Operation: Endeavor (When The Mission Ends)

by Christi Snow

  Colton sucked in a breath at the shock of her touch on his throbbing face. “No,” he said in a low voice as he looked into her eyes, “I’d actually forgotten about it.”

  Penelope looked at him with concern in her eyes, which was nice. He started to reach toward her simply wanting to touch her, feel her, but then she said, “Was it Chris?”

  That was enough to break the pull Colton felt toward her and he stepped away. “Yeah. He’s having some issues controlling his temper and me being in his space all the time isn’t helping.” Colton shook his head and walked over to the windows. He looked out over the campus, watching the rivulets of rain drip down the tall window panes. “I need to move out. It’s not working having all three of us living together.”

  “I know things have been tense. Cassie’s mentioned it.” Penelope hesitated as she watched him. “Colton, you could move in here.”

  He swung around and looked at her with his eyes wide. “What? Why?”

  He glanced back over at her erotica section of her bookshelf, which caused Penelope to give a nervous chuckle.

  “Jeebers! Seriously? You’re such a guy. I’m not asking you to move in for sex games. You’re so not my type.” She gave an exasperated shake of her head. “Get your mind out of the gutter. My last roommate just moved out without any notice. The loft is a two bedroom. It was never supposed to be just me living here. Honestly, you’d be helping me out because the rent is too much for me to be able to afford by myself if I plan to eat too.”

  Her voice lowered to a whisper which made Colton nervous, “I’ll tell you a secret. I like to eat.” She smiled at him mischievously. “Seriously, it would help me out. You’ve just gotten back and this would give you some time and space.” She waved him down the hall. “The room is empty. Go take a look at it. It’s the second door on the right. Each bedroom has its own bathroom so we wouldn’t even have to share there.”

  Colton looked at her thoughtfully and then moved down the hall toward the spare bedroom. He thought about the scene which had occurred at Cassie’s house this afternoon, as he looked around the large room. This could be a good solution. He knew he couldn’t continue on at Cassie’s house, but could he survive Penelope?

  Maybe he’d misjudged her. He’d always seen her as flighty, but he hadn’t seen any signs of that today. He’d honestly had a good time with her this afternoon and she’d helped him to relax. Besides, they weren’t talking about a relationship or a commitment here. They’d just be roommates. He felt a flash of concern about his attraction to her, but that just meant he needed to get laid. His body was simply telling him that it’d been too long. He could keep things purely platonic between them.

  Besides, Chris needed this. They needed to be able to continue to work together. Colton was the one who got him to all his appointments. It certainly wouldn’t help Chris’s frame of mind if they were fighting all the time. Chris’s need in this had to be the priority. They used to be close. Maybe if he gave him a bit of space at Cassie’s house, they could find their friendship again and Chris could start to truly heal.

  Decision made, Colton walked back into the living room.

  He reached out to shake her hand. “If you’re sure, I’ll take it.”

  Penelope gave him a glowing smile and grasped his hand. “Welcome, roomie. When would you like to move in?”

  “Is this weekend too soon?”

  Penelope shook her head. “Sounds perfect.”

  Chapter 3

  He had a gift. His mother had always said so.

  He turned off the cell phone with a glow of self-satisfaction. All the pieces were falling into place after so much planning and work. The final bit of the puzzle was almost where it needed to be before he proved to them all just how damn good he was. He’d prove it to them. With this final move, they’d know.

  He was the puppet master and they were his harlequins, dancing according to his commands. They didn’t even know who held the strings. Soon they would realize who really had the power here. And that power was invigorating. He closed his eyes and savored the thrill. He’d beat them all and they didn’t even know it yet. He couldn’t wait to show them. They’d all underestimated him and they would regret that. Someday soon.

  Yes, he definitely had a gift. Now he just needed to decide when and how he’d let them unwrap it.

