Tempted: A Secret Mountain Man Romance

by Anna Wild

  “I’m sorry,” She whispered, resting her head on his back. “I liked this one; she was nice.”

  “Why did she leave, Caitlin?” He heaved a long, painful sigh. “Tell me why.”

  “I read her diary.” She stated, caressing his shoulder. “She left it in the bedroom. I tried to talk to you when you came in, but you didn’t hear me. I saw you reading the letter; so I got curious.”

  “It’s ok,” Tim whispered. “Just give me an answer.”

  “It’s pretty clear, big brother,” said Caitlin, voicing her opinion, and leaning back. “She felt guilty about this relationship. It’s weird, though. The handwriting is the same and yet, this letter and her diary seem like they were written by two different people.”

  “Care to explain?” He complained, a groan of frustration leaving his mouth.

  “Well…” She started in a high pitched voice. “In her journal, she just says that she lusts over you. She tries to remain dignified. She uses fancy words, not everyday language. But with this letter?” She paused and pointed at the piece of paper on the floor. “This letter was written by a woman very much in love. There’s a lot of emotion in it. She’s different; she speaks freely. She sounds like an everyday woman.”

  “She’s gone.” Tim croaked, looking down at her over his right shoulder. “What difference does it make?”

  “Oh, my God…” Caitlin whispered, reaching her arm towards his face. Cupping his cheek, she ran her thumb across his cheekbone. “This is the difference, Tim. There’s still love there. You’ll find each other again.”

  “I don’t think I want to hear this.” He grumbled, standing up to his impressive, 6’2” stature. “She’s on her way to France, Caitlin. I can’t leave the country. Term of my parole, remember? But even if I could, I wouldn’t follow her. She didn’t talk to me; she just up and went away.”

  “You’re right about that,” Caitlin nodded, rising from the floor. “I was there when she got that phone call. She went to the kitchen; I couldn’t hear what she said. She was really upset when she came back. Last night, she kept asking questions about you. She wanted to know more about your childhood. And guess what? She did the same thing tonight.”

  “Stop it, ok? Just stop!” Tim cried, his watery eyes dark with sadness. “Whose side are you on, anyway?”

  “Yours!” She affirmed, raising her tone as well. “I’m just trying to make you see that it’s not over between you two.”

  Overwhelmed by frustration and sorrow, Tim spoke no more. The air around him had become too thick; he felt like he was drowning. Desperate for some fresh air, he turned his body left and marched towards the door.

  “Tim, wait!” Tim kept walking as if he heard no words coming from his sister. He would not stay there any longer. Slamming her door behind him, he once again got lost in his thoughts…

  “There’s still love there” my ass. If there was any love, she would have said something to me, she would have trusted me. She wouldn’t have left. Damn it, Joey… I put my trust in you and you just… walked out of my life. Why did you say ‘yes’ when I asked you out? Why did you make me believe I could have a future with you? Stop asking these questions, Tim. You’re never going to get any answers…

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Two days passed since Josephine’s departure, but to Tim, they felt like an eternity. He would not leave the house: he hardly ate or slept; and stayed up all night, reminiscing about their few, happy moments together. His argument with Caitlin was followed by many more. He accused her of being unable to understand him, while she maintained that he could not see beyond his pain.

  Tim was so devastated that he would not think about anything else, other than Josephine’s act of betrayal. His plan to meet with Maddox and his quest to find Paul Jitter’s killer fled his mind. After all, the idea of doing those things for someone who had abandoned him felt nonsensical.

  The night of the burglary kept replaying in his mind. Tim even hid away his sports bag, in an attempt to forget everything about it, to no avail. Everything was still very fresh and, one of the things that hurt him the most was Jon’s words:

  “I hope you don’t regret it.”

  It annoyed him that his friend could consider that possibility, while he was simply unable to. Blinded by despair and his feelings for her, he had made a decision that could well get him into trouble. But there was something else that broke his heart, even more than that: Up until he met Josephine, he had never been in a serious relationship. They had all lasted a few days and did not end well. He was hoping that a relationship with a woman unlike any other in his life would last much longer, but, once again, he was bitterly disappointed.

