An Unintentional Affair (The Affair Series Book 1) (6 page)

When I arrived at Paul’s,
Bec was already at a table and had ordered an appetizer and some wine. “Am I late?”
I asked, looking at my watch. It was just twelve-thirty.

“No, it was just such a
beautiful day I wanted to get out in it. I can only have one glass of wine, too,
since I have to work later, so I thought I would start early and stretch it
out. You’ve sure got a glow about you today,” she said with a smile, eyeing me
over her menu.

“Well, yes.” I feigned
indifference, then laughed and added, “What a night!”

“Well, he certainly
lived up to everything you told me about him in the looks department.”

The waitress came and I
ordered a glass of wine. We wanted to take our time, relax, and catch up. It
had been a couple of months since Bec and I had a chance to kick back like
this. Bec was dying to know the details. “What did he say about the women at
the restaurant? And how did he know how to find you?”

“Well, he obviously
knew the women, but he swears they are just friends and that he doesn’t have
any other girlfriend. He asked me to give him a chance to prove that he just
wants to be with me.” I pondered her second question for a moment. “And now
that you mention it, he never told me how he found me at the bar.”

“Well, the point is, he
did. He didn’t have to come after you. Do you believe him about the other
women?”

“I actually do. I’m
taking a leap of faith and going for it.”

“Good for you,
girlfriend!” She gave me a high-five. “What does he do for a living?”

“He’s a consultant in
the art world. He helps his clients find art to invest in or find pieces for
their home or office. I thought it was interesting that our careers crossed
beams like that. Kinda cool, actually.”

“Wow, that sounds interesting.
How ‘d he get into that line of work?”

“Well, we haven’t quite
gotten that far in discussing it.” I lowered my voice and smiled. “We really
didn’t talk much last night.”

“Do tell!”

“Bec, I never imagined
being with a man could be like that. Seriously, he’s amazing,” I said, looking
around to make sure no one was within earshot of our conversation. “And it went
on for hours. God, it was incredible!”

“I am so happy for you,
Em. Really, you deserve someone who is going to respect you and treat you like
gold. I remember how crazy that Sam guy was when you went out with him. I was
so glad you cut that one off right away.”

I tried shifting the
subject off me. I wanted to know how Bec was doing. “What’s up with you and Scott?
You haven’t mentioned him much lately.”

“He’s been traveling a
lot, and we’ve just been kind of at odds with each other recently. Nothing
specific. I don’t know. Maybe we just need a break from each other,” she said
with some sadness in her voice.

“I’m sorry, Bec. I know
you really care for him. If it’s right, it’ll work out. But if he’s not
treating you well, I’d say move on. I know I’m barely a day into this thing
with Adam, but there’s something special about it, something really different.
I’ve never felt this way before, and I think he feels it, too. It’s worth
waiting for.”

“I know - you’re right.
I need to do some soul searching and figure it out. When Scott gets back
Tuesday, I think he’s going to be home for a while. Maybe spending more time
together again is the answer. I’m going to give it a shot anyway. We’ve been
together two years, so I’ve got to at least try to make it work.”

“You’re very smart. I
know you’ll figure it out.”

“What are you and Adam
doing later?”

“We’re going to go over
to the Jackson Gallery. He’s looking for some art for a client, and he wants to
check out the new exhibit there. I’m going to be shooting there next week with
Clint, so it’ll give me a chance to look around a little, too.”

“How cool is it that
you have that in common?”

“I know. It’s almost
too perfect.”

The waitress came with
my wine, and Bec and I ordered some food. After she left, our conversation
shifted to typical girl talk. We finished lunch and toasted with the last sips
of wine. “To finding true love,” I said.

“I’ll drink to that,”
Bec agreed wholeheartedly.

“It was so great to see
you, Bec. I can’t thank you enough for all your support last night, too. I’m
sure I would have totally blown it with Adam if you hadn’t talked me through
it.”

“You just seemed so
rattled when you came in. I was hoping when you had a chance to calm down and
think about it, you’d change your mind.”

“Well, you nailed it.
And let’s try to do
this
more often.”

“I know. It’s like a
mini-vacation, spending time with you. I’m so relaxed. I wish I didn’t have to
go to work, but I am thankful for the job.”

