“You really need to get out more. Halloween is like THE most celebrated of American holidays. People in Manhattan spend a fortune so as not to be outdone.”
“You’re not seriously considering taking the case?” His eyes narrow. “Saaammm….”
Grinning, I wink like him and imitate his accent. “Y’all better believe it.”
“Shit. Well, we better get at this.”
I wait for him to get out of bed but instead he begins kissing me passionately, thrusting in and out with his tongue.
“What’s this?” I manage to stop long enough to ask,
“I don’t do my best work with Cousin Joey downstairs and Uncle Vinny ready to wring my neck.”
“Not to mention my dad.” I giggle when he tickles my underarms.
By the time we finish making love, it’s near noon. Slate pings us to join him for lunch and we get a ride back to the city in Patten’s private jet.
Andy Quinn promises to drop by next time he’s in Manhattan and heads to another part of the airport to take a flight back home. Then, our pilot takes us through security and out a small door onto the tarmac. It may be old hat to Suds and Slate but my eyes bug out.
Sure, I’ve flown several times now but not like this.
We climb up the stairs and when I walk into the jet, I stop. “Holy shit. I expected a few rows of seats with more leg room. This place looks like someone’s living room and man-cave.”
While Slate talks to the pilot, Suds slides his arms around my waist and whispers in my ear. “Remember, there’s a bedroom in the back of the plane.”
I blush and punch his arm while he laughs and gets me a glass of wine.
As the plane takes off, Slate gives us some privacy. I’m kind of worried about my job with Patten. I mean, I’m sleeping with one of their best employees.
“How does Slate feel about us?” I shoot our boss a glance but he’s focused on his computer screen.
Suds chuckles. “Relax. We’re golden. We got a lot of good publicity for Patten. After all, you found out who murdered the Congressman’s wife.”
I think of my bonus check and smile. No more blind dates. Then, I recall how easily I was kidnapped. “Shit. You don’t think he’s going to fire me?”
“Y’all should pay better attention.” Sebastian raises his brows.
“I know, I know.” Again, I feel like a complete failure but determined to get it right next time.
“From now on, I will stay behind the computer and analyze my little heart out. Will you tell him that for me?”
“He’s sitting right there.”
“Yeah, but he loves you. Me, not so much.” I grin when he covers my mouth with his in a passionate kiss.
“You have a way of growing on people. Give him time. While you were asleep, he told me he had a lot more work for you. I wouldn’t worry so much.”
I sip on my wine, totally in lust with the man sitting next to me. If I were to be truthful, I may be in love but after my ex, who would blame me for thinking I’m off my game?
He eyes me watching him. “Aren’t you going to say it?”
“Say what?”
“We need to talk or some such shit?”
“Why, were you?”
“No.”
“Then why ask?”
He rolls his eyes at me, like I’m the one being difficult, and sighs deeply. “Can we at least admit we want to be exclusive?”
“Except for Uncle Vinny’s enforced blind dates…”
He growls. “Fine. But I may have to shoot them if they try to kiss you.”
“Noted.”
“No models, actresses, or other sexy heiresses… right?”
He crosses his heart. “Nope, not a one.”
“Deal?”
“Deal.”
He kisses me on the cheek, both of us too aware of Slate sitting just feet away, studying his laptop but no doubt listening in.
Chapter 33
Sam
Things get pretty much back to normal. That is, I wash hair in the morning, rush to Manhattan in the afternoon, and ignore Uncle Vinny’s date nights.
I tried to buy my way out of them with my bonus check but he wouldn’t hear of it. Apparently, if I like my apartment, I will need to occasionally go out with his cronies.
Slate sends Sebastian to LA to guard some rock star which gets the green monster inside me raging. However, because there’s no pictures online of Suds having torrid sex, I try to chill and keep busy.
To cheer me up, Rose and Mia help me out with my latest case.
“This is the costume?” Mia pulls the computer screen to her nose. “It doesn’t look like millions.”
“Apparently, it’s an original flapper dress studded with real diamonds.” I take back my computer and open Google’s search engine.
“When was the last time she saw it?” Rose grabs a couple beers from the fridge and sets them on the coffee table.
“Last Halloween, she stored it where she always does, in some fur vault.” I look through my notes to see if I missed anything.
“Isn’t it insured?”
“Sure it is, but that’s not the point. It belonged to her great-grandmother and she wants it back. Someone must be trying to sell it somewhere…”
Mia sips on her beer. “Online would seem risky.”
“Agreed.” I login onto my favorite site to find shit.
“Dark web?” Rose peers over my shoulder and I laugh.
“Craig’s List. The Dark Web is vastly overrated. If a site is dark, no one can find it and if it’s not, then everyone can.”
“Why not ask the Jason-thingy?” Rose opens the cupboard and returns with a bag of chips which we all grab for at once.
After I swallow, I try to explain. “Jason is over-kill. Besides, I can’t go asking Jenna for favors for stuff like this. Nope. I’m just going to have to find the costume on my own.”
“You have any suspects?” Rose munches thoughtfully as I click through the want ads.
“No, not many people know about her dress. Sharon gave me a list of about a hundred people, including her insurance company. She hangs with a rather exclusive crowd.”
