Always Room for Cupcakes, Page 6

  Ugh, Moose. I wasn’t sure that wareabouts was even a word, but I got the gist of what he was saying. I usually enjoyed my job – catching cheating bastards in the act gave me a little thrill – but this drug dealer stuff was starting to make me nervous. Hector seemed like bad news, and I didn’t like the fact that he’d seen my face … twice.

  Still, the payout on this job was twice what I normally made, which meant I could get my kids some cool Christmas gifts. Oh, and pay my rent.

  I went to the address Moose had given me earlier in the day, watching for movement as I drove past it and parked my van a block away.

  I hadn’t seen anything, but that didn’t mean the perps weren’t inside. They were adulterers after all, so they wouldn’t exactly be boning in the front yard.

  I checked the neighborhood, which was quiet and void of people, before jogging around the back of the houses and creeping up to the one I was looking for. I peered in the first window, finding the kitchen empty, before crouching down and making my way awkwardly to the next one.

  I rose slowly, taking in the bookshelf and desk, before movement by the door captured my attention.

  The man was turned toward me, but his hands were lifted up, holding on to the door jamb, his head thrown backward. The last thing in the world he was going to do was look out the window and pay attention to me, so I felt safe drawing my eyes downward to see what was putting that horrifying look of pleasure on his chubby face.

  The full view was nothing to write home about. He was totally naked, and really hairy in areas that were not pleasing to the eye. He had not only chest hair, but patches of hair on his stomach and a thick line leading down to his big, unruly bush.

  There was nothing happy about that trail…

  I almost tossed my cookies.

  Knelt before him was a fully clothed brunette, her head bobbing back and forth as she went to town on his junk. With every movement, I caught glimpses of his penis. Red and angry, it was small enough for her to deep throat with no trouble.

  I’m never eating hot dogs again, I thought as I raised my camera, took enough shots to get faces, position, nudity, and the room, and hightailed it out of there.

  Seriously worried the loaded hot dog I’d eaten was about to make a repeat appearance, I braced my hands against the side of my van and hung my head. I breathed deeply in and out, letting the fresh air calm my stomach. Once I felt my food settle, I jumped and headed back to town.

  I parallel parked in the library parking lot and called Moose, figuring it would be easier to let him know I was about to email him the shots and get the details of what he needed for the Coke Club case.

  Once I was done with the computer, I waved goodbye to Claire and walked out of the library, punching out a text to Bea as I walked.

  Can you and Shannon hang with my kiddos tonight for a few hours? I have to work. Thx.

  I was almost to my car when the roar of pipes hit my ears, and I looked up to see Cade riding toward me. I tried to contain my excitement as I watched him draw near, but didn’t bother trying to keep the happy smile from lighting up my face.

  “Hey,” he said while he idled beside me.

  “Hi,” I replied, my eyes devouring every inch of him. I don’t know how it was possible, but he seemed to get hotter every time I saw him.

  “Your kids gone this weekend?”

  “Not Friday, but Saturday.”

  “I’ll pick you up,” he said. “Dinner at my place.”

  My heart jumped at the thought of seeing where he lived.

  “Sounds great,” I replied, not caring that I sounded eager. I totally was…

  “Six,” he said, then gave me a wink and drove away.

  I watched him, breathless with anticipation, then looked down at my phone to see that Bea had replied. She and Shannon could be over at seven.

  I texted back, Perfect, then looked up for one last glance of Cade’s retreating form, before getting in my van and heading home.

  I made sure my kids were fed, their homework was done, and they were ready for school the next day, before Bea and Shannon came over. I wanted the evening to go as smoothly as possible for them. The kids loved them, so they’d probably want to hang out until bedtime, but at least I knew everything else was done.

  You’d think that would ease some of my guilt at leaving them, but I always felt guilty leaving them with someone else when I had to work. That had never happened while I was married to The Douche, and it was just one more thing I could admit that I blamed him for … bitter shrew that I am.

