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WINSTON SAT IN DEE’S living room, checking out the link she’d showed him. “I Wanna Be Your Slut dot com?” He made a face as if he’d inhaled rotten eggs. “Armando could be working with someone.”
Dee pushed her hair behind her ears. “I don’t think Armando’s involved at all.”
He shrugged with his lips poked out. “It has to be Grayson.”
“I told you Grayson wouldn’t do something like this.” She sat on the coffee table.
“Well, who else could it be?” He gawked at her. “Did you get a look at the guy you were chasing?”
“No, but he drives a maroon Mazda with a Baltimore Ravens sticker in the back window. I couldn’t read the license plate number to save my life.”
Winston stood and passed her the phone. “Our best bet is to ask folks in the neighborhood and see if they saw anything.”
“My neighbor told me everything she saw.” When Dee stretched, her boob slipped out her gown. “Lord.”
Winston’s mouth dropped.
She held her robe closed. “I forgot I had my nightgown on.”
His eyebrows rose. “I didn’t.”
“The caller’s voice was distorted. Sounded like he was speaking into something to cover it up or using a voice app maybe.”
“This is wearing me out.” Winston moved to the couch. “I can imagine how you feel. Just when you think it’s over—”
“I won’t stop until I catch his ass.” She lay her phone on the table.
He snickered then guffawed.
“What’s so funny?”
“You running out of here in your gown with your gun.” He patted his stomach. “That’s crazy, Dee.”
“What was I supposed to do?” She batted her eyes. “Let him get away? I hope he comes back because I’ll be ready for him.”
“Full of surprises, aren’t you?”
She shivered as he looked at her. “Do you like surprises?”
His mouth rose in one corner. “What man doesn’t?”
“I spoke to Lisa tonight. She asked me what’s going on between us.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” He rolled his eyes. “What did you say?”
“That we were friends, but I’m not sure what’s going on either. Do you like me, Winston?”
“No.” He winked. “I come over here because I got nothing better to do.”
“You know what I mean.” She crossed her legs, straightening her robe. “Is it just friendship?”
“Don’t know.” He rubbed his thigh. “You’re different from the women I usually go after. But, to be honest more than friendly feelings toward you have been happening for a while.”
“Really?”
He held a pillow to him, wincing. “When you were with Grayson, I’d get a little jealous.”
“For real?”
“I liked the attention you gave me, and when you started seeing him that stopped. But, I knew you cared about me. At first I thought you wanted me because I wanted Lisa.”
“You should know I’m in love with you, Winston,” she said in a faint voice. “I’m woman enough to admit it. How do you feel about me?”
“I’m confused.” He shrugged, exhaling. “I still have feelings for Lisa.”
“So what makes you confused?” She held her breath, awaiting his response.
“Because I’m having feelings for you too.” His eyes met hers. “And I didn’t expect to.”
“What are we doing? You say we’re friends but when you brought me home after the movie you looked at me like you wanted to kiss me.”
He sighed into his hands.
“That’s not something friends do, Winston. I need to know what you feel and what this is.”
“Why do women analyze everything?”
“Because women like specifics.” She snapped her fingers. “Men play too many games.”
“We play too many games?” He laughed. “Women invented every game ever played.”
“Tell me what this is.” She pulled her gown over her cleavage.
“I don’t know what it is.” He scratched his cheek. “I need to figure it out.”
“What makes you think I’ll wait?”
“Nothing.” He stuck his bottom lip out. “But I hope you’re willing to be patient.”
“That depends.” She stood, fixing the back of her robe. “Will it be worth waiting for?”
He nodded with a cunning smile. “It might.”
****
“HELLO.” JAKE OBSERVED the square-jawed guy on his porch who stood around six-foot-two.
Jake swallowed. “May I help you?”
He rubbed his smudgy knuckles, his muscles spreading beneath his dingy T-shirt. “Are you Jake Jenson?”
“Yeah.”
The man’s bright, blue eyes danced, and before Jake realized it, he slammed his huge fist into Jake’s face.
Jake’s chair flew back. “What the...?”
“You can walk a little, huh?” The man hauled Jake from the chair. “Not when I get through with you!” He punched Jake again, making his teeth vibrate. “Next time think twice about putting your hands on a woman when she doesn’t want you to.” He gripped Jake’s neck with both hands.
“Get off me!” Jake coughed, struggling to breathe.
“You stupid motherfucker.” Rage tore through the man’s face. “I’m gonna teach you a lesson you’ll never forget.”
