Twisted Taste

by Michelle Dayton

  Without ceremony, he reached up and plucked her hand off of him. “Cut the crap, Celeste.”

  “Fine.” All traces of flirtation disappeared from her body and voice. “I’m here for the Scarlet. You?”

  He made a great show of twirling her, actually moving them to the most private corner of the makeshift dancefloor. “Same. But just in the initial stages. How far along are you?”

  She giggled and clung to him, playing a tipsy woman in the arms of a stranger. “It’s almost go-time, old friend. We’re set to take it on Saturday night.”

  Mentally—and with some regret—Adam kissed the necklace goodbye. Like him, Celeste had grown up in this world, and she was a pro. If she was ready to roll in two nights, she would have a rock-solid plan. Nothing that he and Jess could compete with in their current state. “We?” he asked. “Thought you didn’t like partners?” They’d worked together a few times, mostly because the physical chemistry between them cooled off pretty quickly and they’d gotten bored. It hadn’t gone well. They were both too accustomed to calling the shots.

  “I don’t,” she admitted with a shudder. He couldn’t help but grin. Even when he and Celeste didn’t turn out to be great lovers or great partners, he’d still enjoyed her quick mind and blunt turn of phrase. She was always an asset when it came to redistribution too. She had more connections to fences than any other thief he knew. “And I’m starting to dislike my current partner more than most.”

  He spun her again. “What’s wrong with this one?”

  “Greedy. Tries to change the ground rules. And way too emotional about the target.” She sighed and wrinkled her nose. “It’s distasteful. Unprofessional.” She shrugged. “But it was an in.”

  Oh yeah, he and Jess were calling it. If Celeste had not only a solid plan but a partner on the inside, they were shit out of luck. They were also definitely not attending the formal affair on the night of the theft. He needed to take Jess somewhere with lots of cameras and people, develop a solid alibi.

  Looking over Celeste’s shoulder to survey the growing-tipsier-by-the-minute crowd, he wondered who it was in Todd’s wide circle that Celeste partnered with—but he didn’t ask. Thieves liked to hold their plans—and their teams—close to the vest. Trust was a rare commodity. The “honor among thieves” legend wasn’t purely fictional, but it was greatly exaggerated. Thieves liked strategic advantages—and quality personnel—as much as those in the legitimate business world. If he started poking at Celeste about the identity of her partner, she might think he planned to cut an outside deal with him. That wasn’t his style, but Celeste hadn’t survived this long in the business without being deeply paranoid.

  “Okay, I’m out,” he said. “I was still just in recon phase.”

  “Smart move,” she said. “The amazing thing is that I actually believe you too.”

  They danced in silence for a moment, and Adam decided he better pull away before Todd got too curious about his interest in this woman when he was supposed to be canoodling with a redhead. But, he was a little disappointed to leave Celeste without more conversation. She’d been a friend and a girlfriend and a coworker, in a way. She knew his lifestyle, knew his past. He could count the number of people in that little group on one hand.

  “How’s Tony?” she asked now, her eyes bright. “I heard he got out.”

  He laughed, ready to tell her about his uncle’s post-prison obsession with HGTV and the Food Network. But then...shit. Todd emerged from the house with the gorgeous Helen at his side. Adam needed to get away from Celeste before Todd saw him and then find Jess and explain. Celeste saw his quick glances and immediately understood. She pulled away and gave him a mock curtsy. “Thank you for the dance, kind sir.”

  He bowed back in a drunken manner.

  “Come visit me tomorrow morning,” she whispered to him without moving her lips. “We can catch up. You can introduce me to the redhead.” With a wink, she continued, “I’m renting space at the apartment building next to the Hotel Healdsburg. Unit 14.”

  * * *

  Adam burst through the hotel room door just as Jess zipped up her suitcase. Without preamble, he demanded, “What are you doing? Why’d you leave the party without me?”

  Jess snorted and pulled her bag off the bed. “Are you kidding?” Images of him dancing with the perfect blonde and staring into her eyes were still burning the back of her eyelids. “From what I saw, I assumed you’d found other company for the night.”

