Chapter 6
Annabelle Simpson eagerly tugged on Viviana’s arm. The plump mayor’s wife had finally swallowed her astonishment enough to speak to Viviana. Taking an obvious breath, she asked in a somewhat normal voice, “I don’t mean to be nosy, but I’m curious about your dress.” She continued breathlessly, “It’s just that I’ve never seen a dress like that before. Where did you find it? What kind of a store sells dresses like this? I mean, did you have it made especially for you?” Her rosy cheeks flushing brighter, she added quickly, “I . . . I don’t know many women, or any woman except you who could wear something like that . . . ” She blushed and raised her hands in confusion.
Rather than hitting the abashed woman with one of her acerbic putdowns, Viviana took pity on her. She gave the uptight mayor’s wife credit for trying to make conversation. Besides she saw that Jax was watching her out of the corner of his eye and had no doubt heard Annabelle’s halting questions and the proper woman’s embarrassment at what might have been a tasteless remark. Knowing that he was likely to interfere if he thought she was being a brat, Viviana decided to play the game, even at her own expense.
Smiling at the flushed mayor’s wife, she said, “You’re right. I did have this dress made for me. I like interesting clothes and found a designer who is willing to push the boundaries.” With a saucy tilt of her chin, she added, “As I’m sure you’ve heard, I have a bit of a reputation as a rule-breaker. I guess when it comes to clothing, I am.”
Apparently not knowing how to respond to Viviana’s unrepentant answer, Annabelle pointed to a woman who’d been standing off to the side of the assembled group. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to introduce you to an old friend of mine.” Waving the tall, sandy-haired woman toward them, Anabelle said, “This is Penelope Williams. Penelope and her husband Rodney are philanthropists. They are considering supporting community organizations in San Jose. Mayor Simpson and I are hoping to convince them that it would be a good investment.” When Viviana merely nodded at the eager mayor’s wife and her impassive friend, Annabelle gushed nervously, “Believe it or not, Penelope and I went to summer camp together when we were girls. And then we found each other again in college. We both graduated from Barnard College.” She added with a questioning smile, “If you haven’t heard of it, Barnard College is in New York City. Even though it is now associated with Columbia, it is still, thank goodness, a prestigious women’s college.”
Viviana managed to keep from saying how boring. Rather, she simply nodded at the flushed woman who seemed determined to bring Viviana into the conversation. Turning to her stately but rather plain friend, Annabelle gushed, “Penelope, you asked earlier who this startling-looking woman is. I’d like to introduce you to Sergeant Viviana Moreau. She’s the police officer everybody calls the Enchantress.” She flushed brighter, then said uncertainly, “Is that okay? I don’t want to be impolite. Is that a positive nickname, Sergeant?”
Viviana smiled and shrugged. “I guess that depends. I’m a superhero groupie and was pleasantly surprised when the media gave me that name. I don’t know how much you know about the Avengers, but the Enchantress is about as bad a badass as any of the superheroes.”
Gratified by the shocked expressions on both women’s startled faces, Viviana wasn’t surprised when Jax came up beside her and interjected himself into the conversation. Tugging lightly on her arm, he said with a smile, “Sergeant Moreau should be honored. In the Marvel world, the Enchantress is known for her extraordinary beauty. Unlike some of the other superheroines, rather than relying on physical prowess, the Enchantress prefers sorcery and seduction. It is said that few can resist her beauty, particularly when she augments it with her magic. According to legend, a single kiss from the Enchantress is enough to make a man her slave.”
Viviana tossed her head, annoyed that Jax thought that he needed to interject himself into their conversation. She was sure that in this case he intended to soften her smart-ass remark to the clearly surprised society women. Seeing the two women gazing at Jax as if he were the second coming of Christ, her anger soared. Of course they would think he was extraordinary. He was. In addition to being beyond gorgeous, he was sexy as hell. In contrast, seeing the two cultured bitches looking at her as if she were from another planet—an uncivilized one at that—Viviana made her decision. How could she possibly compete with these women—or with him? Her dress that had seemed extraordinary she now saw through their eyes. As Annabelle Simpson had made clear, what kind of a store would sell a dress like this? More telling, what kind of a woman would wear it? In that moment Viviana knew that if she didn’t get away from these pretentious people, including Jax, she would shrivel up and die.
She pinned him with a hard glare and forced a smile to curl her lips. “Thank you, Chief Hughes. I hadn’t heard that particular take on the Enchantress. I didn’t realize she was also a sorcerer. No wonder she was such a badass.” Brushing his hand away, she said, “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Williams, and nice to see you again, Mrs. Simpson. As always, you and the mayor are gracious hosts. If you’ll excuse me, please, I need to join my men.”
Without waiting for either woman or Jax to respond, Viviana quickly made her way through the crowd of power brokers and headed for the bar, where Mick and several of her squad members were engaged in a heated discussion on the future of the NBA. Mick’s florid face confirmed that in addition to his passionate defense of Jordan’s supremacy over LeBron that he’d been enjoying the high-end booze the mayor’s bartenders were liberally providing. Moving next to him, Viviana interjected herself into the conversation. “Not to complicate your analysis, boys, but you guys can’t really have this ‘whose dick is bigger’ conversation without including KD or my favorite, Stephen Curry.”
