Rank kissed the top of Helena’s head then locked eyes with her and opened his mouth to speak, when a loud yowl came from behind him. “What the fuck?” Twisting around and looking down, he saw a huge cat on the floor, its yellow eyes staring unwaveringly up at him. The long, orange fur was well-groomed, but stuck out around its body giving it a shaggy appearance. The cat opened its mouth with another yowl and, from the tone and pitch, he was certain the cat was judging him…and finding him lacking.
“Oscar,” Helena scolded. “I fed you earlier.” She shifted her gaze from the cat to him and laughed, seeing his dubious expression. “He’s grouchy, but friendly. Honest, he is.”
Before he had a chance to offer his opinion on the feline staring at him, his eye caught movement coming from the kitchen. A thinner, gray-striped cat padded silently into the room, slowing to rub its body along Helena’s ankles.
“And this is Grover,” she said, bending to rub a hand from the cat’s head, down his back, to the tip of his tail.
As she stood up again, her face softened into a gentle smile, the nervousness of the day disappearing.
“Prairie Dawn? Where are you?”
Not understanding what Prairie Dawn was, his eyes widened as a sleek black-and-white cat padded into the room, looking both strangely thin and overweight at the same time.
“Jesus, Helena. How many cats do you have? And where were they hiding all this time?”
“Rank!” she huffed, squatting again as she held her hands out to the cats. “They were sleeping. And I only have these three,” she replied, then murmured, “for now.”
“For now?”
Still squatting on the floor, rubbing her cats, she twisted her head up and looked at him. “Uh…yeah. Prairie Dawn is pregnant and the vet thinks she’s going to have three kittens.”
His eyes widened as he invisioned dozens of cats roaming the small apartment.
“Don’t you like cats?” she asked plaintively, drawing him from his daydream.
Grover began rubbing against his legs and he bent down to rub the beautiful tabby, contemplating how to answer that. The fur was soft under his fingertips and the cat began to purr loudly. He looked at Helena, realizing she was scrutinizing his response closely. Grinning, he said, “Yeah, babe. I like cats. I just don’t like dozens and dozens of cats.”
Laughing, she shook her head. “There won’t be dozens. Just maybe three more.”
“Hmm. Three more won’t be too bad.” Looking over his shoulder at Oscar, who was still sitting on the floor staring up at him, he added, “Not too sure about that one though. He looks like one tough hombre.”
“Oscar’s got a loud meow, but he’s really a sweetie, just like the others.”
Twisting, he looked at the black-and-white cat. “Prairie Dawn. Grover and Oscar,” he pointed to each in turn. “You named your cats after Sesame Street characters?”
Her grin was wider now, the stress of their earlier dealings obviously easing, making him glad that the cats had come into the room.
Shrugging, she continued to pet the one still swirling around her feet. “I know it seems like a lot, but it just sort of happened. I had the two males, but she came into one of the shelters that I assist and,” she shrugged slightly, “they needed someone to foster her since she’s going to have kittens.”
A warm sensation moved through him at the confirmation she was the most caring person he knew.
Rank stood, then pulled her up as well and Helena immediately rose on her tiptoes and touched her lips to his. The zing that shot through her every time their lips met was becoming familiar. “You were really stressed earlier. What can I do to make things better?” Electricity moved through the air and his answer was a growl that she felt down to her toes.
He bent and lifted her higher and she wrapped her legs around his hips, grinding her core against his thick jeans as he took her mouth. He growled louder and she pressed her breasts against his chest, angling her head to allow his tongue to plunge deeper.
Turning, he carried her through the living room, grunting out, “Bedroom?”
“On the right,” she replied, surprised she was able to make a coherent phrase.
He entered the room indicated and kicked the door shut, keeping the cats from joining them. He bounced her slightly to indicate his intentions and she unwrapped her legs from his waist and slid down his front. Once her feet were on the ground, his hands went to the bottom of her shirt. Whipping it up, he jerked it over her head and tossed it to the side.
Her satin-covered breasts bounced slightly at the movement. “Damn girl, you’re gorgeous,” he said, palming her breasts before unsnapping the front closure. Freeing the plump mounds, he dove in to suck a rosy nipple deep into his mouth.
Her fingers tugged at his shirt, managing to inch it upward. With his assistance, his shirt was soon on her floor as well. With a sly grin, she stepped back and placed her hands on her pants. Sliding them down her legs, she gave a kick and flung them to the side. Now, clad only in her lacy panties, she turned and sauntered to the bed, her hips swaying.
He gave her ass a light slap and laughed as she jumped. Looking over her shoulder, she playfully glared at him as he unzipped his cargo pants, shucking them quickly after toeing off his boots.
He nodded toward the bed and she sat on the edge before scooting backward. Propping up on her elbows, she grinned as he stalked toward her, palming his cock. He bent to dig through his jeans, snagging a condom, but before he rolled it on, she shifted to her knees and licked her lips. “Wait,” she ordered.
With a wide smile, he settled on the bed and she threw her leg over his and straddled him. She took his cock in her hand, sliding up and down, watching the drop of pre-cum on the tip.With a quick lick first, she slid her lips over his erection, taking as much of him as she could. A hiss left his lips and he bucked upward.
