The Pleasure Principle

by Kimberly Adkins

  Anderson knew he shouldn’t drive after drinking. Damn, that meant Johnson had to stay on for another shift, but it was the only way he was getting to the plantation tonight. Too bad he couldn’t call ahead. He had no idea what the number was for the old landline, and Brax’s cell didn’t have service out that far.

  It didn’t matter. The important thing now was getting to his friend. He didn’t know how they could resolve the situation, but he trusted that together they could accomplish anything.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  What in the world was Anderson doing there?

  In the year she’d worked for the doctor, Alice had never seen him in this kind of condition. Her heart skipped a beat when she wondered what could have happened to him. Did Beverly leave him? Something worse? She hung back in the shadows. Even though she knew Anderson didn’t care about her, not in the way she’d wanted him to, a part of her still didn’t want him to know she was at the house.

  And there it was. She looked down at the two men and was forced to admit she had feelings for both of them. How was that even possible? Could someone love two people at the same time? They were very different, but each man appealed to something deep inside that she needed. Still, it hardly mattered if she didn’t appeal to them in the same manner.

  “I love her, you know,” Anderson mumbled as Brax helped him to his feet, moving him away from the glass. Alice had difficulty understanding his words and walked down a few steps to hear their conversation better. Julian looked over his shoulder in her direction, but she couldn’t tell if he could see her in the darkness.

  “Join the club, buddy.” Julian put him gently down on a brocade settee in the foyer, where Anderson knocked over an umbrella stand in an attempt to get back up.

  “Yes, but you’re perfect, and I messed up again. It’s OK though. I know we have a deal about Alicia.” Anderson sat back down and sighed.

  A deal? What was he talking about?

  A sudden cold feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. Was she just a bet to them, some kind of joke to play with the geeky girl and get her hopes up? Painful memories of high school flashed through her mind. But she thought she’d heard Anderson say something about love. So the first one who gets her to fall in love with them wins? Alice should have known all of the attention was too good to be true. And she was naive enough to fall for it and play right into their hands.

  Another knock came at the front door. Alice realized she was exposed again and moved back to the top of the stairs. Johnson opened the door a crack and stuck his head in, quickly taking in the situation.

  “Do you want me to leave the car running, Dr. Cain?”

  “I really want you to go home. Right now. Leave me here.” Anderson’s skin took on a pale hue and he leaned down on the arm of the settee.

  Alice couldn’t stay at the plantation, not with both men and the game they were playing with her. She had to leave and Johnson was her ticket out. Alice ran quietly to the guest room and dressed, carefully discarding her borrowed nightgown on the bed. She shivered. Who knew how many other women had worn it before her?

  Now was her chance. Julian had moved Anderson into the bathroom. She walked silently on the balls of her feet through the foyer, carefully picking her way through the glass. Déjà vu overwhelmed her. Alice couldn’t stop to consider it as a car door slammed outside.

  She opened the door and went through, running at full speed to the black town car that was moving slowly in reverse to turn around in the driveway.

  With a deep breath she yanked open the rear driver’s side door and jumped in.

  Johnson slammed on the brakes.

  “Wait a minute, lady. This ain’t no car service. I work for Dr. Cain, so get out.” He put the car in park and Alice became desperate.

  “Please Johnson, just take me back to town. I’ll pay you.”

  “How do you know my name?” He turned around in the front seat and looked her over hard through the open partition. Then he cocked his head to one side. “I know you, right?”

  “Come on, Johnson, it’s Alicia…I mean, Alice! Now please, can we go back to town?” She looked out the rear window. No sign of anyone yet.

  “Holy crap. I knew it! I knew there was something different about you the other day. Shit, does Dr. Cain even know who you are? Cause damn, you’re hot. I never woulda recognized you. And here you are with his best friend.”

  He made it sound dirty. Maybe it was. But the perverted look on Johnson’s face disgusted her. It wouldn’t matter to him that she loved them, both of them. He could never understand and she could never explain it.

  “He doesn’t know, OK? Can we please just leave?”

  “Yeah, let’s go. I think we can work something out to get you back to town.” Johnson turned around and began to drive, but his greedy eyes were all over her in the rearview mirror. It was going to be a long and uncomfortable ride.

  * * *

  Alice didn’t have to tell Johnson where she lived. Of course he knew. He knew where all of Anderson’s women were, she’d bet. Speaking of bets, Anderson and Brax may have succeeded in getting her to fall in love, but she didn’t have to give them the pleasure of knowing it.

  It was easy to think that way. Be strong on the long drive home until she got there. When the town car pulled up in front of her apartment, she felt herself hesitate. Getting out of Anderson’s sedan felt like letting go of a connection she’d had with him. And with Julian, too.

  Alice didn’t have long to pine away. Johnson opened her car door, but when she began to get out, he slid in and blocked her exit. She wasn’t in the mood to talk and she didn’t appreciate how close he sat next to her.

  “I knew there was something special about you.” He loomed close to her face and she could smell stale alcohol on his breath. Did he drink when he drove Anderson? Her stomach churned when he grinned and revealed yellow teeth.

