by Lena Hart
Moisture pooled out of her as he continued to lap, lick, and savor that secret part of her. She was powerless to stop the quivering that started from her teeth and coursed down to the ends of her toes.
Judith shook and shuddered. His grip on her hips kept her from slipping off the counter, and she gripped his hair as if he was an anchor keeping her from sinking into the dark sea of pleasure that waited. She fell anyway.
She threw her head back as a sharp cry burst from her. Tightening her trembling legs around him, she convulsed into tiny pieces.
The spasms went on forever, her belly clenching and unclenching with each tremor. Her fingers were still tangled in his dark strands as soft whimpers escaped her. He gently kissed her trembling flesh, then her thighs, soothing her down from her mind-numbing peak.
Balance was once again restored within her quivering body, and she slowly opened her eyes. He rose to stand between her listless legs, and placed soft kisses on her exposed neck. The rigidity in him was the only thing keeping her from melting onto the floor. She placed a trembling hand on his neck then slid it down to his chest. His heart thudded against her palm.
“That was lovely,” he murmured, his breathing coming out fast. He brought his mouth down to hers and she could faintly taste herself on his lips.
To her surprise, that excited her. She wrapped her legs around him and looped her hands over his neck, wanting to deepen the kiss, to get even more of him.
He tore his lips from hers. “Baby, we have to stop,” he said gruffly, his breathing still labored. “Or I’m gonna come inside you right here. And the first time we make love, we’ll both be on a big, warm bed. Completely naked.”
He’d spoken so matter-of-factly and she stared at him, saying nothing. She couldn’t. From the dark, fierce look in his eyes, there was no question. It would happen.
At that moment, she couldn’t deny it. She wanted him over her, inside her. She wanted all of him.
He reached out and brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. Unfortunately, their cocoon of pleasure was disrupted by a loud beep and a muffled voice. “Harper to Moreno.”
Carlos pulled out the handheld radio from behind his belt and brought it close to his mouth. “Yeah?”
A male voice crackled through the black radio. “We need you in the Lab. There’s strange activity coming off Kristensen’s hardware.”
Those words brought reality crashing back down on her. Judith tensed then shoved Carlos away from her. He moved back, but kept a steady gaze on her.
“I’ll be there in five,” Carlos said into the handheld.
“Ten-four.”
Judith jumped down from the counter and leaned against it, her legs barely steady enough to hold her. She avoided his curious stare as she began clumsily arranging her clothes.
Where are my panties?
Carlos clipped the radio back into his belt and reached for her. She jerked back and he frowned.
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” she muttered, sliding her gaze from his.
“Then why won’t you look at me?”
She shook her head, still keeping her head down. How could she face him, knowing what she had done—and what he would soon find out?
She didn’t dare go back to Kristensen’s office now.
Carlos brought his hand under her chin and lifted her face to his. His gaze was filled with tender affection and warmth. Her heart began to flutter.
“Don’t feel guilty or ashamed, muñeca.”
She knew he was referring to what they’d just done, but he couldn’t know what those words really meant for her. Tears blurred her eyes for the mistake she had let herself get talked into. What would he think—and do—when he found out?
“I’ve never done this before.” She’d never let fear steal her integrity, and the thought that she had let her terror of Ken have such a strong hold on her, almost made her sick.
“I know, baby,” Carlos said, stroking her cheek. “Neither have I. Believe it or not, I don’t go around doing things like this in supply rooms. But with you…I can’t help myself.”
She blushed, her gaze falling to the unmistakable bulge in front of his jeans. She’d been referring to more than just that, but let him think her guilt largely stemmed from her loss of control, which wasn’t a complete departure from how she felt.
Never had she experienced anything so remarkable and intense that her body still trembled with it.
“There’s something between us,” he continued. “I feel it and I know you do too. Don’t you?”
She glanced away and tried to pull away again, but his arms shot out, trapping her between him and the counter.
“Don’t you, muñeca?”
Staring into his dark, penetrating eyes, she nodded jerkily. She did feel it—more than she cared to admit.
His expression softened at her admission, but there was no gloating or satisfaction in his eyes. There was no more denying it anymore. He saw right through her.
And that fact was frightening.
****
Carlos stared down at Judith, wanting to erase the uncertainty in those large brown eyes. He hadn’t meant to take it this far, but he’d been unable to help himself. She was a gentle, sexy little thing, yet with one kiss everything had changed.
When she’d pressed against him and kissed him back, it had been like a volcano had erupted, with her turning into burning lava in his hands. All his senses had become in-tune with her, and he couldn’t have left the dark supply room without sampling her.
And she tasted good.
The scent and taste of her still lingered on his lips, but it wasn’t enough. His cock strained against the zipper of his jeans from not getting to do more. He glanced down at himself to see how obvious it was and caught a glimpse of her red panties tucked beneath the counter. He reached down and grabbed them, enjoying the soft, lacy texture, smiling. So this was what she wore underneath those professional skirts. Sexy. If he wasn’t careful, he would develop a panty fetish.
