“A client? No, dearie, I’m no client. I’m his wife.” She put on her shades. “I’ll be back,” she said, and left.
Bridgette’s mouth was still gaped open. But Carly remained as she was. Outwardly steady. Inwardly stunned.
She was calling Trevor before she made it back to her office. “Where are you?” she asked him with urgency in his voice.
“I’m in New York in a meeting with one of my high value clients. Why?” A “high value” client was a client Trevor alone worked with. Not even his PR Director knew who they were or what situations they found themselves in. Not even his Board of Directors knew who was on that client list.
“I need to talk to you.”
“Talk.”
Carly nearly rolled her eyes. “In person,” she said.
His voice lowered. “Are you okay?”
“I’m okay. But I need to talk to you. When can I see you?”
“I’ll be back later tonight. I’ll come over then.”
Carly knew it was the best she was going to get. When he was on his business runs, he handled his business. “I’ll see you tonight,” she said, and ended the call.
Her heart was palpitating. Trevor was married? The man she loved, and was committed to, already had a wife? It couldn’t be! She refused to believe that it could possibly be true unless she heard it straight from Trevor. Straight from the horse’s mouth itself.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Later that night turned out to be very late, but Carly was still up and waiting for him. He entered her condo with both hands in his pants’ pockets, and walked slowly across the foyer into her living room.
Carly had showered earlier and was on her sofa, in shorts and a t-shirt, with her legs crossed and her reading glasses on. She’d been trying to work, as evidenced by the pile on the side table beside her, but she couldn’t concentrate. She had to know if that woman was a raving lunatic, or the wife of the man she loved.
“Good evening,” Trevor said as he leaned over her and kissed her on the lips. He smelled of cigars and liquor, which probably meant he was partying at some point with his “high value” client. Which didn’t help Carly’s anxiety level at all.
He sat down beside her. “What’s going on?” he asked. “I can cut the tension with a knife.”
“A woman came to the office today.”
Trevor nodded. “And?
“She made herself comfortable in your office and said she wanted to wait for you. Bridgette came and told me about her.”
Trevor looked at her. “How did she get pass Security?”
“I don’t know,” Carly said honestly.
“I hope you kicked her ass out of my office at least,” Trevor said.
“Bridgette felt she might have been one of your elite clients.”
Trevor frowned. “I don’t give a fuck who she was. Nobody goes into my office without my permission. Bridgette knows that.”
“I know. But she was concerned that she could create a situation. She came and got me. And I did tell the woman she had to leave.”
“Good.”
“I asked if she was a client, but she said she wasn’t.” Carly looked him dead in the eyes. “She said she was your wife.”
Trevor stared at her. “My wife?”
A sadness appeared in Carly’s eyes. “That’s what she said, yes. Is it true, Trevor?”
“What time was this?”
Carly frowned. “What’s the damn difference?” she asked.
“What time, Carly?”
“After lunch. Is it true, Trevor? You have a wife?”
“No,” Trevor said, shaking his head. “But . . .”
Carly’s heart dropped. “But what?”
“Did she leave a name?”
“No, she didn’t. Why? Why would that matter if she’s not your wife?”
“Describe her.”
“Why are you asking me all of these questions if she’s not your wife?”
Trevor realized Carly was nearly in meltdown mode. “Oh, honey,” he said as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against him. “You know I wouldn’t do that to you. Not ever.”
“You’re away so much, I just . . .” She looked at him.
He could see the distress in her young eyes. He was usually the source of that distress. But not this time. “I’m not married, Carly. I’ve never been married. She’s a liar.” He stared at her. “You do believe me, don’t you?”
Carly always had trouble trusting. But Trevor had never given her a reason to ever doubt his word. She nodded her head. “Yes,” she said. “I believe you.”
Trevor’s heart relaxed, and he kissed her again. Then he crossed his own legs, and pulled her even closer. He had a worry of a different kind. “Describe her, honey,” he said to her.
“She’s African-American, tall, with a cute, straight, short haircut and super-sized brown eyes. A very attractive woman. And she spoke in a halting, almost whispery voice.”
“Was she disrespectful to you?”
“A little dismissive, but I don’t know if it rose to the level of disrespect. Our interaction wasn’t long enough for that.”
Trevor nodded. “I’ll look into it. Don’t worry, honey. I’ll make sure she doesn’t pull that shit again.”
“You know who she is?”
Trevor hesitated. “I think so. She won’t pull that stunt again.”
“But why would she pull it to begin with?”
“That’s a super question,” Trevor said. “And the answer is I don’t know.” He pulled her closer still. “But I don’t want you worrying about that. I give you enough headaches. Nobody else had better try.”
Carly smiled. And looked at him. “I didn’t want to talk to you about it over the phone,” she said, “but I wasn’t going to believe any of it until I heard from you.”
Trevor felt a warmth inside. He used to wonder if a woman like her existed all of his life. Was convinced she didn’t exist until he met Carly. “Thank you,” he said to her heartfelt. “You put a lot of faith in me, and I know that’s not easy for you. I won’t let you down.”
