Submerged

By Graysen Morgen

Assistant District Attorney Layne Carmichael had no idea that the sexy woman she took home from a local bar for a one night stand would turn out to be someone she would be prosecuting months later. Would she see the woman she spent the most amazing night of her life with through all of the legal red tape? Or would that night be forever tainted?
Scooter is a Naval Officer on a submarine who changes women like she changes uniforms. When she is accused of a heinous crime she is shocked to see her latest conquest sitting across from her as the prosecuting attorney and furious when the woman blatantly continues the case as if they had never spent passionate hours in each other’s arms.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Triplicity Publishing, LLC
• Release date: May 19, 2014

Graysen Morgen

Graysen Morgen is the bestselling author of Falling Snow, Fast Pitch, and Bridesmaid of Honor, as well as many other titles. She was born and raised in North Florida with winding rivers and waterways at her back door and the white sandy beach a mile away. She has spent most of her lifetime in the sun and on the water. She enjoys reading, writing, fishing, and spending as much time as possible with her partner and their daughter.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Scooter was thrilled to finally be dismissed from the base. She was a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy and the Executive Officer of the USS Lincoln, a fast attack submarine based just outside of San Diego at Naval Base Point Loma. As the second in command of the sub, she was always one of the last to leave when they were in port. They arrived home three days ago from a six-month deployment, and she couldn’t wait to be back on dry land and feel the sun on her face. During this last deployment, they’d only made port twice and both times she never left the boat, choosing instead to get caught up on paperwork in her office and catch a few extra hours of much needed sleep.

The first thing she did was catch a cab to the house on the coast that she shared with her younger sister, Libby. She didn’t have enough stuff to occupy an entire house or even an apartment, and since she was at sea most of the time, the arrangement worked out perfectly when she was stationed at Point Loma over a year ago.

Scooter tossed the small bag she was carrying onto the bed. It contained the remainder of her onboard toiletries and a few personal items like her iPod and family photos that she took with her to sea. She was eager to get out of the starched, Dress White Uniform she was wearing and slip into a comfortable loose-fitting pair of jeans, a tight black t-shirt, and Doc Martens before heading down to the local watering hole.

Frog’s was a small local bar that sat back just off Harbor Drive on the coast. It was close enough to all three of the Navy bases to be a military bar, but it was frequented by the local lesbian and gay community too much to be a genuine military establishment. Since the don’t ask, don’t tell policy was completely dissolved five years ago it was starting to pick up more military patrons.