He held out the silky material to her and for a moment she simply stared at it. Then her eyes widened and she snatched it from his hand.
“Oh God,” she muttered, crumpling it in her hand.
He wanted to laugh, but she was obviously mortified and he didn’t want to humiliate her further.
“Don’t be embarrassed, muñeca. Nothing we do should embarrass you.” Propelled by a force stronger than his will, he leaned down and kissed her. The smooth softness of her lips did something to him. He’d never felt like this with any woman.
“We’re going to be great together,” he murmured, loving the way she bit her lower lip.
“I…I h-have to go,” she said, pulling away from him. She went around him and dashed out of the supply room.
Carlos ran his hand over his face and let out a heavy sigh. He didn’t go after her. She obviously needed time to get used to what he had already known for quite some time now.
That they belonged together.
There was no way he was going to let her ignore that, but he wouldn’t push her on the matter. Not yet. She was already nervous and embarrassed about what they’d done, though he only had himself to blame. He’d been greedy, taking more from her than he’d intended and more than she expected. Yet, he had no regrets.
Maybe fooling around in the supply room hadn’t been the best way to start their relationship, but he wouldn’t take back that moment for anything. There was something powerful between them, even she couldn’t deny it, and it was only getting stronger.
He did regret having to stop but he meant what he’d said. The first time he came inside her, he wanted them naked, flesh to flesh, her moans filling the air and her smooth, curvy thighs trembling around him.
He’d been careful to move them in the back of the supply room, away from the single security camera in front. Not many of the cameras included audio and this one was no exception. He didn’t want anyone else besides himself to hear her moans of ple
asure.
He also needed to put an end to his erotic musings and head over to the security room. Walking around with a painful erection just wouldn’t do.
Carlos made a quick stop by the shelves and grabbed the wrapped bundle of notepads before he left. In her haste, she’d forgotten to grab them. Again, his fault.
Maybe it was best he kept his distance from her at the job. His infatuation with her was starting to cloud his judgment, making him do things he would have never done before. And he was clearly distracting her from her work. He wanted them to be together, but not at the jeopardy of either of their careers.
He stopped by her desk to drop off the bundle and to his relief, found she had left. He would have felt like shit if she had been there later because of him.
By this time, Carlos should have been done with his rounds of the facility, but he now needed to see what the situation was down to the casino resort’s new cyber security and surveillance room.
He made his way to the Lab and into Pete Harper’s small office, which was crowded with computer equipment and a large white bulletin board hanging behind him, covered in notes. The bald, slender black man looked up just as Carlos walked in.
“Moreno, we have a serious problem,” Pete blurted.
Carlos frowned. “What is it?”
“We found a Trojan virus,” Pete began. “It was downloading data from the server, but then it stopped. It’s still pinging but we managed to quarantine it and found that it’s coming from Kristensen’s hardware.”
Carlos tensed at the news. Though it was a relief that they had managed to isolate the virus, it could have already done a lot of damage to the company’s system.
“Did you terminate it?”
Pete shook his head. “Not yet. We wanted to find out where it originated before we had it cleaned. I don’t think any of the company’s information was compromised. Looks like the virus had just come in because it only downloaded thirty percent of the server’s content.”
“Do a sweep of the entire server,” Carlos said. “Then terminate it. Send out an email letting the staff know that we’re performing a regular maintenance update tonight and that the server will be temporarily unavailable.”
Pete nodded. “And what about Kristensen’s computer? If the virus came from his hardware, it could still be in there.”
“Can you locate it?” Carlos asked. Since the executives’ laptops held very important company files and information, each computer was equipped with GPS tracking. Before Carlos alerted the two owners, he wanted to at least confirm that the computer was still at the hotel.
“It looks like the laptop is still in the North Tower,” Pete said. “Probably in his office?”
Carlos nodded. “I was just up there and didn’t see anyone suspicious, but I’ll go back and check it out. In the meantime, get the sweep done ASAP.”
With that, he quickly made his way back to the North Tower, where the executive and administrative offices sat. Walking through these halls would never be the same for him again. Memories of what had transpired not too long ago in the supply room were etched in his mind. He remembered every searing, erotic detail.
Pushing the distracting thoughts aside, Carlos walked into the large office. On the wide desk, was the executive’s laptop. The flash drive sticking out of its side was unmistakable. He made his way around the wide desk and carefully lifted the lid with the tip of his thumb, not wanting to taint any possible evidence. The light at the end of the flash drive began to blink rapidly before a black window appeared on the screen requesting to run a password retrieval program.
He cursed.
Under his watch, someone had snuck in and put this here. Whoever it was had obviously been spooked before they could finish whatever it was they were doing. Unless releasing the virus had been their goal.
Carlos cursed again.
Pulling out his radio, he requested all the security footage be pulled from the executive floors. He was grateful for the few structural and technological changes he’d suggested be made, which allowed the security and surveillance teams to monitor large areas around the resort and casino floors. Though, the person had still managed to slip right under their radar.
