Undercover Obsession

by BJ Wane

  “Yes, sorry. I just need to unwind from the stress of the past few days. Can you get away for lunch at Rowdy’s?”

  “They serve food there? Real food?” Ian’s mood brightened considerably at the thought.

  “Just cold sandwiches from the diner, but they’re good. What’d you bring me?” Haley picked up a pair of black satin boy shorts trimmed in pink lace that Piper had pulled out of her bag.

  “That has a matching camisole,” Piper said as she pulled the top out and held it up. “I thought it’d work for sleeping in or under clothes. What do you think?”

  “I think it would be wasted under clothes,” Ian commented as he leaned his arms on the counter and smiled when Haley blushed crimson. “It’s much better suited for bed. It looks about your size.” Ian couldn’t help but needle her, she looked so flustered whenever she was around him and even more so with a counter top piled with sexy lingerie between them.

  Haley despised her telltale blushing as well as the lack of courage to pursue what she finally wanted again after so long. Sex with Ian would be hard and fast and she was beginning to suspect mind blowing, nothing like sex with her oh-so-proper ex. If she could ever get up the nerve to take him up on the interest she saw when he looked at her, she knew she wouldn’t be disappointed. And the best part was that he would be leaving and wouldn’t expect anything from her except sex. Unfortunately, her cowardice won out over her newly awakened libido every time he came around and she doubted if he’d be in town long enough for her to overcome it.

  “I can close for lunch after we get these things displayed,” she told Piper, ignoring Ian and his comment.

  “Coward.” Ian winked at her then went to stand at the front window while they worked. He had no trouble picturing Haley in that sexy number, or in nothing at all or imagining how her slender thighs would feel wrapped around him, the softness of her small breasts against his chest or the tightness of her pussy as she gripped him. Not. Going. To. Happen. He kept repeating that litany until they were ready to walk down to the bar, which, thankfully, wasn’t too long.

  Piper loved the close, homey feel of strolling down Main Street, waving at the people she knew, saying hello to friendly strangers who were nice enough to spend their vacation dollars in Hope. The Fourth of July always brought an influx of tourists and since it was only two days away, the town was bustling with activity and visitors. She couldn’t help wondering, however, if one of these tourists was the one responsible for her recent troubles and, more importantly, why. For the first time, she was grateful to have one of the guys with her. From the look on Haley’s face, however, she surmised her friend wasn’t as grateful as she was. By the time they walked from Haley’s shop at the far end of the street to Rowdy’s at the other end, the tension between the two was almost as thick and impenetrable as that between her and Brody on occasion.

  Ian held the door for them, nodded at Crack who was, as always, behind the bar in the darkened club. Pointing across the street at the sheriff’s office where he saw Brody’s car was still parked, he stated, “Be right back.”

  “Got it covered,” Crack answered as Piper and Haley took seats in front of him. “What’s wrong?” he asked them point blank, knowing them both well enough to see something was bothering them.

  Piper smiled, loving the feeling that she couldn’t get anything by the gruff, tough looking ex-biker who had a soft heart. Her guilt over fucking Ian had increased when she saw Haley’s reaction to seeing him again. Her friend had led an isolated life from men for as long as she had known her and now that she was showing an interest in one, what does she do? Knowing none of them were in a relationship did nothing to ease her conscience and Piper knew she was going to have to come clean, but not until she had a few beers.

  “Just worry over who has a grudge against me. Did you hear about my tires?”

  “Yes, as well as the way you took off without your bodyguards. What the hell were you two thinking?” His glare included both of them.

  “Can you yell at me later and just give me a beer and veggie sub please?”

  Crack never could resist either of them when they were batting their pretty eyes and cajoling him into quit nagging them. Heaving a sigh, he asked Haley, “What do you want, hon?”

  “An Italian sub and iced tea, please. I have to go back to work.”

  “Let’s get a booth.” Piper hopped off her stool and settled in a booth in the corner. The bar was crowded since it was lunch time and she was lucky there was one available.

