Chase (29 page)

And he won’t even switch his lawyer.

When I reach the Lautner Wolfe building I’m surprised to see only a small group of people in the lobby. Darnley looks up from their midst and for a second our eyes meet and lock.

As he walks over I feel a surge of excitement that has nothing to do with law. And the answering glint in his eyes hints he has plenty to say but nowhere to say it. ‘Ella. At last. How’re you feeling?’

I gaze up at him, my heart thumping. ‘Me? I’m fine. What’s happened?’

His low murmur sends a tiny thrill through me. Even here, I can almost feel that spark crackle between us.

‘It’s all over.’

Over his shoulder I recognise the others
.
Joel’s beaming face could light a shop window as he talks excitedly with Lola Forman. And a few seconds later, I see the very last person I expected to see here –
Aaron
.

Darnley lowers his voice. ‘Who’d have thought? At the last minute Dad made a phone call. Told them the firm had stuff on Kraik going back years, complaints from parents, teachers, studio people about bullying, taking jokes too far, scaring kids witless. They left no doubt about Kraik’s mean streak. He warned them off. Said if they tried to push this he’d blow them sky-high. They’ve agreed to settle.’

‘So – they won’t need your statement?’ This, I’m sure, is his worst fear – that the family will be exposed. But if the whole thing stays under wraps …

‘Nope. Lola Forman and her boy are in line for a public apology and a big payout and the Kraik people are advised to seek out all past victims and offer compensation.’

At that moment Aaron hails me. ‘Hello again, young lady. Darnley? Mind if I have a word with your girl?’ He leads me aside and puts his arm round my shoulders.

‘After you left I had a word with Lydia and we both agreed. She said you were a real help to her back there in the hospital. And she’s still upset about Darnley. She says we owe you.’

‘With respect, sir, it’s Darnley you owe,’ I say quietly. ‘He’s just trying to protect somebody. Like he’s always tried to protect Eldon. That’s why he never said anything.’

He stares at me, genuinely shocked. ‘He was? Well, I’ll be damned.’ He glances across at his son and all at once I see his face soften.

‘Know what? That sure is something. Wait till I tell Lydia.’

When we rejoin the others
he claps Darnley on the back. ‘Let me tell you something. Know what makes our family great? It’s the Wolfe women. This little lady, Lydia – even Savoy, bless her, back in the day – tough cookies, all of ’em. Say what you like, we got great taste in women. Glad to help out, son. Now I’m off to lunch with some of my old buddies here. See you around.’

Finally we talk to Joel, still flanked by his two clients. Wayne looks solemn in his best leather jacket and sneakers, his hair carefully brushed. His mom looks tired and drawn, the strain of the past few weeks sharply etched in her face.

She’s ditched the pink fake-fur and risen to the occasion in a dark coat and leather boots. Her new dignity is touching.

She smiles at me and holds out her hand. ‘I sure wanna thank you, Mz Dean. I told ’em straight, that man done evil. But you done real good. My boy Luther’s famous now. An’ ain’t nobody gonna call him a liar never again.’

‘I’m so pleased for you. But it had very little to do with me, Ms Forman, truly.’ I release her hand.

All at once I feel a warning touch on my arm. Darnley’s behind me, silent and watchful.

Her worn face softens as she looks him up and down. ‘You got your minder here again? Sure is sump’n, ain’t he? Now I got some money comin’ I might even git one. If she ever fires you, young man, you come work for me. I sure could use a fine-lookin’ guy like you aroun’ the place.’

Darnley lowers his eyelids and gives her a barely perceptible nod. ‘Ma’am.’

She looks pleased as the pair head for the elevator. Darnley sees them off, talking low.

Joel hangs back, his earnest face still shiny with relief from this entirely unexpected get-out. He lowers his voice. ‘Know what? These past few days, Aaron’s stayed late every night. Worked non-stop. Pulled in a whole bunch of favours to keep this quiet.’ He gestures around him and lowers his voice to a whisper. ‘And after all that, whaddya know? He wipes it off the slate with one phone call.’

He breaks off as Darnley comes back and holds out his hand, cheeks glowing. ‘Anything else I can ever help you with, sir, it’ll be a pleasure.’

Darnley grins as he shakes his hand. ‘Doubt I’ll be able to afford you. If news of this ever gets out your fees will hit the roof.’

