A Little Harmless Obsession

by Melissa Schroeder

  “If the guy stuck around, there can be one of two scenarios. Either he planned on attacking her but I interrupted that idea.”

  “That makes no sense. Fucking with her car would alert her.”

  Evan nodded. He believed that was the case. “Still, having her scared would mean she’s off-balance. That might give him the opportunity to approach her.”

  “The other option?”

  “That the bastard got off on the watching her reaction.” Just the thought of it had his blood boiling, his temper flaring. If Evan ever found out just who the fuck did this, he would beat the bastard senseless.

  “You mean someone who isn’t about attacking her, just likes the thrill of scaring her?”

  “Hopefully, that’s all it was. It could be worse.”

  Chris raised an eyebrow.

  “Okay, what if the guy is bent on scaring her, gets off on it, but that isn’t the only thing he is going for.”

  Chris’s face lost all expression before his eyes turned cold. “You mean she could have a stalker.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Could be. But with one incident there’s no telling. Could be someone she fired and this was just their way of getting back at her.”

  Aggravation inched down his spine and then circled in his gut. “How can you take this so lightly? There is a good chance May is being stalked, and she needs to be watched.”

  Chris studied him for a moment then said, “I think this is about something else.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about the fact that you want her, but you’re afraid to go after her.”

  Evan shoved his hands into his pockets. “She’s not the kind of girl for me.”

  “Please, bruddah, don’t try and pull that on me. I know you too well. You wouldn’t get so bent out of shape every time she has a date pick her up here if you weren’t interested.”

  “Of course, I’m attracted to her. What man in his right mind wouldn’t be?”

  Chris raised his hand and laughed. “From the moment I interviewed her, she reminded me of my sisters.”

  Evan smirked. “I said in his right mind. You’re not always in your right mind.”

  “Fuck off.” He grinned when he said and there was no heat in his words.

  Evan’s smile faded as he started to turn the implications over in his mind. “I’m serious here about the stalker. You need to take this seriously. Maybe you can get her some hired help to be here in the evenings.”

  Chris gave him an odd look. “And just how the hell would I make May accept that.”

  “You order her.”

  Chris laughed. “Yeah, that won’t happen. Besides, HPD is pretty sure she’s not in any danger.”

  “They’re useless.”

  “No, they’re still going to talk to a few of our fired employees and an old boyfriend.”

  That caught Evan’s attention. “Boyfriend?”

  The idea that she had a boyfriend, someone she’d spent time with, allowed into her bed to touch her, to sink into her warmth and softness, irritated Evan. He knew he couldn’t have her but he didn’t like the idea someone else had. It was irrational and stupid, but he couldn’t stop the jealousy coursing through his veins.

  “Yeah. It was a few months ago. It was when you were handling that project on the Big Island.”

  Evan had landed a big job to renovate an older hotel and had been gone for most of a month.

  “She had a boyfriend, dated him and dumped him before I returned. Couldn’t have been that great of a relationship.”

  Chris shrugged. “They were dating before you left, but it got pretty serious. For some reason May dumped him. I have no idea why, but I do know that Cynthia said she hasn’t seen anyone seriously since then. Anyway, since he was the last real boyfriend they want to talk to him. It wasn’t the most amiable breakup.”

  That had Evan’s blood turning cold again. “They fought?”

  Christ shrugged again. His laid-back attitude was starting to irritate the living hell out of Evan. He curled his fingers into his palms, trying to keep from wrapping them around his friend’s neck.

  “Well, did they or didn’t they?”

  He couldn’t stop the irritation from seeping through his voice. Chris smiled, telling Evan he’d been purposively vague to get a rise out of him. Dammit, Evan didn’t need this aggravation.

  “Not sure. He did show up here once or twice bothering her. The third time, I banned him from the restaurant. He never returned.”

  “So, some guy shows up and threatens May and you ban him from the restaurant? What the hell took you three fucking appearances for you to ban him?”

  “First of all, he didn’t threaten her. He disrupted business, accused her of things, but he didn’t threaten her. I would have called the HPD if he had. I didn’t know about the first two. Just like the problem with Jason, she kept it from me. I banned him the first time I saw him, but she admitted later he had been here twice before. And for her to admit it, he had to have scared her.”

  Needing to move, Evan gained his feet and started pacing. “What did he do?”

  “He said he wanted her back.”

  Something in Chris’s tone had Evan looking at him. “What else?”

  “Okay. But don’t tell her I told you.”

  Evan made a motion with his hand but said nothing else.

  “He accused her of cheating on him.”

  For a moment, he couldn’t think. May cheat? Evan was flabbergasted. He didn’t know another person who was more honest or trustworthy than Maylea Aiona. “Cheating?”

  Chris shook his head. “I think it was more of the idea she was in love with someone else and he didn’t like it. Not that May had ever acted on it, at least while being involved with him. But the bastard was convinced she wanted another man.”

  The idea she was in love with someone knocked Evan breathless. He was still trying to get used to the idea she’d been involved with another man…seriously, and now he had to deal with the idea she was in love with a man. Disbelief came first, followed quickly by irritation.

