RISK

by Sam Skyborne

  CONTENTS

  About Sam Skyborne

  Synopsis

  Title

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Epigraph

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Free Gift

  Simulation Excerpt

  Cat Sitting COMBO

  Saying Sorry COMBO

  Saying Sorry Book

  Milton Book

  The Yellow Tandem Book

  ABOUT SAM SKYBORNE

  Novels

  Simulation: The Dawn of a Superhero

  RISK: Three Crime-fighting Women Risk All for Love, Lust, and Justice

  Lesbian Erotic Shorts (L.E.S) COMBO Collection

  Cat Sitting: Lesbian Cat Custody Complications

  Saying Sorry: A Queer & Complex Process

  Queer Shorts Collection

  Milton

  The Yellow Tandem

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  Website: http://SamSkyborne.com

  Blog: http://DukeBox.life/SamSkyborne/blog

  Facebook: Sam Skyborne

  Twitter: @SamSkyborne

  Instagram: @SamSkyborne

  Pinterest: Sam Skyborne

  RISK Synopsis

  Toni Mendez, an ex-cop turned private investigator in London, takes on a case to find the truth behind the violent murder of the young wife of a successful entrepreneur, Lucille Ransom-Evans. Little did she know that this case would bring to her door Maxine Bennett, a feisty, opinionated, American detective, on the hunt for a serial killer.

  Maxine not only infiltrates Toni's working life presenting a sore reminder of a profession she once loved, she also invades her private life by seducing her best friend, Lizbeth Du Cannon. As the investigation continues, Toni is immersed more and more, both professionally and privately, into a subculture she knew only from a distance - the LGBTQ+ world. She is forced to reassess everything she thought she knew about herself and the foundations of her long-term friendship with Lizbeth.

  THREE CRIME-FIGHTING WOMEN

  RISK

  ALL FOR

  LOVE, LUST AND JUSTICE

  Sam Skyborne

  RISK Published in 2017 by DukeBox and Foxy Press.

  Copyright © 2017 Sam Skyborne

  All rights reserved.

  This novel or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author.

  All characters and locations in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real places or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Foxy Press

  is an imprint of VolVentures Ltd.

  http://VolVentures.com

  DukeBox

  The creative portal for queer women and those who love them.

  http://DukeBox.life

  To all my girls with love!

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to all the women who participated in the Whipped Cream Production “lesbian erotica investigations” that ultimately lead to the creation of RISK. It was a load of fun and luckily the investigations continue.

  Thank you to all my wonderful friends and family who have lovingly and tirelessly helped and supported me on this journey.

  I love and thank you from the bottom of my heart!

  “…and then the day came

  when the risk to remain tight,

  in a bud,

  became more painful

  than the risk it took to blossom…”

  Lassie Benton1 1979

  CHAPTER ONE

  Thursday

  Toni ran her hand through her long dark hair. Her frustration was bubbling very close to the surface. She flicked through the next folder.

  “Ransom-Evans. Ransom-Evans,” she muttered, grabbing the next file from the pile. She’d been a Private Investigator long enough that already her filing cabinets, like her small office, were bursting at the seams with paperwork all filed in precise chronological order.

  Toni prided herself on having a particularly good memory and somewhere in the middle of this mountain of paper she was positive she had an article about the Ransom-Evans family from a few months earlier. If only she could remember the damned date.

  Detective Maxine Bennett strode into the office carrying two coffees and a large box of doughnuts. “Didn’t think doughnuts would be so hard to find, especially in a ‘world city’,” she said in a soft but recognisably American accent as she scanned the room for an empty surface.

  Maxine had apparently come over from New York earlier in the week, but her accent was definitely not broad enough to have originated solely from there, Toni thought. She also suspected Maxine knew London a lot better than she’d let on.

  Unable to find a suitable clear surface, Maxine nudged aside the small silver plaque that read “Toni Mendez PI” on top of one of the more stable looking paper piles on Toni’s desk.

  It’s only been three days and she already acts like she owns the place. Toni slammed another cabinet drawer closed and was about to reprimand Maxine when she caught sight of the teddy-bear tucked under her arm. The incongruity of it froze the acid remark on the tip of her tongue.

  “Many things are quite different in London, Detective Bennett.” Though Toni kept the irritation out of her voice, her intent was clear.

  “Let's hope that goes for this case too.” Maxine sipped her coffee and studied the large freestanding whiteboard that stood crammed into the corner of the small office.

  “She looks sorta sad.” Maxine indicated the photo of an attractive young woman in her thirties with dyed red hair and dark green eyes.

  Toni glanced over. Erika Ransom-Evans did indeed look sad in a troubled, wistful way. Fragile at the very least.

