Willow Read online

  “Or maybe you’ll find another guy to marry,” Kat said breathlessly, feeling guilty in an instant when Willow’s face fell.

  “That was low.”

  “Was it? How would I know? To me, it doesn’t look like you’re even over him yet, considering you brought your life to a complete halt. Running away solves nothing, believe me.”

  “Why would I be running away?”

  “I don’t sleep with women just because a mood strikes.”

  “Oh, I see. You had it all figured out at the age of twelve.”

  “That’s not the point. You’re obviously still hurting…processing, whatever. I’m not the right person to help you here.”

  Willow gave her a long look before she shrugged.

  “That’s too bad. You see, sometimes we let chances go by because of preconceived notions. Just because I was married to a guy, it doesn’t mean it was a good idea, or that I would mess with you.”

  “Maybe it’s not me I’m worried about.”

  “If that’s the case, don’t. Worry, I mean. I’m all grown up. I could handle a little rejection if it was worth it.”

  She turned around and went back into the pool.

  Kat went back to work, feeling more uncomfortable and exposed than ever before. She wished she could abandon all sense of duty and join Willow in the pool, consequences be damned.

  After she’d finished her work outside for the day, she went to take a shower, got a snack from the pantry and retreated to her office. Did she owe Willow an apology? She had to tread carefully. Willow said she could handle rejection, but Kat couldn’t be too harsh about it in case Willow reported back to Franklin.

  The truth was, she didn’t want to reject her at all, but maybe they should have that conversation again, make sure they were on the same page. Kat shook her head. If Willow was straight, she’d still be after three months. Her pride was at stake here—she wouldn’t get involved with a woman who in all likelihood wouldn’t commit. A Saturday night out would probably do wonders getting Willow out of her head, and she could finish her commitment and move on.

  If Willow wanted to fulfill this particular fantasy so badly, Kat wasn’t the right woman to do it for her—and yes, she’d known without a doubt at twelve years old that she liked girls and only girls. She was more comfortable with women who felt the same…even though it would have been too easy.

  Around dinnertime, she locked the office and went in search of Willow, intent on talking to her. There was no need to make the remaining time any more awkward than necessary…

  Kat’s plans went up in smoke when she walked into the kitchen to find Willow kissing another woman hungrily. Willow was sitting on one of the barstools, the woman standing between her thighs, her hand on Willow’s knees.

  “Hey there,” Kat said, her own knees getting a bit weak at the sight. Neither of the two women seemed a bit self-conscious about Kat walking in on them. Willow smiled, taking a long moment before she smoothed down her dress.

  “Oh, hey, Kat, this is Judy. We’re going out tonight, so you can order whatever you like for dinner.”

  “Hi Kat. You’re the landscaper.”

  “I am,” Kat said, trying to get a rein on her conflicting emotions—disappointed, turned on, confused. Willow hadn’t met this woman just today? If they had been an item for longer, why had Willow come on to her earlier today?

  Judy was a couple of inches taller than Willow—mostly because of her heels, Kat reasoned—wavy dark hair coming down to her shoulders. Her friendly open smile made it hard to dislike her, though Kat did try. What was wrong with her? She had come down here with the intention to tell Willow why they couldn’t date, hook up, or anything of the kind. All her reasons were still valid. She had no business being jealous.

  Speaking of business…Franklin hadn’t said anything about keeping Willow in the house at all time, just to keep an eye on her and watch out for anything suspicious while she was planting trees.

  The only suspicious things were going on in Kat’s mind, right? It was better to be safe than sorry.

  “Where are you going?”

  Willow looked surprised, but Judy answered immediately. “To the Café de Paris. They have authentic dishes and the best champagne.”

  Not a place Kat frequented, but now she had her work cut out for the evening.

  “Sounds great. Have fun, ladies.”

