Chapter 3

Konrad hoped she liked his apartment. He kept it neat enough, but he wasn’t obsessed with cleanliness. If she inspected anything up close, she’d see dust, for sure. If he had only known she’d be willing to come to his home this early in their relationship…

He had to extract his keys from the manila packet that held his belongings at the jail. One more reminder that he’d been arrested.

“Are you sure you don’t mind being with an ex-con accused of grand larceny?”

A door clicked upstairs.

“I thought you said this was the first time you’d been arrested.”

Someone appeared at the top of the stairs holding a basket of laundry.

Roz clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for anyone to hear that.”

Konrad glanced up and saw who stood there. Whew. It’s Morgaine, not Joe, the private dick. “It’s okay. She’s cool. Hey, Morgaine. Come down and meet our new neighbor. She’s a friend of Merry’s.”

Morgaine smiled, descended the staircase gracefully and set the basket on the floor. “Any friend of Merry’s is a friend of ours.”

Roz extended her hand. “I remember you. You were at the wedding.”

“Yeah, I’m told I’m hard to forget.” They shook hands.

Konrad was so used to seeing Morgaine in her Goth make-up and long black dresses he didn’t think anything of it. Fortunately, it seemed as if Roz didn’t have a major problem with it, either. But wait until she found out Morgaine was a medium and a witch. That friendliness might change.

He suddenly realized Morgaine may have gotten the wrong impression from his quip, if she heard it.

“Did you overhear me kidding Roz about being an ex-con, Morgaine? You know I’m not, right?”

“Oh, forget it. I’m not even concerned if you are. I’ve known you long enough to know you’re trustworthy. In fact, I feel safer with you around.”

“That was nice of you to say—especially in front of my new girlfriend.” He placed a possessive arm around Roz.

Roz glanced up at him. Surprise registered on her face. He decided to deflect it by continuing to talk to Morgaine.

“So, what happened was, I got arrested last night, but Roz here is a lawyer and got the charges dropped. So, I was just kidding her.”

“Hey, no big deal. You must have been innocent, right? I mean, with your job as a security expert and all, you’d never do anything to jeopardize that.”

“Exactly.” Hey, that was the truth. I’d never knowingly jeopardize my job, even though I hate it. At least it pays the rent.

Roz looked up at him and he wondered if she had heard his thought. He’d have to think about other things.

“Well, we’d best be going. I want to give her a tour of my apartment.” Especially the bedroom.

Morgaine smiled and picked up her basket. “You kids have fun.”

As she left, Konrad turned the key to the deadbolt. Crap, I hope she can’t hear us too.

“You think she can?”

She can communicate with the ghost.

He opened the door wide, and Roz followed him in.

“She can talk to Chad?”

“She says she can. I guess there’s no way to know for sure.”

As soon as he shut the door, Roz wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. It took him by surprise, but he had no intention of wasting the moment and kissed her back just as passionately.

When they finally broke apart, panting, he asked, “What was that for?”

She looked down shyly. “For calling me your girlfriend.”

He smiled. “You are. I mean…I hope you are. I’m about to ravage you—unless you’ve changed your mind?”

“Oh, no.” She shook her head. “No mind changing here.”

She began to unbutton his shirt. He helped her shrug out of her suit jacket while walking backward toward the bedroom. Her hourglass figure came into view with her white blouse tucked into a gray pencil skirt. Wow. Talk about an hourglass figure.

Konrad tensed. He had to hold back his strength, despite the powerful lust he felt building inside him. If he gave into it, he’d have her naked and spread beneath him in seconds. Her clothes would be in shreds on the floor.

As they reached the bed, she gazed into his eyes and her breath caught. She must have seen the hunger in them. Burning need consumed him. He forced his hands behind his back and balled his fists until the pain of his fingernails dug into his palms and distracted him from lust.

“I—I’ll try to be gentle.”

She unzipped the back of her skirt. “You don’t have to worry.” Her chin lifted. “I want to do this.” Her words were brave, but he smelled a slight fear tingeing them.

“You seem nervous.”

“I am—a little.”

“You know I’d never hurt you, right?”

She nodded.

“Then what’s making you nervous?”

“Being naked in front of you. It’s still daylight.”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake. I thought we settled that.”

“Maybe you’re okay with it, but it might take me a while to catch up.”

He sighed. “I guess I can be patient. But you need to realize that my attraction to you is only partly physical. I admire you. You’re intelligent, strong, and independent. So many women I meet in bars are bimbos. They think a perfect figure and long blonde hair make up for immaturity and superficiality.” He twirled his long blonde hair around his finger and giggled while batting his eyelashes.

