T
he moment that Dominic, Samera and I enter Charles’s condo, we get to work. Samera heads for the living room, where she pulls out the cushions on the sofa. I make my way to the bedroom, where I start rifling through drawers. I work one side of the room while Dominic works the other.
Ten minutes later, we’ve found nothing. And I’ve checked under the bed and between the mattresses.
“The bathroom?” Dominic asks.
“May as well.”
“I see nothing out here,” Samera says.
“I know it’s here,” I say when I leave the bathroom.
“I checked the kitchen. The top of the fridge.”
I shake my head. “Fuck.”
“Maybe he destroyed them,” Dominic says. “If he’s not planning on returning to the States, maybe he figures he doesn’t need them anymore.”
“Charles doesn’t throw anything away. He’ll keep it, just hide it.” I open the fridge. There’s white wine, and orange juice, but nothing else.
No documents.
“You don’t think Charles would hide them in the fridge?” Samera asks.
I ignore her and this time open the stove. And voilà—there’s a file folder. I snatch it up.
I open it. “Yes, yes, this is it!”
“That’s it?” Samera asks excitedly.
I scan the contents. I see numbers and figures and the title Wishes Come True Foundation. I flip through more pages and see the deal for the purchase of this condo.
Five hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars! Wow. I can’t believe Charles’s nerve.
When I flip to the back of the contract, my breath catches in my throat. There’s a photocopy of the check Charles used to pay for this place. It has a numbered corporation listed in the top left-hand corner. And I know that the charity uses such a number.
“Oh, you son of a bitch! You are so fried.”
Dominic reaches for the folder. “Let me see that.”
“Not so fast.”
“All right.” Dominic backs off. “But you know I’m going to need that. Because he’s out of the country, I’ll need cooperation from the authorities here, and I’m going to need proof—”
“Everything you want is here—every piece of incriminating evidence. And I’ll give it to you. Later. But right now, we need to get out of here. Wherever Charles is passed out, he could wake up at any moment.”
I stuff the dirty evidence into an oversize tote I brought with me. And I have a photocopy of the certified check Charles paid to the Realtor that came from the charity’s account.
As we head for the door, I do a quick sweep of the place, checking to make sure there’s nothing out of place. Nothing that would put Charles off guard when he finally walks in.
Satisfied, I reach for the door handle. But before I can touch it, it starts to open.
It’s too late for any of us to hide.
The door opens fully, and I gasp in alarm.
It’s Charles.
My stomach drops as an intense feeling of dread spreads right through me. Oh my God…
Behind me, I hear Samera say, “Oh fuck.” I don’t hear a peep out of Dominic, but I don’t dare to turn and look at him.
“Ann?” Charles asks.
What do I do, what do I do?
I square my shoulders and prepare to confront him. I’m not afraid of this prick anymore. Besides, I have backup.
But before I can say anything, Charles speaks. “Whatareyoudoing…”
He sounds weird. His voice is slurred, and he narrows his eyes like he’s trying to concentrate.
“I’m leaving, Charles. And you’re not going to stop me. You won’t get in my w—”
Charles starts to move, coming at me, and all I can think is that he wants to squash me with his whole body for how fast he’s moving. I scream and jump backward. Charles tumbles forward and grips the nearby column for support.
“I don’t feel so good,” he mutters.
“He’s out of it,” Samera says just as I realize what’s going on. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
I don’t hesitate a second. I dash through the door. Samera and Dominic follow closely behind me. We don’t stop running until we’re downstairs in the parking lot. I keep looking over my shoulder, expecting to see Charles sprinting after us, but there’s no one.
“Start the car,” I command. “We’ve got to get out of here before he realizes what’s going on.”
Dominic jumps behind the wheel of the Jeep while Samera and I hop into the back. The SUV jerks forward as Dominic tries for a hasty getaway. Soon, we’re speeding off from the condos and toward the Marriott hotel.
Satisfied that Charles is nowhere in sight, I say, “Man, that was a close call.”
Samera’s nervous look morphs into a smile. “Holy shit, could it have been closer?”
“With the sleeping pills that prostitute gave him, I’m surprised he could even open his eyes before morning,” Dominic comments from the front seat.
