Wild Nights

by Tina Wainscott

  She stumbled, blinking and wincing even in the soft light. Her unfocused gaze floated all over the area without landing on anything. Including him.

  “Yes,” Willie said, “you met this lovely lady earlier. She was sitting by herself having a drink, and I talked to her about you.” That blasted grin spread across his face. “She changed her mind.” He led her into Sax’s arms, where she barely kept her balance.

  Sax steadied her. “She’s drunk. Or…on drugs.”

  “No, not drugged,” Willie said with an emphatic shake of his head. “Drunk, maybe. Feeling oh-so-good. A sure thing, my friend.” He turned to her. “You want to make a love connection with this fine gentleman?”

  Jennessy nodded in a deep, jerky way.

  “I’ve heard he’s a tiger in bed,” Willie growled. “He’ll make you feel real good. And that’s why you came here, right? To feel good.”

  Jennessy gave him a wobbly smile.

  Willie turned back to Sax, his voice lower when he said, “Whatever you want her to do, just tell her. She’ll do it. You have an hour or two of fun before she might”—he made a gesture of his hand coming from his mouth. “I will come by then and escort her to her room. You will wear protection, yes?”

  Sax blinked, still trying to wrap his head around this. The guy was selling a night of sex, but he wanted Sax to wear a condom. That was a good thing, he realized. “Yes, absolutely.”

  “You have fun now.”

  Sax saw himself flying through the air with his hands outstretched, clamping them around Willie’s neck—

  But he had Jennessy to worry about. She wilted against him, and he wrapped his arms around her waist and looked at her. Those beautiful brown eyes were glassy. He brushed away a strand of hair that stuck to her forehead.

  “Kiss me,” he ordered, testing her.

  She pursed her lips and leaned up. His puppet. She was his puppet, given drugs that obliterated her will. He brushed his fingers across her mouth and tilted her chin down again. “Walk with me,” he said, keeping his arm around her waist and guiding her to the pathway. He needed to get her back to his room where he could find out exactly what she’d been given. And keep her safe.

  Other guests chuckled when they saw him helping her to maintain her balance, just another drunk woman on vacation. They probably figured he was her boyfriend, that he’d take care of her. This was how Willie pulled it off, drugging unsuspecting women and pairing them off with men who paid for a sure thing. It was sick. Insidious. And Sax was going to stop it.

  He unlocked his room and guided Jennessy to the bed. Kneeling in front of her, he took her hands in his. “How do you feel?”

  She couldn’t even focus on him. “Like I wanna have shhex.” She giggled, flopped forward, and slid her fingers into his hair, knocking his glasses askew.

  He took them off and set them on the nightstand. “Do you know who I am?”

  Another giggle, and she drew her finger over his cheek. “Cute. Nice ch…ch…cheekbones.”

  He saw no recognition in her eyes at all. He could have been anyone, any of those other men Willie had been talking to. There could be other women with them, but right now Sax had to concentrate on Jennessy.

  Whatever Willie had given her made her follow orders and also made her amorous, helped, no doubt, by Willie’s suggestions. Sax had studied date rape drugs and had a couple of guesses what was in her system. The likely culprit: ketamine. It was originally used for veterinary sedation but had become a popular drug on the date rape scene. It would produce dissociative states, memory loss, and complicity, but wouldn’t incapacitate the victim.

  “Let’s have a drink,” he said, darting over to the small refrigerator and pulling out two cans of cranberry juice he’d stocked there. The juice was supposed to clear the drug out of a person’s system. Scooping out some ice from the bucket, he poured one can into a cup.

  She wobbled over to the window and flicked open the curtains. “Are you on the naked side?” she asked, her words slurred.

  He set the cup on the nightstand and dug one of the test kits out of his luggage. “No, darlin’, I’m not.”

  “Let’s get naked here.” She started to pull off her top, and he stilled her hands.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa. There’s no hurry.” He tugged her shirt down, while she tried to continue pulling it up. His knuckle brushed the soft skin on her stomach as he won the war and tugged it completely down.

