Bailey: Independence #1

by Karen Nichols

  He waited until they were alone, watching as she placed one of the small oriental soup spoons near him and a fork and knife. She lifted a hand full of the sprouts and dropped them into her soup.

  “If you like peppers, you can chop them and add them to your soup. I never put the basil in, but…” she shrugged and lifted the sprig of leaves and inhaled. “I love the scent and I love the sprouts. Mah Chow always gives me extra.”

  “What’s the spice? It smells like licorice,” Gabriel lifted the odd little spoon and scooped a little of the broth, inhaling and pausing a few seconds before sipping.

  “A mixture of cinnamon, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, whole star anise, cardamom, whole cloves.” Bailey used her fork, taking a bite of rare beef and rice noodles. “It’s amazing.”

  “I can see why it’s a favorite,” he used the knife and sliced the peppers before dropping them into his soup along with some sprouts. “It’s a combination of spices I wouldn’t have considered for a soup.”

  “I’m glad I could share it with you,” she said after a long silence. “Janet told you about the police…about what happened.”

  “You know it’s why I sent her with them, Bailey. I also knew they might not believe you if I was there,” he met the confused surprise on her face. “They fear you’re being controlled.”

  “Because…oh…oh.” She looked back at her soup, taking a thin slice of beef and chewing thoughtfully. “They don’t understand.”

  “No, they don’t. Especially the detective,” Gabriel agreed, slicing through the rice noodles with a knife and fork and using the spoon.

  “Did you know her? The girl who died.” She worked to wind her fork through the rice noodles like spaghetti and took a big bite.

  “I didn’t. But then I didn’t know you worked for Immersive Games, either, Bailey. I might give the impression, but I don’t know everything.” Gabriel kept watching her as he ate. “You seem to enjoy what you do and you had my presentation up and running in no time.”

  “I remember when I was in college, all I wanted to do was work for a game company,” she grinned up at him. “I never was that good at the shooters, but I loved watching and listening to people play. Mostly I liked taking the computers apart and digging into their guts to find out why they wouldn’t do what they’re told.”

  “Interesting job description,” Gabriel laughed, amazed at how easy it was to just relax and be himself. All of himself. Something he’d never let happen before. “That night at the club, I had told the lieutenant that I was looking for you.” He saw her fingers shake a little as she wound another batch of rice noodles around her fork. “I was supposed to let her know if I found you first and I became distracted.”

  “I’m pretty sure that isn’t something I should apologize for,” she murmured, peeking up when he laughed. “I couldn’t help her. I don’t know anything, Gabriel.”

  “Did you show her the things you received?”

  “She took photos and I made her a copy of the note.” Bailey began spooning the soup into her mouth. “Does it bother you, Gabriel? What people think?”

  The spoon stopped on the way to his mouth. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard concern in a voice like hers. For him. He continued eating slowly.

  “It used to,” he answered honestly. “A long time ago.”

  “How did you make it stop?”

  “I don’t know that I did. I just don’t care,” he continued watching her. “How can you be true to yourself if what people think changes who you are? Every person is going to want something different from you, Bailey. Every person is going to have their own expectations as to your thoughts and behaviors. Who do you please? And how angry do you get when eventually those people are no longer in your life?”

  “I never found answers to those questions,” Bailey said after a lengthy pause.

  Gabriel considered asking questions when Mah Chow brought a plate to the table, looked at Bailey and nodded before returning to her other customers.

  He looked over the four pieces of something in see-through wraps. One arched brow at Bailey had her smiling.

  She lifted one and took a bite, chewing before speaking. “Rice paper, noodles, very thinly sliced pork, some leaf thing and prawns. This is peanut sauce…you can dip if you like. I like them plain.”

  Gabriel decided perhaps it wasn’t so bad learning from one’s sub. He finished the first wrap and reached for his second, savoring the spicy flavor of the sauce with the cool texture of the rice noodles and prawns. He wondered how he’d lived in the area for so long and hadn’t stepped out of what had become something he abhorred in other areas of his life. The mundane and repetitive.

