by Jodi Redford
Lex screwed his eyes into a squint and stared at the spot Jerrick indicated. Taking advantage of the man’s preoccupation with the nonexistent object, Jerrick clicked the door shut and crossed to his desk. A moment later he booted up his compu-tablet.
For the next several hours he gathered every available piece of data about Casper Winston and Kiantu Laboratories. The pickings were frustratingly slim. The doc had kept a fairly low profile, and the laboratory Casper worked for didn’t cough up much in the way of beneficial clues. Jerrick tracked down their main compu-site and a dozen or so articles covering the various clinical research they were involved in. That was it. He took notes regardless, hoping the various puzzle pieces would eventually click together and shed light on what formula Casper had been working on prior to his death.
And that was another thing. Other than a brief obit written up in the Tul’dea Times, he found no real documentation regarding the scientist’s passing. If it’d indeed been a homicide like he suspected, those involved went to great lengths to cover all evidence of it.
Rubbing his forehead, Jerrick gazed blearily at the small pile of notes until their collected words began swimming into an indistinct blur. His head wobbling, he leaned toward the desk and closed his eyes.
A rattle of his shoulder jogged him awake. Snapping to with a grunt, he glared at Lex. “I told you to stay outside.”
“I think you’ll forgive me once you see the information I dug up on your network mainframe.”
“What the hell were you doing on my mainframe?”
“After I fixed breakfast, I got bored.”
Breakfast? Jerrick slashed his attention to the window. A sliver of intense sunlight beamed over Lex’s shoulder, shooting Jerrick dead center in the eye. Wincing, he turned his head and rubbed a hand down his face. “Shit. How long have I been out of it?”
“It’s okay. You had a rough night and needed the extra sleep.” Lex squeezed Jerrick’s shoulder, earning a slit-eyed stare in return.
“I know there’s no fucking way you’re mothering me right now, correct?”
“You’re not a morning person, are you?”
Ignoring Lex’s astute inquiry, Jerrick shoved up from his seat. “What did you find?”
“This.” Lex dropped a sheaf of papers on the tablet.
Jerrick grabbed the top printout. “What am I looking—?” The remainder of the question stalled on his tongue, the words rear-ending each other like a nasty multi-vehicle pileup. He shifted his index finger away from the image of a naked male being led around on a leash by a butch-looking female garbed in leather hot pants and a halter.
“I downloaded it off the network.”
“You’ve been surfing kinky porn? On my goddamn mainframe?” Motherfucker. No telling what kind of freaky shit he was going to get spammed with now.
“It’s an article from Dark Desires, a compu-zine specializing in the fetish underground.”
“Look, Tarker, I don’t give two shits what you do for kicks behind closed doors, but I’m in the middle of research here. I don’t have time for your weird jollies.” Jerrick reached for his tablet, intending to sweep the remaining papers to the floor.
“Wait, you thought I was…” A nervous laugh twittered from Lex. “Trust me, I’m definitely not interested in that lifestyle. Noooo way.” Lex sounded like he was attempting to dispute the possibility a tad too hard. “But there’s a familiar name quoted in the article you might find interesting. It’s on page three. Along with a photo.”
Motivated by the desire to shut Lex up more than anything else, Jerrick scooped up the papers and thumbed to the third page. The mattress springs squeaked, and he looked over to find Lex flopped on the edge of the bed, twiddling his thumbs. Chuffing an irritated growl, Jerrick returned to the paper and scanned its contents, prepared to find nothing of startling importance. Three quarters of the way down the page, a photo of an impeccably dressed middle-aged man caught his eye, but it was the name printed in bold relief beneath it that provoked his next words. “Holy shit.”
“What did I tell ya?” There was no denying the self-satisfied smirk residing in Lex’s voice.
“Maybe it’s not our scientist.”
“How many Casper Winstons could there possibly be in Tul’dea? Plus look at the title of the article. ‘The Science of Submission’. That’s a heck of a coincidence.”
Scratching his jaw, Jerrick contemplated the page pinched between his thumb and forefinger. “How did you think to look for this?” Due to the delicate sexual nature of the article, it would have been buried plenty deep in the network archives. Hence the reason it hadn’t surfaced during his earlier search.