That made Roz laugh. At last, her expression relaxed, and she let her skirt drop to the floor.

Konrad’s eyes widened and he tore his shirt off. Buttons popped and clicked against the walls and floor.

She stared at his light furring of chest hair and ran her fingertips through it. “You’re a natural blond, I see.”

He chuckled, but it did little to break the tension he felt mounting. He tried to finish unbuttoning her blouse, but his hands shook.

“I’ll do it.”

Konrad turned around and worked off his black jeans. He didn’t dare watch her strip because if she stripped slowly, trying to tease him, he might lose it.

When he was naked, he set his hands on his hips and asked, “Ready?”

The bedsprings creaked softly. “Ready,” she said.

He pivoted and froze. Roz lay atop his fur blanket, playing with a string of pearls around her ivory neck. Other than that, she displayed her luscious curvaceous body in all its naked glory. “You’re gorgeous. Why the hell don’t you know it?”

A shy smile crossed her face. “Thank you,” she said. Then she gazed over at him, and her mouth fell open. “Oh, my, God. I thought you might be um—well endowed, but…you’re frickin’ huge!”

His natural protector kicked in and he tamped down his urgency. “Don’t worry, angel. I’ll prepare you to take me.” He lay down and scooted beside her.

Her ‘thanks’ whispered out on a sigh.

He glanced down at her body and saw her nipples pebbled tight. He licked his lips. “I’ll get you so ready, you’ll feel as if you’ll go mad if you don’t get me inside.”

“I already feel that way.”

It was true. The scent of her sweet arousal filled his nostrils and drove his hunger. He leaned over her, and she tipped her face up to meet his kiss.

They shared a stirring passion that grew steadily. His hand trembled slightly and he pushed it into the mattress to steady himself. It was all he could do to keep from spreading her legs apart and thrusting inside.

Roz couldn’t wait to feel his hard length inside of her. So what if she’d been feeling needy and desperate ever since her best friend found the love of her life. It was Roz’s turn now. She had never jumped into bed with a man so quickly, but it had never felt so right before.

His tongue invaded her mouth, and she welcomed it. The man could kiss! His lips were full, and the pressure was just right. When he sucked in a breath every so slightly, their mouths locked in a sensual vacuum.

Oh, Lord. I could kiss him all day.

“I’m happy to hear that angel. I have the feeling we might spend a lot of time in this position.”

What do you mean by that?She soon forgot to care. His hand wandered to her breast and cupped it. Then he stroked the nipple with his thumb.

Oh, God, that feels good.

He squeezed the globe gently. “This is just the beginning.” With his thumb and index finger, he captured the tip and rolled it gently. She moaned into his mouth from the pleasure of it. Then he broke the kiss and slid downward to suckle her. The mass of his hair fell forward to tickle her skin. She swept it back over his shoulder.

He latched onto her nipple and drew it in, sucking with purpose. A bolt of lust shot straight to her womb, and she arched. She cupped his head and pulled him toward her breast, letting him know she wanted more.

His hand found her mons, and while he continued to suckle, he caressed and stroked her.

The harder he sucked the more she moaned. The more she moaned, the closer he came to touching her ultimate pleasure point. At last, he zeroed in on her clit and rubbed. Overwhelming sensations built quickly as a heady excitement filled her. She was going to come and come hard.

The pleasure drove her to a higher peak than she’d ever been to before and launched her into space. She shattered. Grabbing his pillow at the last second, she held it hard against her mouth and screamed out her release as she shook and spasmed.

“Oh, God!” Her heart was pounding, pounding so hard she could feel it hammering against her ribs. Yet, another orgasm was quickly building.

Don’t stop. Oh, please don’t stop.

“Stopping never entered my mind.”

She wanted to laugh. She wanted to cry. It had been so long, and she was greedy. Eyes closed, she concentrated on the intense feelings in her body as he continued to suck and rub. Soon she shot straight to the top of another violent climax. She clamped the pillow down with both hands and screamed herself hoarse. At last, she batted his hand away. The pleasure was so intense, she didn’t think she could stand another moment without the white-hot fire turning to pain.

Eventually when her boneless body quietly vibrated, but no longer quaked, she heard, “Are you all right, angel?”

Panting, she communicated weakly. Yes. But no more. I can’t take any more. Her eyes drifted open and she saw Konrad propped on his elbow with a satisfied grin on his face.

“You’ll miss the best part if we stop now.”

Roz smiled and spread her legs. “Who said anything about stopping?”

“Thank goodness. Even stalling would be hell right now, but I don’t want to push you.”

“Push me, pull me. At this point, you can do anything you want to me.”

