A Matter of Trust Read online

  Copyright 2018, Ciana Stone

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, businesses, places, events, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used factiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2018 Ciana Stone

  Cover by Syneca Featherstone

  All rights reserved.

  A Matter of Trust

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  A Matter of Trust Copyright © 2018 Ciana Stone

  Cover art by Syneca

  Electronic book publication August 13, 2018

  Print book publication June 14,2018

  This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Syneca Featherstone

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  Dedication:

  For my honeyman – I’m gonna love you forever...

  Chapter One

  “Ain’t you fergettin’ sumthin’?”

  Nikki jumped at the sound of the voice and turned away from the door, feeling behind her to make sure it was locked. Her landlord, Milton Sprull, stood at the top of the stairs glaring down at her. She sighed and turned to look up at him, focusing on his broad forehead, and trying not to see the stained T-shirt stretched over his rotund belly or the leer on his face.

  “Look, I know I’m a little late, but I’ll have the rent by the end of the week, Mr. Sprull. Promise.”

  “That’s what you said last week, and the week ‘fore and the week ‘fore that. I can’t have no freeloaders. You pay up by the end of the week or yer out. Got it?”

  “Yes, sir.” Nikki hitched her backpack strap more securely on her shoulder and walked away from the rundown house where she rented a makeshift apartment.

  What little pride she had left was fading fast. Thanks to Bob McDonald, her latest ex-boss, she was a month behind in rent, had nothing saved and only twenty-three dollars between her and going hungry. Like it or not, her dreams were about to go the way of the dinosaur and pass into extinction.

  Nikki climbed into her old Toyota and headed for Wanda’s Diner, one of the few places she could afford to eat. As a rule, she was able to convince herself to be optimistic by believing the old cliché that attitude is everything. Tell yourself you’re going to be in a positive mood, and you will be.

  It wasn’t going to work this time.

  As she parked in front of the diner, she looked at herself in the rearview mirror, her hand going unconsciously to the pendant lying against her chest. A fantasy tugged at her mind. It would be so easy to give into it. Just let it take her. Block out the harsh reality of her life.

  Just that moment of weakness allowed the fantasy to take control. Her eyes no longer saw the sad reflection in the mirror. Now her mind was filled with him. Eyes the color of a twilight sky set in a face that belonged to myth. The face of a warrior. Strong and chiseled, yet possessed of great tenderness as he gazed at her.

  She felt his hands alight on her shoulders, tightening as he pulled her close. The heat from his body ignited a fire inside her. Her breath quickened, and her pulse spiked. Every nerve ending in her body enlivened, making her skin tingle with a near electric sensation.

  His lips were soft against hers, his taste sweet. She moaned against his mouth and the kiss deepened to one of passion and need. Strong hands moved to cup her breasts, thumbs scraping across her nipples.

  Her hands moved to fist in his hair, her lips slanting across his, demanding more.

  “Hey!” someone yelled into the car window.

  Nikki jerked back to reality and embarrassment flooded her with heat she was sure registered on her face.

  One of the diner’s regular patrons, another college student she was casual friends with, Cecilia, stood beside the car door. “Damn, where were you?” she asked.

  “Just thinking,” Nikki replied.

  “Oh, okay. Well, I just wanted to say hi. On my way to class.”

  Nikki gave her a smile. ‘‘Thanks, Cecilia. Have a great day.”

  “You too.”

  Nikki watched Cecilia walk away then cut her eyes back to the rearview mirror. Sure enough, her cheeks were flushed. This whole fantasy thing was getting a little out of hand. She really needed to get it under control. Not even her precarious situation was an excuse to go off the deep end.

  Besides, it was going to work out. It had to. She gave herself a forced smile. “Attitude. It’s all attitude.”

  Yeah, right. The smile vanished with the negative thought that intruded. And a big fat fairy godmother is going to make all your troubles disappear. If only it were that easy.

  “Mrs. James, please. If you’ll give me one moment I’m sure I can—”

  “No!” The middle-aged woman in the floral-patterned dress paused in her march across the foyer and whirled to face the distinguished gray-haired man. “There’s nothing—nothing you can say that’ll convince me to work in this—this insane asylum!”

  “I’ll double the salary offer.”

  Mildred James hiked her purse up on her arm more securely. “Mr. Weston, if you’ll pardon my bluntness, you don’t have enough money to get me to keep that-that person. Now, good day to you, sir.”

  Richard Weston watched the woman flounce out of the front door. He blew out his breath in frustration and closed his eyes.

  “Richard, I demand you rectify this deplorable situation immediately.”

  Richard turned to the woman who stood at the far end of the foyer, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, one foot forward, the designer toe of her shoe tapping sharply on the polished marble floor.