  After meeting Cade, and actually talking to my ex and coming to terms with some of my issues, I was hoping that soon, I too would be happily moving on.

  I was ready to let this anger and bitterness go. We’d been unhappy bedfellows for so long though, I was worried it would take more than a few good conversations for that to happen.

  Maybe a great bout of sex with Cade would help things move along faster.

  It was thoughts like that that were making me equal parts ecstatic and terrified about going to his house for dinner.

  I left my apartment, knowing my kids were happily chatting Bea’s ear off, and turned my van toward a popular joint in The Heights, which was known for its tapas and killer cocktails. Moose said he’d heard word of a couple of the Coke Club women meeting Hector there tonight, so I was all dressed up in a cute tank top and mini-skirt, ready to blend in with the evening crowd.

  The parking lot was full, so I valeted the van, smiling sweetly at the young stud who was eyeing my baby with disdain.

  Guys just didn’t get the benefits of driving a minivan.

  I walked straight to the bar on thin heels, my hair fluffed out and full, my makeup a little heavier than I usually wore it, but this was Tapas in The Heights. You didn’t show up looking like a scrub.

  Like this, I blended. If I’d shown up in my regular uniform of jeans and a T-shirt, I would have stuck out like a sore thumb.

  I’d just ordered a dirty martini from the bar, when I noticed one of the big-breasted blondes from the Chinese place walking into the back and entering the hallway that led to the restrooms.

  I was about to follow, when familiar face caught my eye.

  Tall and built, with short dark hair and glasses, Amy May’s husband, Jason, was always easy to spot in a crowd. Seeing him was unexpected, so it took me a minute to realize that was him and he was here.

  I started toward him, my hand raised to get his attention, when I saw him approach a woman at the other end of the bar.

  I dropped my unseen hand slowly, taking in the scene before me.

  Jason leaned down to whisper something in the raven-haired woman’s ear. Whatever it was caused him to smile, and I watched as he put his hand on her back and began rubbing in slow circles.

  My stomach clenched painfully and my eyes watered, even as I prayed I wasn’t really seeing what I was seeing. Maybe I was having a mild stroke, which brought on visions…

  Still, I instinctively pulled my phone out of my clutch and pressed the camera button.

  I turned and brought the phone up, flipping the screen as I readied the camera for another fake selfie. When the camera came into focus and I snapped a shot of Jason leaning down to kiss the mystery woman, catching both of their profiles in the shot, I wasn’t even aware of the tears running down my face.

  The busty blonde and Hector forgotten, I left my still-full martini glass and fled the Tapas bar.

  I cried all the way home, wondering how I was going to break the news to my best friend that her husband was a cheating bastard.

  “I don’t care if you had a heart attack and needed an ambulance, when I give you a job and tell you to get me pictures, I want you to get me those fucking pictures no matter what!”

  I was holding my cell up to my ear, mouth open in shock, while Moose screamed his head off through the phone. I’d never heard Moose angry before, and he’d never talked to me like that before.

  Of course, I’d never
left a job without getting my shots, after seeing my best friend’s husband with another woman before either.

  I’d thought Moose would be upset, but understanding, when I told him I’d left the Tapas bar last night without getting the evidence he needed.

  That was not the case.

  “If you don’t get your shit together and get me those shots today, I’ll find someone else who can … and you can forget about me doubling your pay.”

  Moose hung up before I could even get a word in edgewise, and I felt my already heavy heart fall even further into the pit of my stomach.

  I didn’t want to lose my job. And I didn’t want to do what I was about to do either…

  I took a deep breath, and tried to keep the tears that had been flowing all night at bay, as I opened the door to Amy May’s bakery and walked toward her office.

  I knew she’d be in there, as she was every morning, looking over numbers, checking the schedule, and jotting down new recipe ideas. And I fought the urge to turn tail and run, instead forcing myself to take each step closer to ruining Amy May’s life.