  The second he turned, she yanked it over her head, the collar getting stuck on her chin for a second. “Wanna be wild.” She swayed, and he anchored his hands on her waist to steady her. She jerked the shirt all the way off, leaving him with the sight of her lacy black bra filled with luscious mounds of creamy flesh.

  He wrenched his gaze away. “I don’t think now’s a good time to be making those kinds of decisions. Sit down, darlin’, and have a drink.” He led her to the bed and helped her to sit. Not much of a struggle there, since she was off balance. As soon as she was settled, he reached for the cup.

  “I don’t want a drink, I want sex. That’s what we’re here for, wild sex.” She went for the waistband of his pants and accidentally bumped the cup, splashing juice all over him, the bed, and the floor. She had no idea she’d even done it, continuing with her task. He took her hands as they tried to fumble with his top button and pulled them to his mouth. She tilted her head back, her eyes glazed. “Don’t you want me?”

  “More than I should,” he said, kissing the back of her hands and setting them on her lap. He knelt down to her level, which put his face inches from hers. “Let’s play a fun game. I want you to go into the bathroom and pee in a cup. You could do that for me, couldn’t you?”

  “I have a more fun game in mind.” She kissed him, plunging her tongue into his mouth. Whatever Willie had given her left a sweet taste on her tongue, cherry maybe. He spent a few moments studying it, and then he got caught up in the feel of her tongue sliding up and down the length of his, sucking on it in a most phallic way. In between kisses, she murmured, “I’m very good with my mouth.”

  He groaned in frustration. Sitting next to her on the plane was only a dip of the toe into hell. This was the depths of hell. Before he could find words to slow her down, she reached down and gripped his cock through the fabric of his pants.

  She gave him a playful grin. “Mm, you do want me.”

  Damned thing had no sense of propriety, and it wasn’t helping that she was now stroking him. “You’re a big boy.”

  He put his hand over hers to still the motion. “Thanks, but—”

  She pushed him back, sending him flat on the floor, and straddled him. She shoved his shirt up and plastered her mouth on his stomach, unbuttoning his shorts as she laved the ridges of his abs. Her mouth, that close to his throbbing cock, licking, nibbling…

  He curled his fingers in her hair. “Jennessy, please stop.” He didn’t want to hurt her by pulling her hair or pushing her back, but he couldn’t, could not, let her continue.

  She’d unzipped his shorts and shoved the two sides apart, leaving nothing but his black briefs between her mouth and his cock. The tip of him was thrust past the waistband, so eager for the lips that were lowering, closer…

  He rolled her over, straddling her, catching his breath—and regaining his sanity. Her hands were now pinned to the floor beneath his. Her hair was spread out, a wild halo around her head.

  She frowned. “I thought guys liked when girls went down on them.”

  “Oh, we do, darlin’. We do.” Way to make that sound like a groan. “But I need you to do something else first. Pee for me, baby.”

  “Ooh, you’re kinky. I’ve heard about—what do they call them? Golden showers, I think.” She grimaced, shaking her head and then having to steady herself. “I don’t want to do that.”

  He couldn’t help but smile. At least she had some inhibitions. “I won’t pour it on you or me, promise.” He pressed the cup into her hand. “Let me help you.” He guided her into the bat
hroom.

  “You’re not going to watch, are you?”

  “Not if you can do it on your own.” He needed to find out what she’d been given. It wouldn’t be admissible in court, but at least they could narrow it down for the investigation. And for replicating a fake version of it, should he need to.

  She nodded. “I’ll try. Then we can have sex?”

  He gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead, trying to ignore the sight of her long, lean torso and that bra. “Lots and lots of sex.” Like hell.

  She stared at the cup, her expression lighting up in a smile. “Hey, this is a testing kit. I saw lots of these in college.”

  He remembered her mentioning that she’d just graduated, but in his efforts not to engage her in conversation hadn’t pursued it. Now wasn’t the time either, though he did wonder what she’d majored in, what she wanted to do with her life.

  “Yes, it’s just like your science class. We need your specimen for our lab project.”