  Both of them looked up when the phone chimed. Bailey shook her head.

  “Not my noise,” she shrugged, continuing to spoon soup into her mouth while he patted down a pocket and leaned slightly to pull the small rectangle free of his slacks. She almost jumped out of her chair when he shoved back, pulled his wallet free and dropped two twenties to the table.

  “I have to take this,” he growled before whipping his coat from the rack and storming outside.

  “I understand,” she said and looked down at her soup. There wasn’t much left and it had been very good, as usual. And they had a pleasant two hours. Sometimes you just have to take what you can get and move on. She took the money to Mah Chow and thanked her.

  “It was delicious, as always,” she accepted the change and gave her back some for a tip.

  “Problem with your man?”

  “He’s not mine,” Bailey said firmly. If he was mine, his withdrawal would hurt. Like a stomach ache. “He’d never had your soup before so I brought him by so he’d know what he was missing,” she went to her coat and sighed as Mah Chow followed.

  “He’s your man,” she repeated just as firmly. “I saw in his eyes. Be patient, little red,” she hugged her friend and began cleaning the table.

  Bailey just smiled and went into the November evening. She pulled the collar of her coat higher and was grateful she didn’t live far. She looked down the sidewalk and saw his shoulders as he paced outside the range where she could hear even bits of the conversation.

  He owned a profitable business so people were probably always looking for him for answers. She didn’t want so many thoughts inside her head right now. Long legs carried her across the street and to her building without looking back over her shoulder. She knew how to lose herself in work and had several projects, a book or two and lots of other things to occupy her time.

  And it had been a nice dinner.

  He wasn’t quite so scary as he’d been before. Not quite. She rolled her eyes. Yeah, right.

  Bailey took the stairs, climbing slowly to the third floor. Somehow a plain, simple date with Gabriel Garrett wasn’t something she would have imagined possible. She had fun. He was mostly human after all and she didn’t want to think about the date ending less than perfect. Although after the first two times they’d been together, this was decidedly mild.

  She had tons of things to do, she reminded herself sternly. She didn’t need a guy to entertain her, she announced to the empty apartment. And she certainly didn’t need a guy to depress her because he had other things to do. She wasn’t being realistic. And if she talked long enough she figured she’d actually convince herself of the stuff she said.

  She set the locks, tossed her jacket to the sofa and went straight to her bedroom.

  She was tired and she knew how to dream, she thought, fighting the irrational tears. She had just tossed her boots into the closet when the pounding began on her door.

  “Stop, stop, stop! I’m coming!” Bailey yelled out, jogging lightly across the wide open area and peeking through the eyepiece that she had to tiptoe to reach. “Gabriel?” She backed up and quickly opened the locks, the door barely pulled wide before her shoulders were gripped tightly and she found herself on her toes.

  Gabriel had been a dominant for too long to let a little redhea
d bring insanity to his thoughts. He saw her lips part to protest seconds before his mouth covered hers. Hot and hungry, his tongue swept through the parted full lips, tasting and seeking. He pulled her tongue into the play, slowly lowering her to the floor only to take her hands and place them on his shoulders.

  Bailey knew the floor was somewhere below her toes but felt it barely a second when he placed her hands on his shoulders. One strong hand pressed down her side, over her hip and to her thigh, lifting it and pulling her leg to his waist. The marauding kiss continued and she gave everything she had to it, shuddering with a need that had never existed before.

  A soft, low whimper broke from between their lips.

  “I can’t stay,” Gabriel murmured huskily, his mouth moving down the throat that she’d arched when his kiss roamed. “I have something I have to handle, Bailey. Thank you for...a really nice dinner and a very pleasant companion.” He kissed the full lips and slowly lowered her to the floor. His palm left her ass and tugged gently on the collar. “I like you belonging to me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Bailey listened to his words and swallowed up the sincerity she saw in his gaze. The gentle tug he gave the thin leather fastened around her throat sent a thrill straight to her middle even as he took a step back and headed for the stairwell.

