The Negotiator Read online

  In one swift movement, he lifted her and sat her on the kitchen counter. She sucked in her breath. Her heart thudded in anticipation.

  Spreading her robe wide, Andy feasted his eyes on her nakedness. “You’re so beautiful. I can’t believe you’re mine.”

  Warmth spread through her. She leaned forward and placed her hands on his hips, drawing him forward between her legs. He was naked but for cotton boxer shorts and his erection jutted defiantly against its soft fabric.

  His arousal only served to fan the flames of her desire and she wriggled her bottom to the very edge of the counter so she could press herself against his hardness.

  * * *

  Andy bit back a groan, marveling at the woman before him. He could hardly believe she was the shy, almost virginal girl he’d made love to earlier that morning. Even after their third bout of lovemaking, she’d still blushed when he’d whispered words of love and passion in her ear.

  But now, it was almost as if she’d decided to set her inhibitions aside and embrace whatever physical pleasures came her way. Her enthusiasm was an intoxicating aphrodisiac and his arousal became almost painful in its intensity.

  Bending his head, he suckled one of her breasts, tugging on the erect nipple with his teeth. She moved against him, pressing closer, throwing her head back in abandonment. Moving his mouth to her other breast, he brought his hand around behind her bottom and pressed her even more tightly against his throbbing cock. He burned to bury himself in her wetness.

  “Don’t move,” he growled, his voice hoarse with passion. Striding into his bedroom, he shucked off his boxers and sheathed himself with a condom. Seconds later, he returned to Cally’s side. He grasped her hips and lifted her until she was once again at the very edge of the counter.

  It was just the right height, he thought in dazed satisfaction as he maneuvered himself between her open legs. With just the tip of his cock pressing against her warmth, he watched the desire build on her face. She squirmed against him.

  “Andy, please…”

  He smiled, enjoying the sweet torture. “Please what, Cally?”

  She squirmed harder, trying to raise her hips so she could take more of him inside her. Her eyes were stormy pools of need.

  “Please don’t stop.”

  Moving his cock inside her another inch, he held tight to his control. Leaning down toward her, he skimmed his mouth over hers, tasting, sipping from her lips.

  “Do you want me?” His tongue found the sensitive part behind her ear that he’d discovered earlier in the day. She gasped.

  “Yes!”

  “Yes what, Cally?” He pushed his cock in a little further.

  “Yes, I want you! Please, Andy. I want all of you—now!”

  The urgency in her voice and the tight, warm wetness surrounding him was more than he could take. Holding her hips tightly, he thrust hard into her. They both gasped from the impact.

  Their eyes met and held. Her snug, moist heat surrounded him, sheathing him like a glove. His cock swelled inside her. If he didn’t slow things down, it would be all over in the next few minutes.

  Pulling her legs around his hips, he lifted her bottom and held her still. Slowly, slowly he withdrew. She whimpered and clung to his shoulders, holding him close.

  “Shh.” His eyes burned into hers. “You turn me on so much, I’m going to come if we don’t slow things down. I want to make sure you come first.”

  She whimpered again and closed her eyes. He inched inside her again. Leaning forward, he flicked her hard nipples with his tongue—alternating from one to the other. His cock continued to slide in and out of her in long, slow thrusts.

  Her legs tightened around him and her nails dug into his arms. Her breath came out in little pants. He increased the pressure and speed of his movements, watching her through eyes that were heavy with desire. Her face stilled and her body tensed. She gasped. Seconds later, waves of orgasm gripped her.

  He gave her a few moments to catch her breath, his cock still rock-hard inside her. As she opened her eyes, she offered him a shaky smile, a pale blush staining her cheeks.

  “Now, it’s your turn,” she whispered.

  Tightening his hold on her hips, he thrust hard into her, once, twice. The third time he stiffened and closed his eyes and poured himself into her. Gathering her close, he stood there with his cock still inside her, savoring the final pulses.

