Murderous Profession

by D J Small

  “Pleasure to meet you, Detective Miller,” Melanie said as she stuck out her hand.

  Eliza took it and gave it a brief shake. “Please, call me Eliza.” She moved out of the doorway. “Come in.”

  Melanie entered, setting the two bags that had been hanging on her shoulders behind the couch. Eliza closed the door behind her, and when she turned to face Melanie, she found her looking at her with a scrutinizing gaze.

  “Problem?”

  Melanie shook her head and grinned. “Oh, no, dear. Not a problem at all.” Her gaze continued to roam over Eliza’s body as she spoke, making Eliza uneasy. Then Melanie’s bright eyes met hers. “Can I see the dress?”

  Taken aback by the sudden shift in tone, Eliza nodded absently. They walked back to her bedroom, and Melanie let out a low whistle when she saw the green dress hanging on Eliza’s closet door. “Very couture! Damn, are you going to look good in this.” She grinned. “But, honey, once I am done with you, you’re going to look drop-dead gorgeous.” Her grin turned into a suggestive smile. “Dax won’t be able to pick his jaw up off the floor once he sees you, nor will he be able to keep his hands off you.”

  “Seriously?” Eliza asked. The slight hesitation in her voice made her frown. She didn’t have many insecurities about her body but wearing high-end fashion and getting dolled up put her way out of her element, which caused the insecurities she did have to skyrocket.

  Melanie gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Eliza. He’ll think you’re perfect no matter what. Dax may be a man who likes his presents to be beautifully gift-wrapped, but it’s what’s inside that makes his little heart beat faster.”

  For some reason, Melanie’s words alleviated some of her insecurities. Eliza grinned. “Did you just make a short joke about him?”

  Melanie laughed and hooked her arm around Eliza’s, dragging her back into the living room. “Yes, I did. I’m like an inch taller than him, and I love to call him short. He gets all defensive about it. It’s cute. He’s like one of those miniature Pinschers. All bark, and just adorable.”

  Eliza began to laugh with Melanie. It was true; Dax getting defensive about his height was freaking adorable, and when she really got him going about it, he’d call her a beautiful Amazon and storm off. She wasn’t certain how effective the comment was for his argument, but it didn’t make him any less endearing.

  Melanie pushed Eliza onto the sofa, then moved behind it to grab her bags.

  She set the two bags on the coffee table, opened them up, and began to rummage through them. Taking out various makeup, tools, hair instruments, and other items, Melanie quickly covered Eliza’s coffee table with the items, and Eliza began to fear for her life. She had no idea what Melanie planned to do, but she wanted go running in the opposite direction from whatever it was.

  When she was done pulling everything out, Melanie turned to her face her, a huge excited smile on her face. “Let’s get glam.”

  ◊◊◊

  Almost two hours later, Eliza stood in front of her full-length mirror wearing the green dress and matching heels. The dress fell right where she had expected it to, and the heels, though uncomfortable, weren’t all that bad. Even the small amount of cleavage she had on display seemed tasteful.

  Eliza glided her hands down the smooth satin fabric of her dress. What it did to her body was amazing, and she found herself incredibly hot.

  Melanie had curled her hair, pinned some of it back, and then let it cascade down her back like a thick, voluminous curtain. The make-up on her face was subtle; a little eyeliner to make her green eyes stand out, a light shade of lipstick to give her lips some color, and a brush of highlighter to make her cheekbones really pop—at least, that’s what Melanie had told her. Examining herself in the mirror, Eliza tried to breathe through some of the anxiety that had started to take hold of her.

  She didn’t understand why she was so nervous; it was Dax. They had seen each other so many times since the Veronica ordeal, and one of those times she had accompanied him to a funeral. However, this was different. This was a date.

  Eliza’s stomach churned right as the intercom buzzed. She was going to throw up. She forced herself to walk to the speaker and push the button.

  “Hello?” she said, the trepidation in her voice quite obvious.

  “So formal,” Dax replied with a chuckle. “Your chariot has arrived, madam. Do you want to come down, or do you want me to come up?”

