Acheron Highway: A Jonathan Shade Novel (20 page)

When she released me, I stepped back.
 
“Glad I could help, but the real thanks should go to Lina, Grace, and Von.”

“I’d like to take you to dinner tomorrow night,” she said.
 
“If you have time, of course.
 
I know you’re working another case too.”

“I’ll make time.”

She kept smiling and I found it contagious.
 
It felt good to help someone, and it felt especially good to smile without feeling like I was acting.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The next night, Miranda and I met at a terrific Moroccan restaurant called Cafe Paprika in Aurora.
 
The place was tucked away in a little strip mall, but they had great food and fantastic atmosphere.
 
We started out with hot mint tea and hummus then salad.
 
My entree was an amazing chicken kebab dish served over saffron rice while Miranda had the vegetarian couscous.
 
We followed the meal with the best baklava anywhere on the planet.

During the meal, we kept to simple small talk, but afterward, Miranda met my gaze.

“I want to take you back to my place,” she said, eyes narrowed as she ran her tongue over her teeth.
 
She placed her hand on my thigh and ran it toward my crotch.

“I make it a rule never to sleep with my clients.”

“I’m no longer your client.
 
You’ve been paid in full.”

“So this is sort of like a bonus?”

“This is me telling you I’ve wanted you since we first met.”

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t half
chubbed
.
 
Miranda was gorgeous and it had been a while.

“So this is sort of a no harm, no foul romp through the roses?”

“Oh, I hope it will be foul
and
fun.”

“Oh boy.”

She tossed a hundred dollar bill on the table.
 
“That should cover dinner and tip, don’t you think?”

It was a hell of a tip, but it was her money, and if she wanted to tip more than a hundred percent, that was her business.

“Let’s get out of here,” she said.

We left the restaurant, and I walked her to her car.

“What are you driving?” she asked.

I pointed at a Chevy
Cruze
.
 
“Rental.”

“A family car?
 
It doesn’t suit you.”

“It was cheap.”

When she reached her Escort, she spun around, grabbed me, and kissed me hard.
 
Her right leg came up and ran down my leg while her left hand grabbed my ass.
 
Her tongue probed my mouth, and her breath came hot and strong.

I pulled away from her.
 
“I’m not so sure this is a good idea.”

Her hand slid down my chest, over my stomach, and kept right on going.
 
She grinned at me.
 
“You’re listening to the wrong head.”

“What do you want?”

“You have to ask?”

“Actually, I do.
 
You can’t just say your heart wasn’t in it before because we never did this dance.”

“I feel alive for the first time in a long time,” she said.
 
“I want to enjoy it.
 
Feels to me like you’re ready for action.”

I slapped her hand away.
 
“Stop that.”

“You know you want it.”
 
She grabbed my hand and pressed it to her left breast.

My body said yes, yes.
 
My brain said hold up a second.
 
Something was wrong here.
 
A beautiful woman was coming on to me and I was hesitant?
 
The problem was clearly mine.
 
Did I feel anything for Miranda?
 
I considered that.
 
Not really.
 
I hadn’t felt much for anyone in a long time, though, so that wasn’t surprising.
 
Maybe sex would help.
 
Maybe if I slept with her, I would feel human again.

I’ve slept with women for less.

At the end of the night, I am a guy, so we went back to my place.
 
I’ll spare you the details.
 
If you’re not getting any, you certainly don’t want to read about someone who is.
 
And if you are getting some, you don’t need to hear about it from me.

I’ll end by just saying that while it felt pretty good, it didn’t rock my world.
 
I think Miranda noticed that because she kept trying harder and harder to please me, and if I don’t stop now, I’ll be moving us from an R rating to an NC-17, so let’s pull a movie trick and CUT TO:

#

I woke up with Miranda still in my arms.
 
Her skin felt warm against mine.
 
I disentangled myself from her and got out of bed.
 
A trail of discarded clothing led me from the bedroom into the living room.
 
I padded toward the restroom and saw Esther glaring at me from across the room.

“Normally, I’d like seeing you naked,” she said.
 
“But not right now.”

I started to say something, but she popped away.

Typical.

I took a shower, and when I went back to the bedroom with a towel wrapped around me, Miranda sat up in bed.
 
