Just Desserts: Trilogy Collection, #3

By Cat Johnson

Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but these three tales are hot, hot, hot!

Private Investigations: Donna is the kind of person who never thinks twice when it comes to helping a friend in need. So when her co-worker suspects her boyfriend of cheating, Donna is right there in the stakeout car next to her. Little does she know that their brief foray in private investigation will lead to her own investigating of a sexy PI's privates.

Between Love and Hate: Jade thought she'd found the one, until she finds proof her boyfriend has been secretly meeting someone else. What's a girl to do? Get back at him, of course. However, sometimes things aren't always as they seem.

Saving Grace: As Valentine's Day approaches, Grace realizes all of her friends have found the loves of their lives while she is still alone and lonely. But when a secret admirer sweeps her off her feet, she discovers that Mr. Right may really be oh-so-wrong. With help from an unexpected ally, can she get free of him before she finds herself all tied up?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cat Johnson
• Release date: Jan 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215473818

Cat Johnson

New York Times & USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author Cat Johnson. Sign up at catjohnson.net/news to get new release and sale alerts.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

I have to pee.

Well I’m sorry, but you’ll have to wait. If we leave, we might miss something.

Donna Angelo sighed and wiggled a bit in the passenger seat, trying to get comfortable as her bladder felt near to exploding.

Her co-worker Jade glanced at her, then raised the binoculars back to her eyes. You really shouldn’t have gotten the extra large-sized coffee.

Cops always drink coffee on stakeouts. At least they do in the movies and on TV. Of course cops were usually men and could pee anywhere. She did note that Jade had barely touched her own coffee, which explained why she didn’t need to find a bathroom. "And I didn’t want us to fall asleep."

It was starting to get late. Donna stood by the validity of her coffee decision, but she still had to pee. She raised her pair of binoculars and trained them on the darkened apartment window. She and Jade had been sitting in the parked car since nine that night. A quick look at the dashboard clock told her it was now well past midnight.

She sighed. Maybe he really was tired and went to bed early like he said on the phone.

Jade blew out a loud breath and leaned back in the seat, laying the binoculars in her lap.

Something is up, Donna. Not just tonight, but for weeks now. He’s lying to me. I can tell. After eight months of being with someone, you just know. He canceled our lunch date this week. Last week, his cell phone rang when I was with him and he went into the other room to answer it. He’s never done that before. And— Jade hesitated before continuing, I hacked into his email account and there is a new contact in his address book. It has to be a woman, her email address was designergal.

Jade, you didn’t.

She nodded her head, looking slightly ashamed. I know. I shouldn’t have. But now I’m absolutely crazed. I have to know for sure if he’s cheating on me. There’s evidence, Don. I’m not totally making this up.

Donna nodded in the dark. I believe you. I’m just saying that maybe tonight he actually was tired and wanted to go to bed early.

But we always spend Saturday nights together, even if we only stay in and watch television. I sleep over at his apartment. We have a late breakfast Sunday morning. We spend half the day in bed and…well, you know.

Donna nearly laughed. In the far recesses of her brain she remembered what it was like to you know with a man. She hadn’t done that in a long time.

She glanced at her friend and coworker in the dim light of the car. Jade could have been the model for the Barbie doll with her long curly blonde hair, huge deep blue eyes, small but perfectly perky high breasts and legs up to her armpits. If a guy would cheat on Jade, what kind of chance did Donna have to land and keep a man in her life? Women like herself, with boring brown hair, normal blue eyes that required contact lenses or glasses to not be legally blind and okay but not spectacular bodies were a dime a dozen.

Donna’s single status was something she’d have to worry about later though. The far more urgent issue was that she still had to pee. Jade. There’s been no movement in his apartment for over three hours. He was home when you called at nine and no female under sixty has entered or left the building since we’ve been here.

He still might not be alone. What if she got here before we did and she’s in there with him? Jade picked up the binoculars again. I guess we won’t know until tomorrow when she leaves.

Tomorrow? Agreeing to participate in this stakeout had sounded like fun in the beginning, but it was looking less and less so as the moments passed and Donna’s bladder stretched. Jade. You don’t really intend on sitting here until tomorrow morning, do you?

