In Too Deep: A Romantic Suspense Novel

by Landish, Lauren

  I waved it off with a small laugh. "That's okay, neither am I. I have all the numbers I need back at the office, in fact probably too many. I just agree with my fiancée in that the numbers don't tell us everything. The people are just as important."

  "Well, the people I can talk about all day." Pressman grinned and looked over at his son. "He's the reason I asked for investment. Him and my son Scott. A single shop with four trucks is enough for me. I raised a family and I set up a good retirement for myself in about a decade. But it's not enough for two sons. So I want to spend this next decade expanding, setting everything up so that Scott and Mike can be set up in a better place than I am."

  I nodded, drawing out the conversation. Pressman continued to blather on, and I could see that while part of him was trying to tell the truth, he was far too well off to be worried. I didn't know any other air conditioning repair shop owners who wore thousand dollar dive watches while at the same time trying to put himself off as only upper middle class. Eventually, I saw Marcus pat Mike on the shoulder and come over. "Sorry about that Mr. Pressman. You have a remarkable son."

  "Thank you, Mr. Smiley," Pressman said. He tilted his head for a moment before shaking it. "Sorry, you just reminded me of someone for a moment."

  "I get that a lot," Marcus replied. "I just seem to have one of those familiar faces to some people, I guess."

  Chapter 38

  Tabby

  I could barely contain my trembling fingers as I reached for my cell phone. It was exactly twelve-fifteen, and I'd already been up since five in the morning, after a night of tossing and turning.

  Scott had never left my thoughts the entire night. I'd even gotten up at about two to take an Ambien, which I hadn't done since my college days to try and reset my body clock after a weekend long party. It took a bit of the edge off, but I didn't get more than two hours of sleep all night.

  I knew what Scott was asking for. And I knew what I wanted. That was all there was to it. I needed him, and I needed him like I needed air or water.

  Growling in frustration, I cleared my phone's dial for the third time. My fingers were trembling so much that I was double typing numbers all the time. Finally, I took a deep breath, and tried for the fourth time. The call went through, and I prayed to whatever deities listened to women like me that I had the right number. "Hello?"

  Relief and desire washed over me in alternating waves as I heard Scott's voice in my ear. "Scott, hi. This is Tabby."

  I could hear a bit of a chuckle in his voice. "You waited all the way until twelve fifteen. I was beginning to think that I had guessed wrong."

  "No, you guessed right," I said, feeling my heart swell and tears come to my eyes. "You don't know just how right."

  "I can bet," he said, his words like honeyed potion in my ear. "And because I only got about four hours of sleep myself."

  "Twice what I got," I replied. "Scott, I need you. I want you. Please, come over."

  The delay while Scott formulated his answer was almost torturous. "Okay. I'm at work right now, I'll need to call my little brother to cover the rest of my shift. Can you give me an hour?"

  "It'll feel like a hundred years," I said honestly, aware I sounded like a melodramatic teenager. "Can you do it any faster?"

  "I'll try, but I had another idea," he said, his voice soft in my ear. "You must be exhausted. Use the hour I'm not there to lay down on your couch and take a nap. I promise, when I get there I'll wake you gently, and we'll see what happens from there, okay?"

  His suggestion hit me like a ton of bricks, and my body cried out in exhaustion as well. "I think that could work," I said, stifling a sudden yawn. "One thing though, promise me."

  "What's that?"

  "Bring a Rockstar with you when you come. An hour nap is going to need a jolt to get me awake, and I want to be very, very awake when you get here."

  "Deal. One Rockstar, as fast as I can get there. And Tabby?"

  "Yes, Scott?"

  "Thank you." The phone went dead in my ear, and I collapsed back on my sofa. I was asleep before my head hit the cushion I think.

  The next thing I knew, I felt a gentle shaking of my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see Scott kneeling next to me, a smile on his face. "Don't freak out, I just remembered where you left your key last night," he whispered, brushing a lock of hair out of my eyes. I looked at the sunlight on the wall behind him, and was surprised at how orange it looked. "I let you sleep some more."