  “Who?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I thought she admitted it to you.”

  “No, what happened was he yelled it in front of a bunch of patrons. It disrupted business, so I banned him.”

  Oh, God, that would have mortified May. She might be sweet, but she was a tiger about her career, and she took her job very seriously. The bastard could not have known her very well, or did and used it to hurt her.

  “How did he know?”

  “He claimed someone told him. I have no idea who would have because I didn’t know. No one had any idea here. Anyway, that’s why the police want to talk to him.”

  Evan absorbed that information, then asked. “What’s his name?”

  Chris’s eyes widened. “No.”

  “What?”

  “I am not giving you the name of her boyfriend.”

  “Ex-boyfriend.”

  Chris rolled his eyes. “I’m still not telling you. Stay out of it.”

  “Fine.” But Evan wasn’t going to let it go. One way or another, he would find out who the bastard was and have a talk with him…man to man.

  Chapter Four

  Two hours later, Evan strode into the lobby of one of the most expensive apartment buildings on the island. The idea that May had been dating a celebrity and Evan hadn’t known bothered him to no end. Why it mattered, other than the idea that he might be causing her trouble now, Evan didn’t know. But it did. Just the fact that she’d dated someone seriously got under his skin. Whether it was Rick Simpson—newest weather guy for the local channel—or some other loser didn’t matter.

  He pressed the button for the elevator and tried to ignore the woman looking at him. He had seen her when he walked in, recognized that there was something familiar about her, but could not seem to place his finger on it. He glanced over at her again and she smiled.

 
; “Mr. Chambers.”

  Her low, sultry voice sounded familiar, but he still couldn’t place her. She laughed as he studied her.

  “That’s okay, boss.”

  All of the sudden it dawned on him that this was the head bartender at the club, Darlene…Darcy…he couldn’t remember.

  “People call me Dee. We never really talked before. I just served you a drink once or twice.”

  He nodded. “Sorry.”

  “No problem.”

  The door dinged open and they both waited for some people to exit before they both got on.

  “Three please.”

  He nodded and pushed the button, then pushed the one to the penthouse.

  “Ah, going up to see Simpson?”

  That caught his attention. “You know him?”

  She nodded and then made a face. “Not much. He’s not my type.”

  He heard the invitation in her voice but did not feel the flicker of interest. She didn’t play at the club, but there had been a few Doms interested in her, including his business partner. It should bug him, really worry him, that a woman who seemed his type didn’t stir any interest.

  “Do you know if he has been seeing anyone?”

  She shook her head. “He was seeing a local a few months ago, but since then I haven’t seen much of him.”

  Odd for a celebrity in Hawaii. Because of the size of Oahu, and the fact they lived in their own little world, local celebrities had a lot of perks in the islands. A weatherman on TV was well known and respected. He would have his pick of good looking women.

  “You haven’t heard of any problems with him?”

  “With Rick Simpson?” She laughed. “No way. He projects the big bad alpha, but he’s a pussycat.”

  The door dinged open. “If you have time, be sure to stop by apartment 304.”

  The tone, the look brought back a quick, hard memory. Micah and Dee had been having some problems at the bar…namely, they were fighting like cats and dogs. He knew Micah well enough to know he wouldn’t screw the help, but it didn’t mean he wouldn’t want to. His behavior with Dee might be a signal of his feelings, and while Evan had no problems with sleeping with staff, he didn’t really want to fight Micah.

  “I have a feeling Micah would have a problem with that.”

  She frowned. “Who gives a damn about Micah?”

  He noticed she never called him boss…always used his first name.

  “I think you do.”

  He hit the button and the door closed on Dee’s surprised face. The interesting interlude had calmed his temper but not completely. There was no way in hell the bastard was going to escape him. The police had talked with Simpson earlier, but Evan knew they had to be careful with a local celebrity. He did not.

  The door opened and he walked into the hall. There was only one door, Simpson’s. Being a weatherman paid well.

  He leaned on the doorbell.

  “Hold on.”

  The jackass sounded irritated, but then he might still be pissed the police had showed up earlier. The door opened. A good-looking, bleach blond stared at him. His teeth were so white they probably glowed in the dark. He was dressed in an old T-shirt and jeans.

  “Who the hell are you?”

  “Evan Chambers.”

  Something that looked like a strange mixture of disgust and fear slid over the man’s face. “What the fuck do you want?”

  “I want to know where you were last night.”

  “I told the police, I was at a fundraiser most of the night.”

  “Yeah, they told me that. But what I want to know is who you went home with?”

  Simpson’s face turned red. “What?”

  “The fundraiser was over at ten. That gave you plenty of time to get over to Dupree’s.”

  “I came home. The police have no problems with it.”

  He leaned closer. “I don’t buy it.”

  “Fuck you. I don’t have to put up with this, considering who you are.”

  He moved to shut the door, but Evan slammed his palm against it. “What the fuck does that mean?”

  “None of your goddamn business.”

