Читать книгу Capitol Crimes - H.L. Katz - Страница 9

Four

“It was strange,” Callie said speaking into her cellphone. “He threw me under the bus in front of the entire firm, then accused me of doing the same thing to him.” On the other line was Mike Ferguson, her boyfriend of almost six years.

“Hasn’t he done stuff like that before?”

“Not to me, he hasn’t.”

Mike walked into his office at the headquarters of the CIA and set his jacket over the black chair that was situated directly across from his desk. He had first met Callie on a muggy July evening in 2005 while playing on his neighbor’s co-ed softball team during a local tournament. Mike had taken off from first base and debated whether or not he should slide into second. The answer hit him square in the forehead and Mike knew it was going to hurt well before he saw her release the ball. Reacting to a hard ground ball hit to shortstop, Callie scooped it up on a hop, stepped on second then threw a laser onto first to complete the double play, but the ball never got there.

Sprawled on the infield dirt, all he heard the girl say was, “You should have slid.” No apologies, no sympathy, only advice he already knew. She made sure to check up on him after the game and slipped Mike her number, “In case you want to file a lawsuit or take me out to dinner,” then she turned and jogged away. He had never met anyone quite like her. Within a few days, he took Callie up on her offer for dinner, but reserved the right to file suit. By the time three months had passed, they had become a couple. Thereafter, they were known to everyone as Mike and Callie.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” Mike said. “Barry is Barry. Just let it go.” He settled into his desk chair and brought his computer to life.

“Easy for you to say, you don’t work with him.”

“Hey, I’m gonna be home late tonight, some sort of briefing then a meeting with Biggs afterwards.”

“I’ve got things to do anyway. You won’t be missed.”

“Note to self, forget the ‘I’m sorry roses’ for Callie.”

“You always know what to say to make a girl feel wanted.”

“Think I should send the roses anyway?”

“I gotta’ go, hon. Love you.”

Mike heard her disconnect before he had a chance to say good-bye. He smiled as he stared at the phone, having grown accustomed to her many habits and idiosyncrasies. All these years later, she was still different than any other woman he’d ever met and the more he got to know her, the more he wanted to be with her.

Callie hung up the phone and found Barry standing at the open doorway to her office. She motioned him in and waited for Barry to walk towards her. Instead, Barry headed for the set of chairs that surrounded a small conference table to the right of her desk and sat down in the chair at the head of it. Callie stood up, followed him, then took a seat and waited for him to talk. As she watched Barry turn to the bar behind him to pour himself a drink, her thoughts drifted to Mike and the first time he bought her roses…

• • •

“Callie? You here?” Mike had said, as he gently placed the flowers he was hiding behind his back onto the antique red table in the foyer. His townhouse was pitch black with the exception of the flickering light that emanated from the two candles on the dining room table.

“Cal?”

The aroma of lamb chops and garlic bread overtook his senses. Mike closed his eyes and enjoyed the long moment of subtle pleasure that came with the recognition of a well cooked meal enveloping his home. Walking up discreetly behind him, Callie gently wrapped her arms around his body and slid his winter coat off his tall, muscular frame. She loved how his sinewy torso seemed to never end and how the touch of his hand sent chills across her entire body. She stood on her toes, seductively kissing the back of his neck, while slowly taking off his necktie. Mike waited until she removed it, then latched onto her hands, spun her around and kissed her passionately on the lips.

“Honey, I’m home.”

“Mmmm…yes, you are,” Callie said before she kissed him again. She held the kiss for a moment longer, pressing her body up against his and running her hands through his thick light brown hair. “I got the job…”

“You got the job?”

Callie kissed him another time. “I did. 140 to start, full benefits.”

“Know what?”

“What?” Callie asked and smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I’m thinking it’s time to celebrate,” Mike lifted Callie into his arms and carried her over to the couch.

“Hold on, Tarzan, I made dinner.”

“Me no want dinner, Tarzan want Jane.”

“I mean, I slaved over it,” Callie said with feigned frustration. “When will you ever appreciate me?”

“I’m about to...over and over again.”

Mike sat down on the edge of the couch and stared at his girlfriend. He could not take his eyes off of her face as his fingers brushed the hair away from her right eye. There were moments, just like this one, where Mike got so lost in Callie’s beauty that he’d forget about anything else he had on his mind.

“What are you looking at?”

“You.”

Callie smiled bashfully and pulled him down towards her, kissing him as she unbuttoned his shirt. Mike allowed his hands to roam Callie’s body and started to caress the inside of her thigh, when a frantic knock interrupted their time alone.

“Callie…Callie…”

“No way, Cal. Tell me you called her?”

Callie’s face told him all he needed to know. “Oh my god, I totally forgot. She’s going to kill me.”