  Adam stared at her. “Are you fucking serious? You saw me dancing with someone else—one dance—and you immediately jumped to some idiotic conclusion?”

  As the rage boiled her blood and caused roaring in her ears, Jess dimly realized that, as a couple, she and Adam hadn’t had a big fight before. Since he told her he was in love with her, she’d never really been angry with him.

  Well, there was a first time for everything. And with this level of fury, it might very well be the last.

  Still wearing the red party dress and redheaded wig, she stepped forward and jabbed him in the chest with one bloodred fingernail. “Don’t you dare tell me I’m being idiotic! You know that woman. In fact, I’d go out on a limb and say you know that woman. What the hell am I supposed to think when you abandon me, practically mid-sentence, in an effort to get your hands on her as quickly as possible?”

  “That I’m dealing with a problem!” he shouted in her face. Now that he was so close, she could see that he was mad as hell too. Good. “You really thought that I saw some woman from my past and just ditched you? You think that’s something I would do?”

  The volume of his voice just made her angrier...but the content of his words did clear some of the red mist from her eyes. If she really thought about it, well no, it didn’t seem like something Adam would do.

  But—”You didn’t give me one word of explanation.” She enunciated each word individually, hoping they would permeate his shell of self-righteousness.

  “I. Had. To. Act. Quickly,” he replied, mocking her speech pattern. “I won’t always have time to explain my every move, Jess. Some fucking trust might be nice.”

  Oh, really? She crossed her arms over her chest. “So, let’s just put this in reverse. Let’s say it was me who spotted a gorgeous ex-boyfriend on the dance floor tonight. If I immediately left you without a backwards glance, and the next time you saw me, I was wrapped, snug as can be, in his arms, staring up into his eyes like he was the sun—that would have been fine? You would have just waited, smiling and calm?”

  Adam closed his mouth. He clenched his jaw and inhaled loudly through his nose. Jess cocked her head and waited for him to lie to her.

  But he didn’t. “No,” he finally bit out. “If that had happened, I probably would have ripped his arms off and then thrown you both in the pool.”

  She didn’t know whether to laugh or punch him in the face. What a face it was. Even furious and disguised, he was much, much too appealing for his own good. Or, actually, for her own good. His features were still tensed in anger, but now that she was an ounce calmer she could see the worry too as his gaze roved down to her packed suitcase.

  Did she really want to leave? The anger in her veins hadn’t disappeared, but it had gone from a boil to a simmer. Stalling, she took a half step back. “What was the problem you had to deal with?”

  He took a full step closer, crowding her. “So you do want to talk instead of leaving?”

  She stood her ground in bare feet, glaring up, up, up at him. She wished she was still in her high-heeled party shoes so he didn’t have the almost six-inch height difference on her. “If you had talked to me in the first place, there wouldn’t have been any thought of leaving.”

  His nostrils flared in annoyance...and then his gaze left her eyes and rested on her lips. They were both breathing hard, and Jess suddenly noticed how warm the room had become. H
er mouth watered and she swallowed. Damn him and the effect he always had on her. She was still mad enough to slap him, but God, slapping wasn’t the only thing she wanted to do. She drew a ragged breath and bit her lip.

  “Maybe I don’t want to talk at all.” Adam’s voice was low, raspy, and his pupils had dilated to blacken his navy eyes.

  “Fine,” she breathed, pulse racing.

  “Fine.”

  His lips came down on hers, hard and punishing. She opened her mouth and moaned, reaching out to dig her fingernails into his hips. Yes. This is what she wanted, what she needed. His mouth, his hands, his intensity. She didn’t mind the element of anger either; Adam was always a passionate lover, and in this moment he was almost possessed.

  Her dress was unzipped and shoved off her body before she could process the fact that his lips had left hers and were now devouring her neck. Naked except for a pair of sheer black panties, she slid her hands up his chest and pushed off his suit jacket. When it hit the floor, she gripped his shoulders for balance and stood on her tiptoes to bite his earlobe. Hard.

