Covet - A Novel of Fallen Angel Part 2

When he eased back, she swept aside one of the braas cups and framed herself with her hand, offering the nipple to him.

aYouare amazing,a he whispered.

Jim bent down and captured her flesh with his lips, sucking on her gently. As she gasped and thrust her hands into his hair, her breast cushioned his mouth and he had a moment of raw l.u.s.t, the kind that turned men into animals.

Except then he remembered the way shead looked at him, and he knew he wasnat going to have s.e.x with her. He was going to take care of her, here in the truck cab, with the heater going and the windows fogging up. He was going to show her how beautiful she was and how perfect her body looked and felt andatasted. But he wasnat taking anything for himself.

h.e.l.l, maybe he wasnat all bad.

You sure about that? his inner voice cut in. Are you really sure about that?

No, he wasnat. But Jim laid her down on the seat and wadded his leather jacket into a pillow for her head and vowed to do the right thing.

Manashe was drop-dead gorgeous, a lost, exotic bird whoad found a chicken coop for shelter. Why on G.o.das green earth did she want him?

aKiss me,a she breathed.

Just as he braced his weight on his heavy arms and leaned over her, he caught sight of the digital clock on the dash: 11:59. The very minute he had been born forty years before.

What a happy birthday this had turned out to be.

CHAPTER 3.

Vin diPietro sat on a silk-covered sofa in a living room decorated in gold, red and creamy white. The black marble floors were covered with antique rugs, the bookcases were filled with first editions, and all around his collection of crystal, ebony, and bronze statuary gleamed.

But the real showstopper was the view of the city over to the right.

Thanks to a gla.s.s wall that ran the entire length of the room, Caldwellas twin bridges and all of its skysc.r.a.pers were as much a part of the decorations as the drapes and the floor coverings and the objets daart. The sprawling vista was urban splendor at its best, a vast, glimmering landscape that was never the same, even though the buildings didnat change.

Vinas duplex in the Commodore took up all of the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth floors of the luxury high-rise, for a total of ten thousand square feet. He had six bedrooms, a maidas suite, an exercise room, and a movie theater. Eight bathrooms. Four parking s.p.a.ces in the underground parking garage. And inside everything was exactly as he wanted it, every square of marble, slab of granite, yard of fabric, plank of hardwood, foot of carpeta"all of it had been handpicked from the best of the best by him.

He was ready to move out.

With the way things were going, he figured head be ready to hand over the keys to its next owner in another four months. Maybe three, depending on how fast the crews were at the construction site.

If this condo was nice, what Vin was building on the banks of the Hudson River was going to make the duplex look like subsidized housing. Head had to buy up a half dozen old hunting lodges and camps to get the kind of acreage and sh.o.r.eline he wanted, but everything had fallen into place. Head razed the shacks, cleared the land, and dug a cellar hole big enough to play football in. The crew was framing now and working on the roof; then his fleet of electricians would install the houseas central nervous system and his plumbers would put in the arteries. Finally, it would be the detail c.r.a.p with the counters and tiles, the appliances and fixtures, and the decorators.

It was all coming together, just like magic. And not only about where he would live.

In front of him, on the gla.s.s-topped table, was the velvet box from Reinhardtas.

As the grandfather clock in the hall struck midnight, Vin sat back into the sofa cushions and crossed his legs. He was not a romantic, never had been, and neither was Devinaa"which was only one of the reasons they were perfect together. She gave him his s.p.a.ce, kept herself busy, and was always ready to hop on a plane when he needed her to. And she didnat want children, which was a huge plus.

He couldnat go there. Sins of the fathers and all that.

He and Devina hadnat known each other for all that long, but when it was right, it was right. Kind of like buying land to develop. You just knew as you stared over the ground that here is where I need to be building.

Looking out at the city from a perch high above so many others, he thought of the house head grown up in. Back then, his view had been of the c.r.a.ppy little two-story next door, and head spent a lot of nights trying to see past where he was from. Over the din of his mother and fatheras drunken fighting, the only thing head wanted was out. Out from under his parents. Out of that pathetic lower-middlecla.s.s neighborhood. Out of himself and what separated him from everyone else. And what do you know, that was exactly what had happened.

He infinitely preferred this life, this landscape. Head sacrificed a lot to get up here, but luck had always been with hima"like magic.

But then, the harder you worked, the luckier you got. And d.a.m.n everything and everyone, this was where he was going to stay.