  She squinted as she tried to read the markings. “Okay.”

  He waited outside the closed door in case she fell. He never had sex with drunk women. One of the worst morning-after questions a woman could ask was, “Did we have sex?” He wanted her to remember every pleasurable minute of it, and especially, he wanted her to make the decision with a clear head.

  “You okay in there?” he asked after a couple of minutes.

  “I keep missing the cup.”

  “Do you need me to help?” He’d grown up with three sisters, so holding hair out of their faces as they prayed to the porcelain god or seeing a woman sitting on the toilet was no big deal. But he had a feeling it would be a big deal to Jennessy, who would be mortified once she sobered up.

  “No, I got it,” she said. “Uh…what lab project am I doing this for?”

  “I’ll tell you when you’re finished. Just leave the cup in there.”

  He heard the toilet flush a few minutes later and smiled when she turned on the sink faucet. She had enough presence of mind to wash her hands. She emerged, gripping the door frame to keep her balance. Then she stepped right into him, draping her arms around his neck. “Wanna dance?”

  “Yes, definitely.” He spun her—not too fast—toward the bed. “After you have a drink.” He set her gently on the edge and poured another cup of juice. “Drink,” he ordered, wrapping her hands around the plastic cup and keeping his hands over hers.

  She sipped, her gaze wobbling from him to the framed pictures of tropical scenes and the netting over the bed. Thankfully she’d forgotten her earlier question about why he’d had her pee in a cup. “Where am I?”

  “My room.”

  Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to focus on his face. “Who are you? Your face is swimming around.”

  “Saxby. We’re friends. Keep drinking, darlin’. This will make you feel much better. More clearheaded. I’ll be right back.”

  He ran into the bathroom and checked the test results. Ketamine. He’d memorized the data on the various drugs and knew the effects would wear off in one to two hours, just as Willie had said. Sax quickly returned to Jennessy, who was still sitting on the bed, looking a little lost.

  “I thought you’d left me,” she said, her lower lip pushed out.

  He sat next to her and gathered her in his arms. “I won’t leave you.”

  She clung to him, her fingers digging into his shoulder as she tried to focus on him. “Saxby.”

  “Yes, darlin’.” He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand, wishing he could just pull that shit out of her system. He’d take it for her if he could.

  “Love me,” she whispered.

  The raw need in her voice tugged somewhere deep in his soul. He didn’t think she meant sex this time. He gave her a gentle kiss, brushing her hair from her face. “Okay.” The word came out hoarse, a mere whisper. “I’ll love you.” He’d never said those words to a woman before, and though he didn’t—couldn’t—mean them now, they resonated oddly in his body. She would be easy to love. “Drink, baby.” Keeping her in his arms, he reached for the cup and helped her to drink more. “Good girl,” he coaxed as she took a swallow. Then another. “That’s my girl.”

  His girl. She felt like his, though he was sure it was only because she was his to keep safe, to guide back to sobriety. While she finished the drink, he sank down next to his luggage and dug out other containers and a mixing cup. He measured out milk thistle, greens powder, charcoal, and other supplements that helped clear the body of toxins, then mixed it in a base of more cranberry juice.

  “Ew, it’s green,” she said with an adorably wrinkled nose when he presented it to her.

  “It’s the green of a dewy Louisiana morning, the sun glistening on the wet grass, and the frilly leaves of the willow trees.”

  She tilted her head, a small smile at the corners of her mouth. “Pretty.”

  He was looking at her, the softness of her jawline, the fringe of lashes, and her pert little nose. “Real pretty. In the summer, it’s so humid that the moisture in the air is gauzy, muting all the colors like a watercolor painting by midday.” He knelt in front of her, guiding the cup to her lips.

  She took a small sip, then grimaced. “This is swamp water!”

  He chuckled despite himself. “But even the swamps are beautiful, with the duckweed growing bright green across water so black that you can’t see your hand an inch below the surface. But it’s filled with life, just like this drink. It’s good for you. Finish it, and I’ll hold you close and never let you go.” Again, those words resonated, like carbonation in his bloodstream.

