Deadly Deceit Read online

  While none of them liked perpetuating the lie, Jolene and Christian supported their partner’s happiness. None of them actually claimed to be dating anyone but their partners, but they never denied it when questioned. If that meant that the public thought the teachers were marrying each other, then so be it.

  When Christian and Joseph finished with their photos, the two couples rejoined each other and their parents.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to double-up on the honeymoon, too?” Robert asked playfully.

  Jolene snorted. “Considering we are going to a lesbian-only resort in Hawaii, I don’t think the boys will fit in.”

  “Oh, come on,” Joseph replied, squeezing his husband’s hand affectionately, “You don’t think we could pass as a couple of dykes?”

  Shirley and Beth laughed, as did their husbands. “I don’t know,” Frank said mischievously, “Christian might be able to, but I think you would be a little obvious, son.”

  Christian fixed a look of offend on his effeminate features. “Are you saying I look like a woman?” he asked without offense.

  “Of course, not,” Robert replied with a chuckle at his son, “You are all man. But, Joseph does tend to scream masculinity, whereas you just kind of… scream,” he finished with a wink.

  Jolene and Christina laughed loudly, but their mother’s blushed at Robert’s not-so-subtle insinuation.

  “Shut up, Jo,” Christian snarled playfully, “You don’t exactly scream femininity, yourself. The only thing about you that screams woman is the fact that your balls are on your chest.”

  Jolene smiled winningly at her brother-in-law. “Yes, they are,” she said sweetly, “and, they are much bigger than yours. Besides,” she added with a smug smirk, “Christie is the screamer. She screams enough for the both of us.”

  Christina’s face flamed, as did Christian, Beth, and Shirley’s. Frank and Robert doubled over with laughter as Christina slapped at Jolene’s arm.

  “Could you two be any more alike?” Robert asked his children.

  Christina covered her face with her hands and shook her head. Christian ran a hand through his short, dark hair with an embarrassed chuckle.

  Jolene draped her arm around her wife’s waist and pulled her close. “Don’t be bashful, baby,” she whispered in the woman’s ear, “I love that you are so vocal. Come on, let’s get this honeymoon underway.”

  Chapter 2

  “Good morning, Sweetheart,” Jolene stroked a finger down Christina’s cheek, guiding a thick lock of black hair behind the woman’s ear.

  “Good morning,” Christina replied, her voice rough and gravelly.

  Jolene snickered and pressed an easy kiss to Christina’s lips. “Do you have any idea how much my ego inflates when you sound like that in the mornings?”

  Christina giggled. “I know you love it,” she replied, “but, what were you trying to prove last night? I mean, I’m pretty sure our brothers heard us, all the way in Ibiza.”

  Jolene shrugged and lifted onto her elbow. She pushed the sheet away, tracing her fingertips over Christina’s nude form. “No one heard us, Christie,” she replied, “They heard you. That was your voice echoing around the island.”

  Christina shivered as Jolene’s fingers made their way over her breasts. “My voice, your efforts,” she said with a soft moan as gooseflesh peppered her skin.

  Jolene lowered her lips to the spot below Christina’s ear. “What can I say? I am very good at what I do,” she whispered, her lips barely brushing the outer edge of Christina’s earlobe.

  “That’s why I married you,” Christina purred, canting her head to allow Jolene access to the sensitive flesh, “Well, that, and the whole I love everything about you, thing.”

  Jolene smiled at Christina’s proclamation. It always made her heart flutter when Christina verbalized her devotion. It was something Jolene had never experienced in prior relationships.

  “What do you want to do today?” she asked, pulling her lips away from Christina’s throat. Jolene wasn’t used to compliments, and despite everything the couple had shared and experienced in their years together, she changed the subject.

  Christina lowered her eyelids and looked at Jolene through her lashes. “You,” she said, her voice almost inaudible.

  Jolene chuckled and rolled onto her back. “I meant aside from me, goofball. This trip is all-inclusive, so we should probably venture out of the room, at least once or twice. I’d hate to waste my parent’s money.”

