“Let go, babe. Come with me.”
His words acted like kerosene to an open flame. She dug her nails into his thighs, dragging him even closer. In the corner of her eye, her tits bounced in time with his rhythmic thrusts. Her back thudded against the wood and sweat beaded on his forehead. Relentlessly he drove his shaft into her pussy, moisture coating the friction, increasing the need. The want.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he growled as the muscles in his shoulders strained and he drove in deeper. Filling her to the brim before he collapsed on top of her and buried his face between her breasts.
Cassie ran her hands over his back, now slick with sweat. Popping up on his elbow, Jake stared into her eyes. Something shone there. Something different. She moved uncomfortably beneath him and he stood, gathering their clothes from the piles on the floor.
Suddenly shy, Cassie hastily pulled on her clothes and turned around as she shoved the flash drives into her bra again. They rode the elevator in silence, but raw lust crackled in the air. The bra chaffed against the sensitive peaks of her nipples and her pussy throbbed.
Damn it girl. Aren’t you satisfied yet? How can she still want more when she had just had the most satisfying sex? What more could she want? She had a man who, if wrapped in a red bow, would serve as any woman’s Christmas dream, ravishing her whenever she had the itch. The investigation progressed to the point where there were only eight suspects left and a friend who looked out for her safety by hiring a team of bodyguards. So why did she still feel so needy?
He watched the numbers above the elevator decrease. Anticipation crawled over his skin while he stroked his swollen dick. They were going to like his surprise. The bitch lived up to her old man’s reputation. Even after watching the photos of her old man and his whores, she jumped at the chance to fuck her bodyguard. They were all the same. No amount of money could change your character. The whole Adams family would pay for their lusty ways.
A grin spread over his face. The new camera he installed after the controlled explosion worked much better than the old one. Too bad they wouldn’t know who caused their downfall. Maybe he should give them a clue. He shook his head. No. He almost had enough money. Once this last transaction was done, he’d resign this dead end job and disappear. The stupid fucks wouldn’t have a clue. Despite their claims of superiority, he’d outsmarted them. He was untouchable.
The elevator ground to a stop and he caught the giggle of joy just in time. He pushed away from the dumpster and ran around the corner. The elevator doors opened as he closed the door of the stairs behind him. Let the games continue.
A ping signalled their arrival in the underground garage and Jake stepped forward. He halted abruptly and Cassie collided with him from behind.
“Bastard.” Jake’s muffled curse chilled Cassie to the bone. Even more than the gentle push he gave her back into the elevator.
“Stay put.”
Blood rushed through her heart at the rate of a freight train and sweat lined her palms. She craned her neck to see beyond him and instantly regretted the move.
Against the pillar, in direct view of the open elevator door, someone had stuck a photo. An A4-sized display of her on the desk and Jake pumping into her. She retreated into the lift. The bastard watched every move they made. He could see them. Could he hear them as well?
Jake disappeared into the garage and Cassie repressed the urge to press the button and hide in the safety of her office. Except, the office wasn’t safe. He could see her. Nausea climbed up her chest and she sank to the floor, pressing her head between her legs. Was he watching now? Her skin crawled and Cassie peered into the dimly lit garage. Where did Jake go? Why was it so quiet?
Chapter Six
Menace flowed over Jake the moment the doors of the elevator opened. He pulled his gun as his gaze fell on the photo. The bastard followed them. Knew where they were. Watched them. Adrenaline pumped his muscles and heightened his senses.
Behind him Cassie squealed, her rapid breath warmed his back. Fear radiated from her. Lit by only auxiliary lights, the underground garage harboured deep shadows. Plenty of places to hide. More than enough opportunity for an attack.
After a quick glance at Cassie, he veered to the left. Hugging the wall, he ran into the deep shadow a couple of feet from the elevator. The garage was empty save for his car and a closed dumpster against the wall. Dropping to his haunches, Jake scanned the ground. Nothing moved.
He pressed the speed dial on his mobile to connect him to Matt, knowing if Matt heard nothing on the line, he would use the GPS tracker of his phone to locate him. Shoving the phone in his pant’s pocket, Jake made his way toward Cassie. The silence in the garage didn’t fool him. The photographer bided his time to take the photo. Barely ten minutes had passed since that scene played out in the office, so chances were that he or she was still watching. Waiting. Planning. He couldn’t take the chance of going to the car without backup. Dead hero’s had no use.
Cassie cowered in the far corner of the elevator and Jake closed the doors, pressing the stop button. He shut off the alarm, pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight.
“Backup is on the way. We need to stay put for a couple of minutes.”
A feint sniff, but no answer. He lifted her chin with his finger. “We’ll find him, Cassie…before he can get to you. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She nodded and folded her arms. “He saw us,” she whispered.
Jake stroked over her hair. “I know. But we’ll find him and find out why he did this.”
Cassie stepped out of his embrace and frowned. “I know why he did it. It’s the money. What I don’t understand is why he sent the photos to my father.”
