Nightingale's Nightmare (Cassadaga Book 4 (14 page)

“Sir?”

“The flounder, baked potato and ranch on the salad.”

“Your salads will be out shortly,” the waitress said, leaving the table.

“Alex, yes, I plan to focus attention on her,” Bill agreed. “However, murdering someone who’s running against you for a trustee position? In this small town? Pretty ridiculous.”

“Yes, but she’s the only one with motive.”

“There’s always the wife,” Bill suggested.

“Or ex, as in my situation.”

“Yeah, you women make great suspects,” Bill teased.

“But, seriously? What do any of us know about Alex Daniels
, other than she has money, a fancy car and is divorced from an attorney?”

Bill was listening to Nightingale’s comments as he accepted his salad from the waitress.

“Point taken,” he said, sliding a chunk of lettuce into his mouth. “I’ll see what I can drum up about her tomorrow.”

“I’ll stop in and give you some impressions before noon. Is that okay?”

Bill crinkled his eyes with a smile as he looked across the table at Nightingale.

“That works for me.”

Twenty-one

Zach opened his front door after hearing the knock. It was early, only nine o’clock, he hadn’t even had coffee yet or dressed.

“Jorie?”

The little woman stood in the doorway, a bright smile on her face underneath the cap of brown hair. She looked like a little elf as she smiled impishly up at Zach. In her hands she was holding a tray filled with food.

“What’s this?”

“Breakfast, silly. Aren’t you going to ask me in?”

“Oh, sure, come in.” Zach stepped aside as he tightened the sash on his bathrobe.

“I thought I’d surprise you with breakfast. Can’t start your day without a good breakfast, you know.” Jorie placed the tray on the dining room table. “Get some silverware and plates.”

Zach did as asked, fishing in the kitchen drawers for utensils.

“Bring some cups, too. I have coffee here.”

Jorie set about fixing plates f
or the two of them while Zach sat down at his table. When everything was in order, they began to eat.

“I’m surprised,” Zach said, shoving a blob of scrambled egg into his hungry mouth. “Um, this is good.”

Jorie smiled. She figured Zach, being a bachelor, would appreciate home cooking. And she was a good cook.

“The bacon is just right, not too crisp,” he said in between mouthfuls. “And I like whole wheat toast.”

“You’ll like the home fries, too, once you taste them. I bake them rather than fry. It’s healthier.”

“Umm, hmm, mm,” was all Zac
h could say with his  mouth engorged with heavenly tastes.

“Everything is fresh food, nothing processed.” Jorie was very satisfied with herself.

When Zach had satisfied his initial hunger, and prior to a return for seconds, he looked over to study Jorie’s appearance.

“You dyed your hair.”

“Yes.”

“It looks good.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

The rest of the sentence, “and I did it for you,” hung in the air, unspoken. It was obvious why Jorie had suddenly become a brunette.

“It becomes you,” Zach said. “I don’t like blond hair.”

Jorie was
now elated over her decision to change her hair color.

“
Yes, you told me. Do you prefer long hair?”

“Dark hair. Has to be dark whether long or short.”

Okay, then, she didn’t have to let her hair grow out. That was such a hassle to do.

Zach spooned more eggs onto his plate and picked up a couple strips of bacon. As he chewed, he recognized what was happening. He wasn’t stupid.

Jorie wasn’t the only woman to make a move on him. It just hadn’t occurred in recent years. He was, after all, in his late fifties, so the honeys weren’t so anxious to pursue him as they had been when he was thinner, younger and had dark hair.

He guessed Jorie to be in her late forties. She was a petite woman, but then he
had always preferred the Asian women, and they were certainly small. And she was cute, really cute. When she looked at him, her face lit up and her blue eyes rounded with admiration. He could do far worse.

But he didn’t want a relationship.

“Have you been attending grief counseling?” Zach thought he might as well throw some reality into the situation.

“Yes, I did for a few sessions.”

“You’re not going now?”

“I don’t think I need to go.”

“Why’s that?”

“I’m done grieving. I’ve moved on with my life, as they say.”

“That wasn’t much grieving time.”

“Everyone grieves at different levels, depending on their circumstances, their
personal makeup.” Jorie poured herself another cup of coffee and added some to Zach’s cup.

“You were married a long time,” Zach remarked.

“So that means one can’t grieve and get on with life in a short period of time? Is that what you’re suggesting?”

“I guess.”

“I’m fine, Zach. I want to experience the rest of my life.”

“I think you should return to counseling.”

“Zach, Joe married me when I was barely twenty. Too young to be married.” Jorie sipped her coffee in between sentences. “He was thirty-five, too old for a twenty-year-old. But I couldn’t see that, I wanted to be married and have children. But that didn’t work out because his sperm count was too low.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Joe gave me a very good life, but it was a quiet life. We had nice things and went on a vacation once a year, but life was dull.”

“I see.”

“No, I doubt you do. He was fifteen years my senior. Do you know how that affects a young girl, and I was a girl at twenty. I wanted to go out and dance and have fun and be with people.”

“And he didn’t.”

“Right. He was an accountant, remember. Numbers, figures, dull stuff like that. He punched a time clock, was a stickler for punctuality. Heaven forbid we would stay out passed midnight and he’d be late for work and tired the next day. Joe was dull.” Jorie crossed her legs in a yoga pose, which made Zach almost wince. How could she get her legs in that position?

“That doesn’t look comfortable.”

“With your long legs, it wouldn’t be, I imagine,” she said with a grin. “Anyway, married life was
bor—ing!
  So I’m ready to explore what’s out there now. Experience life. Joe’s gone, I can’t bring him back, so I’m moving on to see what’s out there.”

