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“I’m not trying to argue with you, Jake.” Lisa drove past a stop sign in her brand new gold Nissan Maxima. “I’m trying to get you to open your eyes.”
He turned in the passenger’s seat. “You ran that stop sign.”
“Stay on the subject.” Lisa steered with both hands. “I don’t like Rayne and I don’t trust her. Why are you refusing to see what I see? Even Guy told you something was up.”
“It’s not a crime she asked Guy about me. There’s nothing wrong with being curious.”
“God, I don’t believe this.” Lisa bounced. “How come you didn’t tell me you made her lunch?”
He spoke through clenched teeth, “Because I knew you’d be upset.”
“You damn right I am. Why are you inviting this woman into our lives?”
“Fine.” He gripped the door handle. “I won’t invite Rayne out anywhere else. Can we drop this? I thought I was doing something nice, but it’s turned into a big mess.”
“She’s different when I’m alone with her. She’s not the sweet little angel you see.”
“I don’t get that vibe from Rayne.”
She rolled her eyes, making a left. “And what vibe do you get?”
“That she’s lonely.”
Lisa looked at him.
“She has no one in her life.” He adjusted his seatbelt. “I know how important it is to have people who care about you. Be honest.” He held his thumb and index finger together. “Aren’t you a little jealous? Would you be so upset if Rayne wasn’t attractive?”
Lisa pouted. “Okay that might have a little something to do with it, but she’s up to something.”
“I love you.” He put his arm around the back of her seat. “Trust me there’s nothing Rayne has that I want. If it upsets you so much then I’ll keep Rayne out of our personal life.”
She rubbed his cheek. “Thank you.”
“Now hurry up and get to my place.” Jake pulled his arm back, smirking. “My bed needs a little warming up.”
****
The Next Day
“Hello, Dee.” Sylvia, Grayson Paul’s housekeeper, greeted Dee and Winston at Grayson’s door the next morning. “How are you?”
“I’m fine.” Dee tried to swallow despite the knot in her throat. “Sylvia, you remember Detective Winston Lewis.”
“Hello, Detective.”
Winston smiled. “It’s nice to see you, Sylvia.”
“I would ask if Mr. Paul is expecting you but it wouldn’t matter.” Sylvia’s rosy cheeks spread as she smiled. “I’m sure he’ll be glad you came either way. Come in.”
“Thanks.” Dee walked in, hit by Grayson’s cologne. It was so powerful it lingered in a room for hours after he left. “Where’s Grayson?”
“He’s in the living room.” Sylvia pointed down the hall. “Would you like me to announce you?”
Dee smiled. “No, it’s fine.”
Sylvia nodded. “Can I get you anything to eat or drink?”
“We’re here on police business.” Dee tugged on her gun belt.
“I see.” Sylvia’s smile dissolved. “Just call if you need anything.”
“Come on, Winston.” Dee took off through the hall and entered Grayson’s giant living room with wood-panel walls and more books than a library.
Forty-six-year-old Grayson Paul sat at his computer with his back to the doorway. The overhead light cascaded against his pale skin. He put on his reading glasses, drawing attention to the gray streaks that invaded his jet-black hair.
Dee cleared her throat. “Hello, Grayson.”
He turned around so fast he nearly fell off the swivel chair. “Dee.” He snatched his reading glasses off and for a moment, she got lost in the luster of his almond-brown eyes. “I’m shocked to see you.”
She tightened up.
“You’ve been ignoring me for a month and now you’re here?” His thick goatee wiggled when he spoke, “Should I be grateful or cautious?” He glanced at Winston. “What is he doing here?”
“Don’t start,” Dee said. “Winston’s here for me.”
“I bet he is.” Grayson laid his glasses next to the computer. “You’re the designated shoulder-to-cry on aren’t you, Lewis?”
“This isn’t about me.” Winston’s voice sounded deeper than usual.
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Grayson inched toward them with his chin jutted. “It’s always been about you.”
“Grayson,” Dee said. “We didn’t come here for trouble.”
“Then why’d you bring him?” He pointed to Winston with his nose in the air. “I told you the last time you came to stay off my property, Lewis.”
“I’ve never done anything to you yet you treat me like shit every time we meet,” Winston said. “Don’t blame me for Dee breaking it off.”
Dee touched his chest. “Winston, please.”
“No, he has no right to be rude to me.”
“I have every right because from what I hear this is a pattern of yours.” Grayson huffed. “You like women who are a challenge. Women who are taken.”
Winston breathed through his nose. “You don’t know a damn thing about me.”
“So what, huh? She dumps me and you don’t waste time slipping right on in?”
“Grayson, stop it.” Dee swung her hand at him. “What I came for is way more important than—”
“Is that it, Detective?” Grayson got in Winston’s face. “What? Got bored chasing after Lisa so now you want my woman?”
“She’s your woman?” Winston scoffed. “I don’t see a sign on her. Dee, turn around and let me see if you have ‘Grayson’s woman’ written on your back.”
