by Donna Hill
He groaned softly and pressed his face between the swell of her breasts, inhaled the sweet fragrance of her skin until he was dizzy with needing her again.
She stood and the robe dropped from her shoulders. She reached down and freed him from his boxers before slowly lowering herself onto him.
“From now on we have to be fully dressed at the kitchen table,” Ashley shouted as she hurried down the hallway to the front door. She snatched her coat from the closet and when she turned, Elliot was right in front of her.
He threaded his fingers through the back of her thick hair and pulled her close up against him. Her kissed her until her knees wobbled.
“It never stopped us before,” he said against her mouth, while his free hand snaked beneath her blouse to caress her breasts.
She whimpered a weak protest, feeling herself dampening with desire. She grabbed his hand. “E, I have to go.”
He ran his tongue along her neck. “I know.”
“Then stop,” she said, her voice hitching when he tweaked her nipple.
“I can’t…” He turned her back to the wall and pulled her skirt up around her waist.
“E…” she moaned, knowing that her body was betraying her best intentions.
“Ssssh, baby,” he hummed in her ear as his hand slid down around the band of her thong and stockings, to find her wet and wanting. “Just what I was looking for,” he said, staring deep into her eyes as his fingers dipped in and out of the honey that was her essence.
Ashley stepped out of her heels and it was the last signal that Elliot needed. He took a handful of her stocking and ripped them open from the crotch. Her red thong was about as much of a roadblock as dental floss. He grabbed her and lifted her up, pressed her securely against the wall as she wrapped her legs around him.
On still-shaky legs, Ashley finally arrived at MT Management. She’d called Mia from the car to let her know that she’d be late after taking yet another shower—alone—and changing her clothes. They had a meeting with a potential client at eleven and she walked in the door with barely fifteen minutes to spare. She put her purse in her desk, greeting Melody, the new intern, then walked to Mia’s office in the back of the ground-floor space. She knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Mia called out.
Ashley opened the door and stuck her head in. When Mia looked up and saw her, Ashley would have sworn that there was a big old scarlet letter posted on her forehead for all the world to see. But of course that was ridiculous.
“Hey. ’Morning. Everything, okay? You’re never late.” She went back to reviewing her file.
Ashley swallowed. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just some things came…up this morning.”
“Not a problem, the client called just before you got here and needs to push the meeting back until later this afternoon.”
“Oh, great,” she said, breathing a sigh of relief. “It will give us some time to go over our notes.”
MT Management was Mia’s dream come true. It was the perfect complement to her personality. She was an obsessive organizer and her attention to detail and planning the perfect event from your basic baby shower to mega corporate getaways was legendary. She knew everyone who was anyone worth knowing to get a job done. Mia Turner’s contact list could go on the market for millions, which was why MT Management was the most highly paid, sought after event planning business in New York.
Mia swept her glasses off the bridge of her pert nose and closed the folder in front of her. She waved off Ashley’s comment. “We have time to discuss business. You’ve been off the radar the past couple of days. What’s happening with the case and the man you love to hate?”
Ashley tugged at the collar of her blouse.
Mia squinted. “Is something wrong?”
Ashley flashed an awkward smile. “I wouldn’t say wrong exactly.”
Mia’s brows rose. She got up from her desk and went to close the door. She sat back down and buzzed Melody on the intercom. “Mel, hold all my calls for a few minutes, okay.”
“Sure thing, Ms. Turner.”
Mia turned her attention fully on Ashley. “If you want to talk I’m all ears and I have all day.” She waited a beat. “You were there for me through the whole Michael debacle.” Her voice softened. “You were the only one I trusted to listen without question or judgment. Not even Savannah or Danielle. I’m willing to do the same, whatever it is.”
Ashley drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. “How ’bout if I tell this tale just once?”
Mia’s somber expression brightened. “Then, girl, it must be juicy!” She pressed the intercom again. “Mel, do me a favor and call Mr. Archer. Tell him I deeply apologize but we’ll have to reschedule at his convenience.” She hung up and before Ashley could say a word, Mia had contacted Savannah, Danielle and Traci who all agreed to drop everything and meet her and Ashley at The Shop in an hour.
Ashley simply shook her head and went along for the ride. Once Mia was revved up and had an agenda there was no stopping her. Besides, who better to air her dirty laundry than with her girls.
Danielle and Traci were already at their booth when Ashley and Mia walked in.
“Hello ladies,” they all greeted in unison, buzzing one anothers’ cheeks.
“Where’s Savannah?” Mia asked, sliding in next to Traci.
“She texted me a few minutes ago, said she was stuck in traffic, but was on her way.”
“Guess we can order in the meantime,” Mia said.
They flipped open their menus and gave their orders to the waitress, just as Savannah breezed in.
“Sorry I’m late,” Savannah said, a bit breathless. She squeezed in next to Mia and blew kisses to everyone. “So what’s so pressing to get us all up in The Shop on a Tuesday?” she asked, with a big grin.