  “Okay, give. What happened yesterday when Brody took you home? He looked really pissed.”

  Piper spilled everything quickly, sex with Brody, his rejection last night and the way she had taunted Ian then fucked him today. “I think now, that I wanted to push Brody into fucking me again yesterday and when he turned from me afterwards, I taunted Ian today in retribution. God,” she moaned, throwing her head down on her folded arms on the table. “I’m sorry, Haley. I’m such a slut!”

  “Why do you think you’re a slut?” Crack asked furiously as he set their food and drinks down.

  Haley laughed when Piper jerked her head up, her eyes wide, her face a bright red. “This is girl talk, Crack. Go away.”

  “Are Ian and Brody giving you a hard time?” he questioned, the double innuendo purposely implied, his scowl that of an over protective friend.

  Both Haley and Piper burst out laughing while shooing him away. When their giggles stopped, Haley looked at Piper with a frown. “Why on earth would you think I blamed you for having great sex with two really hot guys? I mean really, Piper, those two men are walking orgasms. I’d think you’re crazy if you didn’t take advantage of the situation. Besides, I know how you’ve pined for Brody all these years.”

  Piper closed her eyes in relief and swallowed half her beer before she answered her. “I did not pine for that jerk. I’m in a relationship, aren’t I?”

  “No, you’re not. Hopping in the sack a few times a year with Cole when his tours bring him this way does not make a relationship. And, be honest, does Cole push your happy button as well as Brody?”

  “Nobody pushes my happy button as well as Brody.” Piper finished her first beer, ordered another then bit into her sandwich before saying, “I’ve seen the way you look at Ian, Haley. You’re interested, and for you, that alone is a huge step. I don’t want you to resent me for being where you might want to go, especially after all this time.”

  Haley took a deep breath then admitted, “I think I’m ready to have my happy button pushed again, but until I’m sure, feel free to indulge. Just make sure you give me details. Just hearing what they did to you has my panties damp, and for me, that’s huge.” The sex sounded exciting and erotic, but she didn’t tell Piper her reservations about the spanking. She knew what it felt like to be hit by a man and, even though she had heard of people responding to erotic pain, she didn’t think she would be one of them

  “Okay, but you’ll never be sure one hundred percent until you actually get back in the sack, so to speak. Let me tell you what I remember about their first night here, that’ll really get your panties soaked.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Brody made a visible effort to keep his conflicting emotions under wraps as he stepped into Rowdy’s. As if it wasn’t bad enough to still have nothing concrete to go on in regards to the harassment aimed at Piper, both he and Ian were being pressured by their boss to head to Atlantic City as back up for Carlos. The undercover agent in with Pasquino reported that Pasquino is planning a party at the Empire this weekend on the same floor Charles used to hold his private parties, another slap in the face for Charles if he was still alive and keeping tabs on his business. As frustrating as those two things were, they didn’t compare to what he felt when Ian told him what happened between him and Piper earlier today. Any other time, any other woman, and all he would have said was, ‘Why didn’t you wait for me?’ He had always known Piper had the potential to be someone special to him, but it wasn’t unti
l he had popped back into her life again so unexpectedly and gotten to know the woman she had become that he knew it for certain. If his own lust for her wasn’t enough of a clue, the possessiveness he found he had was all the proof he needed. But since it was his fault Piper acted out today and Ian, being only human, reacted, he had no one to blame but himself. It had been difficult sending her upstairs alone last night, especially when she gave him that devastating look of rejection followed so swiftly by stoic acceptance, but not as difficult as it was picturing her with Ian on that dock. Funny, he mused, how he didn’t feel any jealousy as he thought of the three of them together, it was only when he thought of those two alone.

  “Fuck it,” he griped as he removed his sunglasses and looked around for Piper.

  “Don’t tell me her muttering’s rubbing off on you,” Ian said, secretly grinning over Brody’s irritation. It was past time he came to terms with what he wanted from Piper, and if their actions pushed him to do that, it was worth having his friend irked with him.

