by Julie Castle
Bridget walked toward the bar, forcing herself not to look back. She didn’t care if Condor danced with Lola. She didn’t want to be jealous, but damn it all, she was. It was an earth shattering revelation. She could no longer separate herself from the mission. Still, she didn’t have time to brood about it. Instead, she bellied up to the bar and snagged the bartender’s attention. His dark eyes widened as he stared at her costume of a thong and nipple clamps. If Condor had set out to get her noticed, he’d done a hell of a job. Most of the other slave girls were nude. It most definitely set her apart.
“Hello. I’m Star.”
The burly, black bartender nodded. “I’ve been expecting you, my dear. Lola has you down to work the nine to ten shift.” He frowned when he looked pointedly at the clock. “You’re late.”
Yeah, she’d lingered to stare at Condor and Lola dancing and flirting and used up the breathing room Condor had built in to her night. Stupid move on her part and unworthy of her professionalism, but then she’d been off her game since they’d met. “Sorry. I was busy with my Dom, and we lost track of time.” It was a lame excuse, but the bartender seemed to buy it, and even sympathize as he gave her a toothy smile.
“No problem, chéri.” He handed her a rattan tray laden with paper-umbrella–topped rum punches. “There you are, my dear. Serve the rum punch to the guests and be quick about it. The customers are a thirsty lot.”
She rushed to obey. She spun with the heavy tray to see Lola and Condor still dancing, the woman practically plastered to him. With a disgusted scowl, she turned her back on them and faced the milling throng of men. At least Condor, keeping Lola occupied, gave her a chance to finally get some work done and get a close-up look at the guests.
The microchip bug she’d tucked into her thong itched, but she ignored it. Maybe she’d get lucky and spot Perez or his associates. Balancing the tray as best she could, she edged into the crowd. She stepped up to the first cluster, held out the tray, and groaned when she saw Thom Wetzel. He was red-faced and sweaty in the tropical heat. His suit was rumpled. Would he remember her knocking him out? She had to risk it.
“Drinks, gentlemen,” she said.
Wetzel didn’t even bother ogling her as he reached for a glass of punch. He took a thirsty swallow, peered up at her, and frowned, his glass halfway to his lips. “Don’t I know you from somewhere?”
She sensed movement at her side. Kahn was walking up to them.
“She’s the one who pushed me in the pool,” Kahn said.
Bridget groaned at his arrival. She could see both irritation and intrigue in his eyes. Candy had told her he gave her a hot time because of it.
“Good for you.” Wetzel sloppily patted Bridget on the arm.
She gasped, steadied the tray, and stepped back from the drunken man. Lord knew what Lola would do if she dropped the drink tray in Kahn’s lap. Their gooses would be cooked for sure.
Kahn smiled, looking her up and down. “Then she got spanked for it. That was the best part.”
Bridget lowered her head, trying to look demure. “I’m sorry for my outburst, sir. It must have been caused by jet lag. Would you care for a drink?”
“I might be persuaded to forgive you,” he said, taking a glass from the tray.
She met his lusty gaze directly, which seemed to amuse him. He flicked the star dangling from her peak and smiled as she gasped. The swinging jewel tugged on her sensitive crest, and though her nipple hardened, she had to suppress a shiver.
“Nice touch,” Kahn said, his eyes glued to her swelling nipple. “A present from your master?”
Bridget nodded, barely resisting the urge to take him down hard, as she took a shaky breath and the star jiggled. She was so tender, so aroused, she ached for Condor to take them off her and then take her to bed. She felt all eyes on her, the object of avid curiosity. She did stand out given that she was wearing anything at all. Nudity might have given her more anonymity.
“I’d give you diamonds,” Kahn said.
Bridget bit her lip, peering up at him from her lashes, giving him a practiced smile. Hopefully he’d think her as greedy as he thought her disloyal. “Really?” she asked softly.
“Cross my heart,” he said, making an X across his chest. He flicked a wary glance at Condor before adding, “Think about it, honey.”