Jake nodded. He’d wondered about that as well. Any normal criminal would have killed her father and gotten it over with. Why drag out the agony for years and continue it with Cassie. It’s almost if the man enjoyed toying with the Adams family. It smacked of a vendetta more than just greed. Jake made a mental note to check out the family history as soon as possible. For now, he had to keep Cassie alive and out of harm’s way.
They waited in silence.
An eternity later, the squeal of tires announced the arrival of Matt and the cavalry. Endless minutes where he tried his best to stare at anything but Cassie. She made his blood boil and made him neglect his duties. A fatal mistake for a bodyguard.
A loud bang on the door had Cassie rushing into his arms again. Awaking the lust he tried so hard to suppress. Her soft breasts heated his chest through the t-shirt invoking memories of their sweet taste. Damn, he had to control this.
“Jake, you in there?” Matt’s voice sliced through the tension inside the elevator and Cassie sagged against him.
“Yah, you guys done?”
“All done.”
Jake opened the doors to reveal Matt’s large frame filling the space. He’d removed the photo from the pillar and held it folded in his beefy hand. Behind him, the rest of the team holstered their weapons and moved off towards a black minivan. He was pissed. But so was Jake.
“I’ll get someone to take care of Cassie. We need to talk.”
Jake nodded and Matt yelled at the only female member of the team to take care of Cassie. With Cassie safely inside the van, the two men walked to the side.
“What the hell were you thinking fucking the client?” Matt kept his voice deceptively low, controlling the anger that simmered just below the surface. “Your mind resided in your pants when it should have been on the job. Worse, now someone else knows and he’s not afraid to use it.”
Matt shoved his hand into his pant’s pocket while the he waved a forefinger under Jake’s nose. “If word gets out that we screw our clients, we’ll lose our reputation. In our business, reputation is everything. You know that. So what the fuck happened?”
Jake’s temper erupted. Hell, he wasn’t a kid, neither was he a novice. Matt had no business talking to him like this. “Yes, I screwed the client. It’s not like s
he would ever complain.”
Matt barked out a laugh. “You’re that sure you’re the lay of the century?”
Jake shook his head. He knew he should come clean with Matt, but he’d never been one to share his emotions. Ever. To do so now would break the number one Jake-rule. Keep your private life, well, private. What he had with Cassie he couldn’t even explain to himself. How was he going to explain it to Matt without it sounding tacky. Shit, he had to try.
“I can hold my own. But Cassie is different.” For the first time in years he searched for the correct words. “We met when I did that job in Mauritius.”
Matt clenched his teeth. “You’ve known who the client was and you said nothing?”
“No, I didn’t know who she was until I met her at her apartment.” Jake ran a frustrated hand over his closely cropped hair. This was going to be harder than he thought.
“You lost me pal. Are you sure you’re all right? Have you been drinking?”
“Give me a break,” Jake snapped. “In Mauritius, she wanted an anonymous one-night stand with no complications. I happily obliged. We never introduced ourselves. Hell, for that matter we didn’t talk much at all.” The memory of their first night together made him hard. Painfully hard.
“So you met her again yesterday and you’re already banging her? This makes it better? She must be one hell of an easy fuck if you compromise everything we’ve worked for during the past two years.”
Jake bundled Matt’s jacket in his fist, uncaring that a bunch of chest hair also clamped in his fist. “You keep your mouth off her. She’s a lady and deserves respect.” He pressed his face into Matt’s. “If you ever so much as hint that she is anything but, I will kill you.”
Matt’s glance turned to ice. “You forget who you’re dealing with.”
“No I didn’t. You’re my best friend, but tarnish her reputation and there will be hell to pay.” Jake let go of Matt’s jacket and smoothed the edges. “Now, can we get on with business and keep her alive.”
“Just one more thing.” Matt’s glance seared through Jake. “Think about what you’re willing to compromise for her. When the job is done, we still have to make a living. Are you willing to sacrifice your career for her? I’m asking as a friend.” Jake inhaled sharply, but Matt held up his hand. “You think about that. Now, what do we have?”
“We have a thief who sent dirty pictures to her father, but didn’t blackmail him from I gather and now wants Cassie out of the picture. Something sits askew on this one. From the photo’s he or she must have had Cassie’s father’s confidence to such an extent that the old man told him where he would be and with whom. And trust me, the old bastard got around.”
“So it’s someone close.” Matt stated. “It almost always is. Where do we begin looking? Just point the way and we’ll do the rest. Oh, by the way, the female guard is not trained enough to look after your girl. She’s all yours for the duration.”
Jake refused to analyse the relief flooding through him. He had more pressing things to think about than how he felt about Cassie. They needed to find the thief before he upgraded to murder.
Jake stared at the minivan. “Let’s talk to Cassie. She must know more than she revealed so far.”
Silence reigned inside the van when Matt slid open the door. “Take her to the office.” He met every single person’s eyes. “Make sure she gets there or you’re asses will be in a sling. You saw the photo.”
The five masked faces inside nodded and closed the door. Jake and Matt followed the team at a safe distance and Jake sighed with relief when they finally pulled into the building. Once inside the office, Jake steered Cassie to his office, closed the door in Matt’s face and hugged her close.
“You okay?”
