“Are you sure? You can’t possibly have enjoyed that as much as I did. It was amazing. Stupendous. Life-altering.”
“I’m sure, but I do have one little question.”
Desire, arousal, and more than a little bit of mischief curled in her belly and she ran her fingers down his muscled arm, feeling every curve and dip.
“Ask away. You can have anything you want tonight.”
That was good to know since she’d never felt more free in her life. Something had broken loose inside of her when they’d made love. She wasn’t defective and this wasn’t shameful or wrong. The way she felt for this man was beautiful and the things he made her feel couldn’t be more right.
“So my question is this…when can we do that again?”
She heard him suck in a breath and then his chest shook with laughter. “I’m not as young as I used to be, so give me ten minutes. As much as I want you, maybe five. Damn, I’m not a teenager anymore but my body doesn’t seem to know that.”
The physical proof of that statement was currently stiffening against her thigh.
“If you need your rest–”
She didn’t get to finish her sentence and instead found herself rolled onto her back, looking up at a very sexy and passionate man.
“Don’t poke the bear, babe. There’s a price to be paid for that.”
His lips descended to press against hers and the last thought she had was that she’d gladly pay the price.
As often as possible.
Chapter Sixteen
‡
Travis sat on a barstool next to Tom Lovell drinking a Jameson on the rocks. He’d spent the better part of the day in bed upstairs with Aubrey, but they’d reluctantly stumbled out of bed in the afternoon when Shane came pounding on the door of the suite with more details about the land deal between Tom and Bruce. Not only had Bruce not paid a dime toward his debt, he had lured Tom into some high stakes poker games where the man had lost thousands. The fact that Tom had lost that money to someone Bruce also owed money to was an interesting coincidence.
Travis didn’t believe in coincidences.
“Hell of a weekend. If I’d wanted this kind of hassle I wouldn’t have bothered to leave Montana.”
Tom snorted and tossed back his own drink, apparently tequila from the aroma and the limes and salt shaker sitting on the bar. “You’re telling me. The cops wanted to talk to me again this morning. It’s clear they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing. If everybody is a suspect then no one is.”
“Did they say anything to you about who they really think did it?”
Travis had known Tom as an acquaintance for years, and although he wasn’t a brilliant businessman he was intelligent. He’d graduated from Princeton with a degree in history and had knocked around his father’s business for the last several years, but mostly lived off his trust fund. Now in his mid-thirties, he’d aged well and would be considered a handsome man by most women. He played up his natural good looks by dressing well and keeping in shape. His only bit of bad judgment seemed to be trusting Bruce in the first place.
“Didn’t say anything to me.” Tom tapped the bar and the bartender refilled the shot glass. “They asked me again where I was when Bruce was killed. If I liked or hated him.”
From the slurring of Tom’s words Travis could tell the man had been sitting at this bar for quite a while. Being inebriated would only help by lowering Tom’s inhibitions and hopefully encourage him to tell more than he normally would.
“They asked me the same things too. What did you tell them?”
Tom grimaced and shrugged, knocking back another shot of tequila before answering. “I told them the truth. I was sitting with Alana. I was talking to her for quite a while actually.”
“Was Martin there?”
Travis hadn’t realized that Tom knew Alana well enough to sit and chat.
“No, he got a phone call and stepped out for a while. He asked me to keep Alana company while he was gone so she and I got some air outside for a few minutes.”
That sounded like Martin, always the gentleman even when it was his birthday party.
“How long was he gone?”
Tom grabbed a handful of pretzels from the basket on the bar and shoved them in his mouth. “I dunno…a half hour maybe. Maybe more like an hour. Eventually Alana told me to ask her friend Tracy to dance. She was going to look for Martin.”
If Martin had been on the phone all that time he had a good alibi as well, which made Travis happy. His friend had been through so much with Bruce he didn’t need to be dragged through this murder investigation as well.
Sipping his own drink slowly, Travis was determined to stay as sober as possible. “It’s good that you have a solid alibi. Did you see Bruce when he went out to the beach?”
Tom sucked on a lime after doing another shot. He was swaying now on his barstool and Travis had a feeling he was going to be helping the poor bastard back to his room in a short while.
“No. I saw him being a prick to some hot brunette. I could tell he was scaring her so I gave him some shit about it and told him to stay away from her. He just laughed and started dancing with Iris. That’s the last I saw of him.”
That hot brunette had to be Aubrey.
“He’s lucky he had you to talk sense into him. He might have gotten in trouble with her husband or boyfriend. You and Bruce were good friends, right?”
“We’ve had our moments but for the most part we’re friends. He owed me some money but he paid me back so that makes him a pretty damn good friend in my book. He also set me up with some business connections for my new cigar bar in Chelsea. It wouldn’t be happening if it weren’t for him. He’ll be missed. No one should go out that way, man.”
Travis schooled his features so his reaction wouldn’t show. According to Jason, Bruce hadn’t paid Tom back. But who would know better than Tom himself? Would he lie? Certainly he might not want to be seen as having a motive, although it sounded like he lacked opportunity to begin with.
Shit.
“Let me know when it opens and I’ll fly in to take a look.”