  Christina chuckled and shifted to straddle Jolene’s hips. “Don’t worry, Jo,” she said, sliding her hands up Jolene’s long torso, “It won’t be wasted. Besides,” she added as she brushed her thumb over a nipple, “I’m quite certain they’ve figured out that we’re going to be too wrapped up in each other, to do anything that requires leaving the room.”

  Jolene scrunched up her face, doing her best to look confused. “But, what if I don’t want to have sex anymore this week?”

  Christina raised a dark, slender eyebrow. “If that’s what you really want,” she said, her voice deceptively light, “I’m sure that old futon in the basement is still somewhat comfortable. I’m thinking six months of sleeping on that will get you to see the error of your ways.”

  Jolene snorted, but pretended to weigh her options. “Hmm,” she said, running her palms over the outside of Christina’s smooth outer thighs, “Spend my nights in bed next to my breathtakingly gorgeous wife, or sleeping in the basement on a futon I’ve had since I was in high school. That’s a tough one. Does choosing the futon still come with sex privileges?”

  Christina frowned and shook her head, crossing her arms over her breasts.

  “Didn’t think so,” Jolene chuckled, “Okay, okay, okay. I guess we can have more sex. But, how about we take a break and have breakfast, first?”

  As if afraid the woman would decline the offer of food, Christina’s stomach grumbled loudly. Jolene laughed at the slight blush on her new wife’s face.

  “All these years, and your stomach growling still embarrasses you?”

  Christina ducked her head and covered her eyes with her hands. Jolene reached up and lowered them, tipping Christina’s chin until their eyes met.

  “You don’t have to be bashful, honey,” she said honestly, “I think we’re well beyond that stage in our relationship. We’re married now. I’m not going to break up with you because your body makes noises. So,” a playful smirk crossed Jolene’s features, “you can rest assured that your tummy grumbles, farts, and burps are not going to scare me off.”

  Christina’s jaw dropped, and Jolene barked out a laugh at the look of appall on the woman’s face. “That’s disgusting,” Christina said with a grimace, “You’re gross. I don’t think I want to have sex with you anymore.”

  Jolene wrapped her arms around Christina and pulled her onto her chest. “Good. So, breakfast is a go?”

  Christina chuckled and kissed Jolene quickly, before rolling off her. “Come on, Officer McNasty,” she said, tugging Jolene out of the bed, “Let’s get some food.”

  ***

  “Going down?”

  Jolene nodded at the short-haired brunette, and laced her fingers with Christina’s.

  “It’ll be a few minutes,” the brunette said, motioning to the numbers above the elevator, “It just left.”

  “That’s alright,” Christina smiled, “I’d rather wait a few extra minutes than take twelve flights of stairs.”

  A redhead holding the brunette’s hand laughed. “Same,” she said, looking adoringly at the brunette, “We’re not in that much of a hurry. Besides,” she added with a glance at her feet, “heels are not the best thing to wear when taking the stairs.”

  Jolene and the brunette snorted in unison, and Christina crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at her wife.

  “Sorry, Baby,” Jolene offered, glancing noticeably at Christina’s choice of footwear, “But, you’re the one who thinks you need to wear heels everywhere.”


  “My wife is the same way,” the brunette said, giving her redhead an affectionate squeeze, “Heels or bare feet; those are her preferred options. I’m Cole,” she said, extending her hand to Jolene, “and this is my wife, Jillian.”

  “Jo,” Jolene returned, shaking Cole’s hand, “And this beautiful young woman,” she offered Christina a winning smile, “is my wife, Christie.”

  Jillian and Cole shared a smirk, eliciting a look of confusion from the couple. “Uh-oh,” Jolene said, “What’s that look for?”

  “You’re the newlyweds in the honeymoon suite, aren’t you?” Jillian asked, an amused glint in her bright blue eyes.

  Jolene glanced at Christina and nodded. Cole snorted, only to be smacked on the shoulder by her wife.

  “Congratulations,” Jillian said, glowering at Cole.

  “How did you know?” Christina asked curiously, following Jillian and Cole onto the elevator that had just arrived. Jolene nodded when Cole pointed to a button on the display.

