by Leslie North
“He looks too young and innocent to be a spy,” M said, staring at the kid’s image on the poster. “Then again, people always tell me I don’t look like one either.”
Loki gave her another appreciative once-over. Yep. That dress was made for her. Fit like a glove and made her look like a ripe cherry ready to be picked. His mouth watered and his lips tingled, wondering what her skin would feel like beneath his hands, if she was ticklish anywhere, if she tasted as sweet as the vanilla and cinnamon scent of her perfume suggested.
Another couple squeezed around them in the crowded room and brought Loki’s mind back to reality. No matter how attractive he found M, this wasn’t the time to start thinking with his cock instead of his brains. There was too much on the line tonight.
The lights in the room dimmed and the MC for the auction took the stage. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the fifth annual Wonderland Charity Ball and Auction.” Applause rose as the MC introduced himself and the corporate backers for the event. “And now, while you all help yourselves to the delicious food on the buffet, let’s get things started by auctioning off a few items of jewelry.”
M and Loki made their way across the room to the buffet and each fixed themselves a plate. While his backer had gotten them tickets to the event, all the tables had been sold out, so he and M stood against the wall to nibble their food while they watched the bidding ramp up on stage. A large flat screen TV behind the stage showcased each item being auctioned for the crowd to see. Up first was a sparkly emerald and diamond tennis bracelet.
Loki devoured his food quickly, glad to have something in his stomach at last. He’d not eaten all day. Neither had M that he knew of. They’d been too busy researching Todd Martin and his parents. Turned out that not only had the Marcagonoffs been in the KGB, they’d been top advisors to Putin and his cronies before leaving Russia and defecting to the US. And while he’d not had the security clearance to get access to most of the intel they’d shared about the Kremlin’s illegal activities over the years regarding weapons dealing and black-market sales of nuclear weapons to terrorist organizations around the globe, he’d seen enough to understand why the US Marshall’s service had basically erased any evidence of Martin’s parents’ existence. In truth, it was a wonder they’d survived this long, even in Witness Protection.
“That’s pretty,” M said, lifting her chin toward the next item up for auction—a ruby ring.
“You like jewelry?” He gave her a sideways glance. “Didn’t take you for the glitzy type.”
“I’m not.” She dumped her trash in a nearby bin then crossed her arms, leaning back against the wall beside him. “I just said it was pretty. That’s all.”
“So are you,” Loki said, before he could stop himself. Jesus. What the hell was wrong with him? He never mixed business and pleasure and he wasn’t about to start. Nor did he act like a randy schoolboy around beautiful women. He was always the suave, debonair, Cary Grant type. Quick with a snarky comment or brilliant insight, never letting them see the vulnerable man underneath. Now, here he was with M, who according to his reports might quite possibly be one of the most dangerous women in the world, and he was practically tripping over himself with lust for her. He tossed his own trash away then took a moment to get his shit back together again. “I mean, I prefer this look to the punk one from the other night. More stylish and less shabby.”
Her full lips tightened slightly at his backhanded compliment and regret jabbed the soft spots between his ribs. God. What was it about this woman that turned him into a jabbering idiot? He’d be lucky if she didn’t knee him in the balls before the night was over. Lord knows he’d do the same in her position.
“You just can’t help being an ass, can you?” Her brittle tone confirmed her hurt. “I was trying to be nice to you because we have to work together here. But forget it.” She looked him over from head to toe. “Your pants are too short, your tux jacket needs to be let out about a quarter inch in the shoulders to fit properly, and you have a glob of teriyaki sauce on your shirt.”
“Fuck.” Loki scowled down at himself then grabbed a clean napkin and a bottle of seltzer water from the buffet table. Apparently, he’d been so ravenous with dinner he’d not noticed spilling half of it down his front. Smooth move, dumbass. Moving back into his spot beside M, he poured some water onto the napkin then tried to get the spot out of his shirt. All he managed to do was smear it around more.
