by Susanna Carr
She approached the double door and frowned when she didn’t recognize the music that pulsed through the walls. That was a problem. She had to acclimate herself to the culture and didn’t know a very important part like music. What if she dressed all wrong? What if she didn’t know which drink to buy?
Don’t borrow trouble. Julie squared back her shoulders and strutted to the door, giving a short nod in the bouncer’s direction.
“Wait.” The bouncer held out his meaty hand and motioned for her to come closer. “Let’s see some ID.”
She was getting carded? She wasn’t the type who went to nightclubs every week, but she was sure she looked over twenty-one. “Are you serious?” she asked.
He glared at her.
Apparently he was. She couldn’t believe it. Julie trudged over to where the bouncer stood. No Charlie’s Angel had to deal with this type of humiliation.
Julie reached in her pocket, where she kept her cash and driver’s license. She felt her face turn bright red as she presented the card to the bouncer.
“Don’t you dare tell Eric,” Julie muttered as Asia’s laughter rang in her ear. She was thankful that Eric didn’t witness this moment. She bet he didn’t get carded.
The bouncer looked at the driver’s license, then at her, then at the license again.
Oh, right. Julie grimaced. The photo on her license was nothing like what she was wearing. “I’m not photogenic.”
The bouncer didn’t disagree. After getting her ID back and her hand stamped, Julie walked into the nightclub. She paused at the entrance and looked around. It was bigger than she anticipated. Sleek and expensive.
“Oh, crap.”
“What?” Asia asked urgently.
“This place isn’t anything like the tequila bar where we hang out.” She noticed the chrome-and-glass décor, the patrons in designer clothes and the large dance floor flickering with multicolored lights.
“Don’t let it intimidate you,” Asia said in a soothing voice, but the static ruined the effect.
She dressed all wrong, Julie decided as her stomach twisted with dread. She should have visited the place earlier. Tactical error on her part, but she had directed all her focus on her seduction techniques.
“What the hell are you wearing?”
Julie whirled around at the sound of Eric’s voice. She didn’t hear him approach. Her heart thudded against her rib cage as she stared at him, noting how good he looked in a black button-down shirt and dark jeans. She barely registered his stern expression. She remembered the hunger in his eyes, the way he was possessed when he’d claimed her.
She blinked and took a step back as desire tugged deep inside her. She wasn’t going to get distracted. Not tonight. Not by Eric, who was waiting for her to mess up.
“And hello to you, too,” Julie replied coolly.
“Is that Eric?” Asia’s voice pierced into her ear. “Tell him I said hi.”
Julie dipped her head. “Shut up, Asia. If I can’t IM and email simultaneously, you know I can’t do more than one conversation at a time.”
“I’m serious, Julie,” Eric said as he gave her clothes a critical appraisal. “What alias is this?”
“I call it Kick-Ass Julie.” She wore her black leather boots, dark jeans, a tank top and a military-inspired olive-green jacket. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Inspired, actually.
Eric looked at her as if she had lost her senses, but she would defend her decision to the end. His attention rested on her hair. “What did I tell you about the hair?” He glared at her high ponytail.
How could she explain that the style went with the outfit? “And here I thought you’d be thrilled that I’m completely covered.” She pointed at her jacket with a flourish.
“I am,” he said with a soft growl.
“Then why are you growling at me?”
“Because he’s hot for you,” Asia interjected.
Julie closed her eyes. “One more word from you, Asia, and I’m taking out the earpiece.”
Eric’s gaze swept down her body and her skin
tingled. “Do you really think this is going to get your target in that outfit?”
She sighed. “Eric, do you know what Lloyd was wearing in that picture Martha provided?”
“A red T-shirt. What about it?”
“It was a T-shirt for a video game. It had a woman who has a long ponytail, a military jacket and long black boots.”
Eric paused and she knew she’d surprised him by picking up on that detail. “That doesn’t mean he’s attracted to a video game character,” he argued.
“Are you kidding? These video games allow guys to create their dream girls. They can choose what the heroine will look like, what they’ll wear and how much they will jiggle.” She motioned at her outfit. “His shirt had this girl on it and that’s what I’m going with.”
“Suit yourself.”
“Thanks for the pep talk,” she said dryly. “Which alias would you have recommended?”
His gaze grew intense for a second before he ruthlessly banked it. “Never mind.”
“No, tell me.”
He exhaled sharply. “It’s too late to change, anyway.”
She wanted to scream with frustration. Which alias did he think was the sexiest? No, he would never tell her. He would never give her that much power over him.
She’d find out on her own, but that was would have to wait. She slapped her hands together and rubbed her palms. “So, where’s Lloyd?”
Eric looked past Julie’s shoulder. “Our target is at the bar with two other friends.”
She grimaced. It was going to be difficult separating him from the pack.
“Did Asia check the audio?” Eric asked.
“Triple-checked it,” Asia chirped in Julie’s ear. Julie simply nodded.
“Max is stationed near the bar and will take pictures with his digital camera. Try not to leave the bar.”
