“Rosa,” Midnight said, gesturing to the woman, a wide smile on her face, “says you’re very handsome.”
Rick laughed, and looking at the older woman, he said, “Thank you.” The lady looked at him confused.
“Gracias,” Midnight told Rick.
“Gracias,” Rick repeated, the Spanish word sounding strange with his English accent. Rosa was still looking at him, she canted her head to the side, her eyes studying him.
“Amigo es el Ingles,” Midnight told Rosa, when Rosa looked at her, confusion still clear on her face. “Britain,” Midnight said to clarify.
“Ah, si,” Rosa said then, nodding.
When they left the restaurant, Rick sat behind the wheel of his Mustang looking at Midnight.
“What?” Midnight said, noticing that he wasn’t starting the car.
Rick shook his head, his eyes still on her. “Every time I turn around there’s a new side of you that I’ve never seen.”
“Oh, and I suppose I’ve seen all there is to you?” Midnight said, laughing.
Rick considered her words, knowing she was right. “Okay, you win,” he said conceding early on, knowing he’d lose eventually.
Later that night, they were in bed. They had just made love and she still lay in his arms. She looked up at him. “So tell me about Richard Debenshire.”
“What d’ya want to know?” he asked, looking down at her.
“Let’s see … what about your family? Do you have any brothers and sisters, or are you an only child like Joe?”
“No, I have four sisters.”
“Older?”
“All older but one.”
“I see … and I’ll just bet they are super protective of you aren’t they?” Midnight said, smiling at him. She sat up, looking down at him.
“Why do you say that?” he asked, reaching his hand out and touching her leg, not wanting to lose all contact with her.
“Well,” she said, stroking his hand that rested on her leg. “I know I was protective of Thomas when it came to girls. He was already trying to make it with one of my members, at sixteen!” Her voice showed her surprise at such outrageous a thought.
“Sixteen? You think that’s young?” Rick said, raising an eyebrow at her.
“Well, yeah I do …” she said. Then her eyes took on a mock suspicious look. “Why, how old were you when you slept with your first girl?”
Rick laughed then. “Oh no, I’m not tellin’ you, you’ll probably try to arrest me or somethin’.”
“Only if she was jail bait … or were you?” Her face was composed in a half-surprised half suspicious look.
“She wasn’t,” Rick said, smiling again. “I was …”
“Oh really, Mr. Debenshire … how old was she?”
“I think about thirty.”
“Oh my God,” Midnight said, in mock horror, laughing. “And how old were you?”
“Fourteen,” he answered simply, his eyes watching her, an embarrassed smile on his face.
“Good Lord, they start you guys early over there, don’t they?”
“Didn’t seem early to me,” Rick answered.
“So who was she?” Midnight asked then. Her hand moving to touch his chest and her finger lazily traced a pattern on it as she looked at him.
Now he looked really embarrassed. “Well …” he said, his voice trailing off as he smiled.
“Come on.”
“Well, who was your first? How old were you?” Rick said, trying to avoid answering.
“I asked you first,” Midnight said, laughing.
“Okay, okay … she was … my little sister’s nanny.”
“Oh, my God!” Midnight said, laughing uproariously. “Remind me never to leave my kid with her!”
“She wasn’t my nanny …” Rick said, a smile still on his face.
“So what did she do? Seduce you? Are we talking Mrs. Robinson time here?”
“More or less,” he said. “Besides she wasn’t only my first …” She knew he was baiting her.
“Who’s else?” she asked curiously. Then it occurred to her, somehow she just knew. “Joe?” she said then her eyes wide.
Rick nodded, his lips twisting in a sardonic grin, his grin wicked.
Midnight laughed so hard then she fell over on the bed next to him. Then she sat up, putting her hand on his chest again. “I guess she must have been something, if she got both of you.”
“She was … nice …” Rick said, nodding, his voice indicating she was a lot more than that.
