Crime (12 page)

Melanie smiled at David's admission. She gave him points for making peace with his nieces' personal choices and knew, as old fashioned as he was, he was handling things the best way he knew how. In the end, he loved Felicia and Jessica just the same as he would if they were both his biological daughters, and he was looking out for them. Melanie walked back towards the desk and retook the chair she had sat in earlier.
"Listen, David, I respect your position so I'll be honest here. Yes, I had a very personal relationship with both of your girls. When you first hired me, I was on the tail end of a very rough couple of years. I had a case blow up in my face and it landed me in the hospital. About six moths later, my parents died in a car accident and they were all the family I've ever had. I'd been drifting for quite a while, and when Felicia and I got involved, I was happy for the first time in a very long time. But she and I were never truly in love with each other and we've worked that out. Now, I consider Felicia a very dear, close friend, someone I care about very much. As for Jessica, well, she was angry that I left the way I did. I did it to give her and Felicia time to work things out, but she didn't see it that way. When I came back, I tried to work things out with her..." Melanie sighed, "Well, she just didn't see things they way I did." Melanie held her hands out, palms up, and shrugged.
David leaned a little further over his desk and looked Melanie straight in the eye. "Are you sure about that?" he asked softly.
Melanie looked at him in shock, for a minute, then lowered her eyes and sighed. "Yeah, unfortunately, I am."
David just nodded and Melanie thanked him for his time and left. David waited a few moments, giving time for Melanie to leave his office, then buzzed his secretary. "Linda, could you ask Jessica to come down here for a minute?"
He had a feeling that, where Jessica was concerned, Melanie was on the wrong track. He liked her, and suspected that his niece did as well. Loving his girls as much as he did, he thought it wouldn't hurt to give Jessica a gentle push in the right direction.
##
Melanie stood around waiting for the Chinese takeout she had just ordered and mulled over her conversation with David. She had to decide if her theory about Lonna Tassin was valid enough for her to pursue, but David's parting question kept interfering with her train of thought.
Climbing into her car, she carefully placed the bag of food on the passenger seat, and then just sat there, watching the people of New Orleans shuffle home. "Was she sure?" That had been David's question. When she answered him, she had been, but now... "Oh, hell!" she thought, twisting the key in the ignition and feeling the car come to life around her. Shifting into drive, she carefully pulled into traffic and headed towards her apartment. A picture of Jessica, smiling at her with the sun sparkling in her hair, popped into her mind, quickly followed with one of Alyshia, who was waiting for her at home. Next came Felicia. God only knows what she was in to, or how much trouble she was in if Melanie was right about Lonna using her to get revenge. A car streaked across her path and she jammed on the breaks. Swearing, she tried to clear her mind. If she didn't focus on the traffic in front of her, she won't have to worry about anything at all soon.
##
Fifteen minutes later, she strolled through her front door to find Alyshia asleep on the couch. She walked closer to the couch, the take-out bag still in her hands, and watched her sleep. She really liked Alyshia, and they were having a good time together. Maybe that was the best she was ever going to get, could ever dare to hope for. "Maybe I need to just learn to be happy with what I've got right now, instead of getting messed up over things I can't control." She decided she and Alyshia were due for another distraction, and she walked over to the kitchen to stash the Chinese food in the fridge. They could nuke it later, after Melanie woke Alyshia up, properly. A smile on her face, she walked back towards the couch.
##
Jessica had spent so much time talking with her uncle this afternoon; he had ended up rescheduling the rest of his appointments. She appreciated the fact that he had always put her and Felicia first. As far as he was concerned, work could wait, family always came first. It had felt good to finally have someone to talk to, to help her sort out her feelings. Now she was finally sure that she was in love with Melanie, and wanted to work things out between the two of them.
She felt a little nervous as she climbed the steps to Melanie's apartment. She thought she heard voices and paused, halfway up the steps. Deciding it was just her imagination, she finished climbing the stairs. Reaching the screen door, she raised her hand to knock, but her hand froze in midair.
Melanie felt Alyshia's hand slipping down towards her clit and she quickly flipped her onto her back. She was enjoying this sweet tension that was slowly building inside of her while she made love to Alyshia, and she wanted to hold on to it a little longer. Trying to distract her, Melanie began trailing kisses down her body, but only made it as far as the valley between Alyshia's breast, when Alyshia arched her hips, trying to grind against her. She groaned as their clits hit each other perfectly, and she tried to pull away.

