by S. J. Lewis
“I don’t have much of a turn then,” Claudia shrugged. “My folks could just barely afford to send me to college, so I just paid attention to my studies.”
“No partying at all?”
“Well…okay. My first year, I did slack off for a while until I got my grades for that semester,” Claudia shrugged. “That was a hell of a wakeup call.”
“Okay…how about after college? So far, you sound like you’ve lived like a nun.”
Claudia laughed. “I suppose it does sound like that, but I’m not a nun, really.”
“Aha!” Chrissy grinned wickedly. “So you have a significant other somewhere? Or at least you had one for a while?”
“Have you got one?”
Okay, answering a question with a question might have worked once, but doing it twice sounded pretty lame. It occurred to Claudia that her “girl talk” had gotten rusty without Dianne around to practice it with. “Sorry,” she said. “That didn’t come out at all right.”
“It’s okay,” Chrissy smiled. “But really, I haven’t been back here long enough to even meet many guys, let alone find a good one.” She took a bite of lobster, chewed and swallowed. “Hey, speaking of that, I just had a thought.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah.” Chrissy nodded and grinned. “I was wondering if you could do me a small favor.”
“What might that be?”
Chrissy leaned closer. Her smile was conspiratorial. “I was wondering if you could introduce me to Sam Pender.”
“What?” Claudia almost choked on the last forkful of salmon.
“Yeah,” Chrissy went on, still smiling. “I saw him back at City Hall yesterday. Now he looks like a real…interesting guy. You do know him, don’t you? I mean, it was in the file that he insisted Simonds hire you. It also said he was a resident of this area. I’d kinda like to meet him.” Her blue eyes were guileless.
Claudia regretted letting her guard down. This was a much more indirect approach than the one Esther Green had tried. She wondered how much she’d given away. “Maybe something could be arranged,” she said. She tried to sound casual, but she doubted that it worked.
“Would I be poaching?” Chrissy seemed concerned. “I mean, are you interested in him yourself?”
Claudia sighed. “I have all I can handle with this case,” she replied. “And whether I’m interested in him or not, I live at the opposite end of the country.”
“Oh…so you could introduce me?”
***
Claudia leaned back in her office chair and sighed. It was clear to her that whether or not Chrissy was interested in Sam (and it was easy to believe that she was), Simonds Assurance was interested in her existing relationship to him, even if they weren’t sure just how close it was. She wondered if they’d sent anybody around to her office back East to try to pump Jerry or Amanda for information. No, that wasn’t likely. They wouldn’t have gotten anything out of Jerry, and he would have told her about it if they’d tried. Amanda didn’t know anything, but she would have mentioned if anyone had been asking her questions as well.
It puzzled her. What were they trying to find out, and why? Whatever it was, it no doubt had a lot to do with Sam being so careful not to be seen with her after that first day. Why couldn’t he tell her what that was all about?
She turned back to the reason she’d come out here and flipped through the very thin file she’d accumulated. She’d wanted to interview the two security guards from the night in question. The police had already interrogated them, decided they had no connection with the crime and let them go. Jack Simms, the one who had failed to call in sick had left town two days later, packing his few belongings into his battered old van and heading west. He’d left no forwarding address, but it was assumed he’d gone to California. The county police had previously determined he’d done nothing criminal, aside from skipping out on a couple of bills, so they had no further interest in him. They also had no interest in helping Claudia track him down. The other guard…Charley Grover…well, he had just about disappeared. He was still in the area somewhere, as far as anyone knew. He had a pattern of taking low-paying jobs for a while until his drinking got to be too much for even the most desperate employer, then fading into the background for a while until he ran out of money for booze and had to sober up to get a job to earn some money to buy some more. One helpful county cop had told her this. He’d been sure old Charley would resurface soon in no more than a couple of weeks.
Unfortunately, Claudia didn’t have a couple of weeks. She had a couple of days. Maybe old Charley wouldn’t have been able to help her investigation at all, but it would have been nice to find out for sure for herself.
