by A. C. Grey
Not wanting to fail him, Lucy made sure her face lit of. "Heard of it? Have I ever. Isn't it the most exclusive club in the country, if not the region?"
Ray nodded.
"Wow. That's impressive. I'm sure it's tough to get a job like that. I've always wondered what it's like inside there.”
Ray shrugged nonchalantly, clearly proud of himself. "Yeah, it's hard to get an invite. Lots of wannabes trying to get in. That's why they hired an expert like me to handle the computer side of the security.”
"I'm sure you're the best. Otherwise they wouldn't have hired you.” She smiled at him and began to draw lazy circles on his arm with her finger.
"I'm a bit of a computer aficionado myself,” Lucy replied. "But I'm just an amateur – I dabble in my spare time.”
"Really?" Ray asked, clearly surprised.
"So what kind of mainframe do you use?" Lucy began, leaning into Ray, making sure her breasts grazed his arm ever so slightly.
Meg watched their continued interaction. Her temperature was rising. She wanted to so badly to go over there, scare the geek away, and claim Lucy like some possessive caveman . . . or cavewoman, she guessed. She struggled with the feelings. She had no idea what had come over her. She'd never been this affected. Never felt so uncomfortable. It was probably just from the fact that she'd been on sort of a dry spell. She just needed to get laid. But it wasn't going to be Lucy. That would be a mistake. A huge one. But despite knowing this, she couldn't help but lust after the woman.
Lucy had managed to coax several helpful details about the computer systems out of Ray. She hadn't wanted to appear too interested, but once she got him talking, he gave her plenty of helpful bits of information. Not everything was clear, but at least if she ever got inside the compound, she wouldn't be going in completely blind.
She didn't want to press her luck, but decided to try one more angle before calling it a night. "Can you tell me what it's like? You know, inside the club?" she asked, teasingly licking her lips and gazing into his eyes through those hideous oversized glasses. "I doubt I'll ever get inside, but I hear it's just fabulous.”
Ray seemed a bit stunned at first, his thoughts clearly on something far from work. He swallowed hard. "Uh . . . sure.”
Meg struggled to steady her breathing as she watched Lucy continue to laugh at Ray's jokes, continue to touch him, to smile at him, to act as if he were the only person on earth. That should be her, Meg thought. She wanted to make Lucy laugh like that. Ray was writing something on a cocktail napkin. Probably his number, Meg scoffed. Like he'd ever score with someone like Lucy. Couldn't he see it was all a game? At least, Meg thought it was a game. It had to be. It didn't matter, so long as Ray kept his hands off of Lucy. Not that it mattered, Meg reminded herself. She wasn't going to pursue the woman anyway. Finally, Lucy rose and gave the geek a kiss on the cheek, causing him to visibly blush. Meg longed for those lips on her skin. She'd thought of little else for days. Yet Ray had known Lucy for all of maybe thirty minutes and he gotten a kiss? Bastard.
Lucy caught Meg's gaze from across the room, blue eyes locking on rich brown, just a slight, suggestive hint of dimple on her face. Lucy smirked and sauntered to the elevator, turning back to look at Meg just a few times.
Meg caught up to Lucy just as she reached the elevator bank. Lucy had a self-satisfied grin on her face. "Told you,” she said simply. "I know how to speak geek.”
"I could have handled him,” Meg said. "But no, you had to swoop in and try and save the day like some nerdy superhero.”
"It worked though. Cause I'm awesome,” Lucy said, loving the jealous anger flashing in Meg's eyes. It was quite the turn on.
Meg grumbled non-commitally. It was adorable. Lucy reminded herself to get Meg riled up like this more often.
"Want to know something funny? Ray thought you were a high class hooker.” Lucy burst out laughing.
Meg did not find it quite so amusing. "Not my fault he doesn't know what a real woman looks like.”
"I don't know, Meg. He was perfectly willing to talk to me,” Lucy said, teasing.
"Yeah, I know. Practically drooling right on you.”