Somehow Joel manages to look pompous and pleased both at once. ‘It won’t get out, sir, I can assure you of that,’ he says solemnly. ‘And fees won’t ever be a problem, sir, not for you. Never for you. Dodie would never allow it.’

He gives me a broad wink. ‘She’s a Wolfe woman too, y’know.’

At last we’re heading home. I have a lot of questions, but so has he. For some of his questions I don’t have answers. For others I’d sooner not give them.

What shall I do about Freda’s revelations? Darnley’s been weighed down by guilt most of his life. Now I’m closer to the truth I feel weighed down by his innocence.

He’s not a killer, never was. But how can I tell him this? I feel Freda may have a point. It may be safest for him to reach it by himself – but how?

And now, just as we’re back on track, we face a new threat. He’ll be going away. He can’t say when, where or for how long. Fate seems too cruel.

He’s watching me. I sense he’s been watching me for some time.

‘What was all that about?
Wolfe women?
’ He eyes me suspiciously.

I manage a breezy smile. ‘No idea. Maybe your father’s big moment went to his head.’ Out of sight I cross my fingers. If Darnley ever finds out I went to see Aaron I’ll never hear the end of it.

But he’s not done. ‘But why did he come? I don’t get it.’

‘You asked him for help, so he changed his mind. That’s so hard?’

Darnley frowns. ‘For him? Yes, it is. Virtually unknown. When I saw him he near as dammit told me to get lost. What got into him?’

I stroke his hand. ‘He’s your father, Darnley. Maybe he loves you more than you think.’ I smile. ‘And maybe it’s news to you, but people
do
change their mind. Even people called Wolfe.’

He folds my hand in his and we drive the rest of the way in silence

Indoors I wander into the sitting room while he disappears to summon lunch. When he gets back he opens champagne and we sit by the fire and sip until his look darkens and he says we’ll eat upstairs.

I’m guessing he’ll want to discuss the legal stuff somewhere private.

I guess wrong.

In his room I stand very still.

The first thing I hear is the click of the lock behind me. The next is his soft laugh as he leads me in for a closer look. I feel his hand on my arm, his thumb moving gently on my skin, setting up a strange sense of urgency all its own as I drink in the scene.

The drapes are drawn, the lights masked in scarlet gauze. On the floor is a vast purple sheet laid out with small plates and bowls of food, snacks, titbits, and sauces. There’s a wine cooler with champagne, a stack of glasses, and bowls of fruit.

We’re having a feast.

It’s getting dark now. The nights close in early this late in the year. Our evening’s started already.

I dart him a look. ‘What’s all this?’

His eyes glitter in the dim lighting. Something about his stillness, as much as the elaborate late lunch laid out for us in the haven of his room, makes me shiver. ‘Wolfe Time. We’re still celebrating. You yesterday, me now.’

I melt into his arms and wind my arms round his neck. ‘You shouldn’t have to organise your own treats.’

He grins, kissing my neck with soft, light touches of his lips that send tiny shivers all through me. ‘Why not? I always organise my own treats. That way I know I’ll enjoy them.’

‘But you know what’s coming. And I don’t.’

His eyes narrow. ‘I know. That’s what makes it fun.’

I glance round, puzzled. ‘Wait. No plates?’

‘Nope. We’ll have to get creative.’

First he peels off my clothes. It takes a while as he lingers over each layer to kiss me and fondle me, tweaking my lingerie until I’m burning up with impatience. Soon I’m laughing in protest while he’s growing ever more stern, his touch warm, deliberate and very arousing.

When I’m fully naked he turns me round to admire the goods and makes me do the same to him. Our skin gleams softly in the dim, lurid glow. Arousal fizzes almost as fiercely as the fresh champagne when we chink glasses. Its sparkle makes me light-headed and instantly horny.

I quail at the sight of his growing erection, tall and hard against the bronze skin of his taut abdomen. Down below I feel myself pool, primed for a pleasure that may elude me a while if his amused, sardonic look is any sign.

Now he makes me kneel amongst the dishes of food and he ladles snacks and nibbles onto my breasts and stoops to lick them off, hauling one mayo-laden breast into his mouth and licking smears of sauce from the other, while under his hot, wet tongue I shiver and shriek with excitement.

Every so often I get to eat too. He obligingly leans back while I smear a tangy syrup onto his thigh and consume it with long, eager sweeps of my tongue. He enjoys this so much I get bolder, planting olives in his folds and daring him to hold still while I search them out with my tongue-tip and my teeth.