  Long moments later, he bent and kissed her lightly on the lips and then winked. “Wanna take another shower?”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Cally swiped at the perspiration on her brow and shifted to her other foot. It was nearly three o’clock. Any moment, the bell would go and Jack would be released from another day of school. It was Thursday and she’d enjoyed another precious day off with Andy. He was still on nightshift and they’d spent the morning together. The memories of it brought a smile to her face. After an early lunch, he’d reluctantly left her to return to his bed and rest before his night ahead.

  Not wanting to rush things with Jack, they’d agreed to keep up the pretense of friends and sleep in separate rooms until Jack had a chance to get used to Andy being there. Gradually, they hoped to bring him around to the idea that she and Andy might get married. Until then, all they had were the stolen moments in the hours when they were both at home and Jack was in school.

  She spotted him loping toward her, a smile on his face. The smile widened when he saw her. A moment later, he gave her an enthusiastic hug.

  “How was your day, honey?” Cally slung her arm around his shoulders and strolled back to the car.

  “Pretty good. I beat Thomas West in handball at lunch time. That was sick.”

  “How did your spelling test go?”

  Jack rolled his eyes. “No, Mom. That’s tomorrow.”

  “Oh, right.” She squeezed his shoulder. “So, I’m a day early.”

  “Is Andy still on nightshift?”

  “Yes, honey. He’ll be at work tonight.”

  Jack’s face fell. “Darn, I don’t like it when he’s doing nightshift. I hardly get to see him. He’s asleep when I get home from school and then he’s barely awake and he’s gone. I’m usually at school again when he gets home.”

  “I know, honey and I understand. But that’s just the way it is. At least he won’t be on nightshift forever and he’ll be off on the weekend.”

  “Really? Do you think he might take me snorkeling again? Jimmy could come, too.”

  Cally smiled softly. “Maybe, you’ll have to ask him.”

  “I will. Is he asleep right now? I want to ask him as soon as we get home.”

  “He was when I left to collect you and it would be better not to wake him. It’s important he get some rest. He has to work all night when he leaves home.”

  They reached her old Toyota and she unlocked her door. “Hop in, sweetheart and don’t forget to put your seatbelt on.”

  Jack rolled his eyes. “Yes, Mom.”

  Climbing into the car, her lips tugged upwards. He hated it when he thought she was treating him like a child. He wouldn’t take kindly to the reminder that he was still child. With a soft sigh, she pulled out into the traffic and joined the queue of parents leaving after doing the school pickup. Glancing into the rearview mirror, her heart leaped into her throat. The blue Camry was right behind her.

  A band of fear clutched at her belly. She glanced at the mirror again and read the license plate. CHT 157. It was the same one. It had been more than a week since she’d last seen it. She’d almost convinced herself her imagination had gotten the better of her. Why had it shown up now?

  “Are you all right, Mom?”

  She plastered a smile on her face. “Of course, sweetheart. Why do you ask?”

  “You’re mumbling under your breath.”

  She rubbed the back of her neck with one hand in an effort to ease the tension and kept the forced smile in place. “I’m fine, honey.”

  “Oh, I almost forgot,” Jack cried out in ex
citement. “I met someone today who said he was a relative of mine. You didn’t tell me we had relatives living in Sydney.” His voice was almost accusatory.

  Knowing there were no such relatives, dread seized Cally’s belly in a stranglehold. Her pulse took off like a bullet and she took a deep breath in an effort to remain calm. “Sorry, honey. I didn’t hear you over the traffic,” she lied, hoping to buy more time. “What did you say?”

  He sighed exaggeratedly. “A man called me over to the fence at school. I think he said he was your uncle.” Jack frowned. “Or maybe he said he knew your uncle?”

  Tentacles of fear wrapped icy fingers around her heart. She forced another breath in her lungs. Something was all wrong about this: She didn’t have any uncles.