  “Listen, Johnson. I appreciate the ride, I really do. But I don’t feel very good and I need to go inside.” She slid closer to the other door, but he reached out and roughly grabbed her right arm.

  “I think you should be a little nicer to me, missy, if ya know what I mean. Or maybe I tell Dr. Cain your little secret. Come on, baby. You already have two guys goin’ on. What’s three?” He darted in, his sausage lips puckered for a kiss.

  Bile rose in her throat and she choked on it. “Don’t call me baby, jerk!”

  Alice wrenched her arm free and noticed with satisfaction he hadn’t expected her to fight back. Taking crap from Johnson was the last thing she was going to do after such a horrible night, and if he thought otherwise, he was sadly mistaken. She might be down, but she wasn’t out by any stretch of the imagination.

  “What did you say to me?” His face screwed up with anger. Alice didn’t think it was possible, but he actually got uglier. When he reached for her again, she slammed her right arm down, elbow first, into his crotch.

  He howled in pain, doubled over on the backseat. Alice didn’t wait around to see what happened next and was on the stoop of her building, fumbling with her keys, before he emerged from the car.

  “What’s going on down there?” Windows slid open above her and light shone down. Thank God for her nosy neighbors tonight. Johnson looked like he was coming for her before he thought better of it.

  “All right, bitch. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Come Monday morning, you don’t have a job.”

  Was she supposed to care? Alice was already prepared to quit. Her heart was pounding, the adrenaline rush exhilarating. But when the tires squealed past and Johnson’s taillights were out of sight, it was a different story. She felt deflated, exhausted. The truth was, even though she would never see Anderson Cain again, she didn’t want him to know about her charade. Deceiving him, even with passionate intentions, felt dishonest to her, and now he would know the truth.

  That was how this ended, then. Maybe she should thank Johnson for revealing her secret. In a way it was a huge burden off her shoulders.
When she fled the city with Brax earlier that morning, she knew this was her last weekend, one way or the other. The weight from her realization pulled her down and she sat heavily on the steps.

  “Who is it?” Long shadows from the neighbors straining to see out their window grew on the sidewalk in front of her while they commented on her situation.

  “I think it’s that blonde woman who moved in where the nice college girl used to live.” A gruff voice answered the first. Alice almost laughed out loud before she realized how true the observation was.

  Who was she, now? Not the quiet, mousy girl who kept her head down—not anymore. Alice could never go back to that. Something had awakened inside her. Her eyes were opened to a new world of love and desire in ways she never could have imagined before.

  She smelled flowers. A vase sat in the shadows, far off to the side. She thought about the rose Anderson had given her on their date in the Quarter. It seemed forever ago. He had been so romantic, gentle, everything she wanted him to be. She’d believed she was special to him.

  Alice reached for the vase and a plastic CD case clattered on to the cement. She held it up in the streetlight and her heart skipped a beat. It was the band from the jazz club where she had the best night of her life.

  Anderson had been here! Her stomach fluttered before she could catch her breath. Of course, this was from earlier in the day. They had still been playing with her then. Could she pretend she hadn’t overheard the confession? Her heart still wanted to be with them. She realized didn’t want it to end, even knowing the truth. Alice tried to convince herself she couldn’t be a victim if she went in with full disclosure.

  But Johnson would take care of that on Monday morning…unless she could find a way to fix things before he could ruin it for all of them.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Alicia and her things were gone.

  Brax paced in the hallway outside the bathroom where Anders was currently laying his head. He knew she must have hitched a ride with that damn weasel Johnson and it didn’t sit well with him at all. Julian Brax had never chased a woman down one day in his life and it was taking everything he had to keep from doing it now. He was forced to admit that if his best friend hadn’t been violently ill in the other room, he’d already be out the door. That didn’t sit well, either.

  He could still feel the shape of her body crushed against his. The scent of lavender clung to his skin and made him think of the sweet cleft between her legs that he longed to explore. It was turning into a fantasy that occupied his every waking thought, and that was exactly what he’d come there to get away from. His desire for her was greater now, far greater, and it brought out a savage side of himself he didn’t think he could control. Hell, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to.

  Should he tell Anders that Alicia had been there tonight? He’d never kept any secrets from his friend before, but this situation felt different. At least for now he’d keep the information to himself. Anders was in no condition to hear about anything sensitive, let alone news about the woman who put him in his tailspin to begin with.

  When Anders recovered, they were going to have a long talk about their deal. Frankly, he didn’t know how he was going to handle it or what he was going to say, but something had to be done before both of them crashed and burned.

  * * *

  Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance and Alice shivered. The approaching storm couldn’t come close to matching the turmoil in her heart. She must have looked out the front window of her apartment a hundred times that day, but she didn’t know what she was looking for…or hoping not to see.

  The looming deadline of Monday morning hung over her head like the black clouds rolling in to cover the city in gloom. Perfect. Even if she could somehow convince Johnson to keep her secret, she could never trust him to follow through. God only knew what he’d ask from her in return. It was too risky to trust someone like him, and she couldn’t stomach putting herself in a position where he controlled her in any way.