"Do I detect a note of jealousy, Meg?"
Meg scoffed. "Yeah right.”
Lucy smiled to herself. Yep. It was jealousy. And if she wasn't mistaken, it wasn't professional jealousy. Meg wasn't upset that she'd failed where Lucy had succeeded. She was upset because Ray had gotten the attention Meg wanted.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened. They stepped on and Lucy continued the conversation as the doors shut.
"A girl's gotta do whatever or whomever to takes to accomplish the mission,” Lucy said, continuing the tease. "You of all people should know that, Meg. So if I've got to get up close and personal with that geek for the good of the mission, take one for the team, I'll do it. You just let me know,” she beamed, knowing that it would simply rile Meg up even more.”
"That won't be necessary,” Meg replied, her eyes reflecting the heat of anger and jealousy and, if Lucy wasn't mistaken, lust.
"And I did succeed, by the way,” Lucy said. "Ray gave me some technical specs on the compound. He also drew me this.” She pulled a cocktail napkin out of her cleavage. "It's a map of the club, including where the computers are. Poor Ray was so desperate to impress that he showed me exactly where he works.”
Meg reached for it, but Lucy pulled the napkin away. "Not so fast, Meg,” Lucy said, grinning, her dimples on full display. "First, you admit that I'm awesome.”
Meg knew that she was teasing, but her pent up frustration got the better of her. "Like hell I will,” she said, reaching for the napkin again.
Lucy held it out of Meg's reach, but Meg was taller and stronger. Meg quickly pinned her against the wall of the elevator. Their eyes met. Lucy's breath hitched and the self-satisfied smile slipped from her face. In that moment, the napkin, Ray, and the mission were forgotten. Only they existed. Their chests heaved in unison as both struggled to breathe. Each and every nerve ending was alive as energy coursed between them.
Chapter Six
Meg could feel each and every nerve ending on her body standing on end. Every single cell in her body screamed with fiery passion, begging her, commanding her to kiss Lucy. And if the glazed over look in Lucy's eyes was any indication, she felt the same way.
Lucy felt as if every inch of her body was melting into Meg's, as if their skin was fusing together in a heated, explosive connection. She was grateful for the contact of Meg's body. Not only because it made her feel unlike anything she'd ever felt before, but because it prevented her from sliding to the floor. She was quite certain that her legs had lost all ability to hold her body upright. If not for the cool metal of the elevator wall and the hot, hot pressure of Meg's luscious body against hers, Lucy might have slumped to the floor like a rag doll. But then again, it was that very contact from Meg that had put her into this predicament in the first place. Lucy struggled to breathe as she stared back at the gorgeous woman before her. In that moment, nothing mattered but the feelings raging through her body, through her soul. Gone were any thoughts about the mission, about the compound, about the enemy, about the hostage, about the weapons. Then and there, only one thing mattered. Meg Murphy and the way she could wreak havoc on her body, on her emotions, on her ability to even function.
Meg continued to gaze into those deep blue depths, unable to focus on anything but the woman in front of her and the frenzy of hormones and energy coursing through her veins. Somewhere, in the deep recesses of her mind, Meg knew that following through on those feelings would be a mistake. She had a vital, urgent mission to complete. And that mission had nothing to do with quelling the fire burning in her loins. And that mission required the utmost focus. Still, all she could seem to focus on was the beautiful woman pressed against her. Meg leaned in, wanting, no, needing to bring their passionate dance to a conclusion.
Lucy's breath caught in her throat as she saw Meg move toward her, as if in slo
w motion. Her lips began to tingle in anticipation. She felt Meg's warm breath against her face, could smell her distinct and sexy smell, could almost taste those perfect lips. Lucy closed her eyes, ready to experience what promised to be a kiss whose intensity would be beyond measure.
Just at the moment when she could have sealed the deal, Meg paused. Something, though she didn't know what exactly, kept her from kissing Lucy. It was what she wanted, more than pretty much anything else, but even so, she stopped.