“Hope it’s super busy
tonight and you make
huge
tips,” I said, throwing my arms up in the air
and giving her a big hug.

“Thanks, Em. You have a
great night, too. Enjoy the rush, and say ‘hi’ to Adam for me.”

“I will. I’ll check in
with you next week. Later!”

“Later!” she hollered
as she was whisked off into the crowd. I headed in the other direction, and it felt
like I was swimming upstream against the current of people headed downtown. I
had forgotten there was an art festival going on just a few blocks farther south.
No wonder there were so many people out on such a beautiful day. I really loved
the vibe of the city.

As I climbed the stairs
to my apartment, I texted Adam to let him know I was back and that he could
come over anytime.

b there shortly
, he texted back.

I needed a few minutes
to change and refresh my makeup and hair for the evening. It was still
relatively warm out, so I tucked the scarf and black leather jacket into my bag.
I threw in an extra pair of panties and a long-sleeved white T-shirt. That would
prepare me for just about any situation. Or so I thought.

I was walking on air
around my apartment. I kept imagining the passion between Adam and me the night
before, the unbelievable way he made me feel. Shivers went up my spine as I thought
about his titillating touch and all the ways he aroused me. I passed through
the kitchen and smelled the rose. It was beginning to open up ever so slightly.
“You are so sweet, Adam Comstock,” I said out loud as the intercom buzzed.

I pushed the button and
said, “hell-o,” with a lilt in my voice.

“It’s Adam.” He sounded
so serious.

“Come on up.” I buzzed
him in.

I was picking up odds
and ends of mail when he came in. I walked over to him, held his lapels and stretched
up to give him a kiss. He kissed me back, but his mood was very cool.

“What’s wrong, Adam?”

He turned away from me
and said, “Emily, we have to talk.”

Oh, my God, I felt like
I had just been punched in the gut.
We have to talk…
the four most
dreaded words in any relationship, let alone one that started barely a day ago.
I knew it was all too good to be true. Tears welled up in my eyes. I walked
into the kitchen to have the barrier of the counter between us and braced
myself.

“Okay” I breathed. “I
had a feeling there was something you weren’t telling me. You really don’t have
to say anything, Adam. I know I’m not very experienced, and I am sure you need
more from a woman than what I can give you.” I was desperately trying not to
cry openly.

“Oh, Emily, no! That’s
not it at all. Please come over here and sit with me.” He held out his hand and
escorted me over to the couch. My couch. This was my place and I wanted to be
in control, but it wasn’t happening. He held both of my hands in his. He drew
them to his face and gently kissed my knuckles.

“Emily, I haven’t told
you about the details of my work.”

An uneasiness was
growing in the pit of my stomach. “Oh?” I questioned, not understanding where
he was going with this.

“I’m actually a private
investigator working with the FBI. I’m investigating some art forgeries and a
serial art thief. We have reason to believe that Clint Sinclair or someone who
is involved with Clint is swapping forgeries for the real deal.”

My brain was racing. I
couldn’t grasp what he was trying to tell me. “Are you saying you think
I
have something to do with this?!”

“No, no, no….” He almost
laughed but caught himself. “I think Clint is in on it, whether he’s carrying it
out himself or knows who is. My assignment was to follow you and get to know
you to see if you might be involved, or see if you could provide any inside
information.”

My head was on fire. He
was telling me that the only reason we were together was because it was his
job!
I pulled my hands away from his, bolted from the couch, and headed for the door.
“Well, I have no information for you, Mr. Comstock. I know nothing about any
forgeries or theft, so you can check off that little box on your to-do list
that says ‘get to know Emily Ryan’ and get the hell out of my apartment.” I sobbed
and pointed out the door, waiting for him to leave.

He reached for me. “You
don’t understand….”

“I understand just
fine. Now get the hell out of here!” I was crying uncontrollably as I fell to
the floor, holding my face in my hands. He closed the door and picked me up, his
strong arms wrapping around me. He carried me to the couch, sat me down gently,
and then settled in beside me.