  “You both have the just married look,” Cole replied, pressing the button for the lobby, “It is nice, though, to put a face to the plea. That usually never happens.”

  Jolene’s eyebrow arched, but the blush creeping up Christina’s neck made it clear that the woman understood what Cole was saying.

  “Our room is right next to yours,” Cole explained, noting Jolene’s confused expression, “Gotta say, Jo,” she bumped Jolene’s shoulder playfully, “I think Stud would be a better nickname for you. It’s been years since Jillian has pleaded with me like that.”

  It was Jolene’s turn to blush. Christina slipped her arm around Jolene’s waist, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. “Guess you were right,” Christina teased, “It was my voice echoing around the island.”

  Jolene bit her lower lip and tipped her head to stare at the ceiling. “Sorry about that,” she said to the small space, “I guess we just got caught up in the celebration. I guess I didn’t realize that we could be heard in the other rooms.”

  Cole and Jillian laughed. The two couples stepped out of the elevator, and into the plush lobby of their hotel.

  “Never apologize for pleasing your woman,” Cole said seriously, “If other people can’t handle that you two enjoy each other, then screw them. The only opinion that matters, is yours.”

  Jolene’s color faded slightly, and she thanked the woman. Cole waved off the thanks, and took Jillian’s hand. “We’ll be on the beach, if you two decide to come down. It was nice chatting with you.”

  Jolene and Christina waved to the couple as Jillian and Cole exited through the front doors. “They seem nice,” Christina said, turning to look for the sign that would lead them to the hotel restaurant.

  “They do,” Jolene agreed, “I wonder where they’re from. You want to go down to the beach after breakfast?”

  Christina shrugged as the couple waited for a hostess to seat them. “We’ll see. I may just want to go back to bed,” she replied with a wink.

  “Sounds good to me,” Jolene snickered as the couple followed the hostess to a small table near the windows. “Although,” she added when she caught a glimpse of the sea through the glass, “I kind of want to try out those waves.”

  Jolene loved to surf, but the waters off the coast of Oregon were too cold to accommodate most surfers. To give herself a chance to catch some waves, she and Christina typically spent a few days each summer on warmer beaches in southern California.

  Christina followed Jolene’s line of sight, her eyes widening at the size of the swells, and the number of wave riders already in the water. She was quite the skilled surfer, herself, and she suddenly had the urge to ride.

  “I’ve changed my mind,” she said, looking eagerly at Jolene across the table, “Let’s go surfing.”

  Jolene nodded, and the couple ordered their breakfast. The meal arrived quickly, and each tucked into her plate with quiet gusto. They’d worked up a voracious appetite the night before, and neither realized just how hungry they were, until their plates were empty.

  “Man,” Jolene said, setting her plate aside to sip her mimosa, “that was amazing. Who knew tofu would be such a tasty breakfast food?”

  While neither woman was typically adventurous in her dining choices, each had promised to do her best to stick with local cuisine during their stay.

  Jolene’s breakfast, at the recommendation of the waitress, had consisted of spicy curried tempeh, a delicious assortment of vegetables from the local farmer’s market, quinoa, sweet potato hash, and grilled kabocha squash. Although not a huge fan of soy products, she had to admit; the dish was scrumptious.

  “I definitely need to thank Marcy for her suggestion. I’ve never liked kimchi before, but that was really good. I think I could eat that veggie bowl for every meal.” Christina stacked her plate atop Jolene’s, and took a tentative sip of her own mimosa. She’d never had one before, to the astonishment of most of her friends and family.

  Marcy, Christina’s life-long best friend, has spent her anniversary at the Hanford-Hawaiian Hotel the previous year, and had talked Christina’s ear off about the food.

  Christina’s breakfast, which she inhaled with such fervor that she barely tasted each component, was only slightly bigger than Jolene’s. Composed of fried eggs with kimchi-fried rice, misoyaki salmon, a tatsoi salad, and bibimbap topped with cucumber and carrot namasu.

  “I never realized how much Hawaiian cooking was inspired by Korea,” Jolene said, signaling the waitress for the check, “Maybe we should go to Korea for our first anniversary.”