  With all her options exhausted, one obvious resolution remained, and no matter how much she didn’t want to face it, it was her only solution. Alice had to beat Johnson to the punch. If Anderson was going to find out the truth, he deserved to hear it from her. She would prepare herself for his reaction when he shunned her. She wouldn’t let it hurt inside. Alice was a new person and it was time to own up to what she’d done.

  Buoyed by her resolve, she reached for her cell phone and sent a text to Anderson: Please meet me at Damsels tonight, 9 pm. I will explain everything when I see you.

  There, it was done. No going back. And now she had to get ready. If this was her going away party, she was going to dress for it. One last time to play her masquerade.

  * * *

  Anderson rolled over, his blurry gaze trying to make out the time on the clock. He wasn’t able. It was dark out. He couldn’t remember a lot about the things that transpired over the weekend, except that at some point Brax brought him home and put him in bed. Ugh, he was still wearing the clothes from Friday night when he’d smashed the bottle of bourbon on the floor of the foyer. He could smell the liquor all over himself.

  The house was quiet. He struggled to sit up and a wave of dizziness washed over him when he succeeded. Anderson reached for his cell phone out of instinct; maybe he’d heard back from Alicia. It was dead. Damn, it must have searched for a signal the whole time he was out at the plantation until it powered down.

  He fumbled in the dark for the lamp on his nightstand. Even the muted light hurt his eyes. Anderson swore to never drink an entire bottle of bourbon again. He plugged his phone in the charger, wandering out of the room as the device turned itself on. What he needed most right now was a long, hot shower. And then maybe he needed to go to rehab.

  While the steamy water made him feel better on the outside, it didn’t do much for his heartache. Was there anything that could cure the way he felt? There was one obvious answer: Alicia. If only he knew what he’d done to scare her off. How could he change if he didn’t understand how to do it?

  His cell beeped across the room as he reentered. He had a text waiting. Maybe it was from her! He was suddenly alert as he moved to retrieve the phone and read the message. A feeling of dread settled in the pit of his stomach as he clearly read the time on the alarm clock. It was 10:30. Alicia had asked him to meet her an hour and a half ago! She was going to think he wasn’t interested, that he didn’t care. Oh God, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

  Anderson pulled on clothes from his closet, not caring if they matched. He grabbed the phone, still uncharged, and shoved it in his pocket. He couldn’t wait for anything. Alicia wanted to talk to him, and he prayed it wasn’t too late.

  The keys to the sedan weren’t hanging on the hook in the kitchen. He’d sent Johnson back with the car on Friday. Where in the hell were his keys? Anderson ran to the lot out back and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the town car parked in its usual spot. But Johnson’s personal car was right beside it. What was going on? Maybe he had car trouble and called a friend to pick him up. Anderson really didn’t care, as long as the spare key was in the magnetic box under the front wheel well.

  Lucky for Johnson the extra key was where it was supposed to be. Anderson opened the driver’s side door and started to get in. The car was a mess inside. Food wrappers littered the floor and an empty liquor flask lay on the passenger seat.

  Johnson snored loudly from the backseat.

  “What are you doing here?” Anderson barked out the words.

  “Wha—?” Drool slid down Johnson’s double chin and he slurped up a mouthful before he wiped his face with the back of his hand. “Dr. Cain. I didn’t think you’d be up until tomorrow.”

  “I asked what you’re doing.” He didn’t have time for this. Every minute he spent with this idiot was a minute Alicia thought he didn’t care enough to show up.

  “I just wanted to be here early tomorrow. For my shift, right?” Johnson looked like he
hadn’t been home all weekend. He smelled like it, too.

  “You know what? You’re fired. Get out or I’ll tell the agency what you did here.” Anderson had had enough. He had to get the slob out of the car so he could leave.

  “What I did here? Are you serious?” Johnson slid out of the backseat. “I didn’t do anything, compared to the things your maid and your best friend are doing behind your back. And I’m the one who gets fired!”

  “My maid? What are you talking about?” He shouldn’t take the bait. He knew it as soon as the words came out of his mouth. But it was too late. Johnson was all too happy to gloat as he stomped off to his car.

  “You know, your maid. Alice, Alicia…whatever she’s calling herself. Dumbass!” The disgruntled driver squealed his tires as he pulled out of the lot, giving Anderson the middle finger in his rearview mirror.

  Oh my God. Anderson sat down heavily in the driver’s seat. He didn’t have to ask himself if it was true. He knew it was. For an entire year, she’d come and gone in his house, seen everything he’d done and the women he’d done it with.

  “Beverly!” Anderson gasped out loud. Of course. He’d been so afraid Beverly’s surprise visit might have ruined his chances with Alicia, and it had. Alicia must have seen it all that morning when she came to work. That was why she turned away.

  But why would Alicia do something like this to him? Hadn’t she seen how broken he was during the time she spent in his household? Did the reason really matter? Look at all she’d gone through for a chance to be with him. He didn’t deserve her. And knowing who she was didn’t change his feelings for her either. If anything, the lengths she’d gone to made him love her more.