There was a knock at the door. “Ms. Cole? Claudia?”
Oh, great. Chrissy had an annoying habit of checking every so often to see if she wanted something. Usually it was coffee, but she would also offer to go pick up some lunch or a soda, or…the list was a long one and included things Claudia had never even thought of asking for. Maybe she was just trying to be helpful. The case had stalled, there wasn’t a lot of typing or filing for her to do, and all of her considerable energy might need an outlet. At least she hadn’t brought Sam up in conversation since that night.
Sam hadn’t even brought himself up lately. She hadn’t seen or heard from him at all. The case had her frustrated and angry and it would have been nice for him to show up and help her relax. Her hand strayed up to the pocket of her shirt, where she kept the little cellphone. She badly wanted to call him, if only to hear his voice. He’d told her the phone was for an emergency, though. She wasn’t sure he’d agree that her being lonely and horny was an emergency.
“What is it?” she called out.
The door opened and Chrissy stuck her head in. “I was going to go for lunch. You wanna come with?”
Okay…maybe she was just feeling lonely herself, coming back to her hometown to find everyone she knew gone. Maybe she really just wanted to be friends. But she was so relentlessly, remorselessly cheerful about it all the time!
“I’ll come with,” Claudia answered. “I’m not getting anywhere here.”
“I wish I could help.”
“Well, you could start by letting me drive,” Claudia chuckled.
***
“I didn’t see you at the health club last night,” Chrissy mentioned as they drove to another restaurant she’d recommended.
“Too tired,” Claudia replied. “Anyway, I had a lot of thinking to do. Thanks for the invite, but I don’t think I’m going to have a chance to get there before I have to leave.”
“It’s okay,” Chrissy shrugged. “I understand. Anyway, you’ll never guess who I did meet there.”
“Who did you meet?”
“Anna Turco. She goes there a lot, she says. You’d never guess by looking at her just how strong she is. She can bench press like a man.”
Claudia recalled Anna’s painful handshake. “She seemed pretty strong to me.”
“You should see her in gym tights. She’s got muscles. Not like a body builder, but pretty impressive anyway. We went out together afterwards and chatted for a while. She seems like a pretty nice person.”
“I hope you didn’t chat about the case to her.”
Chrissy laughed. “I know better than that! No, we just talked girl-stuff. You know, about diets and clothes and men.”
“Just don’t talk about this case…with anyone.”
“I won’t.”
Chapter Fourteen
Claudia let herself linger over a long lunch with Chrissy. She didn’t feel much like conversation, but Chrissy seemed able to keep one going for both of them. Most of what she said had to do with how she remembered her hometown used to be. It was moderately interesting, but the country was probably full of people who could talk about that. Claudia only listened with half an ear. Chrissy didn’t seem to notice.
“Ah…do you think we should be getting back to the office soon?”
“I’m sorry…wha
t?” Chrissy’s question cut through the fog of Claudia’s thinking.
“Do you think we ought to get back to the office soon?” Chrissy repeated. “I mean, it’s past two.”
“Is it? I’m sorry. I lost track of the time,” Claudia replied.
“What were you thinking about?” Chrissy tilted her head and looked at her with some concern. “I mean, you were just staring off into space, not moving at all.”
Claudia sighed. “This case is getting to me. Tell you what, Chrissy, let’s call it a day. I’m going to take a drive. Maybe it will help me think.”
“Really?” Chrissy looked dubious.
“Really,” Claudia nodded. “I’ll make sure you get paid for the whole day.”
Chrissy laughed. “I’m on salary.”
“Well, then it shouldn’t be a problem. We locked up the office before we left, so I’ll see you there tomorrow morning, okay?”
“Okay,” Chrissy shrugged. “Think you might stop by the health club later?”
“I don’t know,” Claudia shook her head. “We’ll see.”