  Chapter Four

  No one was following Willow’s flashy little sports car on the way to the restaurant—no one except Kat. Her next hours were as boring as an uneventful stakeout could be. She was grateful, and frustrated at the same time as she ate her burger and fries while Willow and Judy dined on fine Parisian dishes.

  What was it to her? This was a job, like any other. She had done protection details before, and done them well. This would be no exception. Willow and Judy seemed to enjoy themselves. They could have been old friends, platonic even, but the scene Kat had witnessed earlier was all but platonic.

  She had her confirmation. Willow was young and indecisive regarding many things, just like Kat had thought. None of her business.

  No matter how often she tried to tell herself that, the memory had branded itself into her brain, the moment Willow had stood so close, touched her, basically made an offer she thought Kat couldn’t refuse…only to introduce her date a few hours later.

  Kat watched a car park on the curb, the man emerging from it exchanging a few words with the valet, laughing, before he entered the restaurant. He came back out only moments later, and when the headlights of a vehicle passing by illuminated the scene, she realized why he looked familiar.

  Simon.

  Was it really a coincidence that he was here tonight? If not, how did he know Willow was? Kat leaned back in her seat with a sigh. The Café de Paris was a well known address among the rich and almost famous, and there weren’t so many high end addresses in town. His deductive skills didn’t have to be so great if he wanted to find Willow on a night out. She was going to ask her if they still kept in touch.

  The rest of the evening passed without any incident or surprise. Judy who had only half a glass of wine from what Kat could see, drove them home, and she followed at a distance, wincing at the smell of fries in her own car. She entered the house through a door in the back and took the stairs to her suite. There was a light on in the den, and she could hear laughter. Time to back out.

  She came back to the kitchen later to get herself a glass of the fancy imported water. This time, it was Willow who walked in on her, and Kat nearly jumped back from the fridge as if Willow had caught her stealing. Franklin had told her she could help herself to anything she needed from the kitchen.

  “Don’t mind me, I just came here for a little snack.” Willow opened the freezer and took out a small container of ice cream. She opened it and took a spoon from one of the many drawers. “You want some?”

  “No…thanks.”

  Kat drew her gaze away from the tempting sight, the red satin nightgown catching her eye more than the strawberry ice cream. She was almost sure Willow wasn’t wearing anything underneath.

  “You had a good night?” she asked.

  “Oh yes. You could join us next time instead of having fast food in your car.”

  Kat stared at her in disbelief. Willow couldn’t know. She was always careful. It had to be a bluff, except…

  Willow laughed. “Don’t take it personally. Living with Dad has taught me a thing or two. He’s hired a shadow for me before, though he didn’t go as far as inviting them to stay at the house. I’m serious though. Judy doesn’t mind. In fact,” she stepped close enough for her breasts to almost touch Kat’s. “If you’d like to come with me right now, that would be okay too.”

  “You’re crazy.” The words came out in a breathless rasp.

  “Some might think that, Simon in particular, but I’m really tired of worrying about other people’s opinions. If it feels good, and it doesn’t hurt anyone, I don’t see the problem.”


  “You’re inviting me upstairs…with another woman?”

  Willow reached up to touch her cheek, trace her thumb over Kat’s lips. She couldn’t suppress the shiver running down her spine.

  “We could start here if you’re more comfortable that way…”

  “No. Stop it.”

  “Oh well. I asked.” Willow leaned in to kiss her on the mouth, a chaste gesture considering her offer. Her lips tasted of strawberries. Kat’s head was spinning.

  “Good night, Willow.”

  “Same to you. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  * * * *

  “I need everything you can tell me about a Simon Cantor. Yes, I know who he is, I’m able to do a simple internet search myself. Now do your job, okay?”

  The voice on the other end of the line grumbled something unintelligible, but fortunately, Kat had some favors to call in as well. She had made close connections during that time which enabled her to call that number now that she needed some more in-depth information on all the players.