  "How long?" I asked, sitting up. I should have been weirded out, I mean, the guy just more or less broke into my house and sat there watching me sleep for what had to be an hour or more, based off of the sunlight. Then again, it wasn't the strangest thing to happen in my love life.

  "It's three thirty," Scott replied, standing up and heading into my kitchen. He came back a second later with a familiar looking black can. "Here. They didn't have any Rockstars, but I was able to grab you a Monster Zero. Hope that works?"

  "Yeah, I can do that," I said, popping the tab and chugging half the can in one long draw. I finished with a burp that would have impressed Homer Simpson, before covering my mouth and blushing. "Sorry, I guess that wasn't the sexiest thing I've done."

  Scott shook his head and smiled, taking another can out from behind his back. "Tell you what, let's share in the disgusting bodily functions," he said, popping his own tab before chugging the entire can in a performance that would have left any frat boy I dated in college envious, and then letting loose a burp that sounded like a cross between Chewbacca and a fog horn. "There, we're even."

  The disgustingly humorous romantic gesture touched me, and we both ended up laughing as I took careful sips of the rest of my can, not wanting to choke or have energy drink shoot out my nose. I've had that happen, and it burns bad, even worse than alcohol because of the carbonation. "So how long were you sitting there, anyway?"

  "Oh, I got here at one thirty, like I said," Scott replied. "But the look on your face was so precious I couldn't bear to shake you awake, and then when I did try, you were so out that you didn't even respond at first. So I just sat back and watched, thinking about you and what we're about to do."

  "So you still want to, even after watching me belch like some biker mama?" I said, smiling. "Good, because it's all I could think of too."

  Scott stood up and held out his hand, helping me to my feet before pulling me in close and kissing me. The slightly tangy taste of the energy drink was on our lips, and I thought it was appropriate, since Scott was that sort of interesting tangy sort of person. He could have had me twice, and yet here we were, and it felt more momentous than ever. Maybe he was right, and holding back made it better.

  We stood there in my living room, kissing gently, and I felt happier than I'd ever been in my life. Scott held me in his arms, and I felt both powerful and protected, his lips dancing over my neck and behind my ear. Tingles ran up and down my spine as he bit my earlobe softly before tracing it with the tip of his tongue, and I could feel fresh heat radiate down to between my legs. "Oh damn, that is amazing."

  "Let's head back to the bedroom," Scott said, taking my hand. "Lead the way? I only found your kitchen."

  I smiled and led him back, where I had only a momentary flash of embarrassment at my unmade sheets. Sophie can tell you, I never make my bed, usually just yanking my blanket around me from wherever it happened to have ended up when I got up in the morning. My sheets were clean at least though.

  Standing next to the bed, our kisses took on a feather light, tender quality as our hands took over, pulling at each other's clothes. I was wearing just a t-shirt and some jeans, not even worrying about a bra before falling asleep. I was sure Scott could see my nipples standing out against the thin cotton of my shirt, but I wanted him to look, and see how much he aroused me. "You can touch me if you want."

  "First let's get this off," he said, lifting at the hem of his work shirt. The polo was the same one I'd seen him in the first time I saw him, creating kind of a time warp effect
that made the previous days seem like nothing more than a surreal dream. I pulled the shirt up, and was more than happy with what I saw.

  Dancing the night before I'd felt plenty of lean muscle and strength, but with his shirt off it was even more evident, the only flaw in his body being a pair of long scars that stretched from his left collarbone almost all the way to his belt. They looked like a matching set, and were a few years old at least. "What happened there?"

  "Another time," he said, silencing my questions with another kiss. His lips trailed hot electricity down my neck as he sat down on my bed. I followed him, not letting his lips leave me as I pushed him back onto the sheets, both of us scooting until he was laying fully on the mattress. Straddling his waist, we kissed, while Scott ran his hands under my shirt and stroked the skin of my back, sending ripples of pleasure through my spine.