To Donna’s massive relief, Jade shook her head. No. You’re right. That won’t do any good. She could live in his building. Maybe that’s how he met her. They could stay inside all weekend and never come out.

Donna didn’t add that if Jade’s boyfriend Daniel did have another girl in there, whether she lived in the building or not, they still might not come out all weekend if they were busy doing you know.

That thought quickly fled as Jade flung open the car door. I’m going in.

Donna scrambled out the passenger door. You’re what?

If I press my ear against his apartment door, maybe I’ll be able hear if they are… Jade pressed her hand to her stomach. Just the thought of him with someone else makes me ill.

Then don’t go up there. Let’s go home.

Jade shook her head and looked back at Donna. I have to know. You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.

Of course I’ll come. You shouldn’t go through this alone. Besides, maybe there would be a bathroom along the way somewhere.

They entered the apartment building’s front door without having to be buzzed in, thanks to a broken lock, and crept up the emergency stairs all the way to the fourth floor because Jade insisted they couldn’t risk being seen in the elevator. Donna didn’t argue since by the time they reached Daniel’s apartment door she was too out of breath to say much of anything.

She braced one hand on the hallway wall and attempted to slow her racing heart as Jade kneeled on the floor with her ear pressed to the door. Why are you kneeling to listen?

Jade put one finger in front of her lips. Shh. I don’t want them to see me out the peep hole.

Donna didn’t exactly get the wisdom of that theory. If Daniel and whoever were doing what Jade imagined them doing, Donna doubted they would be spending a whole lot of time manning the peephole.

I think I just heard a moan. Jade grabbed Donna’s hand and pulled her down. You listen. See if you hear it.

Trying to ignore the unsanitary things that might be lurking there, Donna knelt on the stained and dingy carpeted floor near the door. I don’t hear anything.

Keep listening. I distinctly heard something, Jade whispered.

Donna pressed her ear closer to the door but that served only to block out all sound. Maybe they should go get a drinking glass. Wasn’t that supposed to work for eavesdropping through walls? A stethoscope might help, but where could they find one of those at this time of night?

Her pondering of where the nearest all-night store carrying medical supplies might be located was interrupted by a deep, masculine, Ahem.

Jade let out a yelp of surprise. Donna’s heart rate began to race again as she turned and looked up at a long, jean-clad leg that ended at the waist with a belt and a very mean and official-looking holstered gun. Uh oh, she whispered to Jade.

The stranger’s chocolately brown eyes bore into them both in turn. Donna would have appreciated those eyes more if she wasn’t so afraid of being arrested.

Can I help you two ladies?

Jade rose from her knees, but remained speechless. She would obviously be no help.

Donna stood herself. We…ah…lost her key.

She’d always been a fast thinking liar, especially in her teen years. Donna could lie at the drop of a hat. Things like I forgot my purse at the party, Mom, so I have to go back, when in reality it was a football player waiting there for her, not her purse. Or the infamous, my new friend Stephanie and I are getting a room at the beach for the weekend.

Stephanie was actually Stephen her college boyfriend, but her parents never suspected a thing. Especially since she perpetuated the lie down to the tiniest detail, including having her brothers take fake phone messages from the phantom girl. Of course back then Donna wasn’t lying in the presence of a most likely loaded firearm strapped to a kinda mean looking man.

Still staring, the man raised a dark eyebrow. You two live here?

Well, actually, no…not exactly. Her boyfriend lives here and he gave her his key. But I think I lost it tonight when I went in her purse to borrow her lipstick, Donna rambled, hoping to distract the guy from the obvious truth, that they’d both had their ears pressed to the door when he’d stumbled upon them.

Donna watched Jade cringe at the lie. This guy was probably an undercover cop if the gun was any indication and here she was lying to him. But there was no fear they would spend the night in jail for this silly little escapade, right? Really, what could they be arrested for? Public kneeling? Door listening?

Why don’t you knock? the man with the sexy, deep voice asked.

