A Thursday teaser from Malicious Intent
By A.L. Smith
As much as she hated to admit it, the brother was eye candy. Slowly, she made her way to the workout room, and the intensity of her routine escalated. Most likely, it was a subconscious attempt to ignore the inappropriate thoughts that were developing in her mind.
“Hello.”
“Damn it, you nearly scared me half to death,” she said, clutching her chest. She was bent over in a post-workout stretching position when she heard his voice. When she straightened, he was standing close enough for her to feel his breath on the nape of her neck.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I tried to get your attention, but you were obviously in your zone.”
“So, you were watching me?” Butterflies.
“Yes.”
“Look, uh…I’m done here. You can proceed with your installation.” Damn it, Chandler. This was all his fault. Why the hell did we have to change services? And why couldn’t he arrange for it to take place while he was at home?
“If you don’t mind, can you hang around for a bit? I may need your assistance for this one. The setup is a little complicated.”
“Sure. How long do you think this will take?”
“Not long.” His eyes were glued to Angel’s.
“So, what do you want me to do?”
“Stand here and wait for the cable to come through the opening here on the wall,” he said, pointing to the preinstalled cable outlet. “I’m going to drop the new wires through the opening. I just need you to catch them and pull until I tell you to stop.”
“Sounds easy enough.”
“Cool.”
She stood glued to the spot that he pointed out and grabbed the wires as instructed. Although her workout was over, the adrenaline rush continued. What if he was some kind of sexual predator? Surely the company completed background checks before hiring their technicians. Those thoughts were quickly replaced with something entirely different: desire.
“Good job, Mrs. Montgomery.”
Suddenly, he was standing behind and once again, she grabbed her chest, but still managed to hang on to the cable wires with her other hand.
“Look, you really need to stop doing that. Make some noise when you enter the room.”
“Sorry, it won’t happen again. I’m just about done,” he said, taking the cable wires and making the final connection into the wall.
“Good. Can I go now?”
“Only if you want to.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” His boldness caused her to pause. She stood motionless, awaiting his response.
“Exactly what I said. Can I share something with you, Mrs. Montgomery?”
“Sure, why not,” she said sarcastically. Yet, she was eager to hear what he had to say.
“Your crib is off the chain, and you seem to have everything you could ever possibly want. But something’s telling me you’re not happy. Am I right?”
She decided not to answer, and slowly turned to leave. Within seconds, she could feel his breath on the nape of her neck again. But this time he went a step further. His lips touched her skin, and her knees began to buckle. Before she could turn around to protest, he was standing directly in front of her. His eyes were magnetic and searching as she made a futile attempt to answer his question.
Malicious Intent
World-renowned Attorney Alexandra Phillips has a knack for turning open and shut cases for the prosecution into wins for the defense. In the third installment of the Behind Closed Doors Series, Attorney Phillips defends another victim who is accused of murdering her abuser.
With the world still reeling from the effects of COVID-19, Protagonist Attorney Alexandra Phillips is determined to uncover the truth behind the mysterious HIV strain that is discovered as she searches for a key piece of evidence to exonerate her client. Her client, an adulterous Dallas housewife is accused of murder. Motive? As it turns out, her slain lover was HIV positive and the primary purpose of his seduction was to maliciously expose her to the disease. As a crime of passion attorney, Attorney Phillips is convinced that a Texas jury would exonerate her client if she could prove the decedent’s intent to expose her client to the disease…but there’s one problem. Her client is innocent, and without a confession, the crime of passion defense isn’t an option. With her client’s freedom hanging in the balance, Attorney Phillips concedes to the fact that the only viable defense is to find the killer…
Follow Attorney Phillips as she untangles a multilayered conspiracy of cover-ups, betrayal, and revenge. Combining elements of murder-mystery and medical drama with an urban twist, this captivating page-turner is sure to leave die-hard readers wanting more.
See the excellent book trailer.
Get it now on Amazon.
A.L. Smith
is a practicing Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, and a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserves. She attended Grambling State University on a basketball scholarship and later became the first nursing cadet to receive a commission in the Army Nurse Corps. In 2020, she completed a deployment to Kuwait at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, gaining first-hand knowledge of the global impact.
Smith is the author of the critically acclaimed novel, Behind Closed Doors 2: Dana’s Story, which is the subject of the multi-award-winning short film, Dana’s Story. The story was inspired by her experience in Haiti during the devastating earthquake in 2010. Smith’s interest in filmmaking was spawned by her decision to create cinematic book trailers to market her work. In 2022, she was selected as a semi-finalist for the groundbreaking new show “America’s Next Great Author.”
Get to know more about A.L. Smith on her
And follow her on Twitter/X at AkAngela1 .
