Chapter Eight
Melinda
My brain struggles to process this tidbit of information. My pulse beats in my ears at the thought of someone I love and trust blackmailing me. He can’t be right about this, can he?
I throw back my second glass of champagne to numb myself against this new revelation.
“Whoa there, hellcat.” He leans across the table and holds my gaze as he says gently. “Slow down. You’ll be drunk in no time.”
“I want to be drunk,” I admit and reach for the bottle. “I want to numb myself against this nightmare.”
“I understand completely,” he responds softly, and I know he does given the information he’s just shared with me. God, how can the world be so cruel?
“Dessert?”
The server snaps me out of my morbid thoughts. Mason takes the dessert menu from him.
“None for me.” I throw my napkin on the table and my hands up. “I’m so done.”
“Would you have fresh berries and whipped cream sent up to our room please?” Mason requests.
“Of course, sir.”
“For later.” His smile is slow and seductive and totally disarms me. Naughty thoughts of whipped cream invade my mind. He knows it. I can see it by the glimmer in his eyes.
He takes the last sip of his champagne, stands, and stretches his hand out to help me up. I know that when I take it, the jolt of electricity that is always there when we touch will ignite something in me. I reach tentatively for his hand and brace for the shock waves.
“Do you feel that?” he asks seductively.
How can I not feel that? I think but I simply nod.
We walk through the crowd, hand in hand, and all eyes are on us again. I pray silently that no one snaps a picture and sells it to the paps. I’d love for some of my life to remain private right now. Mason scans the room, I assume to look for anyone who appears out of place. On the elevator, his hand moves to the small of my back. Heat rushes through me, and I want nothing more than to have him for dessert when we get back to our room.
Raspberries, blueberries, and whipped cream are on the granite countertop in the kitchen. Mason pours us each a glass of wine. I take it from him and sip it in an attempt to disarm the sensations that rush through me. My senses are heighted by my own arousal as I anticipate his next move.
He smiles seductively, takes a raspberry in his strong fingers, and dips it in whipped cream.
My mind immediately goes to places it shouldn’t. Heat rises in my cheeks and colors them pink, I’m sure, as my thoughts become more vivid. What is wrong with me?
There’s fire is in his eyes and the passion I see there totally overwhelms me.
“Open,” he commands.
My eyes widen in surprise.
“Open,” he says again now that he has my full attention.
I set my wine glass on the counter as my breath catches in my throat.
He holds the raspberry up to my lips. I automatically open them for him. He places it in my mouth and the cool whip hits my tongue with a sweet taste. He grins wickedly, grabs another berry full of cool whip, and holds it near my mouth. The cream skims it and leaves a dollop at the side of my lips.
His eyebrow raises as if challenging me to say something. “Let me get that for you.”
His hand moves up to my face and pulls me closer to him. He leans down and his mouth licks the sweetness off my face.
“Mmmm-mmm, that tastes good,” he declares before takes my mouth with his for a moment. He releases me and dips his finger in the cool whip this time. I shudder with anticipation and want his mouth back on mine—or anywhere on my body for all I care. I simply want him to touch me so I reach out to touch him. He grins his wicked smile and that that sexy dimple appears on his cheek.
“Up for some fun, hellcat?”
“Yes.” I’m breathless with the desire for him to touch me. At this point, I’ll do anything to have his hands on me. He moves forward, his mouth on my neck, and licks and sucks as he lifts me onto the kitchen island. I wrap my legs instinctively around his waist as he trails kisses up my neck to my mouth.
“Get undressed,” he commands.
My eyes fly open at his words. He slips my dress up my hips, and I don’t resist. I’ll do anything he asks at this point. My nerves fire on all cylinders.
He lifts my dress over my head, careful with my sprained arm, and I sit before him in a lace white bra and panties to match.
He inhales quickly.
“You’re gorgeous,” he murmurs against my neck as he undoes my bra and lets it drop carelessly to the floor.
