“You did plenty. I wish you had gone home like you said you would. You could have gotten hurt.”
“You're right. But who's the one lying in bed with his foot propped on a pillow?”
Ryan laughed; he had to admit that Jessica had a point. She sat down on the bed next to him, and ran her fingers through his somewhat messy hair. She leaned in to kiss him. As their lips met, he pulled her closer to him.
The kiss was the most intense that Jessica had ever experienced, heightened by the realization that they had both survived a dangerous encounter. She was grateful to have Ryan safely back in the hotel room and equally grateful to have him kissing her passionately.
They continued to kiss, almost with desperation, as she continued to run her hands through his hair. Jessica marveled at Ryan's tongue, imagining what it could do to other parts of her body. She could feel herself becoming wet as Ryan ran his hands over her breasts.
She could tell that Ryan was growing hard as he lay there on the bed. She got on her knees next to him and unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants. She pulled his pants down near his knees as he struggled to help her.
Jessica, still wearing her dress, stood up and removed her panties. She got back on the bed on her knees, and wrapped her hand around Ryan's growing erection.
She gently licked the salty drops from the head, and swirled her tongue around it. She cradled his balls with her hand and took the head into her mouth, moving up and down on it and licking the underside with her tongue.
“That feels wonderful, Jess. Don't stop.”
She then began to stroke his shaft more aggressively, while continuing to work the head of his penis with her mouth. Ryan's cock was hard and slick. Jessica knew that Ryan was in pain from his ankle injury and hoped that she could make him forget about it for a little while.
“Climb on top of me,” he said.
Jessica got on her knees and pulled up her dress. She straddled Ryan and slowly lowered herself onto his hard cock. He entered her easily, as she was about as wet as she had ever been. Her legs began to quiver as she felt him thrust deeply into her wetness. The fullness she felt whenever Ryan was inside of her was intensely satisfying. She closed her eyes and savored the pleasure.
Ryan's sprained ankle gave him limited ability to move, however, so Jessica was having to provide most of the motion. She moved up and down on him, doing so increasingly quickly as they both became more aroused.
He reached up and stuck his index finger into her mouth. She greedily sucked it as though it were a second cock. Jessica was lost in the moment, with her mouth and her wet pussy both being put to work at once.
Ryan removed his finger from her mouth and put both hands on her hips to help her move up and down on his erection, hoping to do what he could to help bring Jessica to a climax.
He closed his eyes as Jessica's movements became faster and faster. In this position, his thrusts were so deep that he was reaching nerve endings she didn't know she had.
“You're amazing, even with a sprained ankle,” she said.
They continued thrusting in unison, with Jessica simultaneously wanting to come and at the same time wishing the pleasure could continue indefinitely.
They came together, with Jessica having a climax unlike any she'd had before. It might have been the danger, or the position, but she shook uncontrollably as Ryan pulled her close to him. She lay on his chest, his throbbing cock still inside her.
She could feel his heart pounding against her chest as she lay there in astounding post-coital bliss.
They could solve the problem of the chip and the European and the Koreans tomorrow. Right now, she just wanted to enjoy being held by Ryan.
A few minutes later, she slid off of him and fell to his side. They both drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 10
Jessica and Ryan awoke at 6 AM when Ryan's cell phone rang. He went into the bathroom to take the call, partly for privacy and partly to allow Jessica to return to sleep.
When he returned a few minutes later, she was awake and had the room light on.
“Who was that? Any news?”
“Nobody seems to know who that guy is, though everyone I talked to thinks he's part of a Russian group. Like I said, I think they're just looking to make some money. The Russians aren't really in the cell phone business.”
“How did they even find out about the chip?”
“I don't know. Maybe they've got somebody on the Koreans' payroll. Or they tapped their phones. Who knows?”
“What do we do now?”
“I'm not sure. I can't walk, and no one has seen the Russian guy except you. Well, I guess Kellerman saw him, too, but he's in intensive care and probably isn't talking. When he is able to talk again, he'll probably have his hands full dealing with the police.”
“Do you still think the Russians are going to try to contact the Koreans here?”
“Probably. The chip is here, the Koreans are here and the money is here. It would make sense.”
“Is there any good news at all?”
“Maybe. The company that hired me now has a picture of Mr. Kim. It's not a great picture, but at least we know what he looks like now.” He held up his smartphone and showed her the picture.
“How can I help you, Ryan?”
“You can't help me. I don't want you getting involved, Jess, especially now that we know we're dealing with dangerous people.”
“What are you going to do, then?”
“I'm not sure. I'd hate for that chip to get away. The company hired me to either get it back or destroy it. If I don't do either, they won't be happy, and I won't get paid.”
