Hewitt: Jagged Edge Series #1

by A. L Long

  I drove around the back of the gallery and parked the Lexus in the parking spot closest to the back door. Gathering my things, I looked around hoping to see Peter, but he was no where around. I could only assume that he must be staked out in front. Walking through the back entrance, I could hear the subtle sound of violin music playing, letting me know the musicians had arrived and were warming up. The music they were playing was very soothing, something the guests would enjoy while looking at the art. I had to hand it to Brie, for someone who didn't know that much about art, she was beginning to fit right in. It was like she had a gift for putting things together and making them perfect.

  Before I headed to my office, I wanted to take one more look around. I placed my things on the reception counter and headed up the stairs. Brie was making last-minute adjustments to the lighting, making sure every angle of the paintings were captured perfectly.

  "Hey," I said, watching her step off the step ladder.

  "Oh, hey, Lilly. So, what do you think?" Brie asked, pointing to the lights above.

  "I think they are set perfectly. I’m glad we went with the softer bulbs. They really bring out the colors," I replied, scanning the rest of the area. "So, it looks like everything is set. I like the music you have chosen for tonight. Now we can only pray we will have a good turnout and sell some paintings."

  As the evening wore on, more and more people arrived. As I was visiting with Dylan, I felt a soft tap on my shoulder. Turning, Pierre was standing before me. God, he was gorgeous. He was dressed in a dark suit and a crisp white shirt. I don't know if it was the lighting in the gallery, but his eyes were dark and mesmerizing. Dylan must have noticed my fixation on him, because she bumped my shoulder with hers.

  "Sorry, Dylan Matheson this Pierre... umm," I couldn't believe that I didn't even know his last name.

  "Marchand, Pierre Marchand. It's nice to meet you, Ms. Matheson," he said, taking her hand and placing a soft kiss on the back.

  "Please, call me Dylan," she smiled, looking at him with the same fixation.

  "So, it seems your opening is a big hit," Pierre said.

  "It is. Thank you so much for coming," I returned.

  "It was my pleasure. Do you mind if I steal Lilly away?" he asked, looking at Dylan.

  "Not at all. Enjoy."

  Pierre took hold of my hand and we walked up the steps. I thought it would be the best place to start the tour. As we were enjoying ourselves, one waiter came along with a tray of appetizers and another with a tray of champagne. I was filled with so much excitement that I couldn't eat a bite, but the champagne offered something I needed to settle my nerves. By the time we finished our tour, Pierre had purchased several pieces of art. He knew a gentleman who would appreciate the details in the collection.

  We were standing in front of a display of abstract art when Pierre softly whispered in my ear, "Is there somewhere where we can be alone?"

  Taking him by the hand, I led him in the direction of my office. Once we were inside, I closed the door. "Can I get you something to drink?" I asked, walking to the credenza behind my desk.

  "Whatever you're having will be fine," he said.

  Pouring two tumblers with vodka, I rounded my desk and handed him one. Taking a sip, I kept my eyes on him. "Let's sit," I said, taking him by the hand and leading him to the couch. Somehow I needed to find out about what happened between him and the girl he was accused of raping. Placing my glass on the glass table, I faced him. "So tell me more about yourself?"

  "What's there to tell? You already know so much about me," he said.

  "Well, I don't know if you have any girlfriends, I don't know if you have ever been in love," I began. "What was growing up like?"

  "I had a good childhood. My parents were very loving. They gave me everything that I wanted. They insisted I have the very best. I was an only child, so you could say that they spoiled me. When I went off to college, they made sure I went to the very best. That was where I fell in love for the first time. She was American. Her parents worked for the government. We were so in love until...,"

  "Until what, Pierre?" I asked.

  "Until her parents found out. She was two years younger than me and by all accounts a minor. Even though we loved each other, it didn't matter to them. They accused me of raping her. My parents did everything they could to have the charges dropped, but because her parents worked for the government they had a lot more pull," he explained.

  "So what happened?" I asked, placing my hand on his.

  "My parents ended up making a deal with them. If I agreed never to see her again, the charges would be reduced, my record sealed, and I would get no more than a slap on the hand." Pierre placed his hand over mine and tapped it lightly. "Needless to say, I transferred to a different college and never saw her again."

  "That must have been horrible for you. To know that you could never be with the one you loved," I said, sympathetically.

  "It was a long time ago, in the past." Pierre looked at me, taking hold of my hand and bringing it to his lips. "You remind me of her in a way."

  I knew there was something mysterious about him. Now I knew. Peter was wrong about what he found. It was no more than an innocent love that her parents saw as something dirty and vile. What I couldn't understand was if the record was sealed, how Peter was able to get the information. While I was pondering the answer, Pierre lowered his lips to mine. His kiss was soft and tender, just like the one before. I placed my hand on his shoulder and pulled him closer to me. The kiss deepened as he began twisting his tongue with mine. It was no surprise that the French really knew how to kiss. I was like putty in his arms. Before we could take our connection any further, there was a knock on my door.