She nodded and hurried away to the next cluster of men before Kahn could try to actually seduce her. The urge to permanently incapacitate him ran strong in her. If she had her way, the man would never get it up again. Part of her wished Kahn would try something and Condor would come to defend her. Like she was his territory. But that was a fantasy. They had to maintain their cover. No man made her feel what Condor did. Certainly not James, even before she discovered he’d cheated on her. She’d been a kid when she met him, only nineteen.
She turned toward the cabana on the beach. She’d serve drinks there, ditch the tray, and be done with this farce. So far, she’d discovered nothing new.
She entered the cabana, and a man sitting on a chaise lounge ran a hand up her leg as he reached for his drink. She growled and spun toward him, tired of this shit—
And came face to face with a ghost.
James!
He’d grown a little leaner, a lot harder, than the smiling secret fiancé she’d known, but the light blue eyes were the same. She’d once seen them then as gentle, understanding. Now she saw them as cool, calculating. He was alive. After all this time, he was alive.
She sucked in a shocked breath trying to reconcile the facts. She’d seen James die when the warehouse blew up with him inside. But now her memories were dirty, everything she’d assumed about him up for grabs. She felt like a fool. Because not only was he alive, if he was here, he was the double agent Condor had accused him of being.
Had he lain in wait here, hoping to force a reaction from her? Did he suspect she was still with Delta Star? Thank God she’d conceded to her father’s demand for her to return to work under an alias.
She didn’t see any signs of outright suspicion in him. So perhaps her and Condor’s covers weren’t blown. Or at least she hoped it meant that. Had he ever met Condor? She thought their paths had never crossed, but she couldn’t be sure. She’d have to watch him for clues.
He showed her a sweet, boy-next-door grin, a little oops, caught with my hand in the cookie jar. She couldn’t believe she’d ever been stupid enough to fall for it. She wouldn’t make that mistake again.
He held that smile and didn’t say a word, like he was putting her to some kind of test, waiting for her reaction. What she did next would be critical to maintaining her cover. He’d expect her to be hurt by his sudden reemergence, embarrassed to be caught at a sex club naked. The innocent girl he’d known wouldn’t have come here, ever.
She let her jaw drop, her fury come to the surface, knowing she’d need to call on all her skills to pull this off. Hell yeah, she was pissed. He’d used her, lied to her, made her mourn his fake passing. Why hadn’t she noticed before how soft and insubstantial he was? He couldn’t hold a candle to Condor.
“God damn you.” She reared back and slapped him in his lying face, putting in every bit of true emotion.
He stiffened in reaction and glared back at her, reminding her so much of his telling reaction when he’d chipped his tooth skiing and she’d laughed. He was so shallow that he couldn’t take any blow to his ego. Good. That might work in her favor. His fury had the bonus of making the suspicion in his eyes fade a little.
“How dare you not tell me you were alive? Do you have any idea how long I grieved for you? You selfish bastard.” It was all true, and her voice broke as she shouted at him. She blinked back the tears that sprang to her eyes. It was the first time that she’d allowed herself to let it all go, and it was cathartic. The Bridget he’d known would never slap him, much less make a scene, but she’d changed even if he hadn’t. His fleeting smirk told her he was buying it, kind of getting off on her show of devotion. Had he always been such
a narcissist? Of course he had. She’d just been too blind to see it back then. Well, no more, she’d grown stronger since meeting Condor.
“Like you cared,” he said. “In case you’ve forgotten you broke up with me before the explosion.”
“Don’t you dare try to lay a guilt trip on me, James Clayton. I broke up with you for a damned good reason and you know it. You cheated on me. Can’t you see that made it all the harder for me, never having closure, not knowing if I’d made you careless?”
“You can knock off the crocodile tears,” he said his smirk returning. “I can see how hard you’re grieving, babe. “Nice stars, Star.”
She smiled, gratified that her judgement was confirmed. He did know who she was, or more correctly, who she was pretending to be. Good to know.
“That rich dude you’re here with must be loaded.”
