by Stacy-Deanne
“Sorry to interrupt.” Alexis walked around, with her hand on her gun.
“Grant,” a woman shrieked. “What is the meaning of this?”
“Relax.” He leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. “She’s putting on a show and a rather interesting one.”
Alexis stopped in front of him and gripped the gun tighter. “Alexis!” Kevin ran up behind her.
Alexis swung around to face Kevin. “I should shoot your ass.”
He stood back. “What?”
“Detective Adams!” The guard huffed and puffed. “I’m ordering you to remove your hand from your weapon.”
“Seriously?” Alexis pointed to her, chuckling.
Kevin waved at the guard. “Sharon, hold on.”
Sharon held her stance. “Not until she lets go of the weapon.”
“Cool it, okay?” Kevin huffed. “She’s not going to shoot anyone.”
“Everything is under control, Sharon,” Grant said. “I’m enjoying this.”
Alexis bent over Grant. “I just bet you are.”
“Well.” Grant sniffed her. “You certainly do know how to make an entrance.”
“Hold on.” Kevin pulled Alexis to him. “What the hell is going on with you?”
Grant threw his head back. “I love it.” He nudged the fat man beside him. “This meeting was rather boring before she showed up.”
“Grant.” A man with a thick gray beard scowled from the other end of the table. “What the hell is going on in here? This is a board meeting not a soap opera.”
“I got this.” Kevin grabbed Alexis and pulled her to the door.
“Stop!” She swung her fist at him. “Let me go, Kevin.”
“Shut up.” He yanked her out of the room, down the hall, and then stopped by the elevator. “What the fuck is your problem?” He let her go. “Have you lost your damn mind?”
“No.” She fixed her blouse. “I just found it.”
“You’re insane.” He pointed behind him. “Did you really just bust into a Copeland Enterprises board meeting like you were gonna shoot everybody?”
She patted her hair. ”I damn sure did.”
“You mind telling me why?”
“You mind telling me what went on between you and Faye Ramsey last night?”
He covered his eyes. “What did she tell you this time?”
“Answer the question.”
“Let’s go to my office.”
She crossed her arms. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Kevin shifted his gaze to passing executives. “You’ve made enough of a scene and I don’t know what the hell this is about so…” he grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hall, “we’re going to my office.”
“All that nice stuff you were saying last night.” She traipsed in behind him. “You were playing me like a violin, weren’t you?”
He pulled her around the corner and down another hall. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“I guess if you can lie you can deny it, right?”
“How can I deny something when I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about?” He dragged her down yet another hall and into his office.
“Don’t try to talk your way out of this. I’m sick of this, Kevin!”
He closed the door and locked it.
She got in his face. “I want to know what the hell went on between you and—”
He pushed his lips on to hers. “Mmm!” He picked her up and slammed her on his desk.
What the hell?
Chapter Ten
“You…” Kevin pulled at his shirt, panting as if he’d run a one-hundred mile marathon. “You have any idea how much I want you right now?”
“Wait a minute!” Alexis held on to his shoulders as he pushed her down on the desk. “Kevin? Have you lost your mind?”
I want you, too, but it’s not the right time.
Alexis ignored the mounting tingle between her legs.
This can’t happen like this. Alexis, get a grip, girl!
“Kevin.” She pushed on his shoulders. “Wait.”
“Don’t tell me this isn’t exciting.” He kissed her.
“This is nuts.”
So what if I do fuck him? I’m so fuckin’ wet. I don’t think I can stop this.
He pulled her legs around him.
She relaxed on the desk.
What would be the worst to happen if I just go on and fuck him?
“You’re so fuckin’ sexy!” He unbuttoned her blouse.
Come on now. What is the worst that would happen?
She put her hand on her forehead.
This is a small town. This would get out and spread like wildfire. Then what else? Come on, give me a good excuse to stop.
Kevin planted kisses on top of her bra.
I’m a professional. Yeah… that’s a good reason right?
He slipped his hands to the back of her bra.
What’s a really good reason because I have to stop this. We can’t do this.
He struggled with the snap. “I can’t…” He twisted the clasp. “The snap’s so small.” He grunted. “I can’t get my fingers under it.”
Her breasts jiggled as he yanked on the bra.
“Come on, man.” Sweat skidded down the side of his face. “Shit.” He tugged harder.
No we can’t. We just can’t!
“Hold on.” She wiggled for him to let her go. “Stop!” She shoved him. “What the hell are you doing?”
He batted his eyelids. “Uh…I’m trying to take your bra off.”
“Not that.” She buttoned up her blouse and pulled away. “This is crazy.”
“But it’s exciting, right?” He kissed her. “You know you want it too. I’ve never felt chemistry like this with anyone else, Lexi.” He grabbed her. “You think I’d be doing this here with any other woman? Only you make me this crazy. I wanted you last night.” He gave her a sloppy kiss. “That’s why I had to leave. I felt it would be too soon.”
“But not now?” she asked, breathless. As hard as it was, she fought losing herself to passion. “Kevin, let go of me.”
