Bubblegum Blonde

by anna snow

  Not that I would ever consider becoming a hooker, but the perks Silas listed would be hard for anyone to turn down.

  "And sex with random women. No strings attached, all fun, all the time," I added. "That had to be a major deciding factor, didn't it? A young, virile man such as yourself had to see that as a perk."

  He shook his head. "It isn't all about the sex." He leaned forward and met my gaze. "Yes, we have sex with women, but it's more than that. It's about making them feel like queens. Women don't just come to us for a ride and then prance back off to their home and normal everyday lives like nothing happened. They come to us looking for an experience. To be treated like the only woman in the world. To be cherished if only for that hour or for that night. Sex is simply the end result and where they wish to be cherished the most in that moment. "

  I understood. Really, I did. How many women out there felt stuck in a rut? How many felt ordinary? Lydia had tapped into a market that would make her a fortune.

  "I understand." And really, I did. "Was your relationship with Lydia strictly professional?"

  He leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head. "If you're asking if we had sex, then the answer is yes but only once. When she hired me. She said she needed to see how well I performed before putting me to work. Apparently I passed her audition because I was put in the book and had appointments the very next day and every day since."

  "So, Lydia had sex with every man she hired?"

  "As far as I know, yes." He nodded. "But per her rules, there was to never be a repeat performance. After the audition we were to keep our relationship strictly professional, and that suited me just fine. I liked Lydia. She gave me a job that more than pays my bills and a place to live, but I wasn't interested in or attracted to her romantically."

  "How many of you are there? Gigolos living in the house, I mean."

  "Four." He shrugged. "I was the second man she hired. Max was the first. We worked out of the motel for a few months until we'd made Lydia enough money to buy the cabin. You see," he said, "she used small amounts of her husband's money to rent the motel. A couple of hundred here and there wouldn't raise eyebrows, but a large sum, say, enough to purchase a cabin, would have. Then she'd have questions to answer, and everything she'd built would fall apart."

  "I see. So what happens now that she's dead?"

  "After she passed, the cabin went to us, and now we four own it."

  "I'm lost." I held up a hand. "How did the cabin go to you? When her will was read, everything went to her husband."

  Of course, there was no mention of the cabin or Lydia's little side business in said will either.

  "She had a second will and attorney in Trinity Grove. Everything pertaining to the business was dealt with in that separate will. She kept the entire business based in the Grove so that there was no chance of it colliding with anything she and her husband had going on in the city," he explained. "The cabin was willed over to the four of us, Max, Chase, Billy, and me, to do with as we saw fit, and the money she'd made off us was divided and given back to us. We decided to keep the business going with our regular clients. We'll add a few more clients here and there as our regulars sometimes tell their friends about us if we give them permission to do so."

  "Did you know of anyone who wanted to harm Lydia?"

  He shook his head. "Lydia was a wonderful person. Always happy, always wanting to help someone. I can't imagine anyone wanting to kill her. But they did, didn't they?" He shook his head, and for a moment I was mesmerized by his perfectly blond hair and sharp profile. What did he have to do to achieve that perfect color? Sell his soul? He had to have made some kind of deal with the devil to look as tasty as he did. I shook myself away from my wayward thoughts.

  "What about someone who liked Lydia? Maybe someone who liked her a little too much?"

  I thought that perhaps I was looking in the wrong direction. Maybe I should've been concentrating on someone Lydia was having an affair with other than Jason, rather than someone who hated her.

  "She was having an affair with her accountant Jason King. We all knew about it. She trusted us, and we trusted her, but I don't think he killed her." He frowned. "There was no one else that I'm aware of."

  I didn't think so either. So where did that leave me? Disgruntled husbands maybe?

  "How many regulars do each of you have?"

  He chuckled and blew out a breath. "Ten. Fifteen. Some of us have more. Some have less."

  If each man had fifteen regulars that meant there were sixty possibly disgruntled husbands out there who could've wanted Lydia dead because she'd set their wives up with other men. I already knew there was no way on earth that Silas and the others would give up the names of their regulars, so I didn't even bother asking.

  That was it. I was at a dead end.

  "I'm sorry to cut this short, but I have to be going. I do hope you find Lydia's killer. She was a good woman."

  "I'll do my best," I promised.

  Silas and I stood. I rounded the desk and came to a stop before him. I offered my hand for a handshake.

  "I appreciate all of your help. If you remember anything that might help me with this case, please don't hesitate to call. I'm going to be honest with you." I looked him in the eyes. "I need all of the help I can get at this point."

  He glanced down at my outstretched hand, then back at my face. His glittering blue eyes flashed mischievously, and before I knew what he was about, he pulled me into his arms and once again kissed me senseless.

  It was a quick but still lava-hot kiss.

  After he broke the kiss, he raised his head and grinned down at me. "Your boyfriend isn't going to be too happy about that." He tilted his head toward the office door. "But I really couldn't care less. It was worth it."

  Before I could correct Silas that Tyler wasn't my boyfriend, he set me away from him then made his way to the door. With a perfect swagger in his step, he strode out of my office all the while wearing a grin the size of the Grand Canyon.

