by Kari Lemor
“Before you go may I offer you the use of my club to play a few rounds of golf? I’ve heard you enjoy the game.”
Chris stayed locked together with Meg for a while but once the two men were deeply involved in discussing golf he finally loosened his hold releasing her.
“I think I need a cool dip in the pool,” he muttered hoping she wouldn’t see how affected he was by their antics. He walked toward the water glancing back at her. Big mistake. Kiss-swollen lips begged him for more. Her eyes repeated much the same. Before any other parts of her called to him he quickly turned and dove neatly into the cool water.
Chapter 8
Meg brushed at the long strands of her damp hair before securing it in a ponytail for work. She kept hoping today would be the day she got some incredibly incriminating information from Moreno that would put him away for good. But each day was another day that she had to parade around wearing next to nothing, flirting with the customers to earn some good tips. She told Chris everything she overheard and he reported it back to his people. He said that sometimes the little things could be the key to putting away a criminal. She wondered if that was true or if he was trying to make her feel better.
She wouldn’t doubt it, he was nice. More than anyone had been to her since she’d arrived here. Sure, Dave was sweet and tried to keep her from getting herself in trouble with her big mouth. Tina was fun to talk to and always had a big smile of encouragement for her. Yet she’d always gone back to her dingy little room alone, never having any kind of social life. She’d been too tired for any and she’d grown accustomed to that.
Now she came back to this amazing suite where she had the softest bed available and great meals every day. The best thing though was the companionship. She knew this was only an assignment to him but to her it was a small piece of her sanity coming back. For the first time in too long she was having intelligent conversations with another human at mealtimes. She was interacting in a way that wasn’t only, ‘What can I get for you today?’ or ‘Here’s my drink order.’
She moved through the kitchen, opening the cabinets to see what she could snack on before heading to the old grind. Dinner had been less than an hour ago but she had a long night ahead and it wouldn’t hurt to top off. Chris would probably tease her about it as usual. She actually hoped he did. His teasing always set her heart fluttering wildly and made her feel alive.
She heard him out on the balcony and grabbed some Double Stuf Oreos. Most likely talking to Doolittle, his boss. Chris spoke to him often.
Laughter rang out and she slipped closer knowing he rarely laughed when talking to the senior agent. Now his eyes were lit up and he was grinning.
“Oh, you are a naughty lady,” he said, his voice in teasing mode. She’d heard it enough to know. But who was he talking to?
She didn’t mean to eavesdrop, okay well, maybe she did but curiosity got the better of her. His tone suddenly became more serious as he said, “I know, I’ll be careful. You don’t need to worry. I’ll see you as soon as this case is over. I miss you.” He waited for a brief second then said, “I love you, too.”
A burning sensation rose up through her chest as he spoke these words, though she didn’t know why. Of course he would have some woman waiting for him. The man was absolutely gorgeous, had an exciting job, and was honestly fun to be around. Why would she think he’d be single?
Turning away from the balcony door, she shoved the rest of the cookie in her mouth. She needed to keep reminding herself this was only a case to him. He might pretend to be interested in her but it was simply that, pretend. Everything was pretend. His soft kisses, his gentle caresses, the teasing and playful manner. None of it real. Did the FBI make you take acting classes? He must have aced his since he actually had her believing his act most of the time.
She poured a large glass of milk to wash the snack down as Chris came in. He flashed her a smile and she subconsciously wiped her mouth thinking she either had a milk mustache or chocolate cookie residue. She’d bet the woman on the phone never had a milk mustache. The type of woman he’d be interested in was probably the sophisticated kind who wouldn’t dream of drinking milk.
“How do you find room for a snack?” He chuckled eyeing the cookie package on the counter. “We just ate an hour ago.”
“I’m still trying to make up for the last year,” she snapped, instantly regretting it when he frowned. You’ve been starved for affection too long, you idiot. You’re imprinting on the first person who’s been kind to you. She shouldn’t take her jealousy out on him.
