by Nic Saint
His lips curved up into that elusive smile again, and she thought he was probably the most handsome man she’d ever met—or slept with. The thought that she’d just had sex with him made her giddy all over again. This kind of thing was so out of character for her, that it bordered on the insane. But a delicious, outrageously wonderful kind of insanity. Perhaps, she thought, this was the way to live: on the edge, not questioning the rightness of her actions but simply following her heart. And the yearnings of her flesh…
“It pains me to say this, Jackie,” he began, something flickering in his eyes, and she returned her attention to him.
Yes?” she said, placing her hands beneath her head. She saw his gaze dip to her breasts, still covered with a sheen of sweat. They wiggled seductively with her every movement, and heat flared up in his eyes. She loved the power she held over him, the sensation of provoking so much desire in him. It was another novelty for her. Never before had any man looked at her quite the way Erik did, and merely the look in his eyes made her feel wanted and desirable, two traits she’d never experienced before. She could get used to this.
So when the next words rolled from his lips, she gasped in shock.
“You have to go, Jackie. You and Susan have to take the first flight out.”
CHAPTER 15
“But we can’t!” she cried, and suddenly became aware of two sleepy eyes watching her from across the room.
“What’s going on in here?” a sleepy voice rasped. Susan’s eyes opened and went wide when she noticed the naked forms of her friend and a large, hulking male at the foot of the bed.
“Christ!” she called out. “Am I the only one who isn’t getting any in this infernal place?”
In spite of herself, Jackie had to laugh. She didn’t even feel any embarrassment, which was another indication something had changed. She would normally never have felt comfortable being caught making out with a guy buck naked in front of the window, and now she didn’t care. She even felt oddly giddy at the expression of admiration on Susan’s face. But then she remembered Erik’s words, and repeated, “We can’t go home now. We simply can’t!”
After the experience she’d just had, she couldn’t just pack up and leave. Surely he understood that. They needed to spend more time together—time to really get to know each other.
“Go back where?” Susan mumbled, trying to keep up with the unfolding events while rubbing sleep from her eyes.
“You have to get out of here,” Erik repeated. “The Copacabana isn't safe for either one of you. As long as that pack of wild thugs is out there, I won’t allow you to spend one more minute in this place.”
She raised an eyebrow at these words. “Allow?” she challenged.
He turned to her, his face a mask of determination. “You heard me. You’re going back to Chicago, baby. Right now.”
She pursed her lips defiantly. “Now wait a goddamn minute!” she exploded.
They sat glaring at each other when Susan interrupted their first fight. “What gang? What the hell are you two talking about?” she wanted to know. She’d placed two feet on the floor, and tried to stand up but had trouble making the swaying floor behave. “Fuck. What happened to this room? It won’t stop moving around on me!”
“I think someone needs real room service,” muttered Erik as he rose from the floor with deft agility, and helped Jackie to her feet. The moment she caught sight of his penis, still at half-mast, she let out a strangled moan, somewhere between a gurgle and a surprised squeak.
Without bothering to cover himself up, he padded over to the nightstand. “Why don’t I order you girls some breakfast?” he suggested. He cocked an eye at Susan. “And coffee. Lots of coffee.” When Susan started to protest that breakfast in bed wasn’t part of their package deal, he added, “It’s on the house.”
Could he do that? Of course he could, Jackie thought. Hadn’t he told her he worked for the owners of the Copacabana? Some rich Mafia family? She’d dismissed his words at first, but now realized he’d been telling the truth all along.
Susan held on to her head, dazed. “I don’t know what the hell is going on here, but if someone doesn’t start talking, I’m gonna start screaming!”
She moved over to her friend, determined to lay it all out to her again. It took Susan a while to comprehend, the alcohol still percolating in her system not helping much, and only when room service finally arrived, and with it a large man known as Bruno, did the four sit down at the small table near the window, and did the truth finally dawn on Susan.
