Donuts, Diamonds and Assorted Details, page 11
Hearing a rupture of laughter then a loud thud met her ears and she peeked in. “Was that his tree?” Sure enough, the large potted tree she gave him on his birthday two years ago was on its side. “That son of a…” Her voice trailed off when she heard a manly grunt and a woman’s breathless whimpers.
Quickly stepping away from the door, Gwen flushed red. She was more than familiar with the sounds Jeremy made during sex; and that was definitely one of them. “I should not be hearing that.” She started down the hallway again. She didn’t want to hear him have sex with someone any more than he wanted to hear her have sex with another guy. Her gut twisted at the jealousy she suddenly felt. A jealously that superseded the feeling she felt when she found out he was serial dating. I guess he really has moved on, she thought morosely and scolded herself. She should be happy for him, but instead she was pissed and weirdly turned on.
She decided the elevator was a better way to return to her office. She didn’t think she could force her legs to move down three flights of stairs without tripping. By the time she reached her desk, unwanted tears stung at her eyes. She didn’t know why she was crying. “It’s not like he’s yours,” she reminded, sitting down. But she finally realized she was telling that lie for the last ten years. In her mind, Jeremy was hers. Even if they weren’t together, her subconscious wouldn’t let either of them move on. Not completely that is. “It’s because I always liked him and he always liked me,” she figured. “That’s why this is so hard.”
She checked her phone and was disappointed at the lack of missed calls and text messages from Devon. In fact, she had zero missed calls and texts. “No one cares,” she joked half-heartedly. “Someone does care and I’m going to his place later on.” She pulled out her notes and skimmed them, pushing all self-pity from her mind. “And I’m going to screw him good tonight.”
* * *
“Do you think she bought it?” Jeremy asked, folding his clothes. He always kept an extra suit at work for unexpected coffee spills, but he was surprised when Anna actually stripped her shirt off, revealing her camisole and ample bosom. He cleared his throat and looked away as she dressed. That wasn’t the worst part of their charade, but it was one of the most uncomfortable. The ersatz sex scene was Anna’s idea of course, but actually making the sounds to convince the peeping-Tom known as Gwen was more embarrassing the more he thought it over.
Anna pulled on her shirt and cleared her throat. Jeremy reluctantly turned around. “I think so. She was listening, that much I know. I could practically hear her curse words through the door.” She laughed and patted Jeremy’s chest. “Pleasure doing business with you. We should do it again sometime,” she joked then laughed at the apprehensive expression on Jeremy’s face and added, “I’m kidding, calm down. Hope this works for you. I’ll see you at the party on Saturday.” She snuck out of his office and calmly vanished from his sight.
Jeremy let out the pent-up breath he held in for the last thirty minutes. His doubts that Gwen heard Anna’s planted gossip were reasonable, but once he heard her heels clicking outside his office door, he knew the plan worked. He grinned despite the situation. If he knew Gwen, and he did, she was caught between being angry at him and wanting to cry. He didn’t expect any message from her. “She will do it in person,” he mused aloud. For small squabbles, Gwen fired away all the text messages possible, but when she was irate she always confronted him. And he couldn’t wait. She was a feisty friend and an even feistier lover. He had no doubt in his mind that his little ploy would reel her in. “Hopefully, for good this time.”
His phone dinged with a text from Anna. “Plan worked. She gave me the bitchiest glare when I walked by her office.”
Jeremy leaned back in his chair. Anna hadn’t just ‘walked’ by. “She was probably running her mouth,” he guessed. “And strutting would be the more accurate term.” He laughed out loud. He hated deceiving Gwen like this, but if it meant he would have her back then it was worth it in the end.
