Thrill of the Chase (Dangerous Love) (9 page)

N
othing?”

“Believe me when I tell you this. I couldn’t find anything in her history,” Sam said with obvious confidence.

Chase scratched his head and turned off his computer. He didn’t know whether to be relieved or concerned that Sam’s search had not unearthed a single red flag. Because that uneasy feeling at the pit of his stomach still lingered.

Sam continued with the debriefing. “She graduated within the top five percent of her class, which gained her acceptance at numerous med schools across the country. She volunteered in the pediatric cancer unit at a hospital in Philly during her junior and senior years. And in her spare time, though I have no idea how it was even possible, she held a part-time job at a mom-and-pop-type bookstore in the city.”

“And the boyfriend?” Chase asked.

Sam sighed. “I found nothing that would indicate she was in a relationship. But her bank statements are quite interesting.”

“How so?” Chase asked.

“Let’s just say, I don’t think you have to worry about her pursuing you for your money.”

“You mean, she’s…”

“Extremely comfortable,” Sam interjected. “Her parents’ accident left her with a little over a mil in the bank, though she spends like someone on a tight budget:; a few shopping sprees, totaling a few hundred dollars here and there; weekly food orders from Whole Foods the occasional bottle of wine; a membership to a gym on Manker Avenue. Nothing suggests that she travels or even goes on vacation.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t find anyth…”

Again, Sam cut him off. “There were a few things I noted, though. Her bank statements indicate biweekly debits of two hundred twenty-five dollars each to a Dr. Susan Cahil.”

Chase pushed the
SPEAKER
button on the phone and placed the receiver back into a resting position. He stood up from his desk and walked over to his office window, wondering why Erin consulted a doctor every other week. “What kind of doctor is this Susan Cahil?”

“She’s a psychiatrist, Chase.”

That was indeed noteworthy. Chase decided that he would explore the purpose of those visits in the very near future. “You said a few things. What else?”

“Well, this is more subjective than my other findings…but…”

Chase could tell that speculating was not Sam’s forte. His friend liked concrete evidence, drawing conclusions from black-and-white sources, such as bank statements. “Sam, just say it,” Chase said, trying to disguise his frustration.

“The thing is, Erin finished her finals on a Wednesday with graduation scheduled for the following Saturday. She completed her final but never attended the graduation ceremony.”

“So? A lot of people choose not to walk,” Chase answered.

“Maybe, but she was scheduled to speak. She was second in her class and was selected to deliver a speech as the salutatorian.” Sam was silent for a moment and then continued, “But what is really interesting is that not only did she ditch her own graduation, she up and left her apartment sometime between that Wednesday night and early Thursday afternoon.”

“What do you mean ‘left’?” Chase asked, turning toward the speakerphone.

“I mean she packed up all her belongings and vacated her apartment. I checked with her landlord at the time. He didn’t mind that she went AWOL. Her rent was paid in full and she left the place in perfect condition.”

“What about her brother, Paul?”

“Same thing. He up and left his apartment as well. His bank statement indicated a hotel charge for a three-week stay, starting the night after Erin’s last final exam, here in New York.”

Chase paced around his office, trying to wrap his head around what Sam had just divulged. He must have been trapped in his own thoughts for some time, because he suddenly heard Sam ask, “Hey, are you okay man?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking things through.”

After a short silence, Sam said, “You know, the last time you asked me to do a background check, it didn’t turn out so well.”

“Erin is not Gabrielle,” Chase answered, his voice clipped.

“I didn’t mean to insinuate that she was. You know, it could mean absolutely nothing that Erin decided to forego her graduation. Maybe she gets skittish at the thought of public speaking, maybe she wanted to get a jump on the next chapter in her life. Who knows? All I’m saying is that from outside looking in, it seems strange that her plan to attend med school was on the straight and narrow, and then for some reason things changed, which led her to the research lab of your company as opposed to NYU Medical School, where she accepted entrance months before graduation.”

Chase didn’t mean to sound so harsh. Sam was just the messenger. The messenger who he himself had asked to dig and find anything that could shed some light on the woman he couldn’t stop thinking about. She was a mystery to him, though she let him in on occasion, which only fueled his addiction. She was like a drug to him. Each glimpse, each unfiltered moment when she would just let go and allow him access to more than what was on the surface, was stronger than the previous one. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to jump down your throat. I just need some time to process all of this.”

“I hear you. But due to your hissy fit, I think a beer and a sandwich from Monty’s are in order.”