“Maybe it’s an inside job…” Mia’s eyes go wide. “How can we help?”
“Tell Aunt Marion I need a few days off.
Chapter 34
Suds
“Where are you?” I quickly mute my phone while I glance around the chichi loft apartment lit only by well-placed black lights.
“I told you, remember? I found Sharon’s costume and got invited to her Halloween party. She has been so great for business. At least five people asked for my business card. My days as a pet detective may be at an end.” She walks into a quieter place, I hear flushing, and head up the spiral staircase.
“Seriously Sam? The bathroom?”
Her voice comes from behind restored oak door. “Everyplace else is too noisy. When are you coming home?”
“Thanksgiving.” I whisper into the phone, my cock growing hard at the thought of her inches away.
“That’s only a few weeks away. I miss you like crazy.”
“Me, too.” Chuckling, I keep her talking. “Uncle Vinny hasn’t set you up with anyone, has he?”
She laughs. “Not for lack of trying.”
“Any guys hitting on you at this party you’re at?”
“Jealous?”
“Damn straight, I am.”
“There’s one guy who tried but not my type.”
“You have a type?”
“Well yes, for one thing, they need a southern accent.”
“And??”
“They should carry a small arsenal on their person, just in case.”
I laugh, loving her sense of humor. “That’s it?”
“Nope. Tie wraps, definitely tie wraps.”
“So my charming personality, good looks, and clever mind aren’t worth shit?”
“Ho hum. A dime a dozen.” She giggles and my stupid heart thumps as
she exits the bathroom.
I was picturing naughty nurse or a she-devil in fishnets. Instead, she’s got a dark pageboy wig, round glasses, orange sweater and matching knee socks. The skirt is high enough where she better be wearing shorts underneath.
“Velma?”
“Scooby-dooby-doo.” She looks at my full batman costume up and down. “Do I know you?”
Grinning, I put an arm to her lower back to lead her to the bar but she slaps it away. “I, ah… not interested.”
What was intended to be a surprise is now purely hilarious.
She heads to the kitchen, serving as a bar and I follow. In the better lighting, she’s sure to recognize me.
“Now, listen here-” She turns, her face scrunches, then her eyes pop open wide.
“Suds?” She’s still not sure if it’s me which is funny as hell so I shrug silently, wondering what she’ll do now.
“Wow, this is awkward. You look exactly like my boyfriend. You’re not him, right, because if you’re him, you will be so sorry.” She scrunches her face and stares into my costumed face.
I grab her arm, wrap my cape around her and with my right hand to the back of her head, and pull her lips to mine.
At first she struggles but she knows my taste, my body, and melts into me with a little indignant mmph noise.
When we come up for air, she pushes on the plastic armor covering my chest. “You’re lucky I recognized you or you’d be singing soprano.” She raises her knee between my legs and I laugh.
“We’re both lucky, sugar.”
The old warehouse has huge windows looking out onto the Brooklyn Bridge. A dance floor is set up nearby and I nod at the DJ.
He slows it down a bit so I can take my woman into a slow dance and hold her close. My arm slips down her butt, the edge of her skirt just beyond my fingertips. Hell, she can’t even bend over in this thing.
“I love this costume.” Damn good I got here before some other idiot tried to dance with her.
“Mia helped me make it. She wants to go to FIT and design clothes someday.” She wraps her arms around me and presses into me while we sway to Black Magic Woman.
When the song ends, I take her into my arms and kiss her. “I can’t stay long. I fly back in the morning. Ready to go?”
Her eyes, already dilated, tell me everything I need to know. My Uber driver agreed to drive around the corner and wait for me to come out.
I wave as we exit the building. “I got us a room for the night. Hope you don’t mind?”
In the back seat of the small electric car she grins and kisses the lower half of my face.
We walk through the lobby of the Waldorf getting amused looks by some and thumbs up by others. At the front desk, I grab our key and take her to our room.
Standing at the back of the elevator, I slip my hand up her short skirt and palm her butt cheeks while she blushes. At our floor, I politely take her hand and walk her down the hall, needing her like mad.
With one swipe of the card, I push her through the door, lock it and we crash onto the bed. After kissing her thoroughly, we both laugh as we try to touch each other, still in costume.
“Naughty Velma does batman. What do you think? Good porn title?” She giggles and as I pull the tight mask over my head, she unties my cape, and removes my chest armor. I’m left in my black boots, tight black jeans, and long t-shirt.
“Let’s check it out.” I gently shove her onto the bed, straddle her, and when I pull the thick yellow turtleneck over her head, the fake glasses and the wig go with it.
I suck her silk covered nipples until her bra is wet. Then, I lift her skirt and hiss.
Her undies are some kind of cheerleading thing, ruffled and orange.
“Shit, I was wondering what all that fabric was.” I pull them down to her ankles and pull off her patent leather shoes.
“Don’t move a muscle.” Kicking off my boots, I store my weapon by the nightstand, and shove off my tight black jeans. She eyes my thick bulge pushing against my briefs as I struggle to get my t-shirt off my biceps and over my head.