When Vin checked his watch again, forty-five minutes had pa.s.sed. And then another half hour.

Just as he reached forward and palmed the velvet box, the click and release of the front door brought his head around. Out in the hall, stilettos clipped on the marble and came down toward him. Or pa.s.sed him was more like it.

As Devina walked by the living roomas archway, she was taking off her white mink, exposing a blue Herve Leger dress shead bought with his money. Talk about knockout: Her bodyas perfect curves were showing those fabric bands who was in charge, her long legs had better lines than the red-soled Louboutins she had on, and her dark hair gleamed brighter than the crystal chandelier over her head.

Resplendent. As always.

aWhere have you been?a he asked.

She froze and looked over at him. aI didnat know you were home.a aIave been waiting for you.a aYou should have called.a She had spectacular eyes, almond shaped and darker than her hair. aI would have come if youad called.a aThought Iad surprise you.a aYouadonat do surprises.a Vin got to his feet and kept the box hidden within his palm. aHow was your night?a aGood.a aWhere did you go?a She folded the fur over her arm. aJust to a club.a As he came up to her, Vin opened his mouth, his hand tightening on what head bought for her. Be my wife.

Devina frowned. aAre you okay?a Be my wife. Devina, be my wife.

He narrowed his eyes on her lips. They were puffier than usual. Redder. And for once she had no lipstick on.

The conclusion he slammed into teed off a brief, vivid memory of his mother and father. The pair of them were screaming at each other and throwing things, both drunk off their a.s.ses. The subject was what it always had been, and he could hear his fatheras raging voice clear as day: Who were you with? What the h.e.l.l you been doing, woman?

After that, the next thing on the agenda would be his motheras ashtray banging off the wall. Thanks to all the practice she got, shead had good arm strength, but the vodka tended to throw off her aim, so she hit his fatheras head only one out of every ten shots.

Vin slipped the ring box into the pocket of his suit coat. aYou have a good time?a Devina narrowed her eyes like she was having trouble judging his mood. aI just went out for a little bit.a He nodded, wondering whether her hairas tousled effect was styling or another manas hands. aGood. Iam glad. Iam just going to go do some work.a aOkay.a Vin turned and walked through the living room and into the library and down to his study. All the while, he kept his eyes on the walls of gla.s.s and the view.

His father had believed two things about women: You could never trust them; and they would walk all over you if you gave them the upper hand. And as much as Vin didnat want any legacy from that son of a b.i.t.c.h, he couldnat shake the memories he had of his dad.

The guy had always been convinced his wife was cheating on hima"which had been hard to believe. Vinas old lady had bleached her hair only twice a year, sported circles under her eyes the color of thunderclouds, and had a wardrobe limited to a housecoat that she cleaned with the same frequency the Clairol box made it home. The woman never left the house, smoked like a bonfire, and had alcohol breath that could melt paint off a car.

Yet his father somehow thought men would be attracted to that. Or that she, who never lifted a finger unless there was a cigarette to light, regularly summoned the gumption to go out and find joes whose taste in chicks ran toward ashtrays and empties.

Theyad both beaten him. At least until head gotten old enough to move faster than they could. And probably the kindest thing they did for him as parents was killing each other when he was seventeena"which was pretty f.u.c.king pathetic.

When Vin got to his study, he took a seat behind the marble-topped desk and faced off at his office away from the office. He had two computers, a phone with six lines on it, a fax, and a pair of bronze lamps. Chair was bloodred leather. Carpet was the color of the birdas-eye maple paneling. Drapes were black and cream and red.

Tucking the ring between one of the lamps and the phone console, he swiveled away from business and resumed his watch over the city.

Be my wife, Devina.

aIave changed into something more comfortable.a Vin looked over his shoulder and got a load of his woman, who was now draped in see-through black.

He swiveled his chair around. aYou certainly did.a As she came over to him, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s swayed back and forth beneath the sheer fabric and he could feel himself harden. Head always loved her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. When shead told him she wanted implants, head nixed that idea fast. She was perfect.

aIam really sorry I wasnat here when you wanted me,a she said, sweeping that translucent robe out and easing down onto her knees in front of him. aI truly am.a Vin lifted his hand and ran his thumb back and forth over her full lower lip. aWhat happened to your lipstick?a aI washed my face in the bathroom.a aThen why is your eyeliner still on.a aI reapplied it.a Her voice was smooth. aI had my phone with me the entire time. You told me you had a late meeting.a aYes, I did.a Devina put her hands on his thighs and leaned in, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s swelling over the bodice of her gown. G.o.d, she smelled good.

aIam sorry,a she moaned before she kissed his neck and dug her nails into his legs. aLet me make it up to you.a She closed her lips on his skin and sucked.

