Trifecta (21 page)

Robin smiled.  "I'll bet you're asleep five minutes
after you close your eyes."  He sat up and turned off the lamp by the bed.

"You know," Julia said, looking at the ceiling
in the dark,  "I do want to forget everything.  Stealing the books and videos. 
The murder of my brother.  Armed gangsters breaking in.  And being so scared.  I
think you can help me.  Even if I only forget for just a little while.  I want to
blot it all out."

"You want a bedtime story?"  She could tell he
was smiling and thought it was a good sign.

"No."  Julia squeezed her eyes shut and screwed
up her courage.  "What I want is much more than a two minute hug."

"Blot the whole thing out," Robin said, repeating
her words.  There was no expression in his voice.

"Yes," Julia said decisively.

Robin turned on the light again and looked at her.  "You
are a very cold woman."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not a giant sleeping pill, to be taken when agitated. 
To blot out some scary events."  He turned the light off and turned his back
to her.  After a while the light from outside the window became bright as her eyes
adjusted to the dark.

"Okay.  Forget I said that," Julia said.  "Today
really wasn't all bad.  Quijada's face when you whisked me away," she laughed
at the memory.  "He looked stunned.  And it was fun learning to ride the Harley. 
Taking the pictures.  And figuring out what the ledgers meant.  And cooking.  Walking
in the snow.  And watching the policemen take the gangsters away."  Julia paused
for a moment, thoughtfully.  "I really liked today.  Mostly."

Robin felt his heart melt.  He had liked the day, too. 
And he could feel her shivering from across the bed.

"When I was a boy, about fifteen years old, I went
to Las Vegas."

"This is my story?"

"Yes."  Robin turned over on his back and looked
at her.  "I had a room all by myself, and I was thrilled to death.  The casino
was right below.  They stayed open all night and I could go and see the shows or
try to gamble.  Even then I was a big kid.  I could pass for eighteen.  And in this
room, there was a machine on the side of the bed.  You put in a quarter, and the
way they described it, you would have an unbelievable experience.  Well, naturally
before I went to sleep, I put in my quarter.  It was quite disappointing because
the bed vibrated and that's all that happened.  It went on and on and I couldn't
get to sleep."

Robin was silent.  Julia could see him still gazing at
her across the bed.

"That was my bedtime story?"

"I was making a point," Robin said.  "If
you don't come over here and get warm you'll keep me awake all night, you're shivering
so much."

"Only as a favor to you.  So you can sleep."

"Yes.  I'll make you warm."

"I'm reluctant to move.  I have this little warm spot
under me now."

Robin slid across the bed.  Julia turned on her side and
he put his arms around her.  "You poor thing."  He was rocking her like
a small child.  "Everything feels cold.  Your arms and especially your feet." 

Robin was rubbing her back and her arms.  Julia felt enveloped
by heat.  He was radiating warmth and it was wonderful.  She knew he wasn't angry
any more.

"I have another story."

"Oh good."  Julia leaned her head into his neck.

"It's not a nice story.  But kind of interesting,"
he said, blowing some of her hair out of his mouth.  It smelled wonderful.

"Tell me," Julia said.  She could feel herself
finally relaxing after the long day and she stretched her top arm around his back,
careful not to touch the hurt arm.  His neck was remarkably warm on her hand and
she massaged it, feeling the hair on the back of his head.  He had wonderful hair.

"Okay.  During World War 11, the nasty Nazi doctors
in the German prison camps did experiments on the people they had incarcerated. 
In the winter it was very cold in the concentration camps and of course the prisoners
were freezing because they didn't have adequate clothing and blankets.  The doctors
were doing experiments to see how they could bring up the body temperature of the
prisoners.  The fastest way.  And they put the prisoners in front of fires.  Or
put them in hot baths.  Gave them hot drinks.  It was all very scientific, you understand,
and the doctors periodically took the temperature of the prisoners to see which
method worked fastest.  They found out that there were two procedures that worked
best.  One was the warm bath.  That raised the temperature of the experimental subject
very quickly.  The other fast method was sexual intercourse."