  Before I could fully compose myself, Tyler came stomping into my office and slammed the door behind him, cutting off Kelly's fast approach.

  "What in the living hell was that all about? You let him kiss you? You don't even know that guy. What were you thinking? Were you even thinking?"

  I calmly leaned my bum against my desk, crossed my arms over my chest, and tried to ignore my still-throbbing lips. I'm not going to lie, that kiss had been good.

  "My, my, my, Detective Black, if I didn't know any better I'd say that you're more upset by that fact that an extremely attractive man kissed me than you are by the fact that I was nearly killed last night."

  He stepped closer to me and completely invaded my personal space, but honestly, it kind of felt good.

  "I'm not jealous, especially not over that cover-model wannabe."

  "He looked like a little more than a wannabe to me." I tilted my head and grinned.

  He clenched his jaw. I saw the vein in his neck pulsate, and I instantly stood a little straighter. Not because I feared him, but because I secretly wished he'd kiss me. I don't know why, but in that moment I wanted to feel those lips that were frowning at me on mine.

  "He might be attractive, might make your heart beat a little quicker." He snaked one big, strong arm around my waist and pulled me tight against his body, then slid his other hand behind my head where he pulled the elastic tie from my hair and threaded his fingers through its now-loose tresses. "But he's not what you need."

  I'm not sure what I expected Tyler's kiss to be like, but I'm certain I couldn't have imagined it any better.

  His lips were firm yet soft. Commanding yet gentle. His fingers tightened in my hair at the same time his arm did around my waist. He pulled me tighter against him. I melted into his embrace and relished his attentions.

  The kisses I'd shared with Silas had been hot, toe-curling even, but they had nothing on what was happening to me while in Tyler's strong arms.

  This wasn
't a good thing, Tyler kissing me, and yet I couldn't come up with a reason why I should make him stop. Was there really a good reason? We were both grown adults. We were able to make our own decisions.

  The kiss ended, and instead of setting me aside as Silas had done, Tyler held me close and peered down into my eyes.

  "I don't want you to get hurt again, Barb."

  I grinned up at him like an idiot. Because at the moment, I felt like a teenage girl being swept away by the quarterback of the high school football team.

  "Because you lliiikkke me?" I said in a singsong voice. Call me crazy, but the thought of being a little more than friends with the good detective suited me just fine.

  "Maybe a little." He chuckled then became serious once again. "I know that this is your job, but promise me you won't do anything overly dangerous. Go home tonight and stay there. If you have to snoop around, take one of the girls with you, and call me, please. I can't do my job if I'm too busy worrying about you."

  "You worry about me?" I smiled.

  He grinned and shook his head like he couldn't believe my antics or whatever it was that he was feeling for me.

  "I'm tired of fighting it, Barb. As insane as it may be, I like you…a lot," he admitted and smoothed a strand of hair behind my ear.

  I'd never checked in with a man in my entire life, but something about the way Tyler asked, the way he was looking at me, had me nodding my head in agreement.

  He was a detective. I'd be wise to listen to his judgment once in a while.

  "I know you won't tell me about anything you've found since our talk last night, so I'm not even going to ask, but I will ask this, do you have plans to do any sneaking around tonight?"

  "Unfortunately, no." I shook my head. "I plan on going home, taking a hot bath, eating leftover pizza, and watching a movie. An extremely cheesy action flick, if I can manage it."

  "Would you like some company? I'll bring fresh pizza and beer?"

  Even though his proposal sounded like heaven to a homebody like me, I had to get one thing straight first.

  "What is this?" I motioned between us. "I just… I need to have some idea of what's going on between us."

  I was a simple girl with simple needs, and one of those simple needs was the need to know exactly what was or wasn't happening between me and the man standing across from me.

  He shook his head, ran his fingers through his thick, black hair, and then blew out a breath. "Honestly, I don't know, Barb. All I know is that I like you, I'm attracted to you, and I don't want you to get hurt. I want to get to know you better. On a personal level."

  That was as good an explanation as any that I could give at the present moment should he have asked me the same question. Despite how handsome the doctor had been, and how insanely hot Silas was, they just didn't top Tyler. I liked him, found myself thinking about him at the most inopportune times, and he was genuine.

  I smiled. "Good. In that case, you're on, but only if you promise you won't forget the beer. I could really use one right about now."

  "I promise. How's eight o'clock?"

  "Perfect," I said.

  He kissed me quickly on the lips then hurried out of my office as though he was afraid I'd change my mind if he stuck around any longer.

  Once Tyler was gone, Kelly and Mandy stuck their heads around the doorframe and grinned. Kelly shook her finger at me. "A sex-god gigolo and a hunky detective all in one day? Someone's been a busy girl."

  CHAPTER TEN

  Once the alpha males had left the office, I'd lost track of time while catching up with clients over the phone about now-closed and ongoing investigations. I finally left the office around seven-thirty. Mandy and Kelly had called it quits shortly after six o'clock.

  After the events of the past twenty-four hours, the ten-minute drive to my small house on the outskirts of town felt more like an hour.

  The neighborhood was quiet, small, and filled with mostly retired couples and newlyweds just starting on their marital adventure. All in all, it was paradise for an outgoing introvert such as me.