Tom seemed to perk up at the subject. “It’s going to be first class all the way, Travis. Mahogany bars. Top shelf booze. Hand rolled cigars. I have a connection in Ybor City over in Tampa for them. They’ll be as close to Cuban as I can get without getting my ass in the slammer.”
“It sounds like a winning idea. I’m sure you’ll be very successful.”
The conversation lagged as Tom did a few more shots and Travis nursed his whiskey. Finally Tom slapped the shot glass on the table.
“That cop can question us all he wants, but I know who killed Bruce. I know who did it.”
It was stated with such certainty. Travis tensed as he waited for Tom to keep talking, not wanting to interrupt this spontaneous declaration. Tom leaned closer as if not wanting the bartender to overhear.
“Bruce was using information from the companies he researched to play the market. That’s how he had the money to pay me back. Martin found out about it. I heard them arguing before the party. They both disappeared about the same time too.”
How the fuck did Tom know about the insider trading?
“But you said Martin took a call,” Travis reminded him. Just because Tom had suspicions didn’t mean anything. The man was falling down drunk.
“That’s what he said he was doing. But I never heard his phone go off and when he got up from the table he had it in his hand. I got a good look at it. His phone was off. Completely dark. No way did he get a call. I told that detective guy about it and the argument.”
Son of a bitch.
Travis quickly finished his whiskey and threw down some cash on the bar. “I have to go, Tom. Do you need help getting back to your room?”
The man chuckled and raised his glass in a mock salute. “Naw, I’m going to stay here and keep drinking. Come back by later. I’ll be here.”
Exiting the bar area, Travis headed straight fo
r the elevator.
It was time to have a private chat with Martin.
Chapter Seventeen
‡
Feeling happier than she had in a long time – possibly her entire life – Aubrey quickly finished applying her makeup and packed it all away in her cosmetic bag. At home she would have left it all strewn across the vanity, but she was trying to keep her mess to a minimum since she and Travis were sharing a bathroom. All of his things were stowed in a small black case on the marble counter. Her toiletries, on the other hand, wouldn’t even begin to fit there. She’d never thought of herself as all that high maintenance but compared to Travis she was traveling like a pack mule.
Surveying herself in the mirror, she noticed a sparkle in her eyes and a flush in her cheeks that hadn’t been there before. They didn’t owe their existence to any cosmetic company.
It was the face of a satisfied and happy woman.
Last night had been more amazing than she’d ever believed possible. Better than anything she’d read in a book, Travis had shown her the pleasure her body was capable of. She couldn’t wait until tonight to do it all over again.
He was currently downstairs in the bar trying to get Tom Lovell to tell them anything that might help find out who had murdered Bruce. Honestly Aubrey was beginning to become discouraged about ever finding the real killer. It was beginning to look like she might be stuck here for weeks or even months while they investigated. She hadn’t liked the way Prather had looked at her as if she ran around sticking knives in people she didn’t like.
She heard the lock mechanism in the suite door and her heart clenched in her chest at the thought of seeing Travis again. It was silly and juvenile as he’d only been gone about an hour, but she couldn’t contain her joy at being near him.
Her heart sank slightly when Shane walked through the door. “Did I scare you? Travis gave me a key since my room doesn’t have much in the way of amenities. I had to take what they had left when I got here.”
“You didn’t scare me.” She beckoned to him and he closed the door behind him before sliding behind the bar to fix himself a soda. “I just thought you were Travis. He must still be downstairs.”
“Probably. Do you want one too?” Shane pointed to the can of soda on the bar and she nodded yes. “Actually I was here to talk to him about Iris Perry. I have a little more information about her.”
Aubrey accepted an icy glass from Shane and then sat on the couch, her legs tucked underneath her. She’d chosen another simple sundress for today and the air conditioning was cool on her bare legs. “Anything interesting? Talking to her yesterday was strange. She seemed completely out of reality.”
Shane settled himself on the adjacent sofa cushion. “I’m kind of surprised by that as well. Nothing in her personal history indicates that she has psychological issues. If anything it would be the opposite. She worked hard in school to get good grades, worked hard in her career and climbed the ladder until she became an assistant to a powerful businessman. That’s how she met Bruce.”
“He was doing business with her boss?”
“He was doing research on the firm for Martin. It looks like they hit it off right away and have been seeing each other on and off since then.”
Aubrey shuddered, her lip curled in distaste. “Is it wrong of me to feel kind of sorry for her? Bruce was never known for being a very sensitive or even nice guy. It’s hard to believe he was good to her.”
Shane chuckled as he studied the contents of his glass. “It depends on what her goal was. If it was true love? I’m guessing it was a complete failure. If it was money? She hit the jackpot. Before she met Bruce she lived in a rat-infested four-story walk up apartment with three other women. Now she lives alone in a lovely two-bedroom on the West Side. Plus she owns a timeshare in St. Augustine, Florida. She definitely moved up in the world.”
Whistling between her teeth, Aubrey moved restlessly on the couch. So many questions and hardly any answers. “Travis said that she was probably holding Bruce’s money from the illegal trading. It sounds like she spent some on herself.”