"Which was faster?" Julia asked.

"I don't remember."

Julia started laughing.  "You don't remember?"

"No.  Both methods worked adequately to keep people
from freezing to death."

"How enlightening.  Are you going any place with this?"

"You know I am."

Julia nodded.

"My usual criteria is that the woman feel at least
some affection for me."

Julia looked up to start to say something and he stopped
her.  "Shh, no.  Don't say anything.  I don't want you to lie."

Julia moved back a little bit and looked up at him.  "I
think I'm in danger of freezing to death."

"Drastic measures are in order?" Robin asked.

"Yes."

Even his mouth was warm on her cold lips when he lowered
his head to hers.  He started very slowly, with tiny soft kisses, which seemed to
meld into one long fusion of their lips which became very intense.  She had a momentary
thought that he wasn't going to blot everything out, he was simply going to drive
her out of her mind.  And this was just a kiss.  It was unbelievable.  It didn't
just touch her lips, the sensation was a feeling of tingling shivers that ran through
her entire body.

"It's not working.  You're still shaking."

"Keep experimenting.  The shivers aren't from the
cold any more."

Julia didn't know which of them moved forward until there
was total body contact.  The fact that he was so obviously turned on and yet holding
himself very strictly in control seemed to bring out a fierce passion of her own. 

When they both had to stop to get some breath back he touched
her face, tracing the contours, like he was trying to memorize her features.  When
he started in again it was with small kisses on her cheeks, forehead and eyes.

"Your face is beautiful," Robin said.  He was
careful when he touched the spot where she had been hit.  "I kept seeing you
today, and getting these little shocks.  Your look after stealing the things from
the safe.  You on the Harley.  Cooking dinner.  In the snow.  These shocks I experienced;
falling in love again, over and over again, each time I looked at you."  He
shook his head, like it was unbelievable, and kissed her lips.

Julia looked at him.  "Your eyebrows remind me of
Sean Connery in his 007 role.  And the dimples.  White teeth.  I was so scared that
Juan Carlos was going to hurt you."  She loved the fact that his head was so
close to her that she could look right into his eyes, see the black eyebrows that
were so expressive and feel the slight beard on his face with her cheek.  His breath
on her skin.  She slipped both arms around him so she could feel his back and his
chest against her.  She noticed she was moving her hips against his and didn't want
to stop.  He was so big and so male.

"If he had shot me, I would have managed to crawl
up those stairs," Robin said.  He was kissing her again and had moved his hand
to her breasts, slowly moving it so that she could feel the nipples responding,
getting hard under his fingers.  As he started unbuttoning the top of her pajamas
he stopped for a moment.  "No wonder you're freezing.  You're not wearing the
thermals."

"My plans excluded underwear."

Robin smiled when he understood she had been planning to
do this.  It was flattering.  She wasn't using him in order to forget anything.

He had finished with the buttons and she moved back a little
bit so she could shrug out of the long sleeves.  He looked at her for a while. 
Then ducked his head and kissed each nipple very slowly, teasing with his tongue. 
"I was trying not to look all the time."

"Really?" Julia asked.

"Yes.  Really.You always looked so sexy.  It's extremely
distracting.  The way they would move under your shirts practically drove me to
a frenzy.  And the way you were posing on the Harley, today.  When you opened the
parka and kind of arched and threw back your head."  He was moving his hands
over her breasts and kissing her lips again.  She thought if he didn't hurry up
she would certainly go crazy.

She moved her arm from around him and started unbuttoning
his pajama top.  She wanted to feel his skin against her.  It was a little awkward
because of the hurt arm, but she managed to help him take it off.

"Not that I intend you to think I'm fixated on one
part of your anatomy.  Or two, I should say," Robin continued as he pulled
her back against him.  "All of you, your whole form, is absolutely exquisite. 
As is the way you move."