“All that doesn’t matter now.” I allow myself a victorious smile. “It’s over. And we’ve got the goods. Yes!”
“Charles is going to wish he never messed with a Peyton,” Samera chimes. “Oh, is he ever.”
“I prayed I’d find this,” I admit to Samera. “All the way here on the plane. And in the condo just now, when it seemed we were going to come up empty. I hope you don’t think that sounds stupid. I guess old habits die hard.”
“I don’t think that’s stupid. I’m not a religious freak, but I still believe in God.”
“I’m Catholic,” Dominic announces, clearly wanting to be part of the conversation.
I crack a smile as I look at Samera. “High five, sis?”
Samera squeals happily as we high-five each other.
“I’m going to want a copy of everything in that folder, for my own purposes—like my divorce—but otherwise, you can have it.”
Dominic is flipping through page after page while nibbling on lukewarm fries. We’re all gathered in my room. “This is damning stuff. Exactly what I was after.”
“You could sell this story to Hollywood, it’s so juicy,” Samera says.
Dominic lets out a loud sigh as he closes the file. “I’ll see if the hotel has a place to photocopy these pages. If not, I’m sure there’ll be a place in town.”
“Certainly,” I agree. As I pull the wig off my head, my gaze wanders to the view below. Everywhere, there are people enjoying the spectacular-looking pool. They have no clue of the scandal that’s about to break.
“What are you planning to do next?” Dominic asks me.
I turn to him and shrug. “Now that we have that file, I don’t think there’s any reason to stick around. In fact, I’d prefer to get out of here fairly quickly—in case Charles figures out sooner rather than later what we did.”
“And when he does,” Dominic begins, “he won’t be happy. He’ll also probably try to disappear. Which is why I’ll have to stay and keep an eye on him. Until I get the cooperation of the authorities to detain him.”
I shudder. “I still can’t believe this.”
“So much drama! But it’s exciting, isn’t it? Certainly better than hanging around Atlanta.” Samera, who is sitting cross-legged on the bed, gets up. She wanders to the table and snags one of the fries. “I’m going out.”
My gaze whips to hers. “What? You—you’re leaving me?”
“I told you I had a date, remember?”
I heave myself off the windowsill and hurry toward her. “Yeah, but—”
“Stay here with him!” she mouths urgently.
“You said—”
“I lied. Miguel wants it to be just the two of us. Dominic, I’ll see you later.
Much
later.”
Now I push her to the door. “Don’t give him any ideas,” I whisper.
“Oh, I don’t think I have to help him out in that department. And what’s wrong with you? You’re about to divorce your asshole husband and Dominic’s totally hot! Go get lucky!”
My heart pounds hard at the mention of how hot Dominic is—and at the thought of being alone in this room with him.
“When will you be back?” I ask Samera.
“Don’t worry—you’ve got plenty of time.” She winks at me, then takes off.
I close the door and gradually turn around. I flash a sheepish smile at Dominic, who looks entirely too comfortable lounging in the armchair. Kind of like a lover who’s waiting for you to slowly walk toward him, loosening your clothing with every step.
“My sister. She knows how to find a party wherever she goes.”
“It kinda seems like she wants us to spend some time together.”
My face flames. “I’m so sorry about that. For a woman who’s anti-relationships, sometimes I don’t understand her.”
“I like her.”
My eyes widen in alarm.
“I mean, she’s nice. Fun. But I don’t like her as much as I like you.”
The air in my lungs leaves my body in a rush. “Oh, I don’t think you should tell me that.”
Dominic slowly gets to his feet. “Why not?”
“Because…because…” He’s walking toward me now, and I can’t think.
When he slips his arms around my waist, I can’t stifle a moan of delight. My God, it’s been so long since a man has touched me like this. Sincerely touched me. He presses his lips to my forehead in a gentle kiss.
“I need to know,” I say softly, “if this…” He kisses my chin. “
That.
If it’s real. Or because of Charles.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“I just need to know.” If I’m going to do what I think I’m going to do, then I need to know if he’s attracted to
me.
“Would you have been interested in me if I didn’t hold the key to you solving your case?”
He pulls his head back to stare at me. His expression seems to say, “What do you think, doofus?”