She didn’t seem to notice his botched efforts, just stared straight ahead at the auction. They’d moved on to a stunning set of sapphire and diamond earrings that Loki estimated to be worth at least a quarter of a million dollars. Not too shabby.
Finally, M sighed and reached over to take the napkin and bottled water from his hands. “You really are hopeless aren’t you? Let me do this so we can get on with things.”
Loki stood still as she dabbed the front of his shirt with the damp linen napkin. Her touch was light and warm through the wet fabric, causing goose bumps of pleasure through his abdomen and lower still. Her quiet murmurs of “oh” and “mmm” didn’t help either. All he could picture were those deft fingers tracing over his flesh, stroking him, heading lower…
“You’re ripped,” she said, her fingers tracing the ridges of his taut abdomen as she continued to rub the wet napkin against his skin. Her eyes met his and heat flared in their aqua blue depths. A slow smile blossomed on her garnet red lips, wicked with erotic promise. “I don’t usually get so involved with men while I’m working, but with you it seems a shame not to take advantage of all this…” She pressed lightly against him and there was no way he could hide his growing arousal from her. “Yeah, it would be good between us. So, so good…”
He bit back a moan and did his best to concentrate elsewhere. He would not embarrass himself here tonight. Not in front of their mark and his backer and all these important guests. Fortunately, he found a good distraction. “Martin’s here.”
“Where?” M straightened, her body shielding his stained shirt—and his rapidly hardening cock—from the rest of the room.
“Over there, by the entrance. I think he just arrived,” Loki said, his tone strained. If M didn’t back up soon, he wasn’t going to be liable for his actions. Meaning he’d have her pressed up against this ballroom wall, kissing her and caressing her until neither one of them cared about Martin or this mission or anything else but each other and this electric connection between them. Thankfully, she did move and so did he, turning slightly to rearrange his clothing and button his tux jacket. The stain was gone, thank God, and the jacket was long enough to hide most of the straining bulge pressed tight to his fly. Dammit all to hell and back.
By the time he had himself reasonably under control again, the jewelry portion of the auction was over and they were moving on to the highlight of the evening.
“Ladies and gentlemen, up next we have a special treat for you. Pop star Todd Martin is here and he’s generously offered to sing one song tonight for the highest bidder, their choice. Now who here would love to be serenaded by one of the hottest celebrities in music today?”
An excited rush of shouts went up from the crowd, men and women alike, all cheering for Martin. Loki had never really been a fan of the guy. He preferred jazz or classical over the bubblegum sweet lyrics and oversimplified tunes popular on the radio.
“Why don’t you come on up here now, Mr. Martin, and we’ll get this party started.” The MC waved to Martin, who cut a swath through the crowds up to the stage.
Loki leaned over to whisper to M that they should each guard a different side of the stage to make sure Todd Martin didn’t get away after his performance, but found only empty space around him. A quick glance forward showed a glimmer of red lace weaving through the guests toward the stage where Martin now stood.
“Fuck.” So much for coordinated efforts and working as a team. Loki took off after her.
By the time he made it to the dance floor area before the stage, the bidding for Martin’s
prize was up to half a million dollars. Ridiculous, even for charity. Loki spotted M a few feet down and sidled over to her.
“Five hundred thousand going once, going twice. Sold!” The MC smacked his gavel on the podium and the guests erupted in cheers and applause. The winning bidder, a woman in her thirties, was helped up on stage by her husband—a guy in his forties who looked about as thrilled with having Martin croon to him as Loki felt. Still, the man graciously shook hands with Martin and wrote out his check to the auctioneer, then his wife picked their song. A slow ballad originally made famous by people like Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett.
As the opening strains of The Way You Look Tonight filled the air and Martin began singing, the winning couple started dancing a slow waltz shuffle on stage. They invited the crowd to join in and Loki seized his moment. If new intel was going to be leaked tonight by Martin, it would most likely happen during his performance. How? Loki wasn’t quite sure, but there’d be no better cover than Martin on stage while hundreds of people swayed on a dance floor before him, distracted by love and other nonsense.
