It Started With A House: Lizzie. Book 1 (The Westport Mysteries) (6 page)

* * * *

Scott
had chosen a beautiful restaurant in the heart of the city. It was very high-end
and served only the very best food and wine money could buy. The only problem
was they wanted to keep their patrons comfortable and as this evening was quite
cool, they had turned the heating up just a bit too high for someone wearing a
wool blend jacket. By the time dessert was served, I was sweating quite
profusely.

“Are you okay,
Elizabeth?” asked Donald Shepherd, the lovely elderly gentleman of our group. His
manners were impeccable and several times this evening he had inquired as to
how comfortable I was. His grandson Rodney was not so gentlemanly though. If
I’d caught him looking at my cleavage once, I’d caught him a dozen times. Like
I said, the jacket just didn’t quite close, which did give everyone a small
view of my generous assets.

“Yes thank you,
Mister Shepherd. I’m fine. Thank you,” I smiled, discreetly fanning myself.

“You’d be more
comfortable if you removed your jacket,” smiled Rodney. “Let me help you,” he
suggested, pushing his chair backwards, ready to stand up and help remove my
clothing.

“
No
,” I snapped.

Scott glared at
me as Rodney looked a bit taken aback by my abruptness. “Elizabeth feels the
cold very easily,” Scott said, in way of explanation.

All eyes turned
to me. I felt the sweat run down my neck and between my breasts. Rodney’s eyes
followed it.

“Yes. That’s
right. I feel the cold very easily.” I picked up my glass of water and downed
it, hoping it would extinguish the internal inferno I was experiencing. “Maybe
you will all excuse me for a moment,” I said, standing to make a fast escape to
the ladies room.

Inside, I
stripped off the jacket and used the paper towel to mop my armpits and
cleavage. It was quite a bit cooler in here and I wondered how long I could
stay here before Scott noticed I was missing. Sitting down on the chair
provided, I slipped off my shoes and rubbed my heels, wondering how much longer
we would be here. I wanted to rip this dress off and never have to wear it
again. Grabbing the bodice around the bust line, I wiggled and tugged until it
was up where it should be, exposing only slightly less flesh than before. I
really wanted to go into the toilet cubicle and undo the zipper for five
minutes and allow myself to breathe, but I was afraid if I undid it, I would
never get it back up. I sat back and rested my head against the back of the
chair. Taking a few breaths, I enjoyed a few moments of relaxation, knowing
only too soon I would have to put the jacket back on and walk back out to
leering Rodney, where I would have to smile and pretend I was enjoying it. I
let out a small sigh. My moments of peace and quiet were over all too soon
though. Just as I was contemplating putting my shoes back on, the door opened
and in walked three ladies, obviously all friends.

“Did you see
the way he was looking at you?” one of them said to the group.

“Yes. What a
creep,” replied the woman who’d been looked at. I wondered if they were talking
about Rodney.

“He was trying
to look in here when we walked in. Should we report him to management?” asked
the third friend.

“Yeah, well he
was standing outside the door to the ladies toilets. Maybe he was waiting for
someone.” They all turned and looked at me. I watched as they looked me up and
down, taking in my ample chest and the amount of thigh I was showing from the
very long split up the dress. Judging by the looks I was getting, they probably
thought Scott was right. I looked like a hooker. I let out another sigh and
leaned forward to put my shoes on. Grabbing my jacket, I flung it on as I
stomped towards the door, listening to the whispers that followed.

I took as deep a
breath as possible before opening the door and prepared the speech I was going
to give Rodney about how I have a lovely boyfriend and wasn’t interested in
him.

However, once
outside the door, the only person I could see was a tall, bald-headed man who
looked to be in his forties. He turned away from me when our eyes met;
obviously embarrassed he was caught hanging around outside the ladies. Maybe
the women should report him to management.

Chapter Six

By
the time dinner was over and we were saying our goodbyes, I had consumed quite
a bit of wine. This felt like the best way to get through the rest of the
evening. I should probably let you know I’m not much of a drinker, so it didn’t
take much for me to be quite intoxicated. Add to that my lack of oxygen and I
was holding onto Scott’s arm in an attempt to stay focused and upright. Lucky
for me the evening was a success and Scott was in a very good mood. He even
seemed supportive when Rodney slid his hand across my bottom whilst leaning in
for a friendly goodbye kiss on the cheek.

I chose to
ignore the irritability I felt at this and focused on staying happy. I was
hoping later this evening I might even get lucky—if you know what I mean.
I have to admit that with all the pheromones Riley put out, I was feeling just
a little bit amorous. So, as you can see, I needed Scott to remain in his good
mood.

Allowing the
valet to open the door to Scott’s beautiful black Mercedes C63 AMG, I slid onto
the leather seat, enjoying the cool sensation seeping through the thin fabric
of my dress. I love everything about this car but I especially love driving it.
Not that I got the opportunity very often. It was fast and Scott complained I
drove like a madman when I had my one and only drive. I mean, what was the point
of Mercedes making this car so fast if it was only going to be driven like
Granddad on a Sunday? Scott on the other hand, handled it like delicate
glassware. Only ever opening and closing the doors by touching the handles,
never the paint, and he drove it with extreme care, never, ever taking it over
three thousand rpm.

