Chapter 5
District Attorney’s Office, New York City
“So, Detective Belogio, please tell me more about this Stacy Porter. I understand that you were the responding detective to a break in at her home after numerous threatening calls were made to her cell phone,” Investigator Sam Pellot asked. He had been investigating Barry Weiner for months now on allegations of sexual harassment, rape, and assault. The four women who were ready to press charges either turned up dead or dropped their charges.
“Yeah, I was in charge of her case. I looked into it and came up with nothing.”
Sam raised his eyebrows. “This woman receives numerous threatening phone calls, strange packages containing everything from lingerie to dildos, and then has someone break into her apartment and rearrange her place, and you don’t find any possible suspects, not even her boss who she claims is responsible?”
“She was fired from the job and wanted someone easy to blame. The boss turned out to have an alibi, and he seemed like a straight-up fellow,” Detective Belogio replied sarcastically as he chewed his wad of gum and sat sideways in the chair. He acted like a typical wiseass except he also had a badge of authority. Sam thought the combination meant bad news.
“If you did a thorough job investigating Miss Porter’s allegations, then you would have seen the other charges against Barry Weiner. Two of those charges were rape and assault and the other two sexual harassment.”
“Those cases were dropped.”
“Only because three of the women turned up dead. The other one knew those women and was in fear of her life, so she dropped the charges.”
“If you had proof of that, Weiner would be in jail right now. You know what I think?”
“What do you think, Detective Belogio?” Investigator Pellot asked. He had no idea what shit this guy was going to spew, but as soon as this meeting was over, he was going to investigate him as well. Maybe a call to internal affairs was in order.
“Have you seen what this Porter chick looks like? She’s fucking hot and a body made for sin. She’s been trying to get a promotion for months. I think she did Weiner and he duffed out on the deal of promotion. Now she’s pissed and she wants revenge. The dude is loaded.”
Investigator Pellot was shocked. He knew a lot of really great detectives, and this asshole didn’t belong in the same category as the rest of them. He took a deep breath and tried to remain calm when all he wanted to do was rip Belogio a new one.
“Where is Miss Porter now?”
The detective looked at his fingernails then smirked.
“I think she left town. I haven’t heard a word from her since the last package was sent to her two weeks ago.”
“What was in that package?”
“Oh, she got real creative in her game she’s playing. She put handcuffs, duct tape, and some off-the-wall porn DVD in there, too. I think there were even pictures of her with her two hot girlfriends.”
Investigator Pellot couldn’t take it any longer. He’d had enough.
“Whatever evidence you have in your possession, I want it. You did follow procedure and had it checked for fingerprints and logged in to the evidence storage room?”
“I think I have it in a box. She was really reaching with that one.”
Pellot lost it just as the door to his office opened and his partner came walking in.
“I’ve had enough of this asshole. I already called his commander, and I have guys confiscating the evidence and anything else this piece of shit touched,” Investigator Morton declared as he pointed his finger at Belogio, indicating for him to follow him.
“Hey what did I do?” Belogio asked as he got up out of the chair and began walking toward Investigator Morton.
“Hopefully you didn’t just get another innocent victim murdered,” Pellot stated as he watched his partner escort the detective from the room.
He immediately picked up the phone. “Yeah, I need to locate a Stacy Porter. This was her last known address.”
* * * *
Stacy climbed the ladder leading up to the roof. She had already replaced the broken gutter on one side of the house and now was finishing, fixing the shingles on the other side of the house. How dare Eric threaten her? She had learned how to do construction work as a teenager as she accompanied her father on numerous jobsites. She had to hide when the bosses came around, but in between, her father taught her a lot of good stuff. God, she hadn’t thought about him in years. Once mom left them and took off, her father had changed. He tried to mold Stacy into the woman he thought she should be. Brad Porter was a hard-ass, and it was sad how he let alcohol and gambling ruin his life. If he had stayed straight and listened to her when she tried to talk him about his alcohol problem and overdrinking, maybe he would still be here. She hammered away at the shingles, gripping the roof with one hand and using her boots as leverage. Her hip was pressed against the shingles in an awkward position because of the eave hanging above the widow.