“I think sista girl here has some things she needs to get off her chest,” Danielle quipped, looking at Ashley.
All eyes turned to Ashley.
She looked from one expectant face to the next. “All right, all right, you beat it out of me. I slept with him.”
Four mouths dropped open at the same time but nothing came out.
Traci was the first to recover. “Are we talking about the same man that less than a week ago, you couldn’t stand the sight of?”
“You don’t have to put it quite like that,” Ashley said meekly.
“Okay, so how would you put it?” Dani asked.
Ashley swallowed. “It’s not that simple.”
“It never is, sweetie,” Savannah said. She reached out and covered Ashley’s hand. “Tell us what you want to, and keep what you don’t to yourself,” she said gently, always the diplomat.
Ashley pressed her lips together. Slowly she shook her head. “I don’t know…one minute we at each other’s throats and the next we were rolling around in bed…in the shower…in the chair…in the hall…” Her voice drifted off as the images of the two of them played in full color in her head making her toes curl right inside her Jimmy Choos.
The quartet’s brows were raised so high they all but disappeared into their hairlines.
“Forget about keeping anything to yourself,” Danielle finally said. “I want details.” Her voice rose two octaves. “In the hall?”
Mia threw Danielle a look.
“What, what did I say?” Danielle asked, looking innocent.
Mia just shook her head.
The waitress arrived with their food.
“You can share my plate,” Traci said to Savannah who’d never gotten around to ordering. She pushed the plate between them.
“Can we have a round of mimosas?” Mia asked the waitress before she left the table.
“Make mine a double,” Ashley muttered.
Over drinks, good food and friendship, Ashley tried to unravel the story that had suddenly become her life. She told them of the tension that simmered between her and Elliot like a pot of stew ready to boil over. How they’d finally talked, about themselves, life, the world. She tol
d them about Lynn and how it had devastated him, leaving him unwilling and pretty much unable to care about anyone, especially someone that he worked with. And then she told them about the weight that she’d carried in her heart for the past twenty-three years.
“Oh my God, Ashley,” Savannah cried, the only one so far out of their group who had a child and could completely understand a parent’s worst nightmare.
“Why didn’t you ever say anything to us, to me?” Mia asked.
“It’s hard. It’s still hard to talk about. Guilt is a terrible thing.” She sniffed, fighting back tears. “When I got this case I thought that maybe this was the chance that had eluded me and my family for years. I finally had the means and resources of doing what the police couldn’t do years ago.”
“Do you think that’s why Jean selected you, because she knows?” Savannah asked, understanding all too well the reach and wealth of knowledge that Jean possessed.
Four pairs of eyes settled on Ashley.
“The thought did occur to me. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit. But I didn’t want to mention it to her if she didn’t know.”
“That’s probably best,” Traci said.
They sipped their drinks.
“So, other than mind-altering sex, how do you feel about Elliot?” Mia asked, breaking the silence.
Ashley offered a shadow of a smile. “I like him. I really do. Beneath the tough exterior and all the bluster, there’s a decent, caring man. Someone that I want to get to know better.” She paused for a moment and looked from one supportive face to another. “I want it to be more than great sex.”
Mia squeezed her hand. “I don’t want you to get your hopes up, Ash. From everything you’ve told us about Elliot he’s not one to settle down. His job and the challenge of it have become his life. This may just be another assignment for him. You have to prepare yourself for that.”
Ashley bobbed her head. “I know. But I’m willing to see how far it will go before it’s over. And I intend to make the most of every minute.”
After the two-hour lunch they all decided to call it a day and promised to touch base with each other during the week. Ashley returned to the apartment and found it empty. She walked through the sprawling space touching the things they’d touched, breathing the air they’d breathed. She walked down the hall to her bedroom. She pushed open the door and her breath caught in her chest. On the nightstand was a crystal vase filled to overflowing with a burst of orange and peach colored roses. Propped up in front of the vase was a plain white envelope.
She crossed the room and lifted the envelope, turned it over and opened it. There was a card inside. The handwriting was even and strong.
“It was real. Don’t doubt it. See you later. E.”
She pressed the note to her chest, leaned down and inhaled the heady scent of the roses. She read the note again. Maybe her life had morphed into one of those sexy romance novels, where the inexplicable is commonplace. But every romance novel has a happily ever after ending. She placed the card on the table. She only wished she could flip the pages of this chapter of her life to the epilogue.
Chapter 15
At precisely six-thirty, Ashley and Elliot were seated in the front office of Happy Homes Adoption Agency. Elliot held Ashley’s hand and the warmth and comfort of it was no pretense. She locked her fingers around his and easily slipped into her role as his loving wife.
“We at Happy Homes are very proud of our success record of pairing eligible parents with the perfect child,” Gail Hastings, the case worker said. She looked over their application, nodding her head as she reviewed the information. She looked up at them. “Of course we’ll have to verify everything and make several house visits. It’s all part of our procedure.”
“We totally understand,” Elliot said. “All we want is the chance to be the great parents that I know we can be.”