***
She drove back out to the jobsite. Today it was swarming with workers, but she didn’t see much getting accomplished. She didn’t have a pass to get through the security gate, so she parked across the street and watched for a while. She could just see Anna Turco’s car from her vantage point. It was parked between two other cars, both dark sedans. Maybe she had a new boss and some extra security.
It was too hot to sit there without running the air conditioner and after a while she began to think of the gas she was wasting. She put the car in gear and drove away, keeping an eye out for Officer Pipes. She kept within the speed limit, even when a big tanker rig nearly crawled up her tailpipe. The fact was, she was so deep in thought that she didn’t even notice him until he leaned on his horn.
It wasn’t a good idea to drive while she was so distracted. She didn’t really want to go back to her hotel, but she didn’t particularly want to go anywhere else either. She headed back into the city. At least at the hotel she could treat herself to a long, hot soak in the tub. It might help her think and it might not, but at least it would feel good.
She was alone in the elevator going up to her suite when the cellphone Sam had given her began to chirp. It sounded exactly like the cardinals that used to nest in the tree outside her window when she was a girl back on the farm. She fished it out of her pocket and flipped it open. “Hello?”
“Hi, Red.” It was Sam’s voice. He sounded tired.
“Where have you been?” she asked. “Are you okay?”
“Just business, Red. I flew into town way early this morning and I’m feelin’ it. I tried stoppin’ by your office but there was nobody there.”
“Are you there now?”
“No. Actually, I’m here in your hotel. Just saw you get on the elevator. You want some company?”
“I was going to take a bath,” she answered. “I think the tub’s big enough for two.”
She paused. “Everything all right, Sammy?”
After a moment, she heard him chuckle. “Yeah, Claudie, everything’s all right. See you in a bit.”
The phone went dead. Claudia grinned. He’d remembered the little trick she and Dianne had to let each other know things really were okay. She folded the phone up and tucked it into her pocket. A moment later, when the elevator doors slid open, she was humming to herself and grinning.
***
“Mmmmmm…” Claudia purred. “That feels good!”
“You feel kinda tense, Red,” Sam observed. His hands worked their way up and down her back, fingers probing at the muscles. They were sitting in a tub full of hot, soapy water. She had her back to him. The tub was just wide enough for his legs to fit on either side of her. “How are you doin’ on the case?”
“Not very well, I’m afraid.”
“Bad?” He kept massaging her back. He had strong fingers, and they were finding all the right places.
“Nothing but dead ends. I think the only way to prove your friend didn’t steal the money is to prove someone else did.”
“Can you do that?”
“Right now I don’t see how, Sam.” She turned her head to look back at him over her shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
“You givin’ up?”
“No, of course not. But I just can’t come up with anything.”
“Red,” he leaned forward and kissed her shoulder. “”It ain’t over until you quit or the time runs out. And I don’t think you’re the quittin’ type.”
“This is important to you, isn’t it?”
“Damned important.”
“Can you tell me why? He was your friend, I know, but there’s something more to it that you haven’t told me.”
“There is…but I can’t tell you right now. Can you trust me on it, Red?” His hands slipped down to her waist. His thumbs began making small circles to either side of the base of her spine.
“Ahhh!” Claudia groaned. “Mmm…just keep doing that and I’ll trust you with my car keys and ATM card.”
***
Naked, dried and handcuffed, she let Sam lead her into the bedroom. She opened her mouth so he could stuff a small wad of white cloth into it. Then he used a length of silvery duct tape to seal her lips. The massaging in the tub had already made her horny, but when she caught sight of herself in the mirror her arousal went to a whole new level.