  Standing, I straightened my dress and walked to the door. Brie was on the other side, holding her jacket over her arm while holding a stack of invoices in the other hand. "I'm going to take off. Here are the invoices for the sales we made this evening. I can go through them on Monday if you’d like. It was a really good night," she said, handing the stack of papers to me.

  "Thank you so much for your help. I couldn't have done it without you," I admitted, taking the stack of invoices from her.

  Placing the invoice on my desk, I turned toward Pierre. As much as I wanted this evening to continue, I was beat. All I wanted was my nice warm bed. Pierre must have read my mind. He stood from the couch drinking the last of his vodka and placing the glass on the table. "It's time that I left. Can I give you a ride home?"

  "Thank you, but no. I have my car here. I'll walk you out," I offered.

  Unlocking the front door, Pierre gave me a light peck on the cheek. I watched as he headed to his car. Closing the door, I turned and leaned up against it and surveyed the gallery. Only then did I realize what was happening to me. How could I have feelings for two very different men? Peter, on one hand, was strong and controlling with secrets; while Pierre was romantic and willing to share his. How long could I continue seeing both of them before one of them got hurt?

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Lilly

  I could feel the sun shining through the blinds in my bedroom signaling that morning was already here. After Pierre left the gallery, I finished cleaning up the remnants of the opening. Even though it ended up being a good turn out, I was glad that it was over. Jumping from my bed, I took a quick shower and pulled on a pair of workout shorts, a sports bra, and a light tank. I felt like for once, everything was going my way. Locking the door, I headed out to Maximum Capacity to see if I could get in a quick workout in before heading to the gallery. I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me going over the sales invoices. I couldn’t let Brie struggle through them, knowing she had done so much for me in such a short amount of time. I thought it would be nice to give her Monday off, especially after all the hard work she did.

  The air in the gym was a little lighter than normal. It didn't seem quite as crowded as it normally was for a Sunday morning. Heading to my favorite treadmill, I decided to do a quick
warm-up before I tackled the weights. It would have been nice to see Pierre so I could work out with him, but he wasn’t here.

  Listening to my iPod, the speed on the treadmill suddenly slowed and the display monitor went black. Pulling my ear buds from my ears, I turned around and saw Peter standing at the end of the treadmill holding the electrical cord in his hand. His smile was bright, and he once again looked like a Greek God.

  Placing my hands on my hips, I looked over to him annoyed. "That wasn’t funny, Peter," I said.

  "I needed to get your attention," he confessed, plugging the cord back into the wall.

  "Okay, you got it, so what is this about?" I asked, stepping off the treadmill.

  "I thought we could work out together. I could spot you," he said with a grin.

  "Sure,” I agreed.

  We headed to the weight room; I could feel Peter watching me from behind. Taking a look to my right, I saw his face in the mirrored wall. Knowing that look, I added a little something extra to my step and watch as his face lit up. I knew that it wasn’t fair to lead him on in this way, but I had to admit, it was fun watching him drool.

  When we finished our workout, Peter offered to buy me breakfast. I agreed, since I skipped breakfast and my morning Java. I suggested we go to the corner café, which was a couple of blocks from the gym. There was something that caught my attention. Looking behind me, I could have sworn I saw Pierre's car stopped at the light. I must have been seeing things, because it was no longer there.

  Peter must have noticed me turn. "What are you looking at?"

  "It's nothing, I thought I recognized Pierre's car," I said, hesitantly.

  Peter turned around right away and began to scan the area as he walked backwards. He must have been satisfied there was nothing to see, because he turned again and walked forward. "So I take it you aren't taking my advice to stay away from him."

  "You were wrong about what you said about him. The rape charges were reduced. He fell in love with a girl whose parents slapped a rape charge on him only because she was a minor and he wasn't," I said defensively. "How were you able to get that information anyway? His records were sealed as long as he stayed away from her."

  “I have my ways Lilly, especially when it comes to your safety," Peter responded.

  The coffee shop wasn't very busy. We took a seat at one of the booths next to the window. Our waitress took our order and brought us coffee. I just stared at Peter as he put four packets of sugar in his cup. Stirring his coffee, he looked over to me with a smile. "I like my coffee extra sweet," he said as he took a sip.

  Rolling my eyes, I replied back, "I bet your dentist loves you."

  "As a matter of fact, she does, especially when I bring her cream filled donuts," he said.

  I wasn't sure if he was trying to be funny, so I just ignored his comment. The waitress brought us our meal. Peter's consisted of three eggs over-easy, four strips of bacon, three dollar-sized pancakes, and a heaping mound of hash browns. Compared to my strawberry pancake with a side of cream, his meal could feed three people. I guess a man his size had the ability to put away a lot more food.

  Finishing our meal, Peter insisted on walking with me back to my condo. I knew, no matter how much I protested, he wouldn’t give up. When we got to the condo, my door was cracked open. I must have been losing it, because I could have sworn I locked the door. Matter of fact, I knew I had locked it.

