Devon looked stunning in the simple, black dress with a daring slit up the left side and matching high heels. She’d borrowed the dress from the museum’s vast wardrobe closet and had to hope it had been cleaned since last worn by an actual human. Devon linked onto Brant’s arm and looked around while feeling insecure.
“Do you know anyone?” she whispered close to his ear while leaning on his shoulder.
“Not a soul,” he replied and gave a polite nod to the people they passed.
She eyed him with surprise then laughed. As they walked across the crowded room, several men turned their heads and watched them pass.
Devon uncertainly clung to Brant’s arm and whispered, “They’re staring.”
“Men frequently stare at beautiful women,” he casually informed her while grinning.
She gave him a surprised look then smirked. “Stop,” she teased.
Tyler socialized with several of his guests on the far end of the room. When he saw them, he excused himself and approached while grinning deviously.
“I thought you abandoned me,” Tyler announced to Brant then eyed Devon and chuckled. “But I see you had a better reason to be late.”
“Don’t get too excited,” Brant announced casually. “Devon was bored, and I needed motivation to attend yet another party.”
“Sure, if you say so,” Tyler teased and chuckled. “Let’s get Devon a drink then I want to introduce you to some wealthy investors I’ve been schmoozing.” Tyler motioned for them to follow him.
Brant eyed Devon and drew a deep breath. “Welcome to my hell,” he announced and sighed. “The only thing missing from this trip to purgatory is the devil himself.” He then considered the comment and smiled at her. “But I’m sure you’ll meet my mother one day.”
§
Devon leaned on the balcony railing later that evening and watched the waves crash to shore as the wind whipped through her hair. She smiled contentedly and enjoyed the almost peaceful view. Several couples walked along the beach and stole kisses in the moonlight. She almost envied them, wishing she had someone to take on a romantic stroll. If she were honest with herself, she wanted someone to hold and kiss her. Her thoughts strayed to Brant and how handsome he looked in his expensive suit. She was suddenly thinking about more than a few stolen kisses.
“Dull party, huh?” a familiar male voice announced, interrupting her fantasy.
Devon spun toward the familiar voice and saw Martin standing on the balcony a few feet behind her. His expression immediately dropped when he realized it was his sister.
“Devon?” he practically gasped while staring at her. “What are you doing here?” His brows raised as he looked over her attire. “And dressed like that?” He suddenly cringed and looked away while shielding his eyes. “Talk about embarrassing. I can’t believe I was checking out my sister!”
“Martin,” she announced, just as surprised to see her brother. “I didn’t know you knew Tyler.”
“Tyler?” he asked and finally looked at her.
“He owns this house,” she informed him. “He’s Brant’s business partner.”
“I came with a friend. We’re party crashers,” he informed her in a slightly jovial tone. “The club pickens were a little stale tonight.”
She shook her head and withheld her laugh. “You’re amazing.”
His eyes suddenly narrowed as he stared at her. “Are you dating your creepy boss?”
“No, he just brought me along for the ride,” she insisted.
He cast a look at her in the dress. “I’d say he brought you along for his image,” he teased then looked around. “So where is he? I’d like to meet him.”
“He went for drinks,” she informed him. “He’ll be back shortly.”
“You wait for him,” Martin announced. “I’ll find my friend and introduce you.”
“Sounds great,” she replied.
Chapter Thirty-three
Devon stared at the ocean and enjoyed the view from Tyler’s balcony. She rarely got to the coast, although being without a car may have had something to do with that. She wasn’t sure how long she was preoccupied with the romantic view before a champagne flute was extended before her. She turned to see Brant holding the glass of champagne. She smiled warmly and accepted the drink.
“Sorry I took so long,” he announced with apprehension. “I ran into a guy I’d met last week, and I couldn’t get away.”
“That’s okay,” she replied then beamed enthusiastically. “You’ll never guess who I ran into tonight.”
“Who?”
“My brother. He’s here,” she insisted while laughing at how ironic running into him had been. “He said he’d meet us out here.”
“Good,” Brant announced cheerfully and casually leaned on the railing. “That means I don’t have to go back inside and socialize.”
“You really don’t like these formal parties, do you?” she teased.
“I’ve been to enough of them to know how they all end,” Brant informed her with a defeated sigh. “Drunk as hell or bored out of my mind.” He raised his brows. “Sometimes both.”
They remained on the balcony engaged in jovial conversation for nearly an hour. Brant told her stories about his rich, overbearing parents, and she told him stories about the ranch hands and their deviant behavior. She was having such a good time; she didn’t notice her brother hadn’t returned. When it finally dawned on her, she glanced at Brant’s watch then frowned.
“I get the strange feeling my brother’s met Miss Right-for-tonight and skipped out on the party,” Devon informed him.
“He shares that personal stuff with you?” Brant asked with some surprise.
“It’s a little-kept secret that he’s a major league stud,” she teased.
Brant looked at the beach then back at her with a pleasant smile. “Would you like to take a walk on the beach?”
