Page 20 of Detective Daddy Next Door

"Maybe if they do then I'll be free from this bondage."

I hold my other hand to my chest. "Ouch. No one has ever likened being with me to bondage, but I'll take one for the team. I'll take it as a casualty on the job."

She shakes her head as we get to the front door. It's huge, just like the house.

"You need to smile more. Smile at my jokes, at least. It's going to be an epic failure if you continue like this. And remember, my name is Jasper for the night."

She turns to me, widens her lips unnaturally and sarcastically, then turns sharply away.

It's an enormous house. We go in through a courtyard with a coral floor. There are four glass doors surrounding it, but only one is open. We file through it and are let into a hallway that looks like it has no end. But finally, we come to the end of it, stepping into the most spacious hall I think I have ever seen. It’s so wide that it looks like a palace. A comfortable palace, if that makes sense. Just as we step in, a woman approaches from the spiral stairs. I've been so engrossed in trying to get Bria to cheer up that I've forgotten to take in the house, but looking up now, I realize that this somehow has to be fraud money. Maestro Firm isn't the biggest or the best in Long Beach. Well, it's one of the best, but is it enough to afford the CEO a luxury house?

"Micha," Bria whispers to me.

She comes down the stairs with open arms. Her cheeks are red like they were in the pictures I've seen. She’s on the plump side and has on a blue pajama-like outfit. Something tells me it's not pajamas, but what do I know about fashion.

I hold on tightly to Bria's hand as Micha gets nearer.

She clasps one hand on Bria's arm and squeezes. "Thank you for coming to help earlier. I appreciate it." Then she turns to look at me. "And who is this tall glass of water?"

I force myself to smile and open my mouth to answer.

"This is my boyfriend, My—"

I jerk at her hand.

"I mean my boyfriend, Jasper."

"Oh, I didn't know you had a boyfriend."

"Yeah. Jasper, this is Micha, my boss. Jasper and I met several months ago. It's been—"

I cut in. “She had a hard time letting me in, but I'm cute, so she can't help herself."

Micha laughs out loud. "You sure are cute. Please, go in and have a nice time, okay? There's plenty to eat and drink. Take care of him, Bria."

"I will."

I stretch out my hand and Micha takes it. "It's a pleasure meeting you." We shake.

"Same here, and I hope we'll get to see more of you. And I hope you're here to stay."

I laugh and tug at Bria's hand. "If she lets me," I say, gazing lovingly into Bria’s eyes.

Bria returns my gaze as Micha starts to greet the guests behind us.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" I ask.

"It was. You just made me lie to my boss. It was horrible."

"Oh, come on. You're exaggerating." I see the table of drinks. "Let's go get something to drink, baby," I say, smirking at her.

She's frowning and I'm dying inside with laughter.

When we get to the table, I ask her what she wants to drink. When she doesn't answer, I survey the options. Sauvignon blanc, pinot grigios, pinot noir. Judging just from the little I know about her, which is very little, I choose a pinot noir and pour her a glass, which I hand over to her. She eyes me for a second before taking it. I pour myself a glass and stand with my hand on the table.

She takes a sip, then takes another. "How do you know what I like to drink?"

I take my hand off the table, put it in my pocket, and cross one leg in front of the other. "I'm a good judge of character. And taste."

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