  Growling, he lifted her off her feet and tossed her on the bed. Before she could steady herself, he was on top of her, guiding her arms over her head and then pinning her wrists together with one large hand. His mouth settled on hers again and his tongue plunged between her lips, finding a rhythm that matched the grinding of his hips against hers.

  A scream built in her throat. God, she was going to come apart from the sheer taste of him and the friction between her legs. Struggling to free her hands from his iron hold, she broke away from his kiss. “Get your clothes off. Get inside me.”

  When he laughed, she could hear arousal and determination in his voice. “You think you’re in a position to give orders, Blondie?” He rotated his hips, dragging his hardness exactly where she most wanted it. And then took it away, laughing in her ear when she whimpered in protest.

  Oh, he wanted to play, hmm? Fine with her. She let her arms go relaxed and placid in his grip, went liquid against his kisses, willing her body to be as soft and pliant as possible. He grunted in approval and used his free hand to unbutton his shirt and pants.

  The moment he shifted his weight to push his pants off his hips, she pounced. Yanking her hands out of his grip, she shoved with her arms and hips until he flipped over, pulling her on top. Triumphantly, she straddled his waist, reaching behind her to push his pants down. Before she could get her hands on the length of him, however, he’d sat up again and his teeth were on her nipples.

  An “oh, oh” escaped her and she felt his lips curve into a smile against her breasts. She hated to give him the satisfaction, but it just felt so good. Her breasts were ultra-sensitive, and Adam took full advantage as usual, his mouth lingering and pressing and sucking in all the right places. She gave into the pleasure for long minutes, her fingers twined in the hair at the nape of his neck.

  He lifted his head and stared into her eyes. Without looking away for an instant, Jess lifted herself on her knees and then sank onto him, taking him in completely in one stroke. Adam squeezed his eyes shut. “Christ.”

  She rode him, lifting up and down, loving the way he trembled beneath her. “I guess you do have a thing for redheads,” she gasped.

  She’d just been teasing, so she was surprised when his eyes flashed open and he glared at her. He reached up, yanked the wig off her head and threw it across the room. Then he gripped her hips and thrust into her so hard she cried out.

  “I have a thing for you.” Again and again, he rocked up and into her until she was clinging and sobbing.

  “Just you,” he insisted as she started to clench and come.

  “You,” he whispered as he let go and found his release with her.

  Chapter Five

  As soon as the room service waiter deposited their breakfasts and departed, Jess said, “I guess we should talk.”

  “Definitely,” Adam agreed, even as he inwardly winced. They’d made love three times in the night, but no, they hadn’t actually talked about anything yet.

  She poured him a cup of coffee. “Let’s start with the blonde. Your ex.”

  He squirmed and took a deep breath. “Her name is Celeste Charles. She’s a thief too. A good one. I’ve known her a long time.” Now, ouch. “We slept together for a few months almost three years ago. It wasn’t serious and we knew right away we were better as friends.”

  Jess’s poker face was in full effect this morning. “What happened last night?”

  Adam stuck a fork into his scrambled eggs and twirled it around. “I spotted her from the balcony and I knew she was running a job.”

  “How?” she interrupted.

  He sighed. “Her look. Last night she was doing a ‘society princess’ kind of thing, with the hair and the pink. In real life, Celeste likes ripped jeans and spiky hair. And the wine country elite aren’t her normal crowd. Anyway, my main concern was that she stole something at the barbecue, and you and I were on-site and had no alibi.”

  Jess frowned. “Did she steal something last night?”

  “No.” He gripped his fork tighter. She wasn’t going to like this at all. “She’s stealing the Red Scarlet on Saturday night.”

  “What?” Her pretense of equanimity disappeared. “But—”

  “She’s much further along, Jess. She’s been planning this for months and she has a partner on the inside. We hadn’t even made the decision to take it yet.” He was proud of himself for his logical and calm explanation.

  Jess stood and went to the window. “But you made the decision to walk away so she can.” Her voice was quiet.