  “I’ll take that as a yes. Thank you.” She disconnected the call, thinking that pressing a button could never be as satisfying as hanging up on a person. It might be getting up and starting her day without caffeine that made her this short-tempered—or the fact that she might run into Willow and Judy if she went into the kitchen. She wasn’t sure which was worse, if the strange scene from last night had merely been her imagination, or if it had really happened. Kat had been adventurous before, but she’d never even considered a threesome. She just didn’t see the point.

  Instead of snapping at an old contact because of frustration, she could have spent the night with the two women. Kat shook her head. This wasn’t what she wanted, even if the fantasy made her feel as if she needed a cold shower this early in the morning. Truth be told, her fantasy was mostly about Willow, and, well, apparently Judy didn’t mind.

  Kat sighed. Judy was the type of woman she would have liked to meet at a bar, buy her a drink, and spend the night without any guilt or strings attached on either side.

  Willow, on the other hand…Complicated didn’t even begin to cover it.

  Finally, other urges took over, and she was too hungry and craving coffee to worry about whom she might run into.

  As she had predicted, Judy and Willow were having breakfast.

  “You are already working? Come, have breakfast with us,” Willow said, giving her a once over.

  The scene earlier in the kitchen had definitely happened.

  It was Willow’s lucky day. She was going to put on those overalls again.

  Kat worked all morning and afternoon, only stopping for a short break. To her surprise and, admittedly, disappointment, neither Willow nor Judy was anywhere to be seen. They arrived when Kat was almost done for the day, wearing bikinis, laughing and chatting by the pool, sunbathing.

  Kat started gathering her tools. She wanted to check in with her source one more time, figure out what was taking her so long getting the information on Simon together. She wasn’t sure what had made her turn around, but when she did, she spun back to her work so quickly she got dizzy—or maybe it was the sight that was making her dizzy, her body reacting instantly.

  Damn Franklin for taking off to a place where she couldn’t reach him, and leaving his daughter’s safety in her hands. She would have liked to have said daughter in her hands, thank you very much, but it was impossible for all the reasons she kept repeating to herself every day, every hour. It was impossible, because Judy had been there first. Right now, in fact.

  Kat hadn’t looked for long enough to even foster the fantasy, but it was long enough to understand what was going on behind her back, Willow stretched out comfortably, her eyes closed in bliss, a towel over her hips. Judy was kissing her deeply, her hand moving rhythmically underneath the towel. Willow was quiet except for the occasional soft gasp, but that was more than enough to ignite the warm pulse between her legs. This was torture. She couldn’t concentrate enough to finish what she was doing, but at the same time, she couldn’t leave without walking past them…Kat risked another glance, her heart missing a beat when she saw the towel on the tiles. Willow was still wearing her bikini bottoms, squirming in delight as Judy’s fingertips brushed over the fabric and then slipped underneath.

  That moment, their eyes met. Much to her credit, Willow didn’t seem to gloat about having caught Kat in a weak moment. If anything, it was an invitation once more.

  She could have thrown all caution to the wind where Franklin was concerned. As Willow had pointed out, he wasn’t here and wouldn’t be for some time to come. Kat couldn’t put her other reservations aside so easily.

  She couldn’t pretend to be untouched by the scene either, so retreat was probably her best option. She gathered her tools and got up only to witness the moment Willow closed her eyes in bliss, her hips pushing into the hand pleasuring her. Kat didn’t want to wait and see what she’d do to reciprocate.

  She fled for her room where she stripped and headed into the shower, hoping those images would fade away. They didn’t. She quickly toweled herself off and slipped into a comfortable shirt and a pair of shorts. No, that didn’t help. Kat checked her phone and laptop again. No message. She walked around the suite restlessly, daring a peek out of the window to realize Judy and Willow, now decent, were sitting at the edge of the pool, talking.

