Detective Conners pointed to Knox. "You were with him last night?"
Nessa nodded, not making eye contact with Knox.
"Prove it," Detective Chavez said, his voice full of distaste.
Nessa looked at Knox who still had his head resting in his hands. She turned back to the officers and smirked. "Prove it? What do you want? Pictures? Video? That sort of thing is private. Besides, Knox is a little bit of a prude when it comes to filming our extracurricular activities."
A choked sound escaped from either Patrick or Jason and it wasn't lost on Detective Chavez who leaned back and eyed Nessa with disbelief. "It was mentioned that you worked for Mr. Marsden. How do we know you're not lying for him in order to keep your job?"
A peel of laughter escaped through Nessa's lips. She looked back at the three men from Luxmar and pointed at the detectives. "Did you tell them I worked here? How funny."
She shook her head at Detective Chavez. "You clearly don't know my Knox. He fired me my first day here. I don't think I even worked an hour. You can ask the secretaries outside if you don't believe me."
"Why would you date someone who fired you?" Detective Conners asked.
Nessa shrugged. "I probably have daddy issues."
Nessa walked around Knox's desk and used her eyes to signal Jason and Patrick to move away from Knox, who was lifting his head and beginning to stand.
"That's enough." Knox fully stood and pointed to the door. "You two can see yourselves out. Talk to my attorney if you have any further questions for me."
"But we don't have questions for you," Detective Conners said. He made a smug expression and nodded at Nessa. "We have questions for her. Why would you date a man who fired you?"
Nessa was standing close to Knox and shrugged. "He's good looking, rich, and—"
She placed a hand across his chest and Knox placed his hand over hers, stopping Nessa from caressing him.
"Enough," he whispered.
"And then of course," Nessa used her covered hand to grab his tie and pull him closer. "There's this." She pulled his lips down to hers and turned their bodies in case the detectives noticed he wasn't responding to her. She had planned to mentally count to four before stepping away.
One.
Two.
Three.
She took a step back, only to feel Knox's hand wrap itself around her lower waist and pull her forward. His non-responsive lips suddenly devoured hers and Nessa, unsure of what to do, allowed it to happen.
A loud coughing sound from Jason pulled her back to her senses and Nessa was thankful Knox had his arm around her waist after he pulled his face slightly away from hers. He kissed the spot right above her left hear and whispered, "Didn't anyone ever warn you not to play with fire?"
"I think that's enough proof, don't you?" Patrick asked the two detectives.
Detective Conners was rubbing his chin. "I don't know. It could've been fake. I mean, it's just a kiss. Can that really be considered proof?"
His partner made a sound of annoyance. "What do you expect them to do? Have sex on his table?"
Nessa stepped out of Knox's embrace and fiddled with her hair. She could feel Knox standing behind her and it unnerved her that he was still so close. Why had he kissed her?
"He has a star tattoo," Nessa said loudly. "On his..."
She lifted her right and left hand in front of her as if she couldn't remember which was which. "On his left butt cheek. Also, the words twinkle twinkle are above and below it. Is that proof enough?"
Both Patrick and Jason looked at one another and back at Knox who turned pale.
"Is that true?" Detective Chavez asked.
Nessa turned to Knox. "Show them."
"Yeah, show us," Patrick said with a mischievous grin, clearly interested if his brother really had the tattoo.
Through gritted teeth, Knox muttered, "I am not showing you my ass."
"If you did, I'd really believe you two were dating," Detective Conners said.
"Not necessarily," Detective Chavez corrected his partner. "At the very least, she saw his rear end."
"Get out," Knox said.
"Does he really have a tattoo like that?" Knox heard Patrick whisper to Jason.
"Get out," Knox repeated.
No one listened to him except Nessa, who was slowly trying to back away from him. They were all laughing about the idea of him having a tattoo.
"Get the hell out of here!" Knox finally shouted. "Now!"
"You can't talk to us like that," Detective Conners pointed a finger at Knox who stared daggers back at him.
"If you have something to say, say it to my lawyer. I've asked you both to leave several times. If you want to arrest me, go ahead but you better make it stick because I sure as hell won't let you two off if you're wrong."
"We're not here to arrest you," Detective Chavez said. "We're here to ask you a few questions."
"For the last time, get out before I call security."
Patrick and Jason stepped forward shaking their heads, urging both men to follow them to the elevators. They did, reluctantly. Nessa was making her way to the door when Knox's voice boomed across the room, "Not you!"
She cringed. "I really should be going."
"I distinctly remember the day you pulled my gym pants down, that you swore you hadn't seen a thing."
Nessa blushed. "Well, I do have eyes."
"You swore you fell and pulled down my pants but you hadn't seen anything. You lied!"
She was tapping her two ring fingers together. "It was difficult to not see that tattoo. Besides, I didn't see the front, just the back and there's nothing extraordinary about anyone's butt cheeks. Well, not usually. That tattoo was unforgettable."
"Did you pull my gym pants down on purpose?" Knox demanded to know.
Nessa gasped. "Of course not! I told you it was an accident! Despite what you say, I'm not some pants pervert!"
"Like I would believe you after that whopper you just told. We're dating? In your dreams."
Nessa crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "As if I'd date a man who had such a lame tattoo!"
"L-lame tattoo?" Knox loosened the knot of his tie. "I'll have you know that the only reason I got that tattoo was because of a bet that I lost! Besides, I'd rather have a lame tattoo than date a woman who claims to talk to ghosts and is a pants pervert!"
"Well, you kissed this pants pervert so what does that make you?" Nessa shouted. They were standing very close to one another, both breathing heavily.
"Momentarily insane. Why else would I kiss you? Why I'm telling you this, I don't know. Shouldn't your spirit friends be answering all these questions?"
"Instead of mocking me, I would be thanking me if I were you," Nessa spat.
"And why should I do that?"
"Because I know where you really were last night."
Knox's eyes widened. "Impossible. Unless you were following me. Did you tell the cops you were my alibi so that I'd start dating you? You're wasting your time."
Nessa gave a caustic laugh. "You're so full of yourself. I told you. My ghosties tell me everything. Your grandmother is really worried about you."
"Don't talk to me about my grandmother!"
"Don't you understand?" Nessa frowned. "I just helped you. You needed an alibi and I lied for you. I'm pretty sure that's some kind of crime."
"You helped me lie to the police. Do you know what for? They think I murdered my maid. How can you be so sure I didn't?" Knox asked.
"Because I know where you really were last night."
"You keep saying that," his voice had gone deathly soft as he glared at her. "What's your endgame? What do you want from me?"
"I want a job. A steady job. A good job. I don't want to clean toilets, or deliver files, or dress up like a dinosaur. I want to be a secretary, and you're going to make me one."
The corner of Knox's right eye twitched in annoyance. "Are you trying to blackmail me?"
"I prefer to think of it as us scratching one another's back."
"You're delusional."
"Shall I prove it?"
"You're going to prove your ghosts are real? Impossible," Knox began pacing around his office.
"They told me where you were last night."
Again, he stilled. He waited for her to continue and she didn't disappoint him.
"How you lied about your name and wear contacts and a wig. How you drove three hours so you wouldn't be recognized," Nessa said softly. "I know everything."
"You-"
"There's no shame in going to an AA meeting," Nessa said. "That's where they told me you went. Are you really ashamed of being a recovering alcoholic?"