NINETEEN
Shay had given up on trying to develop an excuse to get Dan's ex-partner, Neil, to talk to her. She couldn't fabricate a convincing story, and she had nothing to use as leverage. The fact was, she had nothing, not one damn thing, that would stand up in court. All she had were guesses and the testimony of an admitted liar. Given that Neil only owned the site someone used to contact Lindsey, there wasn't a shred of evidence connecting Neil to the rumors or Lindsey.
She decided she'd begin by trying to link Neil and Lindsey. If she could make that connection, that would give her something to use as a foundation in building evidence against Neil. The easiest way would be to go back to Lindsey and show her a picture of Neil, but by now Lindsey probably knew she'd been conned, and that bridge was almost certainly burned. She still had to try, and being unable to find a good picture of Neil online, Shay was using the time-honored technique of stalking him.
This morning, Dan had followed her to Hertz where she'd returned the rental and then taken her to the Toyota dealer. Now she was parked in her own car again, outside Squarepeg, well away from the door but where she had a clear line of sight while she waited for Neil to appear.
She picked up her phone and sent Dan a text, just to have something to do.
Bored
she typed and pressed send. She didn't expect an immediate answer, and didn't get one.
Dan's life was returning to normal. Mairead Cowan had taken him back as her trainer, though Greer Schoenmaker hadn't, at least not yet. Once she busted Neil for the rumors, maybe he'd even get Greer back. She thought it funny that the only two clients who had stood steadfast with Dan through his troubles was that nasty old coot, Greg Mills, and the former pornographer, Jason Orsini. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised, given their reputations, and she still didn't like Greg's attitude or Jason's profession, but she'd softened toward them considerably because of their support for Dan.
Squarepeg LLC was a small company operating out of a unit in a strip mall, and she sighed as she casually watched the door. Waiting for something to happen was the second worst part of her job, but at least it didn't make her want to cry.
To pass the time, she thought about the game she and Dan had played last night. She smiled in memory and began to moisten almost immediately. She'd read about the game in a magazine some time back, about how it was a good introduction to bondage because nobody was actually bound. She had no interest in bondage, but the article had popped into her mind when he was pulling his shirt over his head to join her in the tub. Seeing his muscular body pulled taunt, the sinews and muscles rippling under his skin as they were stretched tight, had instantly turned her on. She'd first noticed how him being stretched out excited her during their initial night together, during their second romp when he'd reached over his head to push against the headboard as she rode him, and she wanted to see more of it, to see him really straining at something as she fucked the shit out of him.
She hadn't been disappointed. She honestly thought he'd throw in the towel and let go before she could work herself up to a second orgasm, but the strength of his will had surprised her. Watching him strain against the hanger and his need, his muscles bulging and writhing, his face twisted in erotic pain as he fought his orgasm, had turned her on so much she'd come again even though she hadn't expected too. Her orgasm was a bonus, but having him break the hanger before giving up, along with his cries of defiance and pleasure, and then holding her tight while he bucked and jerked, muttering and whimpering into her shoulder, had been intoxicating. They'd snuggled a bit after that before he wrapped her warm and secure in his arms, and they'd tumbled into the darkness of sleep. They were fucking themselves to exhaustion, and it was wonderful.
As she dressed this morning, she'd taken another hanger like the one he'd broken the night before and tested its strength. She thought that if she put it on the floor and used her foot to hold it down while pulling up with all her strength, she might be able to break it, but it was a quality hanger, and she had no illusions of being able to break it with only her upper body strength. To do what he did, Dan had to be
incredibly
strong, but he was also gentle. Even when he was tossing her around in the bed, she never felt like she was in danger of being hurt. In fact, he manhandled her so easily, as if it wasn't any effort at all, she felt perfectly safe with him supporting her or throwing her around. Before that night, she hadn't realized she liked being gently dominated, but when she was in the mood for it, and Dan was the one dominating her, she did.
She leaned her head back against the seat. Thinking about him was getting her worked up, but they were going to have to take a break tonight. Even if she ended up spending the night with him, he was going to have to keep his cock out of her. Despite visiting a dojo once a week to keep her ju-jitsu skills sharp, she'd become out of shape in other ways, and now certain muscles and fleshy parts of her body that hadn't been getting regular workouts were sore. She smiled to herself. No matter. If she and Dan continued their relationship, she was certain he'd whip them into shape in no time... because this was an exercise regime she could get into.
She glanced at the clock on her phone. It was nearing five, and she'd been lying in wait for over six hours. Neil came in early, came in late, or didn't work in his office every day, because she hadn't seen him. It wasn't unusual for her to go two or three days without setting foot in her office, and maybe Neil was the same. She smiled slightly as she imagined someone stalking her like she was stalking Neil, sitting outside her office thinking,
Where the fuck is she?
or
Doesn't this bitch ever work?
She decided she was going to wait another thirty minutes, and if Neil hadn't appeared by then, she was going to give up for the day. She picked up her phone again and began to type a text to Dan.
