Connor and I packed a light bag and stopped by the hospital to see Denny before heading to the airport. We told him what was going on and where we were going. He smiled at us and told us to be careful. Seeing him awake and looking well took one weight off of our shoulders.
We boarded the plane, and I took my seat while Connor poured me a glass of wine and himself a scotch. When we finally took off, we unbuckled our seat belts and sat on the couch. I drank some wine, handed the glass to Connor, and laid my head down on his lap. As I stared up at him, he started playing with my hair.
“You tossed and turned all night,” he said.
“I know, and I’m sorry if I kept you up.”
He leaned down and brought his mouth to mine, kissing me tenderly on the lips. “I won’t give up until this asshole is found. No one is allowed to dream of you but me.”
I brought my hand up to his face and softly stroked his cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you more, Mrs. Black.” Connor smiled down at me. He looked at his watch and then back at me. “We have an hour until we land in Chicago. I’m thinking about taking you into the bedroom and making love to you.”
“Is that so?”
“Mhmm,” Connor said as he ran his finger over my lips.
“Then what are you waiting for? Take me. I’m all yours.”
“You’re mine. Mine forever, and nobody will ever take you from me.”
“Never,” I whispered as I kissed him on the lips.
***
As I walked around the art gallery, Connor talked to Vinnie. He told Connor that the guy in the picture was the lighting man, and he was taking pictures of the way the lighting was set up so he could show a prospective client.
“I can call him in if you want to speak to him,” Vinnie said.
“That doesn’t explain why the man was holding his crotch like that. Who does that in a public place?” Connor asked.
“He has testicular cancer, and I know he’s frequently in pain. So that’s probably why he was doing that. Why are you asking about him anyway?”
“Someone’s been sending text messages and flowers to my wife. The texts are sex related and when I saw this picture, I automatically assumed it was him.”
“Couldn’t be him,” Vinnie said. “Did I mention that he’s gay?”
Connor looked at me with a disappointed expression. I thought for sure it was the lighting man, and this would finally be over. A beep came from my purse, which alerted me that I had a text message. As I fumbled for it, I took out my phone and there was a text from him.
“I stare at your picture and imagine what it would be like to fuck you and hear you moan. I think about you all day, and I can’t stop. Your smile drives me insane and your mouth around my cock is what I crave and desire.”
My panicked face gave it away that the message was from him. Connor grabbed my phone and I stood there as rage took over his face and settled into his eyes. He put his arm around me and pulled me into him. “When I find out who’s doing this, I’m going to kill him.”
We thanked Vinnie and left the gallery. When we stepped outside, Connor called Detective James and told him about the latest text message and how the man from the art gallery wasn’t the guy. The text messages were starting to get more graphic, and now I was getting more frightened than before. As soon as Connor hung up the phone with Detective James, he pulled me into him.
“Let’s go get some dinner and then we’ll head back to New York.”
I nodded my head and we walked down the street to a Mexican restaurant. I really wasn’t hungry, so I only ordered the tacos. As we were eating, I kept noticing two girls sitting at the table next to us, eyeing Connor. I had sort of gotten used to the fact that my husband was the sexiest man alive and that women appreciated his looks, but I drew the line when they wouldn’t stop staring at him, even though I was sitting directly across from him.
“Those two women keep staring at you,” I whispered.
“I know. I’ve noticed.” He smiled.
“It’s irritating, and I’m going to say something if they don’t stop.”
“No, you won’t. There will be no embarrassing me tonight. Now eat your tacos!”
I glared at him from across the table as I took a bite of my taco. He glared at me as he drank his beer. The waiter came over and asked if we wanted dessert. I took the liberty of ordering two desserts.
“It’s okay, Ellery, I don’t want dessert; I’m full,” Connor said.
“You can never be too full for dessert.” I smiled.
After a few moments, the waiter set our desserts down on the table. Connor looked at me and sighed. “I’m sorry, baby, but I really don’t want this,” he said.
“Good,” I said as I grabbed his and my desserts and took them over to the women at the next table.
“I would like you to have these desserts on me and my husband. I couldn’t help but notice your incessant staring at him as we were trying to enjoy our dinner. Kudos for making asses of yourselves!”