“Lean back,” he instructs and helps me to lay back on the island. When I’m settled, he slides my panties down my legs and tosses them to the floor. My hair flows out beneath me. I pant, desperate for him to touch me in some way. He grins seductively down at me, takes takes the cool whip in one hand, and spoons a dollop of it onto my breast.
“Ah.”
“Don’t move.”
Another dollop is placed on my other breast, then he trails the it down between my breasts, over my stomach, and between my legs.
“You look good enough to eat.”
I’ve become dessert, splayed out on the kitchen island and prepared with cool whip for him. He undresses beside me. I hear his pants hit the floor. He unbuttons his shirt, exposing his tight, lean muscles, and his shirt drops as well. He leans over and licks the cool whip off of my breast. I arch into his mouth and moan at his touch.
“You taste divine.”
He circles the island and moves to my other breast. With a flick of his tongue, he laps up the cool whip. He brings his mouth down on mine so I can share the taste. I arch my neck, wanting his tongue deeper inside of my mouth. He licks and tastes his way beneath my breasts. I writhe in pleasure and my hips buck, wanting him inside of me. The buds of my breasts, like diamonds, are so hard they could cut glass.
Mason continues his descent down my body. He licks and sucks the cool whip from between my breasts, down to my abdomen, and stops before my pubic area.
He circles to the bottom of the island, where my legs are, and pulls me down toward him. My legs are spread wide as he stops my bum at the edge. He dips his head and licks the cool whip from between my folds. My hands find his hair to pull it roughly as he tantalizes me slowly. I can’t contain myself as my orgasm begins to build.
“Mason,” I cry out as I pull his hair. He doesn’t stop and the beautiful torment on my apex is more than I can handle. I writhe under his touch and my hips buck forward as his teeth bite down on my nub. I explode in his mouth and the waves of pleasure rush through me like a dam that finally breaks its barrier. He looks up from between my legs, his gaze intense. I meet and feel truly uninhibited for the first time in my life.
He takes my hands in his and pulls me to a sitting position. Kissing my mouth, he encompasses me and my hands run through his hair. He lifts me from the island and I instinctively wrap my legs around his waist. He carries me upstairs to his bedroom and places me gently on the bed. I’m naked, unashamed, and want him inside me. I spread my legs before him and invite him in. He climbs between them and dips into me as he captures my nipple between his teeth. I arch to press my breast further into his mouth. He nibbles my breast and draws my nipple into his mouth. I buck with primal need. My nipples are as sharp as daggers points as he teases them mercilessly and vigorously.
I wonder if he can feel the thunderous beat of my heart because it feels like it’s almost out of my chest. My pulse is rapid as I began to climb into the abyss. My body shudders under him as his pulsing shaft pounds into me. He fills me completely as he pummels into me. The deep inner heat within throbs. I clamp down on him as I try to keep my orgasm at bay but it’s no use. This man undoes me. I cry out as my orgasm over takes my body. Mason isn’t far behind. I feel the pulsating at the base of his cock as he ploughs into me once more and releases himself.
He collapses on top of me and I wrap my arms around his back as he nuzzles his face into my neck. I kiss his shoulder, not wanting to let him go.
“What have you done to me?” he whispers into my neck.
I don’t answer and let the silence fall between us. I could ask the same of him, but I’m afraid of the answer.
Mason
My phone ringing wakes me and I reach for it on the nightstand, trying to grab it before it wakes Melinda.
“Hello?” I answer, my voice groggy. Melinda’s body is draped over mine, and I realize this is the first time I’ve slept through the night since I was a child. The realization hits me hard.
“Yeah. I’m awake,” I lie. It’s Harry, so I know he must have something.
I slide myself from under Melinda so I don’t wake her. She turns onto her side and snuggles in. I fumble my way to the bathroom and shut the door, so I can talk.
“Whatta you got?”
“I’m not sure if it’s much but I was able to get a better look at the person in the security footage.”
“Yeah.” I run my hand through my hair in an effort to tame my bedhead.
“It’s a woman.”
