Club Prive Book V (3 page)

I looked at myself in the mirror. The young woman I saw peering back at me was familiar, but not the person I’d been seeing over the past few weeks. She looked like the girl I had been before. Confident in the courtroom but timid in life. The girl who’d only talked to the handsome stranger because her friends had pressured her. The girl who’d enjoyed sex but had never really had a problem going without it.

I knew I couldn’t be her again, but I wanted to. I wanted to go back to who I’d been, pretend that none of this had happened. Now that I’d been with Gavin, I knew I could never experience sex the way I had before. He’d played my body like a musician playing a fine instrument. He’d made me feel things I’d never felt before, want things that I hadn’t realized I’d wanted, and now that I knew these things, I couldn’t un-know them.

I closed my eyes against the tears I could feel coming and took a deep breath. No crying. I’d done my crying the night before and I was done. I had a job to do, and it had nothing to do with Howard’s divorce case.

I was going to take the bastard down.

With that thought firmly in my head, I headed out to the living room... and saw Krissy waiting for me. She was seated at our kitchen table, still wearing her cute little bunny pajamas, feet pulled up on the seat and a mug of coffee in her hands. She looked half-asleep, but I knew the caffeine would change that fast.

“Oh, hey.” I tried to keep my voice nonchalant. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

She shook her head. “I was hoping we could have breakfast together and talk.”

I tensed. Had she figured out that I’d been faking sick?

Then she grinned and I knew it wasn’t about me. “I’ve been wanting to tell you about this insane weekend I had since you got home, but I wanted to let you rest last night.”

I glanced at the clock. I could spare a few minutes. “I don’t have time for a full breakfast, but one cup of coffee won’t make me late. I just have to get some files from Mr. Weiss before work.” I went and poured myself a cup while Krissy began telling me her story.

“So, I figured since you were off on a sex-adventure all weekend...”

I winced at her phrasing, but my back was still to her, so she didn’t see my face.

“...I was going to have a little fun of my own.”

I really hoped she wasn’t going to regale me with tales of her sexual exploits going from one guy to another. Krissy wasn’t a slut, but when she wanted to have a wild weekend, she could get pretty crazy. I’d once seen her make out with three different guys and take a fourth back to our hotel room. Granted, we’d been juniors on spring break at the time, but still.

“I called up Pete to have that cup of coffee you promised him.”

I turned towards her, not trying to hide the surprise on my face. “Detective Pete Connors? The hot geeky guy you didn’t want to see again. The one who lives with his mother and goes to comic book conventions.”

“That’s the one.” Krissy sighed and turned in her seat so she was facing me when I sat down. “You reminded me how gorgeous he was with his golden hair and green eyes. And, of course, that body. He really does take the fitness part of his job seriously.”

Out of all of the guys Krissy had been involved with for longer than a one-night stand, I’d liked Pete the best. He wasn’t like any other guy Krissy had dated, which was, of course, the problem. Krissy tended to gravitate towards rich men who had more money than class. I was honestly surprised she hadn’t liked Howard.

“Anyway, we go out for coffee and the next thing I know, we’re back at his place.”

“His place?” I almost smiled. “With his mom?”

Krissy held up a hand. “Let me tell my story.”

I nodded and began to sip my coffee. I wasn’t hungry and didn’t think I could force myself to eat with these knots in my stomach, but the warmth of the liquid and the rush of caffeine did me good.

“Well, our coffee date turned into me trying to loosen him up by taking him to a bar for something stronger than an espresso. I challenged him to a drinking game, but apparently he can hold his liquor better than I thought. We were both a little buzzed and when we were walking out to catch a cab, I kissed him.”

I raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.

“It was the alcohol,” she protested. “And he just looked so cute with his hair falling in his eyes and those tight jeans showing off his firm ass. I couldn’t help myself. It had been too long since I’d gotten laid.”

I couldn’t stop a smirk. I had to duck as a balled-up napkin sailed across the table towards me.

“Anyway,” Krissy continued as she glared at me. “He has the basement at his mom’s house set up like an apartment. There’s a separate entrance and everything. So we go down there and start making out.” She gave a dramatic sigh. “I don’t know how a comic book geek ever got that good at kissing.”