Callie sat up and closed the top three buttons of her blouse. Once on her feet, she attempted to regain her composure even as Mike tried to pull her back onto his lap. Callie turned slightly behind and slapped his hands off of her, “Stop,” she said, then headed for the door.

“Just a second.” Callie straightened her skirt and paused at the mirror in the hallway. She flipped her hair a few times then ran her pinky finger across her lips twice before flipping her hair once more.

On the other side of the door stood Robyn Baxter, a thirty year old African American woman and a friend of Callie’s from law school. She was still pounding and screaming Callie’s name until she saw the door open just a crack then pushed her way inside, already talking, as if she had a time limit.

“Okay, I so thought you were dead…I mean why else would you not have called me to tell me how everything went? You had to be dead, right?”

“Sorry, Robyn, I got so caught up in everything…”

Robyn noticed Mike standing in front of the messy couch with his shirt open. She turned to her left and saw the two long candles on the dining room table and obviously knew she had interrupted something. Undaunted, Robyn plowed ahead. “Well, now, this explains what you were caught up in.”

Robyn laughed and gave Mike a long hug then seductively ran her fingers along his bare chest. “He is so yummy. Let me know when you’re done with this guy, ‘cuz I’ll be glad to take him off your hands.”

Mike wasted no time responding to Robyn’s come-on. “What about your husband?”

“Who?” Robyn nestled her head under Mike’s shoulder. “Honey, when I’m in your arms Kenny doesn’t even exist.”

“What about your husband? What kind of question is that?” Callie asked as she slapped Mike on the arm.

Robyn released Mike, but not before she pinched his ass. “Mike, you seein’ the way she treats you? I’ll handle you good, honey,” Robyn said then turned to Callie, folded her hands and began to tap her right foot. “You gonna make me wait all night? C’mon, girl, what happened?”

“What happened with what?”

“Stop playin’. You get the job?”

“I got the job.”

“Oh my god, Callie, you got it?…you really got it?…this is so great,” Robyn said then slapped Mike’s ass. “Okay, I just stopped by to make sure you weren’t dead. Gotta’ get home to what’s his name. Love you guys.”

Callie and Mike walked Robyn onto the porch before Callie hugged her good-bye. “I think your man got you some roses, honey. You see them?” Robyn asked whispering in Callie’s ear.

“I saw them, they’re beautiful, but I think I’m going to make him sweat it out a bit.”

“Damn, Cal, you’re bad.” Robyn said as she released her embrace and walked down the steps towards her car. She opened the door of her 2004 Toyota Camry, stood silent for a moment, then closed the door and walked back towards the porch. “You told Kacey, right?”

Callie slowly shook her head, realizing that she had dug herself in deep.

“Are you crazy?” Robin said turning and walking back to her car. “She is gonna shit…if she finds out that I know…I mean, she is totally gonna shit--”

“I get the point, Robyn.”

“Y’all need to stop this sex thing and call your girl or you’ll never hear the end of it.” Robyn opened the Camry and slid inside. “Love you guys.”

“Love you…say hi to Kenny…”

Robyn blew Callie a kiss as she pulled away.

“What about your husband? Seriously?”

Mike rubbed his stomach, totally ignoring the question. “Yum, lamb chops.”

Callie playfully punched Mike on the arm and headed inside. “I’d better call Kacey.”

• • •

Barry swirled his glass of Southern Comfort while he gathered his thoughts then punctured Callie’s daydream when he began to speak. “Callie, I wanted to apologize for what happened before.”

“Okay…”

“I shouldn’t have done that to you in front of everyone and I was wrong.”

Callie heard the words, but had a hard time believing they were coming out of Barry’s mouth. She nodded her head in agreement and sat quietly as he continued on.

“The points you brought up at the meeting were valid and I’m sorry for blowing them off like I did.”

“Are we still going to bill clients for work we did for someone else?”

“I’m going to address that issue as soon as I finish with you. I only stopped by to let you know I was sorry and I’m in your corner and always will be. Don’t ever doubt that.”

She already had. Callie had learned over the years that there was only one thing Barry cared about more than power and that thing was money. She was well aware that when it came to revenue, no one brought in more than she did. Barry understood that better than anyone and Callie knew it was the sole motivation why he had made his way to her office with a half-hearted mea culpa. She also knew him well enough to know that he did nothing by accident.

“Let’s get together in the next few days. There’s something I wanted you to work on.”

“What about Whitaker?”

Barry stood up, walked towards Callie then stopped as he approached her chair. “You are all we need on this project. I’ll finish with the loose ends, then we’ll talk.”

“Sounds good,” Callie said as she watched Barry leave her office and wondered if anything he had just said to her were true.