“OK, OK, Momma Mari,” said Alex, rolling her eyes and wanting to stop the lecture. “I promise to be careful. I’m really just in it for the fun, anyways.”
Alex’s phone pinged. It was from Heath:
when can u leave fri?
Without taking her eyes off the phone she quickly typed back:
noon ok?
perfect. come here
i’ll drive us up
Smiling she looked up at Mari.
Mari shook her head. “That’s more than a ‘just for fun’ face,” she said. “Look, Alex, I just want you to be careful—technically, you’re still on the rebound, you know?”
“Am not.” Alex picked at her fries.
“Yes, you are. For a year you are on the rebound—it’s true. Everyone knows that.”
“What, did you see that on Oprah’s Life Class or something?” asked Alex.
“No! Give me some credit. Sheesh.” Mari looked irritated. “I read it in Cosmo.” They laughed so loudly the people at the other tables in the cafeteria turned to look at them, but it had lightened up the mood.
“I’m being serious now,” Mari said, wiping her eyes. “You were with Josh for three years. Whether you admit it or not, Valentine is your rebound guy and I am telling you—mark my words—he is a professional seducer. “
Alex shook her head and tried to blow off what Mari had said, although it stuck with her for the rest of the afternoon. There could be some truth to what her friend was saying; she knew that. But for now—for the weekend—she wasn’t going to worry about it. She was going to let herself feel good, have fun, and enjoy her time in Ocean City with the hottest man she had ever been with.
Alex worked late into the night with Sheila. As they were getting ready to leave after seven Alex asked if she could leave early Friday and take the weekend off. For a minute Sheila looked like she was going to say no.
“I can come in early tomorrow and Friday and can work as late as you need tomorrow night too,” she rushed to say, before Sheila had a chance to turn her down.
Sheila looked at Alex. “Yeah, sure, that’s fine. If we get a good 12–14 hours in tomorrow then I will spend the weekend reviewing what we’ve got. Just be prepared to hit it hard again next week.”
“Yes! Totally. Absolutely!” Alex couldn’t contain her relief—all the lights were green and she was cleared for weekend take-off.
Since she knew she would be working late Thursday she rushed to the mall and got a last-minute bikini wax at the cheap salon. Then she went next door to a lingerie shop and picked up a couple of new sexy bra-and-panty sets for the weekend.
* * *
When Alex got home Thursday she packed her weekend bag and straightened up around the house. She liked coming home to a clean apartment, and it wasn’t difficult to clean it up. She hadn’t been home much the past couple of weeks, between Heath and Sheila. Besides, when Josh left he took half the furniture. Her decorating scheme was now simple thrift shop.
She looked in her nearly empty fridge and threw out a couple of containers of leftover Chinese food. She gave a carton of milk the sniff test and tossed that too. She poured the last of a bottle of wine into a plastic glass and soaked in a hot bubble bath until the water turned cool and the glass was empty. Then, after she dried off, she crawled into bed and sent Heath a text:
goodnight. can’t wait 4 the weekend
She fell asleep quickly, relaxed by the wine and the bath and the satisfied feeling she had after cleaning up and packing. It felt like everything was in its place and she was ready for a fun, worry-free weekend with her new man. She dreamt of Heath’s warm hands running across her body and his lips on hers. She slept happy.
Friday morning, Alex woke up before her alarm went off and saw that she had a missed text from Heath. It had come in at 1:13 in the morning.
me 2. :-)
text u 2mro
Alex smiled to herself and hoped the day went by quickly. She was excited to be going out of town—she always loved an adventure—and was even more thrilled to be spending an entire weekend with Heath. She was curious to know what it would be like to wake up next to him in the morning. God, I hope I can sleep. What if I snore or fart in my sleep or something?
She imagined snuggling up close to him, pressing her body next to his, kissing him gently on the neck and reaching around to stroke his penis into waking up. She loved pre-dawn lovemaking, and not being able to spend the night at a man’s house put a damper on her morning sex life. She was looking forward to ending that dry spell.