  Chapter 4

  Penelope pulled her classic VW Bus into the parking spot in front of the little boutique restaurant. Her mother phoned fifteen minutes before, insisting that she meet her for breakfast, although Penelope was already on her way to the bookstore. Luckily, Aunt Alix was opening this morning which left Penelope free to meet her mother. It was odd for her to summon Penelope on a Thursday morning, when Penelope knew that her mother would normally be busy with University business.

  As she crawled out of the Bus, she was thankful she’d actually worn a skirt today. It was a flippy little number her mother couldn’t find too much fault in, but then she caught sight of her scuffed cowboy boots. Never mind, her mother was going to have a conniption when she saw her. With a sigh, she had to admit that certainly wouldn’t be anything new.

  Penelope was thirty years old and at least twenty-nine of those years had been spent under the disapproving eye of her mother. There wasn’t anything she could do about it now, so she simply squared her shoulders and prepared for the battle that breakfast with her mother would bring.

  As she entered the restaurant, she glanced around with an appreciative eye. She didn’t know how her mother did it, but she always found the best little restaurants. This was a determinedly feminine choice. The dining room was filled with quaint little tables set up for two to four people, all painted shabby chic white. Throughout the room were gorgeous chandeliers…an eclectic mix of aged bronzes and painted fixtures which sparkled and shimmered in the soft morning light.

  Penelope spotted her mother watching her with pursed lips and disapproving eyes. Obviously, she’d already noticed the cowboy boots. Penelope worked to calm the roiling of her stomach. You’d think after all this time she’d be accustomed to facing her mother’s disapproval.

  When she reached the table, Penelope leaned down and gave her mother’s cheek a soft kiss in greeting. “Hello, Mother. You’re looking well this morning.” And she truly was. At the age of 72, Anna Pruitt should be enjoying her retirement, but both her parents continued to work and teach at Texas Tech. They said surrounding themselves with students kept them young, and Penelope would have to agree. Both her parents looked at least a decade younger than their actual age.

  “Good morning, Penelope. You look…” Her mother looked her up and down, trying to come up with the right word. Penelope cringed internally. Her mother was going to completely lambast her. “…interesting.”

  Uh oh. That was almost a compliment by her mother’s standards. She never held anything back in deference to her feelings. Suddenly, Penelope was worried. What was going on?

  “Have you done something new with your hair?” Her mother looked at her critically. “That messy look seems to be so in right now.”

  Okay, now Penelope knew something was up. Her mother always hated her hair when she left it down. Always. Not that she didn’t realize that was a dig, because it absolutely was. But her mother was never that subtle with her criticisms.

  Unfortunately, there was a whole protocol in dining with her mother and diving right into a discussion about why she called did not fit those parameters. Penelope tried to settle her jumping nerves and looked over the menu. After they’d ordered, Penelope settled into small talk. “I didn’t even know this place was here. It’s cute. I like it.”

  Her mother nodded distractedly. “Yes, Denise Morgan’s daughter opened it last year. She’s such a model daughter. She does all this,” her mother waved her hand over the dining room, “and she’s married with two small children. She also sits on the Junior League Executive Board. She’s always so put-together and such a benefit to the community. ”

  Pe
nelope sighed internally. Denise Morgan’s daughter was obviously everything her own mother wished she could be. She chose to ignore the hurt that inflicted and instead took a sip of her tea. They settled into an uneasy silence which was finally interrupted when their waitress brought them their food.

  “Have you heard from Dad lately?”

  “Yes, his trip to Europe has gone rather well.” Her father was an Economics professor at Texas Tech. This semester, he was working on behalf of the University in a cooperative program with several international Universities on a Global Economy symposium. “He should be back this weekend.”

  Penelope nodded her head. “That’s good. And how are things in the Anthropology Department?” Her mother was the head of the Anthropology department of Texas Tech and took her job very seriously, not that anyone ever considered anthropology to be anything less than serious. Growing up, Penelope had certainly tried, but her mother had never found her antics humorous. For some reason, she didn’t find it funny when the eight year old Penelope removed all the erect penises off her priceless fertility statue collection.