My smile this time wasn’t about amusement at Krissy’s expense, but just the enjoyment of the moment. I’d almost forgotten how it used to be. Us sitting down to breakfast while she told me about her latest conquest, often while said conquest was wandering around the apartment, half-naked, looking for his pants. It was always me living vicariously through her sex life, wondering what it would be like to have someone make me sound the way Krissy’s partners made her. I wished things had never changed, that I’d never even laid eyes on Gavin that day at Huggins. I wouldn’t be sitting here, hoping I wasn’t going to throw up when I stole files from my firm’s client. I wouldn’t have this pit in my stomach that burned every time I thought about how Gavin had used me.

“Carrie?” Krissy sounded concerned.

I pulled myself back. “Sorry, continue.”

For a moment, I thought she’d see right through me and ask what was really going on, but she didn’t. She just continued with her story.

“Anyway, he’s rambling on about how beautiful I am and I finally have to tell him to shut up and get on with it. And holy shit, does he.” Krissy shivered and I knew it was because she was remembering how good it had felt. “I swear, he’d been good the last time we were together, but this was phenomenal. I came twice just from him going down on me and then when we started fucking... It was amazing. He rubbed on all the right spots and I saw stars.”

My face flushed. I’d forgotten how detailed she liked to be in her retellings.

“We must’ve done it in three different positions and I came every time. I’ve never had that many orgasms that weren’t fake or courtesy of myself. I ended up nearly passing out, and trust me, it wasn’t from the alcohol.” She sighed. “And then it was morning.” Her expression of bliss faded.

I was puzzled, and a little annoyed. Was she seriously going to regret her amazing night with Pete just because he was a bit of a geek? I wanted to tell her that was a stupid reason. Better someone who liked comic books and didn’t have his own place than an asshole like Gavin.

“I woke up to his mother coming downstairs and asking if we wanted breakfast. She was making heart-shaped pancakes.”

I choked on a laugh and Krissy scowled at me.

“It’s not funny, Carrie. I was buck-ass naked, half-lying on top of her equally naked son. His bits were covered but I gave her an eyeful.”

Now I did laugh, and, after a moment, she joined in. “What did you do?” I asked.

“What do you think I did?” She grinned at me. “I asked if she had strawberries to go on top.”

We laughed even harder and I was surprised by how good it felt. It reminded me of something I’d nearly forgotten. No matter how much damage my heart took, my best friend always had my back, and she would cheer me up, even if she didn’t know she was doing it.

As I got up to put my cup in the sink, I was grateful I’d taken the time to talk to her this morning. I’d needed something positive to get my mind off of what I was about to do. I could tell by the look on Krissy’s face that we were going to have a more serious version of this conversation at a later time, but for now, we were good. I didn’t know exactly what she was thinking, but I had a pretty good guess that she wasn’t sure how she really felt about Pete and wanted my advice. I wasn’t sure I was the best person to ask, but that was another conversation I didn’t have time for now.

I said I’d see her later at the office and then headed downstairs. I took a cab to Howard’s office, again partly out of convenience but also because I wanted a record of where I’d been and where I was going. If Howard reported me stealing from him, my leaving a trail might backfire, but I’d followed enough cases where people disappeared without a trace that I was willing to take the chance. If Patricia had made sure her moves could be easily traced, she might not have disappeared, or at least would’ve been found by now.

When the doors opened on the top floor, I fixed a smile on my face and walked into the reception area in front of Howard’s office. Annie was sitting at her desk. I hadn’t seen her since that incident in Howard’s office. When I looked at her now, all I could picture was how he’d bent her over the desk and used her.

“I’m here to see Mr. Weiss.” I made my voice professional and chose my words carefully. I wanted it to sound like I was here on business.

“Mr. Weiss isn’t in yet,” Annie said brightly. Her eyes didn’t meet mine though, and I wondered if she was thinking about what Howard had said regarding me not being ready enough to be the replacement “package”. “He should be here shortly, if you’d like to wait.”