  She gave up on the article hunt and retrieved another headshot of a more masculine looking older woman with short greying hair wearing a man’s collared shirt and a v-neck jumper and pinned it next to Erika. She grabbed the blue marker pen, ripped the lid off with her teeth and wrote “Lucille Ransom-Evans” under the photo and drew an arrow from the photo of Erika to that of Lucille and labelled it “wife of”.

  Toni stood back and studied her handy work. “They were together for thirteen years.” She shook her head slightly.

  “What?” Maxine asked.

  “No, nothing,” Toni nodded at Lucille. “I just feel for her. It can't be easy losing one's wife while having to be in the public eye like that.”

  “No, it can’t be.”

  “I’m sometimes very glad I’m not gay,” Toni continued.

  Maxine almost spilt her hot drink. “You make it sound like a birth defect.”

  “No, not at all, I just don't think anyone would choose that life if they had a choice. It must be so much harder. Would you?” Toni asked frowning.

  “I think you'll find many people do. Not everyone sees it as a curse or something to be ashamed of.”

  “You really think someone would choose a life in which you are at best constantly discriminated against, and at worst victimised or brutally murdered?” There had been varying levels of tension between them since Maxine’s arrival and Toni had just about had enough of being contradicted at every corner.
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  Lizabeth’s head felt thick. She sat back into the one luxury item she allowed herself in her otherwise utilitarian office—her ergonomically designed desk chair. She took off her rimless glasses and rubbed her tired feet. She was looking forward to finally getting out of her heels, but that would have to wait for a few more hours yet.

  She stuffed the case files she was working on into her briefcase, turned off her desk-lamp and headed out of her office.

  Lawrence, a tall young man with dark eyes and a head of dark curls was making his way along the corridor towards her.

  From beyond him came the strains of a heated argument in one of the other offices lining the corridor.

  As she approached him, he smiled shyly at her.

  “Hey Lawrence,” Lizbeth said. “I hear she's still in.” She nodded in the direction of the raised voices.

  He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I left her to it. Seems she’s met her match.” He risked a little laugh before shifting into slightly safer territory. “I should have those surveillance photos for you in a few days. I’m doing my last night-watch tonight.”

  “Thank you. That’d be good. I'll have to come along as an observer next time.”

  A scarlet tinge crept over Lawrence’s barely post-pubescent complexion. “Oh, it sounds a lot more exciting than it is.”

  “So you say.” Lizbeth lifted the briefcase in her hand slightly. “I'm sure it beats courtroom preparation.”

  “Okay, you win.” Lawrence laughed.

  “Well, good luck,” Lizbeth said, sensing she’d reached the extent of small talk Lawrence was comfortable with. “I hope it's not a long night.”

  “Thanks. You too.”

  Lizbeth watched him head down the corridor to the main lifts. She liked Lawrence although he always seemed to be a bit awkward around her. She often wondered how a well-mannered, intelligent young man like him ended up as an Assistant Private Investigator. She suspected he had the aptitude to be able to pick any career he wished and the ability to blend in almost anywhere. Perhaps that was precisely the reason why he was cut out for private investigation.

  She carried on towards the source of the voices.

  Lizbeth knocked on the door.

  Toni stood with her tall frame bent forward, her hands leaning on her desk in what would, to the uninitiated, seem like a rather aggressive pose. She was clearly trying to emphasise a point.

  Toni looked at her, nodding in acknowledgement but did not miss a beat.

  “No one in their right mind would choose a harder life where you would be at risk like this!” Toni said, poking at a set of photographs on the desk, out of view from Lizbeth.

  “I hope I’m not interrupting,” Lizbeth said.

  “No. We’re just having a friendly disagreement,” Toni said, pushing herself up from the desk.

  “Need a mediator?” Lizbeth asked.

  She noticed the flush on Toni’s cheeks, tainting her normally fair complexion, a side effect of her passion which Lizbeth recognised from the many ardent debates she and Toni had had. That was one of the many things Lizbeth enjoyed about her friend. She was very passionate and not to mention stubborn. She would have made a worthy opponent in the courtroom.

  “I doubt it'll help,” Toni said.

  Lizbeth glanced over to see who was the cause of Toni’s vexation. She was startled to find a stunning woman, with a perfect white smile and a pair of piercing green eyes, partly obscured by a sexy long brown fringe and jaw length short hair, who was almost brazenly appraising Lizbeth from her perch on the edge of the overcrowded corner trestle table.

  Thanks to years in the courtroom, Lizbeth kept her composure.

  “Lizbeth Du Cannon,” she said, extending her hand.

  “Maxine Bennett,” the woman said, taking Lizbeth’s hand in both of her own.

  Lizbeth could almost feel the sparks sizzling in the air.

  “Detective Bennett is here begging favours all the way from the United States,” Toni said. “She seems to think that people, like our vic, chose to be gay, and be victimised and murdered.”

  Thankfully this jolted Lizbeth back to reality, breaking the spell that was sucking her in.