Jealousy? When had her feelings for him changed so she would actually be jealous? It had only been a week. She’d known all along that everything they did was only for show. There was no reason to be jealous.
She closed her eyes sighing. “I’m sorry. The thought of going back to work again is too depressing. I’m tired of doing this every day. Maybe you shouldn’t have asked me to help on this case. It was easier to go to the club each night when I had no other choice. Now I’m spoiled and it’s so much harder to get motivated.”
“Hey.” He moved closer lifting her chin with his finger. “I know this is difficult for you but at least now you can see there’s an end in sight. It might take a little longer before we can get enough to put this guy away, but I promise you we will do it.”
She nodded wishing he weren’t so darn nice to her. It was easier to stay mad at the world when everyone treated you like crap. He hugged her to his chest and her heart picked up again. It did this far too often.
“If this ever gets too much for you, just say the word. I’ll have you on the next flight home. We’ll give Moreno some story to cover your absence.”
She took her fill of his warmth and comfort then squared her shoulders back as she eased away. “I made a promise and I won’t go back on my word. Moreno has to be put away and I’ll do whatever needs to be done to accomplish that goal.”
“Now I need to go to work,” she added swiping a few more cookies to eat on her way. “You going to Surf or one of the other clubs tonight?”
His eyes searched hers so she shuttered them as best she could. She’d gotten good at hiding her feelings. No way could she afford to show them off to everyone, especially not Chris.
“I may hop around tonight,” he finally answered as she walked to the door. He followed along, silence reigning for much of the way.
When they got to Surf, Chris pulled her in for a public kiss. She was used to this but deep inside she couldn’t help wishing it wasn’t all a game. What she wouldn’t give for a man like him to fall in love with her, take care of her. To tell her he missed her and loved her. It would be great to be able to show her feelings and not keep them hidden. To not be afraid all the time, of so many things.
But now it was time to put on her mask, to be Super Waitress again. She’d start right here. She gave him a dazzling smile returning his kiss.
“Bye, muffin. Have a great night.”
* * * *
“Yo, Katie!”
Meg cringed at Sonny’s voice calling out to her. Beside him was the other Surf bouncer, Gunther. What did they want? Hadn’t she put in her time tonight?
She paused staying where she was. “What?” she asked softly. Maybe they only wanted to say good-bye. Right, and Mr. Moreno was planning on joining the priesthood next week.
“Mr. Moreno wishes to see you,” Gunther announced like it was an engraved invitation.
Speak of the devil, yeah, an invitation to hell. What could he possibly want? It couldn’t be anything good.
She glanced over her shoulder where Chris waited across the street for her. She’d told him she was a big girl and could walk by herself but he never listened. Tonight that was a good thing. She flashed what she hoped was a desperate look then faced the two muscle heads again.
“What does he want? It’s late. I can talk to him tomorrow.”
“He wants you, sweet cheeks. And I ain’t telling Mr. Mo
reno you refused to come,” Sonny growled. “He’d cut my balls off. I kind of like them, thank you very much. You’re coming with us.”
Sonny took the few steps to reach her. Meg tried to back up but Gunther sidestepped blocking her way. She pulled away from them struggling as they each grabbed an arm and hustled her along. A few steps later Chris’s voice made her heart sing with relief.
“Where’re you going, sweetie? Thought you got off work already.”
“Well, she’s going back in,” Sonny snarled moving again. “Mr. Moreno wants to see her.”
Chris maneuvered between them and the club. “Why don’t you tell Mr. Moreno that Katie has clocked out for the night? She’d be happy to come in a few minutes early tomorrow if it’s that important.”
Chris appeared calm but danger radiated off him. Sonny and Gunther weren’t even a little bit scared. Sonny looked like he was itching for a fight. Typical. He released her arm getting right in Chris’s face.
“Who the hell are you? And why should I listen to anything you have to say?”