“You don’t have to ask twice,” she replied and kicked off her shoes.
It was the invitation she’d been waiting for. They walked down the steps and into the soft sand. Devon took advantage of the moonlight and clung to Brant’s arm while they walked.
“I’ve had a wonderful time tonight,” she announced cheerfully.
“Sure you did,” Brant scoffed and chuckled.
“I did, seriously,” she insisted while subconsciously caressing his arm. “It’s a beautiful night, and the champagne went down easy.”
“So you’re drunk?”
“I am not. I’m just enjoying myself,” she insisted while grinning. “You seem to be having a fairly good time yourself.”
“I’ll admit, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would,” he replied then looked at her. “Perhaps it’s the company I’m keeping.”
Devon offered a warm smile. Brant almost immediately frowned and stopped her near a large rock that offered a shadowy area away from prying eyes. She looked at him and noted something was bothering him.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
“Yesterday afternoon, we both had a little too much to drink at lunch during the power outage,” he remarked. “Do you remember our conversation in the dungeon stairwell?”
She stared at him a moment and attempted to recall the events leading up to the moment they’d found Jamie floating dead among the wax zombies. It all came rushing back to her, and she suddenly gasped while staring at him with horror on her face.
“Were we really going to dress like pirates and have pretend sword fights?” she gasped.
He stared at her a moment, fidgeted slightly, and then nodded. “I’m pretty sure that was the plan,” Brant remarked without taking his eyes off her.
Devon let out a relieved sigh and held her chest. “Thank God we didn’t go through with that,” she announced. “Could you imagine how embarrassing that would have been?”
Brant managed a tiny laugh and seemed to relax a little. “Yes, it could have been very embarrassing,” he remarked timidly while avoiding looking at her. “It’s
probably best if we pretend that conversation never happened. We all say stupid things when we drink.”
“Definitely,” she agreed then heaved herself onto the large rock and hugged her knees to her chest.
Brant’s eyes strayed to the revealing slit on the side of her dress. He immediately looked away and hid his smile. Devon looked out to the ocean and felt her heart pounding at the rest of the conversation he politely chose not to bring up. With everything that had happened, she’d erased that entire seduction scene from her mind. As the details came flooding back in a tidal wave of lustful thoughts, Devon attempted to keep from blushing. She couldn’t believe the things she’d said and what she was willing to do. She finally looked at him when she thought she could contain her embarrassment. Their eyes met briefly. Her thoughts immediately strayed to the wild, sexual encounter she so badly wanted. Her sexual fantasies with her boss were becoming more frequent, wildly intense, and mildly disturbing.
Brant immediately fidgeted as if reading her thoughts and glanced at his watch. “It’s getting late,” he announced. “I’d better take you home.”
Her heart sank at his sudden urge to leave, but she certainly couldn’t protest. How would that look? Devon slid off the rock with Brant’s assistance. He helped steady her when she hit the sand, and she found herself momentarily in his arms with her hands pressed against his chest. She could almost hear her drunken seduction echoing from yesterday afternoon as images of a spontaneous sexual encounter with her boss flooded her senses. It wasn’t just a drunken sexual fantasy. She actually wanted to have wild sex with the strange, handsome man she barely knew.
For a moment, Devon wondered what was wrong with her. She’d never entertained such erotic thoughts before, and why would she? Considering she’d never been with a man before, it wasn’t as if she was craving something she was missing. It had to be Ivy’s fault for sharing so many details about her wild encounters.
When she snapped out of her trance, she realized she was still in Brant’s arms, and they were staring into each other’s eyes for a long time without speaking. Something seemed to snap within him. Brant placed his hand on her face and kissed her warmly but aggressively as if he too had been reliving yesterday’s seduction scene. Devon was taken by surprise by the heart-stopping kiss and tensed. She was about to return the kiss when a drunken couple was heard laughing from somewhere nearby and startled them. Brant pulled away, appeared embarrassed, and then attempted a smile.
“I, uh,” he fumbled nervously. “We’d better go. It’s late, and we both have work in the morning.”
Devon felt her heart sink, but she managed a smile and nodded mechanically in agreement. With that passionate kiss now burned into her mind, she’d never stop the wild, sexual fantasies.
Chapter Thirty-four
Wednesday morning arrived without warning and with equally little sleep. Despite that Devon was still tired from her evening out, she was feeling enthusiastic and almost giddy. Her brief kiss with Brant played out in her mind a thousand times and even in her dreams. It was just one kiss. Perhaps it meant nothing, but she couldn’t get Brant off her mind. Devon hurried into the workshop and smiled cheerfully at Ross as she slipped into her lab coat. She was a little anxious about seeing Brant that morning and the awkwardness last night may have caused, but she was optimistically enthusiastic.
“Good morning, Ross,” she announced cheerfully then looked around for Brant as her heart pounded with anticipation. “Where’s Brant?”
“Tyler sent him on a business trip.”
Devon’s heart suddenly sank, and she felt almost numb. She sat on a stool before the counter and didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t lead on to Ross that she was devastated. A business trip out of the blue? Was it a coincidence?