  “Yeah, you were different. But the outcome is even worse. I believed in what he had…” He thought to himself, gazing outside Caitlin’s living room window.

  “Tim, there’s someone here to see you.” His sister’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “She said her name was Laura.”

  “What?” He exclaimed, turning to her. “You didn’t buzz her in, did you?”

  “Actually, I did,” she replied, a hint of regret in her voice. “Listen, I’m going out. I’ll see you later.”

  “Damn it…” Tim hummed, as Caitlin made her way out of her apartment. He didn’t even have time to prepare himself for a meeting with the woman who had shut down Josephine’s research. Only seconds later, she was standing under the doorframe, with a blissful smile on her face.

  “Tim!” She chirped. “It’s good to see you again.”

  “What are you doing here, Laura?” He murmured, gazing down at the floor.

  “Tell me I didn’t see that.” Laura’s voice dropped down an octave, as she took a few, confident steps towards him. “The big, macho burglar who grabbed me by the throat can’t even look me in the eye? How the mighty have fallen…”

  “How did you find me?” He asked, still unwilling to face her.

  “That was easy,” She smirked. “You had put your sister down as an emergency contact. What’s going on? I don’t see her anywhere. Where is she?”

  He would not dignify her question with an answer. Tim bit his lower lip, rolling his gaze up to meet hers. However, his prolonged silence gave him away.

  “She left you.” Laura concluded in a firm voice as she looked deep into his eyes. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Trust me; if you found out about the things she’s done, you’d never want to see her again.”

  “Talking trash about her? Again?” His voice was dripping with sarcasm. “I thought you’d already told me everything you knew about her.”

  “I thought so as well.” She maintained. “But, I ran into a case of a mysterious death in the facility yesterday. I wasn’t here; I was in Italy at the time. I asked my father about it. He wouldn’t tell me, but I insisted. It happened about ten months ago. It turns out your precious doctor was the one who was responsible.”

  “Why do you say that?” Tim put a little force in his voice.

  “Well…” Laura gave a short laugh of derision. “The official story is that the poor guy got electrocuted by accident. But, the truth is far more disturbing. You see, your sweetheart left a cage door open on purpose. The freed chimp set free the rest of the chimps. When that guy walked through that door, he pulled a gun on them, but he didn’t get a chance to shoot. Three of them jumped him. They carried him all the way to the bathroom and put him in a bathtub full of water. The fourth put a hairdryer in the bathtub; the guy got fried. Now, you may wonder just how the hell could those chimps recognize a gun and know the effects of electricity. The answer’s quite simple.”

  At that moment, she pulled her cell phone and a small pack of pictures out of her coat pocket. Josephine’s shaking voice filled his ears.

  “I’m so sorry; I felt like I had no choice; we needed some results. I and my team agreed to use gene therapies to increase brain mass. Larger brain means more protein. As a side effect, the chimpanzees became smarter…”

  “Here.” She
added, handing the pictures over to him. Shivers went down his spine, as he laid his eyes on the first one. It depicted a man in a security uniform, lying in a bathtub, with multiple, deep lacerations on his wrists and his shoulders.

  “The guy’s name was Jackson Davis. He didn’t have any family. This helped my father cover it up. The bad publicity could destroy us.” Laura sighed. “He allowed her to continue running her research lab, on one condition: that those chimps be put down; they were too dangerous. So, she poisoned them.”

  The realization that he had fallen in love with someone as ruthless as her, hit him like a battering ram. He finally understood what she meant on the night of their date, when she said: “I’ve done things I’m not proud of.” Once more, she had not been completely honest with him. More than that, she was not the angel that he believed her to be. Instead, Josephine Taylor was just another woman who would do anything to achieve her ultimate goal.

  “Anyway, I didn’t come here to talk about her.” Laura stated, reaching out her hand to touch his. “You still owe me a date.”