She eyed Bruno suspiciously as she took another anxious gulp from her coffee. “So you’re a killer. Like…a person who kills people. Makes them dead.”
“Yep,” replied Bruno sheepishly. “But only if they’ve been bad. Real bad.”
Susan chose to ignore this, letting her eye swivel to Erik. “And you’re a killer too?”
“That’s right,” agreed Erik. He’d draped a possessive hand over the back of Jackie’s chair and she found she liked it.
“And Jackie and I are in danger because of…what exactly?” She grimaced at the coffee. “This stuff is good.” She popped another aspirin.
“Rogue cops attacking people,” explained Jackie for the umpteenth time.
“Attacking women,” corrected Bruno. “Beautiful women like you,” he added quite charmingly to Susan.
“Attacking women,” Susan went on, ignoring the addendum. “And now they’re after us. Two legal secretaries from Chicago.” Her tone betrayed her skepticism. Bruno poured her another cup of coffee while she mulled this over, then gave the two men a look of incredulity, and shook her head. “I ain’t buying any of this bullcrap, to be honest. Are you, honey?”
Jackie nodded. “I am. I’ve seen one of them.”
Susan frowned, having a hard time keeping up. “One of what?”
“One of the bad guys. I told you last night, remember?”
It was obvious Susan didn’t remember much of anything from last night, but she did a valiant attempt to dig for the memory. “Right,” she finally said dubiously. “The guy who attacked me. The one that…” She searched around the table, then pointed to Bruno. “That you killed?”
“I did,” said Bruno earnestly, then shrugged apologetically. “He shouldn’t have attacked you, Susan. That was a bad thing to do.”
“Yeah,” she agreed vaguely. “That wasn’t very nice of him.”
“Look,” interrupted Erik, his patience wearing thin. “We can sit here discussing this all day long, but the point is that there’s five more of those assholes out there, and the longer you stay here, the more you’re in danger!”
Jackie placed a hand on his shoulder, and he slowly turned to her. For a moment, she thought he might explode. “I appreciate you looking out for us, Erik,” she said deliberately, “but we can’t just leave this place. Not yet. Not now.” She didn’t want to spell it out for him—couldn’t spell out something she didn’t completely understand herself, but she simply couldn’t leave now.
She thought she saw something flicker in his eyes. Was it hurt? Could it be that he really didn’t want to see her go either? Oh, God. She had to believe it. Had to believe she meant more to him than just a quick lay on a lazy holiday morning.
Susan broke the trance. “I agree with Jackie. I’ll be damned if some stupid gang of locals is gonna force me to give up my vacation.” She took a nibble of toast and swallowed it with pleasure, then tapped the table with a perfectly shaped ladybug gel nail. “This is my vacation. I won it fair and square, and the moment we land in Chicago it’s back to work for us.” She raised her chin, always her strongest weapon. “We’re staying put. No gang is driving us away.”
Erik groaned. “But can’t you see a simple fact?”
“No, I can’t!” Susan said in clipped tones. The coffee was finally having its usual effect on the perky secretary. “Look, big guy, if you want to protect us, go ahead and do your thang.” She reached over and touched Bruno’s bicep appreciativ
ely. “I’m sure you boys can look after us for two more days, eh?”
Bruno gave her a goofy smile. “We sure can, Susan, honey.” It was obvious the fascination she held over him hadn’t worn off, drunk karaoke antics or not.
She obliged him by pecking a kiss on his lips, then focused on polishing off her plate. Men were important to Susan, but a hearty breakfast even more.
Bruno threw his buddy a pleading look. “I think Susan has a point.”
“I know she has a point,” Erik growled through gritted teeth, “but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re in danger as long as you stay here!”
“But can’t you do something about this gang?” Jackie suggested. “I mean, even if we leave, they’ll still be here, targeting women. You have to stop them, Erik. If not for our sake, for that of all the other women.”
“Yeah, Erik,” threw in Bruno. “Let’s do it for the other women.”