Jake poked his thumbs into the man’s eyes.
“Ow!” The man backed up, yelping.
Jake slammed him against the wall. “What the hell is this about?”
“You know.” The man punched Jake.
“Ah!” Jake fell to the carpet on his back.
“I’m talking about Rayne.” The man stood over Jake, punching him. “You still wanna play dumb?”
“You got that covered.” Jake plunged his knee into the man’s crotch.
He held his middle, yelling like a girl.
Jake stood on shaky legs. “Get out of my house before I call the cops.”
“It’s about Rayne.” The man panted, still stooped over. “She said you attacked her.”
“What?”
“Jake?” Lisa rushed in with her gun drawn. “Hold it right there,” she ordered the man. “Get away from him.”
The man huffed and puffed.
“I said get away!” Lisa pulled the man away, holding her gun steady on him. “You make one move and you’re dead. Who is this, Jake?”
“Shit, I don’t know.” Blood trickled from the side of his mouth and his bottom lip stung from being busted. “He attacked me the minute I opened the door.”
“You attacked a handicapped man?” Lisa grimaced. “What kind of monster are you?”
The man leaned against Jake’s couch, groaning. “You call him handicapped? He damn near killed me.”
“You deserved it from what I can see,” Lisa said. “Who are you?”
“I’m Rayne Jessup’s boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend?” Lisa and Jake repeated.
“She said she didn’t have a boyfriend,” Jake said.
Lisa smacked her lips. “I told you she was a liar.”
“Don’t talk about her like that, lady.” The man glared at her. “You don’t know anything about her I’m sure.”
“That’s the problem.” Lisa lowered her gun. “No one knows the truth about her and it looks like that includes you.”
“I know Rayne better than anyone.”
Jake grabbed the man. “What did she say I did?”
“She said you made a pass at her this morning.” The man coughed. “When she was massaging you.”
“That’s insane,” Jake said. “She made a pass at me.”
“What?” Lisa asked.
“Yeah and I threw her out.” Jake wiped blood off his mouth with the back of his hand. “The minute she did it I told her she had to leave and couldn’t come back. I said I would tell the massage clinic, but she begged me not to.”
“How come you didn’t tell me this happened?”
Jake ignored Lisa, hoping the heat of the moment would deter her from wanting an answer. “I swear I’m telling the truth,” he told the man. “I didn’t come on to her.”
He shook with anger. “Rayne doesn’t lie to me.”
“Looks like she lies to everybody,” Lisa said.
Jake sat in his wheelchair. “If I assaulted her wouldn’t she have gone to the police or told the clinic? Think about why she didn’t do either.”
The man stared at the carpet. “Why would she have me come over here if it wasn’t true?”
“She’s a manipulator,” Lisa said. “Jake, do you want to press charges for assault?”
The man watched him with begging eyes.
Jake licked his busted lip. “No.”
Lisa gaped. “Are you sure?”
“Hey if I’d thought some guy had attacked you I’d do the same thing he did.” Jake clenched the armrests of his wheelchair. “He didn’t hurt me, anyway. A busted lip and a few bruises won’t kill me.”
“I don’t believe this,” the man whispered. “I gotta talk to Rayne.” He ran out the door, holding his waist.
“Hey!” Lisa stood at the door. “What’s your name? Come back here!”
“Let him go, Leece.” Jake lazily waved his hand.
She sighed, closing the door.
He grinned. “You can put the piece away now.”
She holstered her gun. “Are you all right?” She examined his face, planting kisses over it. “Did he hurt you?”
“I won’t lie.” He touched his stinging jaw. “He has one hell of a right hook.”
“Jake.” She hugged him.
“Ow.”
“That big brute.” She stroked his aching stomach. “What if you have broken ribs or something?”
“I’m fine.” He kissed her hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you Rayne came onto me, but I didn’t want you to be upset.”
“I don’t want you hiding things just because you’re afraid I’ll get mad or something.” She rubbed his cheek.
He stretched his painful lips into a restrained smile. “I owe you an apology about Rayne. Next time I’ll listen to you.”
She kissed his lips. “Glad you’ve come to your senses.”
He chuckled, wincing.
“Now let me get you cleaned up.” She grabbed the handles of his chair. “He hit my baby’s handsome face,” she said in baby talk. “I don’t like that. Just tell momma where it hurts and she’ll take care of it.”
He glanced at his crotch. “Oh, there’s one area that definitely needs your attention.”
She laughed, pushing him out the living room.