“Just stop it both of you.”
“First you try to steal Lisa from Jake now you’re trying to steal Dee?”
“Okay enough of this.” Winston backed up. “We’re not gonna get anywhere with me here. I’ll wait in the car.” He left the room.
“Don’t run,” Grayson yelled from the living room doorway. “It’s the truth. We know how you operate!”
“Go to hell,” Winston shouted from down the hall followed by the front door slamming.
“What’s gotten into you, Grayson? Why are you acting like this?”
“It shouldn’t be a surprise.” He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. “Why would you bring him into my house? The man who ruined our relationship?”
“For the last damn time I didn’t break it off because of Winston.”
Grayson sat in front of his computer. “Am I supposed to believe you don’t miss me?” He raised his eyebrows. “We were together for five months. That’s more than some marriages last these days.”
“You know I cared about you.”
“You still care.”
“Don’t do this.” She walked to the bookshelf. “Don’t manipulate me. I’m not a character in your books.”
He rotated his chair to where he faced her. “If you felt nothing then you wouldn’t be trying so hard to avoid me.”
“I didn’t come here for this.”
“Winston,” he grumbled. “Are you together now?”
“No!” She stomped toward him. “This isn’t about Winston for the last time. Blame me for us not working out, okay? I shouldn’t have gotten involved with you.”
His shoulders drooped. “You don’t believe that.”
“Grayson, I was in love with Winston when I met you. I told you that, but you pursued me.”
“Don’t act like it was one-sided.” He shook his finger at her. “No one forced you into anything.”
“I’m not saying you did.” She walked toward the coffee table.
Three fat notepads and a pile of writings on computer paper littered the table.
“Are you writing a new book?” She picked up the first page of the manuscript.
“Yeah,” he said in a dry voice. “I started last week. It’s the first time since we split I felt like writing.”
Dee nodded and set the page back on the stack. “From the first paragraph I’m already hooked.” She chuckled. “You’re still my favorite writer. That’ll never change.”
“I love you so much, Deidra.”
She exhaled, crossing her arms.
“I’ve been miserable without you. I have no desire for anything.”
“But, you’re writing at least.” She walked from the table. “Once you get further into your book, you’ll forget about me.”
“Never.” He jumped up, startling her. “I’ll never forget you, Dee. I wanna spend my entire life with you.”
“This was a mistake.” She walked toward the doorway. “I should’ve called instead.”
“Wait.” He grabbed her.
“Grayson.”
“Be honest with me, damn it.” He shook her. “Tell me you feel nothing for me. That all your love is gone in a month.” He pressed his forehead against hers. “What about those moments we shared?”
“Grayson.”
“What about making love? Dee, you said it was the best sex you’d ever had.”
“It was.”
“You wanna throw that away?”
“It wasn’t fair to you.” She pulled away from him. “I was with you to get my mind off Winston. Maybe even to make him jealous.”
“We were real.” He stood back. “You can lie to yourself but not to me.”
“Can we please get to why I’m here?”
“Tell me.” He moved closer. “Is there anything I can do for you to give me another chance?”
She shook her head.
He stood erect, peering at her with his head in the air. “What do you want?”
“Have you heard of the website Find Your Fantasy?”
His eyebrows crinkled. “Is that a porn site?”
“It’s a site where women post sexually explicit profiles to attract sexual partners. Women post and men respond.”
“Okay?” His eyes watched as if to encourage her to keep talking.
She mumbled, “I have a profile on there.”
He leaned forward, holding his waist. “Excuse me?”
She swallowed her shame and looked him in the eyes. “Someone put a fake profile of me on the site with my address and cell number.”
“What?”
“There are tons of pictures with me engaging in sexual acts with various men, but the photos are fake. Someone pasted my head on these photos.”
“What the...?” Grayson paced, rubbing the side of his neck. “This is insane. Your real address and number is on this site? Who knows how many creeps hang out there.”
“I’ve already met a few fans it seems like.”
“Has someone been bothering you? I’ll kill anyone who hurts you.”
“I’ve been getting prank calls and a man in the grocery store was acting odd, and I realized it was because of this site.”
“Jesus.” Grayson touched his mouth. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. This is awful.”
“That’s all you can say?” She rocked on her heels.
He squinted then scoffed. “You don’t think that I’d do something like this would you?”
“I hope not.”
“Dee.” He swung his arm. “Are you serious? I’d never do anything like this to anyone.”
“I had to ask. You’ve heard of revenge porn, right?”
“Give me a break, lady. As if, I have nothing better to do than to falsify photos. What would be the point? I’m trying to get you back Dee not make you hate me.”
“Winston thought—”
“Oh here we go.” He clapped, mocking her. “Winston? Yeah. Of course he’s gonna put it on me.” He plopped in his chair. “How could you entertain something so ridiculous?”
“You swear you didn’t make that profile?”
He put on his glasses and turned his back to her. “Goodbye, Detective Quarter.”