  She gulped down the drink so fast that one drip slid down her neck. He took the empty cup and ran his finger down the line of the drip to wipe it off. “Good girl.”

  Their gazes locked, and for a moment he felt as though he were jumping out of an airplane and screaming toward earth through a night sky. She smiled, so soft and sweet, that it was like the snap of the chute opening and jerking him upright. “You’re a nice guy.”

  “You’re a nice gal. Now lie down and get some sleep.”

  She nodded, her eyes heavy. “With you?”

  “Yes, with me.” He helped her onto the bed, pulling the sheets over her luscious skin, then slid in beside her. He wrapped his body around her from behind, his hand resting against her collarbone. “Sleep, love,” he whispered next to her ear.

  She let out a soft sigh and snuggled closer. With his nose nestled against her neck, she smelled of faded perfume and her own scent, light and sweet. He liked it here. Too much. When she fell into a deep sleep, he’d take a quick shower. Then he was going to have to think about what he’d tell her.

  He sank into the depths of dreams. A knock stirred him from sleep. It was nearly morning. He unwrapped himself from her and rolled out of bed, grabbing his glasses. His brain snapped to attention as he realized who would be on the other side of the door. Don’t kill him. Play along.

  Willie appeared to be a little ruffled. “I’m here to escort the lady back to her room. Sorry, I’m running late. Some guests got a little too rowdy.” His perturbed expression turned into a grin. “You had fun?”

  “What did you give her? She was out of it. Still is.”

  “She was feeling good.” He shrugged, looking damned guileless. “I only offered her another drink or two.” He wasn’t giving anything away.

  Sax didn’t want to stir up any suspicion by pressing, but one thing was for sure. “You’re not taking her. She’s sound asleep now. I’ll make sure she gets back to her room.”

  Willie’s smile faltered. “But what about the awkward morning-after conversation? She may not remember everything. It could get…sticky.”

  “I can handle it. I’ll tell her we met at the cabana, and she came to my room for some fun. I won’t say a word about your part in it.”

  “But—”

  “She stays with me.” The words boomed out of Sax’s mouth like shots from his Glock. He glanced over to see if they had woke Je
nnessy, but she didn’t even stir. Good. If she got a decent night’s rest, she’d feel much better.

  Willie’s protest died on his tongue when he saw Sax’s fierce expression. He could be every bit as stubborn as Rath, one of his SEAL brothers. The only one who hadn’t signed on with The Justiss Alliance. Sax closed the door in Willie’s face, which was a lot better than snatching the guy into the room to pound him mercilessly.

  Sax peered through the crack between the curtain and window to make sure the guy left. Scumbag probably had a master card key, which was how he was able to escort the victims back to their rooms. Sax glanced at the clock as he knelt close to Jennessy. She looked deep asleep, her chest rising and falling steadily beneath the sheets. Somehow, he needed to get her shirt back on. He’d get his shower now so he could be back when she woke.

  Chapter 5

  Rain pattered on the roof, a steady fall that wasn’t unusual for Chicago. But Jennessy’s blazing headache was, along with the extreme effort it took to open her eyes. Sheesh, they felt as though they were weighed down by sandbags, with much of that sand in her eyes. She blinked to get the gritty feeling out, then realized she didn’t recognize the ceiling above her bed. There was no tray, no glass globes with the etched flowers on the fan. Waves of gauze draped overhead. Her mouth tasted of grass, both earthy and fruity at once.

  Her mind felt just as weighed down, and thinking was like slogging through two feet of mud. Come on, you took classes in evidence gathering. So figure out what the heck is going on.

  She managed to lift her head and scan the room, which spun with her movement. Holy crap, what had she done last night? She waited for the room—and her stomach—to settle. Very slowly the pieces came together. She wasn’t in her apartment in Pekin. She was at the Decadence resort with no memory of how she’d ended up in her room. And she was obviously hungover.

  Yep, pure genius, Jennessy. That’s why you got that 3.8 GPA.