Closing The Gap (Dangerous Pasts, #1) (12 page)

Grasping at straws and old memories, Buck beseeched the heavens to help him make horse sense so no red flags would fly.  He
must
get out of this clinic with the injection.  Glancing upward, he reassured himself that she’d bought what he’d sold her.  He eyed her white, plastic nametag so he could address her on a personal level and make her more comfortable.  Angie.  It never hurt to do everything possible to gain the trust of those you were trying to manipulate.

“Angie, how do I administer this supplement?”

“Well, Mr. Larson, we’re going to give Trigger magnesium sulfate.  It’s an injectable supplement that you should administer about an hour before he goes in the ring.  We’ll try this protocol first as it works well as a calming agent in western show horses.  Remember, don’t give him more than the recommended dose or that can cause severe diarrhea and even be fatal in older horses or those with kidney trouble.”  Angie slid forward to hand him the medicine.

Handing over cash, so the transaction remained anonymous, he pulled his baseball cap down lower over his head and traced over his fake beard and mustache again with his fingertips making sure they hadn’t shifted or slipped out of place.  Angie didn’t react so he grabbed the receipt, thanked her and proceeded to walk out to the parking lot where he’d left his rental car.  He’d rented it after flying in this morning under the false identification he had bought off the street in Minneapolis for William Larson, a common Minnesota name.  The stupid fuckers at TSA couldn’t even tell it was fake.  It had sure turned out to be worth the thousand dollars cash he had forked out to the man selling it.  That guy was genius.  He’d paid cash with Enterprise too.  They had wanted a credit card on file but he gave them a large cash deposit in case of vehicle damage and they let him go.  His confidence reigned supreme.  No one would ever catch him. 

He knew her schedule.  He’d had someone following her.  Anticipating his next move, all he had to do now was wait for the Mexican bitch to go to sleep in the guest house and Zorro the gay blade to head home from the office at five.  The Mexican kept her TV so loud a coyote could be howling outside her window and she wouldn’t hear it.  His ex-wife went to a board meeting on Wednesday and she always went out for drinks afterward with some old dude.  She probably spread her legs for that wrinkled, saggy balled, geezer.

Buck hadn’t flown all this way for nothing.  Everything would come together just as he’d planned.  Next month at exactly this time, the chestnut nag would be dead on the ground feeding flies and the blonde shrew wouldn’t know what hit her.  After he executed the first one, he’d work on the second.

Content for the first time in months, he sailed down the freeway singing to the radio at the top of his lungs.  For good measure, he whipped off his disguise and pitched it out the window into oncoming traffic. 

A
soothing voice came over Josh’s car speakers.  “Hello.”

On the plane ride back to Chicago Sunday evening, Josh came up with a great idea on how to apologize to Lake.  With his local charity work over the years, he had connections with great artists in the community.  He remembered one from a benefit last year that specialized in animals, Jane Allen.  Glad to be back in his own vehicle, he asked his car to dial her number from his contact list and spoke into the factory installed blue tooth device.

“Jane, this is Josh Adams.  I don’t know if you remember but we met at the Snap Gala last year.”

“Josh, of course I remember you.  You’re not easy to forget.”

“I recall you’d done a gorgeous sketch drawing of a little girl and her horse.  We had a nice conversation about that piece and how your niece inspired you with her love of all things equine.”

“Unfortunately, I sold that piece at that benefit and it’s a one of a kind.  I don’t sell any reproductions.”

“Actually, that’s not what I’m looking for.  Do you have time to do a custom piece on a rush basis?  I’ll pay whatever you feel is fair.  Your time is very valuable.  It’s imperative that I get this done right away.  I deeply hurt a woman’s feelings and want to say I’m sorry with a gift.  It wasn’t intentional but I need to make amends.”  It couldn’t hurt to lay it on thick.  Maybe Jane would take one for the sisterhood.

“Josh, you’re in luck.  I just finished my only commission this spring so I could put you first in line for a custom sketch.  If I work on it as much as I can and provided what you want isn’t super large or detailed, I should be able to have it framed and ready to ship in about a month.”

“That’s perfect.  Thanks so much, Jane.  I’ll get the information and photos to you tomorrow.  I appreciate you helping me out.  If there’s ever anything I can do for you, don’t hesitate to call.”