Surprisingly, M didn’t protest as he led her over to a spot near the stage then pulled her into his arms. They moved to the rhythm of the music, bodies brushing lightly.
“You think he’ll go for it during this performance, don’t you?” M asked, her gaze locked on Martin.
“I do.” Loki also kept an eye on the surrounding couples and the stagehands lingering just beyond the dance floor. “Not sure how yet.”
“There,” M said, slipping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer to take over the lead. She turned them slightly and tilted her head toward where the band sat playing. “I’ll bet it’s one of them, or their crew. He’ll try and pass it off at the end, when he shakes hands with them.”
Loki, resuming control of the dance, spun M out in a turn then pulled her back into his arms, tighter this time, with her back to his front. He lowered his head to whisper in her ear. “Not bad, darling. Not bad. But I’m going with the stagehands.” The feel of her curves fitting him and rubbing against him in all the right spots nearly had him out of his mind with need. Still, he forced himself to focus on the task at hand, loving the game too much to quit now. “See that one there, in the corner. He looks shifty. I’d guess Martin will pass him the intel as he walks off the stage at the end.”
M rotated her hips against him, her soft warm butt sliding against his ever-hardening cock. Her breath caught and she bit her lip, color flushing her cheeks as she smiled again. “Very nice. Very nice indeed,” she said, her voice breathy. “But I need more.”
“More?” Loki asked, his pulse thundering loud in his ears at the double entendre. He’d love nothing more than to give her everything right about now. “How much more?”
She spun in his arms and rose on tiptoes until their lips were only millimeters apart. “Everything. I want it all,” she said before capturing his lips with hers. By the time she pulled back they were both panting. “I want you.”
Loki held her to him as the world slipped away until all that was left was this woman, this night, this moment. Martin’s song drifted around them as he lowered his head to hers once more. “I want you too, M. So badly I ache.”
He took control of the kiss this time, tasting her, teasing her, needing to make her as crazy with lust as he was. She moaned low and slid her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck, making him shiver against her.
Lost. He felt lost and adrift and yet never more at home than he was right here in M’s arms. If only they were alone and could consummate this bond between them right here, right now.
But they weren’t alone. They were in a crowded ballroom, surrounded by other couples and one guilty as fuck ex-Russian bastard who was selling secrets to the highest bidder.
Martin’s song ended and the crowd went wild. The couple on-stage kissed and Martin headed over to shake hands with the band.
M lifted her head from Loki’s chest and peeked past his shoulder, her grin widening. “Told you so.”
Loki frowned, watching as Martin shook hands with each of the musicians. “My guy’s there too. The stagehand. See him? Lurking there in the shadows. He hasn’t passed any intel yet that I can see.”
“There!” M said. “See that? He lingered with the drummer. Longer than with the others. I’d say he palmed him a USB drive. I’m going after him.” She pulled free from Loki’s embrace before he could stop her and headed off the dance floor.
“Shit.” Loki glanced around to see the shifty stagehand back over with the rest of the crew again with no contact from Martin at all. Looked like M was right, dammit. No time for bad feelings though, not when Martin was on the move again. If he’d passed the intel to the drummer, he wasn’t going to stick around to party afterward. He was headed straight for the entrance again. After a quick look to make sure M had the situation with the drummer under control, Loki took off for the entrance, hoping to cut Martin off at the pass. He charged out into the relatively empty lobby and spotted Martin near the doors. If the guy got outside, there were multiple routes of escape. They needed to keep him contained. What better way to do that than with the element of surprise? “Tardova! Wait!”
At the sound of his real name, Todd Martin stopped and whirled around to face Loki. His tanned face went deathly pale, nearly as white as the tux shirt he was wearing. It was the break Loki needed.
Gotcha, bastard!