A bright red stain stampeded up Lex’s neck and homesteaded his face. “Well, I…uh…was just…” The man’s tongue was going to wind up with more knots than a sailor’s rope.
Jerrick held up his free hand. “Forget it, I don’t want to know.” He shoved from the chair and paced the length of the room while he continued reading the remainder of the article. The end credits mentioned a sex club—Rapture. Jerrick flipped back to the page containing the photo of the good doctor. This time he concentrated on the small details he’d overlooked before in his excitement at seeing Casper’s name. A glass of wine rested near the doctor’s hand. Jerrick squinted, trying to make out the word etched on the glass. He dug in his desk drawer and pulled out a magnifier. Holding it to the paper, he clicked the device until the word filled the viewer. Rapture.
“Gotcha.” His senses tingling with the promise of a blessed lead, he punched the access code for the club into his compu-tab. Their home page popped onto his screen, and he scrolled through their welcome spiel before tabbing over to the How to Become a Member page. Everything looked promising until he came to the fifth line.
Full Membership restricted to humans.
A fist-sized ball of frustration slammed him dead center in the sternum. “Sonofabitch.” He crumpled the article into a tight ball and pitched it to the floor. “Another idea destined for the shitter.”
“What’s going on?”
“Any hope of me getting into that club is fucked, that’s what.”
Lex abandoned his perch on the bed and plopped onto the seat Jerrick had vacated. Jerrick continued grumbling to himself, too focused on developing a Plan B to be properly irritated with Lex monkeying around with the compu-tab.
Lex punched a few keys and hummed loudly, increasing Jerrick’s annoyance. “Wait, there’s a loophole in their policy. You can still get in, but only if accompanied by a human.”
The first stirrings of hope gathered in Jerrick’s chest. He kicked the mangled paper ball out of the way and crossed to Lex’s side. The man glanced up at him, his face aglow with excitement. “See? Told you I could help.”
He clamped a hand on Lex’s shoulder. “I gotta give it to you, Tarker, you came through on this one. Now the only thing left to do is to find an accomplice to get me on the inside.”
“I can do it.”
An image of Lex—naked, leashed and harnessed—rushed across Jerrick’s mental big screen. He gave his head a vicious shake. A fifth of Ginnish and a full lobotomy wouldn’t kill that nightmare. “There is no way in hell you’re gonna be my bitch.” Grimacing, he cycled through his potential candidates.
If Mara wasn’t off enjoying her honeymoon, she’d probably volunteer. Of course, he’d have to contend with getting his nose flattened by his brother. Dash tended to be territorial where Mara was concerned. Regardless, that didn’t leave him many other options. The only females he knew in Tul’dea were business acquaintances, and none he’d trust with this level of—
He halted abruptly, nearly leaving skid marks on the floor’s scarred wooden planks. “Aw shit.”
Lex blinked at him. “What?”
Goddamn it. No. He couldn’t do this. Couldn’t get her involved. Again. It’d be worse than foolhardy.
“Um…hello?”
Tuning out Lex, Jerrick paced a new path on the floor
. Then again, she’s already involved. Big time. And gods knew there was no one else he could trust beyond Avi. Plus it’d give him the additional cover of being able to protect her without her knowing it. If they were working together, he wouldn’t have to resort to surveilling her from a distance.
You’d be able to touch her all you wanted, while she’s wearing skimpy bondage outfits. He stopped dead in his tracks, the image implanted in his mind tantalizing as fuck.
“Why are you ignoring me?” Lex groused.
She won’t go for it. No damn way. Not after everything that happened.
A shrill whistle splintered through Jerrick’s mental haze, and he gaped at Lex. Strangely enough, he’d forgotten the man’s presence. Avily tended to have that effect on his brain, whether he’d mentally dressed her in bondage wear or not.
“I might have come up with a possible volunteer.” He grunted at the word choice. Volunteer? When it came to him, the only job she’d likely volunteer for would be knocking him out with a steel pipe.