He let her go and shook his head. “It’s getting harder and harder not to fuck you.”
She jumped off the desk and tucked in her blouse. “Oh you don’t have to tell me that. I’ve been wet ever since I came into your office the first time but we can’t do this here.”
He touched his head, huffing and puffing. “It’s like something came over me just now.” He clenched his crotch. “I was mad when we got into the office but then I got so excited.”
“You have to ignore it.”
“I can’t.” He exhaled. “And I know you can’t either.”
“Please.” Her heart slowed to its normal rhythm. “We have to talk about something very serious.” She smoothed down her hair. “I want to know what the hell happened last night between you and Faye. She said you hit her last night.”
“What?” he shrieked. “She’s out of her damn mind! I never hit a woman in my life.”
“She came to the station today with a huge bruise on her arm.”
“Oh.” He closed his eyes. “Wait a minute.”
“She said you pushed her last night in your place.” She fixed her collar. “So why was she even at your place if you can’t stand her so much? Did you hit her? Even by accident?”
“Come on, Lexi.” He sat behind his desk, straightening his shirt. “You know I wouldn’t do something like that. Don’t you see what she’s doing?”
Alexis sat.
“She’s manipulating you the same way she did me.” He clasped his hands. “When I got home last night she was in my place.”
“She broke in?” She crossed her legs at the ankles. “She conveniently forgot to mention that.”
He nodded. “She claimed she had a key but I sure as hell didn’t give her one.” He rubbed his chin. “I walk in and she’s on my couch in a red negligee.” He lowered his hand. “She would
n’t leave even after I threatened to call the cops. She tried to kiss me so I pushed her and she hit her arm on the coffee table.”
“Kevin.”
“It’s the truth. Answer me this.” He stuck his head in the air. “Did she press charges?”
“No.”
“Then why did she come to the station if she didn’t want to press charges?” He tapped his pen on the desk. “She went there so she could badmouth me to you. She wanted you to think I was a woman beater so you’d have nothing to do with me.” He threw the pen down. “She just wants to keep us apart.”
“Jeez.” She felt her forehead. “Your love life is making me take pause. I gotta be honest. I don’t like how I am feeling about all this. Faye, the cheating, I don’t know what to believe.”
“The only woman I’ve ever really wanted was you. It was always you.” He pulled her close. “You have any idea how much I want to kiss you right now?”
She closed her eyes.
If it’s as much as I want to kiss you…yes.
“Please trust in me, Lexi. Don’t let others take away our second chance.”
“I have to think about things. I don’t know.” She fidgeted. “Maybe we’re moving too fast.”
“We’re soul mates.” He moved his hand to the curve of her back and sniffed her neck. “You know that. You shouldn’t have any doubts.”
“I do though.” She sighed, lowering her head. “I know you’re the man I’ve always wanted but I have to be sure. I just have to be sure it’s right.”
“We are right.” He moved his mouth toward hers. “Now I know exactly what Grant was talking about.”
“What?” She got lost in his hypnotic stare.
“He said your mother was irresistible too.” He stroked her hair. “He said it was hard for a man to control himself around her. You definitely have the same kind of power.” He went to kiss her but she turned her head.
“I’ll see you.”
“Lexi, don’t run away all right?”
She walked out the door.
“Are we still on for dinner?” he called out.
She continued down the hall without answering.
Chapter Eleven
“I don’t want to hear it, Adams!” Captain Rojas shouted to Alexis from behind his desk. “Who the hell do you think you are busting into a Copeland board meeting like you’ve lost your damn mind?” His lumpy belly spilled over the desk. “There’s protocol to follow.”
“That’s such a joke.”
“Excuse me?” He raised a folder. “Care to elaborate on that?”
“I said it’s a damn joke like everything else in this department. No one here gives a shit about protocol, only about being in Grant Copeland’s pockets.” She approached his desk. “All the years I worked at the LAPD I’ve never seen a department as shady as this.”
“Ha!” Rojas threw his head back. “I find that hard to believe and this department is not shady.”
Alexis crossed her arms. “I can’t believe you can say that with a straight face, Captain. You know what goes on here.”
“We’re talking about your ass right now. Do you understand what the hell you did? My phone’s been ringing off the hook because of this nonsense. Some very important people were at that meeting and you could’ve jeopardized an important merger that Copeland’s been working on for years.”
“I don’t give a damn about Grant Copeland’s merger. I’m a detective doing a job. Maybe I shouldn’t have gone in there like I did but I’m sick of all the lies and secrets in this town.”
He stood. “Then take your ass back to LA if you don’t like it. No one asked you to come here. I admit that things aren’t perfect in Tate Valley but this is how they are.” He sat again. “Do you have any leads on the Myers murder?”
She cleared her throat. “We believe we found the murder weapon.”
He put on his reading glasses.
“We found a hammer in a dumpster not far from Myers’ home,” she said. “It looked as though it had some type of substance on it but was wiped off. We think it was blood.”