Jade, pale and wide-eyed, finally spoke and dug them deeper into the lie. Um, because he’s not home.

Maybe he is. There’s one way to find out. The tall man took a step closer toward Daniel’s apartment, fist raised to knock.

No! Jade cried and threw her body in front of the door.

He paused and waited, looking at her with interest.

If he is home I don’t want to wake him up so late. Jade supplied what Donna thought was a pretty good lie for an amateur.

So then how do you intend on getting inside without the key? The gun-toting man crossed his arms across the very nicely developed pectoral muscles evident beneath his sweater and open black leather jacket.

Donna swallowed and wrestled her gaze up from the wall that was his chest. We don’t need to. We were just going to surprise him, that’s all. But if we can’t, we can’t.

She managed a casual shrug and was about to grab Jade’s hand and drag her out of there when Mr. Inquisitive looked amused. Both of you were going in to surprise him? Hmmm. Lucky guy.

Blood rushed to Donna’s cheeks and she felt her face grow warm as his cocky gaze rested on her intently. I’m only here to keep her company while she waits for him.

How come his cheesy assumption didn’t bother her? If some sleazy drunk had made that comment in a bar, he would be wearing his drink. But instead, there was a good chance the warmth that suddenly filled the lower half of Donna’s body was caused by the man-morsel before her and what she should have viewed as a perverted insinuation.

He nodded in response and treated her to a gorgeous smile. Ah, I see.

Definitely time to go before he made her an offer she couldn’t refuse, something to the effect of I won’t take you down to the police station if I can have sex with you right now.

Moisture flooded her panties at that image and she fought the urge to shake her head and knock the naughty thought out of her mind. What had gotten into her? Maybe that was exactly the problem—nothing had gotten into her in far too long.

Donna glanced at Jade, who was no help whatsoever. Well, we better get going and find that key. I’m sure it’s in the car. Have a good night. Come on, Jade.

She grabbed the stunned girl’s hand and pulled, feeling the stranger’s eyes following them the entire way. After running down the stairs rather than wait for the elevator with the overly observant hottie who lingered in the hallway, they spilled out the front door onto the sidewalk with a burst of adrenaline-fueled giggles.

CHAPTER TWO

I can’t believe you two got caught on your knees with your ears pressed against Daniel’s door. Grace shook her head.

They’d met with Donna’s friend Grace the next morning over coffee at the diner. The two had breakfast together every Sunday morning and because of the current Daniel situation, Jade joined them today too.

Donna sipped her own blessedly hot, caffeinated beverage and enjoyed the feel as it scalded its way down her throat. She liked her coffee hot, just like the guy from last night whom she couldn’t seem to get out of her mind. I knew going inside the building was a bad idea.

I’m sorry, but I didn’t know what else to do. Jade stirred her herbal tea and sighed, then glanced at Grace. You should have seen the guy that caught us. He was kinda cute in a scary way, but that was probably the gun. He kept staring at Donna.

Scowling, Grace slammed her coffee mug down on the table so hard its contest sloshed over the side. As usual, Grace ignored the mess. You didn’t tell me he was hot and he was staring at you! That just figures, you run into hot men in a deserted apartment hallway in the middle of the night and I probably couldn’t run over one with my car. And you know I have a thing for men who carry guns…cops, soldiers, prison guards…

Grace always had been a little warped in the men department. Donna took her own napkin and blotted the spill Grace still ignored. It’s not like I’ll ever see him again. I have no intention of going back there.

Jade’s big blue eyes turned glassy. I’ll probably never be in that building again either, once Daniel dumps me for this new girl. I swear I heard something in that apartment last night. What am I going to do?

Donna grabbed Jade’s hand. We’ll find a way to prove that Daniel is not cheating on you somehow. I promise.

Grace nodded. Sure. We are three intelligent, savvy women. We’ll come up with a plan. Don’t worry, Jade. She shoved a piece of muffin in her mouth.

Thanks. Jade managed a smile but Donna noted how the food on Jade’s plate remained untouched.

Obviously she was the kind of woman who only picked at food and couldn’t eat when she was upset. No wonder she had the body of a centerfold