“Fantastic! Let’s go ask her.” Lex catapulted from the bed and hustled toward the doorway.
“Best if I go talk to her alone.” He definitely didn’t need Lex witnessing the hissy fit Avily was likely to throw…and that’d be before Jerrick even got around to telling her about the bondage gear.
“But what if the bad guys come looking for me?” Lex’s bottom lip quivered.
“Oh for shit’s sake.” Jerrick snatched his jacket from the bedpost. “Come on.”
Chapter Four
Downtown Tul’dea was bursting at the seams with thousands of Amora Moon spectators. Finding a parking spot required skill, dumb luck and an endless supply of patience. Counting himself lucky for possessing two out of three, Jerrick pushed the door of his vintage Air Racer open and glanced at Lex. “You done primping?”
Lex gave a final attempt at combing his thinning hair over his bald spot. Once he’d finished the task and unclipped his seat harness, he moseyed out of the vehicle, dropped his comb and wasted three more minutes trying to fish it from behind the Air Racer’s tire without dirtying the knees of his trousers. He jumped to his feet and held the comb aloft like it was one of the lost scrolls of Saurton. “Got it!”
“Fantastic. Can we go now, before my beard reaches my damn ankles?”
“What do you mean? You don’t have a…” Lex’s frown morphed into a megawatt smile. “Oh, I get it. That’s sarcasm, isn’t it? Calliope, my cousin, she’s a real whiz when it comes to sarcasm and off-color jokes. Why one time she told this real doozey involving a porcupine, a fairy and a hibernating bear. Or was it a porcupine, two fairies and a hibernating bear? Oh drats, did I screw up the punch line?”
Jerrick aimed the security remote at his Air Racer and activated the locks, wishing with everything inside him that he could do the same to Lex’s mouth. His boot heels clomped on the pavement, the sound bouncing off the underground garage’s thick stone walls.
He and Lex crammed into the small lift with half a dozen boisterous schoolchildren and their frazzled chaperones. One particularly rambunctious tot decided to practice his combat moves on Lex’s shin.
The young, curly-haired chaperone with the spastic tic in her eye shot Jerrick and Lex a please-don’t-kill-me-because-of-these-brats smile. “Tim, stop kicking the nice man’s leg. And please get your finger out of your nose, Shannon.”
Jerrick’s breath gusted free in full-scale relief when the lift jolted to a stop at street level and the kids sprang through the sliding doors to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting citizens of Tul’dea. Better them than me.
Barricades blocked the cross streets, making way for the parade progressing down Main Street. A glittery ten-foot fairy on stilts tossed lollipops into the crowd. Ignoring everyone’s mad dive for the candies, Jerrick blazed a path toward The Fairest Rose. If he was lucky, Avily wouldn’t be nursing a killer hangover that’d turned her into a snarling beast.
He stalled outside the shop’s entrance and swung toward Lex. “Keep your trap shut from here on out, understood?”
Lex blinked up at him, his face the living definition of innocence. “Why?”
“Just do it. No mention of last night. Furthermore, if you so much as start to ramble on about your cousin Calipoop or your bloody uncle Periwinkle, I will knock you unconscious.”
“My cousin’s name is Calliope, and I don’t have an uncle Peri—” Lex broke off with a loud gulp as he met Jerrick’s narrow-eyed stare.
The man needed a damn lock on his mouth. “Change of plans. You’re going to wait out here.”
“But—” A lollipop came out of nowhere and beaned the back of Lex’s head. He frowned and pivoted.
Snagging the opportunity, Jerrick ducked inside the shop and strode in the direction of the payment desk. A quick scan showed no sign of Avily, but with the customers milling about she had to be nearby. He took the farthest aisle, absently surveying the various goods for sale. It’d been too dark last night for him to properly satisfy his nosiness.
Beaded heart-shaped picture frames competed for shelf space next to lace-trimmed pillows stuffed with sweet-smelling flowers. Sachets. He was pleased and rather shocked when the word floated into his head with minimal effort. Nice to know he wasn’t a total idiot when it came to girly items.