“I’m the guy who’s been paying her room and board for the past week,” Chris informed Sonny, his smile forced. “And I honestly don’t give a shit if you listen to me or not, but Moreno had Katie long enough today. Now she’s mine.”
Sonny wouldn’t care. Reasoning wasn’t his strong suit. He loved using his overdeveloped muscles to blow off steam and push people around. She’d seen him take care of many rowdy guests. Now he was about to take care of Chris.
Sonny shifted and she yelled, “No!” Her heart stopped as Sonny’s fist whizzed through the air. Chris ducked quickly his own fist darting out, impacting the side of Sonny’s head.
Sonny staggered back, his eyes wide and angry. Gunther joined the fray but Chris swung in his direction delivering another blow. Lucky shot maybe? Or did they train FBI agents to take on two fully grown gorillas without sweating?
Her heart pounded as she scanned the area for something to use to even up the odds. Her bag wouldn’t do much good. It didn’t have more than her sweater and a tabloid magazine in it. Would she even need to help? Chris was holding his own. Wasn’t he?
A blow landed on his face. Maybe not. Gunther kicked out at Chris while he was occupied exchanging punches with Sonny. Oh, God. These guys outweighed Chris by fifty pounds each. Sweat trickled down her back. She needed to help. Gunther’s attack brought Chris to his knees and Sonny hammered a fist into his beautiful face. Damn him.
She threw herself on Gunther’s back, her arms around his thick neck. It didn’t help though. He tossed her off as if she weighed nothing. Determined, she pushed forward only to collide with Gunther’s beefy arm swinging back to club Chris. It caught her in the nose and she stumbled. Clutching her face, her butt met the sidewalk.
God, that hurt.
At her cry, Chris turned toward her, his eyes showing concern. “Are you…?”
He didn’t finish his sentence as Gunther and Sonny doubled up again. She couldn’t sit here letting them pummel Chris into the ground. He was her ticket out of this mess.
Pulling her hand away from her aching nose, blood dripped between her fingers. Great. That’ll get me some good tips. Chris looked her way as Sonny swung again and his jaw clenched as he spotted the blood. He ducked the blow and renewed energy exuded from him as both fists flew. A few kicks mid center and Gunther landed on the ground; the last one to his head knocking him out cold.
Meg sighed but Sonny was still seething. Chris didn’t appear any calmer. His eyes were focused intensely and his lean muscles tightened further as he battled this last obstacle. With a few more swift blows, Sonny landed beside Gunther.
She pulled herself to standing and moved toward Chris, who was bent over, his hands on his knees, breathing hard.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
He only nodded. So maybe he did sweat when fighting gorillas. She tenderly touched his bruised and bleeding face. He straightened up, his crooked smile assuring her he wasn’t too badly damaged.
“Bastards,” Chris growled, his fingers wiping the blood that had dripped under her nose.
Footsteps nearby had both their heads turning quickly. Moreno stood in the doorway of the club. He didn’t look pleased.
“Good money wasted,” he muttered glaring at the two men heaped on the ground, beginning to stir. She had hoped they could get out of here before either awoke. Would they be able to get out now?
“How is it you’re able to take out two of my strongest bouncers?”
Moreno’s voice held curiosity and she was confused. He wasn’t pissed?
Chris took a step so he was partially in front of her as he answered. “Your boys may have muscles but they’re stupid.”
Moreno narrowed his eyes at the insult but she still didn’t see the intense heat that showed his anger. Why wasn’t he spitting fire right now?
“You’re Katie’s rich man, huh? How is it that you know how to fight like this? Most rich boys don’t like getting their hands dirty.”
She moved up closer to Chris, pressing herself against his back, peering around to see her boss.
Chris cocked his head. She hoped he wouldn’t get Moreno even more upset. He could make the fires of hell even hotter and she still had to work with the man.
“Had to know how to fight where I grew up. But it doesn’t go away because you make it big. I suspect you could hold your own if you had to. You just prefer to have others do your dirty work now.”