Ever since Melanie woke her up by sucking her nipples into hardened peaks, Alyshia felt like she was on fire; she couldn't get enough sex tonight. She knew Melanie was trying to prolong things, but she wasn't interested. Tonight, she was in the mood for hot and fast, and as many times as possible. Melanie tried to roll off of her, but she wrapped her legs around Melanie's waist, holding her in place as she arched against her.
Unable to get away, Melanie felt her clit rub against Alyshia's one more time, and finally gave up fighting the inevitable. Bracing her hands on either side of Alyshia's head, she pushed up; angling herself so all of her weight was pushing her pelvis into Alyshia's, and started to grind back, the friction between their pussies quickly pushing her to the edge.
Alyshia's eyes gleamed as Melanie arched into her, conceding defeat. She arched her back and blindly reached out. Finding a nipple, she started to pinch and roll it between her fingers. Melanie's groan of pleasure spurred her on. Deciding this wasn't enough, she rolled Melanie onto her back, and then changed her position so that they were facing each other on the bed, their legs scissored together. Alyshia used her arms, stretched out behind her, to give her more leverage, and she pushed even tighter into Melanie's sopping wet pussy, as hard as she could.
This position was driving her nuts. Melanie knew she wouldn't last much longer as their movements picked up speed. About to burst, she threw her head back and moaned Alyshia's name as her orgasm built to a fevered pitch, Alyshia right behind her.
Jessica watched through the screen as Melanie and some blonde rolled around on Melanie's bed, naked. Jessica could hear their moans as she watched their bodies tangle the bed sheets. She felt the ground disappear from under her. Tears in her eyes, she whipped around and rushed down the steps, the sound of Melanie climaxing almost physically pushing her away from the apartment. She climbed back into her convertible and sat there, tears blinding her vision, ears ringing. She knew she couldn't drive right then, so she just sat there, sobbing uncontrollably.
Minutes later, she heard the passenger door open, causing her head to jerk up as she hastily wiped tears from her eyes. Her vision cleared just in time to see Mama Dubois climb into the passenger seat. Mama owned the club that was on the ground floor of the building Melanie's apartment was in. Uncle David and Mama were old friends and the bar owner had always been like an aunt to her and Felicia.
Mama brushed a hand over Jessica's hair. "There now, baby, take a breath." Mama watched Jessica try to get control over her crying jag. She suspected what the problem was, but decided to let Jessica start the conversation, rather than ambush the poor girl with a bunch of questions.
Jessica felt the tears subside and took a jerky breath as she stared at Mama, who just sat quietly, stroking her hair, understanding and love in her eyes. "Oh Mama!" Jessica cried and sank into Mama's arms, curling against her the best she could in bucket seats.
"Sssshhhh. It's ok, baby girl. You just cry it out. You can tell me all about it whenever you're ready."
"I screwed up," Jessica sobbed. "I found the best woman and treated her like shit, so she left. Now she's up there fucking some blonde," Jessica felt anger take over and it stopped the new crying jag she was on the verge of. "I lost her," Jessica announced, staring blindly at the dashboard as Mama held her.
"I take it you're talking about that sexy P.I. I've been renting to?"
Jessica gave a little laugh and just shook her head yes.
"You know, I can't remember the last time I saw you cry over a busted up relationship."
"I don't think it ever really mattered before."
"Hmmm. Well, you know, that little girl showed up with a whole lotta luggage."
"So?" Jessica asked, her voice sounding pouty.
"Well, maybe it's time she repacked her bags and went on back home."
Jessica slowly pulled away from Mama and twisted in her seat so she could face her. "What are you suggesting, Mama?"
Mama studied Jessica's tear streaked face, her eyes red and swollen. She'd known David Matthews since forever. When his brother went over the edge and killed himself and his wife, David had come to her desperate for help. He'd never raised a child before, knew nothing about it, and had hoped she, who had five children, could help him out. She remembered that day. David had been terrified that he was going to mess things up, make some horrific mistake that would screw the girls up for the rest of their lives. She'd had to give him several shots of bourbon before he finally clamed down. Since then, she'd given David all the help she could, and the girls had become as close to her as her own kids. She even thought of them as her nieces too, and her family had often celebrated many a holiday, or special occasion, with the Matthews's. Still did, as a matter of fact. And Lord help her, because she loved Jessica so much, she was going to help break up some couple. She let out a long sigh, stroking a hand over Jessica's face.
"Come on inside, baby girl. We've got a lot of work to do if we're going to convince that girl to leave town for another job."
Jessica looked at Mama in shook. "Melanie?!"
Mama laughed. "No, not Melanie, silly. That blonde she's playing with."