  Her mother studied her for a moment, before hesitantly speaking. “That’s actually why I asked you here today.”

  Finally, it was time for the true reason for her summoning. Penelope steeled herself and searched her mother’s face, waiting. “Yes?”

  “The anthropology department is facing some difficulties. As more and more funding is cut throughout the University systems, there are fewer opportunities for our research and, as you know, our field research is vital to our programs.”

  Penelope nodded. She knew all this, but had no idea how any of this had to do with her.

  “There’s an important archeological dig happening on the border between Belize and Mexico. The signs are already there that this is a discovery which none of us have ever seen before.” She looked earnestly at Penelope. “It’s going to mean a lot to the anthropological world.”

  Penelope nodded, “I could see that.” But she was still confused as to why her mother was trying to sell her on the importance of this dig.

  “The gentleman in charge of the dig is Dr. Damon Lopez. He’s a brilliant archeologist who works for the National Explorer Society. This weekend, he’s going to be in town, and this is our chance to get the University in on the dig. Saturday night, the University is hosting a reception in his honor and I hoped you would serve as his escort for the night.”

  Penelope followed the conversation just fine, until the very end. “Wait. What? His escort?” She gaped at her mother in disbelief. Her mother normally tried to keep Penelope as far away from her professional life as possible. Penelope had been a source of embarrassment to her parents her entire life, especially when it came to their professional careers. Also, in her experience, both anthropologists and archaeologists tended to be elderly, kind gentlemen who weren’t exactly thrilled with her flamboyant style. In short, they were all a lot like her parents. This just didn’t make any sense.

  Her mother looked at her guiltily, so Penelope honed in on a single phrase. “You said escort.” She felt a sinking all the way to her toes. She knew her mother didn’t respect her, but surely it didn’t go this far. The shock reverberated through her system. She lowered her voice to a whisper, both from the hurt and in a play for a bit of privacy in the quiet dining room. “You’re not actually pimping me out, are you?”

  “Penelope, no!” Her mother shrieked in outrage.

  Okay, thank goodness she’d read that one wrong. “Well, then I don’t understand.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m not explaining this very well. Dr. Lopez is brilliant, but he’s also a bit avant-garde. His methods are unusual.” Her mother pursed her lips. “He’s a lot like you, in that he does his own thing, his own way. He’s also around your age, so I thought it might be amenable to both of you. The department doesn’t have many on staff who are his age and demeanor. We want him to be comfortable here.” At Penelope’s smirk, she watched her mother’s color rise. “You know I don’t want you to make him that comfortable, although I have to admit some grandchildren would be nice.”

  Penelope felt her mouth drop open. Her mother had never mentioned grandchildren before. Seriously, what had gotten into her this morning?

  “If you don’t want to do it, I completely understand, but I hope you’ll at least consider it. As a favor to me. From what I understand, Dr. Lopez is very attractive.”

  Penelope looked at her mother and debated internally. “You realize, if I agree to this, you’re not allowed to say a thing about what I wear, what I say, or how I act.”

  “But…”

  “Not a single word, Mother. I know how to behave. I promise I won’t embarrass you, but neither will you embarrass me by questioning any of my actions. Agreed?”

  Her mother gave a short nod of acquiescence.

  “Fine, then I’ll accompany your Dr. Lopez. You said Saturday night, right?”

  Her mother nodded again, looking relieved. “I’ll have my assistant send you all the pertinent information and the University will provide you with a car and driver for the night.”

  “That’s not necessary. I can pick him up in the Bus.”

  Her mother visibly shuddered. “No, that’s not the kind of impression the University wants to give him.”

  “Mother,” Penelope said in a warning voice, “there’s no reason that we can’t use my Bus.”

  “Please, Penelope, this is the only other thing I ask. Please use the driver service.”