“Someone else was benefiting though. Every two weeks she made a wire transfer to a numbered bank account in the Caymans.”
“Was Bruce planning on running away?” Aubrey set her half empty glass on the coffee table and stood, too keyed up to stay still. “Do you think he was going for some big score and then he and Iris would make a run for it?”
Rubbing his stubbly chin, Shane shook his head. “If I were to guess I would say that he was planning to make a run for it before the authorities figured out what he was doing. But I doubt he was planning to take Iris. I think she was meant to be left holding the bag, so to speak. There’s no honor among thieves, my dear. None at all. They’d throw each other under the bus for a little financial gain.”
The whole thing was sad. “Poor Iris. She sounded like she really loved him, although it’s hard to believe. Still, there’s someone for everyone I’ve heard.”
“Honey, I’m not sure you need to feel sorry for someone that in all probability knowingly broke the law and profited from it. Not to mention she was sleeping with a married man. A married man with a very sweet wife. Bruce couldn’t pull the ‘my wife’s a bitch’ card with Iris. Caroline’s one of the nicest people I know. She sure as hell didn’t deserve to be treated this way.”
“I didn’t realize you knew her so well. Did you used to date her?”
Everyone in Tremont knew that Shane Anderson was an inveterate womanizer. An unapologetic one too. He made no secret of his admiration for the fairer sex, nor how much he enjoyed the pleasure of their company. His declarations of staying single and free sounded sincere and Aubrey had no doubt that he meant every word.
“Caroline?” Shane laughed, that Anderson dimple peeking out of his right cheek. “She’s a friend but there’s never been anything between us. We’re like brother and sister. I feel the same about her as I do about you.”
“She’s going to have a tough time of it.”
“Caroline will be okay. She’s coming out to the ranch for a while. Travis’s mom and dad and my parents will cluck over her like mother hens. They’ll spoil her rotten like they never did their own kids. Hell, Dad would have us out chopping wood in the middle of January.”
“I’m sure it built character,” Aubrey teased with a smile. Travis had told her plenty of stories about the crazy adventures of the Anderson clan. “Did you walk five miles to school in the snow? Both ways?”
“With no shoes,” Shane replied outrageously, his grin growing wider. “Seriously, Mom and Dad were tough on us. Travis had an especially hard time.”
It made sense as Travis was the oldest of the four children and all the cousins. “He seems to have weathered it all right. Both of your parents are wonderful people.”
“Hey, they didn’t beat or starve us or anything.” Shane drained his soda and hopped up to refill his glass at the bar. “They loved the hell out of us. But they expected us to work hard on the ranch and work hard at school too. Sports and clubs were encouraged and good grades were a must. You know the old saying about to whom much is given much is expected? Well, that was our childhood. They made sure we knew how damn lucky we were and didn’t take it for granted. I know it couldn’t have been easy to, either. I think they fought their natural inclination to make our lives easier than theirs had been, to give us all the things their newfound wealth could provide. I have to give them credit that they didn’t turn us into entitled spoiled assholes. But it was Travis that really had all expectations of greatness on him. He knew from the day he was born he was meant to take over the family business.”
“You all work in the business to some extent, even West and Jason in their way.”
“Sure, but Travis is the lead. The brains. He’s what makes Anderson move forward. Our dads are pretty much retired now and it all rests on Travis’s shoulders. It’s a big responsibility. He can’t do the stupid shit that the rest of us do. He never could.�
��
Shane held out a fresh drink to her and she took it, her mind still ruminating on his words. “What do you mean by stupid shit? Travis told me he’s something of an adrenaline junkie and some of the things he’s done are dangerous.”
“The head is heavy that wears the crown,” Shane quoted, leaning against the bar. “He’s always known that he can only go so far. He can only get so crazy. He has to be the responsible one. The hardworking one. There was no year off after college and before graduate school so Travis could have one last hurrah or fucking find himself. Shit, by then he was working twelve to fifteen hour days between the office and classes. I have no idea how he found time to have a life, or even if he did, really. I was still in high school at the time.”
Travis was a smart man who worked relentlessly for the family firm but Aubrey hadn’t given much thought to what he’d had to give up to do that. “It sounds like he missed his childhood.”
“In a way he did, but don’t worry—we all had a great time when we were kids. His was just…a little different. There was no sitting around and fantasizing about being an astronaut or a rock star. His path was clearly written.”
“That’s too bad,” Aubrey said softly, her heart aching for a little boy with a man-size future. “That couldn’t have been easy for him.”
“Don’t feel sorry for my cousin, Bree. He has a great life and he’d tell you so himself if you asked him. Hell, until you came into the picture he had a different woman–”
Shane broke off and rolled his eyes, his cheeks turning red. “Shit. Fuck. I think I better shut up now.”
She couldn’t help but laugh at his shame-faced expression. “You don’t have to tell me about the females in his life. I’ve been his assistant longer than his girlfriend. When I first started working for him the phone rang all day and it was a different woman every time trying to talk to him. Some even stopped by the office hoping to push their way in. Each and every one of them was completely gorgeous.”
Indecent Danger (Danger Incorporated Book 3) Page 10