****

D
ays later, Josh sat in his condo as he searched the web for the right words to express himself in his apology note.  He’d have to dig deep to recover that side of himself but Lake had inspired him to tender and protective feelings, long buried.  The whole thing was creating major frustration.  He wanted to fix it and fix it now.  He hated to bother him but his brother was much better with words so he picked up his phone and dialed.

“Hey, Josh.”

“Jason, I’m sorry to bother you.  I’m in a shit storm.”

“No problem.  Lisa took the boys to a birthday party so I’m here alone watching ESPN.  What’s up?”

“You know that woman that won my date at the bachelor auction, the one I told you about Saturday morning?”

“Yeah, the gorgeous blonde, dad’s friend?  You never said how it went.  Judging from dad’s reaction when I talked to him last week, I bet you fucked it up.  Dad seemed pretty pissed at you but didn’t spill the details and stayed pretty tight lipped.  Did you do something to her?  Please don’t say it was another one-nighter.”

“No, I’d never even try that with her.  I like and respect Lake.  She’s not trying to manipulate or push me like all the other women I’ve dated.  You’re right though.  I screwed it up royally.  Every guy on that auction is supposed to be bachelor without a wife or girlfriend.  Dad has every right to hate my guts.  I embarrassed him.  Roberts and I were with Lake at the Capital Grille having a great time.  I’d gone to the men’s room and left my phone on the table.  Lauren sent me a dirty text and Lake saw it.”

“That sucks, bro.  Hasn’t Lauren been over for months?  Why the hell was she sending you suggestive text messages?  Did you leave any doors open when you broke up with her?”

“I didn’t think so at the time but she must be confused.  I wish Lake hadn’t been drawn in to Lauren’s games.  I had Jane Allen do a custom sketch of Lake’s favorite mare from some photos dad found on the internet as an apology gift.  I need to Fed Ex it to her.  It’s worth thousands to me if it can get dad to stop sounding like he wants to beat the piss out of me.  I’ve been sitting here for a couple of hours and I can’t think of the right words for my note.  Any ideas?”

“How do you feel about her?”

“Of course, I don’t know her that well yet but I can’t stop thinking about her.  I’d like to peel her clothes off layer by layer.”

“Don’t say that, degenerate!  You’ll scare the shit out of her.  She’s probably already worried about your reputation.”

“I know but I want her in my life, not just in my bed.  Romantic words have never come easily to me and I haven’t even tried since Shelly.  I’m at a loss here.  I need some Trashman approved, ‘I’ve fucked up’ verbiage.  Dad mentioned Lake has an honors degree in English from a swanky private college.  I barely passed English.  I’m not going to be writing the next great American novel.  Hell, I’d have a hard time putting something legible on a Post It note.  I’m going to come up lacking in her eyes when I really want to impress her.  Can you see the dilemma?”  He didn’t admit to Jason that he wanted this woman more than any other before her, how his body ached to see her again and touch her skin.  He didn’t understand why the universe conspired against him.

“I would do what any other red blooded male feeling inadequate would do.  Something I’ve done countless times throughout my marriage.”

“What’s that?”

“Plagiarize.”

“That’s a great idea.  Unfortunately, Walt Whitman doesn’t reside in this Chicago condo.”

“Song lyrics work great.  Listen to the radio or your iPod while you work out.  I guarantee that will inspire you and you’ll think of something that will fit the bill.”

“Thanks, Jason.”

“My pleasure.  Let me know how it goes.”

Josh called his dad later that night with his tail between his legs.  Chuck offered to do damage control by treating Lake to lunch and trying to sneak in an explanation about Lauren and the motives behind her porno texts.  Lake needed to realize that Lauren belonged in the past.  In fact, Josh had run into her in the lobby of their building soon after he’d returned home.  While in the elevator together, he’d told her she should be ashamed of herself.  He’d fibbed about leaving his phone on the charger at his dad’s house and how she’d shocked a sixty-seven year old man with her racy messages.

