Trust Me (4 page)

Donovan left Alaina's office not at all happy with the
outcome of their encounter.  He had not been able to gauge her guilt or
innocence and he feared his unprofessional attraction to her might affect his
objectivity.  He was going to have to increase surveillance.  He had
given her the information about the existence of the evidence he had on her
father and the OAS to test her.  If she was guilty of any involvement in
terrorist activities he might have scared her into acting foolishly and reveal
herself. It was just a matter of time until the truth was uncovered. 
Success in this business counted on patience, but today, for some reason he
just didn't seem to have any…and she did have a fine ass.

Alaina headed towards Old Town, an historical section
of the city filled with preserved buildings of San Diego.  Like many
tourist attractions, numerous shops and restaurants pervaded the area. 
The atmosphere was old world Californian and although it was a center for
tourists, Alaina had always loved visiting this section of the city.  It
made her feel as if she had traveled back in time a hundred and fifty years as
she walked through the still-unpaved streets, passing the numerous adobe
buildings and breathing in the smell of fresh corn tortillas.  As she had
promised, she was meeting Elise at Chico's, one of the many restaurants of Old
Town, for their Thursday margarita special.

Thankfully, traffic had not been bad and she was able
to reach the restaurant quite easily.  Arriving at Chico's she saw Elise
sitting on the patio already enjoying her first margarita.  Alaina smiled
as she saw her friend, while taking in the appealing atmosphere of the
restaurant.  It was isolated from the rest of the town by its location in
a small courtyard, which was overflowing with an abundance of palm trees,
hyacinths, and birds of paradise creating a lively atmosphere.  The ground
had been covered with stone bricks in an effort to maintain a rustic
appearance.  Chico's patio consisted of large round wicker tables with
glass tabletops and matching wicker chairs with floral cushions.  After
Alaina's long day, she was certainly looking forward to sitting in one of them,
leisurely enjoying a margarita.

As Alaina approached the table she noticed the flirty
blouse Elise was wearing and a skirt that was almost a bit too short.  As
always, Elise had picked a bright color that complemented her amber eyes and
dark auburn hair.  Her features themselves were quite exotic.  Her
eyes were large and almond shaped and complemented by her large full red
lips.  Her hair was thick and straight and was cut in a very flattering
blunt style along her jaw line.  Elise waved her over as she got closer to
the table and said without preamble, “You're late.  You know you should
really get your priorities straight, an appointment with me takes precedence
over everything else.”  Elise always liked to tease Alaina about her
dedication to her job, but the irony was that Elise herself was completely
devoted to her own career, often working more hours than Alaina.

Alaina gave her friend a sharp look and replied,
“Don’t give me a hard time.  I’ve had a helluva day and I really need a
margarita.

Elise had already ordered a pitcher of margaritas that
sat in the center of the table.  “Tell me everything.”

Grabbing a chair she sat down and poured herself a
glass. “You’re not going to believe this but my 9:30 appointment this morning
turned out to be Mr. Drugstore.”

Elise looked stunned. “Get out!?  What are the
odds?” She paused and then leaned forward while lowering her voice, “Hey, you
don't think the guy was following you, do you?  After all didn't you say
he was from the FBI?”

Alaina gave her a dry look lowering her voice to match
Elise’s adjusted tone. “Why are you whispering?”

Elise rolled her eyes. “You know the whole FBI
thing.  It’s all so cloak and dagger.”

Alaina shook her head in disgust. “Uh, no it’s
not.  It’s a subpoena.”

“Are you sure he wasn’t following you?” Elise asked
her voice returning to a normal level.

“Don't be ridiculous, why would he be following
me?  First of all the guy isn't an agent with the FBI, he's a
lawyer.  Second, I'm a lawyer too, not a criminal.  Our meeting at
the drugstore was just a fluke, and now I'm really sorry I ran into him at
all.”

“Okay let’s back up here.  This morning you were
so hot for this guy, you were telling me about him even though you were sure
you would never see him again.  Now, he walks into your office, like a
gift from God, and you're sorry you met him?  Are you crazy?  Come
on, what's changed since this morning?”  Elise sipped from her glass,
obviously thirsty after her barrage of questions.

 
“Lots.
  I can't
get into the details, but the two of us are on opposing sides and my side happens
to be quite personal.  It looks as if our whole professional relationship
is going to be quite antagonistic.”

Elise shrugged. “So right now you're on opposite sides
but after the case you’re working on is over, you can put your professional
differences aside.”

“It's more than professional differences Elise, the
case involves my father.  I don't think this is something I can put
aside.  Frankly, I don't think I'll ever be able to stand the sight of
this man even after this is all over.”  At this point Alaina wasn't sure
if she was trying to convince Elise or herself about her dislike of Donovan
Prentice.

“I guess with your father involved things are more
complicated, but at the end of the day the FBI hottie is just doing his
job.  Besides, I think you can still stand the sight of him or you
wouldn't be working so hard to convince yourself that you can't.  Is there
something you've left out?”

Alaina hesitated and chewed her lip, a habit from
childhood she had never been able to shed, before she answered, “Maybe, but I
really don't know how to explain it.  It's kind of strange, you know?”

“Don't leave me in suspense, what is
it?    I can't wait to hear what's coming next.”

“I’m afraid that this situation is only going to get
worse.  One minute we're fighting, or should I say arguing the legal
issues, and the next minute we're flirting.  Having my emotions go from
one extreme to another is making me a bit crazy.”

Elise shot her a penetrating look.  “It sounds
like he's interested and it certainly sounds like you're interested, whether
you want to admit it or not.” she insisted, perhaps knowing Alaina better than
Alaina knew herself.