I inhale a breath quickly. Fuck. Just what I thought.
“Were you able to ID her?”
“No. But I can tell by her walk and the way she’s tucked her hair up into that baseball cap.”
“I knew it.” I admit to him and strum my fingertips on the cold granite countertop. “Anything else?”
“I’m getting into some of the computers in her office, so I’ll you know what I find.”
“Thanks, Harry. I’ll catch up with you later.” I hang up and know Melinda will not like this information.
I glance at the time on my phone. Eight fifteen. Damn, I slept like a baby last night.
The phone rings on the bedside table. Jesus, what’s going on this morning? I race to get it before it can wake her up.
“Hello,” I say softly and glance at Melinda. She’s still sleeping and looks like an angel, her dark hair a stark contrast to the white hotel sheets.
“Mr. Tanner?”
“Yes,” I answer impatiently.
“I’m sorry, sir. An envelope was just dropped off for Ms. Morgan via courier.”
Son of a bitch.
“I’ll be right down.”
And so, it begins. I throw my jeans and a t-shirt on and hurry downstairs. I’m there in less than five minutes.
“Did you see who dropped it off?”
“I didn’t, sir. They biked up—one of the city bikes—and handed it to Michael, who’s at the front door today.”
“Where’s Michael?” I try to contain my frustration but know I’m not doing a very good job of it.
“Right this way, sir.”
“Michael? Mr. Tanner is—”
I cut him off, “Can you describe the courier?” I ask impatiently.
He exchanges a look with Theo who nods his consent.
“I did, sir. At first, I thought it was a young man, but when I looked closer, it was a woman. About five-eight, blue eyes, and her hair was tucked into a baseball cap. She wore a heavy coat, black pants, and flats.”
“Did she say anything to you?”
“No, sir. She merely handed me the envelope.”
“Thank you. Theo, I want that footage.”
“Right away, sir.”
I follow him back to the security room and hit Harry’s number.
“We have another one. An envelope was just dropped off at the Plaza. Yeah. See you soon.”
Theo works with security to pull the footage. I watch it closely. It’s the same as the others. Same figure. Same clothes. Same everything. They do a good job of keeping their head down, so the cameras can’t get a good read on their face. Also, they wear a scarf and sunglasses to hamper any type of recognition. Whoever this is doesn’t want to be recognized.
“Can you make me a copy of this?”
“Of course, sir. Right away.”
After he taps some keys, I have a zip drive in my hand with the footage in less than five minutes.
Harry waits for me in the lobby and when I step out of the security office, he’s pacing.
“You’ll burn a hole in that carpet if you’re not careful.”
He looks up and gives me a half smile.
“What did you get?” he asks and gets right down to business.
“Let’s go upstairs and have a look.”
We’re silent in the elevator, both of us lost in our thoughts. We desperately want to end this nightmare for Melinda.
“What’s going on?” The words are out of her mouth before I can get in the door.
“Harry?” She looks alarmed.
I hold up the envelope in my hand.
“Fuck,” she says aloud and wraps her robe tighter around her body. Instinctively, she grabs a piece of her long, dark hair and twirls it.
“Let me open it.” Her voice has more confidence in it than a moment before. There’s the hellcat I’ve come to love. Fuck, did I just say love? I shake my head to erase the thought from my mind.
Melinda opens the large manila envelope slowly. Her name is typed neatly on the outside. She pulls the contents out.
“Oh, my God.” The pictures fall to the floor in a flurry.
Looking down, I see they’re of us at last night’s dinner. Us toasting our champagne or deep in conversation, our fingers entwined across the table, me guiding her out of the restaurant by her hand—holy shit, we were being watched last night.
“At least I’m clothed in these,” she says in an effort to lighten the mood.
Harry’s mouth sets into a firm line. “This isn’t good. Last night, someone was close enough to get these pictures. There not incriminating, but they say something else. They can get close to you without you even knowing.”
