “What we saw was because of our jobs. We expected to see blood. Your friend didn’t. We understand.”
She nodded, but the gesture was hesitant.
“Zoe was a phenom at her arts school. A true artist, but one with a true gentle heart. Something happened to her when she was little and since then she’s hated anything like scary movies or haunted houses. After what happened to her with the blood, the studio physician was the one who put an end to it.
“Since then, some of the people on contract have been making jokes about it. Zoe didn’t say anything to them, but she knew. If they found her there it wasn’t because she went there of her own accord.”
Hank’s phone chimed and he looked it the screen. “Those ‘news’ sites are at it again.” He skimmed on article and then another, shaking his head. “They’re saying that she was found with all kinds of occult items.”
“No,” Blake moved closer and took the phone from his hand, reading silently for a moment, “not her. Zoe wouldn’t. She just wouldn’t.” She looked to Sadie for support and got it.
“I know, sweetie. I don’t believe it either, but it’s in the news.” Sadie sighed. “Once it’s out there it’s going to have a life of its own.”
“Something has to be done.”
Adam heard the tight sound of Blake’s voice and knew how much this was hurting her. She had a big heart and loved with everything she was. People saying untruths about her friend would cut deeply into her heart. Before he could figure out what to say to her, she looked up at him.
“Do you mind if I take Sadie upstairs for a minute. I’d like to talk to her, please?”
Adam shook his head. “I don’t mind. You know that anything I have is yours.”
The only caution he saw was in Hank’s face. The married couple shared a look and Sadie again smoothed her hand over his arm before she spoke to Blake. “You know I’ll have to tell him later.”
“Oh, yes,” Blake looked a little rocked by the whole exchange, “of course you would. And I’m going to tell Adam later, I just need to talk to you first. Figure a few things out.”
Adam couldn’t help but smile inside. Blake had included him in the same vein as Hank. Having her open to him and depending on him, made him feel like a king.
“Hey,” he gently caught her arm before she walked away and turned her so that his back was between Blake and the Pattersons, “I’m here for you.”
Her smile transfixed him. Took away his breath. “I know.”
He set his hands on her hips and stepped just a hint closer until he felt her breath on his cheek.
“And later, I want to make sure you’re okay.”
Her smile softened, and he’d never seen her so beautiful as that moment.
“Knowing that you care, feels… feels so wonderful, Adam. I’ll talk to you later.”
He smiled back at her. “I’ll be here for you, Blake. Not just today.” Adam searched her eyes. “Tell me you know that.”
She lifted a hand and set it over his heart. He swore that his heart beat harder against his ribs, trying to get that much closer to her.
“I know that, Adam.” She stepped closer and laid her cheek against his chest beside her hand. “And that makes me strong. Strong enough to do what I’m about to do.”
Seth slipped off his shoes and leaned back in his chair. He’d been hopping since the morning. Even though he knew that they were going to be calling him in once they found the body, he hadn’t expected the complete zoo that the studio had become. He knew the officers that were going to be called to the scene, but he didn’t expect all kinds of extra people to show up.
Police came out of the woodwork just to say they were on the scene when Zoe Rogers was found.
Then, to add the dripping icing on the cake, the legal office spent all afternoon with him going over all the contingencies of the ‘incident.’ Those assholes were always so smug. It was almost too good to sit there and know that he was the whole reason why they were shitting themselves over how this would ‘look’ to the public.
Suck ups, every single one of them.
A knock on his office door had him picking up a crystal paperweight off his desk and test it for weight. It would make a lovely sound shattering against the door.
The knock came again.
“What!”
“Sir? I’m sorry to bother you but I was asked-”
Sitting up, he shoved his feet into his shoes. “Who do you work for?”
“The Social Media Office, Sir?”
He swore a blue streak under his voice before he growled at the door. “Come in!”
The woman who entered the office looked around as if she was waiting to be set upon by wolves. Seth smirked. She would be pretty close to the mark on that.
“What do you want? I’m busy. Don’t waste my time.”
She looked down at the empty box in her hands. “I am sorry, Mr. Coleman. Missy Price, my boss in the Social Media-”
“Hurry it up.”
“I found this box in Blake Lennox’s cabana, sir.”
That got him on his feet. Carried him across the room. He held out his hand and gestured her closer. “Give it to me.”
She set the box in his hand and then stepped back as if she worried, he might grab onto her. That would be later.
Looking down into the box he narrowed his eyes on the instruction sheet inside.
“When was this delivered?”
When Sadie had left, Blake sat down on the sofa and waited for Adam to come up. She was sure it would only take him a few minutes and sure enough, the door to the workshop opened and Adam stepped inside, wiping his hands dry on a clean cloth. “Hey, beautiful.”
She smiled at him. How could she not?
“Hey yourself.” She gave the cushion beside her a pat. “Want to sit down?”
He moved quickly, taking the seat she’d offered him, but before he was even settled, he reached over and putting his hands on her hips. Adam set her on his lap and wrapped his arms around her. “I was worried about you earlier.”
She smiled at him. “Not now?”
Adam shook his head. “You’ve g
ot this look on your face that says you’re ready to take on the world. If you believe it, so do I. I just want to make sure that you know I’m going to be by your side while you do it.”
Oh goodness. Hearing it in his voice… if she wasn’t already sitting down, he would have swept her off her feet.
She set her hand on his cheek and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Thank you for trusting me.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” He gave her another kiss. “By the way.”
She returned the kiss again, wrapping her arms around his neck as she did. “Hmm?”
He tightened his hold on her and kissed the corner of her mouth. “The new design worked.”
She sat up and beamed at him. “It did?”
Adam shook his head. “Did you doubt it?”
Blushing, she laughed. “Not really. I had a good feeling.”
He lowered his hands and cupped her backside in his palms. “This is a good feeling too.”
“Whoa there, sailor.”
He gave her a curious look. “No?”
She flushed under his gaze. “Yes… soon. But right now,” she licked her lips because they had suddenly gone dry. “I want to tell you about my talk with Sadie.”
Blake appreciated it when he leaned back to listen. He didn’t move his hands from her butt, which she really liked, but his focus was on what she had to say. Could he get any more sexy? A man who listened?
“I had to talk to Sadie because she could help me put some of the pieces together about Zoe. I had to know that I wasn’t imagining things. If they’re floating a story about her being interested in ghosts, they’re lying for a reason. And that can’t be good. It means they’re willing to lie about anything. I can’t believe… or rather I was having a hard time realizing that they were going to make it look like Zoe… hurt herself. It’s hard enough to imagine that they would hurt Zoe like that. I can’t even begin to say the words myself.”
“You have a tender heart, babe. You want to think everyone can be good. That they have a line they won’t cross.”
“But I know that he did this. He had someone do this horrible thing. And he’s going to blame it on her. I’m sure of it. I just can’t let him destroy her memory too. That’s why I needed to talk to Sadie.”
