Locked in Temptation

by Brenda Jackson

  He smiled and pulled her closer into his arms. “The offer is out there if you ever want to take me up on it.”

  She returned his smile. “Thanks. That’s good to know.” Then, taking the initiative, she leaned up, wrapped her arms around his neck and captured his mouth in a kiss.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  JOY STOOD AT the window in her office and took a sip of coffee.

  Her office.

  She turned and took it all in, finding it hard to believe she had an office. A real office and not the cubicle where she’d sat since she began working as a detective. The office was spacious and hadn’t been used since the last lieutenant. Margaret had done a good job in making it look nice. There were several large plants, a map of the city on the wall, and nice furnishings. Her desk was twice the size her last one had been.

  Because of budget cuts, she wouldn’t have her own personal assistant, but she’d be sharing Margaret with the chief. Joy didn’t have a problem with that. She liked Margaret and thought the fifty-something woman was very efficient at her job. She was definitely well organized.

  Margaret had called before Joy had left home this morning and advised her to stop at city hall before coming in to work. Mayor Greene wanted to congratulate her. She had just walked Stonewall to the door when she’d gotten the call.

  Stonewall.

  She couldn’t stop the shudder that ran through her body when she thought of him and all they’d done last night and this morning. She didn’t want to think about how many rounds of lovemaking they’d engaged in. But she would remember the last one. She had screamed so many times last night it was a wonder she could talk today.

  Joy smiled when she’d returned the favor before he’d left. She doubted she could forget the moment she’d pushed him on his back, settled her head between a pair of masculine thighs and taken him into her mouth, locking her lips on him. He hadn’t screamed, but he’d moaned, groaned and growled a number of times as she pushed him over the edge and right into erotic bliss.

  She brought her thoughts back to the present at the sound of the knock on her door. “Come in.”

  It was Sanchez, and he was smiling. She returned his smile, appreciating it. By the time she’d arrived to work after her pit stop with Mayor Ivan Greene, it was apparent by the cool reception she’d gotten from some of her peers that the chief had made the announcement of her promotion. It was obvious from the mean-spirited looks and rolling of eyes that the news hadn’t gone over well.

  Several men and women had congratulated her. Some had not. She decided not to worry about those who hadn’t. She intended to do a good job. If she eventually won them over, that was great. If not, it would be their loss.

  “Sanchez, come in.” She’d known he’d taken some time off this morning to go with his wife for their newborn’s first doctor’s visit, and she hadn’t seen him at all this afternoon.

  “Sure, Lieutenant,” he said beaming. “I just heard. Congratulations.”

  Lieutenant. She liked the sound of that. “Thanks.”

  “And it’s more than deserved. You’ve worked your ass off here. Everybody knows it.”

  Joy leaned back against her desk. “Maybe they do. But I’m a woman and some are not ready to be led by one.”

  “Excuse my Spanish, but eff them, Lieutenant. You got this. And if they hadn’t promoted you, I bet they would have brought someone else in from another city. None of these guys deserve it. They either don’t have the experience or do just enough to get by and nothing more.”

  She knew Sanchez was right. Some even had the nerve to brag about how little they did. “Well, that’s about to change. Everyone will be pulling their own weight around here.” Joy knew she couldn’t start off bulldozing her way through, but she refused to let anyone run over her. They would eventually become a team.

  Changing the subject, she asked, “How was the baby’s first doctor’s visit?”

  “Great. Carlos has gained two pounds. He’ll be ready to suit up for the Chicago Cubs in a few years.”

  “And when he does, I intend to buy a ticket to watch him play,” Joy said.

  Sanchez gave a proud chuckle, and Joy knew that Juan Sanchez utterly and completely adored being a father. “Where are you headed?” she asked.

  It was close to five in the afternoon. She had spent most of the day in her office going over reports, trying to acquaint herself with the men and woman she would be supervising. Yes, she had one woman. Lisa Perkins. Lisa was a divorcée in her early forties who’d been a detective for five years. Joy had worked with Lisa only once before, and she seemed nice enough. And Lisa didn’t seem to care that Joy had been promoted as her boss. The six men were another matter. She believed five of them would accept her position, grudgingly or otherwise. But she could imagine Whitman Snow giving her problems. Whit was a tight friend of Darrin’s, and the two men shared the same views when it came to women in the workplace.

  “I’m about to make a run,” Sanchez said. “I stopped by to see if you wanted to go. I understand that now that you’re lieutenant, you might have a lot on your plate.”

  “Where are you headed?”

  “Back over to Beautiful Creations Surrogate Agency. I just got a call from Cathy Stone. Her boss, Oliver Effington, arrived back in town today. She told him about our visit, and he’ll be more than happy to speak with us.”

  “Alright then. Let’s go.”

  * * *

  “WELCOME BACK. HOW was the honeymoon?” Stonewall asked his friend, who slid into the booth across from him and Quasar. Striker had that I-am-a-damn-happy-man look on his face.

  “The cruise was great. I’m ready to go on another one.”

  “What did you like about it?” Quasar asked after popping a french fry in his mouth.