  Peter pushed me behind him and said, "Wait here, Lilly."

  I nodded as I watched him slowly pushed the door further open. I stayed in the hall wondering what was taking him so long. Unable to wait any longer, I quietly moved toward the door and entered. I didn't see Peter, so I softly whispered, "Peter, where are you?"

  It was at that moment that I remembered the call I got a few days ago. I started to have second thoughts about everything. Maybe I was being stalked. Looking around, I couldn't see anything out of place. Peter appeared from the hallway. "Whoever was here, they’re gone. It doesn't look like anything has been disturbed," Peter said.

  "Peter, I know I locked my door. Just like the last time," I said, adamantly

  "I think it would be wise to have the locks on your door changed," he said, pulling his phone from his pocket.

  I knew by the tone in his voice that he was talking to one of his men. I couldn't hear the full conversation, but I got the gist of it. He was arranging for someone to come over and change the locks on my door. While Peter was finishing up with the arrangements, I walked to my room to take a much-needed shower. Stripping off my clothing, I went to my dresser to pull out a bra and underwear set. I noticed that the drawer containing my bras and panties was opened. I couldn't understand why it would be pulled out. Scanning the contents, I noticed that some items were missing. Thinking that I may have forgotten to wash them, I began going through my laundry basket. The lacy pink and black matching bra and panties weren't there.

  I needed to get in the shower, so I decided on a different matching set and postponed looking for the missing items until later. Rinsing the conditioner from my hair, I heard a soft knock on the bathroom door. Turning off the faucet, I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my body. Leaning against the door, I said, "I'll be out in a minute."

  I hurried and put on my bra and panties, wrapped a towel around my wet hair, and grabbed my robe from the back of the door. I could feel that there was something in the pocket. Reaching inside, I pulled out a handful of pink rose petals. Opening the door, I held out my hand and revealed them to Peter. "Did you put these in the pocket of my robe?"

  Peter looked at me, confused. "Why would I do that, Lilly?"

  "Just like why would you take my favorite bra and underwear set?” I said, agitated by his denial.

  "What are you talking about, Lilly?"

  Pushing past him, I dumped the rose petals in the trash and proceeded to finish getting dressed. I could feel Peter's eyes on me, waiting for an answer. Turning towards him, I began pulling on my jeans and said, "Who else could have taken them, Peter? You are the only person who has been in my bedroom."

  "I didn't take your underwear, and I certainly didn't put rose pedals in your pocket," he said, defensively.

  Looking up at him, I could see that he was telling me the truth. The more I thought about it, there was no reason for him to take anything. "Maybe I misplaced them, but it still doesn't explain the petals."

  "I'm placing someone outside your door Lilly, 24/7. Someone is stalking you," Peter stated.

  Rising from the bed, Peter walked over to where I was standing. Taking me into his arms, he began holding me tight. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Lilly. I'll find out who it is."

  Looking up at him, our eyes met. Peter lowered his lips to mine and softly kissed me. My arms automatically wrapped around his shoulders as he lifted my body from the floor. The feel of his body so close to mine had me wanting more of him. He gently laid me on the bed and began trailing kisses down my neck and across my collar-bone. Lowering the cup of my bra, his mouth consumed my breasts as his tongue flicked back and forth against my nipple. My back began to arch, needing more of what he was giving me. Trailing my hands down his broad shoulders to his muscular back, I grabbed the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head. My head was filled with the scent of musk and something masculine.

  I wrapped my legs around his waist as his body began to grind against mine. The feel of his erection through his shorts had me undone. Lowering my hands down his body, I pushed my fingers under his waistband and began lowering his shorts over his tight ass and down his muscular legs. Peter pushed to his knees and pulled my body close to his. He began working on the zipper of my jeans while I undid the clasp of my bra and tossed it to the floor. Lifting my hips, Peter pulled the fabric of my jeans down my legs and off my body.

  Looking down at me, I saw his smiling face as he said, "Nice."

  His hands went under my ass, tugging my lacy thong off. With my body completely naked, Peter resumed his pos
ition, placing my legs over his shoulders. His mouth began trailing wet kisses along my inner thigh, stopping just at the juncture of my sex. Pushing upward, I moved my hips so that I could feel his warm mouth on my slick folds. Peter tightened his grip on my hips, allowing him to take control of my movements. "You need to hold still, Lilly or I'll stop," he ordered.

  Not wanting him to stop, I ceased my movements and waited for him to continue his play. I would never be able to get enough of his touch. I knew the only way to get what I needed was to obey his command. Just like an obedient child, he gave me my reward. His fingers penetrated me while his mouth began circling my clit. As he lapped and sucked the hard nub, I could feel the beginning of my orgasm take control. I tried to stay still, but I needed more. My hips begin moving once again. It was only after I felt a slight sting on my ass cheek that I stopped.