I watch closely for any sign of a meltdown. When she steels her back and juts her chin out, I know she won’t have one. Her demeanor doesn’t hide the fear in her eyes, though. Both Harry and I see it. I swear, I’ll kill the son of a bitch who’s terrifying her when I find him.
“We need to get into Sarah’s computer.” I brace myself for her wrath. When it doesn’t come, I look at her.
“Okay,” she says, the word barely audible.
“Harry, let’s have you work your magic.”
“I’m coming with you.” Her eyes dare me to say no.
“Fine. But you’ll stay out of the way,” I command.
I can see the look of amusement in Harry’s eyes at our exchange.
“It’s Saturday. No one will be at the office.”
“We need to think about this. What if Sarah is at the office? She just happened to pop in when we were there last time.”
“Why don’t we have Melinda meet her somewhere for lunch? That way, you and I can get in and out without the risk of her popping in.”
“She did say she wanted to get together with me.”
“No. It’s too risky.”
“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
Both of us raise our eyebrows at her.
“Whatever. You both know why I was in that goddamn park now.” Clearly exasperated, she sits at the kitchen table. “I won’t stay holed up in this godforsaken hotel room by myself.” Her eyes are defiant, and I can see the hellcat bubble to the surface.
Harry and I exchange a glance.
“Call her,” I say against my better judgment. “See if you can meet her today sometime. Harry and I will go to your office when you’re with her. You need to be somewhere public, understand?”
“Do you really think she has something to do with this?” Her hands tremble as she grabs the cup of coffee I set before her.
“I don’t know but we can’t be too careful.”
Melinda
I pick up the pictures of Mason and me, yet another violation of my privacy. When will it end? Shaking, I sift through them one by one. I notice a faint tiny arrow drawn in pencil on the white frame around one of them. I actually like this picture. Mason’s hand is holding mine across the table and we’re deep in conversation. There’s something romantic about it—our gazes are locked and our words intimate. Whoever took the picture did a damn good job of capturing the emotional connection that swirls around us. I turn the picture over carefully and find an envelope taped to the back of it. I look at Mason and Harry, who are deep in conversation.
“I’ll call Sarah and set something up.” I slip the envelope into the pocket of my robe and excuse myself. Once upstairs and safely alone in the bathroom, I open the envelope slowly. My hands tremble as I pull out the letter inside.
This is far from over.
Come alone.
12:00pm
East 18th Street Subway Station
I wrap my arms around myself and fight the rampant thoughts that swirl around my head. I know I should show this to Mason, but something also tells me I should go alone. Stupid, I know, but I want to end this once and for all. Whoever is behind this elaborate blackmail won’t be happy if I show up with uninvited guests. I tuck the letter into the pocket of my robe. Deep in thought, I run my hand through my long hair and watch it shake in the bathroom mirror.
“Tell him, Mel.” I wrestle with myself.
I won’t tell him because I won’t drag either one of them any further into this mess. It’s my mess and I intend to clean it up. While they search my office, looking for evidence against Sarah—which I know they won’t find—I’ll wrap this little blackmail event up, and it will all be over. I hope.
It occurs to me that I somehow need to get to the bank to get the money. I’m not quite sure how I’ll going do that since I have absolutely no time to myself.
“I’ll meet Sarah at three around the corner at Jean-George.” I lie through my teeth, which I’m terrible at, so I hope I convince them. This should give me enough time to run to my bank, grab the cash, and head to the 18th Street Subway Station. The idea of it is daunting and I realize I’m risking my life by not letting anyone know what I’m up to, but this is my mess. I need to clean it up.
“We’ll drop you off there and head over to your office. Text me when you’re finished, and we’ll swing around to pick you up.”
I nod my head in agreement. I’m such a bad liar, I hope he doesn’t see right through me.
In dark sunglasses, my pageboy hat, scarf, and winter coat, I pace near the front door and wait for Mason to come downstairs. I’ve been on edge all morning, knowing what’s ahead of me, but I want nothing more than to have this nightmare end.
