Page 70 of Obsession

Violet’s dressed in a white top and dress pants that show off her trim figure and gorgeous thighs. Her top fits her snugly, but drapes about her, somehow pulling off both professional and stunning all at once. Her hair is pulled back in a stylish braid, and she’s wearing makeup that makes her cheeks brighter, her lips fuller, and her eyes…God,her eyes.

“Lock that door behind you and get over here.”

A pleased smile tugs at her lips. “Is that an order, Mr. Master?”

Christ, I love it when she calls me that.

“It is.”

She captures her lower lip between her teeth and casts her eyes down, but dutifully turns and locks the door behind her. When she turns back to me, her vivid eyes are even brighter.

“I literally have no idea how to fix this hair and makeup, so you can’t muss it up.” She thinks those hands on her hips somehow give her authority.

So cute.

I crook a finger at her. Her cheeks flush brighter.

“We have work to do.”

“We do.”

I tap the papers together on my desktop and push them to the side, shove away from my desk and walk around to the front. I meet her at the same time she reaches my desk, lift her, and place her on the edge.

I love the way she gasps and her hands fly to my shoulders to steady herself. I reach for her, embrace her, and tuck her against my chest.

“This is risky. You know that.”

“I do.”

I bend and kiss her, and for one brief moment in time, the world stops spinning.

“I could’ve worn the skirt,” she says, as if to distract me from her stunning beauty. “But you can’t run in a skirt, and you just never know…”

“You don’t. Smart girl, we should be prepared.”

“And I’ve been thinking.”

“Yeah, baby?”

I love the way her eyes go soft when I call herbaby.

“I don’t think we should start with the victims. The only survivors don’t remember what happened to them. We know that he went to Bubbles and Broomsticks, and we know that he has witnesses for every place he’s gone.”

“Exactly.”

“But something occurred to me when I was getting changed just now.”

I step back to look at her, so I can take her seriously.

“What’s that?”

“The alibis for the times Derrick Dossier supposedly abducted his victims? They’re detailed, but almost…toodetailed. Here, look.”

She takes out her phone and pulls up the notes app.

“August first. Flowers show up at Anita Charles’ door. She goes on a date with a mysterious stranger and doesn’t return. Her body’s found two days later, but he has video evidence that he was shooting pool at the bar when she was supposedly abducted, then he was working the other hours. Like, he didn’t even go home to get changed?”

“Odd.”

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