Chase smiled. “Meet you there in thirty?”

“Sounds good. And Chase, in case you didn’t read between the lines, you, my friend, are buying.”

E
rin followed Paul through each room of her apartment as he made his nightly inspection.

“All clear,” Paul declared after checking the last room. Erin felt terrible that he felt the need to babysit her. Maybe she should have agreed to the bodyguard. At least then Paul could have a life.

“Have a date tonight?” Erin asked. He was already walking toward the door, and it wasn’t like him to not stay and chat for at least a few minutes.

He hesitated for a moment and then said, “I wish that was the reason why I need to cut out early.” Paul gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Heading back to work for a bit…need to tie up some loose ends on a case. Will you be alright?”

Erin’s thoughts went to Chase and the preview he had given her of what could happen on their date tonight. She felt a blush coming on and immediately was grateful that her brother was making himself scarce. She had no idea how to describe her relationship with Chase to her brother. What could she say? Paul, I technically haven’t slept with my boss yet, but the foreplay has been outstanding. I’m hoping my skittish tendencies can be kept at bay while I attempt to fuck Chase’s brains out tonight. Fingers crossed.
Yeah, best Paul didn’t know that she was dating.

So she lied. “I’m fine. I have a presentation to prepare for anyway.”

“Okay.” He gave her hand a squeeze and left her apartment.

Erin sighed, feeling guilty for keeping something from Paul. They were always honest with each other, and Erin wondered what else might lie around the bend for which she would feel the need to skirt the truth. Erin looked at the clock and gulped. Chase would be picking her up within the hour.

“I am sorry that I can’t let you up to her apartment but I have my orders.” The gentleman behind the desk appeared embarrassed. He eyed Chase up and down and then telephoned Erin’s apartment. “Good evening, Ms. Whitley.” Chase could hear a female voice through the receiver, but was unable to make out any words. “Yes, I am sorry to disturb you. But I have a Chase Montclair here to see you.”

The gentleman smiled and then blushed. “Very well.” He returned the phone to its cradle and looked at Chase. “Ms. Whitley will be only a moment.”

The receptionist looked to be in his midsixties. He seemed to be a seasoned staff member, as he carried himself around his station with confidence and pride. Chase watched the man greet everyone who walked through the glass doors by name. They reciprocated with their own warm smiles.

“Security here is tight, yes?” Chase asked, watching the man closely.

“Yes, our tenants’ safety is our utmost concern.”

The receptionist nodded toward the open elevator and whispered, “Especially Ms. Whitley’s.” Chase detected a touch of admiration and what sounded like concern in the man’s voice, which didn’t sit well with Chase. Was her safety in jeopardy?

Chase put the unnerving thought aside the moment Erin came into view. She was stunning. She wore a black strapless gown that hugged every sweet curve. Her blond hair hung in waves down her back, and he instantly envisioned how she would look splayed across the backseat of his waiting limo.

No, not yet, he chastised himself. Be patient.

His earlier conversation with Sam gave him pause. Erin’s past was a mystery, to say the least. For the first time in his life, he was going to try to slow things down, refrain from acting on every sexual impulse that was now screaming. But as she walked over to him, close enough that he could smell her alluring perfume, he had tremendous doubts that he would be able to adhere to his plan.

Chase reached for her hand and she smiled, taking his breath away. He leaned in, her neck mere centimeters from his lips, and whispered, “You are beautiful.” Erin blushed and simply thanked him for the compliment.

Chase held out his arm, which she latched on to immediately, and the two made their way to the limo. His driver opened the door and they slid into the backseat. Chase pulled her close to him, inhaling the heady scent of her hair. He was losing it.

“I like this,” she said, twirling his tie between her fingers. His breath caught and he wondered if she took notice. She threw one leg over his and straddled him.

Yeah, she noticed.

Her breathing escalated and she laid her hands on his chest. Her heaving breasts practically spilled over the flattering bodice of her dress. Chase couldn’t hold back any longer and took her deep, his tongue stroking hers with a sense of urgency. She moaned and he felt her hips churn in a rhythmic motion against his hardening cock. He released her mouth and navigated to her neck, kissing smooth, heated skin. His hands were cupping her rear and pulling her into him, increasing the incredible sensation against his mounting erection.

“I want you, Chase,” she said, her voice breathless. She grabbed his palms and urged them toward her breasts.

