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“I missed you last night.” Winston held Dee from behind, munching the back of her neck in the police station lounge the next morning.
“Stop.” She giggled as she got a soda from the machine. “We can’t do this here.”
He grabbed her breast as she turned around. “I’m not doing nothing.”
“We can’t be kissing and stuff like this here.” She squirmed, checking the doorway. “We gotta be professional.”
“How can I be professional when you’re so goddamn beautiful?” He kissed the tip of her nose, the hair on his chin tickling.
A group of detectives entered the lounge and headed to the icebox.
“Chill, okay?” Dee patted Winston’s hard chest, which did nothing to stop the sensation between her legs. “We’ll pick up where we left off after work.”
He did a lazy nod. “So, where did you go last night? I called and you never answered.”
“Umm. I was out.” She opened the soda, watching officers leave the lounge. “Had something personal to take care of.”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, no.” She sipped the tingling drink. “It was about Dad. Eh, funeral home stuff.”
“How come you didn’t call me back?”
“Sorry, I was tired when I got in.” She chuckled. “You keeping tabs on me now?”
“No.” He turned, watching as she walked to the table. “Just curious that’s all.”
“I told you where I was.” She sipped with her hand propped on her waist. “You don’t have to be curious anymore.”
“It’s just that you tell me everything.” He sauntered toward her, hands locked. “I wanna make sure everything is okay.”
“Everything’s fine.”
Connie walked in, fixing her gun in her holster. “Morning.”
“Morning, Connie.” Winston smiled, semi-waving.
“Dee.”
“Connie.” Dee gestured with her can. “Ready to start the day? Let’s find out what happened to Miss Autumn.”
“Can I speak to you first?” Connie tilted her head in Winston’s direction. “In private?”
“Whoa.” Winston took steps back, eyebrows raised. “I can take a hint. Though that wasn’t much of one.”
Dee smiled as he left. “What’s up, Connie?”
“I don’t want you getting the wrong idea about how I came to you yesterday at Jonathan’s.”
“I didn’t appreciate it.” Dee rocked. “You were accusing me of—”
“I wasn’t accusing you I was looking out for you. That’s what partners do.”
“Connie.” Dee touched her shoulder. “I don’t need a bodyguard where Jonathan is concerned. He’s not getting to me.”
“The way you were looking at him—”
“Girl, what are you talking about?”
“Level with me. Not as cops but as women. Are you attracted to Jonathan at all?”
“I have the best man in the world. Why would I fuck with that?”
“Because sometimes a woman can get sucked into something, even if she knows it’s wrong.” The light vanished from Connie’s eyes.
“You speak from experience?”
“Keep what I’m about to say between us.”
Dee laughed. “The Queen of Gossip wants me to keep her secrets?”
Connie glared at her.
“All right.”
Connie moved closer as officers meandered in and out the lounge. “I know how it feels to be caught in something before you realize it.”
Dee crossed her arms, exhaling.
“Long story short, I met a man that shook up my whole world from the moment we met. Only problem was, I was married.”
“You were married?”
“Eight years ago for about two years.” Connie lifted her head, the light returning to her eyes. “I loved my husband Percy more than anything, and he made me so happy.”
“What happened?”
“Another man happened.” Connie scratched her neck underneath her hair. “Even though I loved Percy and swore I’d never hurt him, I couldn’t stop my feelings for Abel.”
“Abel?”
“A man I met during an investigation when I worked at the other precinct. I’d just become detective and on my first case. The relationship started just like you and Jonathan.”
“There is no me and Jonathan—”
“That’s what I said about Abel.” Connie dragged her finger across the tabletop. “I kept telling him and myself nothing would ever happen, but I had this desire to be near him. That craving outweighed my love for Percy and before long, Abel and I were having an affair.”
“That won’t happen to me—”
“It can happen to anyone.” Connie winced. “Look at Lisa and Winston. She loves Jake more than anything but Winston still tempted her. Winston and Lisa never acted on those feelings but it’s the same thing.”
“I love Winston.”
“And, I loved Percy and Lisa loves Jake but it didn’t stop either of us from being attracted to other men. I’m trying to save you, Dee. This kind of thing hits you before you realize it.” Connie stepped back, squinting. “I hope it’s not too late.”
Dee’s cell phone rang.
She got it from her pocket and checked the number but didn’t recognize it. “Hello?”
“Detective Quarter, it’s Nelda North.”
“Nelda.”
Connie jumped at attention.
“What can I do for you?” Dee asked.
“I got a call from Suzanne, the woman who lives next door to Autumn’s place. She says Grayson Paul was just there, and he looked suspicious.”
“Why would Grayson be at Autumn’s?” Dee asked Nelda.
Connie lunged forward. “What?”
“I don’t know,” Nelda said. “But, I have a funny feeling about it.”
****
An hour later, Dee and Connie returned to the station after questioning Grayson. While Connie rested at her desk, Dee found Winston in the lounge.
“Hey.” He smacked on a spoonful of melted butter pecan ice cream. “How’s my ebony queen?”
“That looks good.” Dee leaned on the table to kiss him but he rewarded her with a helping of ice cream instead. “Hm. I needed something pleasurable right now.”
“What happened with Grayson?”
She sat across from him at the table. “He denied being at Autumn’s place despite the neighbor saying he was there.” She sighed, rubbing her cheek. “He lawyered up. Not the actions of an innocent man.”
“Innocent people lawyer up all the time.” Winston chewed, stirring ice cream. “What? Surely you don’t think he killed Autumn.”
“He was a suspect in his ex-wife’s murder, remember? The case I solved.”
“And, he was innocent.”
“Never thought I’d hear you taking up for Grayson.”
“I’m surprised you’d throw him down the river so fast. You dated this man.”
“He’s changed, Winston.” She blinked. “He’s always had a temper, but it’s gotten worse since we broke up.”
“That doesn’t mean he killed anyone.”
“Why are you defending him?”
“Because, it makes me wonder if you’d support me when the going gets tough.”
“How can you say that?” Her shoulders sagged. “I support you in every damn thing you do.”
“Jonathan might’ve done it. That would make more sense. No telling what they do in that cult. As much as I can’t stand Grayson, he’s not a killer.” He chuckled. “He just writes about them.”
“Then why was he snooping around Autumn’s place?” She scratched around the stud in her ear. “Why did he hide how upset he was when she dumped him? Why did he lawyer up? It makes little sense, Winston.”
“How about we give this conversation a rest? Given anymore thought to seeing a therapist? Dr. Guzman—”
“Stop.” She grabbed his hand. “I need you, not therapy.”
He sucked ice cream from the spoon, reminding her how his lips could make her orgasm with just a kiss.
“How about we go out Friday night?” she asked. “On me. Let me treat my man.”
“I love the sound of that.” He reached over and kissed her. “I love you, Dee.”
She put her arms around his shoulders, not caring who saw them.