Absolution (Mr. Black Series) (7 page)

BRUISES

ADELINE

I got off the phone with Cole, locked all the doors, and then started to put my makeup on.

That woman is going to be the death of me.

I plopped down on the bed, deciding whether or not I was up for even going out to an event. After all, some of the bruises on my arm were going to be visible on the sleeveless side of the dress.

Do I really wanna have to explain these away?

I picked up the phone and called Stella. The phone rang a few times before she picked up.

“Hey baby girl, how are you feelin’?” she asked.

“I’m okay, I just don’t know if I wanna go and face all these people.”

“Cole will be right next to you, and if there was ever a good guy, it’s Cole.”

I nodded. “You’re right. I guess I’m just getting cold feet.”

“Well, you ain’t getting’ married, boo. It’s just a dance. Shoot, if I had a date, I’d be right up there with ya’!”

I chuckled. “You’re right, and I wish you were going to be there.” The door creaked open. “Cole’s here. I’ll see you tomorrow to return everything and tell you all about it, okay?” I whispered.

“All right, hun!”

I clicked on the end call icon, and walked to the living room. “So what happened?”

“Nothing, she showed up, and the MPs came,” Cole said in a deflated voice.

“How much longer do I have to worry about her? Do I have to wait until she kills me before the police do anything about it?” I asked, rubbing one of the bruises on my arm.

He walked over to me, wrapping his arms around me. “No. I won’t let her touch you again.”

I buried my face in his chest and took in his smell.

“Well, I’m gonna start getting ready. How about you? You’re still coming, right?” he asked.

“I'm a little hesitant. What about my bruises?”

“I'll tell them you got into a bar room brawl and you came out the winner.” He laughed.

Reluctantly, I nodded and headed back to my room. I quickly straightened my hair and applied a black smoky eye shadow, which really brought out my blue eyes…well, that’s what Ezra used to always tell me, and finished off the look with a clear lip gloss to keep it simple. I slid on the dress, which fit like a glove after having been on a water diet since last night. I applied a small amount of foundation to the bruises on my arm that were still visible on the sleeveless half of the dress.

Finally, it was time to put on the best part of the whole outfit…the pair of red Louboutins. I looked in the mirror one last time, making sure every inch was perfect for Cole.

Wait, did I just say that? I meant Ezra. Perfect for Ezra.

“Are you out there?” I yelled through the bedroom door.

“Yeah.”

I cracked the door open. “Close your eyes. I need you to zip me up.”

Cole closed his eyes and stood up from the couch. “Okay, I’m ready.”

I opened the door and stepped out of the bedroom, hurriedly crossing over to him. I turned and reached for his hand, resting it on the small of my back where the zipper lay.

COLE

I paused; feeling where she had put my hand, in my mind imagining what this might look like if my eyes were open. I fumbled for a moment, finally figuring out where the zipper was.

“All done,” I said with my eyes still closed.

She turned around and asked, “So what do you think?”

I opened my lids slowly, my eyes adjusting and focusing in on the beauty that stood before me. I had no witty remark. I just stared at her like a deer caught in headlights.

“That bad?” she asked with a frown.

She was beautiful before, but the woman standing before me right now was a dream. I held back the urge to take her in my arms and keep her from going to the ball, where she would catch the wandering eyes of all the men. I wasn’t a fool. I knew how beautiful she was, and there was no way any virile man would not be drawn to her.

“Cole?” she snapped her fingers in front of my face.

I replied with a short stammer, “I―I…wow…you’re amazing―I mean, you look amazing, Adeline. Just wow.”

She smiled, twining her fingers with mine. We stood there for a moment before I realized I hadn’t gotten dressed yet.

“I’ll be right back,” I hollered, running up the stairs.

I pulled my dress blues out of the plastic from the cleaners and quickly threw it on, wanting to get back to Adeline as quickly as possible. I made my way downstairs just as she was turning toward me.