  Helen Weston was an attractive woman, easily mistaken for someone much younger. With soft blond hair cut in a fashionable bob that framed her surgically enhanced, line-free face, a slim and shapely figure, and penetrating blue eyes, she was still a head-turner. What marred her otherwise perfect looks was her cold and aloof manner, along with her total lack of patience with anyone or anything that interfered with what she wanted.

  Richard bit back the sharp reply that rose to his lips. This wasn’t the time to get into an argument. “I’m doing everything I can. We have another interview scheduled this afternoon. There’s every possibility it will work out.”

  “And what if it doesn’t? Mrs. James was the fifth applicant to turn down the position. If you expect me to cancel months of planning simply because you cannot locate adequate personnel, then you are severely mistaken. I’ve spent months scheduling for this holiday and I refuse to have it destroyed.”

  Richard crossed the room to Helen and reached out to put his hands on her arms. She backed away, her body becoming more rigid and mannequin-like in its pose. Richard’s hands dropped limply to his sides.

  “I fail to understand why I’m being blamed. I did everything I could think of to get Mrs. Durning to stay on and since she’s been gone I’ve given up god knows ho
w many hours of my time to sit through these interviews, trying to find a replacement. Short of having him locked up, I don’t see what more I can do.”

  Helen turned and stalked from the foyer into the library to stand in front of the massive window seat that looked out over the rose garden. Richard followed and took a seat in one of the leather wing chairs by the fireplace.

  “Perhaps we should consider contacting Charles and having the procedures initiated to place him in the sanitarium while we’re away,” Helen said without turning to look at him.

  Richard was silent for a long moment, his brow creased in a thoughtful frown. Helen turned to look at him. “Richard?”

  “Yes, yes, I heard you. However, I’m less than eager to open that particular can of worms again.”

  “Oh yes, of course. How foolish of me to think you might actually defy the dictates of that doddering old fool.”

  “My father has never been doddering or foolish, and I’ll thank you to remember that. I’ll also thank you to remember the possible repercussions of placing Maxwell in an institution. Not only that, but have you considered the press — the smear campaign we could face?”

  “I wasn’t suggesting he be permanently institutionalized. I was merely suggesting we consider the possibility for the summer. Upon our return, we can make more permanent arrangements—locate qualified personnel and so on.”

  Richard rose from his chair and glanced at his watch. “I disagree. The risk is too great. The way I see it, if this next interview doesn’t pan out, our options are reduced to either forgetting our plans or taking him with us.”

  “Well, I’ll not give up my plans! That’s not an option. God knows, after all I go through all year, all I sacrifice for him, the least I’m entitled to is a few short months of rest and relaxation. And taking him is completely out of the question. I won’t have my entire summer ruined because of your inability to secure appropriate help, and the demands of a senile old fool who would be far better off safely interred in a sanitarium himself. No, Maxwell stays here. If you choose to stay behind, that’s entirely up to you, but regardless of the situation, I will be on the plane to Paris, Friday morning — with or without you.”

  “I understand. If you’ll excuse me, I have some calls to make.” Richard quickly left the room before Helen had a chance to say more. Once out of earshot, he cut a glance back toward the library. The next interview had to work out or Helen the queen bitch would make sure his life was a living hell.

  Nikki slid into her normal booth and waved at Amy, one of the waitresses. With a fresh pot of coffee in one hand and balancing a tray on the other, Amy returned the greeting with a big smile. Nikki pulled her old laptop from her backpack, called up her file and started making comments for revisions and corrections on the paper she was writing.

  Someone sat down in the booth across from her. She looked up and smiled. It was Ben. She’d known and been close friends with him since she was a sophomore in college. Ben was working on his doctorate in computer technology and was one of the smartest people she’d ever known, as well as one of the most unusual. While he’d already been offered fantastic opportunities with most of the major research and development companies, he’d turned them all down until he finished his doctorate.

  If the truth be known, Ben was one of those people who wanted to put off working in the real world as long as possible. He had way too much fun indulging in his secret passion. Hacking. There probably wasn’t a system invented that could keep Ben out.

  “Find a job yet?” he asked, then turned to yell across the diner, “Hey Amy, some coffee when you get a sec. And how about two over easy with hash and toast?” He looked at Nikki. “You?”

  “Just toast,” she replied and closed her laptop. With Ben joining her for breakfast, it was a sure bet she wouldn’t get anything done on her paper.

  “Diet?”

  “Budget.”

  “It’s on me.”

  “Thanks, but toast is fine.”

  “Okay, have it your way.” Ben yelled out across the diner again, “And toast for Nikki!”

  “So.” He propped his arms on the table and grinned. “What’s up on the job front?”

  She shook her head, wishing he had chosen another topic of conversation. “Nothing. I've been on five interviews and either I don’t have enough experience or the right kind of experience, or I’m over qualified or under qualified. The only offer I’ve had is at a topless bar and I definitely don’t relish the idea of that.”