  Eliza swallowed and pushed the button to reply again. “Can you come up?” That way, if she was going to throw up, she could do so in the comfort of her home.

  “Buzz me in.”

  Eliza pushed the button, then started to pace. How she had managed to stay om her feet, she did not know, but it was a miracle since her nerves were wreaking havoc on her.

  A minute later, the sound of three rhythmic knocks came through her door. Eliza stopped pacing and stared at it. She drew in a few deep breaths, then moved to answer the door. Going into dangerous situations at work didn’t cause her this much anxiety.

  Eliza opened the door, and the first thing she noticed, was where Dax stood when he was in front of her.

  Anxiousness forgotten, Eliza scowled and said, “Is this why you wanted me to wear heels?”

  A provocative smile slowly formed on his face. “No, it was completely an aesthetic thing, but I can’t say I hate the view,” Dax replied as he admired her breasts; which were at his eye level thanks to the high heels she had on.

  Eliza pushed his shoulder. “You’re as disgusting as my brothers.”

  Dax arched an eyebrow as his eyes moved up and down her body, and he held his bottom lip between his teeth. He took his time taking Eliza in, and she couldn’t help but to be turned on by the way he looked at her with such desire in his eyes.

  “When a vision is standing in front of you, you can’t help but to bask in its glory.” His eyes met Eliza’s, and whatever nerves she still felt vanished. “You are breathtaking, Eliza.

  Eliza smirked as she gave him a once-over, then checked him out a second time, more slowly. “You’re not so bad yourself, short stuff.”

  Dax had on a casual, vibrant blue suit. His jacket was open, and the white linen dress shirt underneath it had the first four buttons undone, showing off part of his chest. His dark brown skin contrasted beautifully against the color of the suit.

  Eliza drew in a slow, deep breath in an attempt to control the lust building inside of her.

  Dax smiled and remarked, “I will let the short comments pass for the night, since you are indulging me.” He held up a long rectangular box. “I got you something.”

  Eliza let him in and said, “You can’t keep buying me stuff. This entire outfit was enough.”

  Dax walked over to the couch and placed the box on it. He glanced at Eliza over his shoulder. “But this is a practical gift, and you can wear it on more than one occasion.”

  The word “practical” along with the gift’s supposed versatility drew Eliza in. She moved closer to the couch. “What is it?”

  Dax smiled up at her as he opened the box and pulled out a stylish long black trench coat. Eliza admired the coat as he opened it for her so she could put it on. The inside was lined with a silk-like fabric, but it was incredibly warm.

  Eliza slipped her hands into the coat’s deep pockets and smiled at Dax, who chuckled.

  “So, I’m guessing you like it?”

  “Dax, I love it.” The coat fit her form perfectly, and didn’t get in the way, which was just what she needed. If she ever had to run after someone while wearing the coat, it wouldn’t be a hinderance. It was perfect.

  Dax retrieved another item from the box and held it out to her. “Because I’m tired of you hunching over like some cold hobo.”

  Eliza laughed as she took the faux-leather gloves from him and pulled them on. She grinned and said, “You know you like it when I hunch over like that. You can give my cheek a kiss without having to stand on your tiptoes.”

&n
bsp; “Ha, ha,” Dax said dryly, then he smirked. “I see you are in some kind of a mood tonight.”

  Eliza replied to his smirk with a teasing grin. “It’s our first date, so I’m allowed to be playful.”

  Dax offered Eliza his arm, and she took it. “Playful is one thing, but short jokes are an indicator of a mood. A mood I may have to punish you for.”

  They walked out of the apartment, and after Eliza had locked the door, she took hold of his arm again and settled back into her spot on his left side. She lowered her head and whispered in his ear, “Darling, I don’t think you want to start talking about punishments. You still owe me for agitating a psycho with a gun.” She took his earlobe between her teeth and gave it a gentle tug. “Oh, and remember I am on probation because of you.”

  Dax drew in a sharp breath through his teeth and shook his head as they walked over to the elevator. He pushed the down button, and when he looked up at Eliza, she saw mirth and arousal dancing in his eyes. “As I said, mood, and I think tonight’s date will make up for you being on probation.”