Rolling out of bed, she had a smile on her face. She was up extra-early so she could get the last of her research project finished and on Sheila’s desk before lunch. She made sure to pick a dress that would still look good by the time she arrived at Heath’s that afternoon. She put on some of her new lingerie, walked through a spritz of perfume, and spent a few extra minutes on her hair and makeup. She wanted to look hot when she saw Heath, since it had been over a week and the last time she saw him she was in yoga pants and a T-shirt. Although that look did work out for me. She smiled to herself and shivered, thinking of their hot kitchen-counter sex session.
Alex grabbed her travel mug filled with hot, strong coffee, her purse, and her overnight bag and gave her apartment a once-over before she kicked the door shut and locked it. She tossed her overnight bag into the trunk of her car and waved at her nosy neighbor Henry, who was standing outside his door watching her.
Henry was a widower who looked out for Alex. A retired school administrator, he had moved to Scottsville from Ocean City several years ago to be closer to his daughter and her family. Alex liked having him as a neighbor. He was an old guy—she guessed he was in his late seventies—but he thought he was as tough as nails. He was always well-groomed, and dressed as if he was still going to work every day. Every once in a while Alex would sit out on Henry’s porch and talk about current events on the local, national, and world stage. He was engaging and interesting and Alex appreciated him. She waved again as she drove away, wishing she was driving straight to Heath’s instead of to the office for a half-day of work.
Alex had just gotten settled at the table in Sheila’s office when her phone pinged. She dug it out of her bag, having forgotten to put it on silent, which she usually did when she got to work. There was a text from Heath. He must be excited too, she thought as she opened the message.
call me when u can
Huh, wonder what’s up. She put the phone back in her bag—she and Sheila had just wrapped up their planning meeting, and Sheila was already typing madly at her computer. Alex didn’t feel like she could get up and make a call yet.
She had a hard time concentrating on the work in front of her, but Sheila’s presence and constant stream of questions and requests forced her to focus and not wonder what Heath’s text meant. Eventually Sheila had to go to a meeting with the investigators on the case and she asked Alex to stay behind and continue compiling research for the weekend.
As soon as Sheila was out of earshot Alex pulled out her phone and called Heath.
“Heath Valentine.” He was brusque and sounded busy.
“Hey, Heath,” she said. “It’s Alex.”
“Hey, baby,” he said. “Look, I have some bad news. Something has come up and I can’t do this afternoon.”
“Oh. OK,” she said, her smile disappearing. “What’s up?”
“Just some work stuff. I have to meet with some potential clients today.”
“Do you want to just push back and hook up later then?”
“Uh, no, that’s not going to work. I am going to be tied up all day, probably take them to dinner and talk business.”
She could hear voices in the background. “Oh, well, tell me where you will be and I’ll sit at the bar and tease you while you have your business dinner....”
He laughed. Alex thought it sounded hollow and forced.
“Is that a no?”
“No, baby, I don’t think that will work. Look,
I gotta run. I’ll text you later.”
“OK, bye—” she said, but he had hung up already. Huh. That was weird.
* * *
Mari stopped by Sheila’s office at lunch. “Oh, you are still here,” she said, looking quizzically at Alex. “I thought you were leaving at lunch today, but I could swear I didn’t see you walk out.”
Alex sighed, “No, apparently something came up.”
Mari stared at Alex.
“Don’t, Mari. Just don’t,” Alex said.
“I’m not, honey. I’m not.” Mari gave her a weak smile. “Can you go to lunch then?” she asked, her face brightening.
“Nah, I’m not hungry,” Alex said. “Since I’m here, I’m just gonna stay and get as much of this stuff done for Sheila as I can.”
“OK, well, keep me posted,” Mari said, smiling weakly again and leaving Alex alone in the office.
