Courting Gossip

by Kimberly Dean

  ‘Any idea when it occurred?’ he asked.

  The detective shook his head.

  Genieve sighed. ‘The place was fine last time we were there – the same night as the break-in at the Emissary.’

  ‘Have you been there since then?’ Morgan asked.

  ‘No.’

  She’d been with Brody, and he wasn’t going to let her out of his sight now.

  The detective passed him his card. ‘It has my email and number down at the station. If you remember anything let me know – or Nina.’

  Brody nodded, and he and the detective shared a look. For the first time, they were on the same page. Without another word, Morgan turned and headed for the door. Brody wondered where he was going, the penthouse downtown or the Palisades. The cop’s relationship status with Nina was important. For the time being, he was on their side, and he was a valuable asset to have.

  Once the detective left, Brody realised how quiet the Apple Tree had become. The patrons weren’t watching openly, but they seemed on edge as they focused on their breakfasts. A waitress discreetly put his bill on the counter, and Brody patted Genieve’s side. She still stood close, with her arms wrapped around him.

  ‘Are you OK?’ he whispered into her ear.

  ‘Can we go to your place now?’

  ‘Absolutely.’ He’d take her home. He’d take her wherever she wanted to go. If she wanted to run, he’d go with her.

  He tossed a few bucks on the counter and tucked her up against his side as they walked to the door. He was parked right outside, and he helped her into the passenger seat. He shot a worried look at her as he pulled out into the nearly non-existent traffic. She was dispirited, and he didn’t like it. The mood didn’t fit her at all.

  ‘How bad was it?’ he asked.

  ‘Not as bad as I was bracing myself for,’ she said as they passed through one green light after the other, ‘but I cried for the cameras.’

  ‘I saw.’ He didn’t care about the lie they were selling to the public. He wanted to know what had happened over there. ‘Did the detective find any clues as to who did this?’

  ‘No, but I did.’ She rolled her head onto the headrest. ‘Everything that was stolen was something Samuel had given me. He’s not the target, I am.’

  Brody hit the brakes and pulled over fast. He sat at the curb with the engine idling until it growled. ‘Stolen or destroyed?’

  She frowned. ‘Gone. What’s the difference?’

  ‘What did he give you? How big a collection was it? How long would it have taken to clean you out like that?’

  ‘I gave the detective a list.’

  ‘I want it, too.’

  She slumped in her seat and ran her fingertip over the console between them. ‘Samuel liked to give me presents. There was a painting, a dress, a faux fur, some shoes and more than a few pieces of jewellery.’

  ‘Is that normal for a client?’

  Her green gaze had lost its sparkle when she looked at him. ‘I don’t want to fight with you, Brody.’

  He wasn’t trying to start a fight. ‘Just tell me if gifts from any other client were taken.’

  She shook her head.

  He might have to replace them for her, but that little tidbit was important. He could feel it. With a glance at his mirror, he started driving again. His brain was tired, but it hadn’t needed caffeine. It had needed information. Once fed, it was revving up. It began sorting through the possibilities and how he could use them.

  This shit had to stop.

  He got them out of DC and crossed the Potomac into Virginia. He headed north along the George Washington Memorial Parkway. The normally busy road followed the Potomac and the further north they got, the more quiet and scenic it became. At night, the noise of the city was just a low hum, a constant vibration. Soon, they got away from even that until it was just the river, the trees and the few other vehicles on the road.

  Genieve had gone quiet. She was tired, and he could feel her stress.

  He was doing it again, focusing on how to fix the situation when that wasn’t what she needed. He reached out and caught her hand. ‘They made a mistake this time.’

  ‘How do you figure?’

  ‘They left us more to go on. They did it themselves.’ Rather than sending inept reporters, somebody had broken into her house. Somebody with a lot of knowledge.

  She went quiet, and he stroked his thumb along the back of her hand.

  ‘I just want my life to return to normal,’ she whispered. ‘I want the cameras to go away, and all the gossip to stop.’