  I giggled when he touched one of my ticklish points, sitting up. "You can take my clothes off too, you know," I said, reaching down and pulling my shirt up. Freed from my shirt, I dangled my breasts in front of Scott's lips, sure he would know what I wanted. He didn't need much more encouragement, kissing my pale pink nipples, and sucking my left one into his mouth. I sighed contentedly, letting him suckle and please my skin, collapsing to the side as my happiness became too much. I could feel tears in the corners of my eyes as Scott rolled with me, pinning me to the bed even as he continued to suck, tenderly biting my nipple and causing me to cry out.

  "Did I hurt you?" he asked, looking up at me with concern. I shook my head, stroking my fingers through his hair.

  "No, it feels wonderful," I replied. "But you can help me by helping me out of my jeans and panties."

  Scott grinned at my suggestion, and nodded. "Well, if I do that, I think it's only fair if I get to take mine off as well."

  I nodded hungrily, excited to see what I wanted. Scott smirked at my enthusiasm and scooted back, knee walking backward until he was on the edge of the bed, rolling to his feet in a smooth athletic motion. Unbuttoning his cargo pants, he slid them down his hips, and I was again happily pleased. His cock was nice sized, and very veiny, almost rigid and bumpy. I could already imagine what those ridges and veins would feel like rubbing against my nerves inside my body, and I felt a fresh wave of juices flood me. "You’re a very sexy man."

  Scott smiled and got back on the bed, his cock bobbing as he crawled towards my legs, reaching up to unbutton my jeans and slowly, almost tantalizingly, pull my zipper down. I was happy I hadn't worn my tight jeans that day, I didn't want the process to take any longer, and as soon as the jeans were loose enough, I lifted my hips, pushing them down along with Scott's assistance.

  Scott came up to kiss me again, his fingers continuing to stroke and tease my hair. The gentle touch set me afire even more, and I pulled him close to me, sweat starting to come out on my forehead. "You're burning me up inside," I said in between kisses. "Why are you burning me up?"

  "Because I'm on fire too," Scott replied as he continued to stroke. "You've lit my heart on fire."

  His words touched me, and I looked him in the eyes. "I know what you mean," I said, stroking his face. "I feel the same way."

  Scott's smile told me everything I needed to know. I grabbed the condom and slid it on for him, adding to the intense anticipation for both us. Then I laid back and I opened my legs more for him. "Make love to me, Scott."

  He slid over my outstretched left leg and positioned himself in between, my anticipation growing with every beat of my heart.

  He positioned himself at my entrance and pushed forward. The head of his cock slipped easily inside me, and then the most amazing sensations started. Scott's cock was even harder and more ridged than it had looked, and with every millimeter of penetration, the nerve endings inside me were lit off in ways I'd never experienced before. Almost immediately, my hands were clawing at his shoulders, and I was caught up in a wave of sensation that drove all conscious thought from my mind. It was better than any toy or experiment I'd ever had before, and I couldn't believe that this was from a real, breathing man. He was just too perfect, yet there he was, sliding in and out of my body, shockwaves of pleasure coming from every motion of his cock slipping in and out of my body.

  I let it go, and trusted in my body's wants and needs. Instead of words, I let my lips and my hands convey my desire on Scott's skin, while his tongue traced erotic runes on my neck. Our bodies moved in a liquid, primal harmony, and I could feel my soul shatter to be reformed in his hands by every unbelievable thrust inside of me.

  He knew, without me saying a word, exactly how to please me. When he thrust long and slow, it built a bubble of passion inside me, which slowly expanded and grew bigger, until the size of it was almost a bit scary. Before I could say anything though, his movements changed, into quick little fun motions that brought a smile to both of our faces even as it shaped the orgasm that was inside me, forming it into something that I knew I'd never felt before. When it was ready, like an artist, Scott looked me in the eye and started thrusting hard and fast, his balls slapping against me as he drove himself as deep as he could with each and every movement.

  It was the last bit, when he went to long, fast, deep pounding strokes that I felt my body begin to shiver, starting in my toes. I'd heard about orgasms like this before, but I'd never felt one, and I prepared myself as best I could. The trembles continued, starting in my fingers and then working up my legs and down my arms until I could feel the muscles in my chest and stomach quivering, waiting for that last touch I needed to push myself over the edge.