“Yikes!” Midnight said, still laughing. “So that would have made Joe sixteen?” she said doing the quick calculation.
“Yep,” Rick said, looking intently at her. “So …”
“So what?” Midnight said, her face showing nothing.
“Who was your first?”
“Well … I wasn’t as young as you two perverts,” she said, smiling at him.
“Okay, so how old were you?” Rick asked. He was really curious, he wanted to know everything about her, including this.
“I was nineteen,” she said, her eyes giving nothing away.
“And who was the lucky man?” he asked, thinking that the man had indeed been lucky.
Midnight averted her eyes from his then, smiling a shy smile, then she looked back at him “He was … um …” she stammered.
“Come on, I told you,” Rick prompted.
“Okay, okay,” she said, laughing. Then she took a deep breath. “He was one of my professors at UCSD.”
“Oh my …” Rick said, his eyes widening dramatically. “What subject?”
“Pre-law,” she answered simply, her grin wide.
“Midnight, Midnight, Midnight …” he said, shaking his head. “You probably ruined him for life with other women,” he said, his eyes on her.
“I doubt that! Every girl in the class was after him.”
“Including you?” he asked.
“Actually, no, “ she said, her face serious. “He kind of zeroed in on me, because I was the only one that didn’t throw herself at him … I think he felt sorry for me … I wasn’t quite as outgoing back them as I am now.”
“Felt sorry for you?” Rick said, shaking his head. “Midnight, if you were even half as beautiful then as you are now, you probably blew every other girl in the class out of the water. I doubt it was sympathy that drew him to you, babe.”
Midnight looked at him for a long moment then sighed. “Well, he was a prosecutor for the city at the time. I think he found out about my past, and he made a point of trying to help me. He really did … and one night … after class, he asked me to dinner. I had never been on a real date before, so I accepted. We went out for about two months before he ever even kissed me. I guess he could tell I was a little gun shy. Well, eventually one thing lead to another …” She shrugged then, looking at Rick. He had been watching her as she told the story. He found himself wishing he had been there for her back then, that he’d been her first. But he couldn’t even imagine what she’d been like then. That would have been right after she’d gotten out of the gang, after her brother had been killed. She was probably totally different then than she was now.
“So what happened to him?” Rick asked then.
She shrugged. “I moved on, so did he. It wasn’t true love or anything …” she said, her voice trailing off. She looked at him then. “Joe’s the closest thing I’ve ever come to that.”
Rick looked at her, seeing from the look in her eyes that she wasn’t trying to hurt him, she was just trying to be honest with him. It did rankle him though, that Joe was the only man she had come close to loving. But he suppressed that thought.
“Does that bother you?” she asked, as if reading his mind.
Rick didn’t answer at first, his hand reaching up to touch her hand that was still on his chest. He covered her hand with his, pressing her hand flat against his chest, his eyes not leaving hers. “Yes,” he answered simply. His voice was quiet, his eyes searching hers, but there was no anger in h
is voice, no accusations in his eyes, only honesty.
Midnight leaned down, moving her hand, and kissing his chest where it had lain, her eyes watching him. She saw him close his eyes slowly in response to the touch of her lips. His hand touched her head, moving to caress the base of her neck. She kissed his neck, and made her way up to his lips. She kissed his lips softly, her eyes watching him the whole time, he had opened his eyes and was staring back at her.
“So …” she whispered, her eyes taking on an alluring look, “was the nanny pretty?” she asked, her lips almost against his. Rick’s breathing had grown heavier, and she knew what effect she was having on him, and it gave her a thrill.
“She … ” he started to say, but his voice hardly came out. “She wasn’t half as beautiful as you,” he said then, his voice still hoarse. His hand was still at the base of her neck, and he put pressure on it to bring her lips back into contact with his.
