Makeup took a mere two hours. Which to put into perspective was more time than I had previously spent applying makeup in my entire life.
After seven hours I was finally allowed to dress. Or rather the person I didn't recognize in the mirror was told to stand while the three witches made me step into a red silk dress. It was so short and skimpy that it left nothing to the imagination. Including what color thong I wore.
But to the touch it felt divine. "It's way too gorgeous and expensive for me."
Charity agreed.
Mai shook her head. "I don't wear it anymore and it suits you way better, Robyn."
As if gathering like superpowers discussing world peace in the White House Oval Office, the three witches began an equally serious debate.
"Heels?"
"I prefer flats or sneakers."
For my efforts to participate, I received three pairs of rolling eyes in my direction.
Charity compounded my misunderstanding.
"Three or six?"
"Three or six what?"
"Inches!"
Mai produced two pairs of shoes.
My head swam with vertigo at the thought of balancing on those heels.
The look on my face clearly said I'd never dared to walk in heels in my life. They just weren't me. Of course I envied girls who could negotiate a crowded room while balanced on a pair of skyscrapers, but I wasn't one of them.
I looked at them and exclaimed, "Standing on those the air will be so thin I'll need oxygen."
Mai came to the rescue. "Start low. Build up gradually."
Charity nodded. "How's the walk?"
"My walk?"
They sat down in row like a panel of beauty pageant judges and directed me to walk up and down Mai's very large bedroom.
They fitted a pair of heels on my feet. A mere three inches. I took a few self-conscious steps.
Charity shook her head. "Could you try it again, this time without dragging your knuckles along the ground?"
Thirty minutes of parading up and down with books on my head for deportment and I was ready to hurl those same books at Charity and Virtue. I shot Mai a grateful thank you look that just coincidently appeared the same as my mental death ray look.
Mai made me do the twirl of shame in that tiny silk dress.
"So what's the verdict?"
Virtue nodded slowly. "Tight in all the wrong places."
I shot her a look of shame. "That bad, right?"
"That's good. I'd do you."
Charity bit her bottom lip. "If I didn't need all my energy for Brad, yeah I'd tap that ass."
Mai flushed and shook her head. "You'll have to go through me, girls. Robyn's all mine."
I wasn't sure if they were serious. In fact, I just wanted to get the Hell out of there. But before I could do a runner, the doorbell rang.
I glanced at the wall clock. It was seven already.
"I haven't eaten all day. I'm starving."
Mai shook her head. "Nor shall you. Unless you want to explode out of my dress."
Charity turned to me. "So who's the sucker?"
"Excuse me?"
"I'm assuming, Robyn that all our hard work had a purpose? So you could take your virgin ass on an actual date with an actual breathing guy capable of plucking your cherry before it withers away on the vine?"
"Um, yes."
Her nostrils flared.
"So who the Hell is it?"
Mai opened the front door to Officer Hotness. Out of uniform he was more gorgeous than ever. Without his Deputy Sheriff's hat, I saw for the first time he had a thick mass of boy band hair. Perfect at that special moment of heightened ecstasy for running my fingers through. I blinked hard to check my imagination.
His jeans seemed spray painted over his toned thighs. His t-shirt showed off more muscles than I knew could possibly exist in the male human body.
He stepped in as Charity did a double take.
She glared at Officer Hotness and then at me. She made a face as if she'd stepped in dog poop.
"You and Harry are dating?"
Harry ignored Charity. He was all eyes for me. He took my hand, leaned in and lightly kissed both cheeks.
His lips felt like butterfly wings on my skin. I may have trembled for a moment. I felt my skin sizzle. My head began to spin in a slightly pleasurable way.
At the door, Mai thrust a tiny clutch bag into my hand and whispered, "I put protection inside. Extra strong."
I shot her a look that it really wasn't necessary. No matter how much Officer Hotness sizzled, he wasn't plucking my cherry that night. Or any night.
He led me out of the apartment and whispered in my ear.
"You can breathe now."
"Thanks."
"I'm glad Robyn that you didn't make too much effort. Otherwise I'd be all self-conscious around you in my jeans and Tee."
As my brain tried to comprehend his insult or the vague possibility he was joking, I missed a step and tumbled forward. Giving him a close up of not just the color of my thong, but an almighty eyeful of everything through the skimpy translucent lace.
He caught me as I fell into his huge arms. Our eyes locked in one long silent moment.
We both swallowed hard as he set me on my feet.
He cleared his throat. "I was of course only joking."
He led me down the stairs to his car. Each step towards the lobby seemed to invite more butterflies into my stomach.
Despite my best efforts I couldn't take my eyes off his tight ass in those jeans. But as we reached the ground floor I had a flicker of panic and reminded myself everything would be OK.
So what if Officer Hotness was H.G. on Madison's list. So long as we stayed in busy public places, there was nothing he could do to me. I just needed to get him to trust me to learn his part in Madison's death.
His car was a muscle car. A blue Mustang with a wide white stripe down the middle of the hood.