“Thank you.” I turned and walked to the chairs that sat across from Annie’s desk. So far, so good. I’d hoped Howard wouldn’t be in this early and I’d been right. I picked up one of the magazines and pretended to read it while I scanned the room, looking for any way I could get into that office before Howard showed up. At least I had a cover story. He had asked me to come to his office this morning to discuss his job offer. Obviously, there was no way in hell I was even considering it, but it would at least keep him from being suspicious as to why I was there.

I was starting to get concerned that I’d never find a way in when Annie stood and walked away from her desk. I didn’t know where she was going, but that wasn’t my concern. Before I could talk myself out of it, I got up and hurried over to the door. For a moment, I was afraid it was going to be locked, but it wasn’t. The doorknob turned easily and I pushed the door open. I glanced behind me and didn’t see Annie, so I slipped inside.

The office was just as neat as the one in his mansion, though I doubted this one had a side room with a bed. Then again, maybe it did. Not that I was eager to find out. I just wanted that briefcase. Fortunately, it was sitting on the desk... right next to a stack of files. Forgetting that I wasn’t supposed to be here, that I was trying to find evidence to incriminate the man I’d been falling in love with, I crossed to the desk with only one thing on my mind: Patricia. If I didn’t have anything else, I needed her file. Her father deserved to know that he was right about her not running off, and the file would at least give the police somewhere to start looking again.

I started going through the pile. I planned on taking all of them, but I had to make sure hers was there first. A wave of relief went through me when I saw it. I picked it up and opened it to make sure that the contents were there.

That was when I heard noise behind me.

An arm wrapped around me.

A cloth came towards my face, the sickly sweet chemical smell telling me this wasn’t going to end well.

Before I could scream or move or fight back, my vision grayed, then the darkness swallowed me.

M
y head was pounding before I was even fully aware that I was waking up. My tongue felt thick, my mouth dry, filled with a cloying medicinal taste. I almost gagged as the darkness that had enveloped me started to recede. I managed to stop myself from making any noise. I couldn’t remember what had happened, but I knew it hadn’t been anything good. I searched my memory for clues and it all came back to me in a rush.

Files at Howard’s office.

Someone grabbing me from behind.

Fuck.

Now I wanted to know if it had been Howard or Gavin who’d grabbed me.

Before I opened my eyes, though, I needed to further assess my situation. I didn’t feel any pain other than in my head, and that was fading. At least that was good. As I continued to take my inventory, I realized that I was lying on my back. My arms and legs were spread out and I felt something around my wrists and ankles.

Panic flooded through me. I was tied up, spread-eagle, and since the surface beneath me was soft, I was willing to bet I was in a bed.

Shit.

I tried to stay calm by telling myself that at least I was wearing clothes, but it wasn’t working. I just kept thinking about how I was tied up and all of the horrible things it could mean.

I heard a soft chuckle and tensed. It wasn’t Gavin. I knew that now. That meant it had to be Howard. A flare of anger burned through the panic, and I let it. I thought of all of the things Howard had done and let myself get more and more angry. Then, when all of the fear had been replaced, I opened my eyes.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at me with a cold smile and colder eyes. I quickly looked around and saw that we were in the members’ room at club Privé. He hadn’t taken me back to his place, which was good. Being here was bad, but not as bad as it would’ve been if I’d been someplace completely unfamiliar. I knew the layout of the club and if I could get free, I could escape.

“I was hoping it wouldn’t take you long to wake up,” he said. He reached out and brushed the back of his knuckles across my cheek. I jerked my head away, half-expecting him to hit me. Instead, he just laughed. “This is going to be fun.”

I swallowed hard and tried not to let him see how much his words freaked me out.

“I knew you were there, by the way,” he continued in a conversational tone. “Back at my mansion, in my office.”

I couldn’t stop the look of surprise. He’d known? Why hadn’t he done something then? I’d obviously been somewhere I didn’t have permission to be. He could have easily thrown me out.

That was it, I realized. He hadn’t wanted to make me leave the party. He’d wanted me here, like this. What I didn’t understand was why he hadn’t just tied me up back at his place. No one would’ve noticed that I was gone, and it could’ve been an easy excuse that I was sick. Why wait the whole weekend and let me come back to the city?