Sprinting forward, Loki had a hand out to grasp Martin, but just before he made contact, the guy turned and grabbed Loki around the neck with both hands and shoved his shoulder into Loki’s chest, attempting to use his body weight to flip Loki over onto the floor. Luckily, Loki was prepared and able to wrench free at the last second by twisting around and using his forearms to break Martin’s hold on his neck. The move cost Loki though, allowing Todd Martin to burst through the doors and narrowly escape.
Loki followed close on his heels, but Martin was smaller and faster and reached the curb where his limo was idling before Loki could catch him.
Martin wrenched the back door of the town car open and yelled for the driver to go as he dove into the backseat. Loki rushed after him, but it was too late. The limo peeled away in a squeal of tires and a haze of burning rubber. Well, fuck. Loki turned to head back inside to help M deal with the drummer when two beefy bodyguards stationed outside the convention center converged on him and took him to the ground despite his efforts to stop them.
M came running out moments later, out of breath and—given her dark expression—out of patience too. “Where the hell’s Martin? Don’t tell me you let him get away,” she said while the bodyguards kept Loki’s face pressed into the cold pavement beneath him.
“Shsdlhkjf;woeiurweh,” he said, his words slurred by a mouth full of carpet and concrete.
“I’m so sorry, guys,” she said, her tone now full of flirt. “You’ll have to excuse my brother. He’s just gaga for guys like Todd Martin. But he’s harmless, I swear. His boyfriend’s gonna be pissed though about dirt on the rental tux.”
One of the bodyguards snorted and eased up the pressure he’d been applying to Loki’s back while the other hauled Loki up by one arm and set him on his feet. They patted him down for weapons, finding none. He didn’t bring his gun tonight and knives weren’t really his thing. Besides, he could kill a man with his bare hands if needed. Too bad he hadn’t gotten the chance with Martin tonight. He went along with the rabid fan schtick long enough to get the guards to back off then walked back inside with M.
“Thanks for that,” he said, adjusting his bow tie as they moved to a quiet corner of the lobby. “Martin was a loss, though I did confirm his former identity. What did you get on the drummer?”
“Nothing really,” she said, smoothing a hand down her dress and drawing his attention to her fantastic body once more. Then M looked up at him and grinned, a small black flash drive in her hand. “Nothing except this.”
6
“C’mon. Hit me
. I dare you,” M taunted from across the mat. She and Loki were sparring in the apartment building’s gym in the basement, the place deserted except for the two of them. Then again it was three-thirty in the morning. Not exactly the time most people worked out.
They circled each other warily, both barefoot and sweaty.
M wasn’t surprised that Loki was an excellent fighter. Hell, a guy didn’t make it into the SEALs without being able to take care of himself. She was, however, intrigued to discover that he knew almost as many martial arts as she did. Karate, MMA, Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, even Krav Maga.
“I’m telling you, the guy tried to Kubi Kudaki me.” Loki looked at her. “You know what that is, right?”
“Of course.” She scoffed. Actually she didn’t, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. “Whatever.”
“Whatever?” Loki gave her an annoyed stare. “Breaking my neck is just whatever?”
Ah. Okay. That made sense. Loki had mentioned Martin grabbing him around the neck. If played just right, such moves could severe an opponent’s spinal cord and kill them instantly. Such techniques were illegal in most martial arts sports, but that didn’t mean they didn’t exist in backroom brawls and on the streets. And if Todd Martin had been trained by the KGB as the evidence suggested, then sure as shit he’d know all the dirtiest tricks to win a fight.
“Well, you’re still here, so you obviously handled it,” M said, trying to play off her earlier nonchalance. In truth, she liked working with Loki, way more than she should. Especially given how attracted she was to him. Not that she’d act on that. Nope. That would just be a disaster waiting to happen and she wasn’t about to throw the life she’d worked so hard for away over a man, no matter how incredible the sex might be. She swiped a hand across her forehead then grinned. “You gonna circle me all night or are we gonna fight?”