She noticed the tight set of his mouth at rich dude, and she recalled that he’d always been conscious of her background. Conversely, he’d never wanted to talk about his. Was that why he’d gone bad? The promise of quick riches?
Bridge, you’re not here to fix him, or figure him out, you’re here to defeat him.
“I’ll have you know I waited years before I started dating.”
“Dating,” he smirked. “Is that what you call it? If only I’d known you like kink.”
“I didn’t find out I liked it until just now. And don’t think you can change the subject and deflect me. Where the hell have you been?”
“Bridge, I’m sorry, it’s classified.”
Classified my ass.
But his voice was filled with sincerity. He even blushed and looked down, like she’d made him spill the beans. But now that she was on to him, she couldn’t miss the way he studied her reaction.
Her eyes widened in feigned surprise. “Really. I know you always wanted to advance in the agency, but…” Probably why he’d dated her, she realized. “I’m kind of out of the loop since I left the agency.”
“You mean since you were fired,” he cut in.
So he knew about that, too. Was that why they’d put him in her path? So she’d react and spill all her secrets?
He met her gaze with a you-really-get-me-babe sincerity that made her want to deck him. “I finally got my chance,” he said. “I’m working off the books, very clandestine. It was safer for you not to know.”
“Then you were only trying to protect me,” she said, giving him the out he was so desperately seeking. He smiled again, seeming to buy her act. It sickened her that she’d been such a gullible fool for him in the past. That he thought she still was. “So you’re a…a…” She bit her lip and watched his eyes heat in reaction. Their sex life had always been okay, nothing like the fireworks with Condor, but fine. If she could use that to her advantage, she would. But after Condor, there was no way she was letting him touch her.
“I’m a ghost agent, babe,” he said with a smile. “And we need to catch up.” He tugged her down on his lap. “What are you doing these days, still working for Delta?”
So he wasn’t in the know anymore. Relieved, she shook her head. “It was embarrassing. I had to leave. I’m working as a private secretary now. You know me and computers.” Yeah, he always had thought that was nothing special.
He nodded. “Good for you.”
“Where the hell is that girl?” the bartender yelled. “Damn it all, she’s going on report to Lola.”
She winced but thanked the angry bartender for the reprieve when Jimmy smiled at her discomforted reaction.
“You better run before you get in trouble,” he said with a chuckle.
“Don’t you mean more trouble?” she said. “Confidentially, Lola already hates me.”
“Well, we can’t let that happen, can we?” he said with a grin. “What’d you do?”
She smirked. “Kahn got a little handsy, and I dumped his ass in the pool.”
“That was you?” His eyes widened. “You wouldn’t want to earn another public spanking.”
She saw his sly calculating look. He was wondering how to play her to his advantage, maybe thinking of blackmailing her. She came from a prominent family, and if it got out that she was a submissive, well… “You’d be willing to help me stay out of trouble with Lola?” she asked, leading him where she wanted him to go. God, he was dense and self-centered. Why hadn’t she picked up on that before?
“I can try to put in a good word for you. You always were too spunky for your own good, Bridge,” he said with a grin.
She so wanted to kick him. Instead, she gave him a grateful smile. “And you always smoothed things over for me when I got in trouble.”
“That’s what boyfriends are for.”
“Boyfriends! Hah! I don’t hear from you in like forever, and now you call yourself my boyfriend. In case you forgot, I’m here with someone else.”
“I told you it was classified.”
She sighed. “I guess you’re right, but when I think of what a fool I made of myself over you, I could just die.”
“That’s all in the past, Bridge, if you’ll let it be.”
“I don’t know, I’m here with my boss,” She looked over and scowled when she saw Lola and Condor still in each other’s arms on the dance floor. What stunned her more was that James scowled right along with her. Were he and Lola lovers? Only one way to find out, “That’s him dancing with Mistress Lola.” She itched to throw a bucket of cold water on the two and peel Lola off him. She was practically screwing him on the dance floor.
James scowled. “He’s the old guy that crashed Ari’s charter.”
