Hot Stuff

Chapter SIX

Cate and Kellen stepped out of the cool bar into the hot night and immediately spotted Pugg waving at them from across the street.

“Pretend Pugg isn’t here,” Pugg called. “Pugg is a phantom in the night watching over his damsel.”

“Pugg needs a reality check,” Kellen said, taking Cate’s hand.

Cate looked down at her hand in his. It felt nice, but she wasn’t sure what it meant.

“Pretending to be a boyfriend?” she asked.

“No. I just wanted to hold your hand. I don’t think we need to pretend anymore.”

A light mist had started to fall and the sidewalk glistened under the globe lights that hung over Evian’s front door. The temperature was in the low eighties. The sky was black and starless. The few people on the street walked with their heads down, plowing through moist, saturated air that clung to skin and soaked into lightweight fabric. It was a little after eleven and traffic was sporadic.

Pugg was still following across the street when Cate reached her building.

“Pugg’s going home now,” he yelled to Cate. “Call Pugg any time of the day or night if you need anything. Ice cream, pizza, chocolate bars, buttered popcorn, beef burrito, a morning diddle.”

Cate felt Kellen’s grip tighten on her hand. “I’m going to have to talk to him,” Kellen said.

“Ignore him. He said he was going home.”

Kellen released Cate’s hand and moved to cross the street. “I’ll ignore him after I talk to him.”

“No!” Cate said. “You’ll get blood all over your nice white shirt.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“I hate this macho shit,” Cate said. “Run Pugg!” she shouted to Patrick Pugg. “Run.”

“Oops,” Pugg said. And he took off before Kellen could make his way through the street traffic.

Kellen turned back to Cate. “You ruined all my fun.”

“You were going to hit him.”

“Only if he didn’t listen to what I was going to say.”

And Kellen knew exactly what he was going to say to Pugg. Truth was Kellen liked Pugg, but Pugg was going to have to understand that it was unacceptable to speak to Cate like that. As far as Kellen was concerned, Cate was his, and he was prepared to protect her from all of the evils of the world. He was going to be the one to slay the dragon and storm the castle. Okay, so probably he would also have to sometimes pick up the dragon’s droppings and take out the castle’s garbage, but those weren’t jobs for the faint of heart either, right?

“My brothers were always beating up my boyfriends. It was awful. After a while no one would date me. I had to go to my prom with my brother Danny.”

“Pugg isn’t your boyfriend.”

Cate opened the front door to her building, and they both stepped inside.

“Next time I’ll let you talk to him, but you have to promise not to hit him.”

“Fine. Can I shoot him?”

Cate rolled her eyes and got into the elevator, and Kellen got in with her.

“You don’t have to see me to my door,” Cate said.

Kellen hit the button for the fourth floor. “Yes, I do. It’s part of the boyfriend code.”

“You’re not actually my boyfriend,” Cate said.

Kellen was standing very close. Close enough for Cate to feel his body heat. Close enough for her to catch a hint of something that smelled masculine and sexy and expensive. A lingering trace of cologne or aftershave.

Kellen closed the small space between them and brushed his lips across hers. “I could be a boyfriend,” he said.

“Not afraid of my brothers?”

“I think I can hold my own.”

“They fight dirty,” Cate said.

“Me too,” Kellen said. And he kissed her again, touching his tongue to hers.

Cate felt the heat rush through her stomach and head south. The elevator doors opened, and Cate debated staying in the kiss as opposed to jumping out and running for the safety of the condo.

“Can’t make up your mind?” Kellen asked.

“I can handle Patrick Pugg. I’m not sure about you.”

Kellen draped an arm around Cate and moved her out of the elevator, down the hall to her condo. “That’s the fun of it. The mystery of it all, the thrill of the unknown, the challenge of the chase.”

“I’m pretty sure I can handle the chase,” Cate said. “I’m worried about the part where you catch me.”

Kellen pulled Cate to him and kissed her, his thumb ever so slightly skimming the underside of her breast.

“Maybe we should get that part over with, so you don’t have to worry about it,” Kellen whispered into her ear.

“Tempting, but too late. I’m feeling a panic attack coming on just thinking about it.”

Kellen grinned down at her. “I could get you liquored up first if you think that would help.”

“A perfectly good suggestion, but I’m going to pass.” Cate turned to her door and inserted her key. “I have a lot of Irish Catholic guilt and scruples to manage. I’m going to need some time.” Plus a full personal disclosure and a physician’s clean bill of health… in writing, Cate thought.

Cate paused with the key still in her hand. “This is weird. The door was unlocked. And I know I locked it.”

“Maybe Marty came home.”

“Marty is fanatical about locking the door. Especially if he’s in the condo.”

“Let me go in and take a look around. Wait in the hall.”

Kellen stepped into the condo and flipped the light on. Cate followed him in and peeked over his shoulder.

“I thought I told you to wait in the hall,” Kellen said.

“I didn’t like that idea.”

Kellen looked around. “Someone’s been in here searching for something. How do you like that idea?”

“Are you sure? It looks okay to me.”

“The couch has been moved. There are imprints in the rug where the couch wasn’t put back exactly in place. Did you move the couch?”

“No.”

“The drawer isn’t completely closed on the buffet. One of the Warhol prints is a little crooked.”

Kellen threw the bolt on the front door and walked through the rest of the condo. The master bath was saved for last. Kellen cracked the door and looked inside.

“Beast is still in there. He looks sleepy. I don’t think he’s a late-night dog,” Kellen said.

“I’m really creeped out,” Cate said. “Someone pawed through my underwear drawer and my cosmetics and Marty’s underwear and cosmetics. Ick!”

“There are a lot of expensive things in this condo that would have been easy to steal,” Kellen said. “Computers, handheld electronics, art prints, Marty’s jewelry… although I suspect Marty’s jewelry isn’t real. And yet nothing was stolen that you can determine.”

