Author's Note: Happy New Year all! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and wish you all the best in the new year! Sorry my updates have slowed in pace, and I promise to get out the second chapter of Infinite Darkness as soon as possible. Thank you so much for all of the positive feed back on that first chapter!
Anyhow, thank you for all of you who are baring with me, and still reading this one. Also thanks to Marvel's Agent Carter for giving me a little inspiration to work on this one again. If there's one thing I love more than a strong female character, it's a strong female character kicking ass in the 1940's!
This is another short one, but the story over all is meant to be short, and I like to end the chapters where they feel right.
Again thanks so much for reading guys and dolls!
Chapter 5
Me and Kenz travel down to the ritzy part of town, driving past the Northwestern Chicago University campus and along North Lake Shore Drive. Not too far from the college I pull up to a small apartment building sandwiched between a doctor's office and a dentistry.
We get out of the car and a doorman greets us pointing the way to Ms. Lewis's apartment.
"Nice place she's got here, should'a charged her double." Kenzi grins at me and I shake my head.
"Why don't you take a walk around the block Kenz? Get some of that famed fresh lake air?" I suggest.
"What and miss this? Not a chance sister." She wiggles her eyebrows at me.
I give her a pointed look, one she knows means that she needs to scram and I hear her mumble out in a huff as she turns to leave, "Yeah, love that minus five degree lake air in the middle of winter."
I take the stairs up two floors and walk the rest of the way down the hall alone before arriving at her apartment door. I check the note just to be sure I have the right number, sure enough I do. She opens after only two knocks. I breathe in her fresh scent and look her up and down drinking her in like the tall glass of water she is.
I shoulda' known this dame wouldn't just take what she wanted and run, no, she's got class. The almost formal way she's standing there, in her navy pencil skirt and cream silk blouse, that tiny coy smile on her face, I don't know why I didn't see it before, but I can see now that she must have come from money. She knows how to carry herself and be the perfect hostess as she beckons me into her home in a friendly way.
The apartment's small, but well furnished with a view overlooking Lake Michigan. It's a far cry from the digs I'm used to. At least this Lachlan fella is paying her well.
"Did you have any trouble finding the place?" She asks with that same knowing smile as she gestures for me to take a seat in a white leather high back chair. I smirk as I take my seat.
"Oh no ma'am. You did make it easy for me."
She grins broadly and gives me a slight nod.
"Can't have you wearing a hole in your shoes detective, or spending all your hard earnings on cab fare now can I?" She comes over and takes a seat on the matching white leather couch next to my chair, which is at an angle and only separated by a small oak end table. As she sits she crosses her legs, and her skirt hikes up giving me just the slightest tease of a glimpse of the thighs I remember only all too well that were wrapped around me last night.
I'm pulled out of my memories as she clears her throat and arches a brow and I know I've been caught. But honestly I don't care. No one has ever piqued my interest like her before, or left me quite so wonderfully sore the next morning.
"Though I must say detective, I almost think you'd be better off on foot or by cab." She gives me a sly grin.
"She runs just fine for me thanks." I reply. It's true, I love that damn car and nobody will ever probably be able to convince me to get rid of her.
"Well now, where are my manners? Would you like a cup of tea detective? You strike me as more of a coffee girl, but unfortunately I don't keep any in the house." She offers as she starts to rise to her feet. I hold out my hand to stop her, and shake my head no, but thank her anyhow for her hospitality.
We sit in a comfortable silence for a moment before I remember why I came here in the first place. I sit forward, resting my elbows on my haunches. I pull off my hat and begin to play with it for a moment before looking back up into her big doe eyes. Those damn eyes. But now's not the time, focus Dennis, I tell myself. I breathe a heavy sigh.
"When I told you I'd take your case what did I ask you for Ms. Lewis?" I ask. She doesn't even blink before responding, her polite smile never wavering.
"We're back to formalities Detective Dennis? I thought we had moved passed that." She smirks and uncrosses her legs re-crossing them the other way. I know what she's doing but it's not going to work.
"What did I ask you for?" I try again sitting up in my seat and placing my hat on my knee.
"Half the money up front?" Now I know she's just toying with me.
