Carter drunkenly stood up. Patty scooted closer to the edge of the booth and waited for Goldman and Carter to get out of the way so she could stand. “How are you going to go anywhere? Carter shouldn’t be driving,” Goldman stated. “I’m the designated driver,” Williamson said. “But, you’re right. Carter has had plenty to drink.” “I’m fine,” Carter belched. “Patty, you should stay here with Goldman and enjoy the rest of the night. You got the whole weekend off. Live it up. I’ll take Carter home,” Williamson said and slid out of the booth. You bastard. Patty thought. “I can’t. You’re my ride,” she slurred. “Maybe . . . we . . . should . . .” Carter trailed off drunkenly. Bless his heart. Carter was trying to get her out of the situation but he was wasted. He couldn’t think straight. “I’ll take you home,” Goldman said to her. “I’m not planning to do a lot of drinking tonight. Even if
It was Monday 4:15 p.m. Nick Dalton walked down the street in Manhattan. He had just left an appointment with his stockbroker, Avery Young. His investments were slowly growing and Nick was pleased about that. He decided to go to New York for a few days while he and his bounty hunting team were on a two-week break. They had been going hard since they left Arizona two months ago. They had worked through the holidays and it had been worth it. They had apprehended four fugitives and collected two $15,000 bounties and two $25,000 bounties. Nick had a hunch it would be easier to find the fugitives during the holidays because their guard would be down. People were also more willing to be helpful during the holidays with tidings and joy in the atmosphere. He had gotten several hot tips from landlords and neighbors. He stopped to hail a cab back to the less expensive part of New York when he heard a woman yell in Spanish, “El novio guapo! El novio guapo!” His
Nick thought he had attended nice dinners before. He was wrong. The china had gold lining around the edges. A servant took and brought every course. There were forks and spoons at the plenty. Nick was glad to see that Gabriella was still her adorable down to earth self during dinner. She whispered to Nick that she didn’t know which fork or spoon to use either. He was pleasantly surprised when Billy loudly said not to worry about it because they all did the same thing.The first course was prongs with dipping sauce. Nick wasn’t sure what the sauce was, but he didn’t care for the dish. The second course was a basic salad. Nick related to that and practically gobbled it up since he picked at the first dish. The main course was filet mignon in a cream brandy mushroom sauce. Nick has had filet mignon before but not like this. It was more delicious than the first time he had it years ago at a friend’s wedding. Nick could taste the fresh garlic, but it wasn&r
It was Tuesday afternoon. Goldman had decided to go to the station to say hi to the guys and to ask Patty out for lunch.Saturday night was imprinted on his memory. At first, he had thought it was because he hadn’t had sex in over a month, but it was more than that. Patty’s passion and sensuality had driven him wild since their first time together. It was also dangerous. She was the kind of woman that could trap a man into matrimony without trying. Goldman didn’t want that.At Lynx Lake, Patty’s apple ass had been so appetizing in tight jeans that he couldn’t help himself. He was out in the woods with limited pussy. After she had cooked dinner, he invited her on a walk to look at the lake as the sun set. It was a half-hearted attempt to spend time with a lady – alone. To his surprise, she had agreed. They only made it halfway there. Goldman had put his arm around her shoulder and made an indecent proposal. He was afraid he had been too blunt because her eyes grew wide as quarters. He
Matt and Goldman walked into Matt’s office. Matt closed the door. Rufus had followed them in there and jumped on the couch Matt slept on when he had to spend the night at the station. The dog adjusted his feet and lay down on the couch. He looked over at them.They looked at Rufus.Matt blew out. “I don’t know what Patty feeds his big ass, but she needs to stop it. Carter looked up how to weigh a dog on a human scale. We put him on the scale in the locker room and we calculated that he weighed 177 pounds,” Matt said and walked over to his desk.“He’s an English Mastiff, sir,” Goldman said. “They can weigh up to two-fifty.”“Jesus Christ,” Matt said with astonishment and sat down. “How do you know that?”“Had a girl once that owned one,” Goldman said.“Shit. What she feed him?”“Everything,” Goldman said and shook his head. “Then, she wondered why he had digestive problems.”Matt scoffed at his reply. “Have a seat, Goldman.”As Goldman eased down in the chair, Matt thought, you fucking
Goldman sat outside of Patty’s house in his truck. He had parked on the street. Patty’s car and SUV were still in her driveway.He was aggravated as all hell. A guy leaves town for a week and crazy shit happens. They couldn’t lose Patty. The place wouldn’t be the same without her. Goldman couldn’t imagine walking through the door and not seeing her smiling face – greeting him.Goldman was also pissed that she didn’t say one word about going to Aspen, being put on leave, or wanting to quit the sheriff’s department. How could Patty not mention that? Any of it? Granted, he was fucking her brains out for a good thirty to forty-five minutes, but they had talked for an hour and a half before that. Patty could have told him while he was driving her home Saturday, but she was quiet as a mouse.And why the hell didn’t someone tell him? He had been back for two days. Williamson could have called and given him a heads up. Williamson was the sheriff’s second in command. The sheriff would have tol
The eight-bedroom chalet was plush. The bedrooms had a romantic ambiance. Every one of them had a gas fireplace and plasma TVs. The living room was vast. The couches and chairs were brown leather. There was a fully stocked bar with expensive liquors. They had a large chef's kitchen with white marble countertops. There was also a game room with a poker table, a pool table, black leather furniture, and another fully stocked bar. There was a hot tub on the back deck. There was a gym with showers and a sauna on the basement level.Patty had entered a different world. For seven days she was going to live the champagne wishes and caviar dreams lifestyle.They had arrived in Aspen on Tuesday afternoon. Once they got settled, the fabulous four ate dinner in the chalet and went out to a club. They danced and partied until midnight.Wednesday, Billy, Gabriella, and Jackie had hit the slopes while Patty rented a snowmobile and explored the area. She had met several friendly people. Two of them w
Jackie was speechless. What was Nick doing here? What was Goldman doing here? She closed her mouth as she took him in. The tight white turtleneck flattered Nick’s ripped cut muscles in his chest and arms. His blue jeans were dark and he wore tan snow boots. His facial features were still sharp and angled.“Nick,” Gabriella smiled and went to him. They hugged.Goldman stood up.Gabriella turned her attention to Goldman. “Jeff,” she said and hugged him. “You look great.”“Thanks,” Goldman said with a wry smile. He wore a black turtleneck. His didn't stick to him like Nick's, but it looked good on him. He wore jeans and black boots.After Gabriella released him, Goldman slowly sat back down, letting his backrest on the couch. He looked at Patty.Jackie looked at Patty. She was slowly rounding the edges of the room. She looked nervous.That's right. Patty didn't tell Goldman that she was put on leave. When Patty talked to Carter on the phone, he said Goldman demanded to know what was goin