Naked, I kneel at the foot of the bed and spread her wide. She’s already wet and swollen, for me. Damn, I’ve missed her tangy taste, her little moans, and the way she urges me on by arching into me.
“Suds, damn, oh…” When I place my tongue flat on her nub, she shoots to her high.
Fuck me. I slide into every exotic inch of her pulsing warm wet core.
My cock swells and I lose my ever-loving mind. On my elbows, I push until our cores meet, back out fully with a little pop and repeat.
She meets me every time then and greedy, I want more. In a one-handed push up, I grab one of her legs and toss it over my shoulder.
She gets the idea and the other follows.
Knees at her ears I have full access and we get so close, I have no idea where she stops and I begin.
She holds on while I take the lead, pushing, pressing, reaching for a high that’s so sweet, I hold back just to have more.
Her eyes roll back, she tenses, “Come with me, baby.”
She explodes around my length, I coil, and release so hard, I hope I don’t hurt her. After I spend my load, I lower her legs to the mattress but stay deep inside as I collapse.
Before I fall asleep, I reach to my pants on the floor and drop the cool metal on her heated chest.
“Yikes! Cold!” Her eyes pop open.
“Cuff me to the bed, darlin’. In case I fall asleep.”
She does but with a sly grin telling me we ain’t getting’ any shut eye tonight. Hell, I got a long flight tomorrow. I can sleep on the plane.
Chapter 35
Sam
Several weeks after the Halloween party, with the holidays looming, my business takes a serious deep dive. Not only that, Suds job in LA doesn’t end until Thanksgiving. With nothing to keep me busy, the next few weeks is going to suck.
“Don’t worry. Things will pick up.” Her next client late, Rose stops by the sink where I wash Mrs. Montague’s blue hair.
I roll my eyes as I pour out the conditioner. “You think? Uncle Vinny has me lined up with Steven Rizzo.”
“No way. Skinny Stevie?”
“Well, he’s not so skinny anymore and according to Vinny, has a few million dollars to spare and is looking for local businesses to invest in.” I air quote the last two words with sudsy fingers.
Rose frowns. “Yikes. I don’t think you want his kind of money.”
“Agreed but I think I’m getting an offer I cannot refuse, if you get my drift?”
“Can’t you stall?” Mia calls out from where she paints bleach onto locks of hair separated by foil.
“I’ve tried but you know Vincent. If I say no one more time, he says I can go apartment hunting and what with business being so slow…”
“What about Patten? Surely, Slate has work.” Rose follows me back to the sink.
“Yeah, but it’s part-time and my health insurance is so darn expensive. I’m thinking of dropping it.”
She shoots me a horrified look. “You can’t! Not in your line of business. What if you get shot?”
“Just kidding. Not.” I gently lift Mrs. Montague from the sink, towel her hair, and she puts four quarters in my palm.
“Thank you, dearie.” While she sits in Aunt Marion’s chair, I roll my eyes and jiggle the jar with about a half dozen quarters in the bottom.
“See what I mean?”
Rose squeezes me tight. “Don’t worry, hun. Something will come up. Maybe that hot bodyguard will marry you. Then you and him can get an apartment together.”
“Not quite there yet.” Damn, we haven’t even used the L word, not even after our amazing Halloween sex fest.
The longer it goes, the more I fear he may be slipping away.
Absence may make the heart grow fonder but it also keeps life real. We’re together but not actually a couple.
I would never ask him to quit his job but it takes him all over the world for wee
ks at a time. It’s okay for now, but forever? Who knows?
Feeling depressed, I finish at the salon, check my emails, and then head into Manhattan. There’s no signal underground so I wait until I hit the cold November air before texting.
Me: Talk?
Suds: No. Chat?
Me: Sure
Suds: Wassup?
Me: Miss you.
Suds: Just a few more weeks. Then, I’ll be home until the New Year.
Me: I know. Hard to wait.
There’s a long pause as I enter the coffee shop and order a cappuccino. I recall how he met me on my first day in the city and I can’t help the tears that fall.
Suds: We still good?
How to answer. Am I good with him being gone all the time? I scroll through his latest client’s online photos. In some, Sebastian looks more like her date than bodyguard.
Is it foolish to be jealous of a leggy, flawless actress whose net worth could purchase a small country? Shit. I need to know if he’s sleeping with her. After Will, it is so difficult to trust and I know how fucked up it is to compare the two men.
Suds: Sam?
What am I doing? I’m not twenty anymore and passed thirty a couple years ago. Shit. I’m too old to be that girl. The one who has a sex buddy. Still, he’s the best thing to ever happen to me. Damn. Why is life so confusing? I send him a smiley face.
Me: Late. Got to go.
Suds: K.
If only I could add a heart emoji, or a short, luv ya, babe. Deep down, I want to do it but don’t dare.
Patten keeps me into the evening and I barely have time to dress for my date with Skinny Steve. In a black suit and white shirt, I figure the man will understand the nature of our meeting. Despite what Vinny wants, this is not a date.
He insists on picking me up at home and around seven, Joey shouts up the stairs. “Yo, Sammie, Skinny Steve is here.”
Suds and Sam Page 16