  Eliza chuckled. She didn’t know about that. Captain Espinoza had placed her on immediate probation once she had heard about the infamous kiss at the warehouse. It had originally been for six months, but Eliza fought against it and got it dropped to three.

  “This must be a really spectacular date if you think it’ll make me forget that you almost ruined my career,” Eliza remarked with a playful smile as they got onto the elevator.

  Dax pushed the button for the lobby and smirked at her. “By the end of tonight, you will have absolved me of all my wrongdoings and then some.”

  Eliza leaned down and kissed him softly, nipping at his bottom lip as she drew back. “You think mighty highly of yourself.”

  “With you, Detective, I have to bring my best game to the table.”

  They shared a laugh as the elevator arrived at the lobby. Eliza drew closer to Dax as they walked out of building, her excitement growing over what he had planned for the evening.

  ◊◊◊

  By the time the limo had come to a stop, Eliza found herself thoroughly enjoying Dax treating her like a lady. He showered her with compliments, flirted with her in a way that wasn’t his typical obvious manner, and truly couldn’t keep his hands off her. Eliza didn’t think someone could be addicted to a person, but she believed Dax was addicted to her—and he wasn’t the only one with an addiction, either.

  As much as Eliza enjoyed Dax’s attention, she had also done her fair share of flirting, and his reaction was everything. She liked to tease him until he got flustered because he couldn’t do anything about it, making him even more irresistible to her.

  During the ride, they had talked about their days. Dax seen had two clients earlier, and Eliza had gone to the station to file a few reports. The easiness Eliza felt while listening to Dax talk about his appointments with his clients was still new to her, so when he had gotten to a more detailed part about one of his sessions, her body had automatically tensed out of habit, and he had hesitated for a moment.

  Dax never went to into graphic detail about what he did with his clients unless something funny happened, but the nature of this story apparently required more detail than usual.

  Eliza had given him a reassuring smile to silently let him know that she was okay, and he had continued. Truthfully, she was okay with it. Maybe it was because she was on a first-date high, or maybe it was because Dax had made her feel like she was the most important person in the world to him, but whatever it was, she had been okay with hearing the specific details of the session.

  Looking out of the window, Eliza eyed the pier the limo had stopped next to. Apprehension came over her, and she began to wonder what the hell they were doing at the harbor in the dead of winter.

  Dax hadn’t even noticed that they had stopped. He was too busy laying a trail of light kisses up Eliza’s neck while his hand slid up and down the outside of her thigh. The kissing and caressing were a small concession to their “taking it slow” rule, allowing them to alleviate some of the sexual tension that was building between them. The tension had been made all the worse by Eliza’s endless teasing, but she couldn’t help it. She liked making Dax squirm.

  Dax’s teeth gently bit the sensitive skin of her neck, and Eliza drew in a sharp breath through her mouth. To say she wasn’t affected by the growing tension would have been a complete lie. She wanted Dax to touch her, something she had been desperately wanting him to do since their night together. The temptation to give into her lust had tested Eliza’s restraint several times over the last month, but she had managed to keep a tight hold on her desire—barely.

  Eliza took hold of Dax’s head and lowered her lips to his. The soft kiss seemed to bring him back to reality. His hand stopped moving, and he rested it on her hip as he engaged in the kiss, which grew more passionate by the second.

  Eliza pulled back, breaking the kiss. Had she let it continue, they wouldn’t have left the limo. She smiled. “Why are we at the harbor?”

  Dax closed his eyes and ran his tongue over his top lip. Eliza watched him, amused by his dramatics, but she didn’t laugh— it would only make them worse. Dax opened his eyes again and grinned. “Don’t think I haven’t wised up to your tactics, Detective. Get me all hot and bothered then interrogate me. No wonder you’re a cop.”

  Eliza trailed her finger across his jaw and hummed. “I save my best tactics for the more hardened criminals.”

  Dax smirked, trying his best not to laugh as Eliza kept her face neutral, but she knew he could see the humor in her eyes. He wasn’t the only one that knew how to engage in wordplay.