  “Everything. The food. Being out on the ocean. The ports we visited in the Caribbean,” Striker said, pulling a menu out of the rack. “It was my first cruise, but it won’t be my last. We would have stayed longer if Margo didn’t have two wedding dresses to finish.” His wife, Margo, was a wedding dress designer.

  A waitress came and took Striker’s order. He only wanted coffee.

  “That’s it?” Stonewall asked him when the waitress walked off. Everybody knew Striker had a hearty appetite.

  “Yes, that’s it. Margo and I are going out to dinner later.” Striker then looked over at Quasar. “Congrats on picking a date for your wedding.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Any idea where the two of you are going on a honeymoon?”

  Quasar smiled. “Yes. South Africa. I really enjoyed myself when I went there for Jace and Shana’s honeymoon.” Everyone remembered that time. Because he’d been Jace Granger’s bodyguard he had accompanied Jace and his wife Shana on their honeymoon. Only thing was, Jace and his wife hadn’t known Quasar had been hired to protect them.

  “This time when I go to South Africa, I intend to really enjoy myself.”

  Stonewall chuckled. “Considering it will be your honeymoon, I’m sure you will.”

  “So, catch me up—how did your date go with your detective?” Striker asked, shifting the conversation to Stonewall. “I guess she didn’t have you arrested for kidnapping.”

  “Ha ha. You and Quasar think you’re so funny. No, she didn’t. In fact, she told me it was the best date she’d been on.”

  The waitress returned with a plate of miniature biscuits that she put in front of Striker. He grabbed a couple immediately and popped them into his mouth. Moments later he asked Quasar, “So, is your psychic in town?”

  Quasar cut Striker a cool glare. “No, but she’ll be arriving later tonight. And my fiancée’s name is Randi. Get it?”

  Striker chuckled. “Yeah, I get it.” He then glanced over at Stonewall. “I guess me saying ‘your detective’ is out, too, huh?
”

  Stonewall rolled his eyes. “It was never in for you guys. I’ve just been ignoring your BS for the past six months.”

  The waitress brought Striker his coffee and gave Stonewall and Quasar refills on lemonade. “So, the best, huh? Just which parts of your date exactly did Detective Ingram enjoy?”

  “All of it.”

  Striker rolled his eyes. “Shit, Stonewall, everybody knows you’re a damn freak of nature. Could she handle it?”

  Stonewall knew Striker and Quasar were fishing for details, but they were details he wouldn’t be providing. Normally he had no problems sharing a few details with his friends. However, his time with Joy was off-limits. “I’ve said as much as I’m going to,” Stonewall answered.

  “The oversize stud is not going to tell you anything,” Quasar said, grinning. “Makes you wonder.”

  Frowning, Stonewall glanced over at Quasar. “Wonder what?”

  Quasar’s grin widened. “Nothing.” He chugged down the rest of his lemonade and then glanced at his watch. “I got to run. Randi and I are going to a movie tonight.”

  Striker checked his watch, as well. “I need to leave, too.” He stood and studied Stonewall for a moment.

  Stonewall didn’t like the scrutiny. “What?”

  “You’ll be okay?” Striker asked him.

  Stonewall frowned. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  Striker shrugged. “No reason, I guess. Check you out later.”

  “Yeah, see you later, Stone,” Quasar added, giving him an equally intense look.

  “Okay. You guys better go or you’ll be late. And don’t worry about your bill. Consider it my treat this time,” he said, deciding to rush them off. He didn’t like being under their damn microscope. Nor did he need them to worry about him, dammit.

  “Thanks,” they both said before turning to leave.

  Stonewall watched them walk away before releasing a deep sigh. He had understood Striker’s concern and the reason for it. For the first time since their friendships had begun, they weren’t all bachelors. They felt as if they were abandoning him.

  Striker was now married, and Quasar would be, too, in a few months. They had women in their lives, and he was the odd man out with no one. To them he was what they probably now perceived as their desolate and lonely buddy. He knew they were happy and only wanted the same thing for him, but it wouldn’t be happening. At least, not that kind of happiness anyway.

  From the time they’d forged a friendship in the slammer, it had always been the three of them. Sometimes it seemed like the three of them against the world. Their friendship was more than close. It was like a brotherhood. Sheppard had told them to always have each other’s backs and they had. They’d worked hard together to put their lives back on track, had taken classes together and even in the beginning had lived together.

  Although they kidded each other a lot, most of the time they knew how far to take it. They knew each other’s history—the good, the bad and the ugly. Stonewall knew the guilt Striker felt about the past, he knew Quasar’s issue with his fucked-up family in California, and they all knew he never wanted to get serious about any woman and fall in love only to lose her the way he’d lost his parents and his grandfather. Three people who’d meant the world to him. Even now he worried about Granny Kay. Although she kept herself in good physical shape and was more active than any woman he knew at her age, he never liked thinking about a time she wouldn’t be here. Same with his sister. Mellie had her life and didn’t like whenever her big brother got the urge to stick his nose in it...which he tried doing at times.

  Stonewall finished off the last of his meal. He enjoyed Shady Reds. The food was always good and he liked this spot by the window, where he could look out and see the mountains. He wondered what Joy was doing. It had been her first day on the job as lieutenant. How had that gone? It was close to six in the evening. Had she called it a day and left for home? He would call her later.

