Elsa laughed. Paul, despite the past few years passing, was still hooked on Sarah. She couldn’t wait to share this with her friend tomorrow. “You’ll have to make do with me and my chickens, Paul. I’m just a Berliner, you know. Not some calf-roping cowgirl.”
His voice, which was overly loud because of the alcohol, carried when he suddenly said “Yes, but you could give those cowgirls a real run for their money, Kreiss. No one can rope a man like you!”
Elsa quickly picked up and then brought down her heel on Paul’s foot causing him to yelp. Her narrowed eyes and facial expression screamed Shut up, you drunken fool!
A few feet away, Imani looked on with interest at the byplay between Christiansen and the redhead as she spoke with a small group of attendees asking questions about the remaining pieces.
“What’s this about roping? Did I hear that right?” Lukas walked back and looked between Paul and Elsa.
“It’s nothing, Lukas. Paul just really needs to get some food in him. He’s babbling like a baboon.” She smiled and kept her cool.
“Well, I just got us reservations at Marco’s. They have excellent chargrilled steaks, so if everyone is ready, we can head over. They’re holding a table for us.” He stepped between Paul and Elsa effectively getting Christiansen off his date.
“Excellent news. Hugo! Did you hear? We’re all going over to Marco’s for steaks. My treat!” Paul, feeling merry and magnanimous reached out to clap Beimer on the back. He then reached for Sigrid’s hand, bending over to kiss it in a gentlemanly manner. “Sigrid, dear. Are you ready to join me for dinner?” In his tipsy state, his request came out far more intimate than he would otherwise intend. Sigrid blushed furiously. Beimer looked confused.
Under his breath, Lukas cursed. “For fuck’s sake!” He looked at Elsa while Paul seemed to be flirting with Sigrid. “I didn’t make reservations for them, too. It was only for the three of us.”
Trying to sympathize, Elsa patted Lukas’ arm. “Well, sweetie, you’d better call your friend back and have him add two more chairs. It will be all right.” She batted her eyelashes at him, leaning in closer. She hoped it would diffuse the consternation she knew Lukas was feeling over suddenly having not only Paul, but her partner and his date foisted upon them. She figured he probably planned dinner to be just the two of them originally, and now, plans were changing in ways that definitely were unpleasant for him.
He looked at her beautiful face imploring him to roll with it. He took a deep breath and hit redial. He would do anything to make this woman happy, even put up with a now drunk artist who seemed to know far more about his date than he did, and her partner who got on his last nerve. Elsa took his free hand and held it. The contact made him smile as he rubbed his thumb over her fingers, enjoying the sparks. She was worth it.
Thankfully, his friend at Marco’s was able to accommodate them, and they all headed out the door together. Paul and Lukas climbed into Elsa’s Peugeot, and Beimer and Sigrid followed in his car. Elsa let Lukas drive since he was familiar with how to get there. Paul had to bend his tall frame to fit into her backseat, which made Lukas smirk with satisfaction. He liked Christiansen, but the intrusion on his date was not appreciated. Once everyone was buckled in, he took off not really caring if Beimer kept up or not. Driving through the streets of Berlin with Elsa at his side felt good. He reached over to hold her hand once he got into gear. One good thing came out of this fiasco, he’d left his own car at the gallery and now Elsa would have to take him home. If luck was on his side, he’d convince her to stay.
THE WAIT STAFF PICKED up trash and bagged it. Clean up was part of the gig. Imani had two of the low-level gallery employees take down all the canvases tagged and sort them by number. All the ones marked #12 were placed in a special crate in the warehouse. Those would be delivered the next day. The remaining paintings were scheduled for pick up by their new owners. Imani watched as Otto closed up the crate. He’d been one of their delivery drivers for the past three months.
“What happened to Lukas?” He looked over at Imani as he taped up the crate with batting.
“He left with his date.”
Otto looked at her. Imani was not happy, and it showed.
“The Schupo?” He was surprised to see her there.
“She’s police?” Imani’s interest piqued.
“Ja, she was one of the two giving us shit the day before for parking out front. Still, she’s a looker. I can see why Lukas is into her.” He slapped a delivery tag on the now wrapped crate.
