Read Story: SEASON 2 EPISODE 147

“Not directly,” Psalter said. “We can look a little closer into Desai’s death—see if there’s something that could link Tanaka. Perhaps we might get lucky and find something you could use as leverage to keep him off your back. It’s a longshot but worth a try.”

“In the meantime,” Chloe said, “we’ll beef up security more and make damn sure no one associated with him gets within five miles of you without being stripped naked and subjected to a severe cavity search.”

I nodded, not really liking the idea of even more security. The protocols Chloe had put in place just to go to a coffee shop already sounded like they were meant for the President or a king.

“So, we might have another problem,” the last person in the room finally spoke up. It was Charity. We all turned to look at her. “This was one of the last places he visited before he died. That’s a bad look.”

“So,” I said, “if the police show up, I’ll just tell them what happened—Rajesh showed up to my party. He had a good time. We had a discussion, and then he left.”

“He died at his apartment after visiting you,” Charity pointed out, “and anyone who saw the way you two were talking could tell something was up. It won’t take much for people to draw conclusions… especially when Rajesh had so many friends in the community. This could be bad for public sentiment.”

“It could also present legal trouble,” Helen said. She looked at Psalter. “Especially if they find evidence linking back to Marcus.”

“That’s my cue,” Psalter said. He placed the fedora he was holding on his head and tugged on the brim. “I’ll get started immediately. I’m assuming you want me on this personally?”

“It sounds pretty serious,” I said.

Psalter nodded and then headed for the study door. “I’ll have someone else deal with the hunt for Roger.”

Helen stood and gathered her lukewarm cup of coffee. She looked tired but alert. “I’ll talk to William and Karl,” she said, referring to her partners. “We’ll want to have a strategy in place in the event that you are accused of something.”

Considering Psalter was already out the door, the only ones left in the room were women I already had an intimate relationship with. Since that was the case, neither Helen nor I had a problem with her approaching me and kissing me on the cheek.

“You’re in the best hands imaginable,” she said. She didn’t smile, but there was a degree of warmth in her ice-blue eyes as she stared up at me. She squeezed my hand briefly, and she was right—I trusted each person in this room implicitly with my life, my reputation, and my welfare.

“Thanks,” I said.

I gave her hand a quick, firm squeeze before letting go. She headed for the door.

“I’m going to call Julia,” Charity said as she followed, approaching me. Like Helen, she looked a little worse for wear, her eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep.

“I’d like her input,” she said. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep the details to a minimum.” Then, in a lower voice, she added, “Thanks for last night. I needed it.”

“You didn’t mind it turning into… well, everything?” I asked.

Charity shook her head. “It was fun. And I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunities with just the two of us.”

She stood up on her toes, and I bent down slightly so her lips could reach mine. Unlike with Helen, I didn’t settle for a simple kiss on the cheek. Our mouths met for a quick but warm kiss—open-mouthed, with just enough tongue to leave me wanting more.

Then it was over, and Charity padded out the door after Helen, leaving me with Erin and Chloe.

“What do you think?” I asked, staring at the door as Charity disappeared through it.

“I think Helen’s right,” Erin said, tapping away at her phone as she sat on my desk. “You’re in good hands.”

She stopped and looked up at me. “You don’t want to cancel tonight, do you?”

She was talking about Natalie.

“Fuck, no!” I said without even thinking.

She smirked. “I didn’t think so.”

Sliding off the desk, she followed the lead of the other two women and approached me, still finishing something on her phone.

Suddenly, she dropped the hand holding the phone, slipped her free hand around the back of my neck, and pulled me into a ferocious kiss that put the last one to shame. Our tongues dueled as our embrace deepened, going on longer than was really necessary. Her teeth nipped at my lower lip; her tongue lashed aggressively against mine. And when she finally parted, she kept her lips hovering close to mine.

“Good,” she whispered. “I want that date.”

With another peck on the cheek, she let me go. “Since you’re still on for tonight, I need to finish putting it together.”

She slipped past me and headed for the door.

“I’m getting options, right? I don’t want you choosing everything.”

“I’ll have five options within the hour,” she called out over her shoulder. Then she was gone.