I took a quick shower and cringed at the state of my neck where he’d marked me. I had to go home before heading in anyway, so I’d find something to hide the evidence.

I can’t go into the office wearing the same thing as yesterday or everyone would know I hadn’t spent the night in my own bed. As I stood there transfixed I replayed the phone conversation in my head.

I was more than a little surprised to see from the readout that it was my assistant calling me that early in the morning. And what he’d had to say had given me much to think about.

“Where have you been? Your boy struck again.” Something like dread crawled up my lungs. “When?” I sounded like a petrified frog so cleared my throat and tried again.

“They haven’t nailed that down as yet, but it was sometime last night. Same ammo as all the others.” His voice droned on and I waited for a break in the conversation.

My eyes had automatically been drawn to the bathroom door where I could hear the water running. My heart raced and my mind tried to make sense of the words as he said them.

“Who?” As I asked the question I had a sense of relief. I hadn’t slept with a cold blooded murderer. There’s no way it could’ve been him. At the time of the murder he was fucking the hell out of me.

“A repeat offender. He was on trial for molesting his stepdaughter three months after getting out for raping and killing his thirteen year old neighbor. He got out early on a technicality for that one.”

“Any connection to the others?”

“Nope, but it’s looking like this guy is some kind of justice vigilante. What do you wanna do?”

“I’ll be right there.”

I came back to the here and now when the water cooled on my skin. I did a quick dry off and rushed back into the bedroom to pull my clothes on. What the hell am I thinking? Since when do I let anyone or anything stand in the way of work?

And yet when I went downstairs for my walk of shame and saw the little table in the breakfast nook set for two and smelt the fresh ambrosia scent of expensive coffee, I didn’t resist when he took my hand and led me there.

“I can’t stay long…” He didn’t answer, just sat me in the window seat looking over the immaculate back garden and kissed the top of my head before taking his seat across from me.

“Something important come up?” he flicked the linen napkin open over his lap and picked up his coffee cup before looking at me with the question.

“Work!” That’s all I was prepared to say as the enormity of my situation hit me not for the first time in the last sixteen hours. I kept my head averted and was glad when he didn’t push for more.

I looked down at my plate for the first time and then looked around the room for the chef he had to have hidden away somewhere. It was a masterpiece.

There were pancakes with fresh strawberries and cream. Light fluffy eggs that melted on my tongue and perfectly crisp bacon and to round it off, a small dish of fruit. Even the juice tasted fresh squeezed. I can’t remember the last time someone had gone to such lengths for me, not in my personal life anyway.

First the dinner last night that tasted like it was made in the best kitchen of the best restaurant in town, even better. Now this. It was hard not to want to get used to this kind of treatment.

Instead of rushing through the meal like I knew I needed to, I took my time and appreciated every morsel until half was gone. “I’m done, now I really need to go.”

He actually looked over at my plate. “One more piece of fruit.” He reached over and speared a slice of melon on his fork and held it up to my lips. I opened my mouth and took it, chewing as if in a trance.

He gave me one of those smiles that made me weak in the knees and I snapped myself out of it quick before I found myself flat on my back again. I pushed away from the table and stood, determined that this time I was gonna make it to the door.

I stood up with her and walked around to her side. Taking her face in my hands I studied her eyes before lowering my head to take her lips.

I felt a slight pang at the thought of her walking out the door, but my inborn control kicked in and I knew I had to let her go do what she needed to.

I walked her to the door and out to her cute little sports car. I have to get on the ball and find something more appropriate for a mom. Maybe something in the Mercedes G-class.

I already own one, so I know how safe they are. Maybe a custom made one like mine to match. I reached in and belted her in before stealing one last kiss and closing the door.

I watched her drive away barely resisting the urge to run after her. Back inside I booted up my computer and got to work. There’s going to be a lot of changes around here now that there was going to be a woman on board.

My first search was for the best store in town that carried female bath products. I like the smell of my soap on her, but I’m sure she’d want to have her own stuff.

I have no problem walking around town where everyone stares and points. I can’t say that I blame them. Their DA had damn near convinced them that I was the guilty one. And since she was so well loved here and I hadn’t been a local in years, they’d chosen sides.

I actually enjoy making them squirm. I never forget that most of them had stood by and watched an injustice play out. There had been sides taken then too.

I guess most of them thought that since my family was already gone it didn’t make sense to destroy the lives of the young boys who’d taken them. Some had even made that very argument loud and clear.

It had helped that those boys came from wealthy families. I guess my parents’ wealth hadn’t meant anything, since they were already gone. And no one gave a second thought to the son they’d left behind.

I clenched my fists and walked away from the computer. It’s over now. You no longer have to wake up in the night screaming, drenched in sweat, with the faces of your loved ones staring sightlessly back at you as if asking where was the justice for them.

I rushed home, barely keeping to the speed limit and dragged on another one of my power suits, this one in black.

I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to cover up the marks on my neck and chest before I was close to pushing it and had to go.

My assistant was waiting for me practically at the door when I pulled up and I took time to grab my attaché case from the trunk, giving myself time to compose myself.

I could feel the panty liner I’d worn filling up and wondered just how much cum he’d left inside me.

“We’ve got a mess on our hands boss. I’ve already

checked and our boy’s home security bracelet never went off. He never left the house at anytime last night.”

I could attest to that but how great is it that I won’t have to. I felt better as I walked through the door and headed for my office feeling a little less like I was drowning.

Of course this meant that I had a certifiable murderer on the loose in my city, but I couldn’t help being overjoyed that it wasn’t the man I’d spent the night and morning under, in front of, on top of...

I felt my assistant Robert’s eyes on me as I pushed the door to my office and turned a stern look on him. “What?”

“Hot date?” His eyes went to my throat and he laughed.

I slapped a hand on the side of my neck and hurried my pace.

“None of your business.” Well shit! I thought I’d covered up the evidence. Obviously I’d missed a spot.

The rest of the day I was swamped with motions

and dealing with this new development. Every once in a while I’d feel that soreness between my thighs and the sweet ache deep inside and I’d stop in my tracks and think of him.

Without the phantom of a murder case between us where do we go from here? I actually panicked at the thought that he’d just been using me and now that he wouldn’t need me anymore he would just walk out of my life as easily as he’d walked in.

What the hell had he done to me? Where was my strength of character. That staunch no nonsense way I was known for? I couldn’t seem to get a grip on my emotions which were all over the place.

The big question here though was what did I want? No doubt we’d raise some brows if we became a couple. Then I had the bright idea that maybe I could keep seeing him on the sly. That’s if he was still interested.

But then I remembered who he was, and the fact that there’s no way someone like him would go for that. His cool reserve said ‘all man’ and no real man would ever want to be kept a dirty little secret.

That’s one of the reasons I haven’t had a serious relationship in so long. Most of the men I meet, are either intimidated by my brain, or my beauty. And both camps are always willing to bend over backwards to please me.

I had never found either attractive, and now after last night, I knew I would never accept anything less than a forceful man who could take me over and under with just a look.

I checked my phone for the tenth time feeling foolish. But somehow I’d expected him to call. I can’t tell him about the case, that’s for his attorneys who should be receiving the papers first thing tomorrow or the day after.

But I still wanted to hear his voice. I wanted to do more than that. But sitting behind my desk in my office was no place to be thinking about what it was I wanted to do with the delectable Claude Denning.