I shook my head. "And here I was thinking you couldn't do subtle and sophisticated."
He smiled. "Anyone ever tell you, you do sarcasm sexy?"
I flushed hot at the flirtatious complement.
We climbed into the bucket seats. I had to keep my legs sealed tight to avoid flashing him and causing an accident.
"Where are we going, Harry?"
"Thought I'd give you the guided tour. The sights worth seeing that aren't on any map. Is that OK with you?"
A wave of paranoia swept over me. I swallowed hard and ignored the drowning feeling.
"Sounds good."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
It was an unusually warm autumn evening. The low sun slowly sank over the vast lake. We had parked up by an old wooden jetty that reached out into the lake and dwindled into the soft mist.
He climbed out of the car and sat on the hood, gazing out across the amber drenched lake.
"This is my favorite place in the whole world."
"This is where you seduce your conquests like Charity?"
He looked puzzled for a moment, then smiled. "I never took Charity out here."
"So I'm the first?"
"Not exactly. There was someone special"
He held my breath. He was unloading about an ex-girlfriend. I glanced back down the road we had come. It was at least two miles through woodland back to campus. In those heels, not doable.
This was going to be a long night.
If the evening's romance was destined to be ruined by his conscience or my plan, then so be it. I considered it was best to get on with it. And if he was in a reflective mood, he might even get onto the subject of Madison.
"Your ex got a name?"
He nodded. "Madison."
I swallowed hard, took a deep breath and counted to three.
"Wasn't that the name of the girl in all the newspapers? The one who disappeared?"
He avoided my gaze and walked to the back of his car. He popped the trunk and reached inside. For a moment I couldn't see what he was doing.
I glanced around. We were alone.
He slammed the lid of the trunk and walked back around to me. He carried two champagne flutes in one hand and a bottle of something sparkling in the other.
"Are we celebrating?"
He popped the cork expertly with one hand and poured. Our eyes met over the rising surface of the champagne. He held my gaze a little too long. My chest felt heavy. I felt my lips part so I could breathe easier.
Just at the point it was becoming unbearable, the champagne overflowed. I jolted and knocked the two glasses together, spilling champagne all down the front of his white t-shirt.
"I'm so sorry."
He laughed and handed me the glasses as he stood back and with one swift motion pulled his wet t-shirt up over his head. As he twisted the shirt and wrung out the champagne, I failed miserably to avoid staring at his bulging biceps and flickers of exertion across his toned chest.
He looked up and I glanced away. I took a long swig of champagne. This was not how I expected the evening to go.
He walked back to the trunk and opened it. A moment later he pulled on a fresh t-shirt.
"Who keeps spare clothes in their trunk?"
He shrugged. "Part of being a cop. Always be prepared for the unexpected outcome."
I half expected myself to peek inside the trunk for a comfortable mattress.
"What else do you keep in there?"
I took a peek and saw a long thin sports bag with wheels on one end.
"What do you keep it there?"
He leaned forward and unzipped it, revealing a set of fencing swords.
"You fence?"
"I used to. Before Madison..."
"Are you any good?"
He shrugged. "My instructor, Brad, thought so. But I never made the team."
Harry refilled my glass.
"So what shall we drink to, Harry? Ghosts of love?"
"Pastures new."
We sipped.
I glanced at the bottle label. "It's alcohol free?"
He gave me a look of surprise. "I'm a cop, remember."
"So you bring a new date to the place you and your ex made out?"
"Feeling competitive?"
"Am I the girl that gets you over the ex? The Inbetweener?"
His smile near melted my resolve. "Are you?"
I finished my drink and he took my glass by the base of the stem. Instead of refilling it, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a plastic evidence bag. He carefully placed the flute into the bag and sealed it shut.
"What are you doing?"
He stared hard at me. "Do you prefer Robyn or Rob?"
I watched Harry wear the orange fireball in the sky like a flaming halo. For a moment he seemed like a God arriving from Mount Olympus ready to taste the sex of every willing mortal woman.
At that moment I felt the intensity of that fireball between my legs and burned with lust for him.
He asked again, "Robyn or Rob?"
I swallowed hard. "I don’t mind."
"No? Is that because Robyn is not your real name?"
My eyes widened. "What are you talking about? Of course it is."
He shook his head. "A buddy of mine in the F.B.I. did a search on your driver's license. The real Robyn White died in 1985, aged three years old. So who did I invite on this date?"
My head spun. "What the Hell are you doing checking up on me?"
"That's hardly the point, is it?"
For God's sake, kiss me. Make me forget for one blissful moment. "Take me back to campus. Now."
I backed away and turned. I felt his firm grip on my wrist and my stomach back flipped. He pulled me around to face him. His expression was intense animal lust.
He stepped in close, leaned in and kissed me hard on the lips. His arms wrapped around my shoulders.
I reached out and dug my fingernails deep into his biceps. On my lips I felt the strangest sensation of desire melting my resolve.
Just at the point I was about to kiss him back, he broke his embrace. His smile was arrogant. As if he knew he could have me anytime he liked.