Old guy! She frowned up at James’s handsome but shallow face. He was like an overgrown, slightly aging, surfer type. Realizing that he now looked like a low-rent version of Brad Pitt made her wonder what she’d ever seen in him.
“He’s not old,” she said, defensive about Condor but relieved that James didn’t seem to recognize him from the agency. Of course, Condor could be a chameleon, and now he looked vastly different from his usual disreputable biker persona.
James patted her hand to calm her down. “Sure, honey, and he’s rich I’ll bet.”
“Of course he is.” She stepped back. His condescending tone was making her doubly furious, and she fought not to show it. “It’s the only way he could afford me.”
James frowned back at him. “There’s something familiar about him.”
Condor and James wouldn’t have been on the same beat. They shouldn’t know each other, but still she couldn’t help being nervous. “Of course there is,” she said coolly. If he did remember him, she didn’t want James to dwell on his newfound suspicions. “You just saw him by the water.”
“That’s not it.” James shook his head, continuing to study Condor.
“You probably saw him in Forbes. They did a profile on him a while back.”
He smiled. “That must be it. You’ll have to introduce us some time.”
“My contract is up in a few weeks,” she cut in to pull focus off Condor. The last thing she wanted was his cover blown. The renewed flare of interest in James’s eyes made her smile. Now if she could just keep him interested and distracted. “Maybe you’d like to own me.”
James smiled back at her. “You don’t even have to ask, babe. You’ll forget all about limp dick over there when I handle you.”
…
Condor froze up inside as he watched James pull Bridget into his arms, his hands roving over her lush body. She looked like a sexy angel tonight, and he thanked god that he’d kept her in view even as he squired Lola across the dance floor. Everything in him wanted to react, to go to her rescue, to blow the mission if it meant keeping her as his own. He growled. The fact alone that he had the impulse meant he was in too deep. Way too deep.
At least now she knew her darling James was alive and well, the rotten son of a bitch. She leaned into James to laugh and whisper something, and the movement twisted Condor’s gut. Shit, she was responding too well. She really seemed to be flirt
ing with the jerk.
Condor stumbled and stepped on Lola’s toes as they danced.
“Ouch,” Lola cried. She winced, eased back, and scowled up at him. “What the hell is wrong with you? It’s like you’re a million miles away.”
“Sorry, I’m a little tired,” he murmured, glad that she’d given him a little breathing room. Her perfume was too damned cloying. His gaze immediately went back to Bridget and James snuggling in the cabana. Damn it all, the other man’s hands were on her ass. The man had gone from wary to charmed and leering in six seconds flat. Bridget could do that to a man. He couldn’t hear their conversation, but he was able to read their body language loud and clear. Bridget was downright flirting with him, and even though it was for the cause, it didn’t sit well with him.
Great way to keep on target, stupid!
His eyes narrowed, watching Bridget slip her hand down the front of James’s pants. Well shit, he could see taking one for the team, but this was going too far. For his part, James was grinning like an idiot and eating it up, falling for her allure hook, line, and sinker.
“Watch it,” Lola snapped. “And you could at least look at me when we’re dancing. I’m not so sure I made the right decision to let you stay.”
Condor gritted his teeth at Lola’s pouting tone. Her grumbled complaint brought Condor back in line and on target. He still had a job to do. He gave Lola a practiced smile that seemed to mollify her. “Sorry, I was thinking about the end of the week. It’s coming too soon. I’m going to miss this place.”
“Just the place?” she asked, smiling.
“Not just the place. You too,” he said, her perfume making him gasp when he pulled her back into his arms.
Lola put her hand flat against his chest and pulled back. Frowning up at him, she said, “We’ll need to clear the air about your fishing expedition today, in order for you to be invited back. The powers that be are suspicious of you.”
He sighed and hung his head a little. “Sorry about that. I tend to be focused when it comes to something I want. After the fight with Star, the urge to get away from it all and see blue water was just too much.” He cast another look at Bridget and James. Damn it all, they were still in each other’s arms.