One Last Call

by Susan Behon

  “Say it.” He slipped his fingers out of her and set both hands on her hips. He slid his shaft between her folds. “Tell me.”

  She was trembling beneath him.

  “Say it and you can have it.” He kept a hand between her shoulders to keep her in place. He teased her with the head of his cock, brushing against her entrance, sliding up to press against her little bundle of nerves at the top of her sex. “Come on, baby. I heard you say that word before. Say it now. Tell me what you want me to do to you.”

  A shaky breath escaped her. “Fuck me.” She lowered herself to her elbows. “Oh, Josh, fuck me hard.”

  That little angel with the dirty mouth. He loved it. He loved her. Josh angled back until he was at her opening and drove home, slamming all the way to the hilt. They both cried out. She fit him like a hot velvety glove. “Jesus, Sarah. I love it when naughty words come out of that sweet mouth.”

  The water rippled and sloshed around their legs as he pounded against her. Josh leaned his body over hers until he covered her back. He pressed his lips to her shoulders and ran a path to her neck. He couldn’t get enough breath in his lungs. Sarah cried out his name. She straightened out her arms and counterthrust against his hips.

  It was so good, too good. Josh didn’t know if could last. He reached around and stroked her tight bundle of nerves, pumping in and out, driving harder, faster, giving her all he had.

  “Josh!” There it was. Sarah contracted around him in hot pulses of pleasure. He rode it out and pistoned into her until he witnessed an entire galaxy of stars. His climax hit him with such force, it locked up his muscles. He held her shoulder with his teeth and bit down. Her internal muscles fluttered against him in sexual aftershocks.

  It took all his effort not to slump on top of her. Josh eased out of her body against his will. Sarah faced him and leaned against the ledge. She was Heaven on Earth, absolutely stunning.

  “I think I like swimming a lot better now.” The words were panted out as she tried to recover from their lovemaking.

  “Glad to hear it. Just don’t ask me to make anything out of coconuts right now.”

  Sarah’s laugh was happy and carefree. Josh wrapped his arms around her and held her against him. Their hearts pounded out the same blissful rhythm. She fit perfectly, her soft curves melting into his hard angles.

  When Sarah tipped her head back, Josh couldn’t see her features. He was about to ask her what she was thinking when twin shafts of light cut across both of their bodies, flashing bright, and illuminating her shocked expression. In a blink, they were left in the darkness again.

  Chapter 22

  “JOSH, someone was out there.”

  They’d gotten dressed after he’d checked behind the rocks and assured Sarah that no one was out there anymore. Someone had been there, though. There were deep rutted grooves in the grass next to his truck. Judging by the clumps of dirt spewed up, someone had wanted to get out of there in a hurry.

  “Do you think they saw us? Watched us?” She had her arms wrapped around her middle again, holding herself together.

  Josh didn’t think Sarah needed the extra worry of some voyeuristic assholes. “Maybe it was a couple with the same idea as us and left when they saw the place was occupied?”

  Sarah wasn’t buying it. “Don’t you think we would have seen their headlights on the way in? They drove all the way up here with them off. Whoever it was didn’t want us to know they were here.”

  “It was pretty dark, honey. I doubt they saw much of anythin’. Maybe the incomin’ headlights did shine in on us. We were probably a little too hot and heavy to notice at the time.”

  Sarah stared down at her bare feet. Her shoes weren’t with their piles of clothes. “Okay. So, why did they take my shoes? Explain that.”

  Josh couldn’t explain away that one. “That’s kinda weird. Why not take our clothes? I could believe it was a prank if they left us here bare-assed naked.”

  “True, but they didn’t. And why take my shoes and not yours too? I’m still missing my pumps from the night of the accident. You didn’t find them in my car, did you?”

  “No, but I wasn’t looking for them. What exactly are pumps?”

  “Low-heeled high heels. They were red.”

  “Low/high…?” He’d look for red shoes. “I’m working on the tie-rod tomorrow, so I can check again.” He held her hand and toyed with the pruney tips of her fingers. “I still don’t get it. Why would someone want your shoes?”

