Deadly Temptations

by Mina J. Moore

  Gina got real close, her pink glossy lips puckering as if she were about to kiss him. “Well you did and you enjoyed every minute of it.” She watched Denise as she spoke.

  “You are fucking crazy.” Mader pushed Denise behind him.

  “Hmmmm...I’m actually pretty brilliant. But everybody is too stupid to see it.” She waved the gun around as she spoke.

  “All this means nothing without the right person to share it with.” Gina’s face contorted with fury making her look like a demented Bratz doll. “And you should be sharing it with me, not this skinny bitch.”

  Gina raised the gun and pointed it at them again. “Two months, Troy. Two months of groveling and you haven’t even touched me. You think you’re too good for me?”

  DENISE kept quiet. Opening her mouth would only aggravate the situation. Gina was totally out of her mind.

  For the second time that day, Denise jumped when her cellular went off. It was in her purse next to the bag on the floor. Denise looked at Gina then back to her purse.

  “Go ahead and answer that. Wouldn’t want anyone wondering if you’re in trouble.” Gina motioned for her to move.

  Denise pulled her phone out and answered.

  “Ms. Milton this is Officer Jones. Just wanted to let you know Ms. Rhodes was not in residence.”

  Denise stared down the barrel of the weapon trained right at her. “We are fine, thanks. We took the back roads here. Goodbye.” Denise ended the call and held her hands up.

  “Who the hell was that?” Gina asked

  “A coworker of mine, checking in with me.”

  Gina tilted her head to the side. “How sweet. You.” She pointed at Mader. “You and I are going to take a little vacation together.”

  Gina motioned for him to move away from Denise then grabbed her by the hair. “If you try anything I will plug him in the kneecaps. I’ve heard it’s pretty painful.”

  “Okay, handsome. Go on in and pack yourself an overnight bag. Any tricks and you’ll force me to follow through on my promise then shoot your girlfriend in this pretty face of hers.” She shoved the barrel into Denise’s cheek.

  Mader walked down the hall and waited when he got to the end. Gina took longer since she was busy dragging Denise along with her.

  Mader opened the door and went to his closet. Grabbing a small bag he pulled a couple of sweats off the hangers and stuffed them in quickly. He looked back and reached the hidden compartment behind a shoe rack where he stashed his nine.

  “Hurry up. This isn’t for a month long cruise or anything.” Gina smiled when he approached with a duffle ready to go.

  Gina backed her way out of the bedroom with Denise in front of her like a human shield.

  “That’s a good boy,” she purred as Mader followed her slowly.

  They made it out to the living room. “Now I am sad to say it’s lights out for your girl.”

  TOOK the back roads here? Just what the hell was Denise Milton smoking? Jones repeated the phrase to himself one more time. Rhodes here. As in Gina Rhodes.

  “Motherfucker!” Jones radioed in for back up and punched his cruiser into reverse. Lights blaring he raced in the opposite direction.

  DENISE closed her eyes, the barrel of the gun at her temple. Would Gina actually go through with it? Was she that far gone to kill her and kidnap Mader?

  “That’s right bitch. All my life everything I’ve ever wanted has been taken from me. Everything. First my father’s love when he married that stupid cunt with her sniveling brat. But I took good care of her.” Gina let out a manic laugh.

  “A quick push down the stairs pretty much ended that predicament. You know, things were never quite the same afterward. I seemed to be the problem. Imagine that. Cunt took off and my father blamed me.” Her brows lowered and for a moment she appeared to hunch into her misery.

  MADER watched her eyes dart from the gun to him. She was completely undone, her circuits were shorting out and that trigger finger was getting nervous.

  “Well I guess this short segment of my biography gets pretty boring. We have places to go, darling.”

  A loud noise clapped through the air and the door knobs blew apart, five deputies burst in, guns trained on Gina.

  “Put the gun down and step away, Ms. Rhodes.” Jones instructed.

  Gina loosened her hold on Denise for a few seconds, surprise etched on her face. Then Gina pulled her back in just as quickly.

  “Put the weapon down or we’ll shoot!” Jones yelled.

  Gina was too busy looking at the deputies to see when Mader pulled out his gun. She turned slightly to the side placing Denise more strategically in their line of fire which gave Mader a much better shot.

  “She can’t have him! I’m gonna kill her!” she screeched.

  THE officers didn’t have a clear shot and Mader knew it. He took aim and let the bullet fly. It struck Gina at the temple and blew out the other side. Blood spurted from the exit in a brilliant shower. It all seemed to happen in slow motion, the police rushing forward, Denise falling to the floor as the weight of a dead women settled on top of her.

  Mader dropped the gun and pulled the body off, Gina’s sightless eyes stared at him and he cringed at having ever known her.

  Denise flew into his arms. They held onto each other even after the ambulance arrived and the ME pronounced Gina dead. Mader shook in the aftermath of what he had just done. He closed his mind off to the guilt but he would never forget how Gina’s body had dropped and the blood…

  He took a deep breath. If he wouldn’t have fired that shot, Denise would be dead and that was not an option.