“I just can’t get over how amazing you look,” I said.

“Cole, I already know you’re doing this for Ezra, you can stop pretending to flirt.”

“I’m not pretending,” I said, taking a step toward her.

“You couldn’t handle this, sir,” she said, winking at me.

I was caught off guard by her feisty flirtation. I didn’t know whether to take her up on her offer, or head for the party, but she quickly answered that for me.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

I cleared my throat. “Yeah, let me go get the car, so you don’t have a long way to walk in those shoes.”

ADELINE

I watched him rush outside, with a boyish charm about him that I found alluring. I followed suit, but more slowly, since the height of the heels weren’t something I was accustomed to. I made it to the curb just as he pulled up, and as I slipped into the car, I felt the urge to look toward the living room window. Ezra was standing there, watching me leave with another man, his hand pressed against the window pane. A tear rolled down my cheek as we drove away, a sense of guilt falling over me.

THE BALL

Arriving at the Bahia Resort Hotel, Cole held out his bent arm for me to slide mine through. We walked through the double doors leading to the ballroom, where the round tables were covered in fine white linen, and surrounded with chairs covered in matching linen with big bows tied in the back. The plates and silverware were all gold accented, and the balloons that filled the ceiling were all gold as well. There was a certain twinkle to the room, garnished by the light of the moon, which beamed through the glass wall that featured Mission Bay in all its glory.

It was such a beautiful scene, and I must admit I was caught up in the magic of it all as we superficially said hello to a number of people I couldn’t place, but probably had met before. Walking around the massive ballroom, my eyes kept glancing back to the glass wall to look at the moon, wondering if Ezra was looking down on me.

What if he’s angry with me for being here with Cole?

I leaned over. “I don’t know who anyone is,” I whispered into Cole’s ear

“Just introduce yourself first and they’ll follow suit.”

“Hi, I’m Adeline Chevallier,” I said, holding out my hand to one man who seemed halfway familiar.

“Hi, I’m Roy Perez,” he replied, shaking my hand. “This is my wife, Irma.”

“Ummm
…
it’s so nice to see you again,” I said.

Irma laughed. “Don’t worry, I don’t know half these people, either.”

“Whew.” I sighed and laughed, placing my hand on my chest. “This is gonna be an awkward night. I can already tell.”

“Yes, it is,” Irma said as she leaned in to shake Cole’s hand.

Irma pulled me away from Cole to join a cluster of women who were complimenting each other on how well they each had married.

“Just don’t say anything. I love to listen to these old hens cackle,” Irma whispered.

I smiled, feeling a little more comfortable. I glanced over my shoulder to see Cole schmoozing with some of the higher ranking officers, with almost more ribbons on their uniforms than there was room for. Irma tapped my shoulder.

“You’re going home with that handsome guy, turn around and listen to all the bullshit these women are spewing. It’s the only fun I have all year.” Irma giggled.

“Oh my goodness, my husband is retiring next week and starting his own plastic surgery practice. We’re headed to the Bahamas first, though,” one woman said as she petted her brand new
authentic
Louis Vuitton hand bag.

“That’s wonderful, we’re going to London tomorrow for a weekend getaway. I just hope first class isn’t filled up. I like it when we’re the only ones up front,” another wife gloated as she laughed pretentiously.

That same woman noticed my heels and asked, “Are those real?”

I looked down at them. “Of course, why wouldn’t they be?” I replied, annoyed at the question.

I had nothing else to add to the topic, so I politely excused myself and walked away with Irma. As I spun around to leave the group I set my eyes upon the most handsome man in the room. There he stood, my safe place. I wanted nothing more than to be in his arms.

I turned to Irma. “Do you mind?”

She looked over at Cole. “No, girl, if Roy was that fine, I’d be leaving you too.” She chuckled as she walked away.