They kissed for a few minutes, her hands entwining themselves in his hair. He groaned in response. Midnight laid her body against his as they kissed. She pressed against him, enjoying the closeness and the warmth his body exuded. It made her feel safe. They made love, his body, his hands, and his lips bringing her to new heights of passion. She was forever astounded by her body’s response to him. She had never felt this way with any man, not even Joe. The thought didn’t seem to jab at her as much this time, but she didn’t take the time to wonder at it. She was too busy enjoying Rick’s body and his lovemaking.
****
The next morning Joe woke up before Randy. He lay next to her watching her sleep, reflecting on the incident the night before. It had terrified him to see the man holding Randy like he had, the cold fear still clutched at his heart like an icy hand. He knew that Robbins wasn’t done with FORS yet, and Joe knew that Robbins knew about Randy now. The thought sent a shudder through him. He had to warn Randy, he had to make her understand what Robbins was capable of. He had to protect her at all costs. He was afraid for her, she was now caught up in a game that she knew nothing about, she didn’t know the rules. Joe knew the rules, and the rules were that there were none. Robbins had declared war on FORS, and he wouldn’t stop until either he was dead, or FORS was.
Randy stirred and her eyes opened. She looked up at him and saw the worry in his eyes. She touched his cheek, he closed his eyes, bringing his hand up to cover hers, pressing her hand to his face. He turned his head, kissing her fingers.
“Are you okay?” she asked, seeing the tension on his face. She could tell that he was worried about her, but she wasn’t sure she understood why.
He shook his head. “No, I’m not … Randy … listen, this is important.” He pulled her up to a sitting position, and he sat with his hands on her shoulders. “I want you to be very careful for a while, okay? I don’t want you goin’ anywhere without me, okay?” he said seriously.
“Okay … but why?” Her eyes reflected worry. She could see that he was afraid, and she didn’t like seeing him that way.
“Randy, last night … that was a warning … Robbins is still out there, and he still wants us dead … he’s not finished.” Joe’s voice held a desperate note. He wanted her to understand, they were all in danger, but he was worried about her because she couldn’t really defend herself.
Randy nodded, closing her eyes. When she opened them, he could see that she was trying to control her fear. “That’s what I was thinking, but … I was hoping …” She shook her head then, dismissing what she was going to say.
“Randy, what scares me the most is he knows about you now, and he knows you’re important to me. That makes you a prime target. If he can’t manage to kill me, but if he can manage to get to you, and hurt you or … worse.” He took her hands, holding them tight. “Baby, I can’t let anything happen to you, if something did …” He shook his head indicating that he didn’t know what he’d do.
“Nothing is going to happen to me, Joe,” Randy said, her voice sure. “You’re here and you’ll protect me.” Her eyes looked up into his. He could see that she honestly believed what she was saying.
“And I will protect you, but you need to be careful, okay?”
“Okay,” she said, her voice as serious as his.
He kissed her, holding her against him.
“Joe …” Randy said, glancing up at him.
“What?” he asked, looking down at her, his arms still around her.
“Midnight isn’t happy about us, is she?” Randy asked, her eyes shadowed with concern.
Joe considered his answer carefully. He knew Randy had a great deal of respect for Midnight, and therefore for her opinion. He didn’t want Midnight’s unsettling reaction to their engagement to take away from Randy’s happiness. Seeing no other way out though, he finally shook his head.
“Why do you think?” she asked then.
“To tell you the truth, Randy, I don’t really know …” Joe said, his voice trailing off as he thought more about the situation.
Randy put her hand on his chest, looking up at him seriously. “Is it possible …” Her eyes searched his as she hesitated for a moment. “That she loves you more than you realize … that maybe she wanted to marry you?” Randy’s voice held concern, not jealously.
Joe shook his head. “No, that’s not it.”
“Are you sure? Because … I know how close you two have always been, and you said that she’s not serious about Rick. Maybe she is about you … but you just haven’t known …” She leaned her head against his chest. “If you wanted her … I’d understand.” Her voice was very quiet, but dignified.
