"I really wish you had at least let me buy dinner." Susan smiles at me over the rim of her glass.

"No, no, my treat. I had a really good time tonight. Thanks for coming out with me."

Oh boy, does the meaning of those words buzz around in my head before slamming into the proverbial mental wall.

"It was a wonderful evening, Kelsey." She slides down the sofa closing the distance between us. "Can I ask you a very personal question?"

"Oh, you can ask. Doesn’t mean I’ll answer." I sip my wine.

"Fair enough. Since you didn’t let me buy you dinner, can I at least make you breakfast?" She smiles as she waits for my answer.

She’s not pushing me, but, boy, is she leading me right into temptation.

"Look, Susan, I lead a rather complicated life." I give a little sigh. "And I don’t want you to get the wrong impression here. I have certain commitments and contractual issues…." Why I’m backpedaling now is beyond me. We did just go out on a date, after all, and were seen in public together. What we do here is certainly no worse.

She holds up her hand and nods. "I’m sure of it. I have an idea how the business works, Kelsey. Okay, let me try to simplify your life. I have to be discreet also. My partners wouldn’t think much of this and the parents of my patients would probably think even less. We’re both used to living with secrets so this could be ideal for us. I’m attracted to you. I think you’re attracted to me, and I would very much like to spend the night with you. I’m not asking for a commitment or a long-term relationship. But I do hope to see more of you."

I grin.

"Now that’s not what I meant," she teases as she moves a little closer to me. "It would be nice if we could…."

"I think we both know what you’re trying to say. Let’s not force the issues," I offer, placing my glass on the table then leaning back into the couch. She’s convinced me, but I wasn’t really a hard sell anyway. "We’ll keep it casual, right?"

"Right."

"But in the meantime there’s no reason why we can’t enjoy each other’s company to the absolute fullest."

"Exactly." She leans in and brushes her lips against mine.

Morals clause. What morals clause?


* * *

The buzzer wakes me from a very happy and sound sleep. I feel Susan’s arm wrapped around my waist and her warmth where she is curled up against my back. I know right away that it’s not my alarm. What in the hell is it? Ah hell, it’s the intercom buzzer from the lobby.

I reach out a sleepy hand and hit the button. Thank God, Erik and I had the foresight to have intercoms put in nearly every damn room of the condo. I open my eyes to find that it’s six in the morning. Oh, I’m gonna kill whoever is on the other end of this thing.

"Stanton," I say as I release the button.

"Kels, get your ass out of bed and get ready. We’ve got a story breaking."

Harper. I should have fucking known. If there was a way to ruin my bliss, she would find it. Damn!

I hit the button again as I lift to my elbow. Susan stirs behind me and rolls away with a groan. "I’ll be at least twenty minutes. Go get some coffee and I’ll meet you down front."

"Hell, Kels, be civil and let me come up. I brought you bagels and tea. I need to brief you while you get ready and I drink my coffee."

Oh why the hell not? Maybe it’ll prove to her that Omaha was an aberration.

"All right. Come on up." I release the button and get up.

Susan opens her eyes and smiles at me. "Does this happen often?"

"No, thank God," I growl a little as I pull two terry cloth robes from my closet. I slip into one and put the other on the bed. "You’re welcome to stay and go back to sleep, but if you want to get up at this ungodly hour -" I gesture to the robe.

As I leave my bedroom to go meet Harper, I hear Susan get up. Oh, this should prove to be interesting.

I’m leaning against the wall with my arms crossed as the elevator doors slide open. Harper steps out with two paper bags and a newspaper tucked under her arm. The doors close and Harper’s eyes go very wide, very suddenly. I look over my shoulder to find Susan tying off her robe.

Turning back to Harper with a little smirk, I can’t resist saying, "Hope you brought enough for everyone."


* * *

"I didn’t know we had company," I mutter.

Kelsey arches her eyebrow. "We don’t, Harper. I do."

Yeah, you sure do. My eyes drift over to the open bedroom door. I imagine that I can see the disheveled sheets and smell the scent of sex. It does not improve my mood.

Sex is just sex, right? Lord knows I’ve had my share of fun-filled nights. Hell, I’ve even had more than my share. I was pretty sure up until this moment that I had taken Kelsey’s share.

Apparently not.

"Right," I say. I toss the newspaper on the coffee table and set the bags next to it, unloading the contents onto polished oak.

The other woman steps down into the main living area, smoothing the folds in her robe, and extends a hand towards me. "Hello. I’m Susan," she offers with a genuine smile.

"Harper," I respond. Suddenly, I realize she looks like ...

Well, me.

I should get some perverse pleasure from this, that Kelsey is subconsciously searching for me, but I don’t. It pisses me off instead.

You could have me, Kels. The original is always so much better than a cheap imitation. God, what was the horrible song in the seventies? I know: "Paper roses." It begins playing in my mind, "I realize the way your eyes deceived me, with tender looks that I mistook for love."

"I’m a big fan of your work," Susan continues, interrupting my thoughts and the bad music, oblivious to the tension in the room.

"Thank you." I force a smile. "But Kels is the real star." I always give credit where credit is due. I’ll be damned if I change that now. "She could get a tree stump to give a good interview."

Too bad she won’t talk to me.

Kelsey seems stunned by my praise. Slowly, she smiles her thank you. "Can I make you some tea, Susan? I’m afraid I don’t have any coffee. I’d offer you my tea, but not many people drink it with three Sweet-n-Lows."