An alternative thought snuck into his happy realm. “What if this drives her further into Devon’s arms?” He ran his fingers through his hair in agitation. He could see her doing that. If she knew he was toying with her, she may completely ignore all his work. Now stressed, Jeremy looked at the clock and began counting down the hours until Happy Hour. He needed a drink. Badly. Thankfully, Andi spilled the beans about the party, he mused. He was sure Gwen wouldn’t be able to resist their party and he was equally sure Andi couldn’t keep her mouth shut when it came to keeping anything from Gwen. Gwen would definitely be at the party on Saturday, but so would her boy-toy, Devon. He still had a few tricks up his sleeve for Gwen, though he wasn’t sure she would appreciate them. He guessed she also had a couple of things she would try at the party, but lucky for him, he could call her bluff. Hopefully, it will be enough. He turned back to his desk, full of manila envelopes.
* * *
“You okay, Gwen? You look tense,” Devon stated and cleared the dinner dishes then refilled her wine glass.
“It’s work. I’m stressing about the project. They moved it up to Wednesday and I hope my team is ready,” Gwen replied, finding a spot on the couch. She kept her glass firmly in her hand, though.
After seeing, no, hearing, Jeremy and his fling earlier, she all but checked out for the day. When Joel sprinted into her office directly after her retreat, he informed her that Doctor’s Inc. moved up the deadline. “Something about needing time to review their stockholders,” Joel had informed her. Gwen knew that meant they were tanking financially and she would have to beef up her idea to include a full makeover for the company if she wanted a prayer in getting the commission.
“I still can’t believe they moved it up. It seems they’re anxious. Maybe that will make them decide faster,” Devon pointed out, taking the seat beside her. He wrapped his sturdy arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. “If it makes you feel any better, I lost my case today.”
“Oh, no! What happened?” She turned to face him and was thankful for the interruption. While she was wallowing over her job and Jeremy, Devon needed her support. She tossed her problems to the back of her mind. “Tell me all. I need a good diversion right now.”
Devon took a drink of the merlot and began, “It was a felony drug charge case. My client was obviously set up and we all knew it, including the county attorney…”
Gwen stopped listening after that. Not that he was boring, quite the opposite, but she was too sidetracked by the expansive place he called an apartment. More like glorified villa, she noted at the granite counters and kitchen island, cherry cabinetry, full gourmet kitchen, top of the line appliances, and that was only the kitchen area. The open floor plan looked out to the living room and a balcony that viewed the Des Moines skyline. It was no New York view, but since it was the penthouse suite and every stick of furniture was designer, it still would have fit in perfectly in an upscale Manhattan neighborhood.
She turned her eyes to the flooring, which was magnificent. Frowning, Gwen noticed the blue hue transferred here too. I need to get my eyes check, she resolved. Just about everywhere she went held the unusual color and no amount of eyedrops cured the tint.
“And the judge started laying into my client. He was not having any piece of my defense.” She heard Devon continue.
She cared about his work, she really did, but ever since her visit to his office, she felt hesitant toward him. Hearing Jeremy nail Anna probably doesn’t help either. She tried to focus on Devon. His semi casual attire of jeans and a long-sleeved polo screamed upper class, but his down to earth smile and lulling voice made her remember he was an attorney. His education consisted of learning how to persuade a lie and make the entire courtroom believe his words. She sighed inwardly. Maybe the girl at the front was right. Maybe he is too perfect and has some skeletons hidden away somewhere.
“So, I ended up getting him the best deal I could. Five years in prison with credit for all time served. He’ll be out on parole in no time and back to his old tricks. I wouldn’t be surprised if his family put a lifetime retainer on him at the firm,” Devon concluded and Gwen downed her wine in one swallow.
“I’m sorry your day didn’t go so well, and since neither did mine, how about we make the night much, much better?” Gwen suggested, nodding toward his bedroom.
Devon’s eyes glossed over at her words. His muscles rippled beneath the tight fitting shirt and she already knew he was ready to go. “Tell you what,” he began kissing her neck, “you slip into something much more comfortable and I will bring dessert to you.”
“Well, that depends.” She caught his lips between hers. “What is for dessert?” She slowly stood and inched her way to his bedroom, tossing him a seductive glance.
Devon’s eyes followed her fluid movements and she shuddered in anticipation at his next actions. She took off her shirt and carelessly discarded it on the floor. “I didn’t make anything special. Just some gelato, fruit, and whipped cream for the top.”