  He laughed. “Detective, I definitely do enjoy date-night you.” He moved away from her and straightened out his suit jacket.

  “Are you not going to tell me why we’re at the harbor?” Eliza asked as she smoothed out her dress, which had ridden up thanks to Dax’s wandering hands.

  He shook his head. “Nope. It’s a surprise for a reason. Ready?”

  Studying him with a skeptical gaze, Eliza gave him a curt nod. One day, Dax would understand her disdain for surprises, but at the same time, she was starting to enjoy them. At least the ones he gave her.

  Dax got out first, then held out his hand for Eliza. She took it, and after Dax had closed the door, she wrapped her arm around his and they began to make their way down the pier.

  The colder temperature by the water had Eliza pressing herself further into him, and she muttered, “How are you not freezing?”

  “Warm-blooded,” he said with a chuckle. “We’re not going far, anyway. I know you’re a wimp about the cold.”

  Eliza scowled at him. “Is tonight the night you want to be an asshole?”

  Dax grinned. “No, but I brought you to a private yacht.” He pointed at one of the boats. “You can’t be mad at me when I bring you to a private yacht.”

  Following Dax’s finger, Eliza’s eyes widened when she saw the boat he was referring to. The luxury yacht took up the slip at the end of the pier, and was lit up like the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center.

  Like everything involving Dax, the boat looked expensive and fancy, and Eliza wanted to explore every part of it. She grinned at him. “We’re having dinner on a boat?”

  Dax nodded. “Yep, and we are also going to spend the weekend out at sea.” Eliza gawked at him, and he quickly added, “Not too far out. We’re just going to leave the harbor. The captain has assured me it will be a quick return if we need to go back early.”

  Eliza returned her gaze back to the yacht, stunned by how beautiful it was. She had an affinity for boats and sailing. Her retirement plan was to get a junker, fix it up, and sail around the world. A sudden thought caused her brain to seize. “How rich are you?”

  Dax laughed, and as they got to the gangplank he said, “Not own-a-yacht rich, but maybe one day. That’s actually something I wanted to talk to you about, but we can discuss it later. Right now, I’m a little busy taking in how beaut
iful you look.”

  Eliza smiled, and she leaned over to give him a kiss. “Sweet talker.”

  “Always.”

  When they reached the main deck, she and Dax were greeted by the captain. “Mr. Collins, Ms. Miller, welcome aboard the Poseidon II. As you requested, Mr. Collins, the dining room has been heated to seventy-five degrees, the quartet has already arrived, and according to the chef, dinner is ready at your convenience.”

  Dax smiled at the man. “Thank you, Captain Roberts, for the hospitality and making sure everything is all set for the weekend. When will we set sail?”

  “Whenever you would like, sir,” Captain Roberts replied.

  Dax gave him a nod. “Sounds good. The rest of the boat has been heated as well?”

  “Yes, sir,” Captain Roberts replied with a nod. “If you would like it warmer, let me know and I can certainly accommodate you.”

  “Much obliged, Captain.” He glanced at Eliza. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, I think there’s some exploring we have to do.”

  Captain Roberts smiled at them, and as they walked away, Eliza said, “Dax, this is too much.”

  He shushed her. “There is no such thing as too much on our very first date.”

  “There is when it probably costs more than what you make in a month,” Eliza argued. No amount of ‘smart investing’—which is what Dax often told her when she questioned him about his extravagant expenditures—in the world would allow someone in Dax’s profession to afford a chartered a yacht for the weekend, hire a chef, a quartet, and who knew what else.

  Dax drew in a deep breath and said, “No, there isn’t. I could probably earn it all back in two weeks, but as I’ve told you, I have smart investments.”

  “That is always your response whenever I bring up you buying things. Forgive me if I find myself a little bit leery here,” Eliza countered, not bothering to conceal the irritation in her voice. Coming from a middle-class family that watched every penny made her cautious about frivolous spending, and she became even more cautious when there wasn’t a good explanation for where the funds were coming from.