by T B Mann
And it was best for the mission.
The fact that he would be able to spend more time with Sarah behind the scenes, coordinating their activities didn’t factor in. Well…, maybe a little.
He refused to think about what happened in the restaurant earlier with Dylan. It was a conversation that could wait. After all, Sarah was his. If Dylan needed her now to help him get over whatever it was that he’d been keeping inside of him for the past few years, it was fine with him. He was willing to let Dylan have some time with Sarah to heal. Because once he made Sarah his, Sarah would share in his longer life span. And besides, once Dylan found his own mate, he’d forget all about Sarah except for some fond memories. It’s what the mate bond did. He could afford to be patient if needed.
“We need more information about these women, the new cases.” Dylan ripped the laptop back from Zale. “Director, I’m sending you a list of added questions I need answers for, from all the cases, old and new, that I’ve sent you. As well, most of these new cases contain interviews with friends and relatives, but none were done by shifters or at least none of that information was included. Can you find it out for me?”
“Have a hunch?” Kai stopped his pacing and leaned against the wall. He had a few of his own and wondered if his mind, on what little he knew, had made the same leaps that Dylan’s had with the added information.
“I do. I suspect that all the women are water related even if they didn’t know. Those that were found, their cases have notes stating that their deceased bodies were found near water. Always in different locations, but always near water. Both fresh and salt.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you think whomever is behind this has something against water creatures or is a water creature himself?”
“Or herself,” Zale threw in.
He nodded, conceding Zale’s point. Most likely it was a man, the odds tended to say so, but it could easily be a woman. “So, either the victims or the perpetrator is water related,” he thought out loud. He tapped his feet as ideas flew through his head.
“Suggestions of sex crimes?”
Dylan shrugged. “Hard to say. Their bodies were too badly mutilated to be sure, but some of the pathologists did suggest that there had been some type of sexual activity before death.”
“So, a sexual deviant on top of a serial killer or something worse?” He stared at both his friends wishing they had the answer, but knew that they didn’t.
“I’ll get started on those questions. But for now, keep tight to Laguna and her publicist Sarah. Maybe you’ll be able to catch the person who’s delivering the letters. Keep in touch.” The buzz of the dial tone filled the air.
Zale jumped at the phone to shut it off. “So, what’s the plan boss?”
Kai pushed himself off the wall. “Well, tomorrow we meet with the security team and management. Zale, you’ll take the lead with Laguna. Talk her into having security a little closer as well as tracking, etc. Dylan, you’ll scour the security videos and see if we can identify who dropped off the letters. If we can’t find someone on the tapes, then we start looking at employees with access to the mail room.”
Both nodded their heads, but Zale rubbed his hands in glee. “All right. Talking a beautiful woman into allowing my presence, think I can handle that”
Dylan spit out his mouthful of water while he coughed and laughed at the same time. “Shit Zale. Couldn’t you have waited until I swallowed?”
“Now why would I do that?” He tossed Dylan a box of Kleenex before lying back.
“Ass.”
The warmth in Kai’s chest grew as did his smile. This was why he loved these two so much. Before them, his life had been fine, but since meeting them, colour seeped in, showing him what life could be like. They had their ups and downs, but this relationship was something worth protecting. And he wouldn’t let anything interfere with it, not even his friend’s obvious attraction for his mate.
“What about Sarah? What are we telling her?” Dylan’s questions reinforced his suspicion that Sarah consumed both their thoughts.
“I think that we need to be honest with her. She’ll be our biggest ally and we’ll be working closely with her. No need to start off lying to her.” Zale crossed one ankle over another on his stretched out legs.
“I agree.” Dylan dumped the laptop on Zane’s lap. He stood, dropped the tissues into the trash can, and then walked over to the bar fridge. With a raised eyebrow, he silently asked if either wanted another drink.
Kai glanced at his empty bottle of water back on the desk. Water would be the prudent choice, but at this moment something stronger called to him. Not that a single shot of alcohol would affect his shifter mental capacity at all. “A shot of tequila.”
Both of Dylan’s eyebrows receded into his hairline which was hard to do considering his dark hair, worn longer than his own close cropped hair, did not leave much on his forehead. “O-kay then. Same for you, Zale?”
“Hell, yes. If the boss is having one, then so am I.”
Kai found himself repeating Dylan’s earlier comment. “Ass.”
The boom of Zale’s laughter filled the room, bringing smiles to all their faces. Tensions eased. Dylan handed out their drinks. The shots he poured were shifter-sized instead of human strength. A single ounce of alcohol hit their system like a teaspoon of the same would an adult human. To get drunk, they required a whole lot more.
“To a successful mission.” Kai held his glass out to the others, completing their pre-mission ritual. It had started by accident, goofing off in the bar one night. Their mission had been scrubbed at the last minute, hence their night out, letting off some steam. He’d held up his glass and toasted their non-existent mission. Less than an hour later, they were back on base, gearing up for the once more on-again mission. It had been hairy but ended successfully. Like professional athletes who participate in superstitious game day rituals, the elite troops within the military created their own. Not believing it, the three didn’t have a drink and toast their next mission.