  Christina chuckled and finished her mimosa. “Or, we could just order from Seoul Food, that Korean restaurant in Marilynn,” she suggested, licking the remains of her drink from her lips, “Joe and Chris said it’s great food, and the owner-slash-chef is from Seoul.”

  Jolene settled the bill, charging it to the room per her father’s instructions, and took Christina’s hand as the couple left the restaurant.

  “Okay,” she said, “We’ll try Seoul Food when we get home. For now, let’s go change and find out where to rent a board.”

  ***

  Thirty minutes later, the couple made their way onto the beach with surfboards nestled under their arms. They stopped near a small row of beach umbrellas, glancing around for a place to claim as their own.

  “Jo, Christie,” a voice called, “Over here!”

  The women turned to their left, spying Cole and Jillian lying on a blanket under a beach canopy. Jolene looked to Christina, who nodded approvingly, before leading her wife toward their hotel neighbors.

  “Morning, ladies,” Jolene greeted as they ducked under the canopy, “Enjoying yourselves?”

  Cole and Jillian nodded, motioning for Jolene and Christina to have a seat on the large blanket spread beneath them. “We always enjoy ourselves out here,” Jillian replied, “That’s why we come every year.”

  Jolene and Christina leaned their surfboards against the support legs of the canopy before taking a seat.

  “Every year?” Christina asked, “Really?”

  Cole and Jillian nodded in unison. “Mostly because we enjoy ourselves,” Cole clarified, “but, also to face our fears.”

  “You have a fear of Hawaiian beaches?” Jolene asked curiously.

  Cole snorted and shook her head. “We’ll explain later. First, tell us about yourselves. Where are you from?”

  “We’re from Oregon,” Christina replied, stretching her legs out in front of her as she rested back on her elbows.

  “Oh, really?” Cole asked, her eyebrow inching upward, “Whereabouts? We’re from Marilynn.”

  “No shit?” Jolene replied, surprise written clearly on her face, “We live in Dallas, but I work in Marilynn.”

  Cole and Jillian shared a shocked look. “Well, how about that? We don’t usually meet people who have even heard of Dallas or Marilynn,” Jillian responded with a chuckle, “What do you do in Marilynn?”

  Jolene crossed her legs and rested her elbows on
her knees, “I’m a patrol officer with Marilynn PD. What about the two of you? What do you do for a living?”

  Cole sat upright and reached for a water bottle. “I’m a corporate attorney with Greyson, Murphy, and O’Shea.”

  Jolene nodded and looked to Jillian, whose eyes were locked on her wife with adoration. “What about you? Are you an attorney as well?”

  “I’m the O’Shea in Greyson, Murphy, and O’Shea,” she replied easily.

  Cole snorted and pushed her wife playfully. “Bullshit,” she laughed, “Your daddy is the O’Shea. You, my beautiful bride, are just the accountant.”

  Jillian wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at Cole. “Okay, fine. I’m the head of the accounting department at my father’s law firm. But, being the boss’s daughter has its advantages. What do you do?” she asked, turning her attention to Christina.

  Christina fiddled with the fabric flower attached to her flip-flops. “I teach Chemistry at Dallas High School,” she replied cautiously. Hearing that the couple were from the same area made her nervous. If either of the women let it slip that Christina was a lesbian, she could lose her job.

  Cole and Jillian shared a frown before returning their attention to their new friend. “Based on your tone, I take it the school still has that stupid code of ethics rule about being out?” Cole asked.

  Christina nodded and shrugged.

  “How are you keeping in the closet?” Jillian asked, “I mean, if you are living in Dallas, it’s going to be nearly impossible to hide the fact that you two are living together.”

  Jolene reached across the small space and took Christina’s hand. “Oh, that won’t be an issue,” she said with a small smile, “We’ve been together for almost six years, and no one has figured it out. They all think she’s with my brother.”

  Twin eyebrows raised, and Jillian and Cole simply stared. “Do tell,” Cole said, leaning forward eagerly.

  Jolene smiled sheepishly. “My twin brother is the gym teacher at the high school. Christie’s older brother is my partner on the force. They’re married to each other now, by the way,” she added with a chuckle.