Afraid in the Dark (Stalker Series Book One)

by Rita Hestand

  She turned her head so she could kiss his chin, "I've never been so hot in my life. Every time I see you I get excited." She admitted. "It can be embarrassing."

  Kisses were everywhere. His lips went to cover one pert nipple. "You're so damned gorgeous. I can't keep my hands or eyes off you. It's all I can do sometimes to control myself when I see you in the hallways. But I have to, don't I? At least while I'm working." He rasped.

  "Only for a while longer darling…" she murmured, her breathing beginning to return to normal. He laid down and pulled her on top of him so he could fondle her breasts with one hand and the other hand wandered lower while they talked. She'd lost breath occasionally as his love-making was continuous and her body had grown sensitive to his light touches.

  "I don't know how long I can do this. We've got to be together. I want you in my bed, all night long. Why don't we just get married and be done with it?"

  "Have patience, I've already got a plan in mind. A plan that will not only make us very happy, and very rich, but finance our honeymoon and the rest of our lives."

  "What are you talking about?" He stopped playing long enough to look at her.

  She smiled like a feline cat with milk all over her face.

  "I hired Norma's replacement today. And you won't believe how perfect she is. She's even better than I'd hoped for. You wouldn't believe how much she looks like Norma. I still gasp when I see their resemblance. They could be twins, darling. Oh, it's going to be so perfect for us." she ripped his snaps open on his shirt and covered his chest with kisses.

  He hurriedly kicked his shoes off and shrugged out of his pants.

  "What?" He barely managed to say as her hand drifted downward. His eyes lit like candles, staring into hers.

  "She could easily pass for Norma's twin, only different color of hair."

  He came up to look into her eyes, and stare at her beautiful breasts. "So?"

  He didn't want to talk about some new hire, he wanted to take her again.

  "So, we're going to be together a lot sooner than you think."

  "You mean that?" He stopped long enough to look into her eyes.

  "Of course, darling, I miss you as much as you miss me. This can't go on this way forever you know. Someone is bound to find out. And you know how badly we need each other. I've got it all planned now too. In three months, we'll be married, on our way to the Bahama's and richer than you'd ever imagined."

  "Are you serious?" His kisses stopped, his hand stilled and he turned her so he could see her face.

  "Yes, no more of this life. We deserve much better."

  "I'm glad you think so, because we've got to be together babe." He nibbled her nipple now and she bucked against him in reaction. "How do you do it?" She protested with a chuckle. "You manage to make me so horny I can't see straight. After you leave I can hardly walk, but it's such a delicious feeling, when I think of what we share."

  "Easy baby, no rush, the night watchman won't be up here for another hour. Right now, I want you again. We'll talk later."

  "Oh yeah…" She breathed a sigh as his lips ran all over her.

  "The door is locked, right?"

  "Of course."

  She kissed his nipple. His arms went around her and he toyed with her until she was on fire for him. He knew every hot point of her body. He knew what pleased her, what she wanted next, and he was always eager to give it to her.

  She sighed as the already sensitive skin reacted to his warm lips on her.

  She moaned and he flicked his tongue against her nipple. She squirmed beneath him, his teeth nipped here and there as her body reacted to his constant teasing. His mouth devoured hers once more when she sighed in a soft whisper. They were lost in lust for half an hour, kissing, feeling, maybe even breathing. When he plunged inside her she was so hot they both nearly exploded with the pleasure.

  When she climaxed he smiled? "Better?"

  "Much better," she cooed barely able to breath from the exquisite orgasm.

  Her hands were all over him, loving him, kissing him. And suddenly there was a sound as the night watchman tried to turn the knob at the door. It was locked.

  They both held their breath.

  A few minutes later, when they were sure he wasn't on the floor, he kissed her and began fixing her clothes. Still, he hadn't buttoned her blouse nor put her bra on, he liked looking at her this way. She had magnificent breasts, bold and beautiful, with the pinkest nipples that turned a rose color when he made love to them.

