Alix looked at me with surprise and understanding in her eyes. “May I kiss you?”
We kissed, and it was even better than the first two. There was no spark of shame, no hesitancy, just the sweet taste of Alix’s lips and the feeling of her willowy waist in my hands while her firm breasts pressed against my shirt. We were both breathing heavily when we broke our lips apart, her eyes dancing in delight. “I’m going to go call Mom.”
“I’ll give you privacy. By the way, I don’t want to sound presumptuous, but for appearance’s sake, we should set up the other bedroom like you’re staying as a guest for a while.”
I went into my bedroom, looking at the wide expanse of my king-sized mattress, looking forward to the fact that I hopefully wouldn’t be sleeping alone that night. Then again, I pondered, perhaps Alix is a horrible snorer who hogs the blankets?
* * *
Vince came over just before dinner time, greeting me at the door with a handshake. “Good to see you again, Kade,” he said. He was dressed in jeans and a red t-shirt, casual after a day at work. “How was your drive back?”
“Hectic and rushed,” I admitted. “Come in, you’ll see why.”
Vince followed me into the living room, where he stopped short upon seeing Alix on the couch. She was heart-stopping, even wearing the cheap discount store clothes that we’d picked up the night before, giving her two pairs of things at least temporarily. “You must be Alix,” Vince said. “I’d seen you in a family photo, but it doesn’t do you justice.”
“Kade said you were his paralegal, not his paid flatterer,” Alix replied with a smile. It was a remarkable transformation from the girl I’d held sobbing on the side of the road fourteen hours earlier, and I realized that Alix was in fact a natural sub. In public, in front of everyone else, she would be confident and self-assured. But she would give herself to me if I asked for it. I was momentarily overwhelmed with the gift she was offering me, and had to clear my throat. “Are you okay, Kade?”
“Yeah, just something went down wrong,” I said, rubbing my throat. “Probably a few side effects of all that Venom Sting on the drive up from LA. That much caffeine is so going to screw with my body for a while.”
“How many’d you put down?” Vince asked as he took a seat. “My personal record was seven, but I was seeing hallucinations for twelve hours afterwards.”
“Five,” I answered. “Alix had one after a bad dream.”
“So I guess your presence here has something to do with that phone call,” Vince commented. “What did Karla tell you?”
“Karla pointed me in the direction of Sydney Hale, who I found trying to assault Alix after she paid him a lot of money in a blackmail scheme. I probably broke his nose, but sadly enough I’m out the money.”
“I’ll pay you back, I promise,” Alix said, and I shook my head.
“There’s no need. Family, you know?” I commented, hoping she read my meaning. “Anyway, Vince, because of the sensitive nature of the items Alix is being blackmailed about, she doesn’t want the cops involved. But we need this guy off our backs.”
“I’m sure,” Vince replied. “What do you have on him?”
“Would a voice recording of him threatening blackmail and sexual assault help?” Alix said with a bitter smile. “It needs edited down, but it’s leverage, nearly two hours long.”
“Why so long?” Vince asked.
“I forgot to turn it off until Kade mentioned my phone in the car,” Alix said. “So you can trim out at least the last hour or so.”
“Vince, I’ll do the initial editing, but if you listen to this, there’s going to be things on there I don’t want out in public,” I cautioned. “Think you can still work on this, or do I need to handle it myself?”
Vince was a good man, and didn’t bat an eye. “Kade, whatever is said on there, I’ll never repeat to anyone. I don’t know your reasons, and I assume the recording will give me some insight, but that doesn’t matter. I work for you, and she’s your family. Hell, that’s greater than attorney-client, isn’t it?”
“Good man.”
“I had a question,” Alix said, and I turned to face her. She looked at me and blushed slightly, but hid it well. She was so beautiful when she blushed, her creamy pale skin darkening just slightly. “What exactly can you do, anyway?”