“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, please,” she begged. “What is going on?!”
Alicia got up and walked to the window, unable to sit still. How did you find the words that you knew were going to destroy your dearest friend’s life? She had agonized for a week after Jeffrey had brought her the pictures. Finally she faced the fact that it had to be Jessica’s decision whether or not to believe the evidence so here she was. She took several deep breaths and walked back over to the sofa. She sat down, reaching for her bag and pulled out a large envelope. She laid it in Jessica’s lap and took her hands in hers, squeezing them.
Her eyes were filled with tears as she looked up. “I’m sorry, Jessica. Please understand that I found this out purely by accident.”
Jessica’s hands were shaking as she pulled away and picked up the envelope. Please don’t let this be what she thought it was, she prayed. Please let it be pictures of an employee stealing her blind. Please let it be pictures of her neighbors using drugs. Anything but what she feared the most. She slowly pulled out the sheath of papers and had barely cleared the brown envelope when she dropped them and ran for the bathroom, the sound of her retching filling the room. Alicia ran after her, holding her as she vomited over and over. Tears flowed freely down her face as she whispered over and over.
“I’m so sorry, Jessica, I’m so sorry.”
Jessica shoved her away, pulling herself to her feet using the edge of the sink. She wiped her face with her arm, snarling at the woman who had been her friend for as long as she could remember.
“You bitch!” she screamed. “You just couldn’t stand it, could you?! You can’t get a man like Blake, so you have to destroy what I have!”
Alicia looked at her in horror. “No, Jessica!” she cried. “That’s not true! I told you I found out by accident and I couldn’t just pretend that I didn’t know! I love you too much to keep something like that away from you!”
Jessica swept the crystal soap dish from the sink, enraged.
“Love?” she said, her face twisted with anger.
Alicia backed away in fear. She had never seen Jessica like this. Jessica followed her, her voice vibrating with hatred.
“Get out! I never want to see you again! Never, do you hear me?! I don’t need your kind of love!!”
By the time Alicia reached the study door, Jessica was screaming. She had just crossed the threshold when the soap dish hit the wall beside her head with a thud. She ran for the front door, afraid to stop long enough to get her bag and it flew through the open passenger window of her car just as she managed to shut the driver’s door. Jessica stood in the driveway, still screaming profanities as she accelerated, slinging gravel up. Jessica didn’t feel the sting as the small rocks hit her legs, some cutting deep enough to draw blood. She watched until Alicia had gone through the gates and then turned, running back up the stairs and into the study, slamming the door behind her with enough force to rattle the pictures on the wall. She stopped abruptly in front of the couch and fell to her knees, slowly picking up the scattered photographs. If she had ever doubted it could be true, these damning photos erased any hope. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked at them. Listlessly, she turned them one by one, her anger now turned to despair. It was Blake all right; there was no mistaking his face, harsh in the sunlight as he held the woman. No mistaking what the two were doing.
She was almost halfway through them before she finally realized who the woman was. Her eyes widened with disbelief and she snatched the photo from the pile, bringing it up for a closer look. Dear God, it was Emma! She flipped frantically through the rest of them, scattering photos everywhere. Alicia had obviously placed the ones of them having sex on the top for shock value, not realizing that Jessica wouldn’t be able to immediately identify the woman he was with. It was only in the photos of the two of them getting out of the car that she could clearly see her face. And there were many more of them, taken before that day, engaged in innocent activities that would not have been as damning if the ones in the boat hadn’t been taken. Walking together down the sidewalk, eating ice cream. Riding together in Blake’s beloved jaguar convertible. Getting off Blake’s motorcycle, laughing together. Jessica began to sob as she felt her world begin to crumble around her. She had truly loved Blake. She had known the odds were against her when she married someone so much younger but he had seemed so different. He hadn’t wanted her money; he had taken a job in one of her companies and earned his own, quickly improving things and moving on to the next, doing the same over and over until she was even richer than she had been before. True, their love life had been infrequent but Blake was often out of town. She had heard rumors in the past but had been able to dismiss them as just that, turning a blind eye to what she now realized she hadn’t wanted to see. But Emma was the ultimate betrayal. She had taken the young woman under her wing, giving her career her