She reached for another sheet of shingle, feeling how difficult it was to carry up the shingles, remain balanced, then do the labor work. It had been years since she did it. Sitting behind a desk made her soft. She laughed at that possibility as she scooted closer to the windowsill and near a piece of shingle that was lifted up as if it were warped. It appeared as if something was wedged underneath it. She first tried to use her hands, which were covered in a pair of construction gloves. She pulled and yanked, but it wouldn’t come undone. Turning her hip, she adjusted her position to gain better leverage as she used the back of the hammer to try and pull the shingle off.
“I thought I told you not to climb up on that roof.”
She heard Eric’s voice and looked down to see him and Max staring at her from across the grass. They were a good ten yards or so away. She rolled her eyes then gave another yank on the shingle. In a matter of seconds, large black carpenter ants began flowing from the shingles. She screamed as they ran across her legs up and down the roof. Losing her footing she began to slide down the side of the house, nowhere near where the ladder was. In an instant she was hanging off the side of the house.
She gripped the gutter with her gloved hands and stilled her body. It wasn’t that high, and she figured she could drop right into the bushes but instead Max and Eric were yelling orders at her. One glance over her shoulder and she knew she was in big trouble.
* * * *
Max and his brother ran as fast as they could to get to Stacy. Max’s heart was pounding in his chest as he reached her. He was scared out of his mind.
“We’re right here, Stacy, just let go and I will catch you,” Max yelled to her.
“No you won’t,” she replied, and he could see the fear on her face.
“Yes, he will. He will catch you Stacy just let go of the gutter,” Eric ordered.
She shook her head, denying their order.
“Goddamn it, Stacy, if you don’t let go of that gutter, I’m going to tan your hide, woman!” Max yelled.
Max watched as she lowered her head then looked over her shoulder at him.
“Move out of the way and I’ll fall into the bushes.”
“I will catch you. If you fall into the bushes, you’ll break your freaking neck. Trust me! I’ll catch you.”
There was such fear and distrust in her eyes it killed him inside. The thought that she would rather land in the bushes and take her chances of breaking her neck instead of trusting in him pissed him off. He was going to get to the bottom of this stubbornness of hers.
“Let the fuck go now!” Eric stated.
“Okay.”
“On two, baby. One…two.”
She let go, and Max caught her and pulled her into his arms, squeezing her tight. Her legs were wrapped around his waist, and her arms wrapped around his shoulders as he held her against him.
“I was so scared, honey. Thank God you’re okay,” he whispered as he caressed her hair. She began to pull away, but he wasn’t ready to release her. Especially with her breasts pressed up against his upper chest. His brother was behind her, caressing her hair and her back.
When she looked at Max, he saw the fear in her eyes and shock.
“You caught me,” she stated as if she really hadn’t believed that he would.
“Of course. I told you I would, honey.” He shook his head then pressed his hand over her neck and under her hair to the back of her head. “Don’t you ever do that again,” he stated then leaned forward and pressed his lips over hers. He kissed her tenderly as his fear lessened as if holding her calmed him. When he felt her hands press over his shoulders then lean closer, kissing him in return, he felt triumphant.
Slowly he released her soft lips, loving the taste of her in his mouth. Before she could give any sort of comment, Eric placed his hand against her cheek, causing her to turn toward him. “You scared the hell out me,” he whispered then leaned forward and kissed her just as deeply as Max had. Max relinquished his hold on her to his brother, giving Eric a chance to hold her and confirm that she was indeed safe.
After thoroughly kissing her, Eric carried her toward the pickup truck and placed her on the tailgate. In this position and height, they were eye level with her.
