Justine questions Ivy’s last moments, but Bentley’s charm—and secrets—pull her deeper into a mystery that feels personal and dangerously seductive.
“Excuse me, Mr. Thomas.”
He paused briefly and dropped his head in frustration. His demeanor said that he was over being questioned for the night, but he reluctantly turned to see what I wanted, anyway. When we locked eyes, his immediate attraction for me could be seen by a blind man.
“How may I help you?”
As he stepped closer to me, the scent of his cologne rose in the air and engulfed me like a warm embrace. I was honestly speechless by how good looking he was up close and personal. He was a fine man from afar, but as we stood face to face, he took my breath away.
“My name is Justine. I’m a friend of Ivy’s.”
A moment of grief lowered his brows as he nodded.
“I was wondering if you knew anything about what happened. I’d like to give her family something other than bad news to hold on to.”
I tried to keep my voice friendly and full of concern, but it wavered with my emotions about Ivy and my attraction for Bentley. My reaction to his good looks was involuntary, for sure. I wanted to portray the heartbroken friend who wanted as much information as I could get, but my mouth watered just looking at him.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I wish there was something I could tell you. I hate that this happened at my spot, but I don’t know anything. I was in my office all night.”
“Well, do you have cameras on the building? Maybe they picked up something.”
“I do,” he nodded. “You’re welcome to come and take a look, but where the cops say they found her body is pretty dark. So I don’t know if my cameras will be much help.”
His voice was as smooth as silk. He reminded me of a radio host who played rhythm and blues during the midnight hours. I saw him as nothing more than a playboy with a dark past, but his words were so easy, he swept me off my feet even without saying much.
“Okay. I'll take a look,” I said. “Even if I can’t see a face, any little detail could help.”
Bentley looked me up and down with pure lust in his eyes. Before he stepped aside to let me into his world, he warned me that he wouldn’t be responsible for what I saw, if anything. I was sure his warning was because of the things he’d seen or done in his past, but I too have had skeletons in my closet.
“These are all the angles my cameras catch. The footage is grainy sometimes because of the glare from the streetlights, but it gets the job done for the most part.”
I stepped into his office, holding my breath. It was a very upscale and luxurious space, but I couldn't help but wonder how many crimes took place in it. How many bodies had lied on the floor, or how much drugs and illegal money sat on his desk?
Bentley was a well-spoken and high-class businessman, but the darkness from his past lingered behind him every step of the way.
“This is good,” I said as I approached the many screens that lined the wall. “Can you show me when she entered and when she left? If she came with someone, I might be able to recognize them.”
He came over to the control panel and rewound his footage. As we stood shoulder to shoulder, I let my eyes close and inhaled the intoxicating fumes of his cologne. I could feel his energy as he stood close. It was warm and vibrant, but still subtle and sweet.
Very confusing, since he was labeled as a menace to society. But as I said before, looks can be deceiving.
“She came with another woman,” he said as he pointed to the screen. “Whoever she is, went to the bathroom not long before Ivy walked out. She walked in the direction of the alley where it’s dark, so I can’t really tell if someone was there waiting or what. I mean, they had to be if she didn’t leave the alley, right?”
“Is it possible to see who might have gone down it before her?”
"Yeah, I can check. But so many people walk by that alley, and with the glare, it’ll be hard to see which one went in.”
He was so attentive as he scrolled through his footage, checking for the culprit. To someone who hadn’t covered a dozen true crime stories, he may have been easily believable. But I’m one hell of a skeptic. I learned long ago not to be too trusting because the one with the motive could be right up under your nose.
“Bent,” one of his security guards interrupted. “We gotta get going. We have that meeting before dawn, remember?”
Bentley scratched his eyebrow before turning to me. It was clear he wasn't ready to end the night, but whatever meeting he had to attend before dawn was highly important.
“Justine, you said?”
“Yeah,” I chuckled softly. “Justine Sky.”
“Alright, Ms. Sky. I gotta get going. But I’m having to get together this weekend. If you wanna stop by, I can download this footage to an SD card for you. I also wouldn't mind seeing you again.”
I smiled and shook my head at his audacity. We were in the middle of a murder scandal, and he wanted to see me again, for reasons I knew had nothing to do with Ivy. However, for the sake of my investigation, I fed into it.
“A get-together, huh?” I asked. “How do I know it’s not a setup to keep me from finding out what happened?”
He let out a hefty chuckle as he stepped closer to me. The thrill of not knowing his next move sent a chill down my spine, but it also made me throb where I was the most sensitive. That was a feeling I hadn’t felt because of a man in years.
"If I wanted to do something to you,” he said as he licked his lips. “Don't you think I would have done it already?”
📍 Chapter Three: 3
As Justine visits Ivy’s grieving parents, she uncovers a new clue about a mystery man with a loud car and a bad temper. Meanwhile, Bentley calls with an unexpected offer that blurs the line between business and pleasure.
Read Chapter 3
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