Sun Catcher - Book Two

by Giselle Fox

  “For now, just tell me. What did you have in mind?”

  Lexi laid back against her pillow. “I love the mountains. Maybe we should go out to Colorado.”

  “Sure.”

  “I was thinking remote, away from everyone else.”

  Cate grinned. “My little introvert. Of course, you did.”

  “I don’t mind other people, as long as they’re you,” Lexi grinned.

  “I may never go back to work at this rate.”

  “You’re not going to find adventure sitting in an office, I guarantee.”

  “I’ll need to find something else to occupy me, something other than fucking and skiing and staring at you all day long.”

  “You will.”

  “And what will you do?”

  “I have all sorts of legitimate interests.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like helping out where I can. Building stuff. All sorts of things.”

  “Sounds idyllic.”

  “It’ll be whatever we make it.”

  “Alright,” Cate said. “I’ll start thinking about it.”

  Lexi picked up her hand and kissed it. “Let’s motor. I’m hungry.”

  ***

  Making winter plans with Lexi seemed a little like pipe dreaming when the future was so uncertain. But Cate was willing to adopt a more optimistic lens at least until the end of the day. Feeling guilty wouldn’t help their ruse, whatever it was to be. Cate knew she had to appear every bit as innocent as she really was.

  “In the very unlikely chance that something unexpected happens today, I’m just going to say that I met you in Barcelona and that we had a wild affair and that I followed you to Malaga for sex and the promise of a good time.”

  “More or less true,” Lexi grinned. “It’s perfect.”

  “If you get hauled away in handcuffs, I’ll ask for visitation rights to get my lady fix.”

  Lexi chuckled. “You will, hey?”

  Cate nodded.

  Lexi reached for her hand. “It’s good to see you smile again.”

  “I feel better than I have in days. I don’t know why, considering what’s left on our agenda.”

  “Don’t worry. It’s going to be fun - like I said.”

  Cate had her doubts but didn’t say anything more about it.

  After lunch, they headed out on the highway toward the customs office. Cate felt the same surges of nerves in her belly when they pulled in. This time the warehouse door was open and there were a few more cars in the parking lot. One of the cars was a black sedan.

  “Is that him?” Cate asked.

  “I’m going to bet yes,” said Lexi. “Don’t worry about talking. I’ll handle all of it. You don’t even have to come in.”

  “I think I want to. Does that make sense?”

  Lexi shrugged. “You can do whatever you like. You’re a free woman on a booty ride.”

  Cate laughed. “Booty ride. Mmm.” She thought back to Lexi’s rock hard glutes thrusting into her and felt the rushes of warmth rip through her.

  Lexi grinned at her. “Where did you just go?”

  “Somewhere very nice,” Cate said as she opened her door.

  The doors of the black sedan opened too. Cate recognized the passenger as the same one from the lot the day before. The driver was Agent Marquez.

  “Hello again,” he called.

  Cate waved.

  “Feeling better?”

  “Much better, thanks,” Cate said.

  “You’re right, he does like you,” Lexi muttered under her breath.

  “This is my friend Galina,” Cate said. She hung onto Lexi’s arm.

  Lexi turned to her with an amused expression.

  “Galina, this is Agent Marquez.”

  “I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Marquez” Lexi said.

  The agent looked back and forth between the two women. Cate slung her arm through Lexi’s again to make her point. That point seemed to be taken as he frowned and looked over at his partner.

  “Shall we?” Lexi said and gestured toward the door.

  Cate followed beside her, the agents followed behind. Both men spoke in low voices. Cate caught only a little of it. They stepped inside the warehouse. This time there were two men behind the counter. Lexi pulled the ticket from her purse and slid it across the counter. Then she pulled her ID from her wallet. The men behind the counter must have been warned about what would happen next. They both just stood back.

  “Miss Montevega, there is some concern about the contents of your shipment. Would you mind opening the item here for us?”

  Lexi looked at all the men and shrugged. “Do I have a choice?”

  “Not really?” the agent said.

  One of the men behind the counter offered a box cutter. Lexi took it in her hand and slid it along the thick line of tape at one end.

  “Is there a reason that you did not travel to Spain with this package in your possession?”

  “Yes,” Lexi said but didn’t offer any more.

  The agent sighed. “Care to enlighten us as to why you made that decision?”

  Lexi turned to him and looked him in the eye. “When you see what is in the box, you will understand why I didn’t drag it through airport security. Though after all this, I”

  “Alright,” Agent Marquez said.

  “I didn’t catch your name,” Lexi said as she turned to the other man.

  He stared back at her.

  “This is an associate of mine. His name is unimportant,” said the agent.

  Lexi eyed the big man. “Mr. Unimportant.”

  He took a step forward but Agent Marquez held up his hand. “If you would be so kind.” He gestured toward the box again.

  Cate watched the other man step in front of the doorway. She was as curious as anyone about what was inside the box.

  When Lexi had finished carefully unwrapping the mass of brown paper and white plastic, all that was left was a standard black leather briefcase with a combination lock. Lexi rolled the numbers into position and then paused as she looked up at Agent Marquez. “Care to do the honors?”