He laughed. “I’d rather give you the control until I know your limits.”

“How awesome is he?”

How awesome is it that I can hear how awesome you think I am?

She giggled and clamped her hands over her mouth, as if she’d spilled the beans out loud. He laughed with her, then said, “Just think how well this can work. You can tell me what you like and don’t like without saying a word.”

“I have the feeling you don’t need my coaching.”

“Think of it as guidance. I want you to enjoy the experience, fully.”

“I already have, but you haven’t.”

“Are you ready for me?”

“Why don’t you find out?”

He almost growled, but his animal instincts needed to be kept in check. God knows what he might communicate if he wasn’t careful. Better stay away from Doggy-style too. He might be tempted to mark her as his own with a bite to her neck. It was too soon for that.

Grabbing a condom from his nightstand, he ripped open the packet with his teeth and rolled the latex over his hard cock.

“You’re not allergic to latex, are you?”

She shook her head, then suddenly her eyes went wide. “Oh, God. What do people do if they are?”

He kneeled between her legs and lowered his face to kiss her neck and shoulder. “As long as neither of us break out in a rash, it’s none of my business.” He nibbled along the long column of her soft, sensitive flesh. Roz?

“Yes?”

Does this feel good?

“Oh, yes.”

He worked his way down and stopped to suckle her breast. And this?

“You know how good that feels.” How convenient that he could ask her for guidance telepathically without breaking the glorious suction.

Konrad let out a telepathic throaty chuckle and continued paying homage to both of her breasts. She arched and moaned her appreciation.

When she seemed thoroughly relaxed, he shifted his position and poised his cock close to her opening. He tested her with two fingers first. She moved over his fingers as if she was making love to them.

Oh, yeah, she was ready.

“Do you accept me?”

Roz looked up at him with surprise, but eventually whispered, “Yes.”

“Do you accept yourself?”

Maybe she couldn’t answer that since she turned her face away from him.

Damn. Someday, you will. “Do you at least believe that I accept you?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

Konrad smiled and entered her slowly. Only an inch at a time. “Are you okay, angel?”

She purred her affirmation.

At last, he was fully seated inside her and she opened her eyes. Smiling up at him, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Well, are you going to go for it, or what?”

Konrad grinned and moved in and out of her channel slowly. She held his gaze and something special passed between them. Some flicker of golden light.

Could it be love? So soon?

“I’m fine. You can go faster—if you want to.”

Whew, she hadn’t heard his thought and misinterpreted whatever look crossed his face.

She closed her eyes, and he increased his rhythm. Her hips rose to meet him, thrust for thrust. She opened her mouth occasionally and little mewls of pleasure escaped.

This type of lovemaking was different for Konrad. He was truly more interested in his partner’s enjoyment than his own. Correction—his mate’s. Holding back from giving into his feral nature had always been difficult, but for some reason he was content to go slow and make it last with Roz. It suddenly occurred to him that he was making love, not just fucking. So that’s the difference!

“What’s the difference, lover?”

The familiar pressure began to build at the base of his spine. There was no way he could answer her now. This wasn’t the time for a philosophical discussion, especially one that might sound like they were rushing into a serious relationship. He increased his speed again and Roz rocked faster, staying right with him.

“You’re so tight, so wet and hot. So perfect.”

Her breaths matched his, sharp, shallow, and quick. He bore down on her pelvis and added a grinding motion, knowing she’d enjoy it as much as he.

She moaned louder. With every thrust he built to a fevered peak. At the moment her muscles clenched, he spiraled out of control. His orgasm ripped through him like a hurricane. Roz began to cry out and buried her face in his pillow again. She shook while her muscles milked him dry. They bucked together, each riding the waves of climax to the very last aftershock.

His instinct to mark her kicked in, but it was too soon. He wanted her to want it. Instead, he kissed the sensitive hollow where her neck and shoulder met.

He lifted his head and saw tears shimmering in her eyes.

Concern slapped him back to reality. “Oh, no. Did I hurt you?”

She shook her head, then sighed. “That was beautiful.”

Happy that her feelings originated from a deeply emotional place and not pain, he thanked whatever divine power held him back.

“Roz?”

She opened her eyes slowly and realized she had drifted off into a contented sleep. Konrad lay beside her, propped on his elbow and traced a line from her cleavage to her bellybutton. A shiver passed through her, and her nipples pebbled.

“I—I’m sorry. I must have fallen asleep.”

“That’s okay. You looked so peaceful. It was nice watching you.”

“You were watching me?”

“Uh-huh. But I’m afraid you have to go now.”

“What time is it?”

“I don’t know, but the sun is going down.”

