Desperate and Gorgeous Bk. 01 Ch. 04

Chapter Four

The soft honking was familiar to me now. It had been my morning wake up call for weeks. My face was chilly, while the rest of my body was under the covers. But I wasn't alone this time. I laid on my side, Leah tucked back into me. My left arm was under the pillows, the other held her close. My hand rested between her breasts. The soft weight felt nice.

She stirred and her body moved against mine. I rolled onto my back and stretched. When I turned back to her she was facing me.

Her eyes held mine for a time, and we breathed in comfortable silence.

"Hey," she said, gently.

"Morning," I answered. "How do you feel?"

She smiled softly. "Good."

"Last night was... amazing."

"I know. For me too." She didn't look away, and I was captured. "When you get back tonight, we should talk."

She raised her arms over her head and stretched, eyes closed. The thin blanket fell away, revealing her breasts. I reached a hand out, which she playfully slapped away without looking. Women are sorcerers. "Men are predictable," she laughed. She sauntered into the bathroom with my eyes glued to her ass.

I took some time to think about what happened last night, and everything else since Leah walked into my office. I'd said it to myself a hundred times recently, but she really was amazing. Just being around her brightened my mood. I felt incredibly lucky to be with her, regardless of the circumstances or how soon it would end.

Or maybe it wouldn't be so soon...Best not to get my hopes up. Today was a big day and I had to be on my game and focused.

The bathroom door opened and steam filled the doorway, followed by Leah in her customary towel that barely covered anything. Focused. Right. She walked out into the kitchen. Brooke was already there.

"Whoa," she said, startled when she saw Leah. "Did you two...?"

"What? No, calm down. The water in our shower wouldn't heat up," Leah answered casually and went to her room to get dressed.

Brooke glanced through the open door into my room at the same time I pulled the blankets off and stood up. Waking up with Leah in my arms, pleasantly naked, followed by the show she just put on left me stiff.

"Jesus!" She yelled, covering her eyes and walking away. "Put some clothes on!"

As I stood in the shower I thought about my meeting with Joe later. It was important. We both had leverage, and we both knew it. The truth was I was more desperate than I let on. There were too many factors in play. Each time I thought about how to solve one, another popped up. This one had to get crossed off the list.

I did have some power, a modest amount of agency. We had something he wanted. Not everything. It would have to be enough.

The hot water was soothing. I usually did my best thinking while I was cooking or doing something with my hands. The activity distracted me enough to let underlying thoughts bubble up to the surface and come together. But the shower was almost as good.

Up to this point I had been planning and pulling strings behind the scenes. The fire at the police station was the first piece on the board to move. Joe's reaction to that would be telling.

A few hours later I was dressed in a gray suit and sat in the passenger seat of a black SUV. I left the tie off. Professional dress code had relaxed over the years, and the pandemic accelerated that even more. Plus, Leah said I looked better without it.

The car stopped and I stepped out. I hadn't been to Buffalo in years, but not much had changed. I walked under bronze lettering that had been hammered into the cement overhang. It read 25 Delaware Avenue.

"Mr. Peters. I must admit I was surprised when you called." I shook Joe's offered hand and stepped into his office.

"Oh, you know. I found your card in my pocket and thought I'd stop by. Offer what I could. You know there's a typo?" I pointed to the lettering on the glass.

Joe sighed. "Yeah, thanks, we're working on it. I was actually getting ready to call you myself. Ms. James has a hearing coming up."

"Yes I spoke to Brooke about it. What a tragedy." I shook my head.

"How do you two know each other?" he asked.

"I'm her accountant. She has a number of investments in the area. As you can imagine, taxes can get complicated for small business owners."

"Does that make you the sister's accountant too? That was Leah James the other day, wasn't it?"

"Yes. Sorry about that." I leaned forward and lowered my voice. "Privacy is important to her, as you can imagine. We were reviewing her portfolio when she found out Brooke was getting out of the hospital. I thought I would come along. I've known Brooke almost as long as I've known Leah."

"Right," Joe answered. He didn't believe me.

I continued. "Fortunately, for my friend, it appears as though the other woman was at fault. Brooke thought about pressing charges but decided against it."

"She wanted to press charges? For what?"