I stood gawking at him, frozen, and when he noticed, he moved toward me. I wanted to shrink away and hide, but it was too late for all that. I felt like a girl at her first dance, being approached by the boy of her dreams.

“Hi, beautiful,” Cole greeted. “Adeline, right?”

“Don’t be silly,” I said, giggling awkwardly.

“I’m Cole Almen,” he stated, pointing to his name tag.

“It’s nice to meet you, sir,” I said with a smile as I looked around the room.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked.

“Yes! Awkwardly partying with a bunch of people I don’t know is totally my idea of a fun night,” I said, looking down at my shoes.

“The decorations are really something, aren’t they?” he asked, sipping on his martini.

“Yup. They did a bang up job. I’m thinking of hiring them for my next party,” I said.

He quickly replied, “A party, huh? Well, I hope I’m invited?”

“Of course you’re invited. I’ll be sure and give you a buzz when I set a date. Maybe even give you my address,” I replied nonchalantly.

“Are you here alone?” he asked.

I decided to flex some of my flirtation muscles, which hadn’t been used in a great while, hoping they still functioned properly. “No, I’m here with someone,” I said, laying my hand on his jacket lapel.

He reacted quickly by moving closer, resting his warm hand on top of mine.

“What a lucky man he is,” he said, and without skipping a beat, lifted my hand up to his lips, kissing the back.

Out of nowhere, a beautiful woman, tall and lean, with blonde hair and hazel eyes, wearing a red dress that seemed to be tighter than mine, clasped her arms around Cole’s neck, giving him a long kiss on the cheek.

“Let’s dance, handsome,” she said as she gyrated her hips against his groin.

Really? Who could say no to that intoxicating invitation?

I rocked back and forth on my heels, looking around the room for some help. Too bad Irma had already walked away, and if Stella could only see how I was abusing her heels right now, she would have stabbed a stake through my eyes.

Fully expecting Cole to flit off into the sunset with the fair-haired maiden and leave me to stand alone, I decided to walk away with what little dignity I had left, but I stopped when I heard Cole say, “No, Alexis. I’m here with Adeline.”

He looked at me, smiling, as he unclasped the woman’s hands from the back of his neck and returned them to her sides. She turned, shooting a thousand dagger stare straight at my soul, before she huffed away, disappearing into the crowd.

Cole moved toward me. “Hey, I’m really sorry about that. Some women, you know? They just have zero class.”

I replied, “It doesn’t bother me.”

He started laughing, flashing his pearly white teeth, and said, “It doesn’t?”

Before my brain could stop my mouth, I said, “No. You’re free to see who you would like.”

“But what if you are who I’d like to see?”

“Why, sir, you’re making me blush,” I said, pressing my palm to my chest.

The music started and he looked over his shoulder to the dance floor.

Turning back to me, he asked, “Can I have this dance?”

I held out my hand, which was quickly captured by the hand of another. “Adeline,” a familiar voice came from the owner of the hand.

My gaze trailed up the sleeve of the dress blues. “Elijah,” I said, wrapping my arms around him.

“How have you been, Adeline?”

I nodded. “Surviving,” I said, trying to hide the bruise on my arm.

Unfortunately, it guided his gaze right to my arm. His eyes widened when he saw what I was trying to hide. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that,” he said.

Cole chimed in. “Elijah, who is this beautiful girl?”

Elijah wrapped his arm around a young slender woman, just as beautiful as could be. “This is the girl I’ve been telling you about. This is Heather.”

Cole stretched out his hand to shake hers. “Heather, it is nice to meet you. I’m Cole.”

“This is my Lieutenant, Cole Almen, sweetie,” Elijah added.

I reached out for her hand. “I’m Adeline. I’m…” I paused because I didn’t know what to say.

Cole chimed in, looking at me with a smile. “Adeline is my guest of honor.”

“And a beautiful guest she is,” Heather complimented, shaking my hand.

“A definite keeper, Elijah,” Cole said.

Elijah grinned.

