Page 98 of Somebody's Watching Me
Bernie Cohen might be the sweet, motherly type, but let her find a man using a woman in a way he shouldn’t, and the inner lioness took over, ready to decimate and destroy. Even if that man was her own son. To say she was upset with Liam was an understatement, and her husband had been caught up in her fury. To make amends—for something he hadn’t even done—Will set out to appease his wife by sending Jamison details on the investigation when no one else would.
Being kept in the dark was the worst part of this for her, and Liam’s father knew it. It hurt. Not having Liam’s trust hurt. He always divulged the details of whatever he was working on, bouncing ideas and thoughts off her. Izzy’s arrival was salt in an already tender wound and seeing herreplacement sliding so seamlessly into her spot had really taken Jamison on a mental nosedive.
She had tried to keep her mind occupied by coming up with a “shrimp strategy” for work, but in her overly pathetic state, she continued to creep around to gain information. Her father finally took pity on her when he caught her snooping for the millionth time.
“You’re not aware of what’s happening because it’s for the best. Even those emails you’re getting from Will are filtered,” he’d said, which really had her temper flaring. “Some of what’s in them is true, and some of it’s just bullshit Liam wants Sinclair to have in case he’s reading them.”
Fuming, she’d gone upstairs to plan an outfit for the costume party. Screw the Mad Hatter. She was going to hit Liam right where it hurt. The shorts she had taken to wearing were already getting to him, and this dress would finish the job.
However, she would be careful not to draw his focus too much. This time he had at least informed her that she was going to be the bait tonight. Rowan planned to keep the feed open on Firewater’s security system and allow Michael to track her through the cameras as he had done the other night. If she truly were his obsession, Liam didn’t think he could resist, giving them another chance to catch him.
“How do you like my dress?” she asked Annabeth.
Annabeth joined her at the full-length mirror, positively bursting with excitement. This gathering in Firewater’s shopping district and town square was nothing like the small soirees she held at the bookshop. The entire plaza would be filled with people. It was a big step, and it helped that it was being held outside, but there was still much to be concerned with.
“Liam is going to swallow his tongue when he sees you.”
Turning to examine the panels, Jamison arched her back slightly to test the material. “I hope not. I plan on using it later.”
“Oh, do you?”
“I do.” The two words had her glancing at the open closet door. A sliver of candlelight white could be seen, the sight hitting her directly in the heart. “I really do.”
“Well, Rowan and I will keep our distance.”
Ah, the perfect opening.
“Those boots are to die for, and I can’t wait to see Rowan’s reaction. You look very fuckable, Ms. Howard, if you don’t mind me saying.”
Annabeth nibbled on her bottom lip. “He kissed me.”
As fast as she could muster—which wasn’t very fast at all—Jamison hustled over to close the bedroom door. The second it clicked shut, someone knocked.
“I cannot eavesdrop if the door is closed,” Lenora huffed when it opened again. “You two have no consideration for others.”
Jamison waved her in, and Selah’s wife did a double take at their outfits. “You both are going to drive those men downstairs crazy. I love it.”
“Okay, spill,” Jamison ordered Annabeth, locking them in again. “Rowan kissed you?”
“I asked him to kiss me.” Annabeth sighed and tossed her hat off. “And I want to have sex with him.
“Duh.”
“Duh,” Lenora echoed. “Rowan is probably used to women feeling that way when he’s around.”
“No, like,” Annabeth fell back on the mattress, “I want him to annihilate me. I want him to give me so many orgasms that I won’t remember my name. I want it to be rough, and insane, and without boundaries. I want to try things with him. Stuff I couldn’t do with my ex because I was scared to ask.”
“And you know Rowan won’t shame you or think you’re weird for asking,” Jamison concluded. “I mean, he’s already cool with your masturbation station.”
Annabeth lifted her head to glare at her. “Stop calling it that.”
“And the whole camera thing.”
“Oh my God, stop.” Annabeth hauled herself into a sitting position. “But even though I want those things, I don’t know that I can let it happen.”
Lenora patted Annabeth’s thigh. “I get it. When your brother went after me, I wanted nothing to do with him. He was notorious for being a playboy, so I pushed him away.”
“Selah being a playboy has always confused me,” Jamison started to say, but her phone rang with Evie’s number.
