Violets Are Blue

by Velvet Vaughn

  "Are you okay?"

  She smiled. "Hi, Jake. I’m fine except for forgetting to turn off the alarm."

  "You’re sure?"

  "Yes," she promised. "Chris is with me."

  "We’re fine," Chris called out, loud enough for Jake to hear. "Studmuffin," she added for Violet’s ears. Violet shushed her with a laugh.

  "What? Oh nothing, Chris just made a funny face." She gave Chris a mock-stern look and turned her back on her friend. "Yes, I know I need to remember the alarm at all times." She glanced at her friend over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. Then softly she said, "I’m looking forward to tonight, too. I’ll see you then."

  She hung up the phone and cradled the handset to her chest.

  "Girl, you've got it bad," Chris said.

  Violet snapped out of her trance. "What?"

  "Look at you," Chris said. "You're positively radiant. You really like this guy, don’t you?"

  Violet couldn’t keep the truth from her friend. Besides, she was a terrible liar. "Yeah, I do."

  Chris studied her for a moment, as if judging her sincerity. Finally she smiled. "Well then, let’s get you looking fabulous." She scooped up shopping bags and toted them to the bedroom. "I think the slinky little black dress and the low-cut lace push up bra and thong from Victoria’s Secret will positively make the big detective drool."

  "Chris," she chided, embarrassed. "I just met him. He’s not going to be seeing my underwear."

  Chris waved off her comment, the gold bracelets circling her wrist tinkling merrily. "Trust me, when a girl wears sexy lingerie, she feels more confident, more beautiful…not that you need help in that department," she quickly added with a smile.

  Violet smiled back. She had never had a close friend she could discuss things with like clothes and boyfriends and dates. Chris was worldly, sophisticated. Even dressed casually, she looked amazing. A turquoise blouse tucked into silky black pants and today the scarf wrapped around her neck was an Indian print that complemented the shirt. Her jewelry consisted of the same gold bracelets she always wore around her right wrist and a watch sporting a wide turquoise band around her left. Violet had never seen her looking anything but fashionable, never in jeans or Heaven-forbid, Violet’s favorite: sweats.

  As Chris pulled items from the bags, Violet had the overwhelming urge to ask Chris how to seduce Jake.

  #

  Jake looked up as Maya Demaree and Vic Hammond entered the conference room.

  "We were finally able to track down the last Violet on the list," she announced. "She’s the right age and coincidently enough she attends Lawrence Monroe College, but I don’t think she’s the target."

  "Why’s that?" Turner asked.

  Vic held up a Polaroid snapshot.

  Jake frowned at the picture. "Short, curly red hair, big boned. Doesn’t fit the profile," he agreed.

  "I’m putting patrol on Ms. Anastasia twenty-four seven," Turner said. "One will stay in the house with her at all times and attend her classes as well. She’ll have someone watching her around the clock."

  "In the evenings, I’ll be the one inside," Jake informed him. "She doesn’t know it yet, but I’m moving in."

  Turner’s cell buzzed. He flipped it open and barked a greeting. After a brief conversation, he disconnected.

  "Glasgo’s condition stabilized. He’s conscious."

  "Let’s go," Jake said.

  Twenty minutes later they pulled up to the hospital and proceeded to the intensive care unit. Officer Tim Leisure stood guard outside the door.

  "How long has he been awake?" Turner asked.

  "In and out for the last hour," Leisure said.

  Turner pushed open the door and Jake followed him inside. A thin shaft of light slanted between closed curtains. The only other illumination came from a low-wattage florescent bulb attached to the wall above the bed. Numerous machines were hooked up to Teddy Glasgo, the one closest to the bed beeped softly, a line rising and falling in tune to his heartbeat. Plastic tubing inserted into his nose assisted with breathing. A white weave blanket tucked around his neck, covering the bandages on his chest where the doctors had split him open to save his life.

  A slim nurse in a white tunic decorated with a splash of bold colors and green pants charted his vitals on a clipboard.