His next call was to David Carrone. He picked up on the second ring.
“Yeah?”
“Carrone, we have a problem,” Carlos said into his cell phone.
There was a short pause and he picked up on a woman speaking in the background. If his boss was annoyed by the intrusion, he kept it well hidden.
“What is it?” David asked evenly.
“Looks like we had an intruder in the offices tonight.” Carlos quickly filled him in on what Pete had told him and what he’d just discovered.
“Shit.” David’s frustration was palpable in the one word.
Who could blame him? The man had entrusted him to ensure something like this never happened, yet Carlos had let his lust override his responsibilities. While the intruder had been releasing this dangerous virus into the company’s systems, he’d locked himself in a supply closet with no thought to anything except satisfying his hunger.
Carlos sighed. Of all nights, why did it have to be tonight?
“Where are you now?” David asked.
“Still in Kristensen’s office.”
“Wait for us there,” David said. “I’ll be right down.”
Carlos ended the call and stared down at the flash drive.
Who the hell had gotten in here?
Chapter Four
Just pretend nothing happened.
Judith repeated those words in her head as she got off the elevator and made her way to her desk. Coffee hadn’t been enough to ease some of her tension, but it certainly helped to wake her up.
From the letter to the phone call to Carlos’…kiss, Judith was surprised she hadn’t dissolved into a puddle of nerves.
What she and Carlos had done last night had been more than a mere kiss, however. Something her body wouldn’t let her forget. Now that her greedy body knew the kind of pleasure it was missing yet could be receiving from Carlos Moreno, it wanted more of him. It certainly didn’t care that she was in the middle of a crisis—one big enough to land her in jail if they ever found out what she’d done. With the flash drive she’d so stupidly left behind, that was a possibility she couldn’t ignore.
Last night, alone in her apartment, time seemed to drag as she sat up worrying herself into insanity. Judith could count with three fingers the hours of sleep she’d managed to get. Most of her night had been spent replaying everything that had happened yesterday. She’d agonized over not going back for the flash drive, but after the alert had come through Carlos’ radio, she purposely steered cleared from that side of the office. But with the cameras, and the cleaning woman who’d seen her, they could easily narrow their list of suspects down to her and then what would she do?
Lying awake in her quiet apartment, she’d entertained the idea of calling Mary Cross from the Agency. The woman had been instrumental in placing her at Royal Courts after Judith had quit her back-breaking job waiting tables and had found herself stuck in a series of temp jobs. Perhaps Mary Cross could help her find something else. But then the questions would come, Judith was certain, and she wasn’t prepared to answer any of them.
She would just have to carry on as usual until she could find out what to do—or say—next, but staying at Royal Courts was too much a risk.
As she approached her desk, she was surprised to find her boss’ door open. Normally, she was the first one in the office. Though, she had a later start than usual, it was still pretty early.
Placing her bag and coffee cup down on her desk, Judith went to the open door and peeked inside.
David Carrone lounged behind his large desk, his gaze locked on his computer. There was a shrewd intelligence behind those clear gray eyes with no trace of the shameless playboy he was rumored to be. He, in fact, was always friendly and professional toward her, and she liked working for h
im. He challenged her, offering her assignments beyond her basic administrative duties, which she appreciated.
His dark brows were pulled into an intense frown and she hesitated calling out to him.
Just pretend…
“Good morning, Mr. Carrone.”
He glanced up and she inwardly breathed a sigh of relief when his furrowed brows relaxed. His obvious frustration wasn’t directed toward her, but she still tugged at her high-collar, his intense scrutiny making her a bit uncomfortable. She hoped she looked professional instead of strange in the dark, high-collar blouse. It was nearly a hundred degrees outside, making the blouse a ridiculous wardrobe selection. But she had no choice. Her neck this morning had been riddled with hickeys. The little red marks ranging from pale pink to crimson red against her brown skin. What make-up couldn’t cover, she hoped the collar would. Just thinking about the small love bites, made her face flush.
“I’m glad you’re here Judith,” he said. “Come in. It’s going to be a busy day today.”
Judith came fully into his office. “Do you want me to move our morning status meeting?”
Every Tuesday morning they would have their usual standing meetings, where they discussed upcoming work and projects. Lately, the main topic during their weekly catch-up meetings had been focused on the October charity gala. Though it was a little over three months away, he had pulled her in to help with the event early on, which she was excited about. It was a nice break away from scheduling meetings and booking travel, and she also got a chance to see the layout and preliminary designs of the Queen’s Palace, Royal Courts’ new major event space.
“Let’s move it to later this afternoon,” David said. “We have enough on our plates this morning and there are a few things I’d like your help with today. The most pressing are these invoices.”
With barely steady hands, Judith grabbed the manila envelope he held out to her, not quite paying attention to the words that came out of his mouth next. Her mind had gone back to the same envelope she had received yesterday. The one that she still kept tucked in her purse, knowing she had to get rid of it soon, yet not ready to destroy it.