Double Jeopardy

by Emma Sinclair

  It was the same sound she’d made when he slid inside of her. Cal looked up to see tomato juice running down her chin. He practically had to grip the arms of the chair to keep himself from leaping across the table to lick it up.

  When she stuck out her tongue and managed to lick the dripping juice off of her own chin he had absolutely no trouble believing that she was a popular one at her club.

  After Di had eaten her fill she sat back in her chair, crossed those amazingly long legs again, secured the towel she was still wearing and started her questions.

  “So, who in the hell are you?”

  Cal took one last bite of his food and then sat back himself.

  “My name is Calix, you know that.”

  So, he was going to make this difficult was he? Hah! He didn’t know the meaning of the word.

  “And what exactly is it that you want from me?”

  Di leaned forward and she knew that her towel gaped slightly. And he knew that her towel gaped, too. His eyes darted from her face to the smooth expanse of stomach that was now showing.

  “I want your experience as a tracker to help me find my brother.”

  She stood to leave, but then realized she had nowhere to go. Still, she crossed the room.

  “I told you back at the club that I’m not a tracker.”

  “Anymore,” he suggested.

  She shrugged her shoulders.

  “Doesn’t matter. I’m not going to do it. Families are outlawed for a reason. I may not agree with it, but my tracking days are over.”

  Needing something to keep her mind occupied she picked up the shopping bag Trevor had brought her. She walked to the bed and poured out the contents. Clothes and makeup spilled onto the bed.

  She could feel Cal’s eyes on her with every move she made.

  “Diana,” she cringed at the use of her full name, “what do you know about the Nero Alliance?”

  “I know that I paid them my taxes; or bribes as you call them, and they apparently blew up my club anyway.”

  She remained quiet as she searched through the clothing. As creepy as Trevor came off, he had pretty good taste in clothes.

  “And you know that they kidnap people to work on some of their island outposts.”

  She nodded.

  “Everyone knows the stories.”

  “Well, they’re not just stories. Fifteen years ago my father had some dealings with the man that was the head of the Alliance. There was some kind of disagreement, I don’t know exactly what, but in revenge my twin brother, Ajax, was kidnapped.”

  “I need to go.”

  She grabbed the clothes and makeup off of the bed, stuffing it back into the bag. Then she dashed into the bathroom to dress. She didn’t want to spend any more time in his presence than she already had. The pain in his eyes when he spoke of his brother was too much for her to deal with.

  He remained sitting at the table the whole time.

  She closed the door and sagged back against it.

  Rescuing a kidnap victim from the Alliance outpost was a suicide mission. Usually, anyway. Of course she was the one person that had done in the past.

  She hurriedly threw on the clothes that had been delivered. The brown leather pants were soft and supple, much nicer than the stuff she could afford. She slid the soft fabric up her legs. The pants were a perfect fit, buttoning low on her hips. Next, she slipped the tan halter bustier over her head. It ended above her belly button, leaving a lot of skin bare. The shirt was tighter, pushing her breasts up and together, leaving her with quite a display of cleavage.

  Finally, she put on the boots. They were as high as she liked them, with a bit of a platform sole. The toe was pointed sharply and they came up to her ankle.

  Before heading back into the bedroom she wet her hands and slicked her back hair back, securing it at her nape and then letting the rest flare out. She added some black eye liner and deep red lipstick.

  Only then was she ready to face Cal and his delusions again.

  ****

  Cal had to do a double-take when she walked out of the bathroom. That couldn’t be the same woman that walked in there a few minutes ago.

  Gone was the gentle side he’d begin to sense in Di. She was in full ass-kicking mode now.

  And he had to admit, he was a little bit afraid of her.

  “Nice outfit.”

  She shrugged her shoulders. Cal hoped to hell one of her tits would come popping out of their constraints, but no such luck.

  “Somebody’s got good taste. And a good eye for sizes.”

  No way in hell was he about to tell her that he’d sized her up pretty well while she was unconscious a few hours earlier.

  “So, what will it take to get you to track my brother for me?”

  If she was at all surprised by his quick shift in conversation, she didn’t show it. She simply walked across the room to look out the window. The sun was just peeking over the horizon.

  “You couldn’t afford it,” she said.

  Cal laughed. He could afford anything.

  “Try me.”

  She squinted her eyes as if she was trying to pick up on her surroundings. She’d never figure it out. No one knew this place even existed. And though she didn’t know it yet, she wouldn’t be leaving without his permission.

  She remained quiet. Whether lost in thought about what she wanted or planning a way to kick his ass, Cal didn’t know. He decided to try to sweeten the deal.

  “You do realize that you have no where to go, right? Your club was bombed.”