  "No more than ten minutes," she cautioned, sliding the file into the slot at the end of the bed. Light burst into the room from the hall when she opened the door and then slowly faded.

  Teddy Glasgo’s eyes blinked open. He took a few minutes to orient himself and then his head rolled on the pillow. The instant he recognized Jake, the machine beeped faster.

  "I just want this to be over," he breathed, drawing heavily on the tube of oxygen.

  "Why don’t you start at the beginning," Turner advised.

  Teddy nodded resignedly. "I was nineteen," he began, his voice a throaty rasp. "A sophomore in college. I was an A-list student, on my way to becoming a professor. I met a girl one night at a bar, and I thought she was the prettiest thing I had ever seen." He paused to inhale more air. "She seemed to feel the same way about me, coming on real strong." He rolled his head to stare at the closed curtains. "One thing led to another and we had sex in the back seat of my car. It was amazing." The beeping, which had slowed, picked up speed again as Teddy recalled that night long ago that changed his life.

  "Her daddy came looking for her and found us…after the act. Just my luck he was the local superior court judge and she was terrified of him. She didn’t want to get into trouble, didn’t want him to know what a little slut he had for a daughter so she screamed that I had forced her, that I had," he swallowed heavily, "raped her." He faced them. "She was fifteen."

  Jake winced. Not only rape, but he would have to forever register as a violent sex offender.

  A harsh, humorous laugh escaped before pain crossed Teddy’s face. "My daddy passed away when I was sixteen so he wasn’t around to see my downfall. But my momma…." He shook his head softly and drew another breath. "It killed her. She died while I was awaiting trial and I couldn’t even go to the funeral."

  Teddy was quiet for a moment, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. "I studied hard in prison, each and every subject I could. When I was released, my twin brother Neil took me in. He’d embraced my dream and made it a reality by becoming a history professor.

  "Neil had an interview for a position at a small university. It was the perfect job, one I would have loved to have, but no one would hire a convicted felon to teach kids, especially one who had been found unanimously guilty of raping a minor. I accompanied him on the trip for an interview but we had an accident. Neil was driving and he was killed instantly. I was pretty banged up. No one knew who we were there, and nothing could bring Neil back. This was the one opportunity I had to make something of my life."

  "So you stole his identity," Jake finished.

  Teddy nodded, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled. "I’m not sorry," he said defiantly. "I did nothing wrong. I did not rape that girl. She seduced me. She ruined my life," he gasped, his voice rising on the last sentence. The monitor beside the bed beeped furiously.

  A doctor rushed in the room and glanced at the machine. "That’s all tonight," he ordered as he ushered the two men out the door. "Mr. Glasgo just had major surgery and needs rest."

  #

  Sitting in the shadows, beneath a busted street light, the man watched as the bastard former agent escorted Violet, his Violet, to a car. Then the prick leaned down and kissed her before he closed her door. The man’s ears burned with rage. Kim was supposed to be with him. He shook his head. No, not Kim. Violet. Violet was supposed to be with him. He was hers. She let the big ape kiss her, touch her. She would let him screw her too. How could she do this to him?

  He started his car and waited for the cop to pull out before he eased away from the curb and followed, careful to keep a safe distance. His car tended to attract attention.

  The moonless night made it di
fficult to see. He kept the taillights in view as he flipped the notch on the heater to high.

  From a side road, a Ford Taurus started to pull out in front of him and he laid on the horn. The driver slammed on the brakes, stopping the car half-way in the road. Through his headlights, he could see the blue-white hair of a little old lady, her eyes and mouth rounded in surprise.

  "Move it you old bat," he said with a jerk of his arm. His eyes darted to the car he was following as it turned onto busy Main Street. It would be hard to find them in the flow of traffic. Unable to pull around because of oncoming vehicles, the man pounded on the horn. "Get the hell out of my way!" he screamed. The little old lady threw her hands up in horror. She fumbled around, trying to put the car in reverse. The car jerked and stopped, jerked and lurched backward until there was just enough room for the man to pass.