“Now if you will excuse us, this beautiful girl was about to grace me with a dance,” Cole said, leading me out on to the dance floor.

The DJ was playing mostly fast paced music, but Cole walked over and whispered something in his ear, then walked back over and took my hand, leading me out to the middle of the wooden floor.

As if on cue, most of the crowd left the dance floor except for a few couples. I stood there awkwardly as the lights dimmed.

“May I have this dance, Miss,” another sailor asked.

I felt Cole’s warm hand grasp my forearm and tug me toward him.

“No, she’s taken,” Cole said, gazing into my eyes.

I turned back toward the dining area, nervous, feeling too awkward to dance, whereas he seemed rather at ease, like this was a usual thing for him.

I wonder how many girls he’s done this with.

I’m definitely not the first, not with all these suave moves. Cole stepped closer and I followed suit, closing the gap by taking his hand.

I was flattered that he was showing me such attention. He grasped my hand tightly as he twirled me two times, finally stopping face to face with him, with his palm pressed to the small of my back. I clasped my hands behind the back of his neck as the intro to the song softly floated through the ballroom, and for a moment I felt like we were all alone, in a sea of darkness. The song the DJ chose was Sam Smith’s “Lay Me Down.”

God, he couldn’t have set this up any better.

With his hand firmly pressed to the small of my back, he stared straight into my eyes as the chorus exploded from the speakers. Raking his fingers around my waist, he drew me in with his entrancing gaze.

I melted inside; this is how I had always imagined what being swept off my feet by Prince Charming would be like. I just never imagined it would be Cole. I tried my hardest to keep Ezra in my thoughts, but as Cole leaned in and rested his silky skin on my cheek, I closed my eyes and exhaled a small breath, losing myself in the moment. My mind was on nothing else.

The song, mixed with the aroma of the expensive smelling cologne wafting from his neck, thrust my body into a ravenous hurricane of lust. I couldn’t resist him.

Running his fingers up the length of my arm, he rested his palm on the back of my neck. I could feel his breath pass over my ear, sending a pulse of electricity down the length of my spine. Shifting his face slightly inward, he pressed his lips onto my cheek, and as we danced, his attraction was made plain by the rigidity of his cock pressing against me. His lips slid closer to mine, his grip on the back of my neck tightened as he pulled me in the rest of the way, tenderly pressing his lips to mine. I could feel the warmth radiate to every nerve ending in my body.

Everything faded away…the balloons, the moon, and all the pompous housewives cackling in their little corner. It was just the two of us, swaying gently to the rhythm of the song, amidst a crowd of onlookers.

Cole gently pulled away from the tender moment we were sharing as I slowly opened my eyes from the dreamlike state I had been transported to.

He pulled me toward the bar, and sat me down on a stool. “I’m going to show you a good time tonight. You need it, and frankly so do I.”

“Haven’t you already been doing that?”

“There’s a lot more fun to be had.”

“Oh?”

“I’m gonna break you down, Ms. Chevallier. In more ways than one,” he flirted.

I rested my hand on his knee. “There's more than one?”

“Two wines, please,” he ordered and then turned to me. “There are at least one hundred and seven when I last took count.”

“
Mmmm
, you’re starting to sound less and less like a gentleman, Mr. Almen,” I said coyly.

“Who would ever call me a gentleman?”

"Not me." I smiled as we continued to flirt like never before, tossing back glass after glass of wine. After my third though, the last bit of inhibition I so desperately tried to hang on to had dissipated.

He leaned in, skillfully grazing my ear with his bottom lip, then moved away, my eyes still closed, reeling from his overt seduction. He touched the edge of my bottom lip with the tip of his finger, then positioned his knuckle under my chin, guiding me toward him. The anticipation swirling in the air around us was palpable.

“Are you ready to get outta here?” he asked.

I nodded. He had swept me off my feet and I couldn’t speak…I couldn't think…I couldn't say no.