He was hugging her tightly against his chest.  Their hips
were grinding together.

"Tonight, I knew you weren't down below when the thugs
started bumping into furniture.  That's when I got scared.  You have a feline way
of moving.  Like a lion or a panther.  I admired that before I even knew I liked
you." 

Robin laughed and resumed rubbing her back and kissing
her.  He reached down and pulled her hips against him, very hard with both hands. 
It seemed to be the first uncontrolled movement he had made and suddenly Julia felt
wild with passion.  She threw a leg over his hip so that she could feel him better,
hot and hard against her.

"I can't stand this," Robin said.  They had on
drawstring pants and both of them were pulling on the knots, trying to rid themselves
of the last of the clothing barring a complete joining of their bodies.  Julia was
faster and helped him pull his pants down.  It gave her a chance to hold his male
parts, heavy and hot in her hand for a moment. 

His thighs were hard and strong with dark hair.  She loved
looking at him.  He gently guided her on her back.  He lay down beside her, looking
at her as his hands and lips roamed over her body.  He knew all the most exquisitely
sensitive parts and he took his time.

"I can't stand it any more, Robin.  I need you inside."

Julia spread her legs a little bit so he could kneel between
them.  He was moving over her and she finally felt him entering with exquisite slowness
between her legs.  It didn't feel like an invasion, but something she wanted more
than anything in the world.

Julia had been afraid that he would be too large for her,
but he had prepared her so carefully that when she felt their complete joining she
was totally relaxed and pushed up against him, their abdomens touching.  She moved
her knees up so that she could be as near to Robin as possible, holding him tight
around his shoulders and back.  Then she really did stop thinking and it was all
slick movement that was very slow, like a wonderful dance that she never wanted
to end.  He was whispering, but she couldn't really hear exactly what he said, just
that she was wonderful and beautiful.  His breath tickled her ear.

After a while their moments became wild, uncontrolled and
faster.  Julia felt like a giant hot earthquake in her whole body was ready to explode.

"I have to come out, Julia."  He sounded regretful.

"No.  Don't leave me now."  Julia reached down
and pulled him closer to her with both hands.

"Really, Julia.  I can't control it much longer."

"I can't stand it if you go."

Julia pulled on his hips and swiveled her own to get even
nearer, and they both had orgasms at almost the same moment.  She could feel his
hips jerking forward quickly and it sent her into her own marvelous climax.

They were quite.

The breathing slowed down after a while.

Robin moved up on his elbows a little more so he wouldn't
be too heavy.  He brushed strands of hair away from her forehead and kissed it.

Julia shook her head and sighed.

"What?"

She smiled up at him.  "Sex is much better than a
hug.  I hate it when you're right."

"This wasn't sex."

Julia nodded.  "What you did was risky."

Robin rolled them both over on their sides, so that they
were still joined together.

"I wanted to wait for the perfect moment.  When I
was sure you were ready.  But I was afraid the time might never come, that I might
wait too long.  And you had the courage to begin it, to give me the ultimate gift."

"You had it before we started."

"It took me a while to catch on," Robin said,
stroking her face tenderly.  "When did it happen?"

"A long time ago, probably.  I finally knew when I
was stripping upstairs, and afraid you might be dying down below."

Robin hugged her tighter.

Julia fought to keep awake.  She wanted to stay like this
forever.  She wanted to watch Robin go to sleep.  She didn't want the moments to
end and she was smiling as unconsciousness finally swept her to sleep.

P
ounding on the cabin door woke Julia.  As she
opened her eyes, she had a happy kind of shock seeing Robin beside her, in a flash
remembering their wonderful night together, even as she wondered if more of Quijada's
killers were down below, trying to break in.  Robin stared back at her with wide
eyes.

There was a tremendous crash.  Pots and pans landing on
the floor.

Robin bounded out of bed.  "You stay here."

He searched for his pajama bottoms, found them wadded up
on the floor and yanked them on.  Then he grabbed his boots and was gone, thumping
down the stairs.