His mood had
improved dramatically from earlier in the evening. Obviously all the stress of
trying to win a new client had him pretty wound up. Much to my relief, he
hadn’t mentioned the dress.

“Where are we
going?” I asked in my most seductive voice, reaching over and running my
fingers through his short, dark hair.

“My place,” he
said as he turned to me and smiled.

Yes! I knew
that look. Lucky, here I come.

****

Scott
lives in a new penthouse apartment with a spectacular view out over the city. It‘s
very modern with lots of glass and stainless steel. It helps he has a house
cleaner. Personally, the thought of cleaning all of that glass and stainless
had me coming out in hives. The master bedroom is very dark, with lots of black
wood and charcoal color and he has the largest bed I’ve ever had the pleasure
of sleeping in. I really could understand why he didn’t like sleeping over at
my place. Even before I moved, he always preferred we stay here. The strange
thing was this place didn’t feel like a home. There were no books left lying
around, no dirty dishes in the sink, even his toothbrush had a home safely out
of sight in the cupboard. It was a lot like Scott, I suppose. Very pristine and
never gave away any secrets. Loosening his tie, he walked towards me and pulled
me into his arms.

“I’m sorry I
was such a jerk earlier. I was pretty wound up about the meeting. It went well
though, don’t you think?”

“Well, they did
say they were phoning Mr. Bradley tomorrow to sign a client contract,” I
smiled.

“Yes, they did.
You did well. They seemed quite impressed with you actually.” Yes, particularly
Rodney, I thought.

“Well, I do my
best!” I laughed.

“You do look
very beautiful,” Scott whispered in my ear. “You were lucky though. In future
you really need to be a bit more organized, Elizabeth, and be prepared ahead of
time.” I heard the warning tone in his voice.

Looking into his
eyes, I quickly realized I was about to lose him here and I really needed an
evening of romance.

“Anyway, it
doesn’t matter now. What matters is you were truly amazing and made up for my
inabilities.” I smiled, undoing his tie and throwing it on the floor. I noticed
a look pass through Scott’s eyes and I have a suspicion it was annoyance. “I
love this suit on you. The color brings out the grey in your eyes,” I said,
quickly diverting his attention away from the tie. I stood on my tiptoes and
lightly kissed his lips as I slipped his off his jacket. He still felt a little
wound up, but a bit of coaxing and his lips softened. Pulling away from me, he
turned and quickly hung up the jacket and tie I had thrown on the floor. Turning
back, he grabbed me around the waist and pulled me in close as his hand quickly
moved to magic places. His other hand on the back of my dress, I felt him pull
the zipper down—thank God—and my dress fall to the floor as he
pushed me back on the bed.

“It’s okay, you
can make it up to me,” he whispered.

Well…you can
guess what was going to happen next.

* * * *

Well,
that was a bit quick…and I must say very disappointing!
 
I know it had been awhile but he was
very quick on the trigger. So quick, I didn’t even finish! Not that he seemed
to notice. At the moment he was in the shower. I had asked him to lay with me
for a while and cuddle but he wasn’t much of a cuddler. He prefers showering
straight away as he doesn’t like feeling sweaty. Personally, I have no idea how
he could be sweaty after that performance. It didn’t last long enough to break
a sweat. I wondered if Riley liked feeling sweaty.

Sitting up with
a gasp, I wondered where the hell that thought had come from! Looking towards
the bathroom door, I could still hear the shower running, so I was safe in the
knowledge Scott hadn’t heard my thoughts. Phew, that was lucky. I really should
keep my imagination in check a bit better than I did.

When Scott
finally came back I asked him to take me home.

“No, I’d like
you to stay. You
know
I don’t like
driving at night”, he almost whined.

“Yes I know,
but I don’t have any other clothes here. I don’t even have a toothbrush.” I was
never, and I mean never, allowed to keep any of my things here.

“I’ll take you
home in the morning. I have to be up early anyway, I’ve got a meeting first
thing.” With that, Scott climbed into bed, turned his back and went to sleep.

* * * *

It
turns out
early
was seven bloody
thirty. This meant that as we pulled up outside my house, all my neighbors were
out picking up the morning paper, waving the kids off to school or getting in
their cars to drive to work. And what was I wearing? Last night’s dress, that’s
what.

Scott leaned
over and gave me a kiss on my burning cheek. “I don’t mean to be rude but you
need to get out. I have to be at the office by eight. I can’t be late for my
meeting.”

Sighing, I
picked up my shoes and started my walk of shame. I noticed the black sedan
parked in the street again, this time with the driver in it, but I was too embarrassed
to go over and actually ask them if they could please park in a more
appropriate spot. Next time, I thought.

Allowing my
hair to fall forward over my face, I almost ran to my front door.

“Good morning!”
called out my neighbor, giving me a smile and a small wave. Great. She was a
bit nosy and I could see her mentally picking up the phone and telling all her
friends what a slut the lady next door was.

