by Janice Jones
“Now,” he heard her gasp.
_______________
Alex hadn’t felt a sensation like this in a long time, if ever. He was thick, hard as hell as she guided him inside once more. The mound of sensitive flesh ached as his shaft brushed over it with every stroke. She had no idea how much he filled her up until this very moment. Moving in precisely the right manner and angle, Jason’s grip on her wrists and the way he fought to keep from finishing before her, sent Alex over the edge.
He released her hands to plant his on the headboard with a grunt. She took his bottom lip into her mouth as he brought them both to the top of a climax neither would soon forget. He coaxed her to come with him with his hoarse voice and throbbing cock. He plunged in deep once more, buried his face in her neck and demanded her full surrender. Their voices mixed together as they came at almost the same time. Jason’s body shuddered several times after Alex had given in. As he lay helpless on top of her, she kissed his ear and he sighed.
The quiet was sweet and soft as it settled around them. Jason rolled down into the bed, placed his head against her shoulder without a word. She could feel his manhood, expended and wet against her thigh. She always hated that, but tonight it didn’t seem to bother her at all. Tonight, she had given in to a vampire’s will and that didn’t seem to bother her either.
Her other lovers never made her feel this way before. What she wanted from them was strength and knowledge for how to please a woman, not just a vague idea of sex. What she got were immature ramblings and premature conclusions. But Jason had proven to be the exception. How could she go back to ‘am I doing it right’ after having ‘I can do no wrong?’
_______________
“We’re still meeting with Conner for dinner tomorrow night,” Jason whispered as her head lay against his. “I just remembered.”
“Sure,” she replied. She pulled the tangled sheet around her body as she left his side. After she gathered her stray clothes, she entered the bathroom. “I should be back in time.”
Jason jumped from the bed and reached the door just as it closed, “Where are you going now?”
“Back to my room,” he heard her say from the other side of the door. “I need to get some sleep.”
He pushed the door open and watched her at the sink as she splashed water over her flushed face. She tossed the sheet at him as she looked at his naked body. It fell silently to his feet. He wasn’t in the mood to cover himself, why should he?
“You can sleep here,” he grinned. Suddenly his bandaged hand began to itch and he tried to scratch it through the thick gauze. A searing pain radiated up his arm and his head began to spin. She caught him before he lost his balance.
“Whoa,” she said, helping Jason from the bathroom to the bed again. “Let me check that before you make it worse.”
Jason felt the cool air against his skin as she lifted the bandage. Now it burned and throbbed at the movement of the cloth. “Ouch! That actually hurts.”
Alex gave him an annoyed stare as she crossed over to the minibar against the far wall of the master suite. She returned with two bottles of fresh blood. “Drink both of these, then get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
Jason watched as she placed one bottle on the nightstand and opened the other. The sweet copper smell sailed up his nose and he was ravenous. But it didn’t smell the way her blood did and somehow he knew it wouldn’t taste like it either. Disappointment and anger filled him. He thought of one last taste from her to get him through the night, but she tightened the bandage around his wounded hand and pushed the fake stuff at him with a shake of her head.
“Call me when you land in L.A.,” Jason yawned, finishing the first bottle. The next one in his grip, he turned it up and swallowed its entire contents in three big gulps. She tossed both empty bottles in the trash can next to the nightstand. “You didn’t answer my question,” he yawned big again.
As Alex tucked him into the soft bed, Jason’s mind clouded. He felt as though he were suspended on a peaceful sea of Egyptian cotton sheets, giving in to the call of sleep even as he tried to fight against its pull.
“That wasn’t a question,” he heard her say from miles away.
Searching his brain, he couldn’t remember the last thing he said either. And as the softness surrounded him, the blissful beginnings of a deep sleep began to take over.
_______________
Her suite was relatively quiet, even with six people within its three bedrooms. She checked the first bedroom as Erin pecked away on the computer at the desk, headphones snug on her head. Amy asleep in one queen sized bed and the twins softly snoring in the other.