  His apartment was a crime scene now, the door handles blown apart, yellow tape flapping against the doorway. Building security was crawling all over his space and asking the deputies questions.

  Mader wanted to rip the guy but he was getting it good from Jones and having trouble explaining how one of his employees let a stranger in. Mader would be making that phone call to his attorney first thing in the morning.

  Jones came and sat across from them. “I think things are pretty wrapped up here. They got you a fancy hotel for your trouble with security and will have your locks replaced by the end of the day tomorrow.

  Just wanted to let you know we apprehended her accomplice. He was waiting downstairs. Looks like he could be involved with Angie’s accident.

  “Shit.” Mader muttered.

  “Well. You guys are free to go. Take care and I’ll be in touch.”

  Mader stood and took the deputy’s hand. “Thank you for getting here.”

  “Thanks to your lady’s quick thinking.” Jones patted Denise on the shoulder and she gave him a tremulous smile.

  “Pretty good shot, my man. We have a place for you on the squad.”

  Mader waved him off. “I’ve spent some time at the shooting range to relieve stress.” He winked at Denise. “And thanks but no thanks. I’m good right here.” He said giving Denise a squeeze.

  Leaving the penthouse in the hands of professionals, Denise and Mader grabbed their overnight bags and headed to their hotel suite.

  Once there, Mader striped them both and got them into the shower. He held her as she sobbed, her body shaking all over.

  A little while later, she looked up at him and smiled. “I’m finished with the girly crying. I had to get that out.”

  He pushed her wet hair away from her face. “That’s my girl.” Mader dried her up and they slipped into the huge bed together.

  AFTER about half an hour, Denise found she couldn’t sleep. Too many images rolling around in her head. She glanced over and Mader’s eyes were closed but she could tell he wasn’t in deep sleep. His brow was scrunched over his eyes as if he were in pain. He shouted and sat up, scaring the holy shit out of her. She came up with him and rubbed his back, her heart jack hammering in her chest. “Shhh. It was just a nightmare,”

  “Actually, it was a replay of what happened,” he murmured when his breathing stilled.

  De
nise stroked his thick, dark hair. “Listen, we have to move past this. I don’t want her between us, ever.”

  He glanced back at her. “I know. It’s just hard to accept that I had to take a life today. But I would do it again if it meant keeping you safe”

  Denise smiled and pressed her lips to his. His arms wrapped around her and pushed her back onto the soft mattress. Moving between her legs, he kissed his way down to her stomach. She pushed her head back into the plush pillows when his tongue ran a lazy trail around her belly button then continued downward.

  Denise went up on her elbows to watch. Big mistake, his eyes were right on her as he took that first taste. Her head fell back from her shoulders. She moaned as his tongue took her to the brink and then back again. She was about to scream with both pleasure and frustration.

  Denise laid flat and pulled at his biceps, trying to get him to finish her. Instead, he kept at her, pressing his lips to her core until she shuddered from the intense friction. How long was he going to keep this up?

  MADER closed his eyes and enjoyed her essence. She was so ready for him, he could taste it. Her body was strung tight, ready to explode and he knew the moment he entered her, it would happen, so he continued to lap and tease her.

  He wanted her crazy with need and he thought he was just about to get his wish. Sure enough, a scream of epic proportion tore out of her. Her hips pushed up and her fingers dug into his scalp as she gyrated against him. When she stilled, he moved up over her.

  Time for round two.

  HE smiled down at her but the tight set of his jaw told her he was having trouble holding back. Denise opened her legs. He didn’t waste time settling in, his shaft was deep inside her before she had taken her next breath.

  She wrapped her legs around his waist and held on for the ride. By the looks of it, he wasn’t going to make this soft and gentle and she was so onboard with that.

  In moments, their bodies were slick with sweat, making the rub delicious. Denise’s second climax roared through her as Mader strained for his release. They came together in a tangle of limbs, his arms wrapped around her back, pinning her in place as he spurted into her.

  Mader kissed her neck then her lips. “Fucking A, that was unbelievable.”

  “I would agree with that.” She pushed the hair back from his forehead when he rose to look at her.

  He touched her cheek. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “So am I.” She smiled.

  Epilogue

  Angie was released from the hospital after suffering a bad concussion. She returned to work with a big smile and a whole lot of new attitude. Nobody would ever push her around again.

  The firm landed the biggest deal of the year thanks to Mader and Denise whose relationship had taken no one in the office by surprise.

  Corporate was actually quite happy with the union since the expansion of their business and honestly, they couldn’t afford to lose them.

  The downsizing never happened due to the revenue from the Hansen Project which opened doors they by no means thought about walking through.

  Jones had been good enough to contact Mader in order to put him out of his misery. Johnny Seth had confessed everything, including the fact Gina had lied regarding the affair.

  As for the background checks, they were now being done nationwide because you just never knew who worked right under your nose.