“Emily, you’ve swept me
off my feet. I didn’t tell you about the investigation before because I didn’t want
you to think that was the only reason I wanted to be with you. Yes, the other
night when I stopped you on the street? When we went to TJ’s? That was part of
my assignment. My original intention was to talk with you that night and see if
I could get a sense of your involvement in this mess, see what you might know. But
after spending that evening with you, I knew you had nothing to do with it. I
could tell you had no clue what was happening with Clint and the forgeries. And
I was already falling for you. I didn’t intend for that to happen, never
dreamed
it would happen. And I love it! Emily, I want you in my life.”

His words were finally
sinking in. I was sobbing again, this time from relief. I threw my arms around
his neck. “Oh, Adam, I’m sorry I reacted without giving you a chance to explain.
Please forgive me.” I got up and went to the kitchen to get a napkin for my
runny nose. My eyes were getting puffy, and I was sure I looked a mess. “I seem
to have a habit of doing that.”

“There’s nothing to
forgive. I haven’t been in a relationship in a while. My communication skills suck.
I should have done a better job making sure you knew how I felt about you before
I told you about the investigation.” He walked over to me and put his arms
around my shoulders, pulling my face into his chest. He put his hand under my
chin and tilted my head up to kiss me.

This was almost too
much information for my brain to process. Adam wanted me “in his life,” and my
mentor, my boss, was somehow involved in a crime that Adam was investigating. My
head was spinning.

I held him tightly, trying
to control my sobbing. The relief of knowing he actually cared about me flowed through
me like a gentle wave, but I had to sit down. I was feeling faint. “Talk to me
about what’s going on with this crazy investigation of yours.”

He spoke softly and watched
my expression carefully. “It started about three months ago. Significant works
of art were turning up as forgeries when they were being authenticated after a sale.
So far, five paintings have tested as forgeries after their auctions. The only
obvious common link between the forgeries and the auctions is Clint Sinclair photographing
them for the catalogues.”

I looked away and took
a deep breath. This couldn’t be possible. Clint was a consummate professional
and took the photography of these paintings very seriously. Why screw up a
career he’d spent a lifetime building? “I just can’t believe that Clint could
be involved in this. There has to be another answer.”

“The evidence is pretty
clear. Either he’s directly involved, or he’s providing the opportunity for
someone else to take advantage of.”

I stared ahead at
nothing and shook my head, trying to get all of the bits and pieces to form a
picture in my mind. It just didn’t seem possible. But if Adam said the evidence
pointed to Clint, I had to believe him. He wouldn’t be jumping through these hoops
if there was nothing to it.

“I think I need a glass
of wine.” My nerves were shot. Wine seemed like just the right prescription. I
opened the cheap bottle I’d bought Wednesday night when I kept seeing Adam on
my way home. It seemed particularly lackluster after the amazing wines we’d
been drinking the past few days. We took a couple of sips and both acknowledged
that it wasn’t very good.

”Why don’t we go over
to TJ’s?” he said. “I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast, and we can get a
decent bottle of wine there. Maybe we can even get a spot in front of the fire.”

That sounded heavenly. I
wanted to put all this craziness out of my mind for a little while and just
drink in Adam Comstock, who wanted me in his life.

**

It was very quiet at
TJ’s. They didn’t have TVs, so all the sports fanatics were hanging out in the
multi-screen bars. I was relieved to have the peace and quiet so we could get
something to eat, drink some nice wine, and talk. I still hadn’t wrapped my
brain around all the insanity.

We got the premier
table in front of the fireplace. Adam didn’t even ask me about the wine this
time. He ordered another amazing bottle of cabernet. When the waitress left, he
put his feet up on one of the vacant chairs and took my hand, kissing it
gently. “You have no idea what a relief it is to have told you about the investigation.
I hated keeping it from you, but the first night we were here, I had to be sure
you weren’t involved. Then last night I was being selfish. I wanted you all to
myself. I wasn’t about to let you think that the only reason we were together
was the damned case. As I said last night, you take my breath away, Emily.” He
kissed my knuckles again and licked between my fingers, sending a shiver
straight to my core. He hesitated for a moment and added, “And it’s my investigative
work that helped me find you last night when you ran away and went to Two Brothers’.”
I looked at him quizzically. “I have a GPS tracker that can pinpoint your
location within a few feet using your phone number. I had to find you, so I
tracked you to the bar. If I weren’t so into you, I would have just let you
walk out, but I couldn’t.”