  ‘It will,’ he promised her. ‘Soon.’

  ‘How can you say that?’ She looked at him so quickly, her hair flipped around her shoulders. ‘It’s escalating. The gossip is going to go crazy tomorrow. I had a thousand pictures taken of me tonight, and I was doing exactly what the press wanted. I was crying.’

  There was the fire he’d come to expect from her, but it was sparked by hurt.

  Brody saw a scenic overlook ahead, just a bump off the main road, but he took it. The stop was an asphalt parking lot off the Parkway, but it was quiet and undisturbed. He pulled into one of the parking spots overlooking the west bank of the Potomac and killed the engine.

  ‘Why are you stopping?’ she asked.

  There were no streetlights out here, just the moon and the river. He turned off the headlights and leaned over to her. He kissed her softly. ‘I’ll make them go away,’ he promised. ‘Even if I have to feed them Gunderson to do it.’

  At first, she didn’t respond. He brushed his lips across her cheek and returned to her mouth. He could feel the tension in her, begging to get out. Finally, she turned in her seat and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  ‘Don’t sacrifice Samuel,’ she said.

  Brody undid her seat belt and pulled her closer. ‘I’ll do whatever it takes.’

  Gunderson might be paying his fee, but Brody knew now where his priorities lay. Everything inside him was screaming to protect her and take down the bastard who was playing tattle-tale with her life. It didn’t matter who it was or why. Her job, Gunderson, her personal life…her enemy was his enemy, and they were going down.

  He kissed her more deeply and held her until her breasts plumped against his chest. The moon was a wide crescent in the sky, and it bathed her skin, making it look like velvet. He punched the controls for the moon roof and it slid back, letting more of the night rays in.

  She was wound up too tight. He needed to make her fear and stress go away.

  Their breaths turned heavy as he slid his hand between their tightly pressed bodies. He wanted her back in his bed and in his arms, but this couldn’t wait. He undid her jeans and caught the tab of her zipper. He pulled it down and worked his hand between her legs. She let out a soft, pleasured sound when he cupped her mound.

  The fit was tight, but he twisted his wrist and reached with his fingers. She was warm and soft. Her hips twitched when he rubbed the ball of his hand against her clit. He spread her open and used his middle finger to explore deeper. He found her notch and rimmed it with firm pressure. He caught her cry with another kiss and let that finger burrow into her.

  She pushed her hips towards him, and her whimper became sharper. She pushed her jeans down, along with the teeny tiny panties she wore. ‘I need you,’ she gasped.

  He needed her, too. He hadn’t meant for it to go this far this fast, but his logical brain couldn’t find a reason to stop. The cars behind them were few and far between. He’d watched for reporters following them, but Morgan had done a good job losing them if they’d tried to keep up.

  He focused on pumping his finger in and out of her tight, wet clasp, but his hips rolled when she cupped a hand over the front of his jeans. Things became urgent very quickly.

  ‘All right.’ He dealt with his jeans, ramming them down to his thighs. He fished protection out of his pocket, and she brought him to full erection just getting him prepared. He jacked the seat back as far as it would go and c
aught her by the waist. She banged her knee trying to climb over the centre console.

  ‘Ow,’ she muttered. Half down, her jeans hampered her, and she tilted clumsily. She grabbed the steering wheel and the horn accidentally blared. They both jumped, but no cars were around. They might have scared an owl or two, but nature should understand these things.

  She let out a laugh and flounced back into her seat. She arched her hips to push off her jeans, but Brody saw a better, more efficient solution. He caught her from behind this time and lifted her over the console and onto his lap.

  ‘Oh!’ she gasped. The position was backwards to what she’d intended, but she caught on fast. Reaching between her legs, she lined his cock up.

  Brody slowly let her drop onto his lap…and onto his erection. He pushed up into her until her bottom plumped against his belly. Her head dropped back when he shifted in the seat.

  ‘Ohhhhhhh,’ she groaned.

  Oh, yeah. He pulled her close until her back was tight against his chest and pressed his mouth against her ear. ‘Trust me. I’m going to make it all better.’