"I asked you for the truth Ms. Lewis. And all of it." Annoyed I go to reach into my coat pocket for my pack of smokes before I realize that there isn't an ashtray anywhere in sight, and I recall she hadn't liked me doing it when she first came to see me. I release my grasp on the pack and pat my thighs, looking for something to do with my frustration, anything to calm my nerves.
"And I gave it to you detective." She gives me this slight aloof nod, and though she's good at it I know for sure now she's lying.
"Funny. Word around the local precinct says that ol' Lachlan had something of value stolen from his safe not too far back."
She doesn't even bat an eyelash. Damn she's good. I almost believe she had nothing to do with it, and really doesn't know what I'm talking about, but my gut tells me different.
"I'm afraid I haven't a clue what you're referring to detective." She responds passively.
"That a fact?" I ask with a small scoff. "See if I was a girl who got tangled up with a bad crowd, and was looking for a new life, and I just so happened upon my ticket to freedom I don't think I'd be able to pass up that chance." Again I get no visual response for her.
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're insinuating detective." She responds. And I snap, jumping to my feet my forgotten hat falling to the floor getting smushed as I stomp over it.
"Damn it Lauren I know you took it whatever it is! Hell I even understand why! But I can't help you if you keep lying to me!" She looks startled by my outburst and I take the few more steps I need to forward so that we're toe to toe, grabbing her by her shoulders and lifting her to her feet. "Let me help you. Let someone actually take care of you for a change. I can see that you're an independent, tough, smart broad that doesn't need protecting, but let me. Please." I plead with her almost shaking her by her shoulders, searching her eyes for something. Anything. And then I see it. Her eyes begin to well with tears and she turns from me, breaking my hold on her as she picks up a handkerchief from the side table pressing it to her eyes before she collects herself and turns back toward me, raw emotion written across her delicate features.
"Maybe you're right. Maybe we're more alike than we think." She sighs and I move toward her again taking her cheek in my right hand. She doesn't lean into my touch, but she doesn't pull away either. "I, I needed assurances. When Lachlan refused to let me out of my contract, when he killed Nadia, I knew I had to get out. So I thought maybe I could play the bastard at his own game." She's trembling now, and I begin to stroke her cheek with my thumb, this time she leans into my soft caress. "I never meant to get this deep, I never meant to pull you so far in." She exhales and grabs my face gently with both of her hands. "I was dumb and naïve, and now it could end up costing me my life, and yours."
I can't take it anymore. The look on her face, the tears in her eyes, it's the first time I've felt fear radiate off the woman. I know I shouldn't, I know it's not the right time, but I grab her face right back and pull her into me in a heated kiss. It's passionate, more frenzied than I would have liked, but it hardly matters, I am completely intoxicated with her. The way her lips feel against mine, the way her body reacts to me. It was meant to be quick, but I find myself getting lost in her as the tugs the string holding my ponytail, and weaves her fingers through my long dark hair.
I moan and grab at her hips pulling her closer into me, holding her there. I never want to let this woman go. I'm completely under her spell.
Suddenly there's a banging at the door and I can hear Kenzi's muffled voice from the other side shouting, "Hey Bo-Bo, look I know that you're trying to make nice with the client and all but I'm freezing my guarders off out here!"
I groan as Lauren and I pull apart and she lets out a light chuckle as she bites her lower lip. I sigh and rub the back of my neck, giving her an apologetic look. But all it takes is one look at her lips, the way the soft pink flesh is pinched under perfect white teeth, and I find my resolve becoming quickly undone again.
I rush to the door shoving my hands into my coat pocket where I had stored my keys, I throw open the door to see Kenzi on the other side playing with her nails taken aback by the door suddenly flinging open.
"What's the news Bo-Bo? She steal the thing or not?" She looks at me excitedly. All I do is shove my keys in her palm and close her fingers over the metal. She looks at me confused, and I dig into my other pocket drawing out a few crumpled bills and shoving them in her other hand.
"Go get your self a coffee or something pretty Kenz, I'll see you later." She looks down at her hands and then crooks a brow at me. "Now Kenzi!" I warn, and she shakes her head at me smirking before turning away.
I slam the door closed, and lock both locks before sliding the safety chain in place. I turn back to see a look of intrigue on Lauren's face and I untie my coat, letting it slide of my shoulders and falling unceremoniously to the floor as I stalk back toward her, knowing I must have a look of pure animalistic desire burning in my eyes.