“I will if he wants to dance.” They had been through all this several times as they prepped for this night. She was ready for this. She felt like a fighter before leaving his corner. She wanted to move. She needed to get in there while her blood was pumping.
“I can’t hear what’s going on because some of our equipment just failed and there’s no time to replace it.” He clenched his jaw, the only physical sign of how he felt about that. She knew from their team meetings how much it bothered him that he wouldn’t be in constant contact with her. “You remember the signal if you’re in trouble.”
“Yes.” She wanted to bounce on her feet and throw a few punches. Anything to get rid of this excess energy.
“What’s the signal?”
“Eric, don’t crowd me,” she pleaded as she took a couple of steps into the club. “Go away before you blow my cover.”
He reached for her hand. It was firm but gentle. That surprised her. She looked into his eyes.
“Promise me that you’ll back off if you get a bad vibe.”
“I promise,” she said and let go. She hated making that promise, but she did it for Eric’s peace of mind.
Julie made her way to the bar and tried not to be obvious as she searched for her target. She noticed the women all wore very short, strapless dresses. Even the waitresses wore black camisoles and black short-shorts. She stuck out like a sore thumb. Her alias idea was going to be a disadvantage.
She found Lloyd at the bar just as Eric had said. Her eyes narrowed in on her target. He was tall and the spiky hair added a few inches. She suspected he wore baggy clothes to hide his skinny build.
Lloyd was leaning back on the bar stool, smiling as he listened to his friends try to impress two beautiful young women. It didn’t look as if he was trying to win them over. Good. It meant she had a chance to swoop in and catch h
im.
Julie surveyed the area. She stalled when she glanced at the women with Lloyd’s friends. A sense of uneasiness washed over her. Now she understood why Eric had a problem with her alias.
She took a closer look at the platinum blonde and voluptuous redhead who had taken command of the men’s attention. Their beauty was exotic. They took sexy to a whole new level. Charlie’s Angels wished they looked like these women.
There was no way she could compete with that. She saw how their skimpy dresses left little to the imagination. She figured these women were sexier than these guys had ever dreamed of.
It looked as if Blondie and Red were one step from being swept off to bed. They worked fast, but they didn’t need to work hard to get a man’s interest. Blondie was listening intently to Lloyd’s shorter friend while Red had an arm draped on the other friend’s shoulders.
Julie wanted to back away. Try again when she wasn’t competing with that kind of in-your-face sexuality.
She took a step back and wavered. No, she couldn’t back down. Not when everyone was watching. Waiting. She had to give it her best shot.
Julie jutted her chin out and strode to the empty seat next to Lloyd. If she gave up now, she’d never get another chance to play and would be permanently on the sidelines.
She wouldn’t let that happen again.
Lloyd turned his head when she sat down. She smiled at him and rested her arms on the bar. The next few seconds were crucial and her heart was beating fast. If she blew this, they would get someone else to play decoy. This was her chance to show everyone she was smart and sexy. A woman of action. A woman who shouldn’t be ignored.
She looked away to flag the bartender. Her hand trembled as the nervousness tumbled through her body. When she looked back, Lloyd was still looking at her.
Relief poured through her veins and her smile widened. Lloyd smiled back. The game was on.
* * *
WHY DIDN’T HE INSIST ON getting more audio equipment? Eric wondered as he leaned against a tall table next to the wall. The audio team texted him with updates, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted to know every dirty thing Lloyd was saying to Julie.
Not that Julie seemed to mind. Eric wanted to growl. He took a sip of his water and wished it was something stronger. It appeared that Julie was enjoying herself. And why not? She was showing off, Eric thought as he glared over the glass rim, proving that she could be a decoy.
Giving in to temptation, Eric grabbed his cell phone and called Asia. She answered it on the third ring. “I’m working here, Eric.”
“I want a status report,” he said as he reined in his impatience.
“She’s a great flirt,” she said gleefully. “Who knew?”
He knew firsthand. It was uncomfortable watching Julie flirt with another man. Those brazen smiles and sly looks should be for him and he didn’t like to share. When she had taken off her jacket, revealing a snug tank top, he wanted to go over and throw the jacket back onto her shoulders.
“Is she about to reel him in?”
“Give it time, Eric. The last thing she wants to do is spook him.”
“I don’t think I can take much more of this.”
“Really? Because Julie looks like she could do it all night,” Asia said with a throaty laugh before she disconnected the call.
Eric pocketed his phone and studied Julie. Asia was right. Julie was having the time of her life. There was a joy, an energy pouring out of her that no man could ignore. It was going to be impossible to keep her away from this.
And he didn’t need Asia to tell him how well Julie was doing. Julie wasn’t aggressive and showed great patience as she gradually lured Lloyd away from his friends. Julie knew how to use body language. She mirrored Lloyd’s movements. When she wasn’t touching her mouth, drawing attention to her lips, she was touching Lloyd.
The guy was no match for Julie. Lloyd was getting closer and closer. His hand rested on Julie’s. His knees kept bumping against hers. When he leaned in to whisper something in Julie’s ear, Eric wanted to jump from his seat, pull them apart and declare that Julie was his.