But the words that come out of his mouth are: “I would totally be attracted to you. If I met you in the grocery store or at the post office or at a restaurant or at a car wash. Or—”
“I think I get it.”
“—walking through the park. Or—”
“I get it.”
“—at a sex shop.”
My eyes bulge as my mouth falls open. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
He kisses my forehead again. “You know I’m teasing you. But it was so cute, the expression on your face when you saw me checking you out.”
I cover my face with both hands. “I’m going to die of shame.”
Dominic chuckles. God, it’s such a sexy sound. Such a manly sound.
“Oooh,” I moan when his lips skim my neck. I dig my nails into his shoulders. “You’re making me very, very weak.”
“You’re making me very, very hard.”
I chuckle at that and hide my face against Dominic’s shoulder. He smells incredible.
“What are you thinking?” he asks me.
“Honestly? There’s a part of me that doesn’t think I should be doing this. I’m married. Officially, even if not emotionally. I know I’m getting a divorce—there’s no doubt about that. And yet I can almost hear my mother’s voice telling me I’ll burn in hell for even thinking of doing this.” “But?”
“But I haven’t been laid in a
very
long time.”
A smile pulls at Dominic’s lips. “Now that’s a shame. I think I need to rectify that.”
I suck in a shaky breath. “Oh, please do.
Please
do.”
Dominic’s mouth comes down on mine. I expect him to kiss me senseless, but his lips barely brush against mine. Then he kisses one corner of my mouth, and the other. His fingers tease the back of my leg as they make their way up my thigh.
A rumble sounds deep in his chest as his hand roams over my ass.
Thank God I’m wearing a thong!
And then he’s kissing me, heatedly. Our tongues tangle as an inferno of passion swallows us. I run my hands through his hair. I nip at his tongue. He grips my ass with both hands and pulls me against his hard and throbbing erection.
“Oh, God.” I grab at Dominic’s shirt, urging it free from his shorts. “Don’t make me wait, Dominic.” I press my hands against his chest as I nibble on his jaw. “Don’t make me b—”
He unzips my shirt and covers my breasts with his hands. Through my bra, he runs his thumbs over my nipples. They harden instantly.
I hurriedly unhook my bra at the back, and it loosens. I push it upward, exposing my breasts to him. “Touch them, kiss them…Taste them.
Please.
”
He takes one nipple into his mouth and suckles me. I cry out from the rush of delicious sensations.
“Oh, baby. You are…” He suckles my other nipple until I moan. “Perfect.”
Dominic drops himself onto his knees before me. He runs his hands downward from my breasts to my hips.
“The way you touch me, Dominic…Oh my God.”
Dominic’s lips skim my belly. Then he kisses my skin. Dips his tongue into my belly button. Runs a hand along my inner thigh.
My eyelids flutter shut as his hand reaches my vagina. He plays with my folds, slips a finger inside me. Then two. I grip his head, holding it close to my belly as my legs tremble.
“Dominic, baby…”
His fingers are moving in and out of me faster now, making my breath come in ragged spurts.
He pushes my skirt up. “I want to kiss you here. I want to taste you.”
“I want you to fuck me.”
I pull at his shirt, urging him to his feet. Dominic inhales my essence from his fingers, then puts one in his mouth and sucks on it. Slowly. His eyes never leave mine as he does this, and my God, it’s utterly erotic.
I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him deeply. I press my body against his rock-hard erection.
A moment of sanity makes me pause. Pulling apart from him, I ask, “Do you have a condom?”
“No.”
I groan my disappointment. And then I remember my sister, and that she’s
got
to have a condom in her luggage somewhere.
I tear myself away from Dominic, saying, “My sister. I’ll bet she has one in her suitcase. Or twenty, knowing her.”
Dominic holds my hand, not wanting to let me go even as I walk toward the small burgundy suitcase on the other side of the room. Finally, he’s forced to release my hand.
I do a quick search of my sister’s luggage. I find a package of condoms in seconds.
Smiling victoriously, I turn around. Dominic has taken his shirt off and is slipping out of his shorts. Wow, what a chest. What legs. What a body. I toss my own shirt and bra to the floor in haste.
Dominic sits on the edge of the bed and reaches for me.