He eyed her with astonishment. “Are you actually asking me to go after these guys? To kill them?”
She blinked at the question. “I…yes—no! Of course not! I mean…” Her voice trailed off. She clearly hadn’t thought this through.
Erik shook his head slowly. This wasn’t going the way he’d hoped. “We can stop these assholes, and we will,” he began, “but—”
“That’s settled then,” Susan interrupted cheerily. “You take care of those pesky rapist pieces of scum, while we enjoy the last few days of our vacation.”
“We’ll take care of it for you, honey,” Bruno said, and poured her another cup of coffee, dazzled by Susan’s grateful smile. “We’ll protect you, won’t we, Erik?”
“Oh, Christ,” Erik muttered. “I guess two more days should be fine.”
Susan let out a loud whoop at this, and raised her hand for a high five. Jackie automatically put up her hand and met Susan’s. For some strange reason, she had the distinct impression that something wasn’t exactly right about this hard-won victory. Not only would they be spending two more days in this thug-infested hotel, but they’d actually managed to cajole Erik and Bruno into doing the one thing they shouldn’t: kill a bunch of people.
CHAPTER 16
Jackie sat by the pool and soaked up the rays. In spite of the predicament they found themselves in, she and Susan were adamant to make the most of what was left of their vacation. No nasty little thugs were going to make them lose out on the best vacation they’d had in years, and the first vacation in a place like the Copacabana. It was a promise they’d made both to themselves and to Erik and Bruno. The two men had been practically invisible since their early morning chat, but she knew they were keeping a close eye on them.
It was strange for a girl like Jackie to be so suddenly thrust into a life of crime and adventure, but now that she had, she accepted the situation, and tried to make the most of it. Erik had said they’d have targets painted on their backs—Bruno had thought their boobs, more likely—but she felt safe, knowing he was out there.
It had been Susan’s idea to add some fuel to the flame, and come out swinging. She’d selected the most enticing little number from the swimwear collection she’d brought, and had been strutting her stuff all morning.
Jackie had to agree that Susan was, indeed, the hottest diva present. She? Not so much. Though she’d seen Erik’s eyes glaze over at the mere sight of her in that little white bikini, she doubted whether this extended to the rest of the male population. She was, after all, just a regular girl, not endowed with the kind of substantial breastage Susan was. Her tits were adequate, but not dazzling, and her body was slender, not curvy like Susan’s.
Still, heads swiveled when she passed, and men’s eyes lit up with the holy fire she’d also seen burning in Erik’s eyes, so she was doing something right.
She was lying by Susan’s side, lazily staring out at the pool, the hotel building rising up like a phoenix in the background.
“You’re enjoying all this, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Honey, I’m reveling in it,” replied Susan, just as lazily.
They’d both just slathered each other with sunblock again, and were now lying back, all thought of killer cops and mobsters far away. “I have to admit I like it too,” she murmured.
Susan cocked an eyebrow at this confession. “You took me by surprise, you know.”
“Doing what, exactly?”
“Seducing the hottest guy in the hotel.”
She snorted. “I didn’t seduce anybody. Erik came on to me, remember?”
“Whatever. Guy like that doesn’t just jump a woman’s bones. You must have given him the sign.”
“What sign?”
“The sign!” cried Susan. “The sign a woman gives a guy she wants to have sex with. You know, the smell.”
She sniffed herself, but all she could smell was the pungent odor of SPF 100 sunscreen. “Sunblock?” she offered.
“Not that,” Susan scoffed. With a sigh, she explained, “The moment a woman gets the hots for some dude, she produces a special smell that attracts him. Makes her virtually irresistible.” She frowned. “It’s called ferma—fermo—fermi— Well, something like that.”
“Pheromones?”
“That’s it! The sex scent!”
“Come on,” she laughed. “We’re not animals. We don’t give off a sex scent.”
“It’s true! I saw it on the Discovery Channel.”
“Baboons,” pointed Jackie out, “give off a scent, and other species of animals. Not humans.”
