Brooke came to her front door in a plush pink bathrobe. Her hair was down, looking tousled, but she was as gorgeous as ever. Alex wondered what she had on underneath that robe. Was she interrupting another photo shoot?
“Hey, there.” Brooke offered a bright smile that was definitely camera-ready. “This is a nice surprise. Everything okay?”
Alex didn’t do pop-ins at Brooke’s, so the question made sense.
“Yes, everything’s fine … but do you have a minute to talk?”
“Of course.” Brooke motioned Alex into her spacious home.
Alex had been inside Brooke’s house on several occasions, but it was always a bit painful to see how the childless widow lived, especially when Alex had just come from visiting the overabundance of crap collecting dust in her basement.
The real problem was that Brooke had impeccable taste—a decorator’s eye, or at least the budget to afford a high-quality professional. Every room had a functional feel, but the interplay of materials, shapes, patterns, and textures produced a visual wow factor almost as enviable as Brooke’s curves.
Pictures of Brooke and Jerry traveling the globe on their seemingly nonstop honeymoon adorned the walls, along with fine art pieces that might have been purchased at Sotheby’s. Some of the pictures included Emily and Ken, who often vacationed with Brooke and Jerry.
Ken and Jerry’s friendship had dated back to their childhood and was almost as close as the bond Alex shared with her sister. The good vibrations between the husbands never quite extended to the wives. Alex wondered if the distance between them had something to do with Brooke’s aloof nature or Emily’s tendency toward jealousy. Probably a mix of the two, she guessed.
It was hard to imagine Brooke having done anything harmful to Jerry, let alone tossing him off a cruise ship, especially after seeing the way he was enshrined in her home. But the rumors were pervasive, and arsonists loved watching their own fires. Alex wondered just how honest Brooke had been at girls’ night.
She pushed those thoughts aside. Having already jumped to conclusions about Nick, Alex didn’t need to make that mistake again.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Brooke asked when they reached the spacious airy kitchen that had probably never seen a spaghetti sauce spill. “Maybe some wine?”
“Love some, thank you,” said Alex. Sure, she’d made a promise to Nick, but it was only to cut back on drinking, not stop entirely. So she didn’t see a problem with it.
Brooke poured them two glasses.
“So, what’s up?” asked Brooke. “You sure everything’s okay? You look worried about something.”
Alex didn’t mince words. “I know about your side business on some adult website,” she began. “It’s a long story how I found out, but Nick ended up with a photo of yours that Ken sent him. I’m not judging—honestly, I’m not—but I thought you should know, given your stalker situation and our gossipy neighborhood, that this is circulating around the street, maybe closer to your home than you intended.”
If Alex’s disclosure distressed her at all, none of it registered on Brooke’s face. She sipped her wine, nonchalant, as if Alex were talking about the weather.
“Is that all this is about? Goodness, Alex, you had me worried.” A twinkle danced in Brooke’s dark brown eyes, conveying that the concern was appreciated but quite unnecessary. “You’re sweet to care. I love it. But don’t worry about me, not even a little. I wouldn’t be putting my pictures out there if I didn’t want people looking at them. I’m just pissed that Ken shared some. I don’t get any money that way.”
Alex felt more than a little protective of Emily, who most certainly would not approve of her husband ogling their neighbor and former travel companion.
“I’m not going to tell my sister about Ken using the site, but you heard her at girls’ night. She wants to hire a PI. So it may come back around, and I wanted to give you a heads-up in case there’s some blowback,” Alex said. She could only imagine Emily’s reaction if she found out—somewhere between distraught and enraged.
Brooke waved away any concern. “I’m not worried, and honestly that’s between Emily and Ken. I’m not responsible for what any of my fans do.”
“I get it,” said Alex. “But I’m still worried how Emily will react.”
“She’s a big girl,” said Brooke. “Trust me, she’ll handle it fine. I’ll just remind her it’s business, not personal.”
Alex didn’t disagree, but now she wondered how lucrative Brooke’s side gig really was. Down went more wine. Brooke was quick with a refill. Alex reminded herself to start cutting back tomorrow.
“Out of curiosity,” said Alex with some trepidation, “how did you get into this line of work? It’s a bit—um—unconventional.”
Brooke’s mouth ticked up ever so slightly. “So is stripping,” she said, her smile broadening.
“Fair point,” said Alex. “But you told us that was a long time ago.”
“And it was,” said Brooke. “Honestly, I’m a happily clothed marketer in my day job. But I came across a news report about OnlyFans, and I couldn’t believe how much people were making—enough so it’s become a full-time job for a lot of the models. I checked out the site and thought, Well, I should get in on the action.”
“And … are you doing well?” Alex asked.
“Better than you’d ever believe,” said Brooke. “Say, if you want in, I can show you how to do it. I set up a photo studio in Jerry’s old office and I hire a photographer whenever I need. It’s easy to do, and you’ll rake in the cash. It’s certainly more fun than listening to people’s marital problems all day.”
“Me? A nude model?” Alex blushed.
“Underwear works, too, or a bathing suit. Heck, you could wear jeans and a turtleneck, but don’t expect big checks for that.”
Brooke chuckled, but Alex didn’t join in. She was still thinking about the work.
“I don’t think people would pay money to look at me in any clothing, skimpy or not,” she said.
Brooke pooh-poohed Alex’s self-deprecation. “Come on now. You’re utterly gorgeous, you have a great figure, and Nick knows how lucky he is to have you.” Brooke put the wineglass to her lips and drank. “Not so sure we can say the same about Ken and Emily.”
“What do you mean by that? Do you know something I should know? More than Ken having your pictures, I mean.”
A flurry of questions came to Alex. Was there something more between Ken and Brooke? Had Brooke seen something between Ken and Mandy?
Before she had a chance to inquire further, Brooke’s cell phone vibrated on the kitchen counter with an incoming message. A glance at the display put a dark look on Brooke’s face. “It seems we are not alone,” she announced.
“What does that mean?” asked Alex.
Brooke showed her the message.
Who’s in the house with you?
Alex’s blood iced over. Spinning to face a bank of tall picture windows, she looked into an impenetrable darkness beyond.
“Is that … is it…?” She couldn’t manage the rest.
“Yes and yes,” said Brooke without fright. “My stalker.”
“Oh my god,” Alex breathed, leaping off her stool. “He’s here. Outside? Brooke, we need to call the police.”
Brooke barely reacted. “I’m used to this by now. I told you. He’s harmless.”
While Brooke sounded confident, Alex wasn’t buying it. “How can you be so sure? He’s watching us. Right now!”
Alex’s heart rammed up into her throat. Her legs felt unsteady beneath her. How close was he? Was he right outside the window? Shock and fear rode through Alex like waves of electric current.
“If it makes you feel any safer, I’ll walk you home. This isn’t the first time he’s been in our neighborhood, and it won’t be the last. He only cares about me. Nobody else matters to him. He’s obsessed with me, for whatever reason.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable with you walking yourself home alone. I’ll have Nick come get me.”
“Whatever makes you feel most comfortable,” Brooke said. “But you’ve nothing to worry about. I’ve been dealing with this creep for a while now. He’s like all the men in my life these days. He can look, but he cannot touch.”