  She leaned against the doorjamb for a few minutes until she was positive her knees would support her enough to walk. Hands absently flipped the locks into place before she went to the bedroom, fell face down on the bed and let out a very girly squeal of delight.

  She felt like she’d just scored the attention of the star quarterback in high school!

  Chapter Thirteen

  Bailey glared at the closet and finally settled on black jeans, a long sleeve yellow tee with a bright orange tank. She had fastened her last shoe when she stood up and stomped it into place. Her hand went up and touched the thin strip of leather around her throat.

  Did it go with her clothing? It’s not like you’re going steady with the man, she argued, opening the buckle and leaving it lie on her table. She grabbed up her jacket and pack, keys jangling as she locked the door and ran for her car. Rain pelted down on her all the way into the building, sneakers gripping safely as she made it to the large clear glass doors with the cyclone on the front.

  Bailey flashed her badge and kept moving. The guards were used to her high energy and somehow thinking about Gabriel made her even more hyper.

  She went through her work with most of the puzzle in the forefront of her brain. The other part was wondering why she felt like she wanted to run up to his office and kiss him good morning. Or walk with him, holding hands through the corridors. When she hadn’t heard from him by the end of the day, she’d convinced herself it had all been a very good dream. The ache inside her said she wasn’t certain what type of dream it had been because it felt like it had faded with the light of morning.

  Bailey stared at the phone laying on the counter as she mixed up the frothy smoothie. She wasn’t really hungry. She blamed men. All men, just in case one slipped through that might make your bones melt and body tingle for hours.

  Too much work? Too much that he couldn’t even call? He had to have her number. He knew where she lived without her giving him the address, so she knew he’d have her number.

  By Friday morning she knew she was irrational and was really glad she didn’t have a cat to kick on her way out the door to her car.

  Bailey was almost ready for some lunch when Patsy came into the server room and snatched her up by one of the ponytails she’d made out of the red curls that morning.

  “Ow, ow, ow!” Bailey reached up, trying to hold her hair in her head as she was pulled along. “Let go, you crazy New Yorker!”

  “All those strong, able males in the place and they call me to find out what the heck is wrong with you this week?” Patsy dragged her to the door and out into the main collection of cubicles. “She’s at lunch, guys, you can relax now. Chickens…all of you.”

  “Let go, damn it!” Bailey laughed and had both hands up trying to peel the long nailed fingers from her hair. “Okay, I get it! I get it!”

  “Lunch. You haven’t had food with me all week. Not since the melt down on Monday. And now I get hints from friends that you’ve gone all psycho on us,” Patsy released her hair but gave her a little push down the corridor.

  “Why do I always have to be Miss Sunshine?” She grumbled, taking the tray from Patsy before it was used to damage her.

  “Because it’s you. THIS...is not you,” Patsy put a plate of pasta and a salad on her tray. “And you’re buying me lunch while I sort this out.”

  “Bitch, bitch, bitch,” Bailey mumbled, taking one of the veggie sandwiches and a large soda. She swiped her badge for hers and Patsy’s meal, grabbed up a napkin and headed to an almost empty corner. She didn’t recognize any of the three girls at the next table with the paper spread before them so she figured it was a safe place to sit.

  “This is about that guy, isn’t it?” Patsy shook her head as she sat down.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” Bailey stiffened up, her shoulders back and sandwich in her hands. She tore into it with a glare at her friend.

  “I knew it,” Patsy shook her head. “It never works getting involved with the higher ups. They always think they’re better than us workers, girlfriend.”

  Bailey listened to the softened sympathy and hated the tears that formed. “I thought he was different,” she answered softly. One shoulder rose and fell. “Maybe he’s just really busy.”

  “Oh, honey…you seriously need to come out and party tonight. Some beers and karaoke and flirting. You’ll be good as new.”

  Bailey pushed a long sigh free. “I guess I have been a bit surly.”