  “Man, you should’ve listened to Bill. He’s right you know, and not just because he’s top of his class, soon to be a legal eagle. That McDonald guy deserves to get nailed for what he did to you.”

  “Come on, Ben. We’ve been through this already. I can’t afford a lawyer, and I don’t have time to waste on some lawsuit. Besides, how is filing a sexual harassment suit gonna help me pay the rent? The way my luck runs, all I’d get is a rep as someone who’s trouble and have even a harder time getting a job. It’s the last thing I need. All I want from the guy is my last month’s pay.”

  “Has he agreed to pay you?”

  “No.”

  “Well, there you go.”

  Nikki put her elbows on the table and placed her hands over her face for a moment. “I know you’re trying to help but I just don’t see how a legal action will do any good. Particularly since my needs are immediate. I need a job. Now!”

  “Hey, I’m sorry.” Ben reached out to pry her hands away from her face. “I wasn’t trying to piss you off or anything.”

  “I know.” She forced a smile. “It’s okay. I guess I’m just sort of feeling like I’m at the end of my rope, and not only is it frayed, but there’s a little demon somewhere above me with a blow torch.”

  Ben laughed and leaned back as the waitress arrived with their breakfast. While Nikki sipped coffee and nibbled toast, Ben bolted down his food and entertained her by relating his latest adventures in hacking. Even with talking nonstop, he was finished long before she’d eaten her toast. He leaned back with a contented burp and patted his flat stomach.

  “Well, gotta bolt. You gonna be around later? Rick and Tony and some of the guys are coming by. We’re gonna try out the modifications I made to Tony’s synthesizer.”

  “I don’t know, maybe.”

  “Well, come on down if you wanna.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Okay,” Ben stood and walked around the booth to lean over and kiss Nikki on the cheek. “Cheer up, okay? It’s gonna work out. Who knows, opportunity might be just around the next corner.”

  Nikki smiled up at him. “Yeah, sure. See you later.”

  Ben left and Nikki sipped at the remains of her coffee. Sometimes she could not help but wonder if her basic problem was that she just was not realistic enough. She used her energy in the pursuit of things that quite possibly did not exist, and she held out for a love that was probably just as much of a fantasy.

  Romantic love was not something she had much experience in. She’d had a few relationships but none of them had worked out.

  The closest to romance she’d ever known was with a professor, Christian Bernard. He was kind, caring, and interested in what she had to say. At first that was enough. But in time, the lack of passion she felt for him began to tear at the fabric of comfort she found with him.

  They’d been involved for almost a year when he gave her the pendant. She’d been surprised. Christian had never given her a gift, and this one was quite unusual. A small carved sphere of a silver metal, it was obviously old. He claimed it came from a find in the Middle East, from what was once known as Sumer.

  Due to the carvings, she was tempted to believe it. But that made it far too valuable for her and she told him as much. He’d insisted that she had to accept it and made her promise that she’d wear it always. She’d promised and since the day he looped the chain around her neck and she’d felt the sphere fall against her chest between her breasts, she hadn't removed it.

  Sh
e’d had the first dream that same night. A dream in which he came to her. Since that time, her nights had been filled with dreams of him. And the dreams had crept into her waking hours, presenting as fantasies so real that they obliterated reality.

  Nikki knew that she should remove the pendant. Take it somewhere and have it tested. But she couldn’t part with the dreams it brought her. Without them, her life would be empty.

  Which was a sad testament to her life. Yet she knew deep inside that the man in her dreams was the man for her. The man she’d give her heart, body, and soul to.

  She’d never confessed her dreams to anyone. That was far too personal. She’d confided to her best friend and ex-roommate, Cat, that she’d know when the right man came along. It would only take one look for her to know him.

  Cat told her that for a smart woman she sure was lost in fantasy. Nikki supposed Cat was right. What she wanted only existed in fairy tales, legends and, of course, romance novels.

  Shaking off that particular topic of thought, she looked around the diner. Most of the booths were empty, with the waitresses busy cleaning up after the morning rush. A handsome dark-haired man looked her way as she went behind the bar for the coffee decanter to refill her cup.

  “Want a refill?” she asked as she passed his table.

  “Please.” He lifted his cup.

  Nikki refilled it and returned the decanter to the bar. As she walked by the man’s table again, he stood.

  “Excuse me, but aren’t you Nikki Morgan, Professor Bernard’s graduate student?”

  Nikki was surprised. “How’d you know that?”

  The man gestured to the chair across from him. “Please.”

  She considered it a moment then and took a seat.

  “You know Chris—Professor Bernard?”

  “Yes, quite well actually. We did quite a bit of research together in the seventies.”

  “The 70s? If I remember right, he was in Jerusalem and the Middle East for most of—oh my god; you’re not Gaspar de Troyes, are you?”