by S. Donahue
“Damn, Soriano.”
“You’re like my child. Plus, once she checks out your driving, Miss Daisy, you’re out anyway.”
“Officer Wilson,” Natalie says smiling, calling him over.
“Yes, Miss Chestnut.”
“Mr. Griffin regrets to inform you that he is stuck on a conference call and will not be able to meet with you. Is it possible that I can fit you in his schedule for another time?”
“Hi, Miss Chestnut, is it? This is my investigation and I need to speak to Mr. Griffin. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. The easy way…he ends his call and meets with me. The hard way…I take him to the station to interview him. Now, if he really wants to have some fun, I can get a subpoena. Ask him which he prefers and then once we clear up this mess, Wilson here can take you to get some ice cream.”
Apparently she didn’t like what I had to say because she gave me a dirty look and said that she would see what he decides and then she walked away huffing and puffing.
“See that’s how it’s done.”
“What’s your problem today? She didn’t do anything to you.”
“I know you’re in love with “Miss Chestnut”, but she is playing your dumb ass. Knowing her type, she’s probably in there sucking his cock under the desk. I went undercover as a stripper for God sakes, I know these things.”
A few minutes later, Natalie comes out with Mr. Griffin. I am shocked. He is a really good looking man. He is tall and very handsome. He’s around forty years of age. He kind of resembles the actor Bradley Cooper.
“Detective Soriano, it’s so nice to meet you,” he says extending his hand. “I’m Mason Griffin. I am the CFO. Sorry about the wait. I was on an important call. Come right this way. Natalie, hold all my calls please.”
“Sure thing,” she says, as she smiles at Wilson.
I roll my eyes. We enter his corner office. Pretty nice for a CFO.
“Have a seat, please,” he gestures to the chair.
Yeah, too nice. What? Don’t want me to get a subpoena.
“How can I help you, detective?”
“First off, I’m very sorry for the loss of your boss.”
“It’s very tragic. We are trying to figure out how to go on and run a normal business.”
“Yes, I can see how that would be tough. Do you have any idea how this may have happened?”
“None at all.”
“Someone needs access to this floor to gain entrance or…they were let in. I’m going to need complete cooperation.” I look him in the face directly.
“Of course.”
“I will need the swipe records, employee work schedules, even on the executive level. Basically, I want to know who has access to this floor, even the maintenance staff. I also need all the financial records. That won’t be a problem, will it Mr. Griffin?”
“I don’t see a problem.” He has a nervous edge to him.
“Great. I’m going to investigate all angles. If you have any questions or remember anything, here’s my card. I’ll be in touch. Oh…and Mr. Griffin…”
“Yes.”
“Don’t let me find out you’re covering anything up, because I’ll be one pissed off detective. Fax all required information to my attention to the number on the card.”
I walk out of the office with Wilson in tow. Mr. Griffin pissed me off because he really thought his good looks were going to protect him. He’s wrong. I will find out what’s going on and so help me God if I find out he just lied to my face. Natalie ran into Mr. Griffin’s office as I bolted out of his door.
“There you go, Wilson. If we wait about ten minutes and go back for something, we can catch a porno. Sorry, maybe next time.”
“My heart’s broken,” he says sarcastically.
“You’ll live. Come on let’s get back to the station, I need to dig up some more dirt.”
Chapter 6
Brendan
We decide to take Joella’s Lexus SUV out with us tonight, secretly because I love driving it. Marco has the night off, so we are going out to dinner before the cake testing. We’re going to my new Italian restaurant called Mi Amore. I opened it in the love of my life’s name. It is Joella’s restaurant. She didn’t want it, but I bought it anyway. I think it was my way of trying to get her to quit the force, but it didn’t work. I have my people running it until Joella decides she wants to take it over. She still owns it no matter what.
We sit at a table off to the side.
“Here’s the best waitress in town,” I say to Louise, putting a smile on her face.
“Oh stop it,” she says blushing. “What can I get both of you to drink?”
“Cabernet, please,” Joella replies.
“Sure thing,” Miss Soriano.
“Call me Joella.”
“Joella,” She repeats smiling.
“And for you, Mr. Kirkpatrick?”
“I’ll take a black and tan on tap. I’m switching it up tonight.”
“I’ll be right back with your drinks,” Louise says
“I think you have a thing for old ladies,” Joella blurts out, laughing hysterically.
She is always teasing me about this old lady thing. I get hit on by old ladies wherever we go. She previously said she would be more concerned if I was going out to play Coach Bag bingo then if I was going to a strip club.
“Whatever. I try to make them feel important.”
“You’re a sweet man. I’m the luckiest woman in the world.
“Not as lucky as me. How was work? You came barging in like a maniac rushing around.”
“It was okay. I went to the casino to question Mr. Mason Griffin.”
“He’s such a nice man.”
If I would have bought the place, I probably would have kept him around. He knew his shit when I met with him and Kieran.
“You think everyone is nice. They can’t all be nice, plus they all want your money.”
“You’re so negative.”