Rojas looked at his papers.
“We sent it to the lab to be analyzed for DNA and prints.”
“Thank you, Adams.” He gestured with his hand. “You can leave now.”
“So if I have reason to suspect Grant Copeland of this murder, you expect me to walk away?”
“No.” He took his glasses off. “I expect you to make sure you have as much evidence as possible before you go near Mr. Copeland again.”
“I don’t agree with that. If I suspect Grant I should be able to question him like I would anyone else.”
“I’ve given my orders.” He wiggled his nose. “You either deal with it or find a job somewhere else.”
“That would be right up your alley, wouldn’t it? Then everyone can just go back to sweeping stuff under the rug around here.”
“You know I don’t want you to leave.” He moved papers across his desk. “You’re a wonderful detective and a great asset to this force. You can help us get things done.”
“What about changing how things are around here? We should all start with this crooked-ass department.”
“Which you happen to work for, in case you’ve forgotten.”
“I work here because there are still good people in this town that deserve justice. Plus I wanna change things, unlike some people.”
“Adams—”
She walked around the office. “How can you put up with this mess, Captain?”
“I raised my kids and take care of my wife working for this ‘crooked-ass department’. I know some things should be done differently but that’s not on me to change them.”
“Yes it is. You’re a part of this community. Jesus!” She held up her arms. “How can a whole town be afraid of Grant Copeland?”
“Because he’s powerful.” He jumped up. “It goes way beyond Tate Valley and his money. He puts a lot of money into this department.”
“So that’s why the department is in his pocket?” She scratched her head. “Everything once again comes down to Grant’s dirty money.”
“Money that has helped a lot of people—”
“Dirty money.”
He made a fist. “Money that allows people to take care of their families and—”
“Dirty money.”
“Okay, so it’s dirty money!” He pounded his desk. “It’s dirty money and we take it but we do it to survive.”
She chuckled at the absurdity.
“I don’t care what you think, Adams.” He sat back down. “But here’s the deal. I’m your superior office and what I say, you do. Stay the hell away from Grant Copeland or you can go work somewhere else.” A fat vein popped from his forehead. “Do you understand
me?”
“Oh yeah.” She looked him in the eyes. “I understand you just fine, sir.” She stomped out of Rojas’s office and ran into Penelope. “You believe that bullshit he said?” Alexis passed her and kept walking.
“You gotta stop it, Lexi.”
They went in the stairwell.
“Stop what?”
Penelope cut her off on the steps and blocked her. “Stop what you’re doing.”
“You heard what Rojas said. He wants me to pretend that Grant might not have had something to do with Brett’s murder. Do you agree with that?”
“Lexi—”
“What the hell is going on here? I thought I was hired to do a job but I guess as long as I stay out of Copeland’s way then everything is okay.” She passed Penelope and started down the other flight of stairs. “You’re my best friend. If anyone should understand why I’m so intent on getting Grant then I’d think it would be you.”
“You know I understand, Lexi.” Penelope pulled on her arm. “You don’t see the bigger picture.”
“Yes I do. Everyone in this town is scared of Grant except me.” She glared at Penelope. “Including this crooked-ass police department.”
“This isn’
t about the department or Brett Myers. It’s about your vendetta against Grant. You’re obsessed, Lexi. It’s all you think about. Maybe you should talk to someone.”
“I’m not the one with the problem.” Alexis knocked her hand away. “I don’t need therapy. I need Grant to get what he deserves once and for all.”
“I’m here to do my job and find out who killed Brett.” Penelope sighed. “I don’t want to be dragged into your revenge scheme.”
“So much for friends, huh?” Alexis leaned back on the railing.
“I am your friend but you’re taking things too far.”
Alexis scoffed. “You’re just like everyone else in this town aren’t you? Afraid of Grant Copeland.”
“I’ve had it up to here with your self-righteous bullshit.” Penelope got in her face. “You left here and didn’t think twice about Tate Valley, your dad, or anyone else in this town and didn’t give a damn about how things were run here all that time and now you want to change
things?”
“You’re right.” Alexis nodded. “I could’ve come back a long time ago but I’m here now and I want to do the right thing. Somebody has to stop things once and for all.”
“Let me ask you this.” Penelope stood back. “Do you want to expose Grant because it’s right or because you feel guilty for cutting your father out of your life?”
Alexis dropped her head.
“That’s what I thought.”
Penelope ran downstairs.
Chapter Twelve
Alexis walked barefoot across the soggy sand. A gull landed on the beach, picked at whatever it could find, then flew away. She usually had the beach to herself at night, but a couple was enjoying a picnic down the way.
A small wave rushed into shore.
“Ah.” Alexis shook water from the end of her white summer dress. She skipped over to the big rock she always sat on. She used the end of her dress to clean wet sand from between her toes.
The couple abandoned their romantic picnic and love-wrestled in the sand.
It had been a long time since Alexis love-wrestled with anyone let alone a man she really cared for.
She leaned back and rested on the rock.