“He only just met her then?” she asked.
“Ja. I just said so, didn’t I?” Otto was oblivious to subtleties, which sometimes made him quite annoying to work with.
“That you did, Otto. Are you finished? I’d like to lock up and get home.”
Otto nodded, looking around. “That should do it. I’ll see you in the morning.” He picked up his jacket and keys from the workbench and walked back out into the main gallery with his partner. Imani followed with coat and purse in hand. They left out the side door where she set the alarm before exiting. Outside, she checked the lock to be sure all was secured.
“Goodnight, Otto.” He waved as she walked two blocks down to catch the tube. All the way home, she considered Lukas’s date. He hated police, despised authority so he always said, and here he was dating a Schupo. The idea came that perhaps she could use that to drive a wedge between them before the redheaded bitch really got her claws into him. She’d need more information, though. And for that, she’d need to be stealthy. One place to begin might be with Christiansen since he seemed to know her quite well. It was time to change tactics, be the friend with Lukas. With his guard down, he would tell her everything about this woman. And in the meantime, she’d work her wiles on the artist and weasel tidbits out of him. Then, surely, she would find out something that would put an end to his attraction to her. He’d be grateful in the long run. Lukas was hers. He just didn’t know it yet.
DINNER WAS A LONG AND drawn out affair. Paul insisted they keep the drinks flowing. And much to Lukas’s annoyance, he hadn’t managed to ditch Beimer. He was forced to share Elsa with them through three courses. Christiansen became increasingly inebriated and laughed louder than necessary. Before long, he turned morose, and that was when Elsa deemed it time to wrap things up. Thank the lord! Lukas wasn’t sure how much more he could take with a fake smile plastered to his face.
“Seriously, Paul. Some of us have to work tomorrow. We’ll drop you at your hotel,” Elsa explained to Christiansen.
“No! It’s early, Kreiss. Truly, you used to be more fun. What ever happened to that club—"
“Paul! Stop babbling. You’re embarrassing Sigrid.” Elsa jumped on Paul’s words before he could reveal too much in front of her co-worker and her date. Sigrid looked surprised that Elsa would single her out. Hugo began getting up, ready to take his date and salvage what was left of the night.
Paul had the good grace to apologize, never one to offend a lady. “Sigrid, my dear. Please forgive me.” He reached out, and taking her hand, kissed it in a gentlemanly fashion. “I’m simply enjoying all of your company so much that I hate to see it end.” He gave her his most devastating smile causing the poor woman to blush furiously. Beimer did not like this at all.
“Are you ready to go, Sigrid?” He stood at her side waiting as she tore herself away from the handsome artist.
Hugo’s date rose and she offered her thanks to one and all for a lovely evening. Then she turned to Paul and said, “It was lovely to meet you, Herr Christiansen.”
Paul stood on unsteady legs and leaned in to kiss Sigrid on both cheeks. He whispered something in her ear that caused her to turn beet red. “And please, call me Paul.” He turned to Hugo and shook his hand. “Wonderful to meet you, Beimer. Good of you to join us. Next time I’m in town, we must all get together again.”
Hugo gathered up his date and bid one and all a good night. Paul settled with the waiter, and they walked out of Marco’s.
<
br /> Lukas went across the street to get the car, leaving Elsa on the sidewalk with Paul.
“You don’t still have Nadia’s number, do you?” He asked as he lit up a cigarette.
“No. And she wouldn’t see you, anyway. Not after the way you left things the last time.” Elsa fanned the smoke away from her. “What did you say to Sigrid that made her so flustered?”
Paul’s eyes crinkled as a devilish grin split across his face. “I told her she has magnificent tits, and I’ll be thinking of her tonight when she’s fucking Hugo.”
“You didn’t!” Elsa’s mouth fell open at the audacity of the man.
“I did.” He took a puff and flicked away the ashes.
“But why? She’s not your type at all.”
“And what is my type, Miss Kreiss? You think they all have to be as perfectly gorgeous as yourself?” He gave her an appraising look.