Alex grabbed her phone and texted Heath:
wish i was driving to meet u right now.
She hit send and instantly felt like an idiot—a needy idiot—but she could’t un-send the text. She shut off her phone and dropped it into her purse. Let’s just get this work done. Jesus.
Sheila came back from her meeting and didn’t even notice that Alex was still there, even after she had agreed she could leave early. Her meeting with the investigators only gave Alex more work and she diligently kept her nose to the grindstone. At 5:00 Sheila stood up and announced, “That’s it! I can’t take any more today. Let’s go.”
Alex cleaned up the piles of file folders on the table, logged off the laptop she had been using, and stood up, stretching her back and rolling her neck.
“Weren’t you supposed to leave early today?” Sheila asked, looking at Alex.
“Yeah, I was, but it got postponed,” she replied, shrugging.
“Oh well, my gain I suppose. Thanks for all your hard work this week. It hasn’t gone unnoticed.” Sheila smiled and Alex felt proud of herself. “Enjoy your weekend off. I’ll see you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on Monday.” Sheila grabbed her purse and walked out the door, leaving Alex standing in the office. Alone.
She gathered up her things and joined the mass exodus out of the County Building. She rarely left right at 5:00, when all of the 8–5ers left the building en masse. By 5:05 the halls were empty, doors were closed and locked, and clerk windows were shuttered. Like rats fleeing a sinking ship.
Alex got to her car and thought about the overnight bag in her trunk. She slid into the driver’s seat and kicked off her heels, throwing them into the back seat. She rummaged in her bag for her phone, and turned it on, half-expecting to see a missed call or at least a text from Heath.
Nothing.
She sighed, thought about texting again, but decided against it. Instead she drove home, stopping at the convenience store on the way to pick up a small carton of fresh milk and a bottle of wine. She walked up to the counter to pay and then paused, looking around. She walked back down the aisle behind her and grabbed a box of Lucky Charms. Looks like an unexpected night in, she thought morosely.
She pulled into her parking spot and walked back to her apartment. Henry was out on his patio and waved.
“Hey, Henry,” she said, forcing a smile.
“Hey, Alex, what’s new?”
“Not much, Henry. Just a while lotta work.”
“I was wondering what was up with you—thought maybe you had left me for a new man.” He winked at her. Henry was one of the few men who could get away with the wink in Alex’s book. Well, Henry and Heath.
Alex laughed, “Why do you say that?”
“You are never home, my dear. I thought maybe someone swept you off your feet. I’m happy to hear it’s just work.”
“Oh Henry, you old flirt.”
“Actually,” he said, “I’m glad I caught you. I’m going to be at my daughter’s this weekend. I’m babysitting the kids while she and the hubby go away for a couple of nights.”
“Sounds like fun—for them.”
“Oh yeah, more fun than a barrel full of monkeys for me. Just wanted to let you know that I can’t be your knight in shining armor this weekend, so you better behave.”
“Well, thanks for the heads-up, Henry. I promise to be on my best behavior. And you have fun keeping those kids in line.” Alex waved with her free hand and headed to her door.
“You betcha,” he called after her. “Didn’t spend all those years as a teacher for nothing.”
She could still hear him chuckling to himself as she walked in and closed the door behind her. Wow, what a lovely, clean apartment you have, Miss Barton. Now, where is that wine opener, pray tell?
* * *
9
Chapter Nine
Alex woke to a sore neck, a full bladder, and a Cindy Crawford infomercial on the television. She untangled herself from a blanket and sat up on the couch. In the flickering light she could see her empty bowl of Lucky Charms and a half-empty bottle of wine. That explains the furry teeth and the headache.
She looked around for her phone and found it wedged between the cushions. Nothing from Heath. WTF? I’m about to get pissed.
She turned off the TV, and went to the bathroom. After brushing her teeth she crawled into her bed and sent Heath a text:
u ok? i miss u.