“I guess you investigated burglaries like this when you were a cop,” Cate said.

“I didn’t work burglary, but I know the drill. Since nothing seems to be missing, I’m guessing someone came in looking for something specific. Either they didn’t find it, or else it was here, and you weren’t aware of it.”

“Good thing I had Beast locked up or they might have hurt him.”

“Honey, he’s supposed to be a guard dog. Remember, that’s why Marty bought him.”

Beast was whining and scratching at the bathroom door.

“I’d like to let him out,” Cate said, “but I’m afraid he’ll contaminate the crime scene.”

“There’s no crime scene to worry about,” Kellen said. “No blood. No bodies on the floor. No hate graffiti. Nothing stolen. If you file a police report it will be convenient later if Marty discovers something gone, but it’s not like the police will come in and dust for prints.”

Kellen opened the bathroom door, and Beast bounded out and jumped around like a rabbit. Kellen took a dog treat from his pocket and gave it to Beast, who ate the biscuit and happily leaned against Kellen’s leg.

“I have a feeling the intruder was looking for something Marty wouldn’t admit to owning,” Kellen said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Kellen shrugged. “Just a hunch. The phone calls, Marty’s sudden departure for Aruba, the guard dog delivery, the break-in. It feels like there’s something shady going on.”

“I see your point. Problem is Marty never felt shady to me.”

Kellen studied Cate’s face. It was like porcelain, except for the small crease forming between her eyes. She was worried about Marty… more than she was about herself.

“Maybe there’s something really bad going down, and you need more protection than this dog. Maybe you need a former cop to spend the night,” Kellen said.

“Nice try,” Cate said. “I appreciate the offer, but it’s time for you to leave. I’m having a party here tonight.

“And I’m not invited?”

“It’s girls only.”

There was a lot of loud knocking on the door, and Cate let Sharon and Julie into the condo. Beast immediately rushed over and knocked Julie down and sat on her.

“I swear this ole dawg jest loves me,” Julie said. “I had a boyfriend once used to do the very same thing. His name was Euclid. Can you believe that? What the heck kind of name is Euclid? But I tell you he could smooch, and he had nice big paws on him like Beast.”

Kellen scooped Julie up off the floor, and Julie’s eyes got wide.

“It’s you!” Julie said, staring at Kellen. “You’re Mr. Yummy.”

Kellen looked over at Cate and gave her raised eyebrows. “What?” he mouthed.

“Julie saw us walking Beast this afternoon,” Cate said. “And she calls everyone Mr. Yummy.”

“I was observin’ humanity,” Julie said. “I was watchin’ the world turn.”

Sharon was standing to the side holding a bottle of champagne in each hand. “Are you new to the neighborhood?” she asked Kellen. “Do you need a realtor?”

“Yes and no,” Kellen said.

“Okay then,” Cate said to Kellen. “I know you’re on a tight schedule and need to get out of here.”

“So, are you gonna be a boyfriend?” Julie asked Kellen.

“I’m trying,” Kellen said.

Sharon gave him the once-over. “I hope you have good intentions.”

“Yeah,” Julie said. “Just exactly what do you intend?”

“I thought I might intend to take Cate out to dinner,” Kellen said.

“I gotta give him, he’s fast on his feet,” Julie said.

“When?” Sharon asked.

“Tomorrow,” Kellen said, smiling, looking at Cate. “Dinner tomorrow?”

“Can’t,” Cate said. “Previous engagement.”

“What previous engagement?” Julie wanted to know.

“I’m having dinner with my parents,” Cate said.

“Oh honey, it’s your day off. You don’t want to waste it havin’ dinner with your momma.”

“I promised,” Cate said. “It’s a special occasion.”

“Tuesday is a special occasion for your family,” Sharon said. “I’ve never seen a family do so much celebrating.”

“You could take Mr. Yummy with you,” Julie said.

Cate’s heart stopped in her chest. “No way!”

“Sounds like fun,” Kellen said to Cate. “What time should I pick you up?”

“No, no, no, no, no,” Cate said. “It doesn’t sound like fun. It would make the Spanish Inquisition look like child’s play.”

“Your momma would jest love it,” Julie said. “When’s the last time you brought a boyfriend home? I bet it was ages. Mommas always love that kind a thing. Next thing they’re buying bride magazines at the Piggly Wiggly and lookin’ at weddin’ dresses.”

“Julie might have a decent idea here,” Sharon said. “If your mother thinks you have a boyfriend she’ll stop fixing you up with bridge trolls.”

This caught Cate’s attention. She bit into her lower lip and cut her eyes to Kellen. Her mother would love him. He was big and Irish. And he used to be a cop, so he was probably good at managing loud, crazy people like her family. Problem was she sort of liked him, but after a meal with the Madigans she was afraid he’d head for the hills, never to be seen again.

Julie and Sharon were standing hands on hips, waiting for Cate to make a decision, and Kellen was rocked back on his heels, hands in his pockets, smiling.

“An intelligent man wouldn’t be smiling about this,” Cate said to Kellen.

“I figure I haven’t got anything to lose. If your family is nice to me I’ve got my foot in the door. If the dinner is a disaster I might qualify for combat compensation.”

“You’re starting to sound like Pugg,” Cate said.

“At some level all men are the same,” Julie said. “So whenever possible go with the one who’s hot-lookin’.”

“Okay, fine,” Cate said. “Dinner is at six in Brookline.”

“I’ll pick you up at five thirty,” Kellen said. “Do you want me to walk Beast before I leave tonight?”

Everyone looked to Beast. He was sprawled on the black leather couch, sound asleep.

“Thanks, but I think he’s good for the night,” Cate said.