Ashley leaned forward, zeroed in on Gail. Her voice wobbled. “We’ve tried everything,” she said. “In vitro didn’t work and we began running out of money. We’re down to our last hundred thousand dollars.” She turned sad eyes on Elliot. “We can’t risk going through the heartache and disappointment again. Adoption is our last chance.” She lowered her head and covered her face with her hands.
Elliot put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. He mouthed, “I’m sorry,” to Gail. She nodded her head in understanding.
“We’ll certainly do everything we can, Mr. and Mrs. Morgan.” She handed Ashley a tissue.
Ashley sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Thank you,” she murmured.
“We have all of your information. We’ll be in touch.” She stood. The interview was over.
Elliot helped Ashley to her feet. He extended his hand to Gail. “Thank you for your time.”
“Of course.”
They turned to leave. Once they were outside, Elliot spun her around and kissed her fully on the lips. “You were damned good in there and the tears were a nice touch.”
Ashley grinned. “I was kinda good, wasn’t I?”
“Very. Let’s go home and celebrate.”
Curled up together on the couch, Ashley sipped on a glass of wine and Elliot worked on a bottle of beer as they watched video images from several windows on their computer. The images were from five of the locations they’d visited.
“Nothing out of the ordinary,” Elliot said.
“What about audio?”
“I played the tapes earlier today. Nothing.”
“Hopefully by tomorrow, we’ll get a hit from the e-mail account.”
She draped her legs across his lap. “This is like looking for a needle in a haystack. There are hundreds of agencies and who’s to say that the ones on our list are even involved?” She tossed her head back against the cushion of the couch and closed her eyes.
“We’re just getting started,” he said. “We’ll keep digging until we find what we’re looking for.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “We have two more to visit tomorrow.” He took a last look at the recorded video then shut down the computer. “Patience,” he added.
She opened her eyes and looked at him. “I’ve been patient for twenty-three years,” she said softly. “I’m about out of patience.”
Elliot stroked her cheek. She captured his hand and held it against her face. “Ready to turn in? It’s after midnight.”
“Your room or mine?” she asked.
“Let’s do something wild and crazy.” He rubbed her thigh.
She sat up. “Something more wild and crazy than what’s been going on since we met?”
“Yeah, my room, two nights in a row!”
She laughed. “You’re on.”
“Last one in fixes breakfast,” he said, leaping up from the couch and making a move for the hallway.
Ashley grabbed the tail of his shirt, throwing him off his stride and pushed past him. She took off down the hall with Elliot hot on her heels. She yelped and giggled as she burst through his door.
He grabbed her and tossed her on the bed, landing solidly down next to her. He rolled on top of her, smothering her laughter. “You cheated,” he said, nibbling her neck.
“You got a head start.”
“You know what they do to cheaters?”
“What?”
“They get exposed…for who they really are,” he said, as he began unbuttoning her blouse.
“I plead guilty,” she murmured against his mouth. “Guilty as charged.”
Over the course of the next three weeks, they worked tirelessly, going on interviews, filling out forms and watching videos. The Trojan that was planted on the computers at the agencies through e-mail transmission turned up nothing out of the ordinary. From everything they’d discovered so far, the agencies on the list were all above board.
In between being frustrated by their lack of progress, they explored the city together, sat up long into the night sharing stories of their youth, high school, college, movies and music that they loved and hated. They found
out that their favorite movie of all time was When a Stranger Calls.
“I think I woke up the whole neighborhood with my screaming,” Ashley admitted over her laughter. “When the babysitter found out that the murderer had been making calls from the attic right in her house, oh my goodness, I lost it.”
“That part had everyone going. But the sequel got me,” Elliot admitted. “When that nut painted himself as part of the wall and stepped out behind her…”
“Yes,” she squealed, giving a little shiver. “That was over the top.”
Elliot talked about the rough life he’d lived growing up in Baltimore, the losses he’d seen, the destruction. “I guess that’s why I chose the life that I did. Danger was part of my makeup. Survival. You know.”
“But do you ever get tired of it? I mean the never knowing.”
He breathed heavily as he twirled a strand of her hair around his finger. “Most of the time I don’t think about it. At least I try not to. It’s a job, a job that keeps my mind from focusing on me. But sometimes I wake up in some strange hotel, in some strange city and I have to ask myself what the hell I’m doing.”
She listened to the steady beat of his heart. “What answer do you come up with?”
“I’m still trying to find out,” he said, his voice taking on a wistful tone. “Maybe one day I will.”
As Ashley lay curled next to him, she wondered if she would be a part of his maybe.
“It’s been more than a month,” Ashley said as they drove to Justin’s Restaurant for dinner.
The famed eatery owned by P. Diddy—aka Puffy to old-school buffs—was noted for the good food, friendly service and being a frequent haunt of celebrities. Somehow, through Elliot’s vast array of connections, he’d secured VIP passes to see a one-night-only private show by Whitney Houston. Since her return to the spotlight after nearly a ten-year hiatus she was the hottest ticket in town.