Lunch takes a while.

Later we bathe. I fill the tub, heady now, tipping in foam and scented oils at random. When I call him in, the dishes in the room beyond are stacked neatly on the trolley and the purple sheet is rolled up for the laundry.

We finish in the bath, him lying back and me lounging in his arms. He smears me with gel and massages it off and I swivel in his arms and do the same to him. We fuse in long kisses and pull away with soft, lingering touches of our tongues. Soon he simply lies back and I lower myself onto his column and we join lips again.

I wind my arms round his neck and he holds me tight at the waist, below the water line, and we move to completion in the warm, scented water with slow, tiny movements that bear little relation to the final eruption of pleasure when we come together.

As water surges over the sides we burst out laughing and when we finally collapse on the bed, cocooned in towels, we’re warm, clean and spent.

‘We’re going out later.’

‘Mm?’ I lie along him, sleepy as I nestle on his chest.

‘Now tell me what’s going on. Why did my father turn up today? And what were you talking about?’

I swallow. ‘Lydia, mostly. And you.’

‘Me? Why?’ His scowl is so fierce I smile.

I kiss his jaw. ‘Why do you think? Because you’re my favourite topic.’ To my relief he drops the subject. He even looks pleased.

Later we hit the nightspots
,
arriving in style. The chauffeur and the bling alone would do it for me but Darnley’s calm arrogance instantly sends the maître d’ scuttling in a panic to show us our table. We lean close as we chink glasses and sip and talk idly about Eldon and Billy.

‘Do you think he’s OK now? He can get wild, to put it mildly.’ I vividly recall my first meeting with Eldon, when I genuinely thought he meant me harm. It was a scary moment. ‘Do you think Billy’s calmed him down?’

His expression softens and he runs his finger over the back of my hand, making me shiver. ‘Looks like it. He’s a good kid underneath. She’s good for him.’

As our eyes lock I sense a new intensity in his look, something dark and carnal. Ignoring the waiter he lifts my hand to his lips and brushes my fingers with a light kiss, and then folds my hand in his, his fingers moving gently over my inner wrist.

As the waiter refills our glasses the lights dim for a slow number. Darnley leads me onto the floor and pulls me into his arms, breathing into my hair as I put my hand in his. But it’s not my hand he’s after. His finger runs lightly round the tight line of the flashing bracelet, circling the hard little mound of my wristbone with a slow intensity that makes me shiver.

I glance up at him from under my eyelashes as we move together, perfectly in sync. All at once it becomes an effort to keep the proper distance like we should in this public place. I feel an overwhelming urge to press against him and grind into his hips.

As we dance close I murmur into his ear. ‘It’s like we’re alone.’

I feel his breath on my hair. ‘You’d know it if we were. You’d be on your back. Naked.’ His eyes glimmer as he pulls away. ‘Time to go.’

When we get in he takes my hand and leads me upstairs, the gleam in his eyes both a promise and a warning not to shock the maids. Luckily the house stays quiet and we keep calm long enough to slam the bedroom door and fall against it.

We tear at each other’s clothes, mine peeling away quickly under his skilled, impatient fingers, his taking longer in my haste. The sight of him, his skin gleaming, his classical erection jutting between us, mine for the tasting, acts on me like wine. I stoop to salute him with a kiss and he seizes my chin and forces me to look up.

‘Later,’ he says softly.

The need in his eyes tugs at me, making me shiver as I straighten up and flow into his arms. I kiss him full on the mouth, slipping my arms around his neck. With a sigh of satisfaction he slides his hands down my flanks, watching my excitement build as his light caresses grow firmer. Soon he’s kneading my breasts and stroking the soft contours of my rear end, all the while holding my gaze, flexing his will.

‘Spread for me.’

Obediently I part my thighs, nervous at first at the wave of energy I feel flowing from him as I do it. With a glimmer of satisfaction he grabs my wrists and plants my hands way over my head, spreading them wide against the door.

‘
Ow
. You’re hurting,’ I whisper.

He eases his grip a fraction, but his mouth falls on mine and all at once I’m impaled by his hungry kiss, his tongue commanding my surrender in a fusion so sweet I barely breathe. And at the same moment I feel his erection, hard, hot and twitching between us. The powerhouse jutting into my belly shifts and surges right up inside and now I’m doubly impaled, his mouth softer, still urgent, his cock hot and hard, plunging and merciless.