I had to think fast. As much as I wanted him, I had to take control. I slapped him across the face. Hard.
His hand flew to his reddening face. The hurt in his eyes was momentary before the arrogant smile returned.
"So Robyn... this is how it's going to work. Either you tell me right now who you really are, or I tell the Dean of Admissions you submitted your studentship under false pretenses."
"You wouldn't."
His smile said he would.
"The Dean and I go way back. And now I've got your fingerprints on your glass, my F.B.I. buddy can tell me who you really are. So which is it?"
CHAPTER TWELVE
I'd undertaken months of preparation to reach this point. I only had one shot at it. There was nothing else for it.
But could I trust Harry with the truth? Indeed, how much of the truth did I even need to tell him?
I took a deep breath.
"Madison Loxley was my sister. I'm Robyn Loxley."
He sat back against the hood of his car.
"I knew you reminded me of someone. So why the deception?"
"I believe Madison was murdered."
"Murdered? But we found no body."
"So what? You think she ran away because your bulging biceps drove her crazy? Oh please."
I realized I said it with too much conviction. As if I was implying he was some kind of god to women and had no heart.
His smile returned. But then quickly wavered.
"You're out to find Madison's killer?"
I nodded. "Will you help me?"
"Help you? How?"
I had to be careful how much I said here.
"Madison sent me her journal. It alludes to a list of people. Somehow they were involved in Madison's disappearance."
"People? Which people?"
"I don't yet know."
"But you did just say you have a list of their names?"
"Only their initials. The rest I need to work out. Madison was, well quite... secretive."
He sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his thick hair.
"You're telling me. So what can you tell me about Madison's disappearance?"
"Only that she was investigating the names on her list."
"Investigating what about them exactly?"
"Again, I don't yet know."
"So what's your plan?"
"I infiltrate. I take the same classes as Madison. I engineer ways to meet the same people she would have met. I gain their trust. I learn their secrets."
His eyes widened.
"So that's why you agreed to come out on a date with me? To learn my secrets?"
"You're not really in Madison's journal."
He looked at me with disbelieving eyes. "What does she say about me in her journal?"
"Nothing."
He sneered. "Oh come on."
"It’s not like that. Many pages are missing. So it really doesn't have anything to say about you or any of the names."
He shook his head. "So it's all conjecture. You have nothing to go on."
I took a deep breath and let it out. "Madison would never have sent me her diary unless she was in trouble. Deep trouble. Unless she knew there was no real way out of it for her."
"Why didn't she come to me for help?"
It was a question I should have asked myself more than once. Was I so blinded by his handsome swagger and rough charm to overlook his possible part in Madison's fate? She had, after all, voiced her concern that he was about to betray her. But betray her how? In love or death or both?
He turned away sharply and walked to the end of the jetty. He spent a good five minutes with his back to me.
The sun sank completely into the lake. I began to shiver. I walked out onto the jetty and stood behind him.
His shoulders were trembling. He wiped his eyes on the back of his hand.
"So she's really dead?"
"H
arry, her disappearance is not some elaborate student prank, if that's what you mean."
He shook his head.
"For months now I chose to believe she had to escape. That her freedom was more important to her than our... than what I thought we had. She was so distracted. At first I thought there was someone else. She was so evasive all the time. But now..."
He turned to me with tears in his eyes. "I want to help you."
"It could be dangerous."
"You think I care about that now? I've already lost the love of my life. My own means nothing to me."
That was when I realized it's never a good thing to always be right. Harry was lost in love with a ghost. And to make matters worse, that was the moment I realized I was a little bit in love with Harry.
I silently leaned my head against his chest. I felt his warm embrace engulf my senses. I reminded myself over and over he could be lying to me as I was lying to him.
This game was getting harder and harder to play. And now, more dangerous than ever.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
We sat in Brad's car parked outside my apartment building.
An awkward silence hung in the air. We watched a fine rain pepper the windshield.
He turned his head to me and just as I prepared for our parting kiss, he hesitated and said, "Who's the first target on Madison's list?"
So the spark had vanished. In his eyes I was second best compared to my dead sister and who can compete with a ghost? I reminded myself that keeping it all business was fine with me.
I pictured the page of names in Madison's journal.
"Initials D.C. Female. Possibly a lecturer. My bet is Davina Cole."
"Madison's English literature professor?"
I nodded. "I signed up to her courses and hope to get close to her, but I need more background to go on. What can you tell me about her?"
Staring out the window, he seemed distant.
"Not much. At least not from Madison, anyway. But..."
"But what?"
"I've only been doing the job for two years. I could speak with Charlie."
"Charlie?"
"Sheriff Gonzalez. Everyone calls him Charlie. He's been sheriff for twenty years. If there's anything to know, official or otherwise, he's the man."
"A man of secrets?"
Harry stiffened in his seat and leaned back.
"Charlie's a good man. He's been like a father to me. Since Madison vanished, he's been a rock."
Guilty Secrets (Campus Love and Murder Sorority Eyes Romance Book 1) Page 5