Libby owned Frog’s, with the help of Scooter as her silent business partner. Running that bar made her happy and she loved it. When she pitched the idea to Scooter six years ago, she was ready to invest and happy to see how excited it made her little sister.

~~~

The bar was a large rectangle room with a dance floor towards the front, round tables scattered on both sides, and a long bar counter with stools along the entire back wall. A small stage was in the far-right corner with an old-style jukebox next to it.

Layne sat at one of the round tables on the left with her two best friends, Denise and Tabitha. They had a pitcher of margaritas on the table, a favorite on the special’s menu. They watched the handful of couples on the dance floor and the majority of the single patrons sitting at other tables and on stools along the bar. Layne was used to turning down various pick-up lines and come-ons from men and women. She wasn’t terribly tall at five foot five, but it was her slim, lithe figure, dark eyes, and wavy, long dark brown hair that got all the attention. She was mistaken for a shorter version of the actress Angie Harmon a handful of times over the years and since she was a fan of the beautiful actress, she took it as a compliment.

Don’t look now, but the redhead with the ponytail at the bar is slithering this way, Denise said with a grin on her face between sips of margarita.

Oh god, she’s not my type, you can have her, Layne. Tabitha pretended to dig through her purse. Layne rolled her eyes. The last thing she came out tonight to do was pick someone up, and she definitely had not seen anyone who deserved a second glance in so long, she almost forgot what her own type was.

Hello, ladies. May I buy you a drink? the redhead asked. Layne rolled her eyes at her so-called friends and answered the woman before she decided to grab the empty seat and park her ass in it.

Thanks, but no thanks. Our pitcher is full, and we’re not interested in company tonight. Layne’s voice was smoky and thick even though she had never smoked a day in her life. She’d been told numerous times that it was sexy.

No problem. Enjoy your night and if you change your mind I’ll be at the bar, the redhead said before slithering back to her bar stool.

Did I tell you about the date I had last week with that blonde from accounting? Denise asked as she refilled their glasses.

No, but I’m sure you’re about to. Layne smiled. Denise was average in looks and often went for the bad girl type that never called the next day. Not that Layne was complaining, she wasn’t looking for a relationship either; she just tended to stray away from repetitive one-night stands.

She was hot, killer boobs and completely shaved. I was in over my head. She wiggled her eyebrows. Hottest sex I’ve had in forever. I could barely move my legs the next day. I don’t think I’ve seen some of those positions in years, let alone the few I had never seen. Who would’ve thought accountants would be so erotic?

Tabitha laughed loudly. Leave you to find the only one, I’m sure.

I can’t complain. Although, I’m kind of glad I won’t be seeing her again. She’s liable to kill me the second time around.

Oh, girl, do you remember Missy Sandstone? Tabitha had tears running down her cheeks, she was laughing so hard.

Layne’s face turned pink. God, Miss Flintstone, do not bring her up. She was shaking her head and laughing.

Denise raised an eyebrow. Layne and Tabitha had been college roommates who stayed best friends. They met Denise when they moved to San Diego three years ago.

Who are you talking about?

Tabitha could hardly talk. Layne swallowed half of her margarita and took a deep breath. She was still laughing. Missy Sandstone was known around campus as Miss Flintstone, I still have no idea why she was called that, but anyway one night I was meeting Tabs to go to a boring lecture when Missy flew out of the bushes like a mad crazy person and tackled me to the ground! I couldn’t do anything to get her off me. I was freaked out. When she finally got up, I grabbed my bag and went in the opposite direction. Thankfully, only about four or five people saw what happened, but did any of them offer to help me, hell no! Everyone at the table was hysterical.

Oh, it gets better, Tabitha said. The next year I came back to the dorm room with a girl I had just met, not knowing it was the same Missy that tackled Layne. It was a night of wild crazy sex, I mean if we had a chandelier that chic would have swung from it, and I am not kidding! She was crazy nuts. Layne came in about three in the morning and we were sleeping. I was dead to the world and could barely move my body, Missy waited for Layne to go to sleep then she slipped into her bed naked and tried to feel her up. When Layne woke up screaming ‘what the fuck,’ Missy went nuts and destroyed our dorm room! It was as crazy as it was funny. Apparently, the girl was bipolar or something and off her meds, again.

Between all the laughing, Denise asked, Did you see her after that?

Hell no, Layne yelled. I almost changed schools I was so scared of that crazy bitch. At least I didn’t sleep with her. She moved when Tabitha tried to smack her. Tabs had a hell of a go round with her though from what our neighbors said the next day. Of course, after they saw our room, they mixed that with the animal noises they heard and were convinced Tabs had smuggled in a wild animal from the zoo.

You two are nuts. I have no idea how you both graduated.

Oh please, it wasn’t all like that. Layne was a book worm.

A book worm who did your homework. Layne smiled.

Uh huh, and don’t let me ever forget to thank you. If I hadn’t passed that stupid psychology class, I would probably be asking ‘paper or plastic.’

They were all laughing again when the jukebox changed songs and the door opened to allow more patrons inside. The bar wasn’t full by any means, but there was a big enough crowd that the tiny table full of laughing hyenas didn’t stand out too much.

Chapter 2

Scooter walked into Frog’s and made her way through the crowd to the bar. Can anyone get a beer around here? she yelled down to the end of the bar. Libby saw her standing there and immediately flew around the counter and into her arms. Scooter picked her little sister up and swung her around. When she set Libby down, she smacked her in the arm.

Why didn’t you tell me you were coming ashore today? I would’ve picked you up.

I didn’t find out until an hour ago. I hauled ass home to change and here I am.

When do you go back on duty? Libby asked as she went back behind the bar and Scooter slid onto a stool.

Not until Monday, so load me up. She waited for Libby to come back with a cold beer. What’s with the music? she asked as she turned to watch the couples dancing to the old 50’s tune.

Libby smiled and rolled her eyes. As long as they put money in the jukebox, I don’t care what they play. It’s kind of catchy anyway.

Uh huh. Scooter downed half of the bottle of beer in two swallows. It felt good, too damn good, to drink a cold beer. When she was at sea they often stopped in various ports around the world and the crew often got partial liberty. She usually didn’t go ashore unless she was gift shopping for her family, and she never drank while on deployment.

She turned on her stool to watch the dance floor. Her head bobbed along to the James Brown tune. She saw a few possibilities moving and grooving to the music. She returned their smiles and turned back around to order another beer. She also didn’t partake in sexual liaisons while in port either. Well, except for that one time in Australia. She couldn’t resist the little blonde Aussie with the cute smile, perfect tits, and round little ass. She was way too young, but Scooter spent the night mating like dogs