After waiting for what seemed like an eternity for Meg to kiss her, Lucy's eyes fluttered open, confused. Meg was still close, very close. However, she leaned past Lucy's awaiting lips and reached behind her. Meg pulled gently at Lucy's curls.
Meg smirked slightly before pulling back. "Sorry. You had a piece of lint in your hair.” Before Lucy could respond, the elevator dinged, indicating that they had arrived at Meg's floor. Meg sauntered off the elevator and down the hall, leaving Lucy speechless and unable to move. It took the closing of the elevator doors to snap her out of her shock. Lucy quickly threw her arm between the closing doors, causing them to pop open again, and followed the source of her torment down the hallway.
Meg couldn't exactly figure out why she had done what she'd just done. She'd thought of little else besides kissing, or doing more with that red hot woman for the better part of a week. And she'd just had a prime opportunity. She'd had Lucy exactly where she wanted her, practically begging for it. And yet she'd pulled away. Meg couldn't quite put a finger on her motivations, but she wondered if it had to do with the fact that she'd never felt so out of control. First, her mission felt as if it were not entirely in her hands. She had to rely on this woman to help, and depending on others was not something she did well. Second, well, just about everything about Lucy made her feel out of control. She'd never, ever felt that way about someone. Never been so riled up. So perhaps this bit of teasing was just a small way to even the playing field a bit. Even if she did eventually do the unwise thing and let her raging libido take over, there was nothing saying that she couldn't have a little fun first. Drag it out a bit. Let Lucy feel just a little bit of the frustration and edginess that had become a constant part of Meg's life.
As Lucy trailed Meg towards her room, her mind struggled to comprehend what had just happened. She had been so sure they'd been about to kiss. She'd had enough experience in the romance department to know when someone was interested. And she was sure of one thing. Meg Murphy was interested. Or was she? Lucy was not usually one to second-guess herself. There were always women, hot women, lining up for her. So what if this one, no matter how hot she was, wasn't interested? Or so what if she was playing hard to get? It shouldn't matter. Lucy knew she could have an equally hot replacement in no time. But somehow, that wasn't an option for her. She could not remember ever wanting anything, or anyone, as much as she wanted Meg Murphy in that moment. Lost in her thoughts, Lucy bumped into Meg, who had stopped outside her door to unlock it. Lucy jumped back like a scalded cat. The last thing she needed was any additional contact from the woman. It might send her straight to the psych ward.
Meg smirked as Lucy jumped away from her. While the brief touch did cause her hormones to sizzle all over again, she felt relief. Yes. Lucy was clearly just as affected as she was. And Meg had no qualms in making sure that Lucy felt every bit as hot and bothered as she'd felt lately. After all, Lucy was the one who'd turned her down at the bar that night.
They entered the room, both lost in their mutual heated thoughts. Neither was willing to break the silence, both very, very aware of what had almost happened in that elevator. Lucy flopped down on the nearby couch, eying Meg cautiously. Her breath hitched as Meg sat down right next to her, perhaps a little closer than would normally be necessary. Lucy struggled to control her breath, to calm herself. Her heart felt as if it might beat out of her chest. Trying her best to play it cool, no matter how hot she felt on the inside, Lucy offered Meg a questioning eyebrow. "So now what?"
Meg smiled to herself. She'd seen how Lucy reacted, felt how her body tensed up as she sat down beside her. Yes, no matter how unaffected Dr. Crane pretended to be, she was definitely turned on. Definitely experiencing some internal turmoil. And that made Meg incredibly happy, and incredibly hot herself. She was going to have to strike a delicate balance in their game of teasing. Lest she get burned herself.
"Can I see the map now?" she asked. "Or are you going to make me come and get it from you?" Meg smirked, seeing the flush across Lucy's cheeks as she remembered their encounter in the elevator.
Lucy's throat went dry. There was no mistaking the flirtatious tone in Meg's voice. No mistaking her decidedly unprofessional intent. She struggled to speak and finally, at a loss for words, simply handed over the map that Ray had drawn on the napkin. Hopefully it would distract them from the sexual tension that was sizzling through the air. At least she could hope.