“Morning,” I
mumbled, opening my front door and almost launching myself inside. If I thought
that was where my humiliation would end, I was wrong. Sitting at the kitchen
table was Riley.

God, you have
one night of what can’t even be described as passion and every man and his dog
has to know about it! All I need now is my mother to turn up and then the whole
bloody world would know. Even Cat was giving me the look.

“Obviously you
had a good night,” remarked Riley with a frown.

“Yes, thanks. Scott
was very successful.” I tried to smile and act casually.

“Looks like
it,” he snapped. Getting up from the table, he walked to the sink and put his
cup in it. “If you want me I’ll be in the attic stripping wallpaper,” he
scowled.

Well, someone
got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning.

I decided I
should stay out of his way for a while, so after showering and putting on jeans
and a t-shirt I headed over to introduce myself to the neighbors.

It turns out my
neighbors, Helen and Allen, have been here for fifteen years and know pretty
much everything about everybody. The people on the other side of me, Dianne and
Roger, are a retired couple who visit their daughter down south once a year. The
family opposite has four children, two of whom are teenagers who sneak out
through their bedroom windows so Mum and Dad won’t find out. Of course Helen
sets this straight with Mum whenever she can and the old man, Edward, from down
the end of the street is a Pastor, in case I needed him.

“Well, that’s
good to know,” I said through slightly gritted teeth. I mean, I know I did come
home this morning in last night’s dress, but I did spend the night with my
long-term boyfriend!

“I was actually
wondering if you knew the lady who used to live in my house,” I asked trying to
get the subject off of me.

“Oh yes, of
course we did!” She laughed, as if my having to ask was the most ridiculous
thing she’d heard in a long time. “We knew Avis very well. Allen used to mow
her lawn for her. Of course, after she fell down the stairs the doctors moved
her into a nursing home. We didn’t get to visit her very often. We’re very busy
you know. Did I mention I’m a primary school teacher and Allen is the Principal?”
She pushed her thick spectacles further up her beaky nose.
 
“Well, now our children have grown up
and left home, we spend most of our spare time helping children who don’t get
the opportunity of a very good education. We do a lot of volunteer work you
know and there’s always something to do in the gardens here. That’s what keeps
Allen busy most of the time he’s home.” I was thinking Allen probably hid out
in the garden for a bit of peace and quiet. “That’s why our house is the best
looking in the street,” she beamed. “Of course, being right next to yours
doesn’t help the street appeal that much. But I’m sure now you own it, it will
sparkle in no time.” Finally, she stopped for a breath and smiled. She was
quite a harsh-looking lady, with short, dyed black hair and bucked teeth. I
could just imagine what the school kids called her behind her back. Her husband
walked towards us and I must say he was not at all what I’d expected. He wasn’t
bad looking with bright red hair and he actually looked very fit.

“Hi Lizzie, I’m
Allen,” he said extending his hand to shake mine. I could picture him as a
Principal; he spoke very gently. He had a kind smile and I decided instantly I
liked him. Pitied him was probably a more accurate verb, I couldn’t imagine
Helen would be easy to live with.

“Helen was just
telling me you used to mow the lawn for Avis,” I said pointing towards my
house.

“Yes, I kept
mowing it right up until it sold. Then I thought I should probably mind my own
business. I didn’t want to upset my new neighbors,” he smiled.

“Really, you
wouldn’t have upset me at all,” I laughed. “In fact mowing it would have put
you on the favourite neighbor list,” I joked. The sour look on Helen‘s face
told me she obviously didn’t like my sense of humor. “I was wondering if you
could tell me a bit about Avis.” I continued, undeterred by her attitude.

“Well, there’s
not much to tell,” said Helen “She was very elderly, she turned eighty-seven on
her last birthday. I, of course, made her a cake and took it over for her. I
mean, she never had any visitors and it must have been very lonely having a
birthday with no one around. We’re very fortunate, aren’t we Al, that our
children visit us on a very regular basis,” she said smugly.

“Did she have
any children?” I asked looking at Allen, secretly wishing Helen would shut up.

“No, she
actually never married. She once told me that when she was younger, she looked
after her elderly mother. As far as I knew she was an only child and by the
time her mother passed away, she felt she was too old to find that someone
special. She was a very sweet lady, if a little lonely,” explained Allen.

“She did have a
cat,” Helen added with distaste. “It was quite a large ginger cat. I haven’t
seen it in a while, which is a blessing as it always used my garden as a
toilet. Didn’t it, Al?”

The cat she was
talking about was at present sleeping on the window seat in my lounge room.

“Oh, you don’t
by any chance know the name of the Nursing Home Avis went into do you?” I asked
standing, ready to make a fast retreat.

“Yes, we did
visit her once when she first moved there. I’ll write it all down for you,”
Allen said with a smile.

With the new
information I had about Avis, I headed back towards my house taking a shortcut
across the lawn. I really did need to mow this grass, it was past my knees
already and I was getting green seeds sticking to my jeans.

Damn, those
things are really hard to get rid of!