Summer Fire
Page 2
“You look like a movie star,” the male voice said softly.
She looked across the sales table. A bearded man looked back at her, eyes behind sunglasses too.
“You should buy both,” he said, with a smile, his teeth yellow from cigarettes. “Cheap, ma’am. I need the money.”
She cocked her head. “Movie star?” She wrapped the scarf over her shoulder and struck a pose. “A famous one or one just starting out?”
“Ahhh. Well, a famous beauty, of course. Here, you should put it on like this,” he said, leaning over and lifting the scarf off her shoulders and gently securing it around her face and flipping one side over a shoulder. “There, with the sunglasses, you’re incognito from your fans.”
His fingers brushed her neck as he tied a loose knot. The back of his hand smoothed down the rumpled material.
“I suppose I have to buy them now that you’ve put it on me so prettily,” Lola said, taking a look in the mirror hanging over the table. “Here, keep the change.”
“Thank you kindly, ma’am. Hope to see you again while you’re here,” the man said, taking the money from her.
Their hands touched fleetingly and his fingers lingered for half a second longer. She couldn’t see his eyes but the smile was his, in spite of those ugly teeth.
“Maybe,” she replied, smiling back.
“I wish I was handsome and young, so you won’t be alone tonight,” he flirted, bowing his head.
Her smile disappeared. She didn’t want to think about tonight. She would prefer to fantasize about spending time seducing Jake, instead of picking up a stranger just to please her boss. It was something she didn’t do often, but it’d been drummed into her ever since she was picked off the streets that her body was her weapon. Her trainers had taught her to go after targets using the art of seduction.
Jake had known about this. He’d once challenged her while they were at a “party” that he would get her wet just by talking to her. She had been making a circle around the room, making small talk to different people, passing on messages to two weapons dealers. He’ casually joined her in a conversation and in one of those times when they were alone, they’d flirted and he’d palmed her a card with a number when he kissed her hand.
Lola had called as soon as she knew no one was listening. He’d picked up on the second ring.
“It’s me,” was all she’d said and nothing else, as he started talking. After that she’d hung up without a word.
She’d needed a drink and a shower after he finished telling her what he’d do to her. Even now she could recall his softly spoken words—a masculine drawl, with a slight edge—told with that lilt that came with a born storyteller, the slow cadence of mesmerizing promises that were both arousing and terrifying at the same time.
I want to stand you in front of a mirror so I can see your face. I’d undress you—slowly—because every part of you is a treasure to me. I’ll watch you in the mirror too, every part of you revealed to me, finally. Your breasts in my hands, the feel of their weight, the sensation of your nipples hardening as I rub them.
I’ll move my hand down that flat stomach and put it between your legs. You’ll lean back against me and feel my cock hard against your back, wanting you, needing you, like I’ve been doing every fucking time I see you. My hand will learn where to touch to give you pleasure. Wet pleasure. The kind only I can give you because I’ll take the time before I fuck you, Lola. I’ll take the time, watch your face in the mirror, know how many fingers you like, how much pressure to get you to part your legs wider, know how many strokes before you tremble and fall back, so all your weight is on me. I’ll crush you to me as I watch you come, and as you melt, I’ll lean you down against that mirror, so you can watch my cock pushing inside you, my hand still between your legs, still giving you that wet pleasure, and I’ll fuck you hard because I can’t do it slow the first time. Hard and fast and furious, with you watching my cock moving and fingers stroking, feeling me deep inside as you melt around me.
And that’s the beginning. The next thing’s my mouth. You know what I want to do. On your mouth. On your breasts. On your hot, waiting pussy. Tell me I made you play with yourself after you hear this, and I’ll tell you what I plan to do to you with my mouth.
Arousing because no man had ever spoken like that to her before. Seduction had never been from the other side and it’d always been all the act and none of the words. Terrifying because, behind his words, Jake had told her he wanted total control of her body, that he wanted her to let him seduce her. That last part was a leap of faith she’d never learned to take with anyone, and, most of all, with a man.
She’d just have to get through tonight, even though the thought of being with another man, when all she could think of was Jake, made her want to punch something. It was getting harder to compartmentalize her feelings. She’d been very careful these past months not to get distracted because of Jake and she had to plan very, very slowly. She didn’t want her handler to notice anything out of the ordinary.
The one thing that had kept her focused and determined was Jake’s private number. She had continued to call him on a throwaway cell phone just to hear him make those sexy promises. Words. She was being seduced by mere words. They haunted her, teased her, provoked her. Distracted her when she was supposed to be doing her job. When she was supposed to flirt with an assignment, she found herself thinking about Jake instead and wanting to be with him.
Tonight would be the last time, she swore. She wanted to be with Jake and no one else. It was dangerous to put all her trust in his hands, but she would make that leap of faith, fall into his arms and let him take her wherever he wanted. She wanted to be Jake’s woman and only his.
Chapter Two
The current ceasefire between the rebels and the Ukrainian army had given its citizens some hope that there would be peace. Restaurants and clubs reopened. The younger crowd was out in their vehicles, beeping, playing loud music and waving at everyone. There was an air of giddy festivity at the square.