He found her nipples and began to knead and tug at them, the stimulation making her groan against his mouth. But what he wanted was to take each breast in his mouth, where he could suck and bite at each hardened point.

He looked out the tinted windows and then back at her wanting stare. “I will take you, but not here. I want you in my bed.” Chase pushed the intercom button. “Marcus, to my penthouse, please.”

“Yes, sir.”

Without warning, Chase flipped her onto her back. A small and playful whimper escaped her lips. His hand glided along her leg until he reached the lacy end of her thigh-high stocking. Further exploration led him to a garter belt and strap. “Did you wear these for me?” he asked, pulling at the black strap.

“Do you like them?” she asked, her glance dark and needy.

He released the strap. “Yes.” Her eyes grew wide as the pad of his thumb swiped her clit through her soaked panties and she quivered beneath him.

She grabbed him around the neck, bringing his lips to hers, and whispered, “More…please.” She rolled her hips, stroking her cleft against the rigid length of his cock.

“My God…”

Somehow Chase had enough wherewithal to gather that the car had stopped and they were now in front of his building. Marcus’s voice came through the intercom confirming that they had reached their destination.

Erin sat up and pulled her dress down. Chase didn’t say a word. He grabbed her hand, helped her out of the limo, and briskly walked to the elevator. The seconds it took for the elevator door to close were agonizing. The last sliver of the outside world disappeared, and he pushed her up against the wall, his lips grinding into hers.

“What are you doing to me, Erin?” he asked, his voice shaky. He felt her hands grab his hair as she pulled him closer. “Christ, you feel so good, so…”

The elevator came to a gentle halt and the doors opened into his foyer. He picked her up in his arms, not wanting to waste another moment, and took her to his bed.

E
rin was in his grasp, kissing him as if she needed him as much as her next breath. Once in his bedroom, he placed her on her feet and turned her around so her back was to him. He unzipped her dress and with just a soft tug, the dress slid to the floor. Erin stepped out of the dress entirely and when she turned around, she heard a slight gasp.

Erin had never felt absolutely certain about anything, the unconditional love from her family excluded, until those elevator doors in her apartment building had opened. Chase had been standing in the lobby looking at her with such intensity that she almost kicked off her three-inch stilettos so she could run into his arms. Instead, Erin had looked down, smoothed her dress with steady fingers and exhaled. Her hands hadn’t trembled, from fear or even just normal jitters. She had felt in control and confident.

“Christ, Erin.” He stared at her, his eyes moving from her head to her black stiletto heels and then working their way back up, hovering for an extended period of time at her breasts. “You are so fucking beautiful,” he said.

Erin knew how she probably should have felt right then, standing in front of him with just her black lace bra and panties while he remained fully clothed in a suit and tie that screamed sex. She should have felt intimidated, but just like before, in the lobby of her apartment building, she was empowered, and she felt the need to embrace that newfound freedom.

Erin put her palms upon his chest, letting her fingers caress his muscular torso. She needed more; she needed to feel him. As if he’d read her mind, he slipped off his suit jacket and began to unbutton his white oxford shirt. The anticipation was too much. Erin helped him with the task and finished with the buttons in record time. She pulled his shirt off and then dug her fingers into his trousers, grabbing his white undershirt and lifting it up over his head. She stared at his body, naked from the waist up, and licked her lips. “Touch me, Chase.”

He grabbed her by the waist and held her to him, her breasts pressing against his chest. His hands found the clasp to her bra and unhooked it. He tore the fabric away from her body and she instantly felt his lips around a taut and needy nipple. Chase sucked and nipped on the hard peak while he tugged gently on the other with his fingers. Erin moaned, feeling the incredible sensation travel to her sex. She quickly undid his belt, and as he shuffled out of his pants and socks, Erin knew that she couldn’t wait another moment.

“I want to feel you inside me,” she said, slightly above a whisper.

Groaning, he took off his boxer briefs, exposing his impressive cock. Erin swallowed, not knowing how she was going to physically accommodate not only its length, but also its width. He kissed her again, but this time the urgency had been brought down to a simmer. He laid her on the bed and she felt his pelvis grind against the thin and soaked cloth of her panties. “I need you,” she begged.

He removed her heels, thigh highs and panties in what seemed to be one motion.Erin felt the pad of his thumb stroke her clit. Her back bowed as she screamed his name. He slipped a finger inside her and then a second.

“My God, you’re so fucking tight.” And before she could answer him, if his comment even warranted an answer, he asked, “How long has it been, Erin?”