Carly’s heart felt warm toward him too. And she snuggled against him. “I’m not going to badger you about that woman,” she said. “But I need you to answer one question.”
Trevor rubbed her hair. “What?” he asked her.
“Was she ever your lover?”
Carly asked this and then looked at him. He smiled and shook his head. “I’m guilty of a lot of things,” he said, “but bedding that woman isn’t one of them. No, babe. She was never any lover of mine.”
Although Carly knew he could be playing her like a fiddle, she felt within her soul that he wasn’t. She believed him. And leaned back against him. “Now take me upstairs,” she said. “I waited up all night for you to come. I’m missing my beauty sleep.”
He smiled. “Upstairs my ass,” he said, and laid down on the sofa, pulling her on top of him. “What’s wrong with sleeping right here?”
And then his smile was gone, as he stared into Carly’s demonstrative eyes. Her natural lashes were so long and flowing that they gave her eyes a sleepy look beneath them. A sexy, sleepy look. The awesome responsibility he felt for her, and the love he felt for her, came crashing down upon him, and he knew this would not do.
He lifted her into his arms, got up, and carried them both upstairs. But instead of fawning all over her body the way he did too much already, he removed her clothing, put her to bed, and then took a shower and got in bed with her.
And he held her. He wanted to show his love and appreciation for her in a different way. It was love at first sight for Trevor all over again. He kissed her goodnight, and held her all night long.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
But that next morning, love at first sight gave way to lust at first light and Carly awoke to Trevor’s mouth between her legs. She stretched as if his tongue was her workout that morning and relaxed into the sensual feelings he gave her. And when he moved up, kissing
her stomach and then her breasts, and putting his rock-hard member inside of her, those sensations changed. No longer were they sweet pulsations, but became throbbing sensations that shook her entire body.
Trevor wasn’t an easy lover, nor was he generally a pounder. But he was a sensual lover, a man who pushed in deeper and deeper until she was feeling his rod as if it was expanding right inside of her already tight passage. And the more he stroked and pushed, the more she felt his unbelievable fullness.
Trevor was feeling her too. With every gyration of his member, he was feeling the ridges, the contours, the wetness of a pussy he couldn’t get enough of.
He looked into her eyes as he fucked her. Carly was the embodiment of his dream woman. Everything about her was magical to him. He’d never been a whore. He’d never been the kind of man who bedded women for sport. He’d never been a man with that kind of time on his hands and came to find such behavior distasteful.
But when he met Carly everything changed. When he finally met the one woman he felt a crushing need to pursue, he made it his business to make her his. To mark her. And brand her. And make sure any fucker with any designs on her felt the sting of his disapproval.
And when she came, and leaned her head back the way she always did, he kissed her long, beautiful neck, and then found her mouth and kissed her even harder. Until he was cumming too.
After showering together and dressing, Trevor walked Carly downstairs, to her assigned parking spots in the condo’s parking garage, and opened her door for her. When she got in, sat her purse and briefcase aside, and cranked up, she reached over and kissed him herself. He smiled. He absolutely loved the way she showed her youthful affection for him.
“When I kiss you like that,” Carly asked, “you don’t worry that your agency people are watching?”
“They know I’m fucking you,” Trevor said. “They think you’re just one of many. So they don’t bother. My job is to make sure that’s all they think I’m doing with you, and that you are indeed one of many.”
Carly smiled. “How do you make them think that? Wouldn’t you have to be with other women for them to think I’m one of several?”
“No. They don’t follow me place to place. I get prewarned when they’re on the scent, so I know to stay away from you when that’s in effect. Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”
Carly laughed.
“You need gas.”
Carly looked at him with a puzzled look on her face. “Excuse me?”
He nodded toward her gas meter. “You only have a quarter of a tank of gas.”
Carly looked at her meter. “Oh!” She smiled. “I thought you were talking about I farted or something.”
Trevor laughed too. “I know that’s what you thought.”
“I could have sworn I had more than that, but I’m already running late for meetings. I’ll get some this evening after work. I’m supposed to meet some friends for drinks.”
“The same two I met yesterday?” Trevor asked.
Carly shook her head. “No.”
Trevor stared at her. “You have a lot of friends.”
Carly nodded. “I do. People seem to like hanging around me. I don’t know why, but they do.”
“I know why. You’re a sweetheart.”
She smiled.
But Trevor wasn’t smiling. “Are they good to you, Carly?”
“They are. Inasmuch as I allow them to be. I’ll hang out at the club or go for drinks, but it’s as far as it goes with me.”
This disturbed Trevor. “Because of me?” he asked her.
“And me,” Carly said. “I still have a hard time letting people in. You’re still the exception.”
Trevor smiled. “Thanks for allowing me the chance.”
“Thanks for not blowing the chance.”
Trevor kissed her this time, and then stared at her with a look that verged on lust and love. Carly decided it was love.
“Now get,” he said as he backed up. “I don’t allow my employees to be late.”
Carly laughed. “Yes, sir,” she said as he closed her door. He watched her leave.