“Everything okay?” Erin whispered as she pulled the headphones free when she noticed Alex at the door.
“Yeah, great,” she replied. “Have you found anything yet?”
She frowned at the screen shaking her head. “Not yet. Still going through the traffic cam stuff.” Her finger tapped at a black limo at the bottom of the screen. “That’s Jason’s driver. Not sure where he’s headed, but I’ll keep tracking him.”
An endless stream of cars and people scrambled around the screen double time: Alex in awe of how Erin could keep up with the action. There were at least twenty black limos mixed in with the traffic. How the hell could she track one car in all that mess?
“That just gives me a headache,” Alex said rubbing at her temples. “Can you let them know to be ready by nine?”
“Got it,” she saluted with a small grin, snapped her headphones back on, and then went back to the computer. “Oh, I did find out who that wire transfer came from.” Erin handed Alex a yellow sticky note. “It’s a law firm. The account belongs to that guy,” she said pointing at the note.
“Brice Campbell,” Alex stated. “Perfect name for an ambulance chaser, don’t you think?”
She had to admit it was the first bit of good news since this whole thing started. Even if it was just a name, it was way more than they had a few days ago.
“I’ll send you his full bio in about an hour. Check your tablet,” Erin yawned.
“Nice work,” Alex said as she stood to leave.
“Thanks, boss,” Erin smiled at her, put on her headphones again and went back to work.
Making her way down the short hall, light was visible under the door of the room at the end of it. Alex knocked and opened it when she heard Xavier invite her in. He sat in the center of the bed as he cleaned a berretta in striped boxers and a white undershirt. The door to the bathroom was cracked, steam coming out and she could hear Sebastian as he sang in the shower.
“He does that,” he shrugged, turned his head slightly then yelled, “Hey! Alex is here. Hurry up!”
They heard him yell he’d be right out, but the song got louder.
Alex just nodded. “Anything on the bomb yet?”
“No,” he replied. “But as soon as we get the preliminary report, the twins can tell us what signature was used and who might be in the system for that.”
“I’m having dinner with Gale and Jason tomorrow night,” she said as she stepped inside and sat on the edge of the bed across from Xavier. “He wants to discuss the conference, mostly.” He began to put his gun back together without looking at it once. “And he probably wants to make sure I didn’t try to kill Jason.”
Xavier smiled, placed the gun on the nightstand. “Did you?”
“No,” Alex smiled back. “You?”
His laugh was hearty and full. “Well, that’s two down.”
When Sebastian came from the bathroom, his head was covered with a towel. His black t-shirt and black boxer briefs stretched over muscles and other things quite nicely, she noted. He sat down next to Xavier and smiled.
“What’s so funny?”
They both shook their heads and he shrugged them off.
“So can we trust this guy we’r
e going to see in L.A.?” she asked.
Xavier straightened his posture, “Pinkie? Yea, I think so.”
“You think so,” Alex sighed. “We’re going to L.A. on ‘I think so?’”
“It’s the best lead we have on who took Matt. We check it out first. If it’s a solid lead, we hand it off to Lucas and the pack.” Xavier replied. “That cuts down on the mess they’d make if we sent them straight to Pinkie.”
Sebastian joined the conversation. “You know Lucas better than anyone, Alex. He’s an Alpha-Were with a bad disposition. Someone killed his brother. You think he’s gonna ask questions without breaking some bones?”
Alex yawned and stretched as she stood to go. “Fine. Get some sleep you guys. We’ve got a lot on our plates for tomorrow.”
“See ya in the morning,” she heard Sebastian say as she closed the door.
Inside her bedroom, she stripped away her clothes that smelled of Jason and sex, grabbed a quick shower and settled into the bed. It wasn’t as soft as Jason’s, but it was good enough for the few minutes of rest she needed to start a new day.