She didn’t try for any modesty.

“You took a shower without me?”

“What was your first clue?”

“Come back to bed.
 
I’ll get you all sweaty, and we can hop in the shower together later.”

“I have to go train.”

“Train?
 
On a Sunday?”

“Kelly’s expecting me.”

“You can be late.
 
I’ll make it worth your while.”

“Another time,” I said.

She stood up.
 
“Don’t you find me attractive?”

“Of course I do.”

She looked at the slight scar on her chest.
 
She ran her finger along the pink line.
 
“Is it this?”

I shook my head.

I opened the top drawer of my dresser, the only furniture in the room other than the bed, and took out a pair of black underwear.
 
I stepped into them then removed the towel, and as I moved into the walk-in closet, I tossed the towel into a laundry bin.
 
I pushed some clothes hangers aside and took down a pair of jeans.

“I’m standing here completely naked, and you’re just going to ignore me?”

“I told you, I have to get to the dojo.”
 
I pulled on the jeans and selected a shirt.

“Do I mean that little to you?”

“Whatever happened to no harm, no foul?”

She sat down on the bed and pulled the sheet up to cover herself.
 
“So it meant nothing?”

“It was...fun,” I said and instantly regretted it.

Her eyes misted and she swallowed hard.
 
She looked at the ceiling by the door, refusing to look at me.

I sighed.
 
“What do you want me to say?”

“Nothing.”

It probably would have been better had I said nothing.
 
Unfortunately sex changes everything whether we want it to or not.
 
I sat down beside her, put an arm around her, and pulled her close.

“Sorry,” I said.
 
“You’re amazing, it’s just...I thought we had an understanding here.”

“That you could fuck me and just go about your business as if it never happened?”

“You wanted it to happen.”

“So did you.”

“I tried to talk you out of it.”

“Just like a guy.
 
You really don’t care at all, do you?”

“Hey, I was trying to make you feel better, and now you want to fight?”

“Make me feel better?
 
How?
 
By sticking your dick in me?”

“It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“Wars have been started for that same reason.”

“Well, I don’t think we’re at war here.”

“You’re an asshole.”

I held up my hands.
 
“Guilty as charged.”

“Fuck you.”

I got up.
 
“Time for me to go.”
 
I went to the dresser and grabbed some socks.

Miranda got up and followed me.
 
“Just like that?
 
You’re just going to walk away from me?
 
Who do you think you are?”

“Elvis?”

“You’re not going to joke your way out of this.”
 
She grabbed my keys from the dresser.

“Really?”

“We’re going to talk, or you’re not going anywhere.”

Why can’t it ever be simple?
 
“What could we possibly have to talk about?”

“Our relationship?”

“We don’t have a relationship.
 
Give me the keys.”

“Take them.”
 
She held them up so they dangled from her fingers.

Since I knew if I reached for them, she’d just pull them away, I shook my head and walked past her out the bedroom door.

“Where are you going?”

I saw her purse lying on the floor by the couch.
 
Her keys were on the floor next to the purse.
 
I bent down and picked them up then moved right for the apartment door.

Miranda rushed over and jumped on my back.
 
I flipped her onto the couch, and she started laughing.

“Something funny?”

“You thought I was serious,” she said as she rolled to her feet.
 
She tossed me my keys.
 
“I was just messing with you.”

“Uh-huh.”

“You were just going to take my car, weren’t you?”

“As a matter of fact, yes.”

She shook her head and laughed again.
 
“Nice.”

I stared at her.
 
She seemed serious about the whole thing a minute ago, and now she just laughed about it like none of it mattered and she had just been playing around.
 
She walked over to me, wrapped her arms around me, and turned her face up toward mine.
 
She gave me another smile then kissed me.

“Is it cool if I take a shower before I leave?
 
I promise to lock up.
 
Not that there’s anything here to steal.”

“Fine.”

She walked away, swaying her ass to and fro in an exaggerated manner.
 
I watched her enter the bathroom.
 
She turned around and gave me a wave.
 
“Later.”

She closed the bathroom door.

I stared at the door for a moment then shook my head and tossed her keys into her purse.

You have to love a morning that begins on a strange note; it tends to set the pace for the entire day.