Jessica Frost: The Good, the Bad, and the Naughty

Trevor and James followed her to the stairs, and this time, surprisingly, James took her hand and kissed it, then grinned. “Have a wonderful night, Belle, and thanks for helping take him off my hands tomorrow evening. I’ll get a lot of work done this way.”

Oh, James’s shyness seemed to have vanished now, and she liked the daring side he displayed. Her hand tingled where his full, fervid lips caressed her skin.

“I’m looking forward to spending time with you, Belle, and getting to know you better.” Trevor mimicked his friend’s actions by gently taking her other hand and brushing his lips over it.

Heat rose to her cheeks as she giggled and then replied, “Good night, boys.” She skipped up the stairs hoping they didn’t catch her blushing.

My, but those two were charmers. A girl could get used to all their attention quite easily.

When she stepped on the second-floor landing, the images she had earlier of them undressing her and caressing her body suddenly came back to flood and occupy her thoughts. Her heartbeat escalated envisioning their curious hands roaming over her arms, her abdomen, her breasts. Her body heat rose as did her breathing, with every passing second and further arousing detail of the vision.

Tomorrow night would certainly hold mystery and temptation in its midst. Trevor Kent oozed manliness, and for some unexplainable reason, danger. A part of her feared what she was getting herself into. She might just be walking into the lion’s den tomorrow evening. But another part of her, a part she now seemed to have little control over, anticipated their date.

Her face broke into a wide grin at the thought of what could happen then.

Oh, the possibilities.

James was still in shock. Trevor surprised him twice in less than an hour. His partner usually stood on the side and let James lead in their cases. More often than not, he’d add his two cents when a suggestion came to mind. But tonight, his friend was on a roll. His quick mind and genius ideas had James in awe.

“So you liked my plan, huh?” Trevor grinned smugly.

“Yes. At first I didn’t, but then I figured it out.” James chuckled.

“Do you think you’ll be able to break into her room without anyone seeing you?”

“I can’t believe my partner I’ve worked with for over five years would even ask me that.” James frowned.

Trevor lifted his hands. “Oh, I forgot. How stupid of me to ask.”

“Yes, it’ll be a snap.” His brow furrowed once more. “And while I’ll be hard at work investigating, you’ll be having the time of your life with beautiful Belle.”

Trevor’s brow rose in amusement. “Ah, partner, this is no time to be jealous. You know you’re the best at breaking in and snooping, and I’m good at covering for you when you do.”

James poked him in his chest as he replied, “Yes, but this time you’ll be with Belle, not trying to distract some Indians.”

Trevor smugly rubbed his nails on his cotton shirt to polish them and then gazed at them. “What can I say? My job can be hell at times.”

James punched him lightly in the arm. “Stop gloating, Trev, or I’ll go up to her and tell her that I actually really do need you at work.”

His rebuttal to Trevor got him wondering. They never found out what her room number was. It’d be awfully hard to break into her private quarters if he didn’t know where exactly she stayed James glanced at the counter. No one stood on duty, but there was a bell on the counter.

“That reminds me.”

He strode over to the front desk, placed his bag on the floor, and slammed his open palm down on the bell. It rang loudly, and within a minute, an elderly gentleman with a receding hairline and a beard came out from a closed door in the corner.

“Howdy, cowboys. Welcome to the Mayflower Inn. How can I help you all?”

James leaned on the counter. “Our boss reserved us a room here a few weeks back. Our names are James Sanford and Trevor Kent.”

While the man opened and flipped pages in his book, he stared at them as if he assessed them. Then he spoke in a curious voice. “Is this your first time in our humble town?”

“Yes, sir. Our employer got us jobs here and we just got in today,” Trevor responded.

Once the man got to the last filled page in the registry book, he let go of the paper and leaned his elbows on the countertop, grinning. “Well, you’ll love our fine town, gentlemen. Everyone who has stayed at my inn has said so in one way or another.” He put on his spectacles hanging from a cord around his neck and then pointed with his finger down the page. “Let’s see. Ah, here we are. You have room twenty on the second floor. The bathroom is just a door away.”

James looked at Trevor, then added, “Sounds mighty fine. Um, we were wondering if you’d be kind enough to tell us in what room Miss Belle Samson is staying in. You see, my friend here just met her tonight and got himself a date with the pretty lady tomorrow evening. He said he’d pick her up at her room but forgot to ask for her room number before she left.”

The man chuckled, glancing at Trevor. “Well, fella, aren’t you the lucky one. Miss Belle sure is a pretty lady. And it ain’t no surprise you’d forget somethin’ like that. She kinda has that effect on the fellas around here. She has a beautiful voice, too. You should catch her singin’ down at Eden’s Paradise when you get a chance.”

“Oh, we did. That’s where we first started talking with her.” Trevor placed his bag on the floor and leaned on the counter also.

“I see.” He closed his book after checking off their reservation. turned around, and got their keys. “Well, you boys certainly have luck on your side, ’cause it so happens her room number twenty-two is next to yours. You’re neighbors.”

Trevor glanced at James and gave him a sly smile. James looked away, fearing he’d break into a smirk, as well. He extended his hand. “Well, thanks so much for all your help, sir.”

Accepting James’s handshake, the old man replied, “The name’s Melvin Burr. If you folks need anythin’ else, just let me know. The missus serves up breakfast at seven sharp in the dinin’ room in the mornings if you’re interested. Her bacon and eggs are really good.”

“Well, Mr. Burr, that sounds quite tempting. I think we’ll do just that since we have a big day ahead of us and need all the energy we can get.” Picking up his bag, James marched to the stairs with Trevor on his tail.

“Just call me Melvin from now on. We look forward to seein’ you for breakfast then,” the old man shouted while they ascended the stairs.

When they got to the second floor, they headed over to their room, passing hers. Opening their door, James stared into the darkness. He could only make out part of the front of the room. Using the limited illumination from the hallway wall lamps as his source of light, James walked over to the table next to the door and felt his way to a set of matches next to the oil lamp. He struck one, lighting it.

The light was enough for them to take in their surroundings in detail. James was pleasantly surprised. The room looked pretty clean and crisp. The beds had dark-brown blankets, and the table in the corner of the room had two chairs to sit on. A bureau in the other corner was big enough for them to store their clothes in.

Trevor tossed his luggage bag in the corner of the room and collapsed on the bed. The wooden foundation made a squeaking sound with his movements. “Ah. I’m glad this day is almost over. I’m exhausted.”

James didn’t crumple to the bed like Trevor. Instead, he sat on it slowly because of fatigue and his stiff back and leg muscles. It was sturdier than Trevor’s bed because the wooden support didn’t squeak when he put his full weight on it. It absorbed the shock in silence. He stretched his aching legs out before him and lay back, resting his head on the feather-stuffed pillow, which leaned on the wall.