“I thought Tyler handled all the business related stuff?” she finally asked while attempting not to sound disappointed.
“Tyler decided he needed to stay behind and do some wax creations of his own,” Ross remarked with noted sarcasm.
“Oh?”
“He’ll be working in the evening the next few nights,” Ross informed her. “On the bright side; you’ll be working mornings with me until Brant returns.”
“How long will Brant be gone?” she asked not the least bit interested in Ross’ bright side to the story.
“Three days,” Ross announced while groaning. “I’m on a countdown.”
Devon sighed with defeat. She wondered if Brant’s sudden business trip was so he could avoid her and what he might perceive to be an awkward moment between boss and employee. She no longer knew what she was feeling or what to think. She just knew she needed to take the next three days to wipe any sexual fantasies involving her boss from her mind.
“Tyler will also be checking in from time to time,” Ross informed her. “I think he’s afraid we’ll be screwing around.”
She eyed him sharply. “In your case, he’d be right,” Devon teased.
“Helps pass the time and makes for a fun work environment,” he announced defensively. “I don’t know how people can be so serious all the time. It’s not natural.”
“It’s called being an adult,” she informed him then laughed. “But I don’t have to worry about that because you’ll never allow that to happen to me.”
§
Ross pulled the black, horse-drawn hearse carriage while clutching a buggy shaft in each hand. He had the bridle around his neck with the plume proudly displayed on top of his head. Devon sat in the driver’s seat with the reins in one hand and the buggy whip in the other. She playfully tapped Ross with the whip as he pulled the hearse carriage into the witch display. Once it was in place, he fell to the ground while panting. Devon jumped off the hearse carriage and approached him on the ground. He looked up at her.
“You know, you could have pushed,” he informed her with some irritation.
She grinned at him. “Where would the fun in that be?” she teased.
Ross pulled himself to his hands and knees and stood with some exhaustion. Devon approached the back of the hearse and removed several severed heads on stakes. Each head depicted haggard looking women with looks of horror on their faces. She then removed a wax woman wearing an old black dress from the back. Ross stared as she removed the wax woman and several other set displays packed in the hearse.
“No wonder that thing was so damned heavy,” Ross protested. “You loaded it up first!”
She gave him an innocent look. “Why make more than one trip?”
“Why?” he demanded. “Because I was the one pulling that thing loaded with props as well as you, your highness.” His brows raised. “News flash, Devon dear, you aren’t as light as you look.”
She raised a skeptical brow, insulted by the comment. “Maybe you’re not as strong as you think you are,” Devon announced.
He frowned while glaring at her. “You know I love you,” Ross remarked. “But some days I like you less than others.”
It took nearly an hour, but Ross and Devon finally finished the display depicting one witch being burned at the stake, which included fake, automated flames, while surrounded by angry men and woman. Along the front of the nighttime set were the severed heads of suspected witches on stakes sticking out of the ground. In the background, two female witches attacked unsuspecting men. Ross and Devon stood back and admired the scene. Without looking at each other, they exchanged a high-five.
Chapter Thirty-five
Kids played in the park on the sunny Thursday afternoon. The park was located in the center of town with a gazebo not far from the courthouse end. It was a central location to have rallies and assemblies since there was plenty of space for residents to set up folding chairs. There was a small area containing kiddy swings, a jungle gym, sandbox, and various other kiddy rides. A concrete walkway crisscrossed through most of the park and circled the elegant fountain. Ross and Devon approached the fountain, sat on the edge, and watched the children playing nearby.
“Thank God Brant�
��s back on Saturday,” Ross announced already looking exhausted. “Did you get a look at that new wax woman Tyler made?”
“I suppose he’s trying,” she remarked with a sigh. “A little too much makeup.”
“A little?” he announced with surprise while staring at her. “I don’t know if she’s supposed to be a prostitute or a cartoon character.”
“Nothing a little turpentine can’t cure.”
He shook his head as his eyes widened at the comment. “I’m not touching Tyler’s work,” Ross announced. “He’ll have my head on a stick and mounted in the witch display. Let Brant deal with offending him.”
Ivy hurried across the park and joined them by the fountain. It was only a short sprint from the bank. She was out of breath but smiling.
“Sorry, I’m late.”
“We’re used to it,” Ross teased then looked around with concern. “So where’s Tony? Can’t have lunch without the food.”
They saw Tony approaching from the opposite end of the park carrying a plastic bag. Ross jumped to his feet and hurried to greet Tony, although it wasn’t exactly Tony he was happy to see. Devon and Ivy moved to a nearby bench as the guys approached. Ross routed through the bag and handed out their salads.
“I think you should pick up the food tomorrow, Ross,” Tony insisted while watching his friend tear through the wrapping on his sandwich.
Ross muttered something inaudible while devouring his hoagie.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Tony announced then looked at Devon and Ivy and offered a pleasant smile. “Did I miss anything good?”
Murder in Wax Page 14