As Vin let his head fall back, he looked at her from under his lids. She was any manas fantasy. And she was his.

So why the f.u.c.k couldnat he get those words out?

aVinaplease donat be angry at me,a she whispered.

aIam not.a aYouare frowning.a aAm I.a Exactly when did he ever smile? aWell, why donat you see what you can do to improve my mood.a Devinaas lips lifted as if this were precisely the kind of invite shead been angling for, and in quick succession, she undid his tie, opened his collar and popped free the b.u.t.tons of his shirt. Kissing her way down to his hips, she unbuckled his belt, pulled out his shirttails and sc.r.a.ped her nails and her teeth across his skin.

She knew he was into the rough stuff and didnat have a problem with that in the slightest.

Vin swept her hair back from her face as she freed his arousal, and knew full well he wasnat the only one likely to get a view of what she was going to do to him: Both of the desk lamps were on, which meant if anybody in those skysc.r.a.pers was still at their office and had a pair of binocs, they were about to get one h.e.l.l of a show.

Vin didnat stop her or turn off the lights.

Devina liked an audience.

As her mouth parted over the head of his c.o.c.k, he groaned and then gritted his teeth as she swallowed him down into her throat. She was very good at this kind of thing, finding a rhythm that swept him away, staring up at him as she worked him out. She knew he liked it a little dirty, so at the last moment she pulled back so that her perfect b.r.e.a.s.t.s were what he came on.

With a low laugh, she looked at him from under her brows, all naughty girl not yet sated. Devina was like that, changeable depending on the situation, able to be a proper woman one moment and a s.l.u.t the next, her moods masks that she wore and discarded at will.

aYouare still hungry, Vin.a Her beautiful hand drifted down the sheer bustier to her thong and stayed there as she stretched out on her back. aArenat you.a In the light, her eyes were not deep brown, but dense black, and they were full of knowledge. She was right. He did want her. He had since the moment head seen her at a gallery opening and taken both a Chagall and her home.

Vin shifted off his chair and knelt between her legs, spreading them wider. She was ready for him, and he took her right on the carpet next to his desk. The s.e.x was fast and hard, but she was crazy into it and that turned him on.

As he o.r.g.a.s.med into her, she said his name as if he had given her exactly what she after.

Dropping his head to the fine silk carpet, he breathed hard and didnat like the way he felt. With the pa.s.sion gone, he was more than spent; he was barren.

Sometimes it was as if the more he filled her, the emptier he got.

aI want more, Vin,a she said in a deep, guttural voice.

In the locker room shower at the Iron Mask, Marie-Terese stepped under the hot spray and opened her mouth, letting the water wash into her as well as over her. On a stainless-steel dish, there was a golden bar of soap, and she reached for it without having to look over. The Dial imprint was nearly washed smooth, which meant the thing was going to last only another two or three nights.

As she washed every inch of her body, her tears joined the sudsy water, following its path into the drain at her feet. In some ways, this was the hardest part of the night, this time alone with the warm steam and the rotgut soapa"worse even than the post-confession blues.

G.o.d, it was getting so that even the smell of Dial was enough to make her eyes water, proof positive Pavlov didnat just know about dogs.

When she was done, she stepped out and grabbed a rough white towel. Her skin tightened up in the cold, shrinking, becoming like armor, and her will to keep going performed a similar retraction, pulling in her emotions and holding them secure once more.

In the cubicle outside, she changed back into her jeans and her turtleneck and her fleece, stuffing her work clothes into the duffel. Her hair took about ten minutes of blow-drying before she was ready to go out into the chilly night with it, and the extra time at the club made her pray for summer.

aYou almost ready to go?a Trezas voice came through the locker roomas closed door and she had to smile. Same words every night, and always at the very moment she put the hair dryer down.

aTwo minutes,a she called out.

aNo worries.a Trez meant that, too. He always made a point to escort her to her car, no matter how long it took her to get ready to leave.

Marie-Terese put the dryer down, drew her hair back, and wrapped a scrunchie around the thick wavesa"

She leaned in closer to the mirror. Sometime during the shift, shead lost an earring and G.o.d only knew where the thing was. ad.a.m.n it.a Shouldering her duffel, she left the locker room and found Trez out in the hall texting on his BlackBerry.

