was confirmed when, after a short conversation, he tucked Emma into the front seat and drove away.
By the time Alicia got back to her car, she was shaking with anger and the urge to vomit. She was torn between the desire to go back to the house and wake Jessica and tell her what she had just seen and the knowledge that she needed to cool off before doing anything rash. She slammed the door when she got back in the vehicle, startling the driver. When he looked at her questioningly in the mirror she didn’t say anything, just nodding curtly indicating to take her home. He wisely didn’t mention the fact that she had returned without her purse.
Alicia paced the floor in her office the next day unable to think clearly.
She just couldn’t decide what to do. Every female instinct in her screamed to call Jessica and tell her what she had seen. But what if she was wrong? She snorted. Fat chance of that! But if she was, she would be destroying her oldest and dearest friend’s world. She sat down in her chair with a heavy heart, turning to look out over the Houston skyline. The view from the twentieth floor was the reason she had paid the exorbitant asking price the realtor had demanded and it usually soothed her, clearing her mind when she had a problem or was wrestling with a tough decision but not today. After a lot of soul searching and what ifs, she finally reached a compromise with her conscience. The only way to be sure was to get absolute proof and the only absolute proof that she would believe if it was her, was to see them together with her own two eyes. She picked up the phone and called Jeffrey, her photographer and right hand man.
Emma sat at her desk, holding her head between her hands, willing the pounding to stop. Why, oh why hadn’t she stopped drinking after her second glass of champagne?! And why hadn’t somebody warned her not to mix it with hard liquor?! She didn’t even remember getting home last night. All she did remember was that Blake had appeared out of nowhere and taken her home. He had tried to help by undressing her and putting her in the shower but one thing led to another and they had wound up using all the hot water before falling into bed. Mercifully, he had set the coffee pot to start automatically this morning before he left. Between the strong brew and an hour of standing in a hot shower, she had managed to get dressed and drag herself to the office but that was as far as she had gotten. She had six interviews scheduled for after lunch and she absolutely had to hire an assistant as soon as possible. Moving slowly, she opened the bottle of aspirin she kept in her desk drawer and swallowed two. She was about to put them up but decided that if two were good, four were better. She drained the glass of water and reached for her daily calendar.
Thank God, today was a slow customer day! She usually kept her Fridays free to follow up on the week’s business and today all she had was a few calls to confirm delivery dates for the last furniture order. She had stopped taking new appointments for the time being and the waiting list was growing by the hour. Maybe it was time to think about a partner. She thought about it for at least two or three seconds then grinned. No way! This was her rodeo and she was having way too much fun even if it was working her in the ground! Her mood was lifted by the thought and the aspirin was finally starting to kick in. She opened the file holding the applications for an assistant and started flipping through them. She picked up the last one to take a closer look. This woman had listed Alicia Shepherd as a former employer. She grabbed her phone and touched the contact list for Alicia’s number. Maybe she could either move her up the line or eliminate her completely if she could get in touch with Alicia.
Alicia looked at the messages Emma had left each time she had called. Her secretary had politely told Ms. Sloan that she was unavailable but that she would be sure she told Mrs. Shepherd that she was trying to get in touch with her. She shuddered at the thought of trying to speak with Emma as if everything was normal. She had set the ball in motion, giving Jeffrey a paid leave of absence and unlimited resources to get the proof she needed. She trusted him to get the job done and keep it quiet.
Emma leaned back against the soft cushions in the boat and closed her eyes. Thank God Saturday had finally arrived and she could relax. She still had to make a decision about the applicants she had interviewed, but for now all she wanted to do was forget about anything to do with the design business. When Blake had called and asked if she was interested in going out on the lake, she couldn’t say yes fast enough. She had been waiting eagerly at the front door as soon as he drove up. He hadn’t quite been able to hide the disappointment on his face at the site of her jean shorts and t-shirt but Emma had ignored him, chattering gaily all the way to the marina. As soon as Blake had eased the boat away from the dock, she had kicked off her sandals and walked to the bow, stretching in the sunshine. He had been driving for at least half an hour before she finally took pity on him and slipped off the clothes to reveal a tiny blue bikini. She had laughed out loud when he had suddenly grinned. She had stuck her tongue out at him and then grinned back.
“Lech!” she accused.
“Guilty!” he quickly agreed. His eyes never left her curves as she settled herself on the seat, his mind filled with possibilities. He would let her enjoy the ride for a little while longer.
Blake guided the boat smoothly over the waves, enjoying the sight of Emma relaxing in the bow. The sun was shining brightly and she had removed her top to soak up the rays. The boat was deep enough that she was safe from the eyes of other boaters but not so deep that Blake couldn’t see her, watching her skin as it turned a golden brown. The little tease had waited until he was busy watching the water for the many people out enjoying the day before she had casually remarked that she thought she would get a little sun. He had nearly run aground when she reached behind her, unfastening the top of her bikini. He had been fighting with the fit of his shorts ever since, unable to find a comfortable position sitting until he had finally just given up, standing up to steer. It was a little better but he knew relief wouldn’t be had until he sank deep within her, feeling the clasp of her strong thighs around him. He searched for a private spot to anchor the boat. It didn’t matter how many times he had her, he only wanted her more. He tried not to think about his personal situation; right now all he could think about was Emma.
She opened her eyes when she felt the boat slowing.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
Blake smiled as he killed the motor. He dropped the anchor over the side and made his way to where she lay. He dropped to his knees beside her and reached for her small bikini bottom.
“How about you let that hair down like you promised?”
Jeffrey stood in the boat he had rented for the day to follow Blake and Emma. It had been child’s play to keep up with them. Blake had picked Emma up at her house and they had driven down to Kemah where Blake kept a private boat in a rented slip, all under a false name. He had been on the job for almost three weeks and he had plenty of pictures of the two of them together but none that could be indicative of anything besides friendship. The only time he had seen them kissing, he was reloading his film and Blake had been quick to break away. Maybe today would be the day and he would be through with this. He didn’t have the stomach for it but he owed Alicia more than he could ever repay her. If a young husband wanted to tap a little something on the side it was none of his business. Hell, he really couldn’t blame him. If he was married to someone Jessica’s age, it wouldn’t matter how much money she had; money didn’t get him up. But the guy knew what he was getting into when he put on the shackle so he could see where it was wrong. He zoomed in when he saw a motion in the front of the boat, the powerful lens making it seem as if he were right there in the boat with them. Jesus! Emma was naked! He snapped picture after picture as he watched them. Yeah, this was his lucky day. This job was done.
Jessica knew something was terribly wrong when she opened the door and saw Alicia’s face. When she grabbed her, hugging her tightly, Jessica got scared. When she led her to the study and told her to sit down after closing the door, Jessica started shaking.
“Alicia,