It wasn’t a success.
And from then on, they started every mission with a toast. The most likely drink they used was water, but this wasn’t the first time since that initial mission that they’d used an alcoholic beverage.
“And to being surrounded with hot women,” Zale completed their saying. With a nod to each other, they tipped their glasses and slammed their shots down.
The tequila burned. A burn he needed to clear his mind. Zale was correct. As much as he wanted to keep Sarah away from all of this and in the dark about the horrors of this case, they needed to tell her. If they didn’t, she could get hurt in the crossfire.
He crossed to the in-room bar. Another shot of tequila and then he’d switch back to something non-alcoholic. If he didn’t, on both counts, he wasn’t sure how he’d function. He’d always heard that finding his mate would turn his life upside down, but he never believed until now. And if he didn’t have a massive amount of reading to do tonight, a second tequila wouldn’t be his stopping point.
Drink in hand, he ignored the surprised looks on the faces of his friends while he returned to the desk. He pulled out his laptop and turned it on before speaking, “As for Sarah, I agree. We’ll fill her in on everything tomorrow.”
Sarah stared up into his black eyes. Not a normal colour by any stretch, and one she should be scared of, but she knew those eyes. They provided safety, the ability to be herself. Not the person she displayed for the world.
He wrapped his hands around her wrists, holding her arms securely over her head. For as tight as the grip was, it felt surprisingly soft. The mattress dipped as he rose onto his knees. “If I let go, do you promise not to move your hands?”
The devil in her emerged. “Maybe. What do I get if I do? And more important, what do I get if I don’t?”
His eyes narrowed, but the sparkles revealed his enjoyment at her answer. “Ah, Sarah, my love. Either is a win for me. And I can guarantee, you’ll
enjoy yourself.”
He released her wrists, but she didn’t even contemplate moving. Not when he used his hands to rip off his shirt, revealing a sleek, well-muscled chest and six pack. Each movement, each ripple drew her eye. Her fingers flexed with the need to touch, to feel. Just the thought had her hips squirming underneath him.
She lifted her fingers from the mattress.
“Naughty girl.” He wagged his finger. In response, she dropped them back. Disappointment covered her face. “Now, what should I do? What should your punishment be?”
All this talk of punishment had her growing wet with need. Disappointment lifted. She bit her lip, anxious to see what he’d come up with. When time stretched, she lifted her hands, hoping to spur him on.
The bed dipped again. The grin on her face widened.
A deep voice spoke from behind her. “How about I hold her down?”
A larger, bare chested body loomed over her. Fingers entwined themselves within hers, forcing her arms further from her body. In any other circumstance, her heart would have been beating out of her chest in panic. She hated being confined. But not now. Now, the idea of being held down had her heart racing in anticipation.
“Hello.”
“Hello, sexy.” His lips covered hers, firm, and domineering. He kept kissing long past her need to breathe, but she didn’t care. To die with his lips against hers. Ahh. What a way to go.
And then it got better.
She snuck in a breath only to expel it as another set of lips landed on her body, walking their way down her naked torso toward the juncture between her legs.
“Yes. Yes.” She moaned around one set of lips that curved against her.
“Like that?” Humour laced his voice, but desire undercut the levity.
She tried to answer, but a tongue thrust into her mouth at the same moment the other mouth sucked her clit.
The dual sensations drove her crazy. One hard quick thrust over and over again while the other was a firm suction. She squirmed, climbing higher and higher. They held her hips, gripping and lifting. She couldn’t move. She was at their mercy.
She climbed and climbed and climbed, ready to fly, but then they changed tactics. No. No. No. Sucking became licks punctuated with thrusts and wiggles deep inside her. The one kissing her withdrew his tongue, transforming into nips and bites that peppered her face, neck, and upper chest.
Her breathing became laboured. Excitement, desire, and need weighed her down. “Oh god, please.”
“Have room for one more?”
All lips left her body and the one looming over her rose, allowing her to turn her head to meet that lustful look on the third face she loved.
He licked his lips. His gaze raked over her, burning her skin under his view.
Her breasts ached to be touched. Her nipples to be sucked.
She moaned. Fuck. She need them. Needed this.
He didn’t wait for an answer. He stalked across the room like an animal on the hunt.
A shiver travelled down her spine. She was prey. And she didn’t mind. Not one single bit.
Some sort of signal must have passed between the three. One that she missed because when their mouths landed on her simultaneously, she jerked in surprise but then writhed in pleasure.
Sounds of heavy breathing, skin meeting skin, pops from suction, and her whispered pleas filled the air.
She tried to move her hands, to rip them from their hold, but failed. Instead, the hands pulled her arms higher, pushing her breasts into the air and her nipple deeper into the mouth that currently surrounded it.
It wasn’t fair. She needed more. Wanted more.
Despite the tongue and even the occasional flick of a finger, she felt empty. She wanted to be full, stuffed with each cock.
One finger. Two fingers. And then a third. She didn’t know how, but she knew each one belonged to a different man which confused her until she realized that two different hands held hers down. At some point they’d switched, but her focus had been on different things, namely her pleasure and the way they stroked it like a master musician.