“Jorie, I’m boring,” Zach said. “I don’t go out, I don’t entertain
. I may not be obsessed with numbers, but I’m still boring.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. I think you’re fascinating,” she said as she cupped her chin in her hand and leaned forward onto the table. “You’re a large, formidable man. Broad shoulders, barrel chest, large hands, masculine. And sexy.”

“Now you’ve said it. What you’re looking for is sex,” Zach identified. “You haven’t been with a lot of men, so you’re attracted to me. I get it. That doesn’t make me fascinating. It makes me available.”

Jorie studied Zach’s face, taking in every square inch as her eyes caressed
over the surface.

“I like your hair, too. Kind of crazy, spiked out like that, and white. It’s cool.” Jorie continued to stare at Zach.

“There are other men, Jorie, who would welcome your attention. I’ve been alone so long, it’s just natural this way.”

“Don’t you get horny?”

“Uh, well,” Zach rolled his eyes. How much should he tell her? As before, he decided the truth was the best avenue. “Sure, I get horny.”

“And what do you do, take matters into your own hands?” she suggested. “Wouldn’t it be nicer to cozy up to a warm, female body instead?”

“Yes, and I do just that
when the need strikes.”

“But I’ve never seen you with a woman.”

“I hire them to satisfy my needs.” There, he’d said it. Everything was out in the open.

“Oh.” Jorie sat back in the chair, stunned. It
had never occurred to her that the pastor of the church would hire sex. But it certainly did explain his lack of dating.

“So, you see, I have my needs covered.” Zach sat back in his chair, pushing aside the empty plate.

“Do you request an Asian woman every time?” Jorie thought she might as well ask. What could it hurt when they were being so honest?

“Yes.”

“How about changing it up a little and have sex with a Caucasian brunette? Like me. Add a little spice to your life.” Jorie shot Zach a sly smile. “And I don’t charge.”

Silence followed as Zach contemplated what to say next. The idea was intriguing to him.

“Well, I’ll be honest, it’s an appealing suggestion.” Zach ran his hand through his spikey hair, flattening it down somewhat. “You’re definitely cute and have a nice body. But I don’t want you to think this will lead to something more permanent between us.”

“Who said anything about permanence? I just want to fuck.”

“Okay, then,” he answered, surprised over what he was hearing. “I thought you wanted a relationship.”

“Oh, please, I’ve had a relationship--forever. Now’s the time for freedom!”

Jorie reached up to the buttons on her shirt and began loosening the top four. This action exposed healthy cleavage and lace. She slid one side of the shirt over to expose a full breast covered in see through lace. Zach could see the dark of her nipples and areola peeking through. His groin immediately tightened.

“When?”
he asked.

“Now?”

“The bedroom is that way,” and Zach pointed in the direction of their destination.

The two quickly walked down the hallway, their loins burning with anticipation as they entered the bedroom.

Jorie flung her shirt into the air, which landed haphazardly on a chair. Off came the jeans, following the shirt to its resting place. Kicking out of her sandals, Jorie leapt into the bed as Zach untied his sash. He let the robe fall to the floor, exposing his naked body and erection.

“Ooh, nice,” Jorie said, spying his penis. “It matches the rest of you. Big.”

“Let me look at you,” Zach said as he crawled in the bed. “I’ll only be able to see you once for the first time. I want to enjoy the experience.”

Zach’s eyes traveled to her breasts,
barely restrained by thin lace that was struggling over the task. The weight of them pressed enticingly against the fabric, her nipples protruding like eager puppy dog tongues. He wanted to taste their flavor, suck on their plumpness.

“Take your bra off,” he commanded, and she did, flinging it as she had before into the air.

Zach examined every detail of her breasts with his eyes, the curve underneath, the separation between and the way the nipples begged for attention as they reach out to him. He cupped her breasts with both hands, enjoying their firmness, and massaged each with a delicate touch. Rubbing his two thumbs over her nipples, he took in a short breath as they stubbornly challenged his thumbs, as it to dare further contact.

“You’re breasts are beautiful,” he said gently, looking up into her eyes and then quickly down again to enjoy the view. “Firm.
And your nipples. Luscious. They beg to be sucked.”

Zach gently pushed Jorie so she laid back onto the mattress an
d promptly placed his lips around one nipple while he thumbed the other. He tasted and sucked, moaning  over the protrusion that gave him so much pleasure inside his mouth.

“Your nipple is like balancing a purple grape on my tongue, luscious to the taste.”

He was on fire suckling Jorie’s nipples, the intensity of his passion quickening. Jorie responded enthusiastically to Zach’s attention to her breasts, murmuring over every pinch with his teeth, every suckle as if they were  straws attached to a milkshake.

Zach quickly reached behind Jorie’s neck and moved himself upward so he could taste her lips, her tongue.
A repeat would be necessary, he thought, as soon as his erection sprang back after the first climax. Once would not be enough this time. Her breasts had convinced him of that.

His
fingers reached down to Jorie’s panties, releasing them with her assistance. The panties were tossed to the side as Zach mounted her with all the ease he remembered having back when he was thirty. His bulk all but smothered Jorie as he rose overtop, enveloping her into a blanket of sex.

Zach dwarfed her body as he positioned himself for entry.
The old adage may not be true, Jorie thought, that everyone is the same size in bed. But she was wet, ready and eager. She had felt her juices flowing when he had attached his hungry lips to her breasts. She was eager to receive.

Swiftly and smoothly, Zach slid between Jorie’s lips like a torpedo through the water.
“I can’t wait, I’m so turned on by you,” Zach whispered as he plunged into her wetness. “I didn’t mean for this to be quick.”