  “Answer me, or I will make sure you do. I don’t have to be nice to you like the HPD.”

  Simpson’s face flushed with anger. “Fine, you bastard. I’ve been waiting for this for months. I wasted all my time getting that fucking prude in bed and what did I get? Nothing. She was the worst lay I’ve ever had.”

  Fury crowded Evan’s vision, and like years ago when living on the streets, he didn’t think, he acted on instinct. He grabbed the collar of the jackass’s T-shirt and pulled him closer. It only took one hit to his nose for Simpson to crumple into a heap at Evan’s feet. Disgust filled him as he looked at the bastard. Blood dripped from his nose as he shook his head.

  “You might want to think of that if you ever want to say anything nasty about Maylea.”

  Evan was still pissed when he walked into Dupree’s mid-afternoon. The lull between lunch and dinner had hit and he knew it was about the only time he could get May cornered. He saw her sitting at a back table rolling silverware up in napkins. He paid no attention to the woman working the hostess stand and headed for May’s table. She sat there as if she didn’t have a care in the world, as if she had not been threatened and might have a stalker.

  He could feel his temper start to boil, so he ordered himself to calm down. It wasn’t as if the police were worried about it. They’d blown him off when he showed up wanting to talk to the officer in charge. There was a real chance it was just a disgruntled employee…except for the fact that she was watched. To him, that added a whole other level to his worry. Someone had wanted to scare her and get some kind of sick thrill by witnessing her fear. By the time he reached the table, his temper was back up again.

  She looked up at him, a welcoming smile on her face which made his temper spark and flare.

  “What the fuck did you ever see in Simpson?”

  A layer of deathly quiet filled the air around them as he watched her smile dissolve. The clatter of plates seemed to diminish as everyone turned to look at them.

  “I don’t think it’s any of your business.” She pronounced each word very specifically as she tightened her fingers around a light blue napkin.

  He looked up at her face, then around at the people watching them. With an irritated sigh, he pulled out a chair and sat.

  “And I did not invite you to sit down.”

  He said nothing as he watched her pick up silverware and place it on the folded napkin. Watching her do the simple work seemed to calm him, bring him back to reality.

  “Sorry.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  He watched her actions, her very precise movements and realized he had not only pissed her off, but embarrassed her. May believed in professionalism, thrived on it and expected no less than the same from her workers. “Dammit, I apologize. I lost my temper.”

  She looked up at him, one eyebrow raised. “What set you off?”

  He was pissed she wasn’t taking any of this seriously, but secondly, and much worse, he was jealous. He knew now that Simpson had had sex with May. The idea that she let that slime ball touch her was almost too much to bear. Even now his fingers itched to return and beat the living hell out of the bastard.

  “I’m worried about you.”

  “Hmmm.” She started her work again. “And just why did you bring up Rick?”

  “He pissed me off.”

  Her head shot up and her face paled. “You’ve met him.”

  Her reaction was not what he’d been expecting. The wariness in her gaze confused him.

  “Today. I went to his apartment to find out just where the hell he was last night.”

  “Did he say anything to you?” Her voice had grown tight, but again, he did not hear anger.

  “He said some not-so-nice things.”

  He watched as her fingers tightened around the napkin of silverware she had just rolled.

&n
bsp; “And what did you do?”

  He studied her for a second, his stomach churning at the idea she was worried about Simpson. “I punched him.”

  She grimaced. “I wish you hadn’t.”

  The idea that she cared he might have hurt her former lover fueled his temper. “I couldn’t let him say those things and get away with it.”

  “He could have you arrested for assault. In fact, I would almost bet he would love to do that.”

  Evan shook his head. “There is no way he would do that. He’d have to admit that he was under suspicion for fucking up your car. It would be a PR nightmare for the station.”

  He realized his mistake the moment she eyed him. “So you went over to his apartment, antagonized him until he said something to irritate you.”

  “I didn’t antagonize him—”

  She held up her hand to stop him. “Evan, I know you better than that. You were pissed off for God knows what reason and decided to take it out on him. What did he say?”

  He couldn’t tell her, didn’t even want to remember the vile words the jackass had said.

  “Why don’t you tell me why you are so sure that it isn’t Simpson?”

  She blinked. “The police said he was a fundraiser last night, all night. There’s no way he could have made it over here.”

  But there was a way. It was only a fifteen minute walk from where he had been.

  “It wasn’t him.”

  He focused on her face again. “Why?”

  She sighed. “Rick wouldn’t do it. He…let’s just say I figured never to see him again.”

  “Except every night on TV.” She said nothing to that. “Why didn’t you tell me you were dating a celebrity?”

  She made a face. “He’s not a real celebrity.”

  He shrugged. “Enough of one.”

  She went back to her task. “It isn’t like I tell you about every man I date. You were working on the Big Island when I dated him. It ended badly, as most relationships do.”

  The defeat he heard in her voice aggravated him even more. “Relationships end.”

  She glanced up at him with wide eyes and he could not blame her. His voice had snapped out the comment in anger.

  “Yes, but most people have hopes of finding something permanent.”