* * * *
Stacy was shaking so hard the moment they released her. The events unfolded in her mind, and she wasn’t sure which part scared her more. Whether it was the fact that she fell off a roof and hung for her life, that Max and Eric actually caught her like Max said they would, or that both brothers just kissed her better than any man ever had. She felt some sort of connection to them. She hardly knew them, yet they felt so familiar. She couldn’t trust them though. They had to be after something, even if it was just sex. Her belly and her pussy warmed at the thought. Both men were so fucking sexy her eyes couldn’t stop looking at them. And she felt feminine and dainty in their arms. She had been in both of their arms and let both men kiss her passionately. There was nothing innocent about their attention. Nothing.
Max stepped between her legs and caressed her thighs. Eric leaned against the truck, placing a hand on the bed of the truck right next to her right thigh.
“Are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere?” Max asked, still caressing her thighs and then her arms and shoulders. The more his large, callused hands touched her, the more her body quivered and ached in sexual need. When had she become so horny? It hit her almost instantly after meeting both men. It was the afternoon she arrived and caught sight of the sexy, handsome cowboy appearing out of thin air and then again when she met the deputy with the most adorable dimples ever. Oh crap. She was attracted to both of them, and it appeared they felt the same way about her.
“Stacy, honey, are you okay or are you hurt anywhere?” Max asked.
“Maybe she’s in shock?’ Eric added then softly moved a stray hair away from her cheek.
“In shock from hanging off the roof or from us kissing her?” Max teased.
He continued to caress her thighs, which only made matters worse. The warm sensation from his palm caused imaginary streams of sexual desire to collide into her pussy. Her pussy wept, and her clit throbbed. How the hell was she going to walk, never mind work the rest of the day, in this condition? She never felt anything like this just from a man’s touch. As a matter of fact, the only time a man ever touched her, he left her feeling dirty and negative. She felt the tears fill her eyes.
“Stop doing that. I’m fine. Thank you,” she whispered, and both men smiled, instantly stealing her heart away. She immediately pushed Max aside and jumped down off the tailgate. She really did have issues, and now was not a good time to entertain sexual fantasies with not one, but two men at once. That thought had her stomach clenching again.
She closed her eyes as the severity of her inadequacies in life came barging into her mind. She needed to avoid her attraction and the feel of safety in their arms.
It was Eric who grabbed a hold of her hand then wrapped his arms around her from behind. She froze in place the instant she felt his firm body wedged against her back. She felt his hard cock against her lower back and the seam of her ass cheeks. Too many erotic visions went through her mind. It had been years since she had sex. Something told her that sex with these two men could kill her. Then she stopped the thoughts. She couldn’t let this happen. There were too many unresolved situations in her life right now.
“Where are you running off to?” he whispered against her hair on the top of her head. Damn, it felt so good to be held in his arms. She was practically lost in his embrace and much larger frame. Again, the realization of his size and his strength frightened her. She tried to pull away, but his arms were locked around her. She didn’t know him and couldn’t trust her own judgment. Even her gut instincts were all screwed up right now.
“Please don’t restrain me like this,” she pleaded in a whisper keeping her eyes closed. She felt Eric tense then slowly release her before turning her toward him. He lifted her chin with long, thick fingertips, and she slowly opened her eyes as she wrapped her arms around herself in a protective stance.
“Is that what you think, that either one of us would force ourselves on you?”
She felt embarrassed as he said the words out loud. She took a few steps away in retreat from the possible fight she saw burning in Eric’s eyes.
“I don’t want any trouble. I appreciate your help, but please just go. I can do this myself.”
She saw Max tap Eric before he cleared his throat.
“Why don’t we help you with the shingles and whatever got you hopping like spit in a hot skillet up there on the roof. That way the dangerous aspects of your renovations are dealt with?” Max stated. Before she could reply, he was walking past her, and Eric was alongside him. She watched as they began to grab the shingles and other things they felt they would need.
There wasn’t much for her to do to stop them, so she grabbed her paint and supplies and headed to the opposite side of the house.