  "So, she looks like Norma, what will that do for us?" He asked as he kissed her chin, and brought her beautiful breasts against his chest. He sighed with contentment.

  "Norma's gonna work with us. She's an important part of the plan."

  "How?" his voice sounded harsh now. "Why involve anyone else. They could easily slip up, tell on us."

  "Easy honey. Norma wants a baby. I'll get her the baby. I've already got that worked out. And it won't even be a problem. But she's gonna steal this girl's identity. Then you'll leave town with Norma and meet up with me. They'll think it's this Melanie character, as she won't be returning to work again. You see darling, the girl is rich beyond words, more than I first thought. Her family is like southern money itself. Once Norma has her identity we can clean her bank accounts out and Norma gets her baby, we get the money and all is well. Simple"

  "Are you serious? You're going to steal a baby for Norma?"

  She looked strangely at him, as though she couldn't believe that was all he heard.

  "No, it's gonna be so simple. I figured a way to do it, when she was so busy getting caught. You do want to be with me, don't you?"

  "More than anything in this world. You know that. You are everything a man could possibly want."

  "Then all we have to do is get her identity."

  "And what stops this Melanie from turning us in?"

  "That's where you come in, darling. You'll be feeding her a poison that takes a while to be effective. By the time we are through, she will be too. And it will be so slow a death no one will know what hit her. By the time, they figure out there was foul play we'll be long gone."

  "How long is this going to take?"

  "A while, you'll have to earn her trust, maybe even make love to her. But remember to save the best for me."

  "Too easy, are you sure we can pull it off?"

  "Positive. If you really want me as bad as you say you do."

  "You know I want you, all the time." He rasped. "But with the money you make, and the money I make, why do we have to do this? We could live pretty good."

  She frowned. "Sure, for a while. But with her money, we won't have to work if we do this, and it's such a sweet set up. How can we not. We'll be set for life and won't have to work again. We'll live in the Bahama's."

  "Your serious?" He sat up now and stared at her. "How much money are we talking about?"

  Her head turned a bit and she smiled as she sat up with him, biting his lower lip she kissed him hotly. "Five million." She whispered.

  He repeated and she nodded.

  "You might have to romance this kid a while, to gain her confidence. The poison I have in mind will kill her slowly. All you need to do is put it in her drink. Simple."

  "Kill?" he raised up now and looked her in the eye.

  "Either you want us together or not. Which is it?" She asked, waiting for his answer impatiently.

  "You know I do. But killing…"

  "It'll mean a clean get away. By the time the police figure out what has happened, we'll be in the Bahamas."

  "Sounds a little too easy."

  "It will be if everyone does their part. Besides, Norma is the key to it all. After you and Norma leave town, you'll both go to the bank and withdraw her money and we'll be on our way to happiness. Norma will have the baby, only she'll be Melanie George by then and no one will suspect her. You realize I'm trusting you not to fall in love with this naïve little kid, or Norma. You see when you go back to check if it's working, you'l
l plant Norma's ID on her, so they'll think they have the bad girl, and never find the baby."

  "I've been with Norma," He said casually, so much so she reared her head.

  "Been with her? For God's sake, why?" Julia's beautiful lips snarled.

  "Her husband left her, she was lonely, and we had sex one night. Don't look at me like that, it's not like you haven't indulged with others."

  "Did you enjoy it?"

  "At the time it was a relief, because I hadn't seen you in a week. She's not bad, I'll give her that, but she doesn't have your body. You've got the most perfect body I've ever known."

  "Remind me not to neglect you, darling."

  "I will, often." He murmured then bent to kiss another nipple.

  She sighed.

  "And this kid, well, no worries there babe. Why would I want either of them when I've got a woman in my arms that I want? I mean, look at you babe, you are perfect in every way. Luscious breasts, nice wide hips, and we've have the best sex ever."

  "Play along with me and we'll be happy and rich."

  "Honey," He rasped, "I'd do anything for you, even kill."

