Page 5 of Feral
She offers me a sly, mischievous smile. “Everything.”
“Well, you guessed right,mon cher.I’ve got anenviefor somepockon,I won’t lie,” I murmur without an ounce of restraint.
Once more she looks up to meet my heated gaze.
“I am here on business, Mr. Broussard. I have no idea what you just said to me, but judging from the tone of your voice alone, it wasn't pretty. I’d greatly appreciate it if we could keep things professional. I know that even a man like you must certainly be able to do that.”
Her cheeks flush and I’d be lying if I said the brazen words coming out of that luscious mouth aren’t turning me on. Pity has already reared its ugly head, and it's staring me straight in the eyes.
“You know, on second thought, I think it's best you should leave, Miss. You have no place here.”
With that, the color creeps up even brighter on her face, making her gorgeous green eyes sparkle. “You mean here in Louisiana?”
“Don't play games with me,pichouette.You should leave.” I warn again, heading toward the door.
“I’m sorry if my last words offended you, Mr. Broussard. Can I please take my notebook out and we can proceed with the interview? Please? It won’t take long, I promise.”
She looks up at me with those large, cat-like eyes of hers and I can't decide which gets me harder.
Her sassy mouth or her jiggly, delectable breasts.
Both have me salivating.
She slips back into her shoes and shuffles to the dining room table.
“Ouch!” she blurts out when she stumbles over the large bowl of kibble I leave lying around for the bayou strays that sometimes wander inside. “You could use a little more light in this place, you know. It’s the middle of the day and it’s dark as night in here.”
“Tenacious and spunky, aren’t you, Miss…”
“It's Gemma. Gemma Stone.”
I use my cane to assist me as I walk back toward her, careful to not step on the spilled food, and watch as she pulls out a chair from the table, sits down, and waits for me to approach.
“Well, the clock’s ticking, Miss Stone. Go ahead and ask. I'll answer however I see fit,” I say, as I take the seat next to her.
Thunder echoes again and I wish it would just pour down, trapping this ethereal creature here with me. I watch carefully as she takes out a small notebook and a bronze, quill-shaped pen and waits patiently for me to start talking.
“Perfect,” she purrs. “So, can you tell me a little more about the day of the accident? Police records say you were mildly intoxicated.”
I take in her gorgeous features and young, lush body, silently appraising her for the second time in a matter of minutes. When her bra strap slips from her shoulder I wish it was my fingers on her soft skin readjusting it.
“That's right. I was,” I say, my gaze never leaving her. “I’m about two steps away from becoming a full-blownguichardthese days.”
She turns to meet my eyes and a jolt of electricity passes through me as she accidentally rubs her thigh against my leg. “Jenni and I had fought the previous night. I might have had a couple of shots of tequila afterward. As it turns out, Marc had been suspecting his wife of cheating on him. He never confronted me with it, but Jenni was worried he’d find out soon enough.”
“Jenni, that was Marc’s wife, wasn’t it? So, youweresleeping with her?”
“That is none of your concern, Miss Stone. Leave that out of your story. Marc was my best friend. I had no reason to want him dead.”
She lifts her eyes from her notes and frowns. “Why do you want me to leave it out of the story? The world knows you two were having an affair, it was a part of your trial. Don’t you want to tell your side of the story? I mean, the jury found you guilty of involuntary manslaughter, Mr. Broussard. You spent seven out of ten years in a state penitentiary.”
“Oui.”
“But why were you convicted if you claimed self-defense?”
It's clear to me now that she won't drop this unless I give her what she wants.
Sighing deeply, I decide to indulge her curiosity. “I don’t see the need to tell ‘my side of the story’ to anyone, Miss Stone. The jury thought I had probable cause. As you already know from the documents submitted to the court, Jenni was pregnant with my baby. You did do proper research right, little girl?”