Lola mingled with the crowd. Everyone wanted to party and have a good time. Even the few soldiers present looked relaxed, although she had the feeling they weren’t there just to celebrate. There was still suspicion with anyone in town who might be Russians in disguise. The evidence had been real enough—many rebels had been heard speaking with a heavy accent and there were news reports of “vacationing” Russian military personnel showing up at hospitals with serious injuries. How they came to choose to holiday in a country split by civil war was a mystery to no one.
She’d kept it a secret when they’d taken her from her parents, but there was Ukrainian blood in her from her grandmother’s side. So maybe it was fate she was here today, with a very important partial message to pass along.
No time to mull over choices. She took a deep breath, taking a few seconds to push away the personal part of her. It was an exercise in disengagement, like watching a stranger who looked like her go through the motions.
She exhaled slowly.
Then she casually swung her small purse over her shoulder and sauntered past the men in uniform and down the road toward a popular night club. She could feel their gaze following her as she stopped in front of the place and bopped to the music beat emanating from the entrance. A man outside the bar beckoned to her, encouraging her to go inside. She smiled and nodded, following him in.
“Why are you alone?” he asked. “Where are your girlfriends? We need girls!”
“I’m alone, sorry. Was invited here and got caught in this—you know—” She shrugged dismissively. “It was such a pretty day today, I can’t resist going out. I should leave now that all the fighting has stopped but why not have a little fun before, right?”
“Right! And you can have fun here with my friends and me,” the young man invited. “We’re all off for the night too.”
“Off?”
“Yes, from our duty in Donetsk.”
“Oh, are you soldiers too?”
/> “Volunteers. Come on, let’s go in and dance.”
It was dark in the club, with the dance floor in the middle being its brightest place. The techno beat of the music was loud and it was crowded with people gyrating energetically. Colorful strobe lights punctuated the pounding beats and every now and then she could see smiling faces and waving arms.
“Crowded!” The man with her shouted over the music. “Everyone’s happy the fighting’s stopped.”
She nodded and scanned the shadowy darkness. It was difficult to see anyone in here, although she had no doubt she was being observed. Certain quarters were checking out the visitors here in town. Besides her own people, the man she was supposed to meet with would have his men watching her too. Then there were the other spies, doing what spies do, knowing that a ceasefire was just a pause to gather information.
She let the stranger pull her towards the dance floor. His friends—a group of about six or seven—waved at him and he gestured for them to join him.
“Come on, come on! Let’s party!” He called out as the dance floor swallowed all of them into its mix of moving bodies.
Lola didn’t really feel like dancing, but her body moved on its own, letting the beat take over. Detached, as if she were suspended somewhere, she watched herself sway and twist, laughing as the man pulled her against his body.
Not yet. Flirtation and temptation first.
She untangled herself in a smooth move and did a little solo gyrating. The others crowded around her, clapping. She lifted her arms above her head, slow and sexy, then swayed forward a little, then took a few steps back. Her quarry followed, wanting more. She smiled, turned her back to him and did the same thing to the male there. He hooted. She twisted and turned again in a different direction. On time with the music, she sashayed in front of yet another man.
Establish control. Beckon an invisible finger.
She bent forward, ran her fingers slowly through her hair, and arched her back. She watched, with half-closed eyes as her men danced around her, each wanting to get lucky tonight. She edged slowly to one side of the floor. That was enough to show her observers she was just a girl having fun.
The strobe lights slowed down and dimmed to even more shadows as the beat slowed down to a sexy song. A hand snaked around her middle and pulled her back. Then she was against a solid body. She turned to look and found herself crowded into a corner, that same body crushing her against a shelf.
A hand tugged at her hair, jerking her head back. A hard mouth kissed her then nibbled along her jaw line to her ear.
“You think I’m going to let any of these bastards near you now? No one’s going to have you but me,” a familiar voice said.
Lola peered up at the face in the shadows. He had done something to his hair and a trim beard covered his usually clean-shaven jaw. He tugged her hair again, burying his face in her neck.
“They’re watching,” she told him. “I’m under orders to get a boyfriend for tonight.”
“Let them watch. The way you were dancing, you were getting several boyfriends. They want you to be seen looking for men, they got their wish.”
His voice was heated. His teeth bit her earlobe.
Knowing it was him changed everything. Her whole body, usually so in control, had gone limp and simply melted into his arms. This wouldn’t do.
“We must be careful,” she insisted. “They know my style.”
“Yes, but they also want the local spies to think you’re here for some male attention. Just going off that fast wouldn’t make them less suspicious, my love. You must make an impression.”
“An impression?” She wasn’t sure what he meant. “Like how?”
“Like this.”
He ground the lower half of his body against hers. His mouth closed over her gasp of surprise. Her skirt was swished up and she felt bare hands on her thighs. Without any warning, she was lifted off the floor and with her back against the wall, she couldn’t do anything else but hug her legs around him for support.
Everything became a jumble of sensation. His scent. His taste. His arousal. His rigid length nudged hard against her through their clothes. She shook her head to free her mouth.