  He felt bad for a second as her shoulders momentarily crumpled with the pain. But it was quickly replaced by anger. Her eyes blazed with the emotion as she turned to face him.

  “Why do you want to find your brother so badly?”

  “He’s my brother,” was the only answer he gave her.

  She shook her head.

  He hoped desperately that she was weakening.

  “You’re quite an enigma, Mr. Calix.”

  He moved towards her, his hands in his pockets. He still hadn’t bothered to put on a shirt and she caught her eyes glance quickly down his torso.

  He stopped when he was only a few centimeters away from her.

  “You can name your price at any time and I guarantee that I’ll meet it.”

  She was going to need money if she was going to rebuild her club, her life. And lots of it.

  He could tell that she was beginning to wane, if only out of curiosity.

  “What information do you have so far?”

  “I’ve been searching for fifteen years. I’ve bought enough information to know what island he’s on. I can get us onto and off of the island. The only thing I can’t do is track him once I’m there. That’s why I need you.”

  It was quick, but Cal was pretty sure he saw a slight hint of vulnerability in her. But then she closed her eyes and when she opened them again, it was gone.

  “Thanks for the fun time, Cal,” she said as she moved towards the door. Damn it, Cal couldn’t keep his eyes off of her ass. “But I can’t do it.”

  She walked out the door.

  Cal remained where he was, leaning against the side of the bed, listening to those spiky heels click-clack down the hallway. If he closed his eyes he could still see her ass swaying with each and every step that she took.

  He gave himself time to sit and think. He wasn’t worried about Di going anywhere. Whether she knew it or not, she was going to help him.

  He needed her.

  As he stood from his leaning position pain overtook him. He doubled over, holding his stomach. His eyes blurred.

  “I forgot…oh my Gods, Cal, are you all right?”

  The clicking of Di’s heels reached him, but he couldn’t respond. Consciousness was holding on by a thread. The last thing he heard before the world turned to black was Di yelling for help.

  ****

  What in the hell was going on?

  Hoping the guy in the weird suit heard her plea f
or help, she rushed back to Cal’s side.

  “Cal…wake up,” he slapped him lightly on the cheek but she didn’t get anything out of him. “Please wake up.”

  “You called, Miss?”

  Before Di had a chance to answer, the guy in the weird suit, what was his name again, was kneeling next to her.

  “Help me get him in bed,” he said.

  “What’s wrong with him?”

  Between the two of them they were just barely able to lift Cal up to the bed. Not only was he pure muscle, he was dead weight and weighed a ton.

  “He needs to find his brother is what’s wrong with him.”

  “Why? Does he need a kidney or something like that? He was grabbing his stomach when I walked in the room.”

  “Yeah, a kidney, something like that.” After wiping his hands and re-straightening his suit, he walked back towards the door. “He just needs to sleep things off. I’ll be downstairs if you need me. Perhaps rather than yelling next time you could just use the phone.” He pointed to a square object hanging next to the door.

  Di felt a little foolish now for screaming like she had.

  “Wait,” she called. “Does he need any special care or anything?”

  And why wasn’t she walking out the door when she had the opportunity?

  “No. He just needs to sleep for a while, and then he’ll wake up hungry. Hungry…for things other than food.”

  Sex.

  They guy--Trevor, that was his name--closed the door behind himself leaving Di alone with an unconscious Cal.

  Well, what in the hell was she supposed to do now?

  She didn’t really believe that Cal needed to find his brother because he needed a kidney. Hell, if he needed one that badly he could easily have one synthesized and it wouldn’t put a dent in his obviously sizable bank account.

  So what was his deal?

  Di walked back to the window and peered outside. The sun was up far enough now that she could recognize the fact that she had no idea where in the hell she was. She never even knew a place like this existed. It was all green and rolling hills.

  Aside from the house in which she was standing, there were no other structures. The colors were fantastic. The green started just below her but then as it got further away it got darker, almost black. Then it exploded into the most magnificent blue color she’d ever seen.

  It was a far cry from the steely grey she’d been living in for the past few years.

  For a moment it almost made her wish for the freedom of her days as a tracker. For a moment.

  Her attention was drawn from the colors when Cal moaned. She walked towards the bed cautiously, still not sure if she should help him or run the other way while he was down for the count.

  Damn her sense of honor, she at least had to make sure he was all right.

  “What happened?”

  His eyes squinted open, wincing when he did so.

  “You passed out like a little girl,” she told him.

  He half-smiled, half-winced.

  “I hurt too much to argue with you at the moment.”

  “Do you want something? Water? Food?”

  The unspoken thought ‘sex’ hung in the air.