"You know, the car, medical bills, emotional therapy. It was a traumatic experience."

"The nerve," he huffed. "There's a, discrepancy, in the report. We're looking into it. I wouldn't let your friend get her hopes up."

I could tell he was annoyed, so I thought I'd press a little more. "She's innocent from the way I hear it. She was just stopping for a rest and to use the bathroom. The other car backed into her."

"If that was true then we would have a fender bender and I wouldn't even be involved. Instead, both cars were totaled and a woman is dead." He was getting agitated.

There was a delicate balance to this. I needed him to see that we wouldn't roll over, and that we had a real case backed by the evidence on hand. "Maybe the other woman hit the gas too hard."

"Hit the gas too hard? Are you crazy? She would've needed to be going sixty, in reverse, to cause that much damage."

I lit him a little more. "Well, she was old. And from what I hear she was also drinking. That's incredibly dangerous, we're lucky Brooke wasn't killed. It's one thing to hurt yourself with your own mistakes, it's another to injure someone else."

He was fuming now. "That woman is a drug mule. Plain and simple."

I let anger creep into my voice. "I don't appreciate you talking about her like that. If you had a case against her we wouldn't be having this conversation. That makes her innocent until you can prove otherwise. And we both know you can't," I finished quietly.

"I don't know what you think -"

"Joe." I rose my hands in a placating gesture. I wanted him off-balance, not furious. "If I can call you that. I didn't come here to argue. There might be a way we can work together. It's almost lunch time, what do you say we take this somewhere more private. Know any good spots around here?"

He stared at me for a long moment. "Stanley's. Two blocks down." He stood. "I'll meet you there."

"Unh, oh, mmh, Carlos baby that's too hard," the woman whimpered. She had dark hair and skin. She was naked except for the black heels. They highlighted the muscles in her legs, which were taut and locked straight, feet on the floor. She was bent at the waist over a large four-poster bed. The comforter had a traditional pattern of teals and reds which the woman gripped tightly in one hand. The other pushed back against the man behind her, trying to slow him down.

"Shut up, perra" he snarled and pushed her hand away. He was overweight and gray dusted his temples. He wore a heavy gold necklace that bounced against his bare chest. His silk robe was open, pants pooled at his feet. He smacked the left side of her ass, hard. It wasn't as red as the other side yet. With both hands back on her hips he slammed into her again and again, their hips clapping together. The large horizontal window was open and bright sunlight filled the room. Eventually he slowed, pulled out, and took a step to his left.

Another woman waited for him here. She was on her hands and knees on the bed facing him. Carlos gripped her blonde hair tight enough to pale the skin on his knuckles, and forced her mouth down onto his cock. One hand was on top of her head, holding her tight. The other cupped her throat. He held himself deep enough so she couldn't breathe and smacked her lightly on the cheek a few times before reaching down and squeezing her ass. "See?" he asked the woman he had just been fucking. "She doesn't complain that I'm too rough."

Someone knocked on the door. "Not now!" Carlos barked. The woman's eyes started to water and her pale face was turning red.

"Sir, the boss is on the phone and wants to talk to you," a voice called through the door.

He held her in place for a few more seconds until she started to convulse and her hands slapped against his hips in panic. He yanked out and her head dropped over the side of the bed as she coughed and gasped for air. He wiped his cock with her hair and pulled his pants up. Carlos slapped the first woman's ass again as he walked by and she yelped. "Don't move," he growled.

Outside in the hallway a man handed him a phone.

"Yes?" he answered. He was silent, listening. His face turned cold and hard. "Okay." He hung up. He was still for a long moment. Then he slammed the phone down into the floor, broken pieces scattering across the hard tile. "Get some men ready," he said. "We're going to Buffalo."

When he walked back into the room the women could tell something was different. "What's wrong baby?" the dark-haired woman asked. She hadn't moved, like he said. Her legs were still spread and her cunt was pink and swollen. Her eyes were wide.

Carlos smiled at her warmly. Lines crinkled at the corners of his eyes, and she relaxed. "Nothing, mi amor. Just business. Nothing to worry yourself about." He gently massaged her sore ass cheeks. "And you." He tenderly cupped the other woman's face and brushed her hair back. "You become more preciosa every day. You were doing so good. I'm proud of you." He looked into her eyes and she smiled shyly.