  Maxine seamlessly continued. “All I said was... being gay should not be a cause for pity. No one should be victimised whether they are gay or straight. Being gay is a wonderful fulfilling thing and a free choice, to be as proud of as being straight.”

  Lizbeth almost laughed at the incredulous look on Toni’s face.

  “Who you sleep with should be no bigger deal than choosing what to wear or what to have for dinner,” Maxine continued.

  Lizbeth found it both shocking and wonderfully refreshing to hear someone be so candid and articulate about sexuality.

  “This is hardly a question of meat or no meat!” Toni looked to Lizbeth for support. “Do you believe this bullshit?”

  Lizbeth inwardly squirmed at now having both sets of eyes on her, waiting for some kind of divine decree. She also could see that trying to explain to Toni that she was misunderstanding Maxine and, explain to Maxine that Toni was just feeling for the victim would take some doing.

  She decided on the safer option. “So what brings you to our little island?” she asked Maxine.

  Maxine smiled, clearly recognising Lizbeth’s segue. “A case I've been working back home has some similarities to this one.”

  “Can you share the basics of this case so I have a context at least?” Lizbeth asked them both.

  “My out lesbian client’s young wife got bludgeoned to death in an alleyway one night and the police have not been able to solve the case. She thinks it could be foul play since she is a high-profile person in her community. Detective Bennett here thinks my case could be related to hers,” Toni explained.

  “Well, I'm here to look into that,” Maxine said, focussing her sea-green eyes on Lizbeth. The effect was almost physical. Lizbeth could imagine this woman having secret superpowers with which to mesmerise her victims, before she had her wild way with them. Suddenly images of a toned, naked, Maxine, in the throes of passion, flooded Lizbeth’s mind.

  “So, what do you think?” Maxine asked.

  Lizbeth’s mouth felt dry and she needed to swallow a couple of times before she could speak. “About what?”

  “About a prospective bedmate?”

  Lizbeth tried hard to focus her thoughts. “I would agree. Who you go to bed with should be of no consequence to anyone else and ultimately be an act of unfettered volition.” She cringed at how hammy that sounded. The effect of nerves. Luckily, in court one could more or less get away with it, but her father, a straight-talking country-man, would have accused her of trying to “baffle them with bullshit.”

  “You really going to take her side?” Toni interrupted, her exasperation clear.

  Lizbeth had momentarily forgotten Toni was there.

  “However, sadly,” Lizbeth continued, “who one falls in love with is far less controllable. And that is single-handedly, in my view, the cause of most evils known to humanity.” How did she end up in this situation? “So really anyone who falls in love ill-fatedly should perhaps be pitied.” Lizbeth could feel the prickles of adrenaline around her temples—something she only ever experienced when arguing a high stakes case in court.

  “Okay, that's it! I've heard enough. It's time to call it a night.” Toni stuffed the rest of the files of archived cuttings back into the cabinet and slammed the last drawer shut.

  “Bennett, I'll take this up with you on Monday morning. Lizbeth, you and I have a date.”

  Lizbeth noticed Maxine raise her eyebrows and a look of slight amusement cross her features. Thankfully Toni missed that. When Maxine glanced over at Lizbeth, she shook her head and blushed.

  Maxine gave her another breathtaking smile. “Is she always this bossy?”

  “Mostly, but you get used to it.” Lizbeth was grateful to be let off the hook.

  Maxine stepped closer holding out her hand once more. “It was a pleasur
e to meet you Ms Du Cannon.”

  “Lizbeth, please.” She was distracted by the soft, warm, gentle, but assured, pressure that once again enveloped her hand. She resisted stroking the soft skin beneath her fingers. “Likewise.”

  With a last gentle squeeze, Maxine let go and headed toward the door. On the way, she grabbed the box of doughnuts and the teddy-bear and, without turning back, raised a hand in a casual finger wave. “Laters, Mendez.” Then she was gone.

  Damn! Lizbeth thought.

  Lizbeth sipped her wine, watching Toni shamelessly tuck into her bowl of pasta. It always amazed her that Toni was so slim, considering the quantities she consumed.

  Lizbeth had chosen their favourite Italian restaurant for dinner. She liked coming there midweek, after a long day at the office, because it was usually not too busy and the food was really good. Not to mention, they served her favourite Italian wine.

  So far the food and alcohol had been flowing freely enough to put them both in a very mellow mood.

  “So, who is this Detective Bennett?” Lizbeth asked.

  Toni playfully choked on her mouthful of ravioli. “Can we really not spoil my dinner, please?”

  Lizbeth laughed but waited for Toni to answer.

  “She's a stubborn, opinionated and arrogant police detective from the US What more do you want to know?”

  “You two are bound to work well together then.”

  Toni rolled her eyes. “Not a chance! I agreed she could ride along for a few days until she finds her feet, but after that she's on her own. I work alone.”

  “What about Lawrence?”