"You'd do that for me?"
"Now, you know it's not my habit to go interfering in other people's personal lives, but any fool can see you're head over heels for that girl. And I think she might feel the same way about you, so I'm going to make an exception, just this once, mine you, and help you clear the field, so to speak."
Jessica flung herself across the seat and gave Mama a huge hug. "Thank you."
Mama laughed and patted Jessica on the back. "Come on now. Get yourself together girl and let's get crackin'."
Jessica wiped her face clean with her hands and started to climb out of the car. As she followed Mama into the bar, she felt a twinge of guilt over what she was about to do, and then quickly pushed it aside. After all, 'All's fair in love and war.' This happened to be a bit of both.

Chapter 4

Melanie awoke slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the morning sun that was pouring through the French doors she had left open last night. She reached out for Alyshia and only found an empty bed. Coming fully awake, she sat up a little and looked around her apartment. Finally, she found a little slip of paper, folded in half, laying on the pillow next to her with her name written on the front.
She got this feeling of foreboding, already sensing she wasn't going to like what the note said. Just the same, she propped herself up against the headboard and reached for the note, slowly opening it.
"Melanie,
Sorry to leave like this but I got up to check my email and found a job offer I just can't pass up. They wanted me in L.A. this morning so I caught a cab to the airport. I'll try to e-mail you later. I left everything I was able to find so far in a folder on the coffee table. I had a great time.
Love,
Alyshia"
Angry, Melanie smashed the note into a ball and sent it sailing towards the French doors. She watched, a little impressed with herself, as she watched the crumbled ball fly through the air, through the doors, over the balcony, clear the flower beds, then arch towards the ground, disappearing from sight.
Groaning, Melanie scooted deeper into the bed and pulled the covers up over her head. Lying there, staring at the underside of the bedspread, she seriously considered just staying here the rest of the day. Any time your days starts with a Dear Jane letter, its only going to get worse from here, so why bother at all. "I'll just stay here, go back to sleep, and when I get up tomorrow, my luck will be a helluva lot better," she thought.
Contemplating the merits of never leaving the bed, she thought she heard a noise. She pulled the sheet down a little so she could hear better. Listening, she realized the noise she heard was someone knocking on her door. "Go away!" she shouted, and dived back under the covers.
Seconds later, she only heard silence and sighed with relief. There was no way she was going to answer that. They way her day started, she knew who ever was at her door was just trouble.
She heard the muffled sound of her screen door slamming shut and she bolted upright in bed, the bedspread dropping to her waist. There, standing in the middle of her hallway with her hands on her hips, was none other that Jessica Matthews.
"Shit! Go away, Jessica. I'm not in the mood to fight with you again." Melanie quickly plopped down on her bed, twisting to lie on her stomach, pulling the covers back over her as she went. She laid there, buried under the covers, alert to any little sound, but all she could hear was her heart hammering in her chest.
Jessica stood in the hallway considering the lump in the middle of the bed. This wasn't quite the welcome she was hoping for. She'd been staked out in her car since about five this morning. She parked at the opposite street corner waiting for the blonde to leave. When she'd seen the cab pick her up, then pull away, she started her car and drifted it across the street to park at the corner, at the end of Melanie's little alleyway. She had walked as far as the bottom of the steps, then had spent the morning sitting on the bottom step. She didn't want to wake Melanie up, or show up too soon after Melanie's lover left, afraid Melanie would get suspicious. When she'd heard a noise, she'd glanced over just in time to see a crumbled ball of paper hit the ground with a small plopping noise, just a foot away. Startled at first, she looked up, and then realized that Melanie must have thrown it out the window. She picked it up, scanned it, and felt a moment of glee as she read the blonde's note. Man, she hadn't even bothered to wake Melanie up to say good-bye, just took off in the middle of the night. The plan her and Mama had worked out yesterday was going even better than she had hoped.
She sat back down on the steps, trying to give Melanie a few minutes, and then found she didn't have the patience to wait. Knocking at the door, she could feel the excitement bubbling inside her. Melanie's rough order to leave, though, had taken some of the wind out of her sails. Now, watching Melanie hide under the covers, she felt herself deflate a little more. She'd suspected Melanie might not be entirely happy to see her, but she had pictured a slightly better greeting than this.
Feeling irritated, she stomped over to the other side of the bed and flopped down on her back, lying beside Melanie. She folded her hands over her stomach and stared at the ceiling. Fine, she'd just wait her out.