  They both saw and heard Piper at the same time, their gazes swiveling to the small stage set up for Karaoke where she was belting out the lines to ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’, her voice woefully off key. Brody spotted Crack lounging in a booth with Haley that faced both the stage and the room in general. “A lot about that woman is rubbing off on me. Let’s go see what’s going on.”

  He couldn’t help but smile at her pathetic attempt at both dancing and singing, but that smile slipped when he saw the four empty beer bottles on the table. “Those better be yours,” he said as he slid into the booth next to the bartender, Ian joining them on the other side.

  “Nope,” Crack answered without a qualm. “They’re Pipers, every one of them. I told you that girl could drink you under the table.”

  “Why the hell did you let her have so many?” he demanded as his eyes moved back to her gyrating on the stage, her coordination poor but nonetheless arousing.

  Crack threw his head back in a loud, guffawing laugh. “You think her piss poor voice and dancing are due to alcohol? Trust me, they’re not.” Crack didn’t try to disguise his fondness for Piper as he watched her. “But neither she nor anyone else cares. Every once in a while she comes in just to let her hair down and I’ll boot anyone out who bad mouths her, including you.”

  Brody believed him. The older man watched over both women like an over protective parent, something he was grateful for. Watching out for Piper was a full time job, at least on this trip. He was beginning to hope there’ll be future trips to Hope that aren’t filled with the stress of an unknown stalker.

  Piper stepped off the stage and headed to her booth with every intention of getting another beer when she saw Brody and Ian sitting with Crack and Haley, grins splitting their faces. She barely had a buzz from her four beers, but it was enough to keep her from crawling away from them in mortification. She was well aware of what she sounded and looked like when she was on that stage, but she simply didn’t care. It was mindless fun that helped clear the cobwebs from her head. It was even more fun when Haley joined her.

  “You were supposed to have a fresh one waiting for me,” she told Crack, ignoring the other two. “I worked up a thirst, so gimme.”

  “No, darlin’,” Brody said as he stood and took her arm. “Time to take your cute little self home. You promised us spinach lasagna for dinner and I want you sober when you’re making it. There’s no telling what’ll end up in it if you’re not.”

  “Why do you always have a good point when you’re trying to tell me what to do?” she grumbled as she told Haley good-bye and let him lead her out.

  “Because I’m a guy and we’re always right.”

  Her indelicate snort had both of them grinning as they poured her into the back seat, but if they expected her to nod off, they were sorely mistaken. She gabbed all the way back to the cabin, flirted and teased them while she made the lasagna they both had to admit looked really good, and then announced she was going to work for an hour while it baked. Crack had been right, she held her beer better than most men.

  Piper came downstairs the next morning feeling better than she had all week. By the time she had fallen into bed exhausted, she had resolved to quit pining for Brody and what he wasn’t willing to give her. Before he had showed up unexpectedly last week, she had gotten along fine without him, had made it through weeks at a time without giving him or their one night together a thought. If she had still been plagued by erotic dreams that featured him on occasion, she had simply put it down to the fond memory of the best sex she had ever had and set it aside the next day. Now she knew she would always have a thing for him, the one man who had always been beyond her reach for one reason or another, but that didn’t mean she was going to let him bring her down again.

  Today was the Fourth and, as small towns were wont to do, there were going to be celebrations all day, starting with a parade down Main Street at noon, and she intended to enjoy every minute of it, up to and including hooking up with Cole again. She was determined to take back control of her life, at least as much as she could until Brody and Ian either found who was after her or until they left. She would always be grateful to both of them for coming to her rescue and for being here for her this past week, but it was time she accepted the fact that Brody would never be more to her than a friend. And, if it turned out Charles was still alive and he and Ian managed to send him to prison, she knew he would no longer have even that tenuous hold on her. Despite his possible involvement with a drug lord, Charles was still the only person she could call family, the only one who was there for her after her mother died and the only father figure she had ever had. As devastating as it would be to discover he had survived his assassination attempt and then had simply dropped out of her life, that would be preferable than seeing him go to prison.