Before she stepped off onto her floor, he had made it clear he never wanted to speak to her again.  Finally getting it, she had nodded at him with tears flooding her eyes as he hit the door close button and continued on to his penthouse.  Why did certain women never believe your actual words and think they could change you?  Do they just want to fulfill their own desires so badly that they couldn’t see the forest for the trees?  Although he regretted hurting her feelings, his honesty had never been in question.  She’d made their brief liaison into far more than it had been in reality.

After completing his phone calls, he glanced at the unique sketch of Lily on the table next to him.  Talking to Jason had put his mind more at ease and hope blossomed that Lake would like it and think of him when she looked at it.  When he’d met Lily that day, Josh had noticed how important the horse was to Lake.  This artwork must arrive at its destination in all its meaningful glory.

****

A
fter her confusing lunch with Chuck, Lake sat in her office trying to explain the whole messed up situation to Lance and getting nowhere.

“How do you know this Lauren person isn’t just some bimbo off the street?  Even though he isn’t playing anymore, he’s still enough in the public eye to attract stage five clingers.”

Lake threw her hands up.  “Lauren has to be a girlfriend, she was listed in his contacts with only the first name!  Chuck confirmed they dated but he said the relationship ran its course.  Also, her exact words were that she wanted his head between her legs
again
, insinuating there was a first time!  My God, nausea bubbles up every time I think about it.  I’m not a prude but I guess I’ve never considered sending a text that graphic.”  She’d also never admit to the jealousy coursing through her veins incited by Lauren’s subject matter.  She’d spent just as many sleepless nights thinking about his tongue and what it could do than she had about her own humiliation that night.

“I won’t even tell you what I did.”  Lake had worked herself up into a state of high emotions.

“Oh no, girl, you didn’t.”  Lance shook his head frantically left and right and snapped his fingers.  He seemed to know exactly where this conversation was headed.  Even Summer didn’t know her like Lance did.  He possessed a freakish sixth sense.

“Unfortunately, I did, like I drove by road kill and couldn’t look away.  I know I shouldn’t have because now I feel even more wretched!”

“Let me see it.  How bad is it?”

“So bad I haven’t slept in three nights.”  Imagining his lips and tongue again and wishing they were on her instead of Lauren.  She found that in spite of her best efforts, she couldn’t stay mad.  She just felt unhappy.

Lake lifted the screen on her laptop and turned it towards him.  He spent thirty seconds looking it up and down and tilted his head towards Lake with his lips curled in a semi-snarl.

“Looks like skank to me and we already know it sounds like skank.” 

“Are you kidding me?  She’s gorgeous and they look like Barbie and Ken together.  See how she fits perfectly into the crook of his shoulder since she’s so tall?”  Lance was trying to make her feel better and she loved him for it but Lauren Kennedy’s striking beauty became even more undeniable over time.  Lake had stared at that photo of her and Josh out at an event so often over the past couple of days she could have made it her mental wallpaper.  The worst part was seeing how happy he looked in the photo standing next to the gorgeous anchorwoman.  Lauren possessed statuesque height and her reedy body complemented her silky, long auburn hair and brown eyes.  Her skin was luminous and Lake did not notice one flaw.

Over the past week, Lake had thought of Josh many times and become increasingly ashamed of how she’d handled her time with him from beginning to end.  She should have known dating wouldn’t be successful for her until more time had passed.  Why couldn’t she have stayed at the restaurant and made a dignified exit with grace and class?  She imagined his mortification that she’d spied on his text and fled the scene like a frigid bitch.  Her mind’s eye played a tape of Josh sitting in his condo as he mocked her behavior, grateful to be done with her as he moved on to more sophisticated women.

****

A
lthough he listened with empathy, Lance found he’d had enough of Lake’s constant criticism of herself.  He needed to give her a push in the right direction.  Obviously, if she still obsessed over this guy, she wanted him.  Her behavior was over the top.  Seriously?  Josh had made one minor mistake in the space of seven hours.  Like he could control his incoming text messages which she shouldn’t have been looking at in the first place.  They weren’t married for Christ’s sake.  They’d gone out on a charity date!  Lake was putting too much stock in minor issues and it had to stop. 

“Lake, I think you should reach out to him for Chuck’s sake.”  There, that would lay the guilt on her.  He knew just how to play her like a weeping violin.