“I'm sure I can do something to help. I can look for the guy. I can use that pulse thing just as easily as you can.”
“Jess, I said NO. I really don't want you to get involved. I'll take care of it.”
“How? You can't walk, and you don't even know what the guy looks like.”
“I can get around on crutches.”
“And do what? On crutches, you're not exactly a threat to anyone. Let me help you.”
“I'll tell you what. Maybe you can help...a little. You can go down to the convention center and look around. I doubt that you'll see the guy, but if you do, maybe you can take a picture of him. That would be helpful.”
Jessica frowned, as she had hoped to do more than that, but at least Ryan was willing to allow her to help a little bit.
“OK. I'll get dressed and go down there and see if I can find the guy and get a picture. Maybe I can find Mr. Kim. If I can find him, I might be able to find the Russian. Could you send me the photo of Mr. Kim?”
Ryan sent the photo of Mr. Kim to Jessica's cell phone.
Jessica was glad she didn't have to wear a wig today. The Russian had seen her the day before as a redhead, so today she could simply go down to the convention center as her normal, blond self. She'd be more comfortable that way.
Today she dressed in jeans, a nondescript blue knit top and a pair of flats. She didn't want to get caught in heels if she had to run or move quickly. Besides, her feet were hurting a bit from wearing the new heels the day before.
She grabbed her smartphone, gave Ryan a kiss and prepared to leave. She also had the pulse gun in her purse, but she didn't mention that to Ryan.
“Just take a photo of the Russian if you can, Jess. Don't do anything reckless. And if you see Mr. Kim and the Russian together, stay away. I don't want you to get hurt.”
“I'll be fine. I'll call you if I need anything. Just get some rest.”
“Jess? One more thing.”
“What's that?”
“Leave the pulse gun here, please.”
Jessica scowled and grudgingly removed the pulse gun from her purse and left it on the nightstand.
“You caught me. How did you know I had it?”
“Just a lucky guess. I told you - I don't want you getting in trouble. Just get a photo if you can, and don't do anything else.”
She
kissed him one more time and headed down the hall to catch the elevator. The convention center was a few blocks away, making it a short walk. If she saw the Russian, she'd have to settle for getting his picture. Jessica was frustrated; she was certain she was capable of doing more, including seizing the briefcase, if necessary.
Chapter 11
Jessica grabbed a cup of coffee and a bagel on her way to the convention center. While she was content to be able to help Ryan in any way possible, she was still annoyed that Ryan had caught her trying to walk out of the hotel room with the pulse gun. She didn't think it would be that hard to find the Russian and disable the chip, but Ryan was doing his best to keep her away from any action.
Nevertheless, she was determined to get a picture of him. Taking a picture might not be as exciting as destroying the chip, but Jessica was willing to help Ryan in any way possible.
I might not be a trained spy, but I'm not inept. I should be able to do this.
The doors to the convention center had been open for a half an hour or so before Jessica arrived. The crowd was already pretty dense, making it hard to locate anyone in the huge convention center. It occurred to Jessica that she could ignore a large part of the convention, however. The two people she was looking for were engaged in a deal for cell phone components, so they probably wouldn't be in the part of the center where the stereo, television, or computer vendors were located. If she concentrated on just the part of the center where the cell phone vendors and manufacturers were, she'd probably have a better chance of finding either the Russian or Mr. Kim.
Of course, as there are a number of Korean cell phone makers, it might be difficult to locate Mr. Kim, as there were hundreds of Koreans in attendance. Nevertheless, Jessica was determined to find him, and the Russian, if possible. Ryan might not like that, but he was hardly in a position to do anything himself; he was stuck in his hotel room with a sprained ankle.
If anybody was going to solve this problem, it would have to be Jessica. She continued looking around the cell phone manufacturer's area with renewed determination. She spent several hours looking around and bought a couple of lattes to keep herself alert. So far, she hadn't seen anything, but there were a lot of people there and many of them would come and go throughout the day. It was simply a matter of remaining vigilant, and Jessica was determined to succeed.
If she were able to help Ryan finish his job, she'd not only have his gratitude and the satisfaction of having accomplished something, but she'd also have a lot to write about.
By mid-afternoon, she was ready to give up. There were too many people to watch, too much ground to cover, and Jessica was beginning to lose her focus. She looked at the picture of Mr. Kim on her phone one more time to refresh her memory. She hadn't seen anyone who looked like him all day.
She decided to give up for the day and called Ryan.
“I'm sorry. I just haven't seen either of them today. They might be here. They might not. I just don't know.”
“Don't worry about it. It's not your concern. Why don't you just come back to the room? We can have a meal up here. I'm still not really in the mood to try walking.”