"Count me among those people. I’ll take it with just a little cream."

Good, because I didn’t bring it for you.

With a nod, Kelsey disappears into the kitchen, leaving her night’s entertainment alone with me.

Talk about awkward.

"So," I manage, not my best opening line. I realize this is only awkward for me since Susan has no idea, I suppose, what has transpired between Kels and I. "Do you like bagels? Kelsey does ... I didn’t think to pick up anything else."

"Bagels are fine." She takes a seat on the couch, tucking the sides of the robe under shapely legs and picking up a bagel from the table. "You have an intriguing accent, Harper."

It must have slipped out in my confusion. Normally, I do all-American pretty well unless I’m trying to charm the ladies. And I don’t want to charm this one. I just want her to go away. Far away. Very far away. Very soon. "Louisiana. New Orleans."

"Really?" Susan seems delighted. "Did you grow up there?"

I squint at her, taking a sip of my coffee and feeling the liquid warm my throat. Is she flirting with me? Because if she is, I’ll kill her. Studying her open features and gentle blue eyes, I decide she’s just being polite, making small talk. "Yeah, mostly. My parents and brothers and their families are still there. How about you? Where are you from?" I can chit-chat when I have to. I don’t just grunt and scratch, despite rumors to the contrary.

"California native."

"I’m sorry."

She laughs and pats me on the knee just as Kelsey comes back in with a cup of tea.

Oh shit.

I look up expecting the explosion. I know I'd fucking explode if I walked in on this scene. Kels, on the other hand, takes a deep breath as her brows knit together for a moment.

"Scoot your ass over, Tabloid." She gives me a little smirk as she hands the mug she just brought in to Susan and inserts herself between us, giving the brunette a tender rub on her back as she does.

Does she have to be so damn smug about the whole thing?

I unfold the morning paper. On the third page, below the fold, is a story about a fire late last night. I point it out to her and let her read it silently.

"A battered women’s shelter burnt to the ground last night," she recaps for Susan when she looks up at me. Kels leans over and picks up the Styrofoam cup of tea I brought her and takes a sip.

I see the professionalism slip back into place and I know we can get through this without hurting each other. At least, I hope we can. "Right. I have a source in the fire department who says early investigation shows it’s arson."

"What?" she asks with surprise.

"Sick, huh? As if these women haven’t been through enough, right? Bastard. Probably one of their asshole husbands who did it."

"Truly." Kelsey nods. "So what are we doing this morning?"

"We’re talking to the manager of the shelter, and then to my source at the fire department."

"What happened to the women?" Susan asks suddenly.

We both turn our gaze to her.

"The article says the women were all put up at different area shelters." It’s Kelsey who answers, placing a warm hand on Susan’s knee.

"Were they all okay?"

"No deaths," Kelsey assures. "Some hospitalizations for smoke inhalation and a couple for minor burns, though."

For some reason it completely annoys me that Susan is so concerned about these women. It just smacks of insincerity, like she’s trying to one-up me.

Susan nods and says, "Well, it sounds like you two have your work cut out for you. I’m going to take a shower and then get out of your hair." With that, the brunette rises from her seat and sets down her empty mug. She gently kisses Kelsey’s temple and makes her way towards the bedroom.

I watch as Kels smiles and her eyes follow the woman across the room. There was a time when I wanted her eyes to follow me like that. I guess deep down inside I still do, but Omaha certainly fucked that up. That’ll be the last time I get hammered on whiskey.

And finding Susan here this morning didn’t help much either.

We're left alone and I suddenly feel the need to fill the silence. "So, I have an interview set up with the manager of the facility. Right now, we have an exclusive, if we get there fast enough. I want to go over some potential questions for her. If we can get -"

"I really like her," Kelsey interrupts in a soft tone.

"What?" I truly am baffled by the statement. Is she talking about the manager?

"Susan, I like her, a lot. We promised to keep it casual and that's what I need."

It’s not what you need, Kels. Don’t bother lying to yourself. "What happened to all that bullshit about your contract and appearances?" The words are out before I can stop them.

"She knows to be discreet. She needs to be as well." She fixes her gaze on me and hardens her look a bit. "You’re the one who told me I had to stop hiding from myself."

I can’t really argue with her on that one. Though I kind of had intended to be the beneficiary of her new found freedom.

"So don’t interfere."

"Kels, come on," I argue softly. She thinks this lowly of me? "Regardless of what you may think, I’m not out to hurt you."

"Why should I believe you?"

I meet her shuttered green eyes. They’re cautious and wary and I long for those moments we shared in Omaha. God, I’d like to kiss her right now. But it would only get me slapped. Or worse. "Because I’m giving you my word. And there was a time when you trusted me."

She sighs, looks down at her hands. "And you threw that in my face."

I did no such thing. I protected you and took care of you, just like I’d promised. I got you out of there alive and intact. I held you while you cried and trembled with fear. I let you eat my Twinkie. "I did not," I finally object, long explanations failing me.

"You laughed at me."

It sounds like a child’s confession and I see, for a moment, the sensitive woman I met in that closet in the compound. "Kels," I say softly, wanting to touch her but knowing it’s not welcome. "Little Roo, when did I ever laugh at you?"

"After we woke up. In my hotel room."

I think back and remember. Shit, I wasn’t laughing at her. I was laughing at the situation. I hadn’t realized at that moment she was horrified.