It was 3 a.m. She plugged in the phone, made sure the volume was turned up, and set it on the floor next to her bed.
She woke a few hours later and picked up her phone. 8 a.m. Still nothing. She debated, but decided to text again:
morning! what’s the plan?
She tried to go back to sleep, but pretty much only dozed, kind of like she did when she stayed at Heath’s house. Every time she rolled over she would wake up and check her phone. Nothing.
What the fuck is going on?
She lay in bed and stared at the ceiling for a while. Once she couldn’t stand it anymore she got up and put her running gear on. Might as well get an agro run in, she thought, tying her shoes. She picked a hardcore playlist with Metallica, Eminem, and Marilyn Manson songs and took off. She ran hard, with the music loud in her ears in an effort to drown out the self-doubting thoughts and questions about Heath that were floating in her head.
By the time she got back and showered it was nearly noon and there was still no word from Heath. Maybe, instead of being pissed, I should be worried. Should I call Aqua and see if Marcel has heard anything? I don’t want to be a stalker, but what if something happened to him?
Alex sat on her couch and wondered what to do. She pulled up the Ocean City, Bayside, and Scottsville newspapers on her laptop one by one, looking for news of car wrecks or shootings or anything unusual. All she saw were articles about summer activities, routine arrests, car stops, and weather forecasts. Nothing about anything that would give Heath a good excuse for not calling or texting for over 24 hours.
She shut her laptop, put her earbuds back in, tuned in to a classical station on Pandora, and tried to get involved in a novel Mari had given her to read. She found herself having to re-read several paragraphs, but eventually she got into the story and was able to read for about an hour without thinking of Heath—or the lack thereof. As soon as the story started to lag, however, her mind went straight back to him.
She decided to call one more time. She felt nervous as she dialed his number. What will I do if he actually picks up? I mean, he’s been ignoring me since this time yesterday. He better have a good fucking excuse, his fine ass needs to be in the hospital or something for me to forgive being treated like this.
Her call went straight to voicemail. “You have reached Heath Valentine. Please leave a message and I will return your call as soon as I am able.”
“Hey,” she cleared her throat, not sure what to say. “It’s me, Alex. Just calling in case you weren’t getting my texts for some weird reason. So, yeah, um, I guess call me when you get this.” She paused. “I hope you are OK.”
She disconnected and was surprised to find herself teari
ng up. Goddammit, Alex. Get it together. He’s not worth all this drama. What were you expecting, anyways? Jesus. She wiped her eyes and ran her hand over her face.
She took a deep breath and dialed Mari’s number.
“Hey Alex, you OK?” Mari answered, sounding worried.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Other than evidently being stood up.”
“What?! You still haven’t heard from him?” Mari asked, sounding indignant and personally offended.
“No,” Alex sighed. “I don’t know whether to be worried or pissed. I mean, I have texted and called and haven’t heard a thing.”
“Oh Alex, I’m sorry.” Mari sounded genuinely sympathetic to Alex’s condition.
“Thank you. And thank you for not telling me ‘I told you so,’” Alex said.
“Oh I thought about it, trust me,” Mari laughed. “But you sound bummed, and this sucks no matter which way you look at it.”
“Yeah, it does. Not the kind of sucking I had in mind for the weekend.”
“Oh Jesus, Alex!” Mari howled. “At least you have your sense of humor.”
“Always…” Although Alex didn’t feel very funny.
“So what are you gonna do then?” Mari asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t want to just sit here and wait for him to call.”
“And you shouldn’t! You need to leave him alone now, Alex. You’ve called, you’ve texted, you have done your part. Don’t get caught up in his drama.”
Alex couldn’t help but feel sorry for herself. Talking to Mari about it cracked her open and she realized how much she had been hoping the weekend with Heath would lead to something more than just being a booty call—no matter how much she enjoyed the booty.
The Crime of Seduction Page 7