I didn’t know how to
react to this. It was a bit disconcerting that Adam had tracked me down with
his private eye technology, but it said a lot that he didn’t want to let me go.

The wine came with the
usual tasting ritual, and he ordered some food. After the waitress left, Adam
pulled his chair as close to mine as possible. He leaned over and whispered in
my ear, “Here’s to you being in my life,” and kissed me on the cheek. I smiled
and gave him a peck on the cheek.

We sat in front of the
fire and talked. Adam gradually shared all the details of the investigation
with me. I realized as I listened to him that maybe I could actually help. I’d
been with Clint when the thefts theoretically happened. How could I have been
so oblivious?

My brain started
piecing together things that happened at the studio that just seemed odd to me.
Clay Orwell, the artist Clint was helping with his portfolio, had never
actually come to the studio. Come to think of it, I didn’t recall ever seeing Clint
actually shoot those paintings before he sent them back to Clay. And in the
last week, there had been a number of phone calls where Clint ended up
screaming at whoever was on the other end. I had always thought of him as being
pretty even-tempered, so something big was setting him off. Clint and Myra had
had their share of conflict recently, too. It couldn’t be about money. Clint
was busier than he’d ever been in the last few months. As I began to put all of
it together in my head, the pieces started making sense.

“Adam, we need to get
out of here. I think I know some things that could help you, but I don’t want
to talk about it here.” Adam settled the tab, and we headed out in the
darkness. We started back toward my apartment, and I began rattling off some of
my thoughts.

Adam stopped in his
tracks. “Emily, this is huge. Let’s go to my place so I can update the file as
we talk.” We shifted our course and went to the hotel. Adam put on some music to
try to lighten the mood. He opened his laptop and began typing in the details
as I dictated them. It was all becoming clear to me. Someone was blackmailing or
bribing Clint to swap out Clay’s forgeries for the real thing…if Clay was even his
real name. Clint must have felt threatened or was collecting a significant payoff
for his cooperation and silence while Clay was getting the paintings.

“How could this be
happening right under my nose?” I asked, not really expecting an answer. “I
feel like such an idiot!” I was pacing. Tears welled up in my eyes again.

Adam got up from the
computer and walked over to stop me in my tracks. He held my chin and wiped the
tear that was running down my cheek. “You’re
not
an idiot! These are
very cagy people engaged in high-level crime. They’re masters at deception.” He
kissed my forehead. His voice was soft and calming, but I still felt as though
I should have noticed something sooner, particularly since Adam had told me it
had been going on for so long. I tried to dig deeper in my brain for any clues.
I’d been regurgitating facts for over an hour.

“You need a break.” Adam
walked over to the kitchenette and pulled out the bottle of port. He poured two
short glasses, handing one to me. We clinked and sipped. He bent down, licked
my lip, and nibbled at it. The intensity of the afternoon began falling away. “How
about a hot bath? It might help you relax.”

“A bath! I haven’t
taken a bath in years…I mean, not that I don’t bathe, it’s just that….”

He laughed. “You’re
beautiful when you get tongue-tied. I’ll get the tub going.” He disappeared
into the bedroom, and I flopped into the club chair by the window. Looking out
on the city, I wondered how I was going to keep a game face when I got to work on
Monday. I turned, and Adam was standing next to me, ready to escort me to a
magnificent diversion. As we walked into the bedroom, I saw that he had laid
out the two bathrobes. He sat down on the edge of the bed as he had the night before,
and began undressing me. Button by button, he opened my sweater. When it was
completely loose, he ran his hands up my back and pulled me into him. He buried
his face between my breasts and took a deep breath.

“I love your fragrance,”
he said softly. He licked the top edges of my breasts, which were swelling
above my bra. He unhooked it, releasing them into his control. His hands felt cool
against my warm skin, sending shivers up my spine. He slid my sweater off and
let my bra fall away. He sat back for a moment and studied me. “You’re so
beautiful,” he said softly. My heart skipped a beat. He reached for the button
on my jean skirt, but I snatched his wrists to stop him.