  “We’ve been over this.” Tim finally uttered.

  “I’m not your boss anymore.” She lowered her voice to a low, husky whisper, running her thumb across his wrist. “I’m just a girl, who wants to go out with a boy. What do you say?”

  He couldn’t deny it to himself that she had a point. Certainly, he hadn’t forgotten about her, mischievous actions, but, for the third time in a matter of a few days, the air around him had become too thick to breathe. Tim was so distraught that he would have agreed to anything, just to get out of the house.

  “Ok.” He said with a nod. “Let me grab my coat.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Tim was somewhat surprised, when he noticed that she had driven there in a black Lexus. Still, he didn’t have the heart to ask Laura why she had preferred a car like that to her limousine. Despite her best efforts to start a conversation with him, he hardly spoke. He was still in shock, unable to wrap his head around Josephine’s actions and only opened his mouth when he absolutely had to. Tim wasn’t even curious about their destination. The only thing that mattered to him was getting some fresh air.

  Lower Manhattan was bustling with life, adding to his profound pain. The memory of his day with Josephine quickly returned to his mind. There had been people and bright lights everywhere. He had been happy. He had not resembled the broken man that he was now. Tears welled up in his eyes within just a few minutes. Preoccupied with complaining about the heavy traffic ahead of them, Laura didn’t even notice it.

  You’re so far, yet I feel you so close to me, Joey. Everywhere I look, I see those big, beautiful eyes of yours. But still, you weren’t any different than everyone else, baby. You’d do anything to succeed, wouldn’t you? It doesn’t matter if you get someone killed in the process. ‘It’s unethical to use stolen money’. You couldn’t be honest, not even in that letter. You could have said that you were leaving because you found a better job there…

  Eventually, Laura entered a noisy neighborhood and pulled over outside of a large, yet closed bar. It was dark and the neon sign over the glass façade was off as well. Tim decided to keep his mouth shut and waited for her to unlock the door.

  “This place is mine.” She informed him, stepping inside. Then, Laura went to the left and pressed a light switch on the wall. Dozens of red, green and blue spotlights on the ceiling were lit, casting their light on multiple small tables. There was also a big staircase, just in front of her. “The grand opening’s set for next week. I just need to find a couple of waitresses first. Care to follow me?” She made her voice sound sweeter, as she pointed at the stairs. Tim’s nod served as a response.

  He scanned the second floor once he reached the top landing. It was much smaller, with a single table in the corner across from him and two chairs, next to one another.

  “What’s your poison?” She inquired.

  “Scotch.” He muttered.

  “Ok.” Laura chirped. “Have a seat. I’ll be right back.”

  Tim sat down on the chair that faced the staircase, struggling to keep his eyes open. Before he could start wondering about Laura’s intentions, a familiar song introduction filled the air: Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight”.

  “Fuck…” He groaned, banging his fist against the table. “She’s got to be kidding me!”

  Images of his date with Josephine rushed through his mind. A single image brought tears to his eyes: The broad smile on her face, when he said to her “You look wonderful: Every day and every night.” He made no attempt to fight them. Tim squeezed his eyes shut; a tear rolled down his right cheek. Upon hearing the click-clacking of her heels on the stairs, he wiped it off of his face. Laura had a bucket of ice with a bottle of whiskey in one hand and two glasses in the other.

  “I hope you like the place.” She smiled down at him, making her way back to the table.

  “It’s good.” He commented.

  “What does a chick have to do to get you to talk?” Laura protested, taking her seat.

  “That’s a nice car you’re driving.” Tim spoke in his baritone. “What happened to your limo?”

  “Well…” She laughed, her eyes glinting with amusement, as she poured whiskey into their glasses. “Like I said, tonight I’m just a girl who wants to go out with a boy. No limos, no drivers… just me and him.”

  “What’s your angle here, Laura?” All of a sudden, his voice became stiff. “What do you want from me?”

  “I want your attention.” She claimed, handing the glass over to him, not at all intimidated by his tone. “Things were looking great between us, until she got in the way. Now she’s gone, I really want to get to know you better.”