"Let's try something a little different now," he began. He turned the blonde woman onto her back and positioned her in the center of the bed. He opened the drawer of the nightstand and came away with a vibrator, one end rounded in a small dome. "I think you'll like this."

"That looks like fun," the dark-haired woman said when she saw it.

He positioned her on top of the blonde, legs spread wide over her face. "Why don't you give her some attention," he whispered into the blonde woman's ear, handing her the vibrator. He went back to the nightstand and she held it against the pussy just above her face. Buzzing filled the room when she turned it on.

"Ooo yeah, just like that," the brunette groaned and she relaxed into the pleasure.

Carlos came back with several pieces of black fabric. Each looked like a scarf, only thinner. He knelt by the dark-haired woman's head and tied her wrists to the blonde's ankles. He did the same on the opposite side, taking the vibrator away. Then he wrapped a length around their waists and pulled it tight, pressing their stomachs together.

"What are you doing baby?" the dark-haired woman asked. He answered by lining his cock up against the tight opening of her ass, and resting his balls on the blonde's face.

She tried to pusher herself off the bed but the ties held her in place. "No baby, not that. We talked about this."

"You're right. Where are my manners?" Carlos got off the bed and returned with a silver tray. White powder was piled on top. He placed it on the bed in front of her face and moved behind her again.

"Honey, it hurts too much," she complained and moved her head to the side, avoiding the tray.

Carlos stroked himself as he dragged his balls along the blonde's nose and lips. "Don't you want to make me happy?" he asked.

The dark-haired woman was squirming against the ties, trying to loosen them. "Of course," she answered, speaking quickly. "Come here and let me use my mouth. Or put it back in my pussy. You can go as hard as you want, I promise."

His voice was hard now. "Her mouth is better than yours," he said, and slapped his cock against the blonde's lips. "And I've already had your pussy. Now shut up." He reached forward and tied the last piece of fabric against her open mouth, knotting it behind her head.

This time when he positioned himself against her ass, he had one hand in her hair. He shoved her face into the powder. "Breathe deep. That's what you're here for isn't it."

Strangled screams echoed in the hallway.

When I arrived Joe was sitting in a booth in the corner.

As soon as I sat down he said, "I don't know how you're involved, or what you know about the case we have against that girl, but hear this. She killed someone. Murdered. While she was high. And she did it while carrying drugs that would have been distributed all over the region, ruining lives and families. If there's a hell, that's where she belongs. That's what she deserves. In this life all we have is prison. And I'm going to make sure that's where she ends up."

I matched his gaze. "You're right. You don't know me. But I know you. I know you've been working this beat for years. Case after case slips through your fingers. I can count the number of people you've put away without taking my shoes off. None of them higher than street-level. I also know this. Your case against Brooke isn't nearly as strong as it was a few days ago."

He leaned back, piecing together what I said. The server showed up at our table. Joe didn't look at her. "I'll have a cheeseburger, medium, with fries."

"And you hun?" she asked.

She was in her fifties and had clearly worked at this restaurant for a long time. One hand rested on the back of the booth, the other on her hip. She didn't write anything down. I turned to Joe.

"Any recommendations?"

He paused. "The steak sandwich."

"I'll take that."

"Sounds good. Those'll be right out." She walked away.

He leaned forward. "If you had something to do with that fire I'll put you away for the rest of your life. We'll get the toxicology reports straightened out. The hospital has the original records. And our IT guys are digging through the changelogs in the evidence archives."

That's what I was afraid of, but I tried not to let it show. I looked him in the eye. "Don't know what you're talking about. But what if I told you there's an opportunity here to go after bigger fish?"

He considered what I said. "She would testify?"

"No. You know as well as I do that if she publicly flipped you'd be scraping her off the side of the road in a few days, tops. But she... we, have information."

Our food arrived and Joe's suggestion was a good one. The steak sandwich was delicious.

I came home to the sight of two beautiful women sitting at my table eating lunch. There are worse things in life. They spoke at the same time.

"How did it go?"

"What did the asshole say?"