  "I feel the same. We're just getting rid of Norma Wells once and for all. That should make the police very happy."

  "But how are you going to steal a baby?"

  "I'm not."

  "You're not?"

  "No, Patricia Beasley is sixteen and pregnant. She's the daughter of one of my best friends. She wants to finish high school and go on to college, but with a baby she can't. So, she's willing to give her baby up. So, in a way, I'm doing a good deed. And everyone will be happy in the end." She purred.

  "Except this Melanie girl."

  "Except her."

  She kissed him, her hands going to his nipples as she played with them. Suddenly he wanted inside her again. "You have an insatiable appetite for me." She giggled softly.

  "Damned straight I do. You are so damned beautiful. I think about you sometimes during the day, I can hardly walk." He nibbled her once more. He set her on his lap and guided himself inside her backside, she gasped in his ear. She didn't prefer this kind of sex, but he knew how to make it enjoyable. His hand went around her to rub against her sex nub. She sighed with such undeniable pleasure. "Give it to me baby." She whispered. Then he pumped her so hard she nearly passed out from the sheer pleasure. She groaned with a sumptuous smile.

  Later as they snuggled into each other, she sighed. "No man has ever pleasured me as much as you do. I mean, you are so uninhibited about sex. I've never known a man like you before. I love it. You'll do anything I ask of you." She sighed comfortably. "Picture us drinking martinis and having sex all day…" She cooed into his ear. They were perfect lovers, and that's what they would always be, only they'd soon be rich too.

  ***

  "The next morning, Melanie made herself some coffee by boiling the grounds in water and draining it through a strainer. It wasn't perfect, but it did wake her a little. Lounging in her pjs, she pattered about her new apartment looking for things to do and measuring what she might need here and there. She needed to unpack what she had and buy a few groceries. But she didn't feel like going out. She was tired from going to sleep so late. Instead she cleaned the inside of the refrigerator and wiped out the drawers so she could put her stuff in there. She started loading her gadget drawer and realized quickly there was a lot of things she needed to pick up. She had unloaded the box of odds and ends last night before she went to bed.

  While she made a short list of things she would need right away, Corinne called telling her all about the move to San Antonio and asking about her. Melanie listened to Corinne's excited voice and could almost picture her standing next to her and talking. She'd already seen Jason and he was tickled pink she was working in San Antonio. Melanie smiled, happy for her friend. When she hung up she almost wished she could muster that much enthusiasm about her new place. But loneliness hit her hard this morning. No one was here to celebrate with. Then her mother called and she talked to her half the morning. She was still in her pjs when someone knocked on her door.

  "Gotta go Mom, someone's at the door."

  "Alright dear."

  She looked through her peephole, but she didn't recognize the nice-looking man who stood there waiting for her to open her door.

  Her hair tousled, and no make-u, she answered the door, not knowing what to expect from this man. She knew he'd be shocked to see a woman in her pjs and it was nearly noon.

  The man grinned when he realized she had just gotten up.

  "Sorry to wake you. I'm your neighbor down the hall there. I was wondering if you might have some coffee. I'm all out." He smiled charmingly at her.

  "Sure, I've got enough to share." She glanced down at her pjs and grinned. "Sorry, I've been on the phone all morning."

  He grinned. "Caught you at your best, did I?"

  She chuckled softly. She extended her hand, "My name's Melanie, my friends call me Mel." She smiled at him. "Come on in."

  He gave her a quick once over and returned her smile, "Mel huh, I like that. I'm Dexter Cooper, my friends call me Dex."

  "Dex, I like that too. It's so informal, so laid-back." She said and dipped him some coffee out in a small plastic throw away container. He watched her automatic movement and seemed amused.

  She looked up at him and grinned again, "Want a cup?" she asked as she lifted her mug to her lips.

  "Sounds good. I've been up a while, and I'm still not awake."

  She sent him a quick appraisal, her eyes going up and down him for a second. Dex was a lean looking young man with thick dark brown hair, and blue amused eyes. She shot him a strange look, "That be enough or do you want more?" She asked.

