Read Online In a Dark Embrace by Simone Bern - Free Book Online Page A

I’d better get ready for work.”
    Jeremy caught and held her before she left the bed. “Tonight… Can I see you again after work?”
    She hesitated. “I should say no.”
    “But you won’t. I’ll be here at six.” He said it quickly, hoping she would simply agree.
    “And what will you do between now and then? Go home, Jeremy.” Disappointment flared in him. She closed her eyes and opened them again. “I could use a ride on my bike. Let’s meet in White Rock for a meal and then go for a walk along the beach.”
    “Seven. At Charlie Don’t Surf,” he offered.
    She nodded.
    * * * * *
    Jeremy stepped out onto the balcony while Lee made a quick breakfast. He had pulled on his pants but left the shirt behind. The sun was out and it was a warm day.
    “Hello again…Jeremy.”
    It was Lee’s neighbor. He couldn’t remember her name. He almost retreated back inside but the sun felt so wonderful on his bare back. “Hello.”
    “Glorious day, isn’t it?” She was lying on a lounge chair, wearing a very small bikini.
    He smiled. “Fantastic.”
    She stood up and walked over to the railing so she was only a few feet away. “You and Lee seem to be getting along well. I’m glad. She’s been itching for someone but has rather finicky taste.”
    Jeremy held on to his bland smile. “I like her very much. She’s a nice girl.”
    The blonde woman chortled. “Lee is fun, smart…rather too edgy but some guys like that…”
    Jeremy’s smile widened into a grin.
    The other woman noticed and nodded. “But she isn’t nice. Treat her right and you’ll do okay but hurt her and I can guarantee that you’ll end up hurting a whole lot worse.”
    Jeremy lifted an eyebrow. “Are you trying to scare me off?”
    “Hell no. Please stay. You brighten up the neighborhood considerably. Just…be good to her.”
    “I have every intention of being the best damn thing that ever happened to her.”
    “And you seem to be off to a good start.” She started walking away, turned and looked at him over her shoulder. “Next time, may I suggest turning on some music first? Loud music.”
    With that she disappeared inside her condo. Jeremy chuckled, not in the least put out that someone had overheard them. He hoped she got a thrill out of it. With any luck it would be an ongoing problem.

Chapter Six
     
    “Hi, Gord,” Lee greeted her coworker at the Waves Counseling Center. “Nice day, isn’t it? Sometimes it sucks to work on a Saturday.”
    “Yeah. But you had yesterday off. I just hope the sunshine lasts through Monday.”
    They grumbled good-naturedly about the changeable West Coast weather and Lee picked up her first file of the day. The woman with a fear of flying. She scanned her list. Depression, unreasonable shopping urges, a marriage breakup and a case of confused sexual identity. The usual mix of upper-class problems. Sometimes she volunteered on the downtown east side. Then she got a load of sexual abuse and addiction issues. Not that such things didn’t happen to wealthy folk. They did and more often than anyone liked to admit. She suspected her shopaholic had been abused as a child. The woman was using constant acquisition as a way to fill an emptiness inside and to barricade herself behind a wall of stuff.
    Lee sighed and went into her office to prepare for the first client.
    * * * * *
    She jotted down her last note and rubbed her eyes. Man, was she ever glad it was a short day. It had been very hard to stay focused. She needed to lie down and rest for a while. Lee checked her watch. Ten past five, five thirty by the time she got home and she’d have to leave just after six to make it to White Rock on time. Only half an hour to collect herself. Lee shook her head at her own stupidity and dropped the last file into the basket.
    Walking along the crowded street, she wondered if she should call Jeremy and cancel. It wasn’t so much that she was sleepy as a feeling of being overwhelmed. Normally she spent a fair