"Pretty well, I think. He's not the biggest fan of yours, Brooke, but he was receptive to the idea. He agreed to push your hearing date back." I flopped into the empty chair at the table. I wasn't complaining, but I hadn't gotten much sleep last night, and sparring with Joe was mentally draining. I tried to string him alone, feed him a crumb at a time without giving away too much. I was tired.

Leah walked dirty dishes over to the sink. She wore a sleeveless olive green dress that didn't quite make it to her knees. The fabric was swept to the side and tied in a knot at her hip. Wide, brass hoops connected the material where her shoulders met her chest, showing plenty of skin. As usual, that's where my eyes were drawn. When she moved I could see it had a plunging neckline that showed a generous amount of cleavage. She wore three gold necklaces, each a little shorter than the last. My eyes lingered on the insides of her tanned breasts, which bounced as she sat on the couch and tucked her bare feet under her.

"Earth to Matt," Brooke said, annoyed. Her outfit wasn't nearly as complicated. She wore ripped jeans that rode low on her hips and a cropped black tee shirt that showed off her toned stomach.

"Sorry, what?"

"I said, what do we do now?"

"Did you talk to Felix?"

"Yeah, we're meeting on Friday."

Three days. That should be enough -

Three heavy bangs echoed through the room. I looked up sharply and stared through the open doorway into the office. The girls looked at me.

Three more bangs. The door frame rattled each time.

"Stay here," I said and moved into the office. I closed and locked the door behind me.

On the monitor I saw two men standing on my porch. One short, the other big and broad. The short one's stomach hung over his pants, and he wore a gold chain around his neck.

I opened the door. "Carlos," I said, surprised. "I didn't know you were coming. Come in." I stepped aside and the two men entered.

"Matthew!" he said, his face lighting up in a smile. He took my hand in both of his and we shook. "What a pleasure. It's been too long young man."

I looked at the second man and realized I was wrong. Carlos wasn't short. This man was enormous. I'm not a small guy and I had to look up to see his face.

"I don't think I know your friend."

"Ah, where are my manners. Matthew, this is Hector. Hector has been with me for a long time, I'm surprised you two haven't met before."

We nodded to each other and I gestured to the chairs. "Make yourself comfortable. What can I get you to drink?"

"I seem to remember you used to have quite the collection of bourbon. Anything especially impressive on hand?"

I found the bottle Leah and I shared the first time we met and poured three glasses, then set the bottle on the desk. Carlos leaned back and took a sip, closing his eyes.

"Dios mío," he said, staring at the amber liquid in his glass. He took a longer pull. "You really know how to find the best."

I sat in my chair, Carlos across from me. Hector stayed standing and loomed behind him. He didn't take the drink. "I'd be happy to send a bottle with you. It took me a long time to find."

He smiled and finished the glass.

"You know Carlos," I began casually. "A phone call is usually customary before a visit. I'm surprised none of the guards let me know you were here."

"Yes, yes, you are right. I apologize." He said, holding a hand to his chest. "It's just been so long since we've seen each other, I thought a surprise could be fun. And you know how the men can get. They're down there telling jokes and slapping each other on the back. We are one big family after all."

Something about that didn't sit right with me, but I nodded. "So what can I do for you?"

He waited a moment, considering his words. "How long have you been up here Matthew? A few years?"

"Almost two," I answered.

"I remember when you brought the idea to me. You said, 'Carlos. There is opportunity in Buffalo.' I was surprised. I said, 'Buffalo New York?' 'Yes, yes' you assured me. 'Border security is less restrictive. We can move product much more easily than here in Florida.'" He poured himself another glass and now he sounded disappointed. "It's been years Matthew. And I haven't heard much from you. You know Marco wasn't happy when you left."

I didn't take the bait. "Progress has been slower than I hoped, but there has been progress. I have more than a dozen cash operations up and running. I'm cleaning twice as much money from up here as I was in Florida. And as much as I would like to help expand the business, cleaning money is my main focus."

He conceded my point. "Yes that is true, and fair. You have always been excellent at that, and Sofia agrees."

"The Sanabria cartel controls most of the supply in Canada," I continued, "along with the distribution networks between St. Catharines and Buffalo. But there are other operations working on the fringes. The Sanabrias aren't as strong as you would think."