Lucy explained the map to Meg, showing her the crudely drawn diagram of the various key areas – the pool, the restaurants, the guest rooms, as well as where Ray said he worked.
Meg nodded. "This is good work. We've got some vague specs from the surviving Seal team members, but they're too banged up to give any real detail. Plus, they didn't focus on the decoy areas – the areas that are designed to make the compound look like an exclusive club. They weren't after that sort of stealthy infiltration. It was more of an invasion. That didn't work, obviously. I think our best bet is to get inside that club. Get an invite somehow.”
Lucy nodded. She'd heard some of what Meg had said. Something about decoys and invasions. But mostly, she was just overwhelmed by the feeling of having the woman so close to her. Meg invaded every one of her senses and addled her brain. Lucy was normally the epitome of focus, the prime example of intelligence, of professionalism. But not when it came to this woman. She'd been able to wrangle her emotions throughout the week. But something about their near embrace in that damned elevator had demolished any semblance of control that she'd had. She was a disastrous jumble of hormones and flustered passion.
Lucy nearly screamed as she felt Meg lean slightly into her, supposedly to reach for a bottle of water sitting nearby. Every time that woman touched her, Lucy had to struggle not to lose it. She was quite certain that she was one or two strategically placed touches away from an instantaneous climax. Grasping for anything to get her mind back on the job at hand, and not the job of seducing Meg, which is what her mind really wanted to focus on, she finally remembered something else she'd gotten from Ray.
"Do you have a computer handy?" she asked.
Meg nodded and gestured to a laptop set up at a nearby desk. "What for?” Meg asked. She'd seen Lucy's eyes glaze over, her mind obviously wandering back to their near kiss. She'd purposely leaned into her, wanting to torture her, to tease her, to stoke the already-smoldering fire into an inferno. She met those blue eyes, smiled slightly, and reached for a bottle of water sitting beside Lucy. She knew that what she was doing was probably mean. Some might even say evil. But in that moment, their little tango gave her the only feeling of control that she'd had in quite some time.
Lucy responded as she headed towards the computer. She didn't turn to look at Meg, wanting just a moment, just a small break from the overwhelming tension between them. "Ray let slip just enough information about their computer systems that I may be able to access them remotely. He was careful, but not careful enough. No guarantees, but it's worth a quick look.”
Meg watched with interest as Lucy's hands flew across the keys, an intense look of concentration on her face. Despite the nerdiness of her chosen profession, there was something incredibly sexy about watching the woman work. Feeling her own unsteadiness return, Meg rose and headed towards the desk. The only way to counteract her own sense of helplessness when it came to Lucy was to toy with the woman. If Meg was the aggressor, the one in the driver's seat, then maybe she wouldn't feel so damned discombobulated.
Lucy was in the middle of typing a long string of c
ode when she sensed Meg's presence behind her. Before she knew what hit her, Meg had leaned over her, breasts pressed firmly against her back. The scent of Meg's slightly exotic perfume, mixed with her own unique scent, drove Lucy wild. Her thoughts tumbled from her brain, unable to remember what it was that she'd been typing.
As Meg "accidentally" pressed her cleavage into Lucy, she felt the brunette’s sharp intake of breath. She grinned as Lucy cursed.
"Shit!" Lucy said, forcefully hitting the backspace key over and over to delete what she'd just typed.
Meg suppressed a chuckle, knowing full well what had caused Lucy's exclamation. The code on the computer screen meant nothing to her, but she assumed that Lucy knew what she was doing. "Anything I can do?" Meg asked nonchalantly, as if nothing had just happened.
Lucy shook her head and continued typing, struggling to focus on the screen in front of her. She desperately needed to finish this and escape the exquisite torture that was Meg Murphy.
Meg watched Lucy intently as she worked, "absent-mindedly" running a hand over Lucy's skin now and again.