“Don’t even try it.” Elsa smacked him on the arm. “You know what I mean. And she’s Hugo’s date. What’s the point?”
“Because, Miss Smarty Pants. He needed the help. I could see she was more interested in me than Beimer, and now I’ve given her every reason to be completely naughty. Hugo will be thanking me in about an hour. If he’s a smart man, he’ll take full advantage and fuck her silly. Then she’ll forget all about me...except in her private moments.” He ribbed Elsa with his elbow.
“That’s not something I want to know, Paul. And by the way...” Lukas pulled up to the curb, and Elsa walked to the passenger door. “...Hugo isn’t that smart.”
Paul followed, flicking his cigarette into the gutter. “She is. If she’s turned on enough, she’ll take command. I can see that in her,” he laughed.
“You’re a sick man, Christiansen. Get in!” Elsa held the seat up so Paul could fold his tall frame into the backseat.
The ride to Paul’s hotel lasted all of fifteen minutes. Elsa said her goodbyes on the curb returning his hug. “And tell Sarah I’ll call her tomorrow night when you speak with her.” Paul leaned in and shook Lukas’s hand. “First class evening, Trommler. Thank you for everything. Take care of our girl here.”
Lukas was feeling more generous now that he was finally getting Elsa alone. “Anytime, Paul. Happy it went well. I’ll get your paperwork to your rep this week showing the sales, and we’ll get that check out to you right away.”
Paul made his way into the hotel, and Elsa climbed back into her car. Lukas looked at her as she snapped her seatbelt in place. “Alone at last.” His voice was low and sexy. Elsa turned and looked at him. He’d been very patient with her friends throughout the evening despite his frustration. Now he was looking at her in a way that warmed her from the toes up.
“I appreciate you putting up with everyone. I know it wasn’t what you planned.”
“And just what do you think I planned, officer?” He reached over and placed his hand on her knee stroking her nylon-clad leg with his fingertips.
“To seduce me, of course.” She relaxed and her knees parted a fraction. Lukas trailed his fingers a few inches higher teasing her.
“You’re very presumptuous. How do you know I didn’t plan things exactly as they happened to keep you from seducing me?” He raised one eyebrow and smirked.
Elsa laughed. “So, this was your master plan to protect your virtue?” She reached down and took his hand in hers and inched it up a little higher under the hem of her short skirt.
Lukas inhaled sharply. His voice deepened. “A man has to do what a man has to do.” He squeezed her thigh and his caressing fingers met the barrier of her nylons.
Elsa felt heat blossom and settle in causing her to become increasingly sensitive to his touch. “Well, a woman has to do what a woman has to do, too.” She leaned closer whispering her words. Her lips were so close to his, and passion sparked like fireworks between them.
“And what must you do?” One finger caressed the thin material and teased.
Elsa felt him press deeper and tickle her most intimate spot. Her lips parted on a sigh as her eyes closed. “Have you inside of me. Drive!”
“Where to, beautiful?” Lukas whispered as he skimmed kisses around the corners of her lips.
“Your place.” She lifted her hips against his probing fingers. It felt so good, but then he withdrew and put the car in gear.
“Your wish is my command.” Lukas drove fast, exceeding the speed limit. He didn’t care. He knew he wouldn’t get a ticket with a Schupo in the car. He was eager to get her to his place, and strip her down to see exactly what she was, or wasn’t, wearing beneath that slip of a dress. He was so hard; he was sure he’d wreck the damn car from the pain. But it was exquisite torture, and he knew that shortly, he’d be sliding between her warm, supple thighs.
PAUL WALKED INTO THE lobby of his hotel, a far more elegant and expensive hotel than the last time he was in Berlin, and stopped, looking for the bar. He wasn’t quite ready to go up to his room, didn’t want to be alone. He looked around, and noticed a tall ebony woman standing by the column near the elevators. She looked familiar. As that thought crossed his mind, she sighted him and sauntered his way. Her long legs reminded him of a runway model, and her slender hips swayed rhythmically with each step.
“Mr. Christiansen, I was hoping to find you.” She stopped a foot away, clearly inside his personal space.