  I rapped on the door, and when Amy May called, “Come in,” I entered her domain and gave her a shaky smile.

  Amy May noticed my demeanor right off and swiveled in her chair.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Can I sit?” I asked, pointing helplessly to the chair next to her desk.

  “Of course,” she replied, giving me a onceover, as if to make sure I wasn’t physically injured. “What’s going on?”

  I sat down, clutching my purse in my lap, my cell phone in my hand, and said, “Amy May, I have something to tell you…”

  My heart lodged in my throat, causing me to pause.

  “Are you sick? Is something wrong with the kids?” she asked, sensing it was something major.

  “No,” I assured her with a shake of my head. “It’s nothing like that. It has to do with Jason.”

  Amy May’s hand came to her heart and she asked, “Is he okay?”

  “Yes, he’s fine,” I replied, letting go of my purse to reach my hand out and clasp hers. “I’m just going to say this quick … Rip the Band-Aid off, so to speak…”

  She watched with wide eyes as I picked up my phone and found the picture I was looking for. I kept it toward me, then turned it and explained, “I saw Jason with another woman last night, at the Tapas bar in The Heights … I’m so sorry, Amy May.”

  Amy May took the phone out of my hand and studied the picture, then her face turned red and her free hand covered her mouth.

  I braced, ready for hysterics, then got the second shock of my life when rather than crying, she started to giggle.

  “Amy May,” I said softly, thinking she was losing it.

  She busted out in a full-on laugh after that, then shook her head and said, “Sorry, Lila, I didn’t mean to laugh, especially when you look so devastated, but Jason isn’t cheating on me.”

  “I was there last night,” I replied, taking the phone and pushing it into her face. “Look at the picture, Amy May, the evidence is right in front of you.”

  “You look at the picture,” she said, turning my hand so the camera was facing me. “Look at her face, Lila … That’s me.”

  “What?” I asked, squinting to look at the picture, then realized what I was doing and touched the screen to zoom in on the woman. It was hard to tell in profile, but I could see that the woman did resemble Amy May. “What are you talking about?”

  Amy May blushed as she explained, “Well, you know what it’s like, being married as long as Jason and I have … Sometimes we like to spice things up and role play.”

  “What?” I asked again, this time shouting.

  “It was just for fun. I get dressed up, put on a wig, and go to a bar. Then he shows up and we pretend to be strangers. He picks me up and we go to a hotel… “

  I sat there, staring at her, eyes wide before I blinked one time slowly.

  “You’re telling me that I spent the night in emotional hell, devastated that a man that I love and trust was cheating on my best friend, and it was all really just you guys playing out your kinky sex life?”

  Another giggle, then Amy May replied, “Well, I don’t know how kinky it is, but it does keep things interesting.” She covered my hand with her own and said, “I’m sorry you were worried, and I really do appreciate you looking out for me, but, honey, all men aren’t like your ex. Jason wouldn’t cheat on me.”

  I hung my head and said, “I know that, I do. I just saw you from behind and freaked out. I’m sorry … Don’t tell Jason?”

  “Oh, I have to tell Jason,” Amy May said with a laugh when I looked at her with despair. “He’s gonna die!”

  “He’s going to hate me,” I countered, worried that he’d see it as a betrayal, since he was also my friend.

  “You know better than that,” she said, then took pity on me and added, “I made some cream puffs this morning. Want some?”

  I nodded, knowing my face looked pitiful as I sulked about looking like a fool.

  “Lila,” Amy May said, pulling me up to stand with her. “I love you.”

  “Love you, too, Amy May.”

  After that embarrassing, but happy, turn of events with Amy May and Jason, I was happy to be hot on the trail of another perp.

  I needed to go in, get the shots, and prove to myself that I had what it took to do this job.

  I needed a little reassurance.