“Randy!” Joe said, sounding shocked. He brought her face up to his, and looked straight into her eyes. “Baby, if it was Midnight I wanted, I would have married her a long time ago. If it was me she wanted, she would have grabbed me a long time ago. But it’s not Midnight I want, it’s you … I love you.” His tone was strong and sure. After a few moments, he smiled. “Besides … you’d give me up that easy?” His voice held humor, and Randy couldn’t help but smile at his words.
“No …” Then her eyes grew serious again. “I just want you to be happy …”
“I am happy, with you,” Joe said then, the tone of his voice brooking no argument.
“Okay,” she said smiling. “So why do you think Midnight’s upset?” she asked.
“I don’t know, Randy, but I’m gonna talk to her about it, it’s not like her … you know?”
They resolved that Joe would try to talk to Midnight, but he told Randy that Midnight was probably the only female he had ever met who didn’t like to talk about how she was feeling about something.
They went to the office later that morning. Joe went in to see Midnight an hour after they got in. She was working at her desk, but stood when he walked in. She could see from the look on his face that he wanted to talk to her and she was sure she knew what it was about.
“How’s the side?” she asked smiling.
“Fine, how’s the arm?” he replied.
“Just wonderful … so what’s up?” she asked, trying to get straight to the point.
“Babe, we need to talk …” Joe said, his eyes watching her. She nodded as she walked over to the couch in the office and sat down. She looked up at him, and he sat down next to her.
“So, you’re very obviously not happy about me and Randy …” Joe started out.
“No!” Midnight said, shaking her head. “I am happy.” She reached out and took his hand, holding it tightly in hers. “I’m happy for you, I really am.”
“Then what is it, babe? I know something’s wrong,” Joe said, his eyes staring directly into hers.
“If I was sure, I’d tell you, but I’m not really …” she said, her voice showing her own confusion over her feelings.
“What do you think it is?” Joe asked, wanting to get to the heart of the matter.
“I don’t know, I guess I feel this sense of loss … like I’m losing you.” Her eyes begged him to help her understand.
> “Losing me? You mean like our off and on stuff? I thought you didn’t want that anymore either …” His voice trailed off as Randy’s words of that morning came back to him, but he knew that wasn’t it, not totally.
“No, well, maybe, I don’t know. You’ve always been my security blanket. I don’t know if I’m ready to give that up … kinda like Linus on Peanuts,” she said then, smiling.
“Are you comparing me to that ugly tattered blue thing he always carried? Gee, thanks!” They both laughed.
“Night …” Joe said then, his eyes concerned. He didn’t know what he could say that would make her feel better.
“Joe, you have to live your life, and I have to live mine. If they don’t always parallel then, maybe it’s just meant to be that way … it’s okay. I’m just not adjusting to it as fast as you have. I think Randy is perfect for you, and she obviously loves you, so I’m happy for you. I guess I’m just not happy for me, ya know?” Again, her eyes pleaded with him, this time asking him to understand her.
His face was still drawn with concern, but he nodded.
“I’m losing my partner …” she said, her eyes inexplicably filling with tears.
“Oh, babe …” Joe said then, pulling her into an embrace. “You’re not losing me.” He kissed the top of her head, as he murmured, “I’ll always be here for you, always, no matter what.”
She was nodding against his chest, her tears were still flowing. She knew it would never be the same between them, and she guessed that was alright, but she just couldn’t bear the pain of separation right now, not when she didn’t have someone like he did. He had found his right match, but she hadn’t yet, and she knew that was part of the problem. She wondered if she would ever find her match. She was terrified she wouldn’t.
After a while, she sat up brushing almost irritably at her tears. “I’m sorry, I’m not making this very easy on you, am I?”
He grinned at her. “You’re not supposed to, you’re supposed to give me a hard time, and make my life difficult, it’s your job.”
“And I do it so well,” she said, laughing at him.
“I love you, babe,” he said seriously, his eyes staring directly into hers.
Empires Fall (MidKnight Blue Book 2) Page 7