  “A bit? Girlfriend, you have those males cowering in their cubicles, hoping when you storm around that you’re not coming for them,” she laughed gaily, her head shaking. “Maybe this guy was good in that you learned you could be assertive and stop making excuses for the goof-offs you work with. You always cover for them.”

  “Patsy, I’ve loved you since we were kids but I really don’t want a lecture,” she whispered, ripping another bite of her sandwich off and chewing. “I already feel stupid enough without your help.”

  “I’m sorry. But you need to eat,” Patsy pushed the cup of soda toward her. “And as your lifelong friend, it’s my job to be honest with you.”

  Bailey laughed and swiped at the tear that had eased free.

  “That is very true. We made that pact when we were ten,” she recalled with a grin, dragging in a deep breath and looking at the giggling girls beside them. One of them caught her eyes.

  “Just checking out the boss,” the slender girl with dark hair handed the society page over as the others cleaned up their table. “Keep it. We’re done.”

  “Oh, Bee…” Patsy reached for the page but stopped at the look on her friend’s face. “No, honey, you don’t want to…”

  Center page was a color photo of Gabriel Garrett and a tall, willowy woman in scarlet at the High Top Restaurant in Seattle. He was leaned back in a cushioned chair, suit coat open and one hand in the pocket of his slacks. The other held a glass of something amber colored, light sparkling off the ice. It was obviously a candid phone shot and not all that clear. But clear enough for the blaring headlines.

  “Game entrepreneur seen out on the town with international model, Stephanie Blake.”

  “She’s beautiful,” Bailey whispered. “This was last night. I guess that’s why he didn’t call. He’s been busy,” she closed the page and shoved her plate back. She drained the soda and collected her tray. “Oh, well…he never promised anything but a fun diversion.”

  “Bee…come out with us tonight. You need some brain draining fun,” Patsy hurried after her with her food.

  “No. But I’ll give you a call. Maybe tomorrow,” she hugged her friend and went off down the corridor with a backward flip of her hand in farewell. “Hav
e fun.”

  Bailey wasn’t really sure how she made it through the rest of the day and was glad when it ended. Her shoulders hit the door of her apartment the instant she closed it, her knees quaking and her bottom hitting the floor seconds later.

  She honestly believed she was too old to be so stupid. You went into a sex club, dummy! What did you expect? A proposal? A boyfriend? Companionship? Stupid, she grumbled.

  The picture of the woman in scarlet was burned into her brain. So many images inside her head that she wished she could find the delete button for.

  Bailey knew she couldn’t compete with women like that. Her breasts were too small and her waist too narrow for the swell of her behind. Her arms and legs too long and her hair too red. She sighed and felt her stomach grumble. Only the thought of eating made her head ache.

  Darkness of November settled around her even if the clock did only say it was five-thirty when her phone sounded. It was the standard tone so she was surprised at the text that appeared.

  Surprise and a lot of other emotions crashed around her as she read it.

  Twice.

  “A car will pick you up outside at six-thirty. Wear a simple black dress. The sexiest one you have. Leave your cell phone at home. The car will take you to Bound and Tied in Seattle. I’ll meet you there. I’m sorry I couldn’t get with you sooner. GG.”

  Bailey pushed herself off the floor, pulled her jacket off and threw it on the sofa. Then she paced. It was obvious they weren’t exclusive to one another. Okay, she might have thought differently, but that was because she believed differently.

  So now she was angry. And she wanted to tell him so. But not over the phone.

  Definitely to his face. He couldn’t fire her. He had no work grounds for it.

  Black dress, huh? Bailey went and stood in front of her closet, fingers pushing hangers along the bar until they settled on the one she wanted. Definitely not into following orders tonight.

  She found the foundation she wanted in the back of a drawer and managed to lace herself into it. She set out the heels and let the blood red dress fall over her head and shoulders. The bodice fit snugly and scooped low; the sleeves clung to her arms and ended just where her wrists were. The skirt skimmed along her body and stopped inches past her behind.