The men separated to make room for her in their circle, obviously delighted that their superstar had chosen to stand with them rather than the more prestigious crowd in front of the room. Viviana didn’t need to look behind her to feel Jax’s piercing glare. It was as if there were a trip line between them, and all he had to do was tug on it and every nerve in her body responded. In that moment, Viviana decided that she’d had enough. She was more than tired of Jax making the rules, thinking he could control her. Arrogant asshole that he was, he even thought he could decide who she should talk to at his fucking party. The final straw was when he’d come over to smooth over the irreverent remark she had made. She was confident that he was pissed as hell that she’d dared to walk away from him. Realizing that she was far more pissed than he was, the next step became crystal clear. Not only would she keep walking, she was leaving, going home.
Tugging on Mick’s arm, she motioned for him to follow her.
“What’s up, sweet cheeks? Tired of all those bigshots trying to get close to their wet dream in the flesh? Decided that you wanted to get back to the guys who long ago gave up on getting lucky with you?”
“I want to leave, Mick. I need you to take me home.”
Mick’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You gotta to be fuckin’ kiddin’ me, Viv! You want me to take you home? Christ, Vivi, you think I don’t value my manhood? Hell, even if my jewels don’t clank as loud as his, it doesn’t mean I’m willing to go without any!” He stared at her, then his face darkened with concern. “Hey, wait a minute. What happened, sweet cheeks? What did the big guy do? Pull your chain? What did he tell his uppity little woman that she needed to do now?”
Viviana knew she shouldn’t be surprised that it was obvious to others, including her partner, that Jax thought he was in charge of her. Jax was making it damn clear tonight that he would decide whom she would talk to and what she should or should not say. His overbearing arrogance infuriated her and solidified her intent. Glaring at Mick, she said, “So, partner, will you take me home, or do I have to call a cab?”
When Mick didn’t answer, just shot her a troubled frown, she shoved at his hand and snarled. “Fine. See if I ask you to bring me to a party again. Or do anything for me or with me, for that matter.” Fighting the tears that were burning her eyes, she couldn’t hide the catch in her voice. Shaking her head, she said bitterly, “I should have learned. I know better. The only person I can count on is me. Thanks for reinforcing that important lesson, partner.”
Mick caught up with her at the exit. “Hang on, Vivi. If you really want to leave, I’ll take you. Let me get my car.”
Viviana shook her head. “Don’t bother, partner, I’d rather take a cab. I wouldn’t want you to annoy the new police chief. We all know he requires absolute deference. Apparently we’re required to kiss his ass or be relegated to second-class citizenry. Which is where I’ve decided I belong. Particularly since that means I won’t have to associate with him.”
Mick’s voice was strained. “Vivi, I’m not sure what happened, but I’m not going to let you leave like this.”
She tossed her head as she marched toward the cabstand. “That’s not up to you, Detective O’Reilly.” Climbing into the back seat of the waiting cab and not able to hide the tears streaming down her face, her voice cracked. “By the way, I hate this dress. The least you could have done when you picked me up was tell me that I looked like a freak.”
***
“What the fuck!”
Hearing the driver’s astonished curse, Viviana startled when the cab lurched crazily to the side of the road. The driver added in amazement, “Damn, that fucker could have run me off the motherfuckin’ road!” As the cab swerved again, the driver shouted, “Holy Christ, I think that’s exactly what the asshole’s trying to do!” As the cab lurched from side to side, the driver yelled in bewilderment, “Jesus God, here he comes again! Sorry lady, I don’t know if you know that guy, but there’s no way in hell that I can outrun an Alpha Romeo. Or the crazy fuckin’ asshole who is driving it!” He swore again as he yanked the cab to the side of the road. “Damn, honey. Call me chicken, but that guy is determined to run me off the road. Only reason I can think of is that the motherfucker is after you.”
As the cab shuddered to a stop, Viviana slammed her eyes closed and smacked down her door lock. She wasn’t surprised to see him open the front passenger door, then reach back and release her lock. One quick glance confirmed that Jax was furious. His jaw was rigid and the crease on his cheek was deeply etched. Anger rippled off him in sheets. As he dragged her out of the back seat, he apologized to the cab driver, who was staring at them in amazement. Pressing several large bills in the cabbie’s hand, he said, “Let me know if this doesn’t cover any damages to your cab. The name’s Hughes, Jaxton Hughes.” Keeping her tightly secured with one strong arm, he handed a business card to the cabbie, who looked askance from him to the card. Jax nodded and said with an exasperated sigh, “Yes, I’m that Hughes, the new SJPD police chief.”
Without speaking to her, Jax strapped her into the passenger seat of his high-end automobile and then ambled around to the driver’s side. As he revved up the powerful engine, he cast her a sideways glance. His voice was cool, tinged with irony. “Apparently I didn’t make myself clear when I told you that you would be going home with me tonight. Or more likely, you chose not to hear me. Perhaps going forward you will listen to me. Or hell, I might start requiring you to fork over the big bills. Your disobedience is getting expensive.”