Page 65 of Rival Desires

Fury gave a nonchalant shrug. “What can I say? You are barking up the wrong tree.” He caught sight of me approaching, and his eyes narrowed, but something in my expression seemed to clue him in that I wasn’t here to add fuel to the fire.

Without a backward glance at the cop, Fury announced, “I’ve got a meeting,” and marched towards me, grabbing my arm and hauling me through the nearest door and into the ladies’ room.Once inside, he released me with a scowl. “What’s the deal, honey, showing up here?”

“What the fuck’s going on?” I asked, trying to ignore the flush rising in my cheeks. “My assistant told me Cory got arrested. I want the facts, not just hearsay.”

Fury let out a sigh and raked his fingers through his hair. “They’re claiming Cory broke into his neighbor’s apartment downstairs, roughed her up, and…you know.”

I shook my head emphatically. “No way. He’s not that kind of guy.”

Fury’s eyes softened, and something resembling relief flickered in them. “No, he’s not.”

“So, does Cory even know this neighbor?” I asked, curiosity piqued.

Fury nodded a hint of incredulity in his eyes. “Get this - she was here yesterday, right after you took off.”

“Wait a sec,” I interjected, trying to connect the dots.

He waved his hand dismissively. “Look, I don’t give a damn about what you have to say. Not unless you’re on Cory’s side.”

“But Iam,” I confirmed. “But when exactly did this so-called attack happen? Because if she came here yesterday...”

“Last night,” Fury said, his voice heavy with concern.

A spark of hope ignited within me. “Alright, hit me with the exact timeline.”

It looked like Fury was going to argue for a moment, but his shoulders sagged in defeat. “When she was here, she said shedidn’t have a ride home, so Cory gave her a lift back to their building, dropped her off, and hightailed it back here. He was still here when I left at seven-thirty.”

Seven thirty. That was still over half an hour before he arrived at my office. I felt a knot in my stomach as Fury continued.

“Detective Jerkface out there said Becky claims she was watching the early news when Cory knocked on her door, forced his way inside, and...” Fury trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

I didn’t blame him; I didn’t want to think about it either. But it was alright that he couldn’t bring himself to say it because I had something that was going to turn everything on its head.

“After Cory stopped by my office around eight last night, we spent a lot of time together there. He didn’t leave my side until around two thirty this morning.” I could see the hope in Fury’s eyes, and it tugged at my heartstrings. “And we were... wide fuckin’ awake the entire time. He’s got a solid-as-a-rock alibi.”

THIRTY-FIVE

Cory

I was so lost in my head that I hardly noticed the room’s chill or the cuffs’ bite on my wrists. My brain was in replay mode, reliving every moment of what had gone down.

Just a little over an hour ago, I was parked at my desk, working on a letter to Nadine explaining why Gracen & McCrae couldn’t represent her anymore. But really, my mind was wandering back to last night with Rylee - her on her desk, me on my knees pleasuring her with my tongue, the whole nine yards.

My guy downstairs felt a bit tender from all the action, but was it worth it? There was not a single second of regret.

Yikes, suddenly, the door slammed open with a bang. There was no warning, no nothing. And in walked two cops, looking like they were about to go full dragon on me.

I didn’t even have time to worry about the poor door. Nope, my full attention was on the two officers as they demanded my name and told me to turn around and put my hands on the wall. It wasn’t until one of them started patting me down that I heardthe words “sexual battery” and “rape” and realized I was in deep trouble.

I was so stunned that it took me a second to even register the name they were throwing around. Becky Scheinberg, my downstairs neighbor.

I’d been in a daze since the cops slapped the cuffs on me, accusing me of something I’d never even considered as a possibility. Rape? Seriously? And Becky, my nice neighbor, was pointing the finger at me.

But as I mulled it over, I realized that “nice” wasn’t exactly the right word. She’d been friendly, sure, but when I’d turned down her advances, she’d been livid. She told me I’d regret it. I just never thought she’d go this far. Who would?

Anger was slowly replacing the shock that had been my constant companion since the cops slapped the cuffs on me. I mean, really? Becky had actually filed a police report? It was beyond belief.

I kept looking at the door like a puppy waiting for its owner to come home. Come on, someone had to come and sort out this mess, right? I mean, I hadn’t even laid a finger on her, apart from a polite handshake or a friendly pat on the back. She was the one who’d made a move on me, and I’d turned her down. No harm, no foul, right?

---