She climbed. It was a race. Breathless, she strained to reach the top. Her body tightening, ready to leap over the edge.
And then she jumped.
But it wasn’t the free fall she’d expected—the relief that came with a powerful orgasm. One greater than anything else she’d ever experienced.
She sat up in her bed, hands clutching her chest. Flashes of blue and red swirled over her walls. Sirens blared. Shiiiiit!
Confusion reigned as she struggled to sort reality from dream, made harder by the fact that she could still feel the caress of their hands, their mouths, and the weight of their bodies pressing against hers. She rubbed her face. The cobwebs refused to budge. She needed water, both on her face and down her throat. Maybe that would wake her up.
Sweat soaked sheets wrapped around her legs. She peeled them off, slid her legs over the side of her bed, and stood. One step later, her ass found the floor as a corner of the sheet remained stubbornly attached to her ankle. “Shit. That’s going to hurt tomorrow,” she said, rubbing her hip bone.
She crawled to the bathroom, too lazy to stand, and then pulled herself upright using the side of her sink. The cold water felt wonderful pouring across her overheated face. She opened her mouth, allowing it to run down her throat until her teeth chattered.
A welcome silence filled her apartment even as the lights continued to flash. A glance outside her window revealed a car accident—the joys of living downtown in a major city.
She climbed back into her bed, willing herself to go back to sleep. And she needed all that she could get with her body running haywire like it was. Yes, she’d been in a dry spell. And yes, Kai, Dylan, and Zale all pushed every single button she had and some she didn’t know about. But that was all an excuse. She’d been in these situations before, but never once had she experienced such an erotic dream… and with more than one man. How was she ever going to face them tomorrow?
As she’d run out of her office that afternoon to attend her meeting about creating a public relationship between Laguna and Jackson Graves, a male star in another hit drama who needed a publicity boost, they’d mentioned something about taking her and Kailee out for lunch again. It would be rude to stand them up but maybe it would be for the best. Despite how much she wanted at least one of them in her bed to end her draught, her friendship with Kailee was more important.
It was a no-win situation. Kailee had access to her calendar so she would know if Sarah was standing them up. Either way she was screwed. And sleep was mandatory if she had any hope of creating a workable solution.
She closed her eyes… and felt three sets of hands begin to trace over her skin. Fuck! This is going to be a long night.
She sat at her desk, head tilted. Her fingers massaged the ache in her temples. Another day, another headache. Until those blasted letters had begun to arrive, she’d loved every aspect of her job: pain-in-the-ass personalities, hate mail, crazy people, all of it. But with each of the six letters she’d received, she’d begun to dread the arrival of the mail. And when it was delayed, tension grew, resulting in the near daily headaches.
The clock ticked closer to lunchtime. Maybe she could use her headache to avoid lunch. Kailee knew about them so it wouldn’t be a surprise. But the thought of not seeing either Kai. Dylan, or Zale shot a pain stronger than her headache through her chest.
Thump. Thump. Her forehead banged against the desk in frustration.
“Mail’s here.” Kailee entered the office pushing the cart ahead of her. Thankfully, it only contained half the amount of mail as yesterday. “I ran into Jimmy in the hall and told him I could bring it down. I may have suggested that you were dealing with womanly issues and hated anyone of the male species.”
Sarah couldn’t resist a small giggle despite the pain as Kailee made a motion resembling someone cutting off what could only be a penis. “Thanks, Kailee. You’re a lifesaver.”
“It’s not a problem. Besides, if I help you finish then we’ll be ready to meet them at the restaurant.”
She opened her mouth to make her excuse but nothing emerged. She took another breath and tried again. Nope. Nothing. Her shoulders dropped. She was so screwed. Instead, she stood and walked to the mail cart. “Thanks.”
With the two of them working together, thirty minutes later there were only official looking envelopes left. She wiped her brow, relieved not to have received another letter like the others.
An envelope landed in front of her. “You have to open this one. I’m dying to know what Octavious Vodnikski wants with Laguna.”
Octavious Vodnikski, the billionaire? The man was well known, yet nothing was known about him. Everyone who was anyone in business coveted an invite to any event he hosted. She’d heard about letters like these, but never seen one. Never even dreamed that she’d hold one this soon in her career.
The envelope felt heavier than the others, slimmer, but somehow still weightier. The difference most likely related to the quality of the paper inside and the envelope itself, not the importance of the message it contained. The envelope slit open like a dream with the help of her letter opener. She pulled out a single folded paper that felt like silk in her hand.
Her hands shook as she unfolded it. What could this be about? Could it be one of the coveted invitations for Laguna? And if so, would she be allowed to attend? Or maybe even just hang out in a waiting area with all the other lackeys? Even that would be better than nothing. It would be a once in a lifetime experience. It wasn’t every day that one could say they attended a non-business event where they were required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. For that was the rule when attending anything with Mr. Vodnikski. It allowed him to maintain his secrecy.
Her eyes scanned over it before returning to the beginning, not believing what they’d seen. After her second read, she dropped it into Kailee’s outstretched hand.