  This kind of conversation was why he’d never really wanted a partner. Patience, he cautioned himself. “It’s the only call that makes any sense.” He powered on, despite her stiffened shoulders. “For the record, we’re leaving for Napa tomorrow morning and finding an ultra-fancy hotel with lots of concierge staff and security cameras. We’re going to alibi ourselves to the extreme during the theft. Since we’re expected, we’ll still do the winery tour today with Todd and Helen and the other guests, but then we’ll make some sort of excuse for the party.”

  Jess sat back down at the table and picked up a piece of toast. “For the record,” she warned, mockingly, “it’s going to piss me off if you make all the decisions without consulting me. We’re supposed to be partners.”

  He fought back another wave of impatience. Sure, they were partners, but he’d been doing this more than twenty years and she hadn’t even been doing it twenty days. “Noted,” he finally answered, swallowing other words that would probably lead back to a fight. It was frustrating beyond belief that she kept questioning his judgment. It wasn’t like he was making random decisions on some sort of whim. In this line of work, you had to be continually and completely focused on keeping yourself safe, keeping yourself free. Jess isn’t accustomed to worrying about law enforcement, he reminded himself. Until she was more seasoned, he needed to worry enough for the both of them. He needed to protect her —even from herself.

  They finished the rest of breakfast in silence. A form of torture in Adam’s mind, since they usually read aloud to one another from the newspaper or teased each other about the prior night’s snoring. Not that there’d been much snoring last night. Moaning? Yes. Begging? Yes. Too bad their stubborn brains weren’t as in sync as their bodies.

  “What do you want to do this morning?” Jess kneeled on the floor and unzipped her suitcase. “Need to decide what to wear. The winery tour doesn’t start until two.”

  He decided to bite the bullet and be honest. “I’d actually like to go see Celeste. She’s at an apartment in Healdsburg, a small town about forty-five minutes away. She invited us—both of us—to swing by, and I’d kind of like to hear her plan for the Scarlet.”

  Jess swiveled to face him, eyes wide. Yikes, guess that
was a no-go. Way to go, jackass. They’d just gotten over one argument. He held up his hands in surrender. “Got it. Too weird. Never mind—”

  She shook her head quickly. “No, let’s go see her. I want to.”

  * * *

  Adam parallel parked the rental car and did a slow scan of the surrounding streets. The center of Healdsburg was a 19th-century plaza, a square park in the middle of shops and restaurants and tasting rooms. Tourists loved Healdsburg for its charm and for its proximity to the Russian River, Dry Creek and Alexander Valley wine regions. For a moment, he felt a twinge of regret that he and Jess couldn’t just shake off the whole thing and spend a day here, walking in the late-summer sun and getting tipsy on Zinfandel in the tasting rooms.

  “Okay, no cameras,” he said, and they climbed out of the car.

  Squinting in the bright sunlight, Jess pulled a pair of Chanel shades out of her purse and propped them on her nose. She wore another red dress today. This one was long sleeved and slim fitting, ending just above her knee. A man walking down the street slowed to give her a thorough up and down. Jess tucked her red locks behind her ears and gave him a dazzling smile. In that moment, Adam cursed her “woman in red” cover. She was just way too memorable. They planned to go straight to the Fielding winery from Healdsburg so they were in their disguises. It was critical that they not be seen in Celeste’s company by person or camera. Celeste was competent and careful; he doubted she’d get caught. But if she did, he wanted zero record of any interaction with her.

  “It’s just down that way,” he said, orienting himself. They walked slowly, hand in hand like tourists, for a leisurely two blocks. The entrance door to the small apartment building was locked. He read the directory and spotted a Cece Brink in Unit 14. He rang and waited, but there was no answer. Rang again, waited a full minute. Nothing.

  “No answer?” Jess asked.

  He shook his head. This was strange. Celeste wouldn’t have invited him if she truly didn’t want to see him. Plus...his instincts were kicking in. An ominous prickle ran between his shoulder blades. “Something’s wrong,” he murmured.