Moreno studied Chris, and she wasn’t sure if she should be nervous. Obviously Chris could hold his own but the gorillas were waking up and they’d be madder than ever.
“True,” Moreno said a tiny hint of respect in his eyes. “But why Katie? You’re rich and good looking. You could have any woman you wanted. I have many I could send your way. Several at once if you liked.”
Chris wrapped his arm around her shoulder then gazed down at her. “I don’t have to point out her attributes to you,” he scoffed. “But she’s also fairly innocent which I like. Easier to break her to my way of doing things. And she’s a quick learner.”
Meg didn’t like what he was insinuating. Her first reaction was to jab her elbow into his stomach. She had to remind herself they were undercover. Chris was supposed to be some rich guy who got his way with things. A squeaky clean character wouldn’t get him invited into Moreno’s back room games.
“What exactly is she learning?” Moreno’s eyes leered at her making her feel dirty.
The hand on her shoulder slipped to her waist. “Lots of interesting things. None of which I want to discuss with you. I’d much rather be doing them. So if you’ll excuse us…”
She couldn’t even begin to hope that Moreno would let them walk away without consequences. He was eyeing Chris with a dangerous glare. The curiosity was also still present.
“How long are you in town for?”
“About a month,” Chris answered casually. “Depends on business. I’m sure I’ll have taught Katie a few more tricks by then. Once I’m gone you can reap the benefits. For right now, she’s mine.”
Chris turned pulling her away. She held her breath waiting for Moreno to order Sonny and Gunther, who were getting up, to grab them. He didn’t. Waving them off, he nodded at Chris.
“Continue your training then,” he called out to them. “I’ll look forward to the results.”
She walked slowly beside Chris as he led them away. She let out her breath leaning into him. How had they gotten away alive?
“I can’t believe he let us go,” she whispered once they’d gone most of the way back.
“Men like Moreno are impressed by certain things. Rich man able to fight, that could do it.”
“But he just let us go. I thought he’d be steaming.” She had seen Moreno’s temper before. It wasn’t pretty.
They walked through the deserted lobby then entered the elevator. “Moreno’s big into high-class call girls. Rich business m
en pay good money for girls who have your innocent look but know how to please a man. I played to his wallet. If he thinks I’m teaching you all sorts of kinky sex tricks then it’s okay for him to let you stay with me.”
The elevator door opened again and soon they were inside the suite. Chris walked her straight to the bathroom where he scooped her up to sit on the counter. He grabbed a face cloth and ran some warm water over it.
“Let’s see about cleaning you up,” he said. He gently dabbed the cloth under her nose to wipe the blood off. He rinsed it then started again.
Twisting her body to see in the mirror, she nearly fell over. What a mess.
She groaned. Chris laughed.
“Yeah, wouldn’t want to teach you any kinky sex tricks looking like that.” He continued with the cloth wiping the blood off in a tender manner. She gave up control this time and allowed him to take care of her.
“Do you know any kinky sex tricks?” she threw out at him, surprised she could even joke at this time of the morning.
His eyes gleamed with mischief. “Would you want to learn them if I did?”
She glared wishing he didn’t always have a witty comeback to her sarcastic comments. “Not with the way you look right now,” she snapped back, her smile as crooked as his. She took another face cloth, wet it then dabbed at some of the cuts on his face.
“Thanks for coming to my rescue tonight.” Her voice was low and soft. She hated to be indebted to anyone. For some reason it didn’t seem as bad when it was Chris. He didn’t want anything more than information on Moreno. Giving him that would benefit both of them.
“It’s what I do.” His voice was as soft as hers, all joking gone. His gaze roamed her face. She looked awful but his eyes said otherwise.
Meg paused the cloth near his lips as he spoke. They were such beautiful lips. Kissing them the past weeks had been heavenly. Leaning forward she touched her lips to them now. She didn’t have to. No one was around to see. But she wanted to. Wanted to feel them without it being a show for someone else.