“Ready?” he asks as I watch his fit figure walk down the stairs. The man is gorgeous, from his chiseled jaw, to his sultry mouth, to his well-defined “v.” He could walk any runway he wanted to.
“Do you see something you like?” he asks and grasps my chin between his two fingers.
I smile. “In fact, I do,” I tease and lick my lips. I try to remain as normal as possible although I know I’ll walk into a fucked up situation in about fifteen minutes.
“There’s no time for that, hellcat.” He kisses the top of my nose. “Harry’s downstairs waiting, but I’ll take a raincheck.” He leans down and kisses my lips tenderly. “Listen to me. Don’t even think about going anywhere alone. To lunch with Sarah and that’s it. Got it?”
“Got it.” I look down and hope to conceal my lie.
“If at any time you feel uncomfortable, or even think anything’s out of place, you call. Don’t hesitate. I programmed my phone number into your favorites for easy access.”
“My favorites?” I look at him curiously.
“One can only hope,” he says, takes my hand, and leads me out the door.
Heat rushes to my cheeks as his words sink in. I can’t think about this right now because once he finds out what I’m doing, I’ll fall off of his favorite list—if I’m even on it.
“Let’s go.” We head down the hallway to the employee elevator and ride down in silence. I’m lost in my thoughts and fears of what lies ahead of me. The safety and comfort I find in Mason will soon be gone. I swallow hard at the notion. How have I come to be so dependent on this man in such a short space of time? He looks around outside before he allows me to slip out the door to the car.
“Hey, Harry.” I hop in and busy myself with my phone.
“Is everything okay?” he asks.
I continue to play with my phone and pretend I’m distracted by what’s on the screen. “Hmmm? Oh, yes. Everything is fine.” I lie and take a quick glance at him in the rearview mirror.
His eyebrow arches but he doesn’t say another word.
“Let’s go,” Mason says as he climbs in beside me. I see them exchange a glance in the mirror. I’m too preoccupied with my own situation to really care about what that could be about. I’m sure it’s about my behavior, but I won’t play into it.
Harry swings the SUV in front of Jean George. Mason grabs my hand as I reach to open the door.
“Remember, nowhere else but here.” He squeezes my hand lightly.
I nod because the thought of actually saying the words out loud causes me to panic. “Text as soon as you’re through.”
I nod again. It’s all I can manage at the moment. I’m a bad liar, so silence is my only option if I intend to go through with this.
“See you soon.” He squeezes my hand again.
I give him a half smile because honestly, at this point, anything can happen. I’ll walk into the lion’s den, like an idiot, but I feel as though there’s no other option.
“Have fun,” he says as I close the door to the SUV. They sit and watch me, so I walk slowly to the front door of Jean-George. The maître de opens the door for me and I glide in and wait for the SUV to pull away.
“Thank you, but I won’t be staying.”
I pull my scarf tighter around my neck and set off for my bank. In my rational mind, I know this is a bad idea, but it’s the only plan I could come up with at the time. Mason and Harry will be so angry with me when they find out I met the blackmailer and gave them more money, but before I give it to them, I’ll demand all of the pictures and video. I’ll put an end to this once and for all. I realize in this moment I won’t get the money. I’ll pretend I have it and get my photos and videos out of their hands. Whoever is blackmailing me will lose their shit, but if they really want the money, they’ll give me what I want. I hope.
I hustle down to the “M” and take a seat on the subway. I’ve had a few glances here and there but for the most part, I’m unrecognizable. I sink further into my seat and stare at my phone. A sinking feeling weighs in my stomach, but I ignore it. I have to get to the bottom of this before it’s too late.
Mason
She must think I’m an idiot for letting her go to lunch unattended. However, she’s far from alone. I’ve tailed her the entire time as I knew damn well she would pull something stupid. Did she think I didn’t see the little arrow on the picture? What kind of detective would I be if I hadn’t noticed it? I watched when she saw it and as she excused herself, knowing she’d form a plan to take care of it herself. The minute we were around the corner of the restaurant, I jumped out of the SUV and for her to exit so I could follow her. Harry continued to her office to see what he could find out.