“Whatever. I ran into the widow. Apparently, she was going through Mr. O’Malley’s things. She could have let him go cold a little… don’t you think?”
“People grieve differently.”
“I’m watching that bitch. I don’t trust her. She threatened to report me for saying fuck.”
“Really?” I say, trying to sustain my laughter.
“Yep, so I sang her a song. Let’s just say I’m now definitely getting reported. Poor Wilson. He’s going to get into trouble hanging with me.”
“Who the fuck is Wilson?” I have to hear this one.
“A rookie cop.”
“Oh… How old is he?” I don’t really think so. She better get another plan.
“He’s twenty-eight. I requested he go with me to the interview.”
“Is he good looking?”
“What is your fucking problem?”
“You can’t answer me because you think he’s hawt.”
“You’re nuts.”
“I don’t know if I want you spending all your time with a hawt twenty-eight year old rookie cop.”
“Really? You don’t trust me?”
“Of course I do. It’s him I don’t trust. He wants to get ahead, so he is going to leach onto my beautiful fiancé.”
“Get over it! Where are we going after here?”
“A cake testing”
“For what?”
Now I’m looking at her like she’s nuts. She planned the whole thing.
“Our wedding”
“That’s right. Our wedding. I am marrying you. I love you. No one else. I would never do anything to hurt you.”
“I know that sweetie. I just hate the thought of another man being around my woman. Just because he’s a rookie on the job doesn’t mean he’s a rookie in bed.” Note to self: watch this guy.
“You have issues. What about your ex, Jessica, and her pop-up visits.”
I really trust Joella. I do. I just have insecurities from what Jessica did to me. It’s not fair to assume she would do the same
thing to me. I would hope that she wouldn’t.
“I hate her and she’s re-married. She doesn’t want me. She wants to be friends, so she acts like nothing ever happened.”
“Well, you have a fiancé and you don’t need her as a friend. You have plenty of friends. She does in fact want you and if you can’t see it you’re blind. And…One of these days I’m going to pop her balloons that you bought for her. The ones that she likes to flaunt in my face.”
“Let me rephrase that for you…Money that she stole from me to purchase those balloons. Listen, Sweetie, I don’t want to fight over other people. This should be a happy time for us. You’re so stressed lately. Why don’t you take the time off this weekend and we’ll go to Atlantic City with Brad and Gia? I know you told them yes, but I know you, work comes first.”
“I’ll really try. I need to work on this case.”
“You work so damn hod.”
“If I wasn’t on this case, you would have been a suspect. I’m just saying. Back off. I have wedding stuff to do, cases to solve, fiancés to make happy. I’m one person.”
“Why don’t you just hire the wedding planner and be done with it. It’s not like we can’t afford it.”
“No…first of all, my mom would die if a wedding planner took over.”
“She’s in Philly. You need someone here.”
“Who do you suggest, genius?”
“Jocelyn. She can help you. She’s great and you get along so well.”
“Maybe that could work. I do have to register for all that house crap for the bridal shower.”
We have to drive to Philly in a few weeks for Joella’s bridal shower because she has too many family members that won’t be able to travel to Boston. This should be loads of fun. I love my soon-to-be in-laws but they come up with the craziest ideas.
“Uh, I’ll call Jocelyn tomorrow,” She said, looking somewhat relieved.
“See, I’m such a great problem solver. What would you do without me?”
Louise comes back with our drinks. We order our appetizers and Entrees. To start, we order a Caprese Salad and Fried Calamari. Joella orders chicken parmesan and I order a steak. Louise went to put our orders in.
There is something I want her to know. I never told her this. It’s kind of corny, but it will show her how much she truly means to me.
“Sweetie, did you know that I eat here all the time for lunch… like every day.”
“You must really like the food…plus it’s a tax write-off.”
“It’s not the food I come here for. You see I really love the owner and I want to support her in everything she does. I pay cash for my meals and I tip the waitresses. I would never take anything from you. Yes, the place is doing fantastic, but this is just another small way that I can give to you without you fighting me. I love you and want to give my all to you.”
Joella doesn’t allow me to do anything for her, like I really want to. I would spoil her and give her the world, but she feels that us being together is all she needs. She has tears falling down her face. I really didn’t think I would make her cry with just this little gesture. Normally, she either blows these kinds of things off or really gets angry.
“Brendan, I love you, more than I ever thought I could love someone... Yes, most days you irk me…in a good way, but I could never live without you. You show me you love me every day. Just because I don’t allow you to give me mansions and god only knows what, doesn’t mean I don’t know how you feel. You gave me the most important gift… your heart.”
Now I think I may have tears coming down my face. I didn’t, but I’m a guy for Gawd’s sake. This woman is my life and I will do what I have to do to keep her by my side. I reach over the table and grab her hand. I pull it up to my mouth and kiss it. She doesn’t know this but my heart drops every day that she walks out that door for work. That’s why I leave before her. I can’t bear to see her walk out the door and never walk back in. I want to keep her safe and it kills me to know it’s out of my hands.