  Chapter Eleven

  Brody’s penetration was full and deep, and it made it impossible for Genieve to think of anything else. He had her tucked up tight against him in the bucket seat. With barely room to move, she felt swaddled…protected…and so turned on, she couldn’t stay still. She squirmed on his lap, trying to figure out how to make this work, but she only succeeded in spreading her butt cheeks and seating him almost uncomfortably deep.

  She rolled her head on his shoulder and caught at his thighs. Hers were trapped, unable to open wider with her jeans binding them together. She didn’t typically sign up for BDSM, but being fucked by him while barely being able to move was so hot she could hardly stand it.

  His breath was warm against her ear as he pushed up her shirt. His big hands caught her breasts, and he ground his palms against her nipples. She arched and let out a cry of pleasure when he thrust, lifting her with him.

  ‘Oh, God,’ she gasped.

  ‘Too much?’ he said hoarsely.

  ‘Don’t stop.’

  He didn’t have much mobility either, but what he had made him work deep. She bit her lip as he began fucking her. She felt stuffed with all her weight keeping her on his big cock. When he lifted, he pounded that small extra distance she almost couldn’t handle. Her pussy lips ground onto him, her clit was pinched tight and she even felt pressure back on her anus. When he dropped back on to the seat, she only had time to catch her breath before it was happening again.

  ‘Ah, Jenny,’ he grunted from behind her. ‘Damn, that’s good.’

  She couldn’t see straight. She couldn’t form words. She folded her hands over his on her breasts and held on.

  His short thrusts came faster and harder. He kissed her temple and then her neck. She let out a needy cry, and his next buck was off-rhythm.

  ‘You make the sexiest sounds during sex,’ he said, nipping at her ear.

  She couldn’t help it. With the things he did to her, there was no way she could stay silent.

  He pumped into her, and she juddered on his lap. The sensations were just so intense. His hands wandered over her, but kept returning to her breasts. He worked one hand under the cup of her bra, and she moaned in delight.

  A light suddenly swept through the car, and Genieve stiffened in horror. Reporters! Was it happening again? Her muscles tensed, and Brody let out a curse. His hold on her clamped down. He held her immobile in his lap, and they looked sharply at the Overlook’s entrance. It wasn’t another car interrupting, but the high beams of a pickup truck rumbling by on the Parkway behind them.

  The close call was too much for Brody. He reached down to the side of the seat. He pulled a lever, and the seat back dropped. He reclined, and she went with him.

  His cock shifted inside her, and Genieve moaned. Oh, God. She loved this.

  ‘Ever do it on Lover’s Lane?’ he asked, nuzzling against her ear.

  ‘Made out, but never went all the way. You?’

  ‘Let’s make it a first for both of us.’

  ‘Mmmm,’ she agreed. ‘Fast, before a cop or some goody-two-shoes comes along.’

  Or reporters…She didn’t want to think of them again, but as soon as Brody started moving, the concern fizzled away.

  He fucked her like he’d been let off his leash, and she wriggled on top of him. She’d wondered how he would be when that stoic composure cracked. She knew now, but she wasn’t sure she could keep up.

  Her body coiled and throbbed. She stared through the moon roof at the night sky. The moon bounced and the stars blurred. Yet when he slid a hand away from her breast, down her belly and between her legs, they shot across the heavens. One brush of his fingers against her over-stimulated clit, and she climaxed.

  Her pussy squeezed hard, and behind her Brody groaned. He managed one more hard thrust before he was coming too. She squeezed her eyes shut and, for a moment, wished the condom wasn’t keeping his come from her. She knew why it was there. She was the one who’d insisted on it, but for that moment she wished.

  His body felt hard and driving beneath her. He held her tightly, and her eyes popped open in surprise when an aftershock coursed through her. By the time she caught her breath, he’d gone limp. Relaxed, warm and lazy.

  His hand made long strokes over her stomach. ‘You’re not in this alone,’ he said quietly.