  I'd be lying if I said that there weren't times when I felt a bit out of place being the only person in the neighborhood who was still single, who worked all hours of the day and night, and had zero kids, unless you counted my cat Mickey, which most people didn't.

  But everyone was always polite, and my neighbor, Mrs. Grady, brought over a tamale casserole every Wednesday night in exchange for me helping her with her crossword puzzle. So it all evened itself out in the end I suppose.

  I pulled the green eyesore into the driveway, killed the ignition, and made my way up the pathway leading to my front door, jangling my keys the entire way. The porch light was off, which I found odd, as it was solar-activated and came on automatically when the sun started to set, but as tired as I was, I didn't give it a second thought.

  I climbed the three short steps up to my porch and reached for the doorknob, but when my fingertips touched the knob, the door rocked open an inch.

  I always locked my doors, not just for my safety but for Mickey's as well.

  The grogginess I'd had disappeared.

  Nothing like the possibility of a murdering intruder to wake a person up.

  I reached behind me, pulled my gun from the waistband of my jeans, and then slipped silently into my house. With my back pressed against the wall, I looked around cautiously.

  Nothing appeared out of place.

  My main concern wasn't really for my belongings, but for my cat. Where in the world was he? Was he all right?

  On silent feet, I eased deeper into the house, careful to keep my back pressed against the wall every step as I made my way toward the bedroom. The guest bathroom door stood open. I peeked in and found it in the same shape I'd left it in. I eased on down the short hallway to my bedroom, keeping my eyes peeled for Mickey the entire time. I stepped into the room quickly with my gun thrust out before me. Much to my surprise, it too was in the same shape I'd left it in…with the exception of the bathroom door.

  It was shut tight. I always left the bathroom door open because Mickey liked to sometimes sleep on the closed toilet seat. He liked the fuzzy cover Mona had insisted I put on the lid when I'd moved in.

  My ancient cat could be a bit goofy at times, but I loved him all the same.

  I crept my way to the door, pressed my back to the wall beside it, counted to three, then flung the bathroom door open, and stepped into the doorway with my gun drawn.

  Mickey came bounding out of the bathroom so hard and fast he slammed into my legs. I lost my grip on the gun, and it fell to the floor as I stumbled backward, arms flailing in the air reaching for purchase

  I fell into a hard body. I turned, fully expecting to see Tyler, but I saw the butt of a pistol slamming into my temple instead.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  My head pounded like a speaker at a heavy-metal concert.

  I wanted to open my eyes, to look around and see where I was, but my lids felt like they weighed fifty pounds each and just wouldn't cooperate. I tried to reach up and rub them, but my arms were already above my head. That's when I realized that my hands were bound, as were my feet.

  Panic shot through me. I pried my lids open. They felt gritty, like the backs of my eyelids were made of sandpaper. I struggled to focus. I looked through blurry eyes at the ropes twisted around my wrists. My hands were tied in front of me and connected to a rope that looked to be about a foot long. The rest of the rope was looped around a bedpost at the foot of the bed. The binding was surprisingly soft but still incredibly tight. I tested my bonds, but they held firm. Someone obviously knew how to work a rope.

  A terrible taste sat heavily in my mouth, and my head swam. I felt drunk, and my stomach rolled with nausea, I'd either been drugged or had one heck of a concussion.

  I took deep, cleansing breaths hoping to rid myself of the groggy feeling and gather my wits. I was in one heck of a situation with no idea how I'd ended up there in the first place.

&
nbsp; A soft grunt sounded to the left of me. I forced my stiff neck to turn in the direction of the sound and gaped at what I found.

  "Silas? Jason? What in the hell?"

  Silas was tied like me to the opposite bedpost at the foot of the bed. I glanced around and spotted Jason tied up on the floor in front of the dresser.

  I blinked in an attempt to clear my blurry vision and continued my deep breathing. Jason was out cold, but Silas was groaning and slumped to the side toward me. I scooted my bottom as far as I could in Silas's direction, then reached out and kicked him once, twice, a third time.

  "Darn it, knock it off!" he growled then craned his neck to look at me. "Barb?"

  I hadn't meant to kick him in the head, but I didn't have time to worry about the pained, accusing look he finally directed toward me. He was awake, and two heads were better than one. Jason was too far away, and he was hog-tied instead of leashed to the bedposts as Silas and I were.

  "What are you doing? Where are we? What happened?" he asked as he struggled to sit up. He blinked his eyes and leaned his head back against the post. He pulled at the binding on his hands and cursed. "What in the hell is going on?"

  "I don't know," I said and glanced around the bedroom. "We're obviously in a bedroom, but I don't know whose, where, or why."

  Silas looked around and then frowned.

  "I know where we are."

  "Where?" I asked.

  "We're at the cabin. This is Lydia's room. The master bedroom. Max's bedroom now."

  "Lydia's room?"

  "Auditions," he simply said.

  I knew what he meant from our previous conversation.

  "If we're at your cabin, where is everyone? Why haven't we been found? Surely someone would notice you being dragged into this room and Jason and I being carried in."