  “Please, go ahead,” he said.

  Lexi flipped the tabs on the case and lifted the lid.

  Cate stifled a laugh. Agent Marquez’s cheeks went red.

  “This, gentleman, since you are so keen to know, is the Ready Vibe, a revolutionary new adult pleasure device.” She picked up a set of tiny electrodes from one of the cushioned pockets. “These attach to nipples. These are pulse sensors. And this ... “ she lifted a slender, phallic-looking purple silicone device from the main pocket and waved it around, “I’m sure you can all imagine where this goes.”

  “Joder!” spat the big guy by the door.

  “We are interested in the processor, not the other items, Miss Montevega.”

  “Isn’t everyone,” Lexi said dryly. “The entire industry wants our CPU. There’s nothing like it on the market. It learns and adapts. It records pulse, heat and blood flow, neurological responses to pleasure and stimuli and creates interactive patterns that imitate real live sex. It’s genius, frankly. Everyone will want one.” She held up a plain black box. “This is what separates the class fives from the class ones.”

  The agent looked puzzled. “Class fives?”

  “Orgasms - they have classes based on duration and intensity. Don’t worry, you wouldn’t be the first man to learn that,” Lexi said bluntly. “This control panel allows a partner to interact with up to three people at a single time, making group play in the same room or even long distances possible. These headphones -”

  “I think we’ve heard enough,” Agent Marquez said. He swiped his hand across his brow and stared into Cate’s eyes. Cate smiled gently back at him. He thrust out his hand at Lexi. “Open the box, please.”

  Lexi unscrewed the back panel and offered it to him. “Be careful.”

  He pulled a photo from his pocket and compared it to the inner workings of the box. He shook his head. “It’s not
the same.”

  “Were you expecting something else?” Lexi asked.

  He handed back the box. “Put the rest of the contents on the counter. All of it.”

  Lexi held up her hands. “Fine.” She did exactly as she was told. Everything came out, the foam, the plastic sheaths, condoms, tiny packets of lube, the silicon apparatus itself which she handled with the utmost care, the nipple clamps - everything.

  Agent Marquez swept his hand along the inside of the case and over the lid and bottom. He examined the foam padding and even the handle. Cate watched him grow more and more agitated. Finally, he clenched his fists and turned to her. “My mistake. You can never be too careful.”

  “Your country thanks you,” she said.

  “Can I pack this up or would you like to have a go? Perhaps you and your friend …” Lexi asked

  “No. We’ve seen enough, Miss Montevega. Thank you for your time.”

  Lexi pushed the foam insert into position and carefully packed the individual pieces back into their slots. Then she picked up the case and headed for the door.

  Agent Marquez put his hand on Cate’s arm. He looked deeply into her eyes. “Be careful, Cate.”

  “I will. Thank you, Agent Marquez.”

  “Enjoy the rest of your holiday,” he called as they walked back to their car.

  “Thank you,” she said and smiled over at Lexi.

  Lexi wore a smug smile on her face. Cate watched her happily check her side view mirrors before she turned the car around and headed back out the way they came. “You look quite pleased with yourself,” she said.

  Lexi grinned back at her. “That was fun.”

  Cate pulled her sunglasses from her purse and slid them on. “So ... Galina Montevega’s racket is sex toys.”

  “Yup.”

  “Why that?”

  “Why not?” Lexi countered.

  “I mean sure, it’s a good cover, I guess. But ...”

  “That’s the conference I was telling you about.”

  “So this conference is where the big job is happening?” Cate considered that for a moment. “Why did I think it was going to be something a little more flashy … like a bank vault or MI6?”

  Lexi glanced at her. “It’s not happening at the conference.”

  “Then why are you attending?”

  “Nuh uh,” Lexi said. “You’re cute but you’ll never make me talk.”

  “Fine,” Cate said as she eyed the briefcase on the back seat. “Do your gadgets work the way you said they do?”

  “Of course. I built them.”

  “So the whole spiel about class five orgasms and multiple remote partners ... that was real?”

  “More or less.”

  “Interesting. Is this one of those legitimate hobbies you mentioned? Building sex toys?”

  Lexi laughed. “I had to do something this spring. My girlfriend was in Chicago after all.”

  “You built this for me?”

  “Not for you, but with you in mind.”

  “Were you planning on sending it to me at some point so that I could test pilot it for you?”

  “I had considered it one night after a few too many tequilas.”

  Cate was shocked. “I’ve never seen you drunk. Who did you have too many tequilas with?”

  “No one important.”

  Cate turned in her seat until she was facing Lexi. “Who was it?”

  “Just some woman.”

  Cate smacked her arm a little harder than necessary. “Who?”

  “Okay, okay, my sister,” Lexi laughed. “She always gets me into trouble.”

  “Which one? The engineer or the model.”

  “Charlie.” Lexi shook her head and laughed. “I spent the night on her floor whining about you. She fed me shots so that I would talk. You know me, I never talk.”

  “So you told her about me?”

  “More or less.”

  Cate nudged her arm again. “Which parts?”

  “The part about following you around Chicago, mostly. How much I missed you, what great sex we had. Embarrassing stuff like that.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She told me to suck it up and go see you. It was her that convinced me to come to Spain.”