But when he got into his own car, in her guest spot, and cranked up, he just sat there. His head had been reeling all night from the implications of that encounter Carly had in his office. The head of the advance team had something to do with that Celletti hit. The fact that his field chief was assassinated before he could tell him who the team leader was proved that. And now this.
He knew he had to do it.
He pulled out his phone, pressed in the code, and waited for an answer. When it finally came, he spoke. “She’s back,” he said. He exhaled. “That motherfucker is back.”
There was a long pause. Too long for Trevor’s taste. And then a response. “Come see me,” said the voice on the other end.
“When?”
“This evening. At five.”
“You’re in town?”
“Briefly.”
“You were expecting my call,” Trevor said. “You came because of her?”
“I heard she was in circulation again.”
“Where are you?”
“JazzLight,” the voice on the other end said. And then ended the call.
Trevor exhaled. And pressed off too.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
He sat in the empty nightclub sipping gin. The night before, the club had been packed to capacity with inner city partiers turning JazzLight, the club’s name, into the place to be. Now the aftermath. The trash, the empty bottles strewn everywhere, the cigarette butts and discarded food. He had a crew giving the place a clean and shine and preparing it for later tonight, when it opened again and received yet another standing-room-only crowd.
Hamilton “Hammer” Reese owned the club, but rarely visited it. His home base was Montreal, where he was hailed as the most respected man in the Quebec province. The province, Trevor thought as the entered the club, would die if they knew the true manner of man they were hailing.
Although Trevor was the Hammer’s kid brother, he received no special treatment. Security was tight. He had to be physically frisked, and then electronically frisked with a security wand metal detector, before he was allowed to approach the big man. It was crazy, but that was his brother.
He always felt weird approaching Hammer, as if he was still that little kid who feared his big brother with a trembling fear. But at least the trembling was gone.
He sat at the bar counter next to him. “This place looks dangerous,” he said.
When his brother looked up at him, and Trevor saw those steely blue eyes he remembered so well, his throat constricted. When he was ten years old he saw his brother kill a man. His brother made him watch.
“It is dangerous,” Hammer responded as if it would make no sense not to be. “Why else would I want it?”
“Only you would have that kind of logic.”
“How’s your plane?” Hammer asked. “I heard it was caught up in a situation.”
“It’ll live,” Trevor said. “I almost didn’t, but it’s no worse for wear.”
“Yeah, I heard about that.” Hammer grabbed his cigarette off of the ashtray and puffed. He worried about Trevor, although Trevor would never know it.
“I was set up,” Trevor said. “You heard about that?”
Hammer didn’t respond.
“Who led the advance team?” Trevor asked. “That’s the fucker I need to see. They iced Kent Lepeo before he had a chance to tell me.”
“He didn’t know shit,” Hammer said. “They squeezed him out long ago.”
“Are you squeezed out too, Ham?”
“I was never squeezed in,” Hammer said.
“By your design, or theirs?”
Hammer frowned. “What the fuck you ask me something that stupid for? By my design, motherfucker. Always!”
“Who was the advance man?” Trevor asked his temperamental brother.
Hammer paused. “I’m working on it.”
“You’re wo
rking on it. Terrific. I need answers, Ham.”
“You need answers. I need answers. We all need fucking answers. I told you not to call me. You know better than to involve me in this shit. But that didn’t stop you.”
“Why is she back on the scene?
That question made the difference. Hammer wasn’t quick with his response.
Trevor continued. “I thought you put her out of commission.”
“I did,” Hammer responded, and drank more gin. “But they brought her back in.”
Trevor was confused. “Why?”
“Because they can. Because they have their own agenda and do not share it with me.”
“But why, Ham?” Trevor asked again.
Hammer exhaled. “Don’t worry about why. They did.” Then he paused. “She has a target.”
Trevor’s heart began to pound. “Who is it? Me?”
“I’m working on it.”
“What the fuck you mean you’re working on it? I need you to work harder, Ham! This shit ain’t no game!”
“I know that! You don’t think I know that?” The workers glanced over at the two brothers. Hammer calmed back down. “I’m working on it,” he said again.
Trevor was convinced that his big brother knew everything. Or could find out who knew.
Hammer paused, and then grabbed a file beneath the files in front of him, and dropped it in front of Trevor.
“What’s this?” Trevor asked.
“The target.”
“It’s me?”
“No.”
“Who?”
“Look motherfucker!”
“Who?” Trevor asked again. He knew his brother. He knew when his brother was disturbed. His brother was disturbed. “Who is it, Ham?”
“Not you.”
Trevor frowned. “Then who?”
Ham looked him dead in the eyes. “Carly Sinatra,” he said.
Trevor’s heart dropped to this shoe. “What?” He opened that file with a quickness that surprised even Hammer.
When Trevor saw her name, his heart began pounding. He looked at his brother. “Are you shitting me?”
“Reggie was on a kill run,” Hammer said. “I just got the intel. She’s not allowed to strike yet, but knowing Reggie, she still needed to see what she would be up against first. Given your involvement and the Carly’s family connections, she knows this will be no ordinary kill.”
Trevor Reese: His Secret Love Page 10