Sarah’s here at the office. Harry’s text comes through.
Yeah. I figured. Melinda lied, just like we thought.
Sarah’s giving me access to her computer, so I think we can probably count her out.
See what you find.
The M train is packed, so it’s not a problem to keep myself hidden from Melinda,. My baseball cap and sunglasses probably don’t do much to conceal me, but she’s too distracted to notice. God, she’s infuriating. What the fuck is she thinking to head out on her own when I specifically told her it wasn’t an option? She knows her safety is at risk. I want to wring her neck and fuck the shit out of her all at the same time. Focus, Mase, I tell myself to stop the warring emotions that run rampant throughout my body.
The train stops, and I follow her off, giving her enough space to not notice me. She’s distracted and takes a piece of paper from her pocket. She reads it and shoves it away. I pull my baseball cap down and follow her along the street and am surprised when she starts to descend the stairs of another subway station. Except, as I get closer, I realize this station isn’t in use and it looks like it hasn’t been for quite some time.
I descend the steps carefully, mindful to not make any noise. She still hasn’t noticed me, andI squeeze through what should be a barrier to enter, but it seems quite a few homeless have other plans and utilize this area as a shelter. Fuck, this isn’t good. I wish I had my gun. At home, I always carry, but since I’m in this godforsaken city, I wasn’t able to bring it with me. It makes me feel like a sitting duck. I shake off all the horrendous thoughts that try to assail me.
“Focus, Mase,” I tell myself as I step onto the dark subway platform. I look frantically left then right to locate Melinda. When I see her to my left, a good distance away, I begin to move. I’m so mad at her right now, I want to scream, but I also have a feeling she’ll lead us directly to the blackmailer, so I keep my mouth shut.
Quietly, I follow her from a good distance behind. The subway station is dank and dark, although there’s a slight illumination from I don’t know what. Its creepy glow has me on high alert. I know she’s walking into something harmful. Why the hell didn’t she tell me? We walk along the narrow corridor along the subway track. Melinda turns a corner and moves out of sight, and panic rises up within me. My entire body tingles. I hurry down the corridor to catch up.
“You’re alone?” the voice asks as I hide myself in the darkness.
“Yes.” Her voice is firm, although I can hear the slight shakiness to it.
“Where’s the money?”
“I want all the pictures and videos before I give it to you. This is ending.”
Sweet baby Jesus, she’s trying to bargain with this psychopath. The voice laughs a hearty maniacal laugh.
“That won’t happen, Melinda.”
“Who are you and why are you doing this?” she asks and her voice is high and full of panic.
The dark figure steps toward her and laughs again as another figure steps out of the shadows from behind her. Fuck. There’s two of them. I swear if we get out of here, I will kill her myself.
“Don’t you know, Super Model Melinda Morgan? The one who has it all. The charmed life. She gets anything she wants. Everything she touches turns to gold.” The figure circles her and there’s venom in the voice.
“I’ve worked hard for what I have.” She trips over her words. The fear in her voice is killing me.
“Have you? Or have you slept your way to the top like every other slut model in this godforsaken city. You think you’re such hot shit, don’t you? Cover shoots, luxurious parties, and shall we talk about your ex-fiancé?”
“What?” She sounds surprised. “What about him?”
“You can’t be that stupid.”
I wince at the words which trigger my instincts. My father used to say those words to my mom. It takes everything I have not to jump out of the darkness and pummel this asshole.
“He never loved you. He’s always loved me. Who do you think set the camera up in your bedroom, you stupid slut? God, it was so easy. You fell so fast for him. I mean, who wouldn’t, but you were too blind to see the signs. Such easy prey, Melinda Morgan.”
“I…I don’t understand,” I can hear the hurt in her voice.
“It was all a game and you played right into our hands.” The laugh is maniacal. “And now, you’ll pay. Where’s the money?”