  Was it paranoid to think Kat could be the subject of this conversation? Probably. With a sigh, she lay down on the spacious bed, cursing herself for not even trying to find a way to stay out of this mess. She could have said no, test the limits…but she was aware, had been all the time, of her debt to Franklin. If this was it, these three months, to pay him back, she was still getting off easily. He hadn’t asked her back on the job. He had, as it seemed, exaggerated the possible danger to Willow, so that Kat would agree to stay here. Did he even know Willow was seeing someone, a woman? She didn’t really want to try and solve those questions for the two of them. The problem was, ever since she’d moved in, all her thoughts seemed to revolve around her, leaving her with many questions and growing frustration.

  She put her hand on her stomach, asking herself what she was waiting for. She was a grown woman. She couldn’t mess up her assignment, but there was no rule against the quick relief she could provide for herself. Giving in to the pull, Kat slipped her hand beneath the waistband of her shorts, and into her slip. She sighed as her fingers touched warm wetness. This would definitely do until she could get to town and have a night out. In her mind, she could easily mix the intensifying sensations with the memory, Willow, so beautiful as her body strained towards the inevitable climax. Kat could feel her own body starting to tremble. She moved her fingers faster, imagining it was Willow touching her, massaging her clit, and pressing her fingers into her. She allowed herself wandering through a slideshow of what she’d like to do to her, every action designed to drive her crazy, cause sounds different from the soft sighs down by the pool. The woman in her fantasy cried out in ecstasy, or maybe it was herself as the orgasm washed over her, leaving her breathless and shivering, and none the wiser.

  Staring at the ceiling and wondering where to go from here, Kat hoped no one had walked past her room in the last few seconds.

  Chapter Five

  Finally, the message had arrived. Kat frowned as she read over a police report detailing an incident at the house Willow and Simon had shared. The neighbors had called the police because they heard a commotion, screaming, breaking glass and thought there might be an intruder.

  The couple admitted to a loud argument, apologized and assured the officers that everything was fine. Said police report had been lost and only turned up due to the excellent detecting skills of Kat’s old friend.

  Get this. The officer’s supervisor plays golf with Simon’s Dad, and the neighbors sold their house soon after the incident. Want to bet there’s more to this?

  Kat already felt terrible as she considered the possibilities of what this cou
ld mean. All of a sudden, it made perfect sense that Willow wanted to hide out at her father’s mansion, somewhat desperate in her pursuit of pleasure, trying to escape the recent past. She had no business involving her in her fantasies. However, she needed to dig into this further. If Simon still had influence over her in any way, he might present more danger than any shadowy figure who wanted to get back at Franklin. He had gone to the restaurant after all.

  Thanks, she typed. Let me know if you find out more.

  Then she went to find Willow.

  “Hey. Come on in. How can I help you?”

  Kat didn’t want to go inside the bedroom and risk walking in on another scene, so she stayed in the doorway.

  “I was hoping we could talk.”

  “We can. Judy went home. Do you want to come inside now, or…”

  “Downstairs, if you don’t mind.”

  “Sure, but let’s get dinner. I’m starving.”

  Kat refrained from any comments that might have come across as ambiguous. “Okay, let’s get you some food then.”

  There was a small staff working at the house, and most of the time, they weren’t seen or heard, but a housekeeper made sure there was always food available. Never having to think about what to prepare made Kat both jealous and uneasy—she wasn’t used to giving up that much control, not anymore. In a miraculously short time, both had a plate in front of them. Willow had just water. As much as Kat would have liked some liquid courage for this conversation, she chose the same.

  “Can I ask you something about Simon?”

  “You need that to get the backyard done? I’m sorry.” Willow straightened her shoulders. “I know how Dad can be, and he probably gave you the wrong impression.”

  “This is not about your dad. While you were married…neighbors called the police one time.”

  Willow’s eyes widened.

  “How can you know about this? I thought they made it go away and—”

  “Did he hurt you?”

  Something about Kat’s tone must have tipped her off, about what she was thinking, and about how deeply involved she already was.