  “Good morning, darlin’,” Brody greeted her when she entered the kitchen, his smile easy and unaffected.

  Crap, it happened again. Every time he called her darlin’ in that slow drawl, her nipples peaked, her pussy wept and her toes curled, a reaction she hadn’t outgrown despite their time apart. Refusing to let her body threaten her new resolution to distance herself, at least emotionally from him, she returned his smile with ease. “Good morning. Want some eggs before we go into town?”

  Sitting at the counter, Brody watched her go to the fridge, his eyes automatically lowering to her ass and the enticing way those damn shorts clung to her round globes. Shifting on his seat to adjust his stiffening cock, he replied, “Sure. Why are we going into town?”

  “For the Fourth of July celebrations. The parade is followed by activities and games all afternoon in the city park and then, of course, there’ll be fireworks over the lake when it gets dark.” Setting a pan on the stove, she sautéed chopped onion while breaking some eggs in a bowl and mixing them with milk. “You and Ian would be sure winners in the three legged race. You ought to enter.”

  “Did she just say we ought to enter a three legged race?” Ian asked as he joined them, his dark brown hair still damp, his equally dark brown eyes suspiciously wary.

  “I think it sounds like fun,” Brody goaded him.

  “You would. I now know why you keep so much beer on hand, Piper. It’s to keep you from going bat shit around here.”

  Piper simply smiled at him, added some cheese to the scrambled eggs then put a plate in front of him. “I’d go bat shit in a big city with all the noise, rude people and no open space to simply breathe. Eat. We don’t want to be late for the parade.”

  “Yes we do,” Ian grumbled, but dug into his eggs anyway.

  A few minutes later, Brody picked up his empty plate and started to take it to the sink when his phone rang. His good mood switched to anger and worry as he listened to Sheriff Norton and by the time he hung up, both Piper and Ian were waiting to hear what he had to say.

  “What’s happened now?” Piper asked resignedly.

  All the joy and playful enthusiasm for the day had left h
er face and she looked at him as if she was bracing for a blow. “I’m sorry, darlin’, Haley found a badly mutilated rabbit outside her back door this morning with a note attached to it. It said stay away from your friend before she gets hurt next.”

  “It sounds like he wants Piper isolated so he can get to her again,” Ian said, anger evident in his tone. He was not only thinking of the threat to Piper, but of Haley’s reaction when she found the rabbit. His sudden urge to go to her was uncharacteristic, but he wasn’t going to waste time analyzing his feelings for Piper’s friend. “I’ll go into town and talk to Gary and Haley,” he offered quickly.

  “I’m sorry again, Piper, but I think it’s best if we stay here today…”

  “Like hell I will! I am not going to let this jerk continue to run my life. I’m going into Hope and spending the day like I have the last four Fourth of July’s, socializing with my friends, eating and having fun. You can come or not, but I’m going.”

  Tears of anger and frustration swam in her eyes and Brody could tell it was taking a tremendous amount of effort to hold them back. He simply didn’t have the heart to force the issue, and not only would he and Ian be there, but Gary, as well as Crack and practically the whole damn town would be out ensuring her safety. The man would have to be an idiot to try anything today.

  “Let’s go then. I imagine Haley wants to see you, despite the threat.”

  Haley was exiting the sheriff’s office when they pulled up front, her face pale and her eyes haunted and Ian’s first reaction was to turn her over his knee for backing away from him as he got out of the car and came towards her. He wasn’t accustomed to having such strong reactions to women, he had always been foot loose and fancy free with the opposite sex, dallying with women who wanted nothing more than a few good orgasms from him and generally avoided women who had hearth and home stamped all over them. Haley didn’t fall into either category, in fact, as far as he could remember, she was the only woman who didn’t want anything from him. Telling himself it was just his ego ruling his lust for this woman, he shoved it aside and tried to control his anger on her behalf.