But that wasn’t true. He’d had mind-blowing sex with Julie, but that didn’t mean he had a claim on her. She didn’t even want to talk about it afterward. Could he blame her? He took her against the door at the office. He took her like a hungry animal when she deserved something with a lot more sophistication.
She didn’t want to talk about what happened because she saw the truth about him. He wasn’t hero material. He wasn’t the suave spy of her fantasies. He wasn’t even a gentleman. That side of him no one—not even his parents—could love.
He had tried, but he couldn’t hide his primitive nature. He didn’t belong in Julie’s world. She would never invite him into her bed or her home. He was meant to guard her ivory tower, not climb the wall and bed the princess.
Lloyd, with his porcupine hair and social awkwardness, was more of a prince than he’d ever be. Eric set his water glass down carefully. The guy didn’t grab or tackle. He knew how to treat Julie right. Lloyd treated her as if she was a fantasy, a dream that could disappear if he moved too quickly.
Eric almost missed the tilt of Julie’s head. His chest tightened. She was asking him if he wanted to go to her place. They had already come up with possible scenarios to extract her from actually having to go anywhere with a man. He knew this was important for their assignment, but his gut still twisted as he watched Julie invite another man to her home.
He watched Julie’s face. He knew he should study the target’s expression. Did her face soften like it had for him? Did her eyes sparkle? Would her expression be any different with another man?
His muscles locked and he was ready to pounce. The nightclub faded around him. The music drifted into a low buzz as he saw something like pain flicker in Julie’s eyes.
Eric clenched his water glass. He didn’t know what Lloyd said to Julie, but he would rip the giant geek apart. Eric saw Julie’s smile tighten as she dipped her head in disappointment.
Lloyd glanced at his watch before he jumped off his bar stool. He gave an awkward wave before he walked over to his friends. Eric’s gaze narrowed with confusion as he watched Lloyd slap his hand on his friend’s back and say something before he headed for the exit.
Eric jerked his attention back to Julie. Her spine was straight and she looked away from where Lloyd’s friends stood. She looked as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Like all she wanted to do was finish her beer and soak up the atmosphere.
Eric knew it was all an act. Julie’s confidence was shaken. Her first decoy assignment and the guy didn’t take the bait.
He should feel relieved, but he felt her disappointment and knew it was tearing her up inside.
* * *
JULIE FELT ERIC’S APPROACH. She drew in a weak breath and blinked away the tears stinging her eyes. Why did she feel like crying? She wasn’t interested in Lloyd. But she had given it her best, used every trick, and she failed.
She really thought she could have been a good decoy. She was willing to do whatever it took to catch her prey, but it didn’t make a difference. Eric had been right; she didn’t have the sex appeal or the street smarts.
She cast a quick glance at the exit and saw Lloyd dashing out the door. Lloyd was an honorable guy. She downed the last of her beer. He wasn’t a cheater and nothing she would have said or done would have changed that. She accepted the fact, but she wished her first decoy assignment would have proven her sex appeal.
Julie discreetly removed the earpiece and clenched it in her hands. She didn’t want to hear Asia make excuses for her, and she didn’t want her coworkers to hear any more. They didn’t need to listen to the laundry list Eric was sure to provide on how she messed up.
When Eric stood at the bar next to her, she decided to go for a
preemptive strike. “I should have gone with Glamorous Julie,” she said as she stared at her empty beer bottle.
“No, you made the right call,” Eric said. “Lloyd wouldn’t have made a move if you’d come across as unattainable.”
“I went at it the wrong direction.” She replayed the conversation in her head and cringed. “I started out with something about his phone and he spent most of the time bragging about some project he did at Z-Ray.”
“He was trying to impress you,” he said as he placed his hand on her shoulder. “That’s a good sign.”
His touch felt good. She was tempted to curl against his chest, but she didn’t want to show how vulnerable she felt. “Most of it was technical jargon. The only things I understood were ‘revolutionary’ and ‘game-changer.’ I still have no idea what he does.”
“It doesn’t matter. We came here to see if he would take the bait and he didn’t. That’s all we need to know.”
Julie propped her chin on her fist. “I used everything in my playbook,” she admitted. “I didn’t even get a nibble.”
“Not from where I stood. The guy showed an interest.”
“I played it too careful. I was so worried I was going to break the momentum when I should have pushed.”
“No, you played it cool.”
“I kept looking at Blondie and Red over there.” She glanced where the women were wrapped around Lloyd’s friends. “Those men took the bait. They’re practically having sex right now.”
Eric gave a comforting squeeze on her shoulder. “You shouldn’t compare yourself. Blondie and Red obviously have their own agendas. And so did those guys.”
“I should have followed their lead.” It went against her instincts with Lloyd, but it would have gotten the results she wanted.
“No.”
She closed her eyes. Right. Her overtures would have paled in comparison with those women right next to her. Eric saw that right away, and she just proved to him that she wasn’t sexy. Why couldn’t the floor swallow her up whole?