  “My uncle? Really? What did this man look like?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. He was pretty tall, but not as tall as Andy.”

  “What color hair did he have? Was it short or long? Did you notice the color of his eyes?” She tried not to sound like an interrogator.

  “His hair was short and black, I think. He was wearing a hat, so I didn’t get to see too much of it. And sunglasses. He was wearing sunglasses, too.”

  She digested that information. It sounded like the man she’d spied in the blue Camry. “What else did he say?”

  “Not much, although it was a little weird when he started asking me about my dad. I thought if he was my uncle, he’d already know I don’t have a dad.”

  Dread weighed cold and heavy in her chest. Could Stewart be the man in the Camry? It didn’t make sense. As far as Stewart knew, she’d aborted their baby a decade ago, like he’d demanded. But if not Stewart, then who?

  She’d never elaborated on the whereabouts of Jack’s father to anyone in Sydney. When work colleagues, or the mother of one of Jack’s friends casually posed the question, she deftly side-stepped it and changed the subject. Every now and then, someone would become a little more curious, and she’d end up telling them his father lived in the country—which was true, as far as she knew.

  Was it possible Stewart had discovered her secret? Had he tracked her down in Sydney? But, why all the secrecy and subterfuge? She glanced in her rearview mirror and saw the Camry was still right behind her. Straining to get a look at the driver, she made out the dark form of a man. He wore sunglasses and a hat, just as Jack described.

  Clearing her throat of nerves, she looked back at her son. “Honey, the man you were talking to in the playground today, did you see him get out of a car?”

  “No, Mom.”

  She tried to ignore the disappointment that surged through her.

  “But I saw him drive away in one.”

  Her brain suddenly registered what Jack said. Whipping her head toward him, she said, “What did you say?”

  Jack sighed exaggeratedly. “You asked me if I’d seen the man getting out of a car. I said no because I didn’t. The first time I noticed him was when he called out to me in the playground. I went after a ball that had rolled near the fence. The man in the sunglasses was already there. He called me over.”

  “I see. And he just started talking to you?”

  “Yeah, I guess. But when he asked me about my dad, I felt a bit strange and picked up the ball and headed back. I looked over my shoulder to see if he was still there and that’s when I saw him getting into his car.”

  “What kind of car?”

  He shrugged. “A blue one. I’m not sure what kind.”

  “Dark blue or light blue?” Her voice sounded strangled.

  “Dark blue, kind of like Jimmy’s car, only it was a car like ours, not a big pickup like Jimmy’s.”

  Panic seized her. It was one thing for the man to be parked alongside a busy road near her driveway, or even to follow her through heavy traffic, but to go to her son’s school and speak with him?

  Her mouth set in a grim line. Fanciful or not, she was going back to the police. This creep, whoever he was, had overstepped the mark. If he thought she would sit back and ignore the fact he’d approached Jack without her permission, he had another think coming. No one interfered with her son. No one.

  She glanced behind her and flicked on her indicator to change lanes. The Camry was nowhere in sight. Relief surged through her. As much as she wished it were otherwise, her bravado was all a front. The man was getting bolder and the thought made her sick with fear.

  Taking the next exit, she turned in the direction of the Chatswood Police Station, which was closest to her home. She hoped the detective who’d dealt with her house burglary would be there. He at least had some background knowledge.

  She thought of Andy and suppressed the urge to call him. He’d barely closed his eyes when she left to collect Jack from school. She didn’t want to wake him. He had a full night of work ahead of him.

  “Where are we going, Mom? This isn’t the way home.”

  Cally closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. She needed Jack to tell the police about the man he’d spoken to in the playground. As much as her heart rebelled against the idea of adding extra worries to his young shoulders, it was time to tell him about the stalker.

  She bit her lip. “Honey, there’s something I need to tell you.” She braced herself for his reaction.