Julia got up and ran to the bedroom door, her eyes frantically
searching for something lethal.  She grabbed a heavy candlestick from the top of
the bureau, there for emergencies when mountain storms cut out the electricity,
and opened the door cautiously.  Holding the candlestick above her head, she crept
out of the doorway.

Julia stole slowly to the top of the stairs.  As she peeked
over the railing she saw that Robin was at the door, telling someone to go around
to the lake entrance because it would take forever to untie all the rope knots holding
the door closed.

Julia gave a sigh of relief and replaced the candlestick. 
It must be Robin's friend, Tony, who had inadvertently caused the crashing pans. 
He had sure arrived early.

Julia went to the bedroom window and looked out at the
lake shimmering with pastel colors in the early morning light.  There was a man
down below, walking around the cabin, and she watched him curiously, although she
could only see the top of his head and shoulders because she was right above him. 
Robin's best friend.

Julia hurried into the bathroom and turned on the shower. 
It was freezing cold for a minute and then the hot water cut in.  When she got out,
she dressed as fast as she could, hopping over to the mirror as she was pulling
on her second boot.  When she caught her reflection she groaned aloud in horror. 
Her cheekbone was black and blue.  Her hair looked like a bird's nest.  To top it
all, Juan Carlos had hit her so hard that she had a black eye over the blue cheekbone.

Julia tried to comb out the tangles in her hair, caused
by rapturous love-making.  Forget make-up.  Nothing could hide the startling bruises
on her face.  Lipstick would appear ludicrous.  Right now she resembled a gruesome
Halloween mask.  She was surprised that she cared what Tony would think of her,
but he was Robin's closest friend.  He had wound up in the hospital because of her.

She could hear Robin coming up the stairs.  He knocked
on the open door and stuck his head around it after a moment.

"Hi."  He came in and put his arms around her
from behind, bending forward so his head was beside hers in the mirror.  As their
eyes met, he said, "You're absolutely gorgeous this morning."

"Scary or hideous would be more appropriate,"
Julia answered.

He kissed the normal looking side of her face.  "Tony
is down below and wants to meet you.  And you are beautiful."

Love must have struck him blind, Julia thought, as she
turned around to give him a kiss.  It was the first one they had had standing up,
and it was pretty nice, even though he had to bend down and she was on tip-toe. 
On any scale it would have been way off the chart.

"Damn.  I wish he hadn't come so early," Robin
whispered in her ear as he held her.  His voice caused goose-bumps.

"I know," Julia said, sighing.  She hugged him
harder for a moment.

"Tony brought two policemen.  Your body guards."

"Why?" Julia asked, smiling and gazing up at
him.  "I'd take you over any bodyguard the police could come up with."

"Tony and I have to leave you alone for a while. 
We're going to question the men who broke in here last night.  Hopefully, they'll
confess before they find themselves lawyers.  They don't seem very bright.  If they
let it slip that Quijada sent them, we'll be in real luck."

"You're going to interrogate them, too?" Julia
asked.  Tony was a prosecutor, so it was normal that he would be questioning the
men.

Robin nodded.  "I know what you're thinking, but I'm
not a cop.  I'm going to bring formal charges against them.  I told the police last
night I'd come in and fill out the paperwork."  He was gazing at her seriously. 
"Are you disappointed?"

She shook her head.  "I don't care if you dig ditches."

"It's happening again."  Robin was smiling so
broadly both dimples showed.

"What?"

"When I look at you.  When I hear your voice.  It
keeps happening, those little shocks, over and over again."

It hurt when she smiled, but she couldn't help it. 

"I don't dig ditches.  And I have a lot of explaining
to do, now that I'm sure you don't care about the superfluous stuff.  But Tony and
I have an appointment at the jail in fifteen minutes."

After another long hug she left Robin turning on the shower
and started down the stairs to meet his best friend. 