  Flooring the accelerator, he flipped his middle finger at the old woman as he shot past and yelled, "Get the hell off the road, grandma."

  Screeching to a stop at the intersection, his back wheels fishtailed before he managed to wrestle control. He didn’t bother checking for approaching vehicles before merging onto Main Street, pulling into the path of a car. The driver skidded to a stop with a blare of his horn, his tires hitting the curb. The man ignored him and focused on the road in front of him. He was greeted with an empty stretch of snow-dusted pavement.

  He roared in frustration, his fist slamming the steering wheel. He contemplated going back and finding the old woman who blocked his path and killing her with his bare hands. Instead, he would just have to pay a visit to the lovely Angie Warren.

  #

  It snowed intermittently on the drive to Montpelier but not enough to accumulate. The restaurant outside of the capital city of Vermont was a converted grain mill, a lovely old stone and wood structure built sometime in the nineteenth century. The atmosphere inside was both rustic and romantic. Exposed wood beams ran the length of the dining room and antique chandeliers, converted from gas to electric, draped from the ceiling. Tables covered with white linen cloths were decorated with authentic brass lanterns, flames dancing behind glass enclosures. Waiters and waitresses dressed in period clothing from the early eighteen hundreds served a variety of food including roasted pheasant and rosemary and sage pork chops.

  The restaurant was full to capacity. Violet and Jake sat in their secluded booth in the back, having finished their dinners of oven baked chicken and filet mignon basted with brandy, respectively. "Um, I’m stuffed," Violet purred. "That was delectable."

  "Not as delectable as my dinner partner," Jake murmured as he took another sip of wine. A scarlet blush colored Violet’s cheeks and she smiled at him prettily.

  The waitress appeared with their check and Violet grabbed it before Jake could. "This one is my treat."

  Jake’s eyes narrowed thunderously and he thrust his hand out. "Give me the check."

  "No." She fumbled in her purse for her wallet, keeping the bill tucked close to her chest.

  "Violet," Jake said with a deceptively calm voice. "Give. Me. The. Check."

  "No. You paid last time. It’s my turn."

  "Violet, dammit, I found the place, I asked you here, I am paying. Standard rules. No arguments."

  Her eyes narrowed. "So, if I asked you, you would accept?"

  "Absolutely."

  "And if I wanted to pay?"

  Jake paused, obviously reluctant to anger her. "I’d consider it."

  "Fine." She handed over the check. She didn’t want to offend his masculine sensibilities.

  As they walked back to the car, she struggled with the idea that had been playing around in her mind all night. She knew Jake was here for a short period of time and getting involved with him could be a big mistake. But it was a moot point. She was falling for him, probably from the first night. She’d been in shock, having witnessed a heinous crime, and she hadn’t even seen his face. But the strength and kindness that he radiated seeped through her skin and wrapped around her heart.

  Knowing he could leave at any minute only accelerated her plans. She didn’t want any regrets once he left, except maybe that they couldn’t stay together. Despite what she told Chris, she wanted him to make love to her. Tonight. The feelings she felt in his arms surpassed anything she could even imagine. The other times she'd experimented with sex had been disastrous, making her believe she was cold and unfeeling. In a few short days, Jake had changed that. She began to believe that she wasn’t the sexless, passionless woman that Willie Jack had created.

  Although she was terrified of embarrassing herself, she knew Jake wouldn’t ridicule her like the other two men she had slept with. If she was still unable to climax with Jake, well then, there was no hope whatsoever. But she had to know for sure. She was going to do it. She was going to ask Jake to make love to her. His voice drew her from her thoughts.

  "Violet? Are you okay?" he asked caringly as he stopped and pulled her around to face him. "Your brows are puckered." His thumbs smoothed the dark slashes above her eyes. "Is something wrong?"

  #

  Jake watched as Violet gathered her courage to say something and then lifted her chin. "Jake, I think I would like to spend the night in Montpelier."

  Jake looked surprised but quickly recovered. That had been his plan all along. He had no intention of taking her back to Burlington on the night the killer would probably strike again. "We can do that." In fact, he'd already told Turner his plan.