  * * *

  Cally opened the door of the police station and was hit with a blast of icy air. She was pleased to see it raised a little color to Jack’s pale cheeks. He still looked shocked, as he tried to take in what she’d told him, but she was confident he was resilient enough to cope. At least, she hoped so.

  “May I help you?” A male officer whose name badge identified him as Constable Nicholls addressed her from behind the counter. Her stomach sank. He looked barely out of high school.

  “Um, yes. I’m Cally Savage. Is Detective Black in?”

  “I’ll check for you.” The officer picked up a phone, pressed a button, and spoke into it. A few moments later, he ended the call. “You’re in luck. He’ll be with you shortly. Take a seat over there if you like,” he added and indicated the row of plastic chairs bolted to one wall.

  Cally glanced at the seats and dismissed them. She was too agitated to sit and the constable had said the detective wouldn’t be long. A moment later, the tall detective she’d met a little over a month ago when he’d come to interview her over the burglary appeared behind the counter. His green eyes were full of curiosity and his mouth opened in a friendly smile, displaying a perfect set of white teeth.

  If Cally hadn’t met Andy, she may have even been just the tiniest bit interested in the good looking detective. At their first meeting, she’d been too overwrought at the discovery an unknown man had been inside her home to take much notice of the attributes of the police officer investigating it. Now, with a little more balance in her life, she could appreciate what he had to offer…and remain entirely unmoved.

  “Ms Savage, isn’t it? What can I do for you?”

  “I… You investigated a burglary at my house a little while ago. I spoke to you last week when I believed I was being followed.”

  “Yes, I remember. We sent a car around, but there was no one there. I take it you haven’t seen the offending vehicle since?”

  “Yes…no. I mean, I hadn’t seen it since I spoke to you and I’d almost convinced myself it must have been a coincidence, but…something else has happened.”

  The detective nodded. “Okay, would you like to tell me about it?”

  Cally bit her lip and glanced down at Jack. He stared up at her, his eyes wide and solemn. She had to do it. If she said nothing, something could happen to Jack and she’d never forgive herself. She drew in a deep breath.

  “Yes. The man who’s been following me has approached my son at his school.”

  The officer’s expression turned serious and he leaned closer to her over the counter. “Why don’t you come inside so you can make a proper statement? Is this young man your son?” He nodded in Jack’s direction.

  “Yes.” She remembere
d Jack had been at school when the detective had come around. She drew her son close against her side. “This is Jack.”

  “How old are you, Jack?” Detective Black asked.

  Jack peeked at him nervously. “I-I’m ten.”

  Cally tightened her arm around Jack’s shoulders, offering him silent reassurance.

  The detective gave him a friendly grin. “Do you think you could come in with your mom and tell me what happened at school today?”

  Jack nodded cautiously, staying close to her side.

  “Good. Now, if you walk over there, I’ll come and unlock the door for you.” The detective pointed to their left. Cally and Jack walked over and a moment later, the door was opened from the inside by the detective. “Right through here.”

  He led them through a twisting confusion of corridors and rooms until they arrived at an interview room. It was small and sparsely furnished in a similar fashion to the ones at the station in North Sydney. A cheap, Formica-covered table and four hard, plastic chairs took up most of the space. Cally looked up and saw a small camera positioned high in one corner. There were no windows and all four of the off-white walls were bare.

  Icy air from the air conditioning vent made the temperature of the room uncomfortably cool. She shivered as much from the cold as from nerves. Being deep inside the bowels of a police station was intimidating. In silence, they took the seats that were offered.

  She supposed that was all part of it. There were probably as many offenders as witnesses brought in here and to have them off-balance in a room like this was more than likely part of the modus operandi.

  When Detective Black took a seat across from them, her nerves multiplied. She shot a quick glance at Jack seated next to her. Her son’s face still held concern, but there was also fascination. She was glad he wasn’t as apprehensive as she was. Her fear and discomfort must have shown on her face because the detective suddenly leaned toward her, a friendly smile on his face.