Why don't you join me for dinner at my place tonight? 7:00? I'll cook. Bring clothes if you want to spend the night.
She pressed send. Another sixty seconds had passed as she typed. She tossed the phone back into the seat with a sigh.
She was almost praying for a junk email or a wrong number when her phone chimed. She picked it up and felt a little rush of excitement seeing a text was waiting. She opened the text and smiled.
How can you be bored? You're easily the most exciting woman I've ever met.
She started to reply, thrilled to have something to do and someone to talk to, when her phone chimed with the arrival of another text.
Love too. See you there.
She thought a moment and typed.
I'm only exciting because you make me that way.
Tosh! Last night wasn't my idea. I never knew a clothes hanger could be so damned sexy. See? You can make even clothes hangers exciting.
She giggled to herself in the empty car. Not only was Dan terrific in bed, a pleasure to look at, a masterful chef, and fun to talk to, he was also great for her ego. As she was thinking of a reply, the idea of cooking for Dan suddenly terrified her. She typically made easy to prepare dishes that made a lot, so there'd be leftovers, meaning she only had to cook two or three times a week. He'd likely turn his nose up at them as they were probably loaded with fat and calories. She glanced up to make sure Neil wasn't around before turning her attention back to her phone.
She didn't spend much time playing with her phone when surveilling someplace because it was a distraction that could cause her to miss the very thing she was looking for. She spent a couple of minutes looking for healthy recipes, but she was afraid she was spending too much time looking down, so she tossed the phone back into the passenger seat. She'd have to do it later, when she got home.
Shay was beginning to fidget, waffling between leaving and giving the surveillance another few minutes, when she saw a portly man stepping out of a BMW with a fast-food bag and a drink. He had the same general build as Neil, so she lifted her camera to use the long zoom lens for a better look. It was him. She snapped a couple pictures, but she really needed one that wasn't the side of his face, so she used the old standby. Using her elbow, she laid on the car horn while her hands were busy with the camera. Neil instinctively turned to look for the location of the sound. She snapped three nice ones of his face before pulling the camera down.
"Gotcha!" she muttered in victory.
Putting the camera aside, she pulled her computer from the backseat. The memory card came out of the camera, and three minutes later, she had Neil's face ready for Lindsey to see. Using her phone as a hotspot, she searched the internet and downloaded four pictures of random men who were similar in appearance to Neil. Task finished, she closed her computer and started the car. Now came the hard part.
Squarepeg and Lindsey's house were on opposites sides of the greater Los Angeles metroplex, and she spent over an hour driving from Burbank to Santa Ana. Shay didn't call Lindsey to tell her she was coming because she didn't want the woman dodging her. She'd start with Lindsey's work, and if she didn't find her there, she'd try her house.
It was just after six when Shay walked into the Lancer Inn, computer in hand, but instead of Lindsey, there was an older, massively overweight woman sitting behind the counter. "Welcome to the Lancer Inn, may I help you?" she asked with a welcoming, if false smile.
"I'm looking for Lindsey Rohmer. She here today?"
The woman's face pinched like she'd bitten into a lemon. "She no longer works here. You a reporter?"
"What happened?"
"You haven't heard? She tried to sue some guy for sexual assault, and it turned out to be a lie."
Shay shook her head. "I knew that, but why'd she lose her job?"
"Because there were news crews parked out front wanting to talk to her. It was scaring off the customers, so I fired her. You a reporter, a lawyer?" the woman asked again.
"No. Thank you for your time," Shay said before she turned to leave.
As Shay settled into her car she felt a little bad for Lindsey, but only a little. She'd brought this on herself.
Running late. Can we make dinner eight?
she typed before starting the car.
She drove to Lindsey's house, her phone dinging as she turned into the road that passed Lindsey's home. According to the DMV, Lindsey drove a 1999 bronze Toyota Corolla, and there was a battered little Corolla that some might call bronze sitting in the drive. Shay pulled to a stop in the street before picking up her phone.
Sure. Everything okay?
the message from Dan read.
Can't talk now, but all good. See you at eight,
she responded before stepping out of the car, her computer under her arm. She walked up the drive and rapped on the door. After a moment Lindsey opened it, her mouth dropping open in surprise.
"You!" she snarled. "You've got a lot of nerve coming here! Get lost before I call the cops!"
Lindsey started to shut the door, but Shay put her foot in the jamb. "Ms. Rohmer, I just need a minute of your time."
"Move your fucking foot or I'm calling the cops!"
"Don't you want to try to make this right?" Shay asked before removing her foot.
"Why the fuck do you care? You ruined my fucking life! I've lost my job because of you, and the television stations won't leave me alone. You lied to me!"
"Yes, I did," Shay admitted. "Don't you want to stick it to the man that started all this?" she asked, giving Lindsey a target for her wrath. "He's the one that put you in this situation," she suggested, even though it was total bullshit. Lindsey knew what she was doing when she agreed to try to set Dan up, but sometimes people couldn't admit they were wrong, so Shay was giving her someone to blame other than her.
"How?"