“Jesus, girl.”
She grinned as she alternated between sucking slow, then fast, licking and swirling her tongue around the sensitive rim. He groaned and she felt powerful, the experience heady. He fisted his hands in her hair, occasionally pulling just enough to cause a twinge of pain in her scalp, but it only served to make her suck him harder.
Rank knew he was about to blow and for an instant considered doing so in Helena’s talented mouth. Quickly changing his mind, he reached down and pulled her up. “Ride me,” he ordered, wondering if he was going to last.
She took the condom from next to him and rolled it on his impressive erection, stopping for a moment to admire the size and shape of his cock. Her lips were still moist from her unfinished blow-job and she ran her tongue over them, eliciting another groan from him.
Once he was sheathed, she lifted up and adjusted his tip to her entrance. Sliding down slowly, he filled her sex and this time they both groaned. Leaning forward, she placed her hands on his chest as she lifted up before sliding back down.
“Work it, babe,” he ordered, his voice raspy.
She grinned and continued to move slowly.
“Babe,” he warned, giving her ass a little pat.
She increased her speed, but it still was not enough for him, so he took over. Lifting his hips, he thrust upward and she gasped at the sensations. He reached his hands up to palm her breasts, tweaking her nipples.
He knew he was not going to last much longer so he slid one hand down over her tummy, thumbing her clit. “You close?”
“Yes,” she cried, the friction tightening the coil inside. One last pinch and she cried out again, this time his name on her lips.
His neck muscles corded and the blood vessels stood out in stark relief as he groaned out his orgasm, pumping deep inside her.
With a sigh, she fell forward, landing on his chest, both of them panting breaths while their heartbeats pounded.
17
Standing outside the Blue Rose Restaurant, Helena sucked in a deep, cleansing breath, before letting it out slowly. Swallowing deeply, she stood tall and threw open the doors,
walking through with as much confidence as she could muster. After letting the hostess know who she was meeting, she followed the woman toward the back of the restaurant, noting Frank had picked a corner table partially hidden by a large planter.
She smiled widely as she approached and lifted her hand to his. Standing quickly, he engulfed her hand in his and smiled just as widely.
“Mr. Tercelli. Frank,” she amended as he raised a brow. “Thank you so much for inviting me to lunch.”
With her hand still in his, he bent and kissed her cheek. “Helena, my dear, I’m so thrilled that you were able to accommodate me.” He held her chair as she sat, then moved back around the table to take his seat again.
She laughed lightly, and said, “I hardly think that my schedule was the one that needed accommodating. As busy as you are, I know it must’ve been difficult to take this time.”
He waved his hand dismissively. “I have to eat, you have to eat, so this makes a perfect time to get together.”
She took a sip of her iced tea, having refused the glass of wine. As they perused the menu, she fought the urge to glance around to see if she could see Rank or Walker. Rank’s co-workers were monitoring the equipment she was wearing, but he and Walker were going to be close by.
Looking up, she realized that Frank had asked her something and her musings had stolen her attention. “I’m so sorry, I was completely absorbed in looking at the menu.”
He chuckled, and said, “I do love this restaurant. Everything on the menu is so good.” He did not get a chance to repeat his comment before the server came to take their order.
She was so nervous, the idea of food made her stomach churn, but she ordered a salad with grilled chicken anyway, thinking that the non-spicy meal would be the easiest to force herself to eat. As the server walked away, she looked back at Frank, and asked, “You were saying?”
“I just mentioned that I will be playing golf with your father soon. I haven’t seen your parents in a while and hope they are well.”
Nodding, she smiled. “Yes, they’re fine. And what about you? Thomas’ wife must be getting close to having the baby. You must be excited about being a grandfather for the first time.”
Frank smiled and their conversation centered around family for a few minutes. She caught herself fiddling with her napkin and brought her hands back to her lap, clasping them together. Holding his gaze, she asked, “I know that before Thomas was elected Senator, he worked for you. Has that been a difficult transition, not having him involved anymore?”
Shaking his head, he admitted, “Thomas was only marginally involved with the business, since he also ran his own law practice.”
“Oh, so he wasn’t really involved in the day-to-day activities of your business?”
“No, I had hoped that one day he might want to take it over, but he was more interested in the law than in business. And now, of course, he’s interested in politics.”
Unsure what she should ask next, she was relieved when Frank spoke.
“I wondered if we could discuss the charitable donations while we’re waiting for our food to be served.”
“Of course.” She reached down and lifted her slim, leather briefcase to her lap and pulled out the file that he had given her. Opening it, she shifted a few of the papers around, before laying them on the table between them. “Just so you know, Frank, I was able to send donation payments to the organizations that I have highlighted. I did that this morning, and the employees or business associates of yours that made the donations will receive their acknowledgment letters from me, as well as the charities.”
An audible sigh of relief left his lungs and he nodded enthusiastically. “Wonderful. I knew that you would be able to handle this endeavor without any problems.”
“There is one problem though that I must point out to you.” Sliding her fingernail down the list, she stopped and tapped on Barker Services. “I was unfamiliar with this organization and tried multiple times to call them and to look them up on the Internet. I was never able to obtain any information about them, so I drove to their location.”