  ‘I know,’ she whispered. She clung to the hope that it went beyond their contract.

  They lay there for a few more moments, listening to the breeze, the river and the random cars passing. With a heavy sigh, Brody wrapped an arm around her and lifted the seat back up from its prone position. The view out the window was serene, the moon lighting the river and the trees casting shadows. It made their troubles seem so far away, but they both knew they were lurking.

  Genieve snuggled against Brody, not wanting to return to reality.

  ‘Let’s go home,’ he said with a kiss to her temple.

  She nodded. Home to bed and maybe even sleep. ‘Home,’ she agreed.

  It was still a fantasy, but she’d take it.

  * * *

  Brody got up early the next morning after only a few hours of rest. His body needed more, but his brain knew he couldn’t afford it right now. He left Jenny and went to his office to make calls.

  The first was to her insurance company and the next was to a contractor to make repairs at her house. He didn’t care about the cost. The most important things were quality and speed. He hired a bodyguard he’d used before to watch over everything and make sure nobody, news media or otherwise, set foot inside her home.

  After that task was done, he mulled over Gunderson’s gifts to her. Somebody had thought it pretty important to break in to get them, but who? Somebody from TMI News, maybe, still trying to prove their prostitution claim? Brody felt his blood pressure spike, but it was a definite possibility. Or their mysterious informant could still be at work.

  He clasped his hands at the back of his neck as he wandered around the room, trying to put the pieces together. It sounded like something he would have done if he’d been working strictly for the senator – send somebody over to the escort’s place to retrieve the proof of their connection. But he hadn’t done it. He wouldn’t do something like that to Jenny. If he had, he would have hired a professional who could have slipped in and out without leaving any evidence behind.

  ‘Hell,’ he hissed. Sometimes he hated what he’d become.

  He stopped at the window and propped himself up beside it. The sun was up. It had been the shortest night of his life, or the longest, depending on how he looked at it.

  He glanced at his desk. The news reports were still trending with the story he’d planted last night as he’d been waiting at the Apple Tree Grille. For once, it was the truth. After the break-in at the hotel, Genieve had wanted out of the spotlight with the senator, but someone still had it in for her. Was the same person responsible for
both invasions?

  At this point, he was willing to use the press to their advantage. If anyone out there knew anything, they needed to come forward. Until they did, he didn’t know what more he could do.

  He thought of Jenny in the next room. There was no way he was going in to the office today. He wasn’t about to leave her alone for even a second right now. The pull grew stronger, and he gave in. He headed back to the bedroom, but spun on the ball of his foot before he got to the hallway.

  Gunderson. Shit. The man did still pay his bills.

  Brody glanced at the time. Maggie…was it Maggie? Yeah, Maggie should be in the office by now. He picked up his phone and called.

  ‘Senator Gunderson’s office,’ the woman said, picking up after the first ring.

  Efficient as always.

  ‘This is Brody Haynes.’

  ‘Good morning, Mr Haynes. The senator isn’t in yet.’

  ‘That’s OK. I’m calling for you.’

  ‘Me?’ she said in surprise.

  ‘I need you to put together a press release. Remember those photographs we took of the senator’s arm before you wrapped it? We need those to go out today. If Kevin Murphy is going to question whether the senator was hurt, we’ll prove him wrong and, even better, insensitive.’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ the aide said. ‘Good idea.’

  ‘Send me the draft when you have it.’

  ‘I will. I’ll put that together right away.’

  ‘Good work, Maggie.’ Brody shook his head as he hung up. He’d almost forgotten to do that. All his focus right now was on Jenny and finding out who was harassing her.

  All he knew was that the detective better find the culprit first.

  He closed down shop and returned to bed. His pretty redhead was still sound asleep, but she’d moved closer to his empty pillow. He took off his jeans and slid in beside her. With the sun pushing at the curtains, he rolled away from the window and wrapped himself around her. He’d set the wheels in motion, and Detective Morgan was on the case. Now, they just had to wait for something to pop.