“Oh!” She sat bolt upright. “I must have been out for hours.”

He rested a hand on her thigh. “Don’t worry about it. If it weren’t tonight… I mean, I have stuff to do.”

“That’s right. You work nights.” She glanced down at her nudity and smiled. Then she whispered, “Thank you.”

He smiled, but it quickly faded. “Roz, I want you to know something.”

Uh-oh. Here it comes.

“Here what comes?”

“Oh…nothing. Say whatever you were going to say.”

He hesitated, then surprised her by saying, “It might not always be like that. Gentle, I mean. I can get…well, much stronger. More urgent.”

“Oh,” Whew. “That’s fine. I’m really not that fragile. I think I’d like… No, I know I’d like having sex with you all kinds of ways. I’ve never had wild monkey lovin’ before.”

“What I mean is, I can get a little rough.”

Her mouth hung open, then she shut it and raised her chin. “I can take it. Hey, who knows, maybe I can get rough too. I’ve never tried that either.”

“This isn’t a matter of trying or not trying something. It’s who I am.” Then he cocked his head. “What did you think I was going to say?”

“When?”

“When I said I had to tell you something and you responded with, Uh-oh.”

She sighed. “Some speech about not getting tied down to one person. Not to expect—”

“Whoa. That’s not me. I don’t know what kind of guys you’ve been with, but I’m not the love ‘em and leave ‘em type. In fact, I assumed we’d be exclusive.”

“Already? I mean… Yeah!”

“Good. I’m all yours, and you’re not seeing anyone but me. Got it?”

“Naturally. That’s only fair.”

He grinned and rolled out of bed, then he held out his hand and hauled her up. She couldn’t get over how comfortable he was in the nude. Of course, if she had a body to die for, like he did, she walk around in the nude all the time.

“Get dressed, angel. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Promise?”

“Unless I get arrested again.” He grinned. “Then I’d call you because you’re my lawyer.”

“You’d better be kidding.”

The rest of the week passed slowly. Konrad had called Roz every night but didn’t want to bug her and come off as desperate. Besides, she had to work. So, he bided his time, reading one of the many new novels he’d picked up on his last trip to the bookstore. Now that it was Friday, he figured he’d pop downstairs after she got home from work and see if she’d like to go out to dinner. He’d dressed casually in one of his many black t-shirts and jeans.

Konrad heard a knock on his door. Wondering if it might be Roz and she got home early, he strode over and opened it wide.

To his surprise and slight disappointment, Morgaine stood there.

“Hi Konrad. Do you have a minute?”

“Uh, sure. Do you need something moved?”

She chuckled. “No, I don’t need your strength this time. I need one of your other skills.”

“Really? What’s that?”

Morgaine lowered her voice. “I need a thief.”

Konrad stiffened and glared at her. When he could speak again, he whispered, “You’d better come inside.”

She entered his apartment and he shut the door carefully to avoid the loud click. Then he whispered, “Is Chad here?”

She asked in a normal tone of voice, “Chad, are you in the room?” She waited a bit and shook her head. “Nope.”

“Whew. I know he can’t blab what he overhears to anyone but you or Gwyneth, but still…”

“I know what you mean.” Glancing at the books lining the walls, she said, “Wow, you must really like to read.”

“Very much. But right now, I’m more interested in what else you have to say. Take a seat.”

She sat on his brown microfiber couch. “I only know what I overheard a few days ago.”

“You’re just going by what you heard?” Konrad sat in the adjacent overstuffed armchair. “I mean, you’re psychic, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I know absolutely everything.”

“What do you know?”

“Just bits and pieces, and I’ve learned it’s better not to jump to conclusions until I double check the information I’m getting.”

“Okay. What do you know and what do you have to double check?”

“Relax. I know you’re a good man and I’m quite safe sitting here, talking to you. I know you work nights. And yesterday, I overheard that you were arrested. I was hoping you might be able to help me with something in an ‘It takes a thief’ kind of way.”

“I’m not stealing anything for you.”

“Oh, no.” She laughed. “I didn’t mean that.”

Konrad shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Okay, keep talking.”

“I need your advice to help me with my first job as a medium. I’ve been called in to communicate with the ghost haunting the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.”

“You’re kidding. The art museum that was robbed decades ago?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s haunted?”

“Yup. So, there might actually be an eyewitness.”

“Excellent! I was severely pissed off when I found out about the theft.”

“You and the rest of Massachusetts, apparently. But I was down in Maryland then and didn’t hear much about it. The cops don’t want to tell me anything, either. They say it’s so it doesn’t affect the questions I ask the ghost, but I think they want me to prove my abilities as a psychic and medium.”