“OK. I'm so tired of looking for these guys that I think I'm seeing them everywhere I look. Every time I see someone from Asia, I think it's Mr. Kim. Every blond guy looks like the Russian. I'm giving up and coming back to the hotel.”
“See you soon.”
Jessica was frustrated, but the convention was huge, there were thousands of people there, and the odds of finding two people who weren't going out of their way to be found weren't good. She was tired and hungry and really just wanted to hang out in the hotel room with Ryan.
She left the convention center and walked back to the Bellagio. She found the elevator to the room, pressed the button and prepared to enter when the door opened.
The door opened and a half dozen people came out. Jessica wasn't really paying attention at this point, having long ago grown tired of looking at faces, but as she looked up to enter the elevator, she noticed that the Russian was among the people coming out.
He was carrying Kellerman's briefcase.
Jessica was in and out of the elevator in a flash. She didn't know where the Russian was going, but she was determined to follow him. She was going to get that picture, one way or another.
He appeared to be headed for the swimming pool area at the back of the hotel. Jessica stepped behind a large potted plant and took a moment to call Ryan while keeping the Russian in her sight.
“Ryan. I'm down here in the lobby. The Russian is down here and he has the briefcase. I'm going to follow him.”
“Any idea where he's going?”
“It looks like he's headed towards the swimming pool. I'm going to try to get his picture.”
“Be careful, Jess. Don't do anything careless. Please.”
Jess didn't reply.
“Jess?”
She'd hung up.
In the meantime, Jessica had followed the Russian slowly, taking extra care to avoid being seen. She remembered her embarrassment when she'd dropped a tray of dishes at the buffet and was determined not to be discovered so easily this time, especially with so much at stake.
The Russian walked towards the back of the hotel and walked outside to the swimming pool area. The Bellagio has two large swimming pools and a number of smaller ones as well as several hot tubs. The pool area can easily accommodate several hundred people at once, and the pool area was busy.
People were splashing in the pools, others were simply reading or napping on lounge chairs, and a few others were relaxing in private cabanas that surrounded the pools. The cabanas are large enough for six to eight people, and come with televisions, a private patio and most of all, privacy. They cost a few hundred dollars per day, but for those who can afford it, it's a great place to spend the day.
If there's a place at the Bellagio where you can have privacy while still being in public, the cabanas at the pool are the place to get it.
The Russian was walking towards a cabana on the far side of the largest swimming pool. Jessica continued to follow while keeping a safe distance.
As he approached the cabana, the Russian was greeted by another man. It was Mr. Kim!
They shook hands and walked inside, closing the canopy behind them.
Jessica wasn't sure what to do. She'd found both people she was looking for, and they almost certainly had the chip with them. Now they were inside the cabana where they couldn't be seen and where Jessica couldn't get the photo she needed.
She had her smartphone, but how was she going to get inside to take the picture? She couldn't exactly barge in and ask them to pose.
Jessica did her best to keep her distance, but she was determined not to let this opportunity get away. After thinking about her options, she walked over to the nearest bar and ordered a double vodka Martini with extra olives. It took a few minutes to get her drink, as the pool bar was rather busy. Jessica kept her eye on the cabana, making sure that neither one of the men left while she waited for the bartender. She paid for the drink, took a sip, and as she left the bar area, she intentionally spilled some of her drink on her blouse.
Jessica walked over to the cabana, and approached it with her drink in one hand and her smartphone in the other. She was intentionally walking in a sloppy, haphazard manner, and she blundered into the cabana entrance, acting like she belonged there and as if she'd been drinking double vodka Martinis all day long.
The two men were sitting at a table with their briefcases open. They both stood up as Jessica wandered in.
“What are you doing here?” the Russian asked.
“What am I doing here? You're the one who's in my cabana,” she said with slurred speech.
“You are mistaken, madam. You are obviously in the wrong place. You need to leave.”
Jessica took another sip of her Martini. “I'm not going anywhere. In fact, I'm going to take your picture and show it to security. They'll know you don't belong here. The
n they'll throw you and your friend out.”
She pointed her smartphone at the Russian and took his picture. He grabbed the phone out of her hand.
“Hey! You took my phone!” Jessica went to grab it back. A minor skirmish ensued, but Jessica, drunk or sober, was no match for the much larger man. He pushed her out of the way and she fell to the ground, dropping her drink and breaking the glass.
She approached the man again. “I want my phone back!”
When he refused, she said, “Fine. I'm going to find security. They'll straighten this out.”
As she turned to leave, Ryan, on crutches, appeared in the doorway.
Seduction of Steel: The Complete Series Page 13