  So, I was back at the sleazy motel, this time on the second floor, following a lead Moose had sent about a man who was suspected of sleeping around.

  Right in my wheelhouse…

  I’d followed the man, a tall, distinguished-looking man who appeared totally out of place in this part of town, and a stringy-haired brunette with literally the biggest tits I’d ever seen in my life. No way those things were real. In fact, I figured she must have to special order bras and tops and stuff, because those things were impossible to contain.

  I’d been getting ice out of the machine as part of my cover and almost got hit with a nipple when she walked past me.

  I paid attention to what room they went in, but found luck was not with me when I saw they’d drawn the curtains.

  Knowing I needed to prove myself to not just Moose, but to me, I racked my brain for a solution. I needed these shots.

  Coming to a conclusion, I reached my hand up and knocked loudly on their door, then took off running and hid around the corner.

  “Who the hell is it?” I heard the man call out.

  “Nobody’s there,” the woman replied, and I heard the door shut behind her.

  I waited a few beats, then ran quickly on the balls of my feet so as not to make too much noise and knocked again, not stopping as I ran past their room and down the other way. I rounded the corner just as I heard the door open again.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” the woman whined in a nasally voice, and I had to bite back a giggle.

  “No one again?” the man asked, and I heard movement. “Fuck this shit.”

  Luck was with me this time, because when I peeked around the corner, I saw them both shuffling down the balcony away from where I was hiding. I wasn’t sure if they’d gone all the way downstairs, or were just on the other side of the wall by the stairs, but I knew this was my only shot.

  I sprinted as quietly as I could to their open door, dashed in, and eased the curtains open enough so that I could see in, but hopefully not so much that they would notice.

  I was about to run back out when I heard the clamoring of footsteps coming back to the room.

  Shit, I screamed inside my head, then hurried across the room and into the bathroom, closing the door most of the way and praying no one had to go to the bathroom anytime soon.

  I heard them coming back into the room, then the door shut behind them.

  “Did you see anyone?” Nasally Voice asked.

  “Nah, probably just some punk ass kids,” the man growled. “Now get back on the chair a
nd unleash those sweet tits for me.”

  I thought I heard the woman sigh, but couldn’t be sure from my position in the bathroom. I could see through the crack of the door and was able to focus my lens on the bed and see everything that was going on.

  She sat back in the chair, took off her tank top, and unleashed her bodacious tatas. It seemed a little weird when the man crawled up into her lap and cradled his face in her breasts, but I figured he just had a big boob fetish and began snapping shots.

  When he started suckling on her nipple, I guessed we were getting to the good stuff, but after a few minutes went by, they didn’t move to the bed, and he kept sucking, I realized with a shutter of revulsion that he had some sort of mommy/baby fetish.

  He was nursing.

  She’d just been sitting there, bored while he suckled, then got called into the game when he reached for her hand and placed it on his throbbing dick.

  I took a couple more pictures of him nursing, and some of her jacking him off, then the scene in front of me, paired with the weird moans coming from the man, had me backing away from the crack in the door to sit on the toilet, my hands over my ears.

  If he started crying like a baby, I was out of there. I didn’t care if I got caught or not.

  Thankfully there were no baby noises, just the sound of the man coming, and I hoped, since there was no actual sex, no one would have to come to the bathroom to clean up. Although, that woman would probably want a shower after what she’d just endured.

  I waited for what felt like forever, but finally heard the man thank the woman, then the opening and shutting of the door.

  My heart pounded as I listened to what sounded like the woman getting closer to the bathroom. I got behind the door just as it opened and listened to the sound of running water as the woman washed her hands.

  When she left without shutting the door or needing to use the toilet, which was right in front of me, I closed my eyes and thanked my lucky stars.

  I heard shuffling around, then what sounded like her leaving, but I still gave it a few seconds before I exited the bathroom slowly and looked around. When I saw that I was actually alone, I let out the deep breath I’d been holding.