“Well, my dear, you’ve found me.” He smiled, giving her the full Paul Christiansen effect.
“I’m Imani Bishop, from the gallery.” She looked up at him from beneath her long lashes.
“Ah, yes. I thought you looked familiar. Is there a problem?” He retreated to his professional behavior.
“No. No problem.” She let her eyes slide down over his form. “No problem at all. I was simply hoping to catch you. Care to share a drink with me?”
Once Paul realized what she was there for, he relaxed, and extended his elbow in a gentlemanly manner. “I was just looking for the bar. How nice that I now have such a beautiful companion to accompany me.
Imani took his arm and together they walked off to the lounge, lured by the sound of soft piano jazz in the distance.
“So, you know Lukas’s date?”
LUKAS LIVED IN MITTE on the Hausvogteiplatz. The apartment was located in Meisterhaus. Quite luxurious by Elsa’s standards as she lived now on a government servant’s pay; considerably less than what she made as a dominatrix, but her job afforded her both credibility and the ability to be home to care for her brother.
Lukas parked in the underground garage. Her Peugeot stuck out like a sore thumb among the high-end automobiles that belonged there. It wouldn’t be difficult to find her car later. The thought struck her that she promised Anno she would be coming home. He might worry. She certainly did whenever he was out. She pulled out her mobile.
“Who are you calling,” Lukas asked as she began typing.
“I’m texting my brother.” Her thumbs bounced over the keyboard.
“Now?” He was impatient to get her inside.
Elsa looked at him. “Yes. He’ll worry if I’m not home. I’m letting him know I’m okay, and not to worry.”
“How old is your brother?”
“He’s eighteen.” She finished her message and hit SEND.
“I’ve never known anyone who checks in with their younger brother.” He got out and walked over to open her door.
Elsa stepped out and looked Lukas in the eye. “You’ve never known someone who almost lost the only family she has left before, either. It may seem silly to you, but Anno is everything to me. If that’s a problem—"
Lukas wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “It’s not. And I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like such an ass. Forgive me?” He looked down at her face.
Elsa waited a heartbeat. “I’ll think about it. But you have work to do.” Her serious expression was ruined by the twinkle in her green eyes.
Lukas grinned and leaned closer. “I’ll make it up to you, officer.” He kissed
her, slowly at first, but then it sizzled and sparked, and threatened to get out of control fast. He pulled back. “Let’s take this upstairs.”
He took her hand and led them both to the elevator that took them up to the third floor. The apartment was as modern and contemporary on the inside as the exterior glass facings and concrete columns implied. Lukas decorated sparsely but tastefully. The high ceilings, wood floors, and fireplace were advantageously shown with warm earth tones in the materials of the couch, chairs, and tables. Tall potted bamboo trees livened up corners, and abstract works of art were prominently displayed on the walls. Elsa didn’t get a chance to take the house tour because once they were inside the door, Lukas lifted her in his arms and carried her to his bedroom. She caught only a glimpse as they passed through.
He set her down as he crossed over the threshold of his bedroom. “Now, what were you saying earlier about what a girl has to do?” He teased with words as he shrugged out of his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt.
Elsa backed up a step, her eyes following his fingers as they freed tiny buttons in no time at all. He peeled the shirt off revealing a muscular chest and a vivid tribal-looking tattoo on his left shoulder that extended down his arm and onto his chest. “That’s quite a work of art you have there, Mister Trommler.”
Lukas took three slow steps toward her, stalking her like a jungle cat. “Thank you. Got it in Cairo on an art buying trip. What about you? Any body art I should be made aware of?” His eyes slid over her body making her heat up all over again.
“None, sorry to say.” She smiled when he stopped only inches from her.
“So, you’re a blank canvas...” He reached out, slid his fingers under the lapel of her coat, and gently slipped it off her shoulders revealing the naked skin exposed by her strapless dress. The coat hit the floor.
“I suppose so.” She reached out and touched the markings on his chest. “What does it mean?”
He sucked in a breath as her fingertip circled his left nipple. “Strength, wisdom, and endurance.”
The Checkpoint, Berlin Detective Series Box Set Page 29