Falling Into Place Read Free

herself. Things could be worse.
    Suddenly, it dawned on her that it was entirely possible she would actually have to sleep with Joshua tonight. She joked to herself, Oh, well. I guess I’ll have to take one for the team .
    Just then, Joshua returned with a bottle of wine and two glasses. Jessica noticed that there was absolutely no sign of distress in his face. In fact, he was positively elated. That settled it. There was no way Myles made it into that wine closet; Joshua would’ve seen the evidence. Jessica was all at once annoyed and relieved: annoyed that Myles had failed to discover the added security measure and thus, failed to do his part, but relieved that she finally knew what was happening and could adjust accordingly.
    “I believe you’ll find this even more delightful than the Rothschild.” Joshua beamed as he set down the glasses and opened the bottle. “This little gem is a 1978 Domaine Romonet Batard-Montrachet. I managed to purchase seven bottles right after making my first million. I’m confident you’ll agree it was the best one hundred seventy thousand dollars I’ve ever spent.” He poured them each a glass.
    “This is the last bottle I have,” Joshua continued. “I only open them for special occasions like tonight.” He handed a glass to Jessica and kept the other for himself.
    “Mmmm, sounds heavenly,” Jessica answered. “Thank you for considering this such a special evening. If you keep this up, you’ll turn a girl’s head.” She took a long drink from the glass. It soothed her frayed nerves, and she could immediately feel her body start to relax. She sank deeper into the couch cushions as the stress completely left her body.
    She suddenly felt slightly drunk and tried to remember the number of cocktails she’d had at dinner. The number wasn’t forthcoming. Her brain seemed to be malfunctioning and her limbs now felt like overdone spaghetti. She tried to sit up, but her muscles weren’t responding. She felt her heart beating rapidly.
    “Oh, it’s going to be very special, Linda,” Joshua said, his voice suddenly cold. “Perhaps the most special night I’ve ever had.” He took the glass from her hand just before she dropped it.
    Jessica’s mouth felt dry, but she was unbelievably thirsty. She tried to clear her head, but it was as if a swarm of bees had taken residence there. She licked her lips repeatedly and struggled to focus her thoughts. Wait a minute! He called me Linda! she thought right before everything went black.
    She awoke with a jolt, turning her head from the smelling salts Joshua was waving under her nose. He was standing over her with a Cheshire cat smile on his face. All the warmth had left his eyes. Now, they were pools of steely blue liquid, devoid of human emotion.
    “What the fuck! Jesus! What’s going on? Did you roofie me, you sick bastard?” She wasn’t sure if any word other than “fuck” came out recognizable at all. Drool spilled out of her mouth as she lay there, slack jawed.
    “Now, now, Linda,” Joshua said casually. “If you can’t control yourself, I’ll be forced to gag you. Be a good girl, and we can converse like civilized people.”
    He definitely called me Linda again , she thought. Somehow Joshua knew her real name, but what else did he know? Did he know about the grift? About Myles? Her stomach lurched at the prospect.
    As Joshua moved away from her, she could see he had a half-filled brandy snifter in his right hand. He swirled the amber liquid inside the glass as he walked back and forth. When he noticed her staring at it, he said, “You really should have had the Cognac, my dear. It makes this moment even more delicious.”
    “What did you give me?” she muttered, her voice like a sandpaper whisper. She tried swallowing, but her throat felt raw and swollen.
    “Just something to make you more, shall we say, agreeable.”
    “Why?” she said quietly, managing to enunciate the word properly.
    Joshua used his feet to guide