  Penelope looked hard at her mother, but finally relented. Besides by using the University driver, she could make use of the bar at the reception if she needed to, and knowing University receptions like this one…she was definitely going to need it.

  Chapter 5

  By the time Penelope made it into the bookstore, she was over an hour and a half late. She rushed in the door to find things quiet and her Aunt Alix drinking coffee and reading at the front desk.

  She looked up from the book she was reading as Penelope walked into the store. “Good morning, dear. How was breakfast with your mother?”

  Her mother and Aunt Alix were sisters, but they were nothing alike. In fact, it had been at least six years since they’d even spoken to one another. Alix was fourteen years younger than Penelope’s mother, Anna, and decades apart in attitude especially when it came to Penelope. Growing up, Aunt Alix had been Penelope’s refuge, friend, and support system when faced with the overwhelmingly strict edicts by her parents. Unfortunately it was Aunt Alix’s strong support of Penelope which also caused the sisters’ rift six years earlier.

  College was a particularly stressful time in Penelope’s life. By that point in time, she’d learned to assert her own will against her parents, but standing up for herself took its toll on her mentally. She learned methods for relieving her stress…yoga and writing.

  It started as something seemingly innocent, but her writing started taking a darker turn when she started writing BDSM erotica. It had actually been Alix who led her to finding that avenue. A late night filled with girl talk, way too much wine, and more than a bit of curiosity led them to a website filled with artful erotic images that Penelope couldn’t let go of mentally. The stories followed shortly thereafter. Unbeknownst to Penelope, Alix submitted them for publication and they were bought.

  Her alter ego, Celeste DeMarco, was born. Penelope wrote the stories. Aunt Alix acted as the author to protect Penelope’s identity. Her parents had no idea that Penelope was actually Celeste DeMarco.

  Being older southern conservatives, her parents never would have understood or forgiven her for doing “that kind” of writing. Celeste DeMarco was a huge secret. They’d gone on that way for three years before it all came crashing down and Penelope’s parents found out about Celeste DeMarco. Alix never told Penelope’s secret, that she was actually the author of the books. Instead, she covered for Penelope. Alix claimed Celeste DeMarco as her alter-ego and it cost Alix her relationship with her sister, Penelo
pe’s mother. Alix insisted it was no big loss because they’d never gotten along, but that didn’t keep Penelope from feeling horrible about the entire situation.

  Over the years, Penelope wanted to confess all to her mother, but Alix wouldn’t allow it. She swore she’d never speak to Penelope again if she did that. It was a risk Penelope couldn’t take. She needed her aunt in her life.

  The situation wasn’t all bad though. As she looked around Raider Readers, pride filled her. Her royalty checks from the novels paid the start-up costs of the bookstore. Another secret. As far as her parents knew, that was also Alix’s doing. In reality, instead of being her partner and backer for the store, Alix was simply an employee. The store was adjacent to the campus in a historical colonial-style house, which was rezoned as commercial property. She’d left the original, gorgeous bones of the house intact…the wood paneling, the different rooms, the decorative woodwork and moldings, the many fireplaces, and the sweeping staircase. A gorgeous old mahogany bar was converted to act as their front desk and check-out counter. The front counter was nestled into the curve of the staircase so it was the first thing you saw when you came into the store.

  It was here that Alix sat now, waiting for an answer.

  “Breakfast was fine. Strange, but fine.” She gave her Aunt a mischievous look. “She needed me to do a favor for her, so now I think I’m going to have my mom in my debt. That could be useful.”

  Alix smiled in agreement. “Without a doubt, but what in the world did she need you to do?”

  “The University has some bigwig coming in that they want to impress, but it sounds like he’s younger and hipper than your typical Anthropology dweeb.”

  Alix muttered, “Isn’t everyone?”

  Penelope giggled. “She wants me to serve as his escort to a party Saturday night.” Penelope eyed her aunt, waiting for her reaction.