She’d seen many, many pictures of bound women. They were easy enough to find on-line, and once she’d convinced herself she was looking for ideas, it was easier for her to study them. She thought that a lot of them were too elaborate, used too much rope, and made it impossible for a man to use his helpless captive. What Sam had done was much simpler. It used only the cold steel handcuffs chaining her hands behind her, the little wad of cloth, and the strip of tape. It was very like what some intruder might do to render his chosen prey helpless to resist or scream for help. She couldn’t look away from her image in the mirror. Her eyes taking in the creamy white flesh, pink nipples that were already hard, the triangle of curly hairs between her long, strong, slim legs that was the exact same coppery shade as the hair on her head…and she had always found tape gags very, very sexy. Then Sam reached around from behind her to cup her breasts in both hands and squeeze gently, her vision blurred.
“You like what you see?” he purred into her ear. Maybe a tiger would purr that way, deeply and resonantly. His hands manipulated the soft flesh of her breasts, pinching her nipples lightly. The stubble of his beard rasped against her shoulder. Claudia shuddered and moaned. She started to lean back against him. No…he had been away for too long. She was going to make him work for it.
She lunged forward, heading for the door to the sitting room of her suite. Sam must have been surprised, because she made it through. She hesitated for only a moment before heading for the door to the hallway. Sam caught her by her hair before she could make it. She was relieved, because she certainly wasn’t going to try to open the door and run out of her suite naked. She had a sudden worry that she hadn’t drawn the drapes in this room, and promptly forgot it.
Sam hauled her back to the bedroom. She struggled as best she could, but his grip on her hair hurt if she tried too hard. Once he had her inside the bedroom, he shut the door one-handed and then turned her to face him. There was a fierce hunger in his eyes. It made her shiver deliciously. Then his arms went around her, pulling her close. She loved the feel of his clothes against her bare skin, and when his hands slid down to grip her ass she moaned. Her eyes fluttered shut. His mouth fastened on a nipple, sucking hard, teasing it with his tongue. Any thought of further resistance faded from her mind. She wanted him at least as much as he wanted her…she had from the start.
He pushed her to the floor, making her lie face-down on the rug. She whimpered, trying to play up the part of a frightened, helpless…albeit aroused…captive. He patted her rump once, not too hard. Then he went to the bed. She wondered what he was doing f
or a moment. She saw him throw back the covers and then pull the top sheet off. He snapped it out once and laid it down on the floor next to her. Then he rolled her onto the sheet. She lay on her back, shifting around so the handcuffs wouldn’t dig into her and looked up at him, whimpering. She kept her knees together. Looking down at her, Sam just grinned. Then he began to unbuckle his belt.
Claudia caught herself staring. She looked away, whimpering again.
“Get on your belly,” he ordered. His voice sounded hoarse and raspy, the way it always did when he wanted to sound menacing. Claudia began to comply. She changed her whimpering to sobs.
“Faster,” Sam hissed. She obeyed, trying to act as if she were frightened. Sam slapped her rump lightly.
“Get your pretty little ass up in the air,” he growled. She whimpered and arched her back only a little. He slapped a little harder. “Higher, bitch,” he growled. “You know damn’ well what I want.”
It was what she wanted too. Being taken from behind while bound…or in this case, handcuffed…and gagged always excited her enormously. She got up on her knees, turning her head to one side on the sheet and closing her eyes. She whimpered again, but when she felt Sam’s hand exploring between her legs the whimper turned into a moan.
“Spread ‘em,” Sam ordered, giving her another spank. She complied. She felt Sam kneel between her legs and force them even further apart by using his knees. His hands gripped her hips. She shivered in anticipation. He slapped her ass once more. This time it stung, and she yelped. “Get ready for a ride,” he chuckled.
He rammed himself into her so hard that all of her breath went out through her nose in a deep grunt. His hands held her in place as he did it again.
Claudia squirmed and squealed. He felt huge and rock-hard, and he was pounding her without mercy. She braced herself as best she could, but it was Sam’s iron grip on her hips that kept her in place. She could feel herself being filled with every thrust he made, and the feeling was almost unbearably intense. She felt a need for more air than she could inhale through her nose and her vision blurred. Sam kept pumping away.