After we got past our disagreements and sharing of our feelings, dinner was fantastic. We have been agreeing to disagree since the day we met. It actually turns me on that she doesn’t back down from me. I love that about her.
***
The drive to the bakery is quiet. Joella looks like she’s thinking as she stares out the window. I can’t help but glance over at her.
“You okay, sweetie?”
“Yeah.”
“You sure?”
“I have a lot on my mind. Roxy’s appeal hearing is coming up.”
“I know. Don’t worry; they won’t let her out of prison.” Gawd, I hope they don’t. I don’t want to upset Joella, but who knows what the damn system will do.
“I’ve seen it before. Good behavior. The prison systems are crowded. They don’t want people like Roxy in there. They’d rather see her on the streets.”
“She killed someone.”
“Connor’s pretend death doesn’t help the situation. Speaking of which, where’s the zombie at? I need to question him or Watson is taking him in once we find him. He has 24 hours to turn up.”
“Fuck, Joella.”
“I know. I left him voicemails. I tried to call Wendy. I didn’t get a response from either of them. Did he say he was going to Louisiana?”
“The last I heard from him was the morning of the meeting. I texted him to say the meeting was cancelled and he responded okay. I have no idea where he’s at. You know if he is doing something, he doesn’t think to contact anyone.”
I know Joella is trying to protect Connor and I really appreciated everything she has done for my family. I can see the hurt on her face. I know it’s her job and she doesn’t want to be put in an uncomfortable situation.
“Damn him. Maybe MA knows where he’s at?”
I love that she calls my mother, MA, now, too.
“I’ll call her when we leave the bakery. For now, let’s not think about anything else.”
“Okay, baby, just me and you.”
I smile at her, but deep down I am worried about Connor. With him, anything is possible. I’m not saying he would murder someone, but he’s always getting himself into some shit. Hopefully, my MA knows where he’s at. I put on a brave face and pull into the bakery parking lot.
Chapter 7
Joella
I’m so excited to have this bakery make my wedding cake. The owner is from Philly but relocated to Boston to open her business. I heard the cakes are to die for. My Aunt Carlotta knows the owner, Donna. The place is so cute and modernized. There is a café that is attached to the bakery. You can sit and have an assortment of caffeinated beverages and desserts.
I am hit by some wonderful aromas as we walk through the door. I can probably eat everything in this place and I know Brendan can with his sweet tooth.
“Babe, look at the cannolis. They remind me of being back home. My dad would take me and Sarah to the bakery on Sundays and we would pick out our favorite cannoli for Sunday dinner. I would always get the special cannoli. It had whipped cream in it. Sarah always got the chocolate cannoli.”
“I never had one,” Brendan says.
“What? Are you kidding me?” Who never had a cannoli?
“No.”
“We are getting them to go.”
The owner comes out to meet us. She is a short blonde woman. I’m ready to take on all the cakes and Brendan looks lost. God only knows what he’s thinking. Donna extends her hand to me.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Your aunt and I go way back.”
“Same here. She has told me so much about you. This is my fiancé, Brendan.” They greet each other and she escorts us to the café area.
“I have everything setup for you,” she continues.
As we walk through to the café, I’m mesmerized. There are candles lit everywhere, a fireplace, bottle of wine, and plates of different cake flavors with assortments of icing. This woman has really outdone herself.
“Th
ere’s a form with all the flavors listed. You can write your thoughts and comments, also include which flavors you like best. We are going to design the perfect cake for you. I’ll leave you two alone. Let me know when you are finished. Take all the time you need.”
“Thanks, Donna, this is beautiful.’
Brendan pulls out my chair for me because he is the perfect gentleman. He kisses my neck when I sit down sending shivers down my spine.
“Just because it’s a romantic setting, doesn’t mean you can’t control yourself.” He better be going all day without sex.
“Which one do you want to try first?” he asks.
“The chocolate chip is calling my name.”
I go to take a bite with my fork and Brendan stops me. I look at him like he lost his damn mind.
“You sure you want to stand between me and the cake?”
“I want to feed you the cake,” he whispers.
“Awe Babe, you’re so romantic.”
“Wait til you hear my vows.”
“You wrote them already?”
“Yes. I already know what I want to say to you. All I had to do was put it on paper.”
He makes my heart flutter. He places the fork to my lips. I don’t know if it’s what he said or the fork gesture, but I’m wanting him so badly. I slowly bite down on the cake. I used my tongue and everything. I guess you can say I’m teasing him… well, tormenting him.
“Mmm, that is so good.”
“My dick is growing by the minute over here just watching you make out with the damn fork.”
I grin and take the fork and try to feed him a piece of cake but the jackass grabs it, starts licking it and is making moaning sounds. I fold my arms across my chest and roll my eyes at him.
“Are you finished yet?”
“Yep, that’s good. That may be the winner.”
“It’s the first one we tried. Which one do you want to try next?”
“Red velvet and cream cheese icing.”
“You read my mind.”
“Your mind is also saying that you want to go home and play with big Brendan.”
“Damn it, you’re good. What else am I thinking?”