  "That's fine. I've been trying to wake up all morning, but with no coffee it's impossible. I saw you moving in last night." He glanced around her apartment. "Was that your boyfriend with you?"

  The way he asked so causally had Melanie answering without hesitation.

  "No, just a friend from the college." She explained and wondered why she was bothering telling him that.

  Sipping her own cup of coffee, she offered him a cup. When she handed him the coffee after straining it, he stared again amused by her actions. "Oh, forgive me, it's not brewed, but it will wake you up." She smiled. "I haven't bought a coffee pot yet."

  "Thanks, right now I'd drink mud. Most girls wouldn't know how to make it like this, but you know, it isn't bad." He grinned. "So, no husband or boyfriend around?" He asked charmingly.

  She glanced around and realized he was looking for signs of another man. "No, 'fraid not." She said. "Sorry, I usually am put together a little better by this time in the morning, but I couldn't go to sleep last night. New place, strange to me."

  Obviously, he could tell she was a bit skittish. "This building is pretty safe and not many weirdo's here. But if you ever need anyone for protection, I'm your man."

  "Are you now?" she glanced at him noting his neatly trimmed brown hair, his warm blue eyes and the creases at his mouth and eyes, told her he laughed a lot. He was also built. "How interesting. I'll keep that in mind." He was a fine figure of a man, built with six-pack abs and sharp good looks, she couldn't stop the smile.

  He looked as though he worked out regularly judging from the abs that were showing from his unbuttoned shirt. She wondered if that was intentional, or if he always dressed so slovenly.

  "Where did you say you lived?" She asked curiously.

  "312, two doors from the last on the left. Stop by for some coffee sometime." He offered.

  "Thanks, I'll do that. Would your wife mind?"

  "Don't have one of those…" He smiled. "I guess you could say I put my career ahead of my personal life for a while, figured I had time." He smiled charmingly flashing beautiful white teeth and a slight dimple on one cheek.

  That dimple amused her, most people had two, he had one, and it added to his simple charm. She nodded. "Then maybe you could tell me where the closest grocery store is from here
? I have no idea. I'm afraid I haven't checked all the places around here yet."

  "Sure, three blocks down on your left. There's a gas station around the corner, some restaurants around and plenty of shopping places. I'll have to invite you over for dinner sometime."

  "Is the grocery store toward the hospital?"

  "Yeah." He smiled.

  "Thanks…" She leaned against her kitchen counter to study the man. "Kind of nice having someone point out a few places for me."

  His arm stayed the open doorway, she liked the fact that he kept it open. "Mind if I ask where you work?"

  "I'm starting at Mercy General next week. I'm a nurse." She came closer to close the door. "Or will be."

  He set his cup down on the edge of her bar. He glanced at the cup, it had Hershey kisses all over it, and he smiled. "I like the cup."

  She opened her cabinet and he saw that she had an assortment of unusual cups, M&M, Batman, The Walking Dead. "A cup collector, are you?"

  "You guessed right." She snickered. "I started when I was in high school, and I really need to quit, but I just can't resist buying a cute one when I see it."

  He seemed rather interested in her last statement as his brows went up a notch. "Thanks for the coffee, I really enjoyed it. By the way, I'm an intern at Mercy myself. So, I guess we'll be bumping into each other off and on."

  "Wow, I didn't realize. I guess we will, then." She murmured. "Oh, this is great, I don't want to be presumptuous," she shot him another quick glance and a grin, "but sometimes my car is on the blink, do you think if we have the same shift I could ride with you every now and then? I don't want to walk this neighborhood at night. I could give you money for some gas."

  "Sure, we'll have to compare our hours. You seem a bit skittish about the place. Is there something bothering you?"

  Her brows knitted. "Not exactly." She began and her frown didn't disappear. "It's my first apartment," She explained. "First time living alone actually. And I'll admit I'm a bit skittish."