Chapter 36
It was hard to imagine Xavier ever being in this crowd. As a Zoot-suited band took the stage, Alex followed him to a deep red booth in back. The dancers filled the floor and soon guys in pork-pie hats and girls in full skirts and perfectly coiffed hair jumped and flipped to swing music.
Her day had been spent in meetings for Bite’s summer launch; theirs, meeting with the L.A. office of Strategic. Funny how a program of six had become a worldwide organization seemingly overnight. She didn’t expect to be invited to the meeting, but she was kind of hoping she’d at least get to see the doctor. But she was sure he was checking up on her first. Getting what he could from them before bringing her in.
“You sure he’ll be here?” she yelled into Xavier’s ear.
He nodded as he flashed two fingers at the pretty bartender. Her dark hair was pulled into a bun at the base of her neck. With red, red lips and a nice rack, she pulled two cold bottles from the cooler and slid them across the bar to their waitress. Peggy, the waitress, dropped them on the table and Xavier dropped a twenty on her silver tray with a wink that she returned with a bright smile.
The band finished their set and was replaced with a digital song styling of Frank Sinatra. Glad for the break on her senses, Alex sat back and emptied the bottle before Xavier. She felt out of place all of a sudden. Xavier, however, was dressed like every other guy in sight. Fancy bowling shirt, pleated slacks, and leather oxfords on his long feet. He belonged. He didn’t mention that this was a swing bar and everyone would be dressed in the fashionable attire the era was known for. In her plain black t-shirt and black jeans, Alex looked like an outsider.
Xavier tapped her when their host strolled in flanked by two muscleheads. He may have been about Alex’s height, but sandwiched between two ‘redwood trees’ he appeared compact, small.
The straw trilby sat perfectly on his round head. His left hand was hidden inside the pocket of his baggy slacks—the cuffs lay on top of brown loafers polished to a high shine. A silver chain attached to his wallet dipped almost to his knee as it came around his left side and disappeared under his tan and brown silk shirt. Like Xavier’s, it was pressed and clean beyond clean. There was a thick gold chain around his big neck and a golden cross. On his right wrist, a big golden wristwatch, its diamond encrusted face blinked in the overhead lighting.
Pinkie kissed a few heavily powdered cheeks of the women he passed. They smiled and preened for him. Shaking hands with the men escorting them, he hugged and kissed them as well. Knowing nods and winks went on through the crowd as he moved toward them.
“Pretty popular guy, huh?” Alex said.
“He owns the place,” Xavier replied as he stood. He looked nervous to Alex, like he was about to meet the President or someone equally as important.
Pinkie’s companions stopped at a respectable distance as he approached the booth. Xavier towered over him, but Pinkie embraced him in a bear hug that lifted Xavier from his feet. They laughed, then Xavier leaned in and whispered in Pinkie’s ear, both grinning at Alex. After a proper introduction, a bottle of Dom appeared on the table.
“I always start a new relationship on a high note,” Pinkie smiled at her as he poured.
“We appreciate you doing this on such short notice, Pink,” Xavier said as he handed a glass to Alex then took one for himself. Pinkie raised his glass and they followed. The sound the glasses made as they came together was lost in the noise of the bar.
“Anything for you X, you know that,” he replied. His glass was empty then refilled by one of the silent bodyguards before Alex had finished her small sip. “And the lovely Alex Stone, of course. You sure are keeping much better company these days, Xavier. I’m jealous.”
She was sure he was trying to figure out why they were together and if it was more than just business. “We won’t keep you,” Alex stated pushing the glass away. “We know you’re a busy man.”
Pinkie grinned, blushing a little. “So let’s get down to business.”
He emptied his glass and smiled at them. When he slid a slip of paper her way, she was almost afraid to look. She unfolded it slowly, like it might explode.
“Offshore bank,” Pinkie continued to smile. “Caymans. Guy’s not very original, is he?”
“Not very, but I’ve seen this name before,” she turned the paper toward Xavier. He stuffed it in his pocket.