  “How the hell should I know? Why would someone sabotage my car and put a hidden camera on me?”

  “I think it’s your dickhead husband.”

  “Ex-husband.”

  “Amen on that. He have a weird shoe fetish?”

  “Not when we were married.”

  “As soon as he shows up, I think he and I are gonna have a little chat. You got the restrainin’ and protection order, right?”

  “Not until tomorrow. The courthouse is closed on Sundays.”

  “Well, shit.” His mouth tightened. “You’re still stayin’ with me.”

  “I said I would.”

  “Okay, I’ll run you around tomorrow, and we can get it done. Tonight, I’ll keep you safe.”

  “Should we call Seth?”

  “Normally, I’d say yes, but right now, we’re tresspassin’.”

  “That’s all we need. We don’t need to get in trouble too.”

  “Worth it. Let’s deal with that hassle tomorrow, all right?”

  “I also have to cover Kelly’s shift and look for another waitress. I’m glad Mondays are usually slow. Julie and I should be able to muddle through okay. I might be able to call Ally in if things pick up.” Sarah stepped in close to his body and rested a hand against his temple. “How are you feeling?”

  “No headaches for me. I don’t have more than one in a day.”

  “Will you get another tomorrow?”

  He pulled her closer. “Doubt it.”

  “How do you know?” Sarah wrapped her arms around Josh’s neck.

  “I don’t. Here’s an idea. How about we keep the blood rushin’ south away from my head, and it’ll be a miracle cure. No more headaches.”

  “Is that right?”

  He kissed the tip of her nose. “It’s science.”

  “That sounds like something you would have said back in high school.”

  “Would it have worked?”

  “Doubt it.”

  “Will it work tonight?”

  “Your luck is getting better, Josh Logan.”

  Josh leaned down for a kiss. “I gotta say, Sarah Brandon, I’ve never felt luckier in my life.”

  * * * *

  Josh drove Sarah to work after they took care of the protection orders at the courthouse. No one had heard from Richard, and he hadn’t shown up at the insurance office. He was officially a missing person according to the Madison County PD. Missing or not, Sarah’s safety was Josh’s top priority.

  “You doin’ okay, sweetheart?”

  Sarah stifled a yawn. “Tired. Someone kept me up most of the night.”

  “Not sorry about that. Maybe you should take the day off?”

  “And do what? You have work to do too. I need my Mini Cooper back.”

  “Dad’s workin’ on it as we speak.”

  “If you help him it will go twice as fast.”

  “Tryin’ to get rid of me?”

  “No, of course not!” She reached out and held his hand between both of hers. “I still need to shop around for new karaoke equipment. The splices were good for a temporary fix, but they still worry me. Maybe I could get them rewired and save some money?”

  “With all the commotion, we still haven’t figured out who snipped the cords. Do you normally have the karaoke stuff out or do you store it somewhere?”

  “I keep the speakers and laptop in my office when they aren’t being used.”

  “That’s not your person
al laptop?”

  “No, that one is strictly for music. Why?”

  “How often do you go through it and check the files?”

  “Only when I’m updating the song lists. I haven’t done that in a while since I passed the job on to Grant. One less hassle.”

  Josh had a good idea who was responsible for ruining the karaoke system. Now that he thought about it, it was glaringly obvious who did it. “No one else uses it but him?”

  “No. Why?” Sarah’s eyes widened when the lightbulb lit. “You don’t think Grant cut the cords do you?”

  “I think we need to take a look at that laptop.”

  “Why? What’s the laptop have to do with the cords?”

  “It’s not about the cords. Chris said the camera in your office had a short range transmitter, about five hundred feet. I was thinkin’ someone could have been outside watchin’ you. I think I was wrong.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “That someone wasn’t outside. I think he was inside.”

  “Someone was watching me in the bar?”

  “It makes sense. I’m bettin’ they’re doin’ it from the karaoke laptop.”

  “No! You still think it was Grant?”