“It’s still true,” muttered Susan indignantly. “You see this Erik guy, your hormones go all haywire on you. You start giving off the sex scent. Then he jumps your bones and you can pretend to be all innocent and pure. ‘Oh, but he hit on me. I never did anything. I had nothing to do with it.’ Yeah, right. First you stank up the place with your sex hormones until the guy lost his head.”
Jackie laughed at this, the picture Susan drew very vivid. So she had drawn Erik to her, right? “If that’s true, explain to me why I didn’t even like him at first.”
Susan waved a lazy hand. “All part of the game, hon. You were secreting sex hormones by the gallon, even though you were pretending not to be interested. Rejection makes the male try even harder. Gets him all worked up into a tizzy. Then when he finally gets some, the sex is all the hotter for it.” She clicked her teeth. “Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot.”
“I still don’t believe you,” she muttered, her eyes drifting closed again.
“Don’t believe me if you want. It’s still true.” She gave Jackie’s leg a nudge. “You’re doing it now, by the way.”
“Doing what, exactly?”
“Oozing sex.”
“Am not.”
“Are too. I can smell your sex hormones all the way over here.”
She giggled. “Puh-lease.”
“I know, because I’m the same. The moment I see a guy I like, I start drawing him to me.”
“You don’t need hormones, Suse. You just flaunt your assets and the deal is done.”
“You’re probably right,” murmured Susan, wiggling her boobs some more and drawing that tiny bikini tighter over her bulging flesh. “I probably don’t need any fancy hormones. Got plenty of other stuff to get the job done.”
They lay there in silence for a moment, nothing but the murmur of conversation from the other guests, kids splashing in the pool, and the chink of cocktail glasses being doled out by the small army of waiters disturbing the peace of a glorious morning at the Copacabana.
Jackie thought back to her early morning fuck, and was starting to feel the itch again, suddenly craving the feel of Erik’s hands on her, and she groaned lustily. As she drifted off into a pleasant reverie, she imagined him here with her now, peeling off those flimsy garments, and putting his hot mouth to her, kissing her all over, licking drops of sweat from between her breasts, then placing his large hands on her and making her core heat up several degrees more.
She could have him, she knew, and she didn’t eve
n need any fricking pheromones to do it. It had come as a surprise to her, to want a guy that much, and to feel wanted and needed by him in return.
Not since her last casual boyfriend had she had sex this wild—correction, never in her life had she had sex this passionate and hot with a guy before. And never in her life had she actually experienced an orgasm like that. With him present. Even though all they seemed to have right now was sex, she still enjoyed the hold she had over him, this power.
She’d never seen herself as a sexy woman, had always thought of herself as a girl next door kinda gal, with nothing special in the way of physical attributes. At the office, none of the men ever paid any attention to her. She could just as well be invisible for all they cared. Remembering the way Erik’s eyes lit up at the sight of her, and the way he’d made love to her as if she was the most gorgeous woman alive, a wide smile lit up her features. He made her feel desirable, made her feel wanted, and the sensation was so new and surprising, the effects still hadn’t worn off.
If anything, they were only getting stronger.
CHAPTER 17
Erik stared out across the pool from his perch near the edge of the terrace, and kept a close eye on both Jackie and Susan. Though he knew these guys wouldn’t risk coming near them in clear daylight, and with so many people around, he still wasn’t entirely sanguine they’d stay away—could stay away from so much flesh gathered in one place. He knew for certain they were around here somewhere, watching and waiting, just like him and Bruno. They’d probably mixed with the guests and were out in full force, picking their targets, then following them and waiting for their chance to strike. Biding their time until the women were alone, and then pouncing on them.
He scanned the group of tourists, easily a hundred in all, for any signs of danger, but found none. Just people having fun in the sun, lazing about and enjoying this time at one of the best hotels in Cancun. He was prepared, but these guys probably knew they were here already, keeping an eye on them as well. Like them, they had their sources.