“So did I do good?” Pinkie chuckled.
“Very,” she smiled brightly for him. “Thank you.” Xavier tapped Pinkie’s knee with the fat envelope of cash under the table. Pinkie laughed as he handed it to one of his bodyguards.
Alex slid the wrinkled piece of paper across the table. “Time for one more favor?”
Pinkie didn’t touch it, just glanced down then back up at Alex and Xavier with that same grin on his face. “Tall order.”
“If it’s too tall, I’ll understand,” she replied as she balled the paper in her fist.
“That’s a government hack, in case you didn’t know.”
“I know.”
Pinkie tipped his trilby back with the rim of his glass. “That’s federal time,” he frowned. “If I get caught.”
Alex glanced at Xavier then back at Pinkie. “Then don’t get caught.”
Pinkie’s sudden boisterous laughter shook the entire table. “Don’t get caught she says,” he chuckled. “How much time do I have?”
Alex sighed, “Not much. If you can’t do it, say so now. I have another source I can go to.”
Pinkie laughed again, but not as hard. Xavier looked at Alex and shook his head. She wanted to punch Pinkie in his round face, but she didn’t. “There is no other source sweetheart. If there were, I’d know about him.”
She noticed the thin layer of sweat forming on his shiny forehead now. He was playing games and wasting her time. Time they didn’t have right now. Back in the day, if you wanted something off the books, the list of sources was short, but sweet. Today, any clown with a gangster dream could blackmail their way to equipment deemed Government Issue.
“It’s a big world, Pinkie,” Alex smiled. “You can’t know every player in this game.”
“Maybe not, but you came to me for a reason,” he returned her smile. “‘Cuz I’m the best and the only!”
“I came here because X said you were the man to see in this town,” she replied. “But sometimes a man may not be the best choice and there are other places to look for a hacker.”
His tiny ears turned red. She’d insulted him, on his own turf. Most wannabe arms dealers don’t like that. Alex didn’t really care.
“If you think you can get that for cheap and on the fly, give it a try girl! You’ll be back though, I guarantee it!”
Helping her from the booth, Xavier shook Pinkie’s hand while A
lex sent a text to Sebastian to pick them up now.
Pinkie stood, reached out and took Alex by the elbow. He gave it a squeeze as he pulled her close with a wicked grin. “Where you gonna go?”
She glanced at his stubby fist around her arm. “The Mistress.”
All the color drained from his face. His grin and his grip slipped away at the same time. Adjusting the hat on his head again, he stepped out of her personal space.
“Sanguinosa,” he hissed crossing himself. “You ain’t getting in to see her. You ain’t got that kind of juice. No fucking way!”
Alex knew the Mistress was a last resort, but this guy wasn’t as connected as he wanted everyone to think he was. Being in debt to the Mistress wasn’t a good thing. Fortunately for Alex, it was the other way around.
“I’m gonna ask nicely, Pink,” she smiled, tapping his smooth cheek softly. “Don’t worry.”
His nervous laugh didn’t surprise her. The Mistress was legend all over the world. Some of the most powerful men on the planet occupied the pages of her black book. Politicians, athletes, movie stars, you name it. And Pinkie, though a big deal on this rung of the ladder, wouldn’t get an invite to clean a bathroom in her place.
“You’re gonna have to do more than just whisper sweet shit in your boyfriend’s ear to get close to her,” he chuckled and winked.
Alex winked back and Xavier followed her out of the bar. Once outside, she took a deep breath as they walked quickly down the sidewalk, meeting Sebastian at the corner. Climbing into the waiting SUV, Alex took shotgun, Xavier, the back seat.
“Well,” Sebastian said pulling into traffic again.
“Pinkie gave us that same guy Erin found,” Xavier sighed. “But he was a dead-end on the other thing. So we’re going to see someone called the Mistress, right Alex?” He hit the back of Alex’s seat when Sebastian slammed the brakes.