Three men were sitting the living room drinking coffee,
and none were dressed as policemen, but Julia knew which was Tony immediately. 
She walked right up to him.  "I'm glad to meet you, Tony.  We seem to be color
coordinated."

He had an enormous bruise on his face that almost matched
hers in vivid hues of black and blue.  Julia felt drawn to him immediately.  He
had an open engaging wide smile, like a leprechaun, and brown hair and eyes.  She
extended her hand. 

"Robin didn't do you justice, when he described you,"
Tony said, as he took her hand.

"I'll bet," Julia said, laughing.

"Just wait.  Next we turn a luscious avocado green,
and then septic yellow, before it finally fades away."

"I can hardly wait."

"I was looking forward to meeting the woman audacious
enough to get Quijada's personal drug records."

"After the fact, it seems foolhardy.  I'm sorry you
were hurt.  I was just planning to copy the stuff and return it.  Things sort of
got out of control."

"Don't you dare apologize.  We're thrilled to have
the information.  Now let's get you a cup of coffee."

Tony introduced her bodyguards, John Franks and Buddy Hathaway. 
Both were their early thirties, slightly overweight and cynical looking.  John Franks
was dark, appearing Hispanic, and Buddy Hathaway was blond, with the type of frosted
hair that women spent fortunes trying to get.  They looked like real cops in spite
of their youth, because of the world weary eyes, looking as though nothing could
surprise them.

Tony led Julia into the kitchen and poured her a cup of
coffee.  After watching him move around the kitchen with familiarity, Julia decided
he must own the cabin.  He went right to the cupboard that held coffee cups and
knew which drawer contained spoons.  Robin hadn't known where anything was in the
kitchen when she had been cooking and needed a specific type of frying pan, or wanted
to know how to light the gas oven last night.

"This is such a beautiful place," Julia said
as they went back into the living room.  They stood at the windows overlooking the
lake.

"Yeah.  Robin was up here almost every weekend for
six months, overseeing the construction.  He's been so busy recently he hasn't been
able to come up very often."

Julia wondered why Robin would be here during the building
process.  Maybe he worked in construction, too.

As they sipped coffee in the living room Tony told her
about the fantastic parties they had held in the cabin during the holidays.  "Jay
and I do all the cooking, of course, cause Robin would burn an egg, or incinerate
the place.  He's not to be trusted in the kitchen."

"I was at Jay's apartment," Julia said.  "Robin
had me meet him there when I came back to Los Angeles."

"Because of the bet we made about you," Tony
said, nodding.  "Jay's the real gourmet cook.  I guess you figured that out
when you saw his kitchen." 

Julia remembered how Robin had bashed his head on one of
the hanging pans, but she was curious about the wager the three had made.  It was
very intriguing.

"I hope you weren't upset," Tony added.

Julia shook her head.

"When lawyers get together they make up silly contracts,
and add all kinds of addendum and side issues."  He looked uncomfortable.

"I didn't realize Jay was an attorney," Julia
said, sipping her coffee.

"We work in the D.A.'s office together."  Tony
seemed surprised that she didn't know and Julia decided to play dumb so she could
find out about the wager.  Then she heard Robin on the stairs.

Julia fell in love all over again when she saw his crisp
curly dark hair, and the way his body moved down the stairs.  With four men in the
room, all she could see was Robin.  Julia had never been with him in the company
of other men before and he seemed to dominate the whole room, like an actor who
is so charismatic that you can only look at him, riveted, because of the way his
face and form fill the light, or because of some appealing animal magnetism the
eyes don't want to let go of.

He came over to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Tony, some day I've got to tell you about how Julia
kept one of the killers from coming after me."  He looked at Julia and winked.

She didn't want Tony to know she had practically stripped
to keep Mike from going down to help Juan Carlos try to kill Robin and spoke quickly. 
"Robin told you that one of the guys hit me, because I heard him on the phone. 
But you should see Robin's knife wound, Tony.  He's the one who was really injured."

"You were cut?  With a knife?"  Tony seemed genuinely
concerned.