  “When’s the last time you saw your computer?”

  “Karaoke night. We left before closing so I wasn’t there when it came time to put the equipment away.”

  “Come on, let’s check your office.

  The speakers were stored in their usual spot against the wall, but after some fruitless searching, Sarah was starting to believe Josh. The laptop was nowhere to be found.

  “I need to call Grant.”

  “No, you need to call Seth and let him take care of it. If the kid knows you know, he’ll take off on you.”

  Her phone vibrated in her pocket. “Maybe that’s Seth now.” Sarah fished it out and checked the screen. It was from the unknown phone number. “Josh, I think it’s another one.”

  Josh put an arm around Sarah’s shoulder. “I’m right here with you. Go on and open it.”

  Her hands shook when she clicked the icon. It was a picture of a picture. A grainy image of her and Josh naked by the lake was propped up against her missing pumps and the canvas sneakers that were stolen last night. The text read, “Such a slut. Wouldn’t want to be in your shoes.”

  Sarah dropped the phone, and it landed with a crack against the hardwood floor. The case snapped apart, and the separate pieces of her cell clattered in opposite directions. “Oh my…” She didn’t finish her sentence. Her vision grayed around the edges, and the multi-colored mosaic of scattered phone pieces wavered out of focus. She’d never done it before, but Sarah was pretty sure she was about to faint for the first time in her life.

  Josh caught her in his arms when she swayed. “I got you.” The familiar warmth from his muscular arms gave her strength. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, trying not to hyperventilate.

  “That’s it, nice and slow. Calm down, sweetheart.”

  Sarah turned within his embrace. “We’re naked.”

  “No, we’re not.” He studied her like she’d lost some IQ points.

  “I don’t mean right now! We’re naked in the picture. Someone was there when we were taking our clothes off! They were watching us when we…when you…oh, God.” Bile burned in the back of her throat. She swallowed a few times in an effort to keep the nausea at bay.

  Josh let go long enough to retrieve her phone. Luckily, the case took the brunt of the damage. He thumbed on the screen and checked the picture out for himself. “Sonofabitch!”

  Sarah angled away from the phone. She didn’t need to see it again. She closed her eyes only to have the image flicker against her eyelids. The picture taken was pretty explicit. Josh was on his knees before her, angled away from the camera, skin painted white in the moonlight. Shadows played along the muscles from his shoulders to his butt, giving a teasing glimpse of a firm, bare cheek.

  Sarah, on the other hand, was bare-breasted, with her shorts getting tugged down her hips by Josh. Her fingers had been laced in his hair, and she was gazing down at him with heat in her eyes. She remembered Josh telling her she was about to be worshipped.

  The memory of that intimate moment was now tainted by the knowledge that someone had been watching them. Where the hell had the Peeping Tom been hiding? In the woods? Behind a rock? She didn’t have the faintest clue. Were there more pictures of them having sex?

  “Here, sugar, have a seat.” Josh led her to the chair at her desk and balanced her as she plopped down on it.

  “No one can see that, Josh.”

  “We have to show Seth.”

  “I don’t want him to see me naked!”

  “I’ll figure out a way to cover up that part, but he really needs to see the rest.”

  Sarah knew he was right. Her privacy had been shattered, utterly destroyed. She felt exposed now, even with clothes on. “Do you think it was Grant?”

  “Can you think of anyone else?”

  Sarah shook her head. She knew Grant had a little crush on her. Still, she’d never expected some misplaced puppy love to turn into this. The harassment had to stop. “Go ahead and call him. I think I need to go throw up.”

  When she reached the bathroom, Julie was in there straightening out her ponytail and dabbing on some lip gloss. “Hey, Sarah. I’m all set to take on the day!” Sarah must have looked as sick as she felt because her new server rushed right for her. “What happened? Are you okay?”

  No, she was not okay. Not this time. She rushed for the bathroom stall and only managed to dry heave. Julie hovered behind her with a damp paper towel. When Sarah was sure nothing was going to come up, she faced Julie. “I’m okay.” She couldn’t tell her what was really wrong. It was too personal, too raw for someone she barely knew.