Erin knew what he was asking and she certainly didn’t want to get into her sex life, or the lack of one, at that moment. So she gave him a generic, but very true, answer. “A while.”

His fingers moved in and out, stretching tender, sensitive flesh. It took Erin a moment to realize that he wasn’t just engaging in foreplay anymore. “I don’t want to hurt you, Erin. So we’ll need to take this slow, okay?”

She melted. The sweetness in his tone, the way he was able to put on the brakes so she wouldn’t experience any pain, made her want him even more. Though he exhibited admirable restraint as she lay there moaning with pleasure, her sex wet and ready, his breathing became staggered, his eyes lit with an emotion that she could not identify. Chase brushed the hair from her face and said, “I want to feel all of you, Erin.”

Erin bit her lower lip. “I’m on birth control,” she said through small, breathless pants. Erin looked in his eyes, knowing that the next admission would be a little more difficult. “And I…I’ve been tested. I’m fine.” After the rape, Erin decided to go on birth control. Not that she was predicting a repeat occurrence of such a heinous event, but if she ever found herself in a similar situation, Erin wanted to be protected, at least in that regard. As for being tested, Erin voluntarily subjected herself to testing every month, even though she was told by multiple doctors that she was healthy and hadn’t contracted anything from that asshole. Dr. Cahil told her that it was a coping mechanism that she would eventually let go of. And maybe it was, since she felt relieved and not as dirty each time the doctor told her that her blood results were normal.

He lowered his head, his lips brushing over hers. A shadow swept across his face and then he whispered in a tone that was serious, but gentle. “I’ve been tested too, Erin. I’m okay.”

Erin nodded, looking into beautiful blue eyes that seemed to be hiding something. She would have to remember to ask what could cause, though temporarily, the haunted expression on his face.

“I need you, he whispered, his voice raspy. “Open for me, love.”

Erin spread her legs wider, inviting him in. With his hand, he guided his cock to her entrance, and she drew in a breath. “Breathe, Erin,” said Chase. Erin smiled sheepishly. “I’ll be gentle.”

And she believed him. Erin was beneath him, his weight pressed against her, his cock straining to gain access, yet his voice was soft, his caress patient. She exhaled.

“I know you won’t hurt me,” she said. The words echoed in her mind and she smiled. Erin felt safe, a feeling she would never take for granted again.

His mouth sealed over hers and she licked at his tongue in leisurely strokes. His hips swayed forward and she felt his cock first slide across slick folds and then enter, one glorious inch at a time. The look on his face told her that he was restraining himself, taking it slow so he didn’t cause her pain. A few inches in, he stopped and looked at her. “Are you alright, love?”

Erin didn’t know if it was the term of endearment or the delicious burn between her legs that caused her to spread her legs even more and raise her hips to meet his. The result of that sudden move made her whimper as she felt his cock slide all the way in, deep against her core. “Don’t…” he moaned. She felt his testicles pressed against her entrance. “Oh Erin, I’m so deep!” he yelled. The twinge of pain that she’d induced quickly dissipated and was replaced with unrelenting pleasure.

“You feel so good…so good,” she said, between pants. Her blood was on fire for him.

His elbows fell to either side of her head as his thrusts came in slow, strategic strokes. She arched her back and screamed, wanting all of him. “More…I need….”

“Tell me what you need, Erin, and I’ll give it to you.” It was like he needed the green light, the undisputed signal from her, to tell him that he had the go-ahead to take her…hard.

“I need more…I want…harder, Chase, harder!”

His breathing intensified and she felt him drive into her, each plunge bringing her closer to climax. “Oh God…yes…fuck yes!” she screamed. His finger circled her clit and the additional sensation almost sent her over the edge.

He grabbed her ass and thrust even deeper. “Mine, mine,” he grunted. “You’re mine, Erin.” Her heart skipped. He was unraveling her, breaking down every wall she had built to protect herself…and she didn’t care.

“Tell me you’re mine, Erin,” he said, his breathing mimicking her own.

Erin didn’t even hesitate. “I’m yours, Chase…yours.”

He groaned and then said, “Come for me. Now!” Her orgasm came almost instantaneously, happily submitting to his demand.

“Ah Christ…Erin!” His own climax rippled through him and she felt his heat overtake her. Erin wrapped her legs around him, holding him close to her, taking all of him. His head dipped to the side, nestled in her neck. They held each other for a while, in silence, as their bodies remained intimately connected.