Melanie felt the bed shift and knew Jessica was lying only inches away. She sucked in a breath and felt her heart pick up speed. It was torture to be this close, but not able to touch her. For all she knew, Jessica was just here to ask about Felicia. Or maybe Jessica had gotten board and decided she'd come around for another battle royal. God, she was getting sick of this. One minute they were fucking each other blind, and the next they were tearing each other to shreds. She couldn't take much more.
Frustrated and mad, Melanie stuck her head out. "Are you deaf?! I said go away, Jessica. I'm not in the mood for you right now." That said, she dived back under the covers, securing them tightly over her head.
Jessica couldn't help but smirk. Normally, Melanie came across as cool, bordering on flat out hard cold. It was kind of fun to see her get all pissed off, even more fun knowing she seemed to have a natural talent for pushing Melanie's buttons. Then again, that went both ways. That thought wiped the smirk off of her face. Deciding they weren't going to get any where like this. Jessica shifted around, pulled the sheets up on her side, and dived under them.
Next thing Melanie knew, she was lying on her back with Jessica on top of her. Man, she hated it when Jessica got one over on her. She kept forgetting how quick Jessica could move when she wanted to.
"Morning sunshine," Jessica purred. All she got in return was an angry look, and she could feel Melanie's body tense. She didn't want this to spiral out of control into another fight so, instead of goading her; Jessica just laid her cheek on Melanie's chest and curled her hands over the top of Melanie's shoulders. She'd just wait her out from here.
Every nerve ending in her body had sprung to life the instant Jessica's body touched hers, and Melanie cursed her body for a traitor. She always fell apart around Jessica. Her pussy would just go wet the minute Jessica walked into the same room. No matter how angry she was, Jessica would get close enough to touch and she'd just snap. Well, not today. Today she needed to hold on to what little pride she had left. If she gave her the chance, Jessica would snap what was left of her heart right in half. She couldn't go there.
Jessica lay there, listening to Melanie's pounding heart. She knew what effect she had on Melanie, but today it didn't seem to be working to her advantage. Frustrated, she pushed herself up, ready to pick a fight, then stopped at the weary look on Melanie's face. Jessica lowered her head, which gave her an excellent view of Melanie's breasts. Knowing that wouldn't help, she jumped off Melanie, pushing the sheets out of her way, and sat at the edge of the bed, her back to Melanie.
Melanie grabbed the sheets and tucked them back around her, thankful and sorry, at the same time, that Jessica had pulled away. Confused and frustrated, she wiggled on to her side, giving Jessica her back and stared at her apartment.
Jessica looked over her shoulder when she felt the bed shift, just in time to see Melanie turn over and give her, her back. Melanie had the sheets tucked under her arm, exposing most of her phoenix tattoo. She felt a little tug on her heart and knew she couldn't leave things like this.
Melanie tensed up when she felt Jessica snuggle against her back, Jessica's arm snaking around to wrap itself around her waist. She stared at her kitchen, suddenly finding it incredibly interesting. "What do you want, Jessica?" she snapped.
Jessica pressed a kiss to Melanie's back, then snuggled her nose against Melanie's neck. "I want to talk, cher," she whispered in Melanie's ear. "But right now isn't the time. You're mad at me, which you have a right to be. Plus, you're not a morning person, which is just adding to your irritation. Go back to sleep and we'll talk when you wake up."
"You gonna leave?"
"I don't want to. Please, Melanie, let me stay. I just want to hold you for a little while, if that's ok?"
Melanie didn't respond. Maybe if she went back to sleep, she'd wake up feeling better able to talk to Jessica without starting a fight. She closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep. Feeling worn out, it was easier than she thought it would be, to slide back into sleep.
Jessica let out a sigh of relief when she felt Melanie relax in her arms. She listened as Melanie's breathing evened out, turned shallow, and she knew she was finally asleep. She rested her forehead against Melanie's back and tired to figure out what to do once Melanie woke up.
##
Gradually, she felt her eyes opening. She wasn't sure how long she'd been out. She twisted around to face Jessica and only found an empty bed. Coming more fully awake, she looked around her apartment and, discovering it empty, disappointment stabbed through her. Jessica had promised they would talk when she woke up and now, finding Jessica gone, she realized just how much she had wanted that. Wanted to talk things out.
Finally, her eyes landed on a piece of paper, folded, and taped to her lampshade. Her name was written on the front in familiar handwriting. She ripped it off the lamp and unfolded it. Today seemed to be a day for notes.
"If you can find me, you can have me.
If you can find me, you can do anything you want to me.