  Cate sat back in her seat. “Smart woman. I like her already.”

  Lexi looked over at her and smiled. “Yeah, you and everyone else.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Iowa, USA

  “Here, I made you a sandwich,” Taylor said. She handed her mother the brown paper bag. “There are some cut up carrots and a few celery sticks in there too.”

  Lucinda tucked the package into the top of the backpack at her feet. “Thanks, sweetie.”

  Her mother looked small inside the gray hoodie she was wearing. Taylor hoped the brown corduroy pants and white sneakers made her look different enough that no one would recognize her. She pointed to the backpack. “Is the gun in there?”

  “In a shirt way at the bottom,” Lucinda said when she stood up. “C’mere, give me a hug. You look like you need one.”

  Taylor wrapped her arms around her mother and breathed softly into her shoulder. “What time does the bus get in?”

  “Sometime before six in the morning,” Lucinda answered.

  “Jesus, how many times does it stop?”

  “A few,” Lucinda said. “It’s not like I want to be stuck walking around any earlier than that,” she said looking up at her. “You be good.”

  “I will. Just get home safe,” Taylor said. It didn’t feel right to be splitting up but there wasn’t much choice.

  “Is Jericho coming over?” Lucinda asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  Her mother stared back at her and then shook her head.

  “Alright, probably. Yes,” Taylor said.

  “Figured so. You get all ... I don’t know.”

  “Get all what?”

  “Twitchy or something. You haven’t sat still all night.”

  Taylor stared back at her. “I’ve got a little on my mind.” She watched her mother pick up her backpack and sling it around her shoulders. “Put your hood up when you’re in the bus station.”

  “Gonna look like some sort of convict,” her mother muttered.

  “You’re not going to look like a convict. Everything is going to be fine. You’ll be back the day after tomorrow and ...” She was saying it to ease her own mind as much as her mother’s.

  Lucinda held up her phone. “I’ll call you as soon as I get to the hospital.”

  “Give my love to Del, okay?”

  Her mother hugged her tight. “I will.”

  They looked into each other’s eyes one last time and then Lucinda turned and walked out the door. “Beautiful night for a red-eye,” she said as she walked down the steps. She looked back and waved. “See you, baby girl.”

  “Bye mama.” Taylor watched her walk to the end of the street and then turn the corner toward town. She shut the door and locked it.

  Her mother had been right, she hadn’t been able to sit still all night. There had been too much rattling around in her brain, too much to worry about. Taylor had been dreading this trip all week - so much that she’d asked Jericho to come over to help take her mind off things. And that had given her another thing to worry about. It felt like things between she and Jericho had been moving at a frenetic pace since they’d started. They’d spent every minute they could together, and every night as well except when Jericho had been away for work.

  Max had already been down for a couple of hours and was in deep sleep. Taylor flicked on the old TV in the living room and just as soon flicked it off again. She put on the kettle for some tea and watched it steam and finally boil. As soon as she’d poured it, she decided on a cold glass of water instead. She stared down at her hands and took a few deep breaths.

  What are you doing?

  It was a question she’d been asking herself since the morning after her and Jericho got together. She reme
mbered how sure she’d been that whatever happened between them would only happen once. It had been easy to get carried off in the momentum of it all, as if the two of them together were some wild ride she couldn’t step off of. Whatever it was between them had grown bigger and faster than she’d ever expected. It wasn’t like she wanted it to stop - though a more sensible woman in her shoes might have. But how could she? Jericho was the only thing that could calm the tension in her body and mind. The more Taylor got of her, the steadier everything felt.

  Taylor had caught herself many times just staring off into space, ruminating about some moment or other they had shared. Her mother had called her starry-eyed more than a few times and Taylor knew she was right. The minute Jericho entered her mind it was like her whole body got lifted into the clouds by a warm, shimmering bubble.

  She heard the latch click on the side gate and sprang for the back door. Jericho always came in the back way. By the time she’d made it up the steps, Taylor was there at the top ready to greet her. Their lips crushed together. Jericho’s mouth tasted of cinnamon gum and red wine. Her skin smelled like the coconut and shea butter lotion in her master bathroom. Jericho wrapped her so tight that Taylor felt her feet lift off the porch. Jericho slid her fingers into Taylor’s hair and tipped her head back. Then her lips, teeth, and tongue roamed wild over her throat.

  “I’ve been dying to taste you all day,” she rasped against her skin.

  Taylor remembered she’d meant to shower after her mother had left but the thought just as soon vanished. She pulled Jericho in through the back door and locked it behind them.

  Jericho glanced down the hall. “Did she leave already?”

  “A while ago,” Taylor said. She could see Jericho better now that they were standing in the kitchen light. Her cheeks were pink. Her eyes were intense.

  “Are you okay?” Jericho asked.

  “I’ll be better when she’s back,” Taylor answered.

  “She’s visiting her sister?”

  “She’s been really sick. I don’t think she has much longer,” Taylor said sadly and looked down at the floor. When she looked back up again, Jericho’s eyes were sad.

  “I couldn’t imagine losing one of my sisters.”