The Private Serials Box Set by Anie Michaels Read Free Book Online Page A

exactly, am I here?”
       “All I’ve got is my word, and if I’ve got nothing and he’s got everything, he’ll be able to hire lawyers to tear me and my word apart.”
       “And what’s your word?”
       “Pardon?”
       “You say you’ve got your word? What does your word say? What’s your proof?”
       “I saw him.”
       “Saw him?”
       “Yes. Derrek hasn’t been coming home lately, been staying out late or not coming back to the house at all. So a few nights ago, my girlfriend and I followed him when he got off work. We tailed him to a house about an hour out of the city where he was met by a woman with two small children. The children looked to be very familiar with him and he looked very familiar with the woman as he kissed her right on her porch.”
       “You’re right,” he stated flatly.
       “Right about what?”
       “That story would never get you anywhere.”
       “It’s not a story, it’s the truth, but you’re not telling me anything I didn’t already know. I need more proof.”
       “You think the children are his?”
       I thought about the little girl running and jumping into his arms and him lifting her over his head, his beautiful smile pulling across his face at her laughter. A lump caught in my throat and I nodded. “Yeah, I think they’re his.”
       “So, he isn’t just cheating on you, he’s got a whole other fucking life.”
       My core clenched again at the word ‘fucking’ passing over his lips. My body’s reaction to him was ridiculous, and even though I tried my hardest to fight it, I felt my cheeks flushing, my skin heating. My body should have been reacting to his proclamation, the fact my husband had another life, another woman at his side. Instead, my thighs were clenching together trying to calm the pulsing between them.
       “That’s what I’m hiring you to find out,” I whispered. He was quiet for a moment as he stared at me over the table. His face was unreadable. I had absolutely no idea as to what he was thinking. But his stare was heavy and with every second his eyes burned into me, I felt my pulse race faster.
       “The retainer’s two thousand,” he finally said, coldly. I swallowed then blinked.
       “That’s fine.” I reached into my purse and pulled out my checkbook.
       “You can’t write a check. Your husband would figure you out in a heartbeat. Can you get a hold of cash?”
       I hadn’t even thought about that. I racked my brain for ways to come up with two thousand dollars without Derrek getting suspicious. I’d have to ask Samantha.
       “I can have cash for you in the next couple of days. Is that all right?”
       “That’s fine.” Suddenly, he picked up my phone and started touching the screen.
       “What are you doing?”
       “I called you from my work number. Odds are you won’t be able to reach me there, so don’t even bother. I’ll give you my private cell number and you call me when you’ve got the money. Until then, I’ll start working on this.” He handed my phone back to me. “But if you find something out, anything you think might be useful, don’t hesitate to call me.”
       “Okay,” I said softly. “So, that’s it? You just go on your merry way and I sit around while you prove my husband is a cheating bastard?”
       “Was there something else you wanted from me?” His face was stoic as he said those words and his eyes bore into me, asking a question heavy with so much meaning. I tried to swallow but found my mouth and throat dry, goose bumps rising on my arms.
       “No,” I whispered, some part of me knowing I was telling possibly the biggest lie of all. A quiet moment passed where our eyes held each other’s. Then, so quickly, it was over. He stood and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, tossing two twenty dollar bills on the table, then folded his wallet and put it away again.
       “I’ll be in touch.” Those were his