Grunting and cursing came from the back of the shop. He followed the noise to a small room housing excess inventory. Avily was stooped over a large carton, her butt waving in the air while she lifted a corner of the box.
Swallowing hard, he lingered in the doorway, savoring the sights. She wore a fuzzy purple top and stretchy black pants that accentuated her rear end nicely. Very nicely. When she planted her feet wider apart and gave an enticing wiggle, he groaned. Her head swung in his direction the same instant she dropped the carton. It thudded onto her foot.
“Yeow!” Yanking her foot free, she hopped around. She spun, her glare armed and ready, and fell into the box instead.
He scrubbed a hand across his mouth, concealing his grin, before ambling forward.
Legs flopping over the side of the carton, Avily flicked a lock of hair from her eyes. “You better not be laughing at me, you son of a bitch.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Something his balls were eternally grateful for. Still, he played it safe and gave her flailing foot a wide berth as he hunkered over her.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Getting you out of there.”
Avily swatted at his arm. “I don’t need your help.” When he stepped back, she rocked around, trying to squirm her way out of the box. His jaw grew sore trying to contain his chuckle.
She gave up with a frustrated growl. “Damn it, I’m stuck.”
“And it only took you ten minutes of doing the sneaky-snake to figure it out,” he said dryly. Her leg took a swing, and he jumped back with mere inches to spare. “Do you want me to get you out of there or not?”
Cocking her head back, she peered at him. He could practically hear her running the options through her brain. “Fine. But so we’re clear, I gave serious consideration to spending the night in here instead.”
“Nice to know my help ranks slightly better than sleeping in a box.”
“Don’t get a swelled head. It was a real tight margin.”
Crooking one arm beneath her knees and the other behind the small of her back, he pulled her from the carton. He was hit all over again by her daintiness. How soft and feminine she felt tucked against him. And the flowery scent wafting from her taunted him with mental images of burying his face in the tempting expanse of fair skin above the neckline of her sweater. He’d been a damn saint not to give into the urge last night. It would have been too easy to let his mouth wander lower. A little rearranging of her top and he could have had the plump weight of her breasts snuggled in his palm, her nipple hard and peaked under his tongue.
He settled her on her feet and backed away before temptation beckoned brighter.
Avily’s breat
hing hitched a smidge faster while she straightened her sweater. “Thank you. If you’re ever stuck in a box, I’ll return the favor.”
“Funny you should mention that.” Scratching the side of his neck, he positioned himself in front of the doorway. A strategic move to keep Avily exactly where he wanted her.
She noticed. Chewing her bottom lip, she darted a desperate glance between the doorjamb and his face. “Mind moving? I have customers I shouldn’t be neglecting.”
“I need you.”
Avily’s eyes quadrupled in size behind her glasses, prompting him to groan at his word choice. “For a job. I need you to help me with a job.”
She folded her arms over her chest, the motion only a fraction stiffer than her features. “You know damn well I’m not in the thief trade anymore.”
“I wouldn’t ask if I had any other option.”
“Oh, so I’m your last choice? And that’s supposed to make me run circles at your feet like a hound begging for scraps?”
“Damn it, Avi, there’s no need to make this a personal grudge match. I know you think—”
“Oh no.” She shook a fist at him, her expression fierce. “Don’t you dare lecture me or pretend you know what’s inside my head.”
“I was going to say that you probably think I live up to my bastard birthright.”
She blinked. “Okay, you’re dead-on with that guesstimate.”
“I know we have…issues…but I’m begging you to overlook them for the time being.”
“Issues? You laughed in my face when I threw myself at you!” Her hand shot out when he took a wary step forward. “Stay right there. I can’t be responsible for where my knee ends up otherwise.”
Reflexively, he palmed his crotch. “I didn’t mean to laugh back then. Your offer just…stunned me.” That was putting it mildly. He’d been struck mute on that day five years ago when Avily climbed onto his lap, all sexy and far too desirable for someone who’d always been off-limits. But the damnable woman had paid no heed to that fact, and instead kissed the daylights out of him before proceeding to whisper her naughty proposal in his ear.