  “Do you have the flu?”

  Sarah shook her head before realizing that would be a perfect excuse for almost tossing her cookies.

  Julie’s eyes widened. “Are you…? Could you be pregnant?” She closed her eyes. “I’m sorry. None of my business. I thought maybe with the hot guy…never mind.” Julie eyed Sarah. “So are you?”

  “What? No! Of course not. I think something didn’t agree with me.” Like a text showing her naked and calling her a slut. That would do it.

  “You want me to bring you some crackers? Munch on a few of those and that should settle things a bit.” Julie was a sweetheart.

  “No, I’m fine. I just need a few minutes, and then we can get started on your shift.” Sarah gave Julie a friendly squeeze to the shoulder. “Have a seat at the bar, and I’ll be with you in a little bit.”

  “Sure thing, boss.” It sounded nicer coming from Julie than it did when Kelly said it. Coming from Kelly it always sounded like a euphemism for bitch. That reminded Sarah that she had to get her ex-server’s last check tallied up. She was bound to come in there demanding it sooner or later. Most likely sooner, while she was still good and pissed off.

  Josh knocked on the door. “You okay in there, sunshine?”

  Julie grinned at the endearment. “What a sweetie.”

  Sarah opened the door to find a concerned Josh hovering. “I brought you some ginger ale.”

  Julie excused herself and moved past him on her way to the main floor. “Hello, Josh.”

  Josh glanced down. “Oh, hi, Julie. Nice to meet you.”

  She nodded in acknowledgment. “Likewise.” She whispered, “You’re a good guy for looking out for her.”

  It was nice having a waitress who knew how to be nice without throwing herself at a guy. The girl was genuinely friendly.

  When she was gone, Josh gave his verdict. “I like her. Sweet kid. She working out for you?”

  Sarah accepted the ginger ale. “So far so good. Now I need to find another one exactly like her.”

  “Come back to your office with me and drink that ginger ale.”

  Sarah back
ed him out into the hallway and nudged her office door open. “Did you get a hold of Seth?”

  “He’ll be here soon. I called Chris too. He’s comin’ later on, I think.”

  “You think?”

  “Chris said he was in the middle of somethin’. Guess he’s busy with work since he said the same thing last night.”

  “Where’s my phone?”

  “I’ve got it somewhere. Why don’t ya search me for it?”

  He was joking to relax her. Sarah could play along to put his mind at ease. “Okay, but will you tell me if I’m getting warmer so I can find it?”

  “No, you might have to pat me down a few times.”

  She traced her fingers over his waist and down the front of his jeans. Sarah felt a definite bulge. “Is that a cell phone in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

  “Both.” He winked. “I won’t hold it against you if you wanna search some more.”

  “You better hold it against me.”

  A throat cleared behind them. Seth stood in the doorway. “Did I come at a bad time?”

  Chapter 23

  SARAH didn’t know what it felt like not to be embarrassed in front of Seth.

  “Any news on Richard?”

  Seth came in the office and tried to close the door. It bounced back open. “No.” He stared at the broken doorjamb. “Speaking of your ex-husband, is this from the night of the attack?”

  Josh answered, “I had to get to Sarah.”

  “I’d do the same thing.” There was no judgment. He eyed the visitor’s chair. “Do you want to talk in here or take it outside?”

  “Here’s fine.” Josh held out Sarah’s phone. “Like I said, Sarah got another harassing text. Hold on.” He held his thumb over the corner of the picture where Sarah was. “I’m not shy, but you understand…”

  Seth cleared his throat. “Of course.” He took a swift glance at the picture, read the text, and looked away. “Looks like you two were trespassing.”

  Josh handed the phone back to Sarah. “Seriously, Seth? Not the issue right now.”

  “I know.” He gave a grim smile. “Poor attempt to lighten the mood.” He opened his ever-present notebook. “Do you still think it’s your ex-husband who did this? If it is, that means Richard could still be in the area.”