Gwen moistened her lips at the menu and unfastened her bra. “Bring them all. We can make a little sexy sundae in here.” Devon scrambled from the couch and into the kitchen while Gwen stripped down and changed into a new negligee she picked up the other day. If she couldn’t stop Jeremy from sexing it up with three girls, she would just have to show him how it was done.
* * *
Four hours later, rustling of sheets awoke Gwen. Pure darkness enveloped the room and she rubbed her eyes. Where am I? She turned over and put her arms out. The void that met her wandering hands confused her. She opened her eyes, but only saw a small ray of light coming from the kitchen. “Devon?” she called softly. No answer met her ears and a chill spread across her naked body. Where the hell is he? She pulled the sheet up to her nose. She fumbled to find her phone, accidentally hitting the alarm clock on the side table. She unlocked her phone and used the flashlight app to scan the room. There was no sign of Devon anywhere. Her nerves heightened when she heard the front door open and then quietly close.
Jumping back under the covers, Gwen hoped that was Devon and not one of his murderous clients back to get revenge on him for losing their case. A light flickered in the living room, and Gwen craned her neck to see what was going on in there. She couldn’t see anything, so she carefully got out of bed and crept toward the bedroom entrance. She spotted Devon sitting on the couch perusing his phone. He wore complete black and even had a black hat on. She frowned at his dismal appearance. Where did he go? She wondered, suddenly uncertain what to do next. The scent of stale smoke overwhelmed her and she choked back a cough. He smokes? I didn’t know that. I never smelled it before. She worried her bottom lip. Or maybe who he was with smokes.
His phone started ringing and she clasped a hand over her heart at the unexpected fright. “Yeah, what do you want?” Devon answered after two rings. Gwen couldn’t hear the voice on the other end, but from Devon’s annoyed behavior, it didn’t seem like he wanted to talk to the other person. “I told you earlier I’ll get what I need then we’ll proceed to the next step. You can’t rush this type of thing. It’s not like I can just kidnap her and make her see reason. You have to be delicate about this. I already spoke to our friend and he assured me he can handle her if need be.”
Gwen’s eyes nearly popped out. Surely, he wasn’t talking about her. Was he? She leaned closer and the door creaked against her weight. She stepped back to be completely covered by the shadows. Through the door jamb slit, Gwen saw Devon turn around and scan the room. A silent thirty seconds passed before he resumed his conversation. “Yeah, I’m still here. You need to trust me on this. The judge will only buy your story if he thinks your wife was the one who sold the drugs. If you even look sort of guilty, you’re going away with her too.”
Gwen let out a nervous sigh. He was talking to one of his clients. Her brow furrowed. At this time of night? None of it made sense, but she was better off not knowing where he snuck off to and whom he was talking to so late at night. Tip-toeing back to the bed, Gwen slipped under the covers and closed her eyes. She needed to attempt to get fast asleep before Devon came back to bed.
She heard Devon’s low voice sign off on the phone call and she snapped her eyelids closed. His heavy footfalls neared the bedroom and she tried to not hold her breath as he closed the distance. Staying completely still, Gwen put on her best ‘sleeping beauty’ face and steadied her breathing. The bedroom door jarred open and she heard Devon slip off his clothes. She was tempted to sneak a peek, but then reminded herself she was supposed to be sleeping. He walked to the bathroom then returned less than a minute later and slid beneath the sheets.
Gwen’s heart raced as he nudged his naked body against hers and pulled the hair out of her face. He lightly kissed her neck then her cheek. The scent of smoke had dissipated and Gwen realized the smoke must have clung to his clothing. Devon snaked his arms around Gwen’s waist then down her torso. Chills spread over her body the more he caressed her. He knew she was awake, but how she wasn’t certain.