"It's nothing," Robin said, heading for the door.

"He was dripping blood all over the kitchen before
I even realized.  Of course, he didn't tell me either," Julia said.

"Hey.  We have to get going," Robin said, looking
pointedly at his watch.  "We're already late."

"You're sure it doesn't have to be checked out by
a doctor?" Tony banged his fist on Robin's shoulder, the way men do when they
like each other a lot and think it's sissy to hug. 

Robin shook his head.  Then he gave Julia a one armed hug. 
"We'll be back in a couple of hours.  Tony supplied breakfast.  It's in the
kitchen."

He leaned over and kissed the top of her head and then
winked at her before following Tony to his jeep.

Julia watched them drive away.  When she went back inside
she found John Franks, the dark cop, in the kitchen.  He was scrambling eggs in
a frying pan.  Bud Hathaway was there too, spreading butter on some toast.  They
had already set the table.

"So, Julia.  You hungry?" John asked.

Julia nodded.  He put the eggs and bacon on plates and
carried them to the kitchen table. 

"That stuff that Robin faxed to the D.A.'s office
last night is really causing a stir," Bud said, as they started eating.  "But
Quijada's not taking it sitting down."

"What do you mean?" Julia asked.

"Looks like he's been spreading rumors in the department
that you stole some money from his safe.  That's why we have to get you out of Los
Angeles, right quick."

"I'm supposed to leave?"

"Didn't Robin tell you?" Bud asked.  When she
shook her head, he continued.  "Yeah.  We're taking you to LAX right away. 
After Tony and Robin come back, I guess.  They want you out of this jurisdiction. 
Of course, it's to keep you safe from reprisal, too.  If Quijada really is dealing
drugs, he's an angry fella right now."

"I would never take money," Julia said indignantly.
"How could Quijada imply such a thing?  And I'm not going back to Boston."

"Well, Julia," John said, swallowing a gigantic
bite of toast, "you did take things from his safe.  The police will have to
follow it up, if Quijada brings charges.  He may just be trying to muddy the water. 
Or he may be trying to keep the D.A.'s office from using information that was illegally
procured.  He's got lawyers advising him.  You could come out of it looking pretty
bad, if he accuses you of stealing.  And the fact that a lawyer helped you do it. 
The son of a senator, no less.  It doesn't look kosher.  Not for Robin.  Not good
for Senator Chavier, either."

"What are you talking about?" Julia asked.  "Tony
didn't help me.  Jay didn't either."

"I'm talking about Robin.  But maybe he'll defend
you.  Best defense lawyer in Los Angeles.  For you, he wouldn't charge a nickel."

Both men thought that was very funny indeed.

"Senator Chavier?" Julia repeated, stunned. 
She didn't follow California politics avidly, but she had certainly heard of Senator
Chavier.  She'd seen him on television.  "Robin's father?"

John Franks was chewing very slowly, like a cow, Julia
thought.  She was frantic to understand what was going on.

He nodded and kept chewing.

She remembered the beautiful home in Beverly Hills where
Robin had taken her to copy the material from Quijada's safe.  The home where Robin's
dog, Scooter, was.  And the ugly yellow truck.  Robin had seemed to belong in that
house.  In a flash she knew it was because he owned it.  And he owned this cabin. 
And he was a famous defense lawyer with a famous senator for a father. 

It was such a shock that her ears started ringing and she
suddenly felt dizzy.  Everything went dark for a moment.

"Hey!  Are you all right?" John Franks was looking
at her, concerned.  He took hold of her shoulder and shook it.

Julia managed to take a deep breath.  She had always known
that Robin was more than he let on.  "Yes.  I'm fine."

"Maybe I put too much Tabasco in the eggs," John
said.

Julia managed a weak smile.  "No, they're fine.  Very
good.  I like them hot."

"I don't think Quijada's going to press charges,"
Bud Hathaway said, thoughtfully.  "But you understand, it's best for everyone
if you go.  Until the whole thing's resolved."