  Scott could see the condition I was in, and smiled. He pulled back, until just the head of his cock was inside me, and paused. Looking me in the eye, his lips whispered something I couldn't hear before he drove forward one last time. The white hot sensation exploded out from there, and my entire body sang with pleasure. A high pitched, almost angelic sound came to my ears, and it took me a moment to realize that it was me, and the sound was my cries of release as my orgasm shook me from head to toe.

  I hung on, knowing that Scott was there above me, an angel to take care of me, to be there for me. I'd found the man I'd been searching for my entire life, and there was no way I'd ever let him go.

  Chapter 39

  Mark

  "His name, at least among the Confederation, is the Knave of Hearts," I told Sophie as we drove away. "I wasn't sure when I saw the brother, but when I saw the materials they have around the shop, I knew for sure."

  "What do you mean?" Sophie asked me as she made the turn and we headed back towards downtown. "Did everyone in the Confederation have jolly pirate nicknames or something?"

  "There you go with your Crow references again," I said with a chuckle. Sophie stuck her tongue out at me and made another turn. "But actually, you'd be surprised. A lot of us had nicknames, used either because we had secret identities that we didn't want the rest of the Confederation to know, or because we needed a way to talk business or discuss people without outsiders knowing who we were talking about. Not that it always worked, of course. Some names became more famous than our real identities."

  "So tell me about the Knave of Hearts," Sophie said, making another turn. She was following our standard procedure, which was to never drive directly back from a business meeting, just in case we were being tailed. "Who is he?"

  "The family has been a minor set of players in the Confederation for a very long time," I said, going deep into my memory. "You met his father, the so-called King of Hearts. His mother is the Queen, and while I doubt Mike Pressman is fully involved in the family business, I'd suspect he'd be called the Jack. But the Knave is the one who's currently really dangerous. The King and Queen, they became famous in the Confederation for being breaking and entering thieves, although the Queen was quite a beauty in her day. It's what earned her nickname, and her husband became the King after they got married. They both more or less retired before I came on the scene, but I see how they did it now. In their shop they had, in addition to the normal t
ools you'd expect an HVAC repair facility to have, a lot of carefully disguised other goodies. The one I noticed first was a canister that had no chance to contain coolant, it was totally shaped wrong. Instead, it was a disguised pressure container for a plasma cutting torch. I saw the rest of the setup broken down on the bench, but it was all there. The Pressman’s used their company as a front, doing pretty standard burglaries and thefts until the Knave got involved."

  "What did he do differently?”

  "He's not into straight burglaries," I told her. "In fact, the Knave steals in a whole different way. He's a bit of a confidence man, a bit of a Lothario, and one hundred percent thief. He gets his way in by seduction normally, and from his reputation, he’s very, very good. From what I know, and I only know him by reputation, he works his way into the woman's heart, and turns her into whatever he wants her to be."

  "Damn," Sophie seethed, echoing my own personal feelings. I had always detested the methods employed by the Knave, even during my own days of being a bit of a womanizer. I never used emotions to try and get to my targets, and I never, ever twisted a woman the way the Knave did.

  "That's not the worst," I said, as Sophie finally made the last of our misdirection turns and started back towards Mount Zion. "The worst part is, he's married. His reputation is that he looks young, maybe just twenty-three or four, but he's actually pushing thirty or so. It's part of his game, he comes off as this barely out of high school guy, but he's actually got a wife at home."

  "How can his wife be cool with that?" Sophie asked, disgusted.

  I shook my head. "I don't know. From what the rumors have told me, she's the same as him, a Mata Hari type who left the business when she couldn't pass as a teenager anymore, and wasn't quite old enough for the MILF act yet. But if this guy is the one who I think has been seeing Tabby, your friend is being played."

  "So what do we do?"

  I clenched my fists, the knuckles cracking as I thought of all I'd like to do to the man. However, he did have a wife, and I don't like killing people with families, if it can be avoided. I know how hypocritical that sounds, and I know I've killed men with wives and even children, but they were jobs I never enjoyed doing. "Let's go to the bell tower," I said, thinking. "I have an idea."