Instead of faking her sleep, Gwen turned into his touch and was surprised when his lips covered her own. She couldn’t breathe. He was taking all her air and replacing it with the lust-filled breath from him. Her body rebelled against her better judgment and she eagerly kissed him back. Wherever he went earlier, she suddenly didn’t care. All she cared about in that moment was feeling each and every touch that spread across her body like raindrops filled with desire. She moaned softly and he instantly hardened against her. One thing was definite; Devon was not one to pass up the opportunity to please her even at the late hour. When he prodded her legs apart, she couldn’t have stopped him even if she tried. She needed the reassurance of his tender, yet demanding body.
* * *
By seven the next morning, Gwen kissed a still sleeping Devon and made it home in time for the news. As tempting as spending the entire weekend in bed with him sounded, she need to perfect the last touches on her project. Plus, she was still hesitant about what she’d witnessed the night before. Devon hadn’t uttered a word about it, but then again, they weren’t exactly having much conversation besides what their bodies were saying. Still, the thought that he was hiding something from her disturbed her. She knew he was a criminal attorney and with that came a certain sense of danger, but she never expected to hear him talk about kidnapping and ‘taking care’ of people. “Jeremy definitely didn’t talk about those kinds of circumstances in corporate law,” she reminded herself.
She brewed a strong cup of coffee and sat cross-legged on the carpeted floor. She reviewed the multiple facets of the pitch ten times before her second cup. “It’s missing something still.” She poured a pinch of whiskey in the mug. It wouldn’t help her think, but it might ease the dull ache in her heart caused by Jeremy. She pulled out her laptop and scanned her emails. Nothing too lucrative stood out until she noticed a note from one of the private investigators. Opening it, Gwen perused the update and was surprised he found a lead at all.
Ms. Smidt, I recently obtained camera footage of the night in question. It showed Abby running then the black mid-sized car that struck her. The driver stopped then subsequently checked her pulse before leaving the scene. Our technicians are scrubbing the footage for a license plate or face of the culprit. I will update you soon.
Gwen read the email again then took a sip from the whiskey bottle. The murder would be solved one way or another. It just showed her how little time the police spent in the case. She wished she could share the news with someone, but Jake would be a mess even hearing that, Andi was doing last minute wedding shopping, and Jeremy wasn’t on her list of people to speak with for the next decade or two. She thought about telling Devon, but since he made it clear this was her hunt, she decided against it. “Looks like I’m on my own,” she realized, closing her laptop. “I wonder what the other guy found.” She took her mug to the kitchen. The second investigator clearly didn’t like Devon; he blatantly told her that during their second meeting, but she still used his services. She needed more than one person looking into the murder and having a PI play devil’s advocate about Devon seemed like a smart thing to do. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Devon, because she did, or she tried to. She hardly knew him and figured having a private investigator killed two birds with one stone. She got answers about Abby, plus was able to do a little digging about Devon’s background. It was wrong, of course, but for some reason the dismal headache from the near car accident and the receptionist’s warning kept her on edge when it came to fully committing to the acceptance of Devon.
An hour later, Gwen abandoned her work and slipped on athletic pants and a matching hoodie. She needed to clear her head and what better way than a run in the crisp Iowa weather? She laced her shoes and grabbed her iPod before tying back her hair. She stepped outside and took a deep breath. The temperature was a balmy three degrees at the moment, but the forecast held to reach fifty by the end of the day. “Classic Iowa weather,” she muttered, plugging in her ear buds and scanning the iPod for a good playlist. Not content with any she found, she put the songs on random shuffle and set off down the sidewalk. A mild breeze caught the short layers in her hair and framed her face. She shoved them back with the sweat accruing on her face and felt her muscles ache the longer she ran.
Picking up her pace, Gwen did her best to keep her train of thought fixed on work. It was mind-numbing, so then she switched to the lyrics of the song playing, but she lost track of the tune when she rounded a bend. Only a mile passed before she subconsciously shifted gears to thinking about Devon and Jeremy. She re-ran her time with Devon and compared it to Jeremy. Their relationship was a friendship that accidentally became more. Devon and her relationship seemed to be the opposite. Devon was amazing in bed, but when it came to the personal side, he was rather aloof compared to someone she thought would be engaged in the relationship. She knew the party later that week would help her move beyond Jeremy, or at least she hoped it would.