“Have you talked to the ghost yet?”

“Yes, Gwynth went with me, but she couldn’t hear him unless I let him use my vocal cords. He said he was there during the robbery. Unfortunately, he’s confusing the hell out of me. What little he tells me doesn’t make any sense.”

“What has he told you?”

“He says the cops did it.”

“That’s because the thieves dressed as cops to get in, then overpowered the guards and tied them up.”

Morgaine threw her hands in the air. “For Goddess sake! Why couldn’t the police tell me at least that much? I’ve been going crazy trying to figure out if he was just messing with us or what?”

“What do you know about this ghost?”

“He’s been there since the thirties. His name is Reginald. He feels very protective of the place. He won’t tell me why. He said he knew the woman who built it.”

“Isabella Stewart Gardener.”

Morgaine shrugged. “I guess so.”

“I know a little bit about her. I can grab a reference book and find more for you if you like.”

“You’d better not. If I sound like an encyclopedia, they’ll think I looked her up. But in a Cliff-notes version, tell me what you know.”

Konrad sat up straighter. “I love this woman’s story. She wasn’t accepted by the Boston Blue Bloods since she didn’t live the life of a restrained, Victorian matron. She loved to travel, had a sense of humor and was vivacious. In other words, she lived large.”

“I like her already.”

“Yeah, I think you two would have gotten along just fine. Naturally she became the subject of scandals. As far as we know, they were unsubstantiated rumors. She was once quoted as saying, “Don’t spoil a good story by telling the truth.”

Morgaine laughed. “I’ll have to remember that one next time someone accuses Gwyneth and I of being lesbian devil worshippers.”

“You’re kidding!”

“Yeah, I am. Well, about the devil worship, that is. Dottie and Ralph thought we were lesbians because of the noises we made being phone sex actresses.”

Konrad laughed. “Yeah, I heard about that. You’ve been quiet lately though.”

“Yeah, she threatened to throw us out if we kept up all the racket, even though it paid the rent.”

“Unbelievable.”

“Now if I can crack this case, there’s a nice reward in it for me.”

“I’ll bet. How much?”

“The FBI is offering five million dollars for the recovery of all the stolen goods. A portion less if only part of it is recovered.”

Konrad whistled.

“Yeah, so it’s a good thing I got this job and I really want to do it well. I—I have a hard time leaving the apartment building due to my agoraphobia, but a reward like that, and someone going with me…well, it’s worth anything I have to do. Anyway, tell me more about this interesting Isabella.”

“She loved the Red Sox as well as the Symphony and made loads of friends in many different circles. She became a major patron of the arts and built the combination home and museum in the Fenway area to house her growing collection. She wanted to share it with the average American.”

“I saw a portrait of her at the museum.”

“Oh, yeah. She displayed the portraits of friends like John Singer Sargent and James McNeill Whistler, but also amassed a collection of famous European painters. It’s considered priceless today. She held concerts there too. I went to hear a former student of mine play the piano there.”

“What a gorgeous setting for a concert. I don’t suppose you’re talking about rock and roll though.”

Konrad laughed. “No, it’s mostly classical stuff. Maybe some jazz. I can’t picture the calm, serene atmosphere of that atrium being shattered by Aerosmith.”

“Me, neither.”

“So, did you see the blank spots on the wall where the stolen art had been? They left it like that.”

“Yeah. I was almost sick to my stomach when I realized the theft involved some original Rembrandts.”

“The most valuable painting they stole from the Dutch gallery was the Vermeer. There’s only something like thirty-six of them in the world.”

Morgaine leaned forward. “Would you come with me? Maybe because you know a lot about the museum and Mrs. Gardener, Reginald will talk to you through me, and you can make better sense of it. Plus, you might know how they got away with it, because of your…you know.”

“My security expertise?”

“Exactly!”

“Sure. I haven’t been there for a while. When were you planning to go?”

“I can go anytime. I just need to call first.”

“Don’t you need privacy to do your medium thing?”

“They let me upstairs into one of the parlors. That’s where Reginald likes to hang out. He’s not crazy about the visitors. Especially if they try to touch things.”

“Is that how they knew he was there? Did he throw a chair at a tourist’s head or something?”

“No. The curator said a couple of people claimed they saw him, and he senses a presence from time to time. That’s why he avoids the parlor and told me I might find him there.”

“So, I’m going to see the part that’s not open to the public, if I go with you?”

“Yup.”

“And we’re going to talk to someone who knew Isabella personally?”

“If he’ll talk to us.”

“If he loved Isabella, he’ll talk. Men always like to talk about the women they loved.”