He put the phone in his pocket and looked her over. aYou all right?a No. aYup. Was an okay night.a Trez nodded once and walked with her to the back door. As they went outside, she prayed he didnat hit her with one of his lectures. Trezas opinion about prost.i.tution was that women could choose to do it, and men could choose to pay, but it had to be handled professionallya"h.e.l.l, head fired girls for skipping condoms. He also believed that if there was even a hint that a female was uncomfortable with her choice, she should be given every opportunity to rethink what she was doing and get out.

It was the same philosophy the Reverend had had at ZeroSum, and the irony was that because of it, most of the girls didnat want to leave the life.

As they came up to her Camry, he stopped her by putting his hand on her arm. aYou know what Iam going to say, donat you.a She smiled a little. aYour speech.a aItas not rhetoric. I mean every word.a aOh, I know you do,a she said, taking her keys out. aAnd youare very kind, but Iam where I need to be.a For a split second, she could have sworn his dark eyes flashed with a peridot lighta"but it was probably just a trick of the security lights that flooded the back of the building.

And when he just stared at her, like he was choosing his words, she shook her head. aTrezaplease donat.a Frowning hard, he cursed under his breath, then held out his arms. aCome here, girl.a As she leaned forward and stood in the lee of his strength, she wondered what it would be like to have a man like this, a good one who might not be perfect, but who was honorable and did right and cared about people.

aYour heart isnat in this anymore,a Trez said softly in her ear. aItas time for you to go.a aIam finea"a aYou lie.a As he pulled back, his voice was so sure and certain, she felt like he could see right through into her heart. aLet me give you the money you need. You can pay it back interest-free. You arenat meant for this. Some are. You are not. Your soulas not doing well here.a He was right. He was so very, very right. But she was done relying on anyone else, even somebody as decent as Trez.

aIall get out soon,a she said, patting his huge chest. aJust a little longer and Iall be caught up. Then Iall stop.a Trezas expression tightened and his jaw went rigida"evidence that he was going to respect her decision even if he didnat agree with it. aRemember my offer about the money, okay?a aI will.a She arched up on her tiptoes and kissed his dark cheek. aPromise.a Trez settled her in the car, and after she backed out of her spot and started off, she glanced in the rearview mirror. In the glow of her taillights, he was watching her, his arms crossed over that heavy chestaand then he was gone as if head just disappeared.

Marie-Terese hit the brakes and rubbed her eyes, wondering if she had lost itabut then a car came up from behind her, its headlights flashing in the rearview and blinding her. Shaking herself, she hit the gas and shot out of the parking lot. Whoever was on her b.u.mper turned off at the next street, and the trip home was about fifteen minutes long.

The house she rented was tiny, just a little Cape Cod that was in okay shape, but there were two reasons why shead picked it over the other ones shead looked at when shead come to Caldwell: It was in a school zone, so that meant there were a lot of eyes around the neighborhood, and the owner had allowed her to put bars on all the windows.

Marie-Terese parked in the garage, waited for the door to trundle shut, and then got out to enter the darkened back hall. Going through the kitchen, which smelled like the fresh apples she always kept in a bowl, she tiptoed toward the glow in the living room. On the way, she tucked her duffel bag into the coat closet.

Shead empty it and repack it when there was no one around to see her.

As she stepped into the light, she whispered, aItas just me.a

CHAPTER 4.

He slept with her.

The following morning, Jimas first thought was a real s.h.i.tkicker, and to try to get away from it, he rolled over on his bed. Which just made his wakey-wakey worse. Dawnas early light was kicking the a.s.s of the curtain next to him, and as the brightness barged into his skull, he wished the frickina window were made out of Sheetrock.

Man, he couldnat believe head slept with that gorgeous, vulnerable woman in his trucka"like she was some kind of wh.o.r.e. The fact that head then come back here and drunk himself into a Corona-tose state was a little more believable. But what it all added up to was that he still felt bad about what head done and he was going to have to hammer nails all day with a hangover.

Great. Planning.

Throwing off the blanket, he looked down at the jeans and flannel shirt head worn to the club. Head pa.s.sed out before head had a chance to get naked, so everything was rumpled, but he was going to wear the Levias to work. The shirt, on the other hand, he had to save from twelve hours of construction. It was his only agooda onea"which meant no paint specks, no holes, no missing b.u.t.tons, and no frayed cuffs. Yet.