But find me fast, love, because I'm dripping wet and won't be able to wait for you much longer.
Love, Jessica."
Melanie jerked upright, scooting to sit on the side of the bed, and reread the letter. Her eyes lingered on the way Jessica had signed it, and she felt hope spread through her. Was this Jessica's way of getting back together? She knew now she wanted that, very much.
She read the letter a third time and felt her body heat up. Jumping out of bed, she took a quick shower, dressed, and rushed out of the apartment. The letter hadn't said where Jessica was, but she assumed it was her house. Pulling out into traffic, she pushed hard on the gas pedal, visions of Jessica naked and wet spurring her on.
Twenty minutes later, Melanie skidded to a halt in front of Jessica's front door and leaped out of the car. Racing for it, she took the front steps in one long stride, and then skidded to a stop as she spotted an envelope taped to the door. She ripped this one off too, briefly hoping she hadn't damaged the paint job, and then tore it open, finding two pieces of paper inside. Yanking them out, she noticed one was a map. She opened the other piece and found another letter.
"You're getting closer, cher, and so am I. Hurry up. Jessica."
Taking the hint, Melanie rushed back to her car. She took things slow this time, having to give the map all of her attention, but as she took the last turn onto a dirt road surrounded by trees, she pushed down on the accelerator. Suddenly, she burst out of the trees into a clearing, saw Jessica's car just a few feet away and, jerking the steering wheel to the right while hitting the brake, skidded to a stop beside the mustang. Leaping out of the car, she quickly looked around, searching for signs of Jessica. She noticed they were in a little meadow at the top of a small cliff, a river running by at the base, leaving a small beach between it and the cliff. Turning around, she stopped dead in her tracks, having found Jessica. She was about 50 feet away, lying on a blanket underneath this huge oak tree, buck-naked. Melanie slowly walked over to her, her heart pounding.
Jessica felt like she'd been waiting here forever, sitting on the blanket in nothing but a robe. When she heard a car churning up the road, she knew it was Melanie, and quickly undressed, lying down on the blanket. Her head had jerked up when she heard the car burst out of the woods, and watched in amazement as Melanie skidded to a stop, driving like a NASCAR driver, stopping just inches from her own beloved convertible.
Now she lay there staring at the sky, listening to Melanie's footsteps, her heart beating faster and faster with every step. A shadow fell over her and she looked down towards her feet to find Melanie standing at the edge of the blanket. She waited, but Melanie never said a word, she just stood there staring at her. She still had her sunglasses on, so Jessica couldn't read her reaction. Slowly, she bent her knees, her feet flat against the blanket, and spread her legs open.
Melanie was rooted to the spot. Jessica was lying there, gorgeous and naked, her long, curly red hair spilling out around her. It felt like a dream come true and Melanie briefly wondered if she should pinch herself. Then Jessica spread her legs open, giving her a wicked grin. She felt her body shake. The drive over here had only served to wind her up like a top, all that time thinking of what she would do to Jessica once she found her. She whipped off her sunglasses, tossed them aside, and watched in awe as Jessica slowly trailed her fingers down her body, then slid a finger between her pussy lips. Staring, she watched as Jessica brought that finger to her mouth, licking it clean.
"I'm so wet for you, cher. Are you gonna stand there all day, or do something about it?"
Jessica's voice was soft and husky, and she ran out of patience. Sinking to her knees, she swooped down between Jessica's legs and shoved her tongue between her lips and began to tongue fuck her in earnest.
Jessica squealed at the sudden invasion. Watching the heat rise in Melanie's eyes, she knew she was about to pounce, but she hadn't quite expected this instant fucking. Her hips jerked and she reached out, burying her hands in Melanie's hair, pressing her face closer to her aching mound.
Melanie felt herself go wild. She couldn't get enough of Jessica; drink enough of her sweet honey. Still pounding Jessica's love box with her tongue, she reached up and started flicking her clit with her finger. Jessica's fingers dug deeper into her hair so, encouraged, she pinched the hot button between her thumb and finger and started to twist and tug. She could hear Jessica's breathy whimpers turn to squeals of pleasure, then shrieks, as Melanie's tongue found her G-spot. Soon Jessica had her hands behind her on the blanket and, leaning on them for support, started bucking and slamming herself against Melanie's face. Melanie tighten her grip on Jessica's ass, her fingers sinking into the soft flesh, squeezing. Suddenly, Jessica screamed her name and fell back against the ground, her hands clenching the blanket in her fists, and Melanie could feel Jessica's body twitch and convulse as her orgasm overtook her.