  He couldn’t help but think about their night together and waking up this morning with her in his arms. It had been fucking wonderful. She was wonderful, and he was enjoying being with her a lot.

  Stonewall had fought hard to keep the disappointment from his features last night when she’d reiterated just what their relationship would be. In other words, she had reminded him that they didn’t have one. Although the sex between them was good, she liked her space better and had no intention of letting him invade it.

  The crazy thing was that most people who really knew him knew he felt the same way. That’s the reason he had gotten his own place when he’d returned to Charlottesville instead of moving home to live with his sister and grandmother. He’d been the first to be released from Glenworth. When Striker and Quasar had gotten out months later, he had invited them to move in with him while they got themselves together and decided what they wanted to do. He’d put up with an invasion of his space for them for about four months. Then they’d earned enough money to put down deposits on their own places.

  “You shouldn’t be sitting alone. Want some company?”

  Stonewall glanced up at the pretty woman who was standing by his table. He’d noticed her when he’d first walked in, sitting at the bar. He’d noticed her and that was about all. He hadn’t been interested then, and he wasn’t interested now. In the past he was not only known to shamelessly flirt with every woman alive but had bedded quite a few. But all that had changed since meeting Joy.

  Why?

  He was tired of using the excuse he’d been too preoccupied with trying to nail down Joy for a date. It was more than that, but he wasn’t ready to figure out what that more meant.

  “Hey, dude, I’m waiting on an answer.”

  He blinked. He’d almost forgotten about the woman standing there, and from the frown on her face, she wasn’t a woman used to being forgotten. He could definitely see why. In addition to being pretty, she had a nice body and didn’t mind showing it off in that midriff top and short skirt.

  However, there was that irritated smile, the perfume she was wearing that he didn’t particularly care for, her too-long fingernails... Bottom line, she wasn’t Joy.

  “Thanks, but no, I don’t want any company,” he finally said.

  Her irritated smile turned into a full-blown frown. Damn, she had to be kidding. Did men not turn her down ever? “You sure about that?” she asked, licking her lips.

  Watching what she was doing to her lips, instead of getting hard, he was getting annoyed. Now, had those been Joy’s lips, he had no doubt his erection would have been pressing hard against his zipper about now.

  “Yes, I’m sure. Maybe another time,” he said, doubting it very seriously.

  Instead of saying anything, she glared at him for a long moment before stomping off like a spoiled child. Oh, well. He checked his watch. He might as well head on over to the gym. Stonewall put enough money on the table to more than cover his bill and was about to get up to leave when he immediately stiffened upon hearing Joy’s name. She was being discussed by two men in the booth behind him, and they were talking loud enough for him to hear.

  And he didn’t like what they were saying.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  JOY AND SANCHEZ pulled up in front of the huge building and saw a car parked in front. She couldn’t help but appreciate Oliver Effington’s willingness to speak with them. Unfortunately, the executive directors of the other surrogate agencies hadn’t been as eager. A couple had claimed they didn’t have time to answer any questions and further stated that their agencies were shielded by strict privacy rights to protect both their clients and the surrogate mothers.

  Joy had found herself breaking things down to them. A woman was dead, and she was determined to find out why. They could answer her questions now, or she could request their presence in the interrogation room at police headquarters. She�
�d told them she didn’t see the need of going through all that trouble since she was convinced they had nothing to hide. However, she would if she had to. Furthermore, she’d made them aware that she could also very well go to a judge to subpoena all their agency records.

  If they were determined to make things difficult for her, then two could play their game. It seemed after hearing her spiel, which was delivered without a hint of a smile, the other four directors had decided to cooperate, after all.

  Getting out of their unmarked car, she and Sanchez went around to the side door. After pushing the intercom button and identifying themselves, they heard the click and then the door opened. They entered the corridor and headed for the bank of elevators.

  As Cathy Stone had instructed in her phone call to Sanchez, they pushed the button to the third floor. Moments later they stepped off the elevator, and Joy glanced around a lobby that was even more stylish than the main lobby. A very attractive woman sitting at the reception desk stood and smiled at them. Joy figured her to be in her late thirties or early forties, and she had that same elegant air about her as Cathy Stone had. Even at this hour, not a strand of hair was out of place on her head, and she looked ready to walk the runway. And if the clothes she wore were any indication of her salary, then this place obviously paid her well.

  “Detectives Ingram and Sanchez?” she asked, her smile widening.

  “That’s us,” Sanchez said, glancing around.

  “Glad you arrived on time. Mr. Effington had a long day and needs to get home to rest.”

  “Hey, don’t we all,” Sanchez said, still smartly. “But then, not everyone can enjoy a week in the Bahamas.”

  The smile on the woman’s face faded somewhat. “Trust me, it wasn’t a pleasure trip. He had a lot of meetings to attend and rarely returned to his hotel room before eight in the evening.”

  Joy eyed the woman. “And you know this how?”

  The woman immediately put the friendly smile back in place. “Because I was there with him. I’m his wife, Audrey Effington.”