He blinked, jerking slightly, and she worked to keep her expression neutral. It was obvious he was surprised to see that she had so tenaciously researched the list. Continuing, she said, “There was only one name on your donor list that had requested Barker Services, and that was Mr. Anatoly Kozlov. I believe that was the man that invited himself to our dinner the last time we were together. I’ll need to contact him about choosing a different charity or returning his money to him. Unless, of course, you’d rather handle that.”
The server interrupted them again, this time placing the meals in front of them. Neither spoke for a few minutes as they ate. She spent a great deal of time cutting her chicken into small bites, hoping she would be able to swallow it. Surreptitiously, she noted that he seemed to have lost his appetite as well.
After several minutes of silent eating, she forged ahead. “Have you decided what I should do about Mr. Kozlov?”
“We…” he cleared his throat, then continued, “Well, you’ve certainly done your homework.” He chuckled and said, “I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding. Misspelling or some such thing.”
“I see,” she said, her voice still pleasant. “Of course, if it was written incorrectly then you can just have him let me know what the correct organization is and, once I’ve checked them out, I will be more than happy to send them the money.”
Frank reached up and slid his finger into the collar of his shirt, right behind his tie. Giving a little tug, he loosened it ever so slightly. “This is rather uncomfortable for me to discuss with you, Helena, but you must understand that not everyone is as easy to do business with as I am.”
His gaze, which had been focused on his plate as he spoke, lifted to her face. Just as she predicted, her stomach began to churn furiously, her lunch like a dead weight in her guts. Her palms began to sweat, but she ignored the desire to wipe them on her skirt. Adopting what she hoped was a bland expression, she tilted her head slightly to the side.
“Mr. Kozlov is used to doing business his way and does not take suggestions or questions very lightly,” Frank explained.
Walker and Drew had prepared her for his charm and deflection, but his somewhat threatening comment about Anatoly Kozlov caught her off guard. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. Finally, she stammered, “I…I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
The muscles in his face tensed and he said, “It’s just that, he is not only a tough man in business, but he is also used to getting his way. He has other business associates that also want things to go a certain way. They can be very persuasive when they need to be.”
“That sounds rather like a bully, to me.”
A harsh chuckle sounded from his chest as he nodded. “I suppose that is as good a way to put it as any.” He paused, then said, “I’m afraid, Helena, that I may have put you in an awkward position. I think the best thing to do is have you set aside the money he wanted to go to Barker Services and send it back to me. I’ll deal with Mr. Kozlov.”
“I don’t mind talking to him,” she rushed. As soon as the words left her mouth, she wondered what was going through her mind. The last thing she wanted to do was spend any time with Kozlov again, but it might help get Rank more information.
A searing heat seemed to hit the back of her neck and she glanced behind her while pretending to place some papers back into her briefcase, now sitting on the floor next to her chair. Her eye caught on Rank, sitting at the bar, his gaze hard and penetrating, and she jerked back toward Frank.
“I appreciate the offer, Helena,” he said, “but, I’m sure it will be best if I deal with him. Will you be able to send a check to cover his amount to me tomorrow?”
Her head jerked in a nod and she covered the nervous twitch by saying, “Absolutely. You can certainly let him know that if he has a different charity he would like to support, I’ll be glad to work with him.”
The server brou
ght the check and she offered to pay her part, but Frank declined and dispensed with it efficiently. Unable to think of another reason why they should continue their conversation, she stood and shook hands with him.
“Thank you so much for lunch today. I’ll be sure to get the check sent to you tomorrow by courier and will let you work it out with Mr. Kozlov.” Something dark crossed through his eyes quickly before it flitted away and he smiled.
After their goodbyes, she watched as he climbed into the backseat of his car and his driver pulled out into the street. Walking in the opposite direction, she climbed into her own car and drove back home. Locking her door, she rested her head on the wood for a moment and let out a deep breath. Straightening, she turned and gasped, losing her breath as she saw Rank standing in her kitchen. Expression contrite for having scared her, he immediately moved over and enveloped her in a hug.
Leaning her head back she said, “I don’t think I got anything good—”
“Don’t worry about it. First of all, it was never your job to gather information for us. Plus, you have no idea what all my co-workers can extrapolate just from what was said at lunch.”
She slipped the necklace from around her neck that contained the video and audio transmitter, then hesitated and looked around. “Are we alone?”
“Yeah. I wanted to check on you. Then I’ll take this,” he took the necklace from her hand and put in his pocket, “to the compound to see what we’ve got.”
She wanted to ask when she would see him again but bit her lip in indecision, not wanting to seem clingy. She thought what they had was real, and he had given her every indication he felt the same way, but… It was all so much more complicated than it should be because of the case. Staring at his chest for a moment as her mind raced, when she lifted her eyes to his she found him staring straight back into hers.
“Are you okay, babe?” he asked. “I knew we should’ve never asked you to do this. It was too fuckin’ hard on you. I know you were a bundle of nerves and—”
Rank: Lighthouse Security Investigations Series Page 15