“Yes. Scared, but okay.” She buried her face in his chest. The flowery scent of her hair drifted upwards.
“I know, babe.” He squeezed her shoulder before gently putting her away from him. “We need to talk. Are you up to it?” She nodded and Jake opened the door to let Matt in.
Cassie took the time to study the interior. The office was minimalistic with no sentimental ornaments adorning the walls or shelves. A large uncluttered wooden desk huddled in a corner opposite the windows, offering Jake a panoramic view over the city. Several comfortable chairs and a couch surrounded a low coffee table with a lamp sitting behind a well-used recliner. On the wall, coloured pins dotted the maps of the city and surrounding countryside.
Matt cleared his throat and Cassie accepted the offer of coffee before she perched on a single chair, crossing her ankles. The two men took a seat opposite her and Matt flipped open a file. With his pencil poised, he started the interrogation.
She told them about Joshua’s suspicions and blushed when she retrieved the flash drives from her bra. When they started asking about her father, her hackles went up. Graham Adams worked very hard to establish the business and gain the confidence of his clients. It cost him his marriage and alienated his children from him. He had a problem controlling his sex-drive. At the moment, Cassie couldn’t fault him on that. Maybe if someone asked her the same question two weeks ago, her answer would have been different. But she suffered the same fate. She had the same weakness. And she understood.
“You’re an only child?” Matt persisted in questioning her while Jake ravished her with his eyes. It was difficult to breathe with the animalistic lust his gaze invoked.
“No, I have a brother as well. Dorian is an interior designer.” She saw their brows lift. “Yes he is gay and he is extremely good at his job.”
“Your mother?”
“She divorced my father when I turned eighteen and remarried about a month later. She lives in France and as far as I know, she hadn’t returned to the States ever since.” Cassie mentally calculated the timeframe. “Must be more than ten years now.”
“Any other biological siblings?”
She shook her head. “Oh, we’re not their biological children. After an accident in the factory, my father lost the ability to father children together with his testicles.” The men winced and clamped their thighs together. Cassie bit back a smile.
“They adopted us when it seemed appropriate for an up and coming entrepreneur to have a family. Dorian is two years my senior.”
“But, the photo’s on the flash drives . . .” Jake didn’t need to finish the sentence. Cassie understood the question all too well and wished she didn’t have the answer.
“He had cosmetic surgery done.”
The questioning continued well into the night to the point where fatigue threatened to drag Cassie’s eyes shut. Jake called a halt and they filed out of the office. A car already travelled the route they had to take to go home and found it safe.
“Please stay out of the office until Monday. Like we said earlier, the camera must be inside and judging by the viewpoint, the person could see everything you did on the computer. We’re going to leave it in place, but we must have time to concoct a plan to draw him out without giving the person any more access to your accounts.”
Cassie nodded at Matt, but she failed understand how the perpetrator could use the codes he saw on her computer. The solution struck her instantaneously with that thought.
“Matt, we have to check the IP addresses of the computer used to transfer the funds. You can only log in from your own IP address to get access. If we have that, we’ll have our guy.”
“We’ll check it out on Monday with Joshua’s help. Now, go home and get some sleep.” Although he directed the words at her, he gave Jake a stern look. Jake’s cheeks coloured slightly. He never looked sexier and despite being dog-tired, heat pooled between her legs.
Like the previous night, they drove home in silence. This time though, Cassie leaned her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes. The photo propped up against the pillar danced before her eyes. Jake’s head tilted, the muscles in his neck straining. His washboard torso contracted as he pumped his rigid cock into her. She with her feet on his s
houlders, wide open pussy welcoming his hot sex into her. Her eyes closed in ecstasy, mouth slightly open to allow the panting breaths to escape and nipples erect with breasts slightly out of focus due to their juggling.
“Whatever you’re thinking you’d better stop that train of thought or I’ll have you in the backseat of my car like a teenager.”
Cassie just smiled. “I wouldn’t mind.” She ran a hand over her now sensitised breast, pinching the nipple to harden it further.
“Dammit woman, we need to concentrate on keeping you alive. You’re a distraction that could get you killed.”
She sighed and clasped her hands in her lap. Jake was right. No more mistakes until they caught the perpetrator. It would be sinful to waste the nights though. She needed some close protection tonight. Her pulse kicked up a notch.
“You have to agree, if it wasn’t for the menace attached to the photo, it would have been a super hot one.”
Jake cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. “I didn’t look at it like that.”
She frowned. The picture was burned into her memory, never to be forgotten. It might be the shock associated with seeing it, but now, with Jake beside her and the team securing the area, it made her hot.
“We’re home.” He parked the car and turned to her. “We have to concentrate on the job at hand. No more hanky-panky.”
We’ll see about that, she thought, but nodded in meek agreement. Jake narrowed his eyes, but she shrugged and opened the door.
He was at her side in an instant and took her arm. Once inside the apartment, she turned out the overhead lights and switched on the lamp in the corner. With her hand on the handle of her door, she kicked off her shoes, took the clip from her hair and bent to pick the shoes up while making sure Jake had full view of her behind.
Accounting for Lust Page 6