  "I’m paying for the room. I asked you, therefore I pay. Standard rules." She repeated his words of earlier back to him.

  "I can’t let you do that, Violet. It’s just not in me." At her angry look, he said, "How about we compromise? You pay for your room and I’ll pay for mine."

  Violet studied the ground, her gloved hands twisting together. "You don’t understand. I don’t want you to have your own room." She looked up and met his gaze unflinchingly. "I want you to share mine."

  All the air left Jake’s lungs. Blackness danced in front of his eyes, probably a result of the blood rushing from his head and into another part of his body that would soon make its presence known. Violet wanted to share a room, which led him to believe Violet wanted to…a bolt of anticipation shot through his body and exploded in his groin. He felt himself harden instantly and he had to shift to try to ease the throbbing.

  It was probably just an innocent suggestion. But he had to know for sure. "Violet, what you are asking…."

  Uncertainty and vulnerability were both clearly visible in the depths of her blue-purple eyes. "I’m asking you to make love to me, Jake."

  CHAPTER 19

  "Ah, God, Violet…." Jake pulled her roughly against him and crushed his lips to hers, tasting her sweetness. She wrapped her arms around him, their bulky parkas making contact difficult. As if realizing where they were, he broke the kiss and said, "Come on." Grabbing her gloved hand, he tugged her to the car. She laughed giddily at his urgency.

  She suggested a small country inn they passed on the ride down. Jake pulled up to the sign that read "Office," and instructed her to stay in the car.

  She clutched his arm as he opened the door. "No, I asked so I pay. Your rules, remember?"

  He gave her a stern look. "Stay here, Violet. I’ll be right back." With that, he got out and closed the door.

  "Liar," she yelled.

  He waved over his shoulder and disappeared inside.

  She sighed and slumped against the seat. Surveying the area, she noticed a few cars spaced around, but the motel was far from full. A streetlight flickered, blinking yellow in the dark of the evening. The lot had been plowed recently, and a mound of dirty brown snow butted up against the street in the back corner.

  The lobby door opened to reveal Jake juggling several items in his arms. She reached across and opened the car door for him. He thanked her as he slid inside and dropped the packages in the console between the seats. "They had an aisle of vending machines selling all kinds of stuff," he explained. "I figured
since we didn’t really come prepared, we could use them."

  Violet sifted through the booty and found two toothbrushes, a tube of toothpaste, a travel-size bottle of mouthwash, a disposable razor and an entire box of condoms.

  He noticed her hesitation and shrugged. "I figured we’d need more than the one I have stashed in my wallet. I plan to make love to you all night long."

  Her heart thumped against her chest and a flood of excitement and anticipation shot through her at his softly uttered words. Tearing her gaze from his heated one, she looked at the box in her hand. Trojan Magnum, Extra Large. Extra-large? She gulped, her eyes flying to his. He smiled sheepishly. While he drove to their room, her gaze drifted to his lap. Yep, there was a nice, healthy bulge there.

  She was officially intimidated. The other two men she had been with had been average size, at best, and she still had trouble accepting them into her body. What would it be like with Jake and his extra large…

  "This is our room." His husky voice pulled her from her wayward thoughts. He rotated to face her, the picture of seriousness. "Are you sure you want to go through with this? It’s not too late to back out, Violet. I’d never force you."

  He was giving her the option to change her mind, end this before she embarrassed herself.

  She would never forgive herself if she didn’t go through with it…if she never had the chance to love Jake. Lifting her chin with determination, she nodded. "I’m sure."

  He exhaled in relief and scooped up the toiletries. Without giving herself time to think…to chicken out, she jumped out, adrenalin fueling her speed. She met him at the door and followed him inside. As soon as it closed, he tossed the items in the direction of a table and pushed her against the wall, crushing her lips in a demanding, aggressive kiss. His hips anchored her in place and she felt his rigid erection pressed against her stomach, burning through two layers of clothes.