Deception (Infidelity #3)

“Oren.” My name floated in the air as a whisper, quickly swallowed by the din of the other diners.

Nevertheless, it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever heard. I hadn’t allowed myself to admit how devastated I would have been if she’d not remembered me. But she had, and my head was alive with the promise of spring as bees buzzed and birds sang.

“Adelaide.” No other words came to mind.

“How? How are you here?” she asked, but just as soon, she stiffened and looked both directions.

“I’m not here to cause you problems.”

“Then why?” Her question was again a whisper.

I stood, my hands aching to touch hers. “Because I haven’t thought of anyone else since the night we met. Because I’ve dreamt of seeing you again, talking to you, hearing your voice and laughter.”

Tears filled her eyes as she shook her head. “I-I can’t. If anyone… If my husb—”

I handed her a piece of paper that I’d kept in the pocket of my pants. “My number. I don’t know how this will work, but it’s up to you if you call me. I’ll be in town for two more days.”

Part of me expected her to reject the offer.

I believe there was part of her that knew she should. Her hand trembled as she slowly reached forward, taking the paper and tucking it in her handbag.

“Yes. Mr. Demetri, it was nice to see you again.” This time her volume was louder, intentionally audible to those nearby. “I will certainly tell my husband you were in town. Unfortunately, he won’t be back for two more days.”

The final words of her statement seemed to ring in my ears, reverberating off the walls. I smiled and nodded, all the time praying that I was inferring her reply the way she intended.





THEY SAY THAT lightning doesn’t strike twice. I disagree.

The next afternoon Adelaide Montague—the last name I chose to use—arrived in a cab and met me at a motel outside of Savannah. The location was her idea, though I doubted she’d ever been to such an establishment.

That was the point.

No one at the motel off of US 95, north of Savannah, would recognize her.

“I-I’m not sure why I came here,” she said once she was in the room, her hand again fluttering near her neck.

“I’m not expecting anything, Adelaide. I just wanted to see you again.”

The hunger I’d witnessed at the fundraiser was camouflaged behind a shadow of fear. The thought that I was the source of terror tore at my insides. I longed to reassure her. Slowly, I took a step toward her.

“I’ve never felt an attraction to another woman,” I said, “like I do to you. Tell me if it’s one-sided. If it is, tell me no and I’ll walk away.”

“Oren.”

My name came out as a heartbreaking tune as it tumbled from her lips.

“Adelaide, tell me no.” I inched closer.

I reached for her hand, encasing her fingers in mine, and though they said it wouldn’t, lightning struck again. Electricity and energy flowed from her to me, and back. We were a circuit of power spinning wildly out of control. Soon we would combust.

I stepped even closer, my chest just inches from hers. I longed to feel her heartbeat as her breasts heaved and she fought to breathe.

“Last chance, Adelaide. Say no, or I’m going to kiss you.”

“Kiss me?” she asked as if the possibility surprised her.

“Yes, I’ve spent the last months imagining your taste and the feel of your lips against mine. You’re so close. I’m losing control. I need to know if my imagination was close to reality. Say no.”

Adelaide lifted her chin, bringing her lips a whisper from mine. “I’ve never wanted to say yes more.”

In a seedy motel in Georgia, the world stopped spinning and lightning exploded.

My imagination paled to the reality of Adelaide Montague.





“IT’S BEEN OVER two weeks,” I said, my arms crossed over my chest as I leaned against my desk and stared.

“We need to tell Alex. She’s going to find out sooner or later.”

I took a deep breath and stared down at Deloris Witt. Perhaps over the years I’d overestimated her abilities. In most things, most instances, she was unstoppable—Superwoman. If that were true, then this assignment, Chelsea Moore and Infidelity, had become her kryptonite.

“I keep hoping you’ll have it resolved.”

“It isn’t that easy,” Deloris said. “Chelsea’s doing what she’s supposed to do. She’s integrating into his life.”

The thought turned my stomach. “Have you spoken to her?”

“Yes, a couple of times. She understands that the plan didn’t go as we’d hoped.”

“No shit!” I huffed and walked the length of my downtown office, stopping just before the large windows and turning back around. “Is she… all right?”

“All employees are given a card, a number to call in case of mistreatment.”

My mind went to Charli, the day she thought she was an employee, the day I’d frightened her more than I realized. “All employees?”

“Yes,” Deloris replied.

“Did Karen Flores give a card to Charli?”

“She did. The first morning I met with Alex, I told her to call me, not Karen.”

I wanted to know. I needed to know. “Did she…?”

The sides of Deloris’s lips moved downward in a scowl. “Lennox, please don’t. I would have told you if she had. I don’t want to know why you’re even asking. The phone call is only supposed to be made if the employee feels that she is in danger with the client. I realize it was all a setup with Alex, but I’d like to think that I know you, and I’m getting to know Alex well enough to say she has never felt endangered in your presence. Tell me that’s the case.”

“It’s just that some of my…”

Her hand went up. “Too much information. No. Alex never called the number. I’ve given Chelsea the same option, to call me, if she’s unsure about calling her handler, a woman with Infidelity in California. Chelsea hasn’t called either number.”

I blew out a long breath as I sat behind my desk. “This is bad enough. If she ends up hurt in any way, Charli will be… I can’t even come up with a word. I believe irate is a vast understatement.”

“I wish I could say for certain that Chelsea is unharmed. I’ve only spoken with her — it’s too much of a risk to see her. I do know that it’s taken her a while to come to terms with the entire agreement.”

“Then why?” I asked. “I don’t understand. Tell her to call the number. Get out.”

“It’s not that simple. It comes down to dollars and cents—mostly dollars. Since signing with Infidelity, besides the ten thousand we gave her for agreeing to our plan in the first place, the one to be placed with Severus Davis, she’s earned twenty-five thousand from Infidelity. That’s thirty-five thousand dollars.”

“She’s Charli’s best friend. Surely the money isn’t that important.”

“Alex was out of Chelsea’s league. If they hadn’t been roommates, they probably never would have met. It just so happened that they hit it off, but yes, the money is that important. Chelsea attended Stanford for one year on scholarship. After that, she transferred to a state school. She’s the first person in her family to graduate from college. You met her sister?”

I nodded, remembering the hospital room in Palo Alto.

“She graduated high school over a year ago and has been working at a store in a local mall. Chelsea now has the money to send her to college. You can only imagine what Chelsea’s mother thinks of her daughter’s new income.”

Her mother. Strange, loud woman.

“But does Mrs. Moore know what Chelsea is doing for that income?”

“No,” Deloris replied. “No one can know. It’s the way it works. Spencer got her a job at Montague Corporation. It’s the perfect cover for why she’s in Savannah.”

“What about Edward’s family and friends?”

“As I said, she’s integrating. According to Chelsea, the most difficult part has been facing Alex’s mother. Apparently the two never hit it off. She said she’d always had the feeling Alex’s mother didn’t like her and since she showed up with Mr. Spencer, supposedly having had a secret affair for years behind Alex’s back, Mrs. Fitzgerald has been less than pleasant.”