“I wouldn't go so far as to say he's interested. 
Maybe he’s just being flirtatious as a ploy to disarm me.  After our
meeting in the drugstore he certainly knew I was attracted to him; maybe he's
just taking advantage of that. The whole situation is really confusing. 
Just when I think I've got control of it, he turns it around.  When I was
talking to him I felt off balance.  Do you know what I mean?”

Elise looked startled at this disclosure.
“You?
Off balance?
  The woman
who prides herself on control?  I find that hard to believe.” She sighed
before saying, “Hey, if you want my advice?    Just do your job
and try and ignore the personal relationship until everything is settled and
then Fuck His Brains Out!”

Alaina laughed. “Girlfriend you’re a bad
influence!  Besides there’s no personal relationship and yet there
is.  I keep getting the sense that he knows everything about me.  It's
giving me the creeps.  Maybe I'm just over analyzing.  Do you think
this is all in my head?”

Elise took another sip of her drink while she
contemplated. “Alaina, you’re definitely over analyzing.   It's my guess
there's something pretty strong between the two of you that's not going to go
away.”

“Well, I hope it goes away.  I have the feeling
Donovan Prentice is going to be nothing but trouble, personally and
professionally.”

“His name's Donovan Prentice?  I guess your sexy
man has a sexy name to match.  If you don't want him, do you mind if I ask
him out?”

“Very funny Elise.
  Why don't you have another margarita and leave
me alone,” Alaina said, amused despite her mood. 

“Great idea,” Elise said as she signaled the
waiter. 

He came over immediately. “What else can I get for you
this evening?”  The waiter was blonde, young, clean cut and his smile was
definitely suggesting he was available as well.

Elise gave him her best smile as she said is a low
voice.   Reading his name tag she asked, “Mark, what can you
recommend?”

Mark tilted his head to the side, “Well that depends
on what you ladies would like tonight.  I am at your service.”

Elise let loose a throaty chuckle, “Hmm, Mark that
sounds promising.  You’re going to service both of us?”

Mark grinned in appreciation, “Well if that’s what you
ladies would like…”

Alaina gave Elise a sideways glance before
interrupting Mark, “You can bring us another pitcher of margaritas”

“Do you need anything else?” he asked obviously eager
to please.

Elise looked up at Mark.  “I think I might need
something else later Mark.”

Mark winked at Elise. “I’m up for that,” he said as he
walked away to get them another round of drinks.

Alaina shook her head at Elise. “Unbelievable.”

Elise shrugged. “I know it’s a gift.”

“Can you teach me?”“ Alaina implored.

“Really I wish I could, but it’s something that you
just have to be born with.”

Alaina sighed, knowing her friend was right. “Do you
want to split a cab home?”

Elise chuckled. “Well I rather thought that Mark would
give me a lift.”

Alaina laughed as she raised her glass. “Did I mention
you rock?  I really need to be more like you.”

Alaina returned to her three-bedroom bungalow after a
few too many margaritas.  This was one day she was glad to see end. 
As she entered the front door she felt the comfort of her home surround
her.  She looked around with pride as she took in the familiar
surroundings.  The floors were covered with large brown Mexican tiles and
scattered with several large Mexican throw rugs.  Her furniture, in her
unbiased opinion, was comfortable, practical, and completely perfect.  The
living room was decorated in a light sand color with accents of blue. There was
a cushioned couch and loveseat, both of which were filled with an abundance of
pillows.  The remaining furniture was of natural pine, including the end
tables for the couch and the wall unit, which contained her television and
docking station.  The room was filled with a variety of plants; in Alaina's
opinion you couldn't have too many plants.  The kitchen was cute and
compact; she didn't have a need for a large kitchen since cooking was not one
of her talents.  In fact, she thought to herself, she would be lucky if
she could find something to eat tonight.  Once again she had conveniently
forgotten to go grocery shopping, one of the many household activities she
dreaded.  She had turned one of her three bedrooms into a den, to enable
her to do work at home, leaving a spare bedroom and her own bedroom.  The
latter decorated in dark burgundies and greens was filled with dark Birchwood
furniture, and contained a large queen size wrought iron bed covered with a
big, thick duvet.   She loved her house and was proud of her
decorating.  It was immaculate, not because Alaina was a good housekeeper,
but because she had recognized years ago that she was completely inept at
keeping anywhere she lived clean and had finally given up and hired a cleaning
service.  She laughed as she thought of her mother’s horror if she found
out that someone else was keeping her house clean.  Her home with its
western motif was the complete antithesis of her office and that was exactly
how she wanted it.

She foraged in her kitchen looking for something that
might be remotely edible and came up with a can of soup and a bagel.  Oh
well she thought, not exactly haute cuisine, but it would have to do for
now.  She left the kitchen and padded over to the living room couch to
watch TV as she
ate,
a habit her mother had always
abhorred.  She set her soup and bagel on the coffee table, plunked
herself
down on the soft couch, and grabbed the remote to
turn on the television.   While she sat on her sand colored couch,
burrowing deeper into the soft cushions, eating her soup and bagel, her thoughts
drifted away from what was on the television towards her father and the
relationship they had shared. 

Alaina's mother and father, Francine and Tom Simmons,
had met in their early twenties while attending New York University. 
Shortly thereafter they married, and quickly produced a daughter, Alaina. 
Unfortunately, marital bliss was not to be found for the couple and they
divorced when Alaina was only two years old.  Francine took her daughter
and returned to her hometown, San Diego.   Her mother found love
again with an accountant named Stanley Warner when Alaina was five years
old.   Stanley had been a loving and generous father and had raised
her as his own.  When she was seven she had received the pleasant surprise
of a new baby brother named Allen.  Alaina had all the benefits of a happy
and well-adjusted childhood, but she always wondered about her real father.