  “How did you know she was gone?” He posed one more question.

  “I have friends at JFK.” Laura lowered her tone. “One of them told me she saw her name on a flight manifest. Here’s to new beginnings.” She added, raising her glass for a toast. To her disappointment though, Tim downed his drink.

  “Huh…” She gave a short snort of derision. “Dr. Taylor’s screwed up yet another man I care about. How typical… you and my father should found a club.”

  “Care about?” Tim smirked. “Really?”

  “Yes.” She affirmed, leaning over towards him. “Care about. Do I have to repeat why I’m interested in you? She asked, “Because I really don’t like to repeat myself.”

  “That won’t be necessary.” Tim assured Laura, waving his hand in front of his face.

  “You know a few things about me. I’d like to know more about you.” Laura’s request put a bitter smile on his face.

  “You picked a hell of a day to do that…” Tim said, tearing his gaze away from her.

  “Would tomorrow be any different?” She wondered, raising her eyebrow. “I don’t think so. You know, I got really upset when you quit. But then, I thought: ‘He didn’t say ‘no’ to me in my house. Why would he do that now?’ Obviously, something had changed. Anyway, what’s done is done. I’m willing to put that behind me. Are you?”

  “I don’t have much choice, do I?” He spoke, his voice low and deep. Her hands slowly came into view, as he stared down at his empty glass. Laura took his hand into hers. Tim caught himself enjoying her soft touch. At such a desperate time, it was the only way for him to escape his painful reality.

  “We always have a choice.” She said, her voice lowering to a soft, tender whisper, as she caressed his skin. “I’m sorry. I made your life miserable while you worked for me. I shouldn’t have insisted on you spying on her. I wanted to have a relationship with you and yet, I treated you like the rest of my employees. I kept…” She faltered, “bossing you around. That was a stupid mistake.”

  “It’s ok,” He said with a sigh. “I get it; you were trying to protect your investment.”

  “That’s the thing.” Laura remarked. “I didn’t want you to be my employee. I wanted you to be my boyfriend. Say, you don’t have a job now, do you?”<
br />
  “Nope,” Tim shook his head sideways.

  “I’ll introduce you to a friend of mine. She owns a security company.” She said, as her eyes sparkled with excitement. “I don’t remember the address though. Hold on.”

  Laura rose from her seat and started down the hall, towards a closed door to the right. Tim admitted it to himself that their date so far was much different than what he expected. She no longer resembled the spoiled woman that he had met at the facility. On the contrary, Laura was much sweeter, down-to-earth and seemed to genuinely care about him. Under any other circumstances, he would be interested in her, but Tim was still bearing the scars of his relationship with Josephine. He couldn’t jump into a new relationship so fast.

  Upon his realization that Laura had been gone a while, he got up as well. He had to let her know about his decision. Surely, Laura would not appreciate it, but he hoped that she would show some understanding. Just before he started towards the room, a loud, banging noise drew his attention.

  “Damn it!” She yelled in frustration. “Tim, could you come here for a sec?”

  Tim sprinted along the hall, curious about what had transpired. As he approached the door, he noticed that it was not fully closed. He also saw a light, appear through the chinks of the door. Tim slowly pushed it open. There was a massive bed on the far wall, with a nightstand on each side. A candle was on each nightstand. Laura was lying on it, naked: leaning against her shoulders; legs spread wide open. On the left side of the bed, there was a desk with an empty drawer lying on the floor.

  “Come to me…” She urgently asked Tim, her voice a husky whisper. Her nudity sent his pulse rising. Tim couldn’t help but marvel at her beautiful, slender body. Laura’s gaze was fixed on his face, as he scanned her body, from top to bottom. Too vulnerable to say “no” to her, he started taking his clothes off in a hurry. He had a perfect chance to finish what he had started at her house in Vermont and he would not let it go to waste. Just when he removed his shirt, her sexy voice sent his adrenaline into the ozone layer once more.