“Yes, fight me a little, so I can carry you out of here, baby,” he growled, his stubble rough against her cheek. “Let my guys make a big deal about it so your side doesn’t interfere.”
His hand slid down the crack of her panties. She arched her back in shocked reaction. All these months, he’d never touched her, ever. A couple of quick stolen kisses were all they’d shared. He’d teased her with words, and it’d all been her imagination.
And now—
His hand was under her skirt, boldly exploring her in public. It was dark in this corner, but their provocative dirty dancing left little to the imagination. Her whole being pulsed with shock and desire. Questions raced through her mind, the foremost being this new Jake. He was acting cruder than she’d ever seen him. She tasted a little anger in his heated kiss and his caresses were—she closed her eyes—deliberately and steadily invasive. The man was trying…to…make…her come. In public.
“Why?” she asked. She dared not say his name out loud. “Why are you…?”
“Mine,” he told her firmly. “Not theirs to order around. Not anyone to tempt. Just mine.”
She gasped again. His firm touch was relentless. She could feel herself getting wetter, losing control. A finger slowly entered her, ruthlessly using her own growing desire against her, gliding sensuously over her sensitive nub. In the darkness, amid the music and male hooting behind him, Jake was staking his claim.
She’d never lost control. It would never do to let her handler find out about how she lost it on the dance floor. For some reason, Jake was being reckless, so she must be the cool-headed one here. Quickly, she laced her fingers behind Jake’s neck and pulled him lower, kissing him deeper. Because he had to lean in, she knew he’d have to put one hand against the wall to brace his weight. Taking her opportunity at the sudden release, she lowered her feet from around his waist.
He lifted his head and gazed down at her. His face was stamped with something dark. Need and desire glittered in his eyes and she saw how close he was to losing control too. They wanted to be together so much that everything else appeared unimportant. It was crazy, this need that they’d kept at a sizzle for so long. One kiss in public and the heat had tripled.
“Dangerous,” she breathed.
“I know,” he said, then grasped her hand and turned to face his friends. “Let’s get out of here. Lady and I want to party.”
“Hey, she’s with me!” the man at the entrance protested.
“Ach, Andre, come along,” Jake said. “We’ll both party with the beauty. Let’s go to the apartment.”
The others laughed and cheered and some, hugging some other women, followed them as they headed out, singing and yelling crudely at each other. Lola laughed and tugged at her man’s jacket, wagging her forefinger at him. He put an arm over her shoulders. The other man, walking with them on her other side, demanded her attention too. In the midst of all this, she noted with interest there were partiers in front and at the back of her and, with her two “beaus,” she was covered at all sides.
They all gathered outside and after a bit, two vans showed up, blaring loud music and honking. Lola laughed again as Jake carried her into the vehicle and a few others piled in after them. The door closed and the van started moving.
The other man—Andre, she remembered Jake called him—immediately took out a wand and, with a finger over his lips, started to wave it over her body. Lola understood. It was to make sure there weren’t any listening devices on her. After a minute or two, he gave her and Jake a thumbs-up.
She turned to Jake. “What was that all about? It isn’t what we planned.”
Jake gave her a long look, then spoke in English. “I was helping you with your new orders.” He cocked his eyebrows. “Make it look like you’re here for a boyfriend.”
&nb
sp; “Yes, but—”
“Do you want to have someone else tonight?” The question was mildly stated but his eyes still had that glint.
Lola frowned. “Of course not, but it’s still risky, you being seen in public.”
“I told him that but he wouldn’t listen,” the other man said, in accented English, “so this is the new plan.”
“Why won’t you listen, Jake?” Lola asked softly. It was a really big risk. If someone had recognized him under that beard and cap….
“I don’t want another man to touch the girl I’m about to marry,” Jake told her.
Lola stared at him. Then she blinked. “Was that a proposal?”
*
Fuck being professional. This was personal.
Possessiveness and jealousy, two very alien emotions in a spy’s make-up. When Jake realized something about Lola was bothering him, it was too late to nip the growing feelings in the bud. Just like anything else, he’d thought he’d be able to compartmentalize, get these distracting feelings out of the way.
He’d been wrong.
Bottling his possessiveness and jealousy up had resulted in anger. Before, he’d been able to dismiss most of the resentment by telling himself this was work, that duty was important.
Fuck importance. This wasn’t work or assignment or whatever the fuck he’d been telling himself. This was watching the woman, for whom he was about to give up everything, make a move toward another man. He didn’t care how childish it was to want to stop that from happening. He would not let one of these “dutiful” acts be another step in their grand escape plan.
Lola might be able to go through with it, but he couldn’t. Not this time. His friend tried to discourage him, but no, he changed the original plan because this was not a fucking job for him, and he didn’t care if no one was going to help him prevent his woman from continuing with her instructions tonight. Fuck instructions. This was about their freedom, after all.
Jake looked at Lola. He felt as if he was filled to the brim with all the possessiveness and jealousy of a man in love. Words that he wanted, and hadn’t been able to share, stuck in his throat, frustrating him even more. Beautiful, poetic words he’d wanted to share about being with someone for whom he cared.