  “Can you turn down the lights a little bit? It’s fucking bright in here.”

  He struggled to sit up, muttering under his breath as he did so. Di closed the curtains most of the way and turned off all the electric lights in the room. The softly muted sun filtered through the curtains was the only remaining light.

  “You woke up on the cranky-ass side of the bed, didn’t you?”

  “I can think of a way for you to put me in a better mood.”

  Chapter Five

  Cal was sick of passing out like that.

  And it was getting worse. He had to find his brother soon.

  “Yeah, the guy with the weird suit told me,” she said dryly.

  But somehow he didn’t see her jumping into bed with him without some kind of explanation.

  “His name is Trevor.”

  “Yeah, whatever. What in the hell happened?”

  Before he could answer her, she started speaking again.

  “Maybe you should rest now and we can talk about it later. Do you need something to drink?”

  Where in the hell had this caring side of her been hiding?

  “Uh, yeah. Water would be good.”

  But what he really wanted was to be buried in her wet pussy.

  His cock hardened at the sight of her ass walking away from him. Damn, he wished he would have told Trevor to get her some clothes that weren’t quite so tight. Something…baggy.

  Cal had to admit that passing out like this was getting downright annoying. And he was pretty damn sure it had something to do with his brother.

  And for some reason, whenever he woke up from one of these episodes, he woke up hornier than he’d ever remembered being in his life. Well, at least since last time.

  Di came back to his bedside with a glass filled to the top with water. It sloshed over the sides as she handed it to him. The brush of her fingers against his was like setting a match to an already burning fire.

  “Here you go.”

  “Thanks.”

  Hell, he was surprised that steam didn’t sizzle up from where the water dripped onto his body.

  His cock was hard as a rock now. He drank the cold water, hoping when more of it spilled onto him it’d act like a cold shower.

  But no luck, watching Di fuss over him, stand over him wringing her hands, was just turning him on more.

  His leather pants were becoming unbearably uncomfortable.

  “You look like you have a bit of a problem there.”

  Her eyes cut from his face down to his crotch and back again. She had a sly smile on her face.

  “I can’t believe Trevor told you.”

  She sat down next to him on the bed, her leg curled underneath her, just barely brushing his own leg. Even through two layers of leather, his and hers, he could feel her heat practically scorching his skin.

  “Yeah,” she said, “something about you needing a kidney from your brother and when you pass out you’re incredibly horny. I’ve no doubt that he was lying about the kidney part, but as for the horny part…”

  Her words trailed off as she began to tease him. Her fingers traced a pattern on his side. Sweat beaded on Cal’s forehead.

  “So you know you’re playing with fire?”

  Her hand slid up from his side onto his stomach, just above the waistband of his pants, just above where his cock was threatening to burst through his zipper.

  “Please,” she laughed as her hands slid up his torso to his chest. She tweaked one of his nipples before she resumed speaking. “You were passed out two minutes ago. You’re weak as a kitten right now.”

  Apparently Di didn’t know never to underestimate the power of a horny man.

  With strength and agility that surprised even him, he grabbed her by the wrists and flipped her over him, rolling at the same time so that she ended up underneath him.

  She fought back but he angled himself on top of her so that all she could do was struggle.

  “Get off of me,” she bit out through clenched teeth.

  “Oh, I don’t think so, baby.” Cal had no doubts that she at least had an inkling of what she was getting herself into when she stroked him like that. “After all, you’re the one that started it.”

  Damn him. Di had every intention of making him suffer. He had just passed out. Trevor said that he was going to be weak and needed to rest. Apparently he’d forgotten to mention that he didn’t need to rest for very long.

  Cal struggled above her as he moved her wrists into one of his hands so that the other one was free.

  Weak my ass, she thought as she continued to struggle in vain. And damn if all of the struggling, her body rubbing up against Cal’s, wasn’t making her horny. Or maybe she should say hornier.

  Her nipples were hard, pressing against the soft leather ha
lter. And if she were wearing panties she had no doubt they’d be soaked by now.

  His hand slid down the side of her body leaving tingles in its wake.

  “Sorry Cal, but there’s no way you’re going to be able to get my pants off without moving.”

  She was annoyed at the breathy quality of her own voice. The smile that spread across Cal’s face told her he’d noticed, too.

  “Oh, I don’t think I’m going to have too much trouble getting you out of your pants,” he said.

  If she could move, she’d knock that annoying smile right into next week.

  Unfortunately, she couldn’t move.

  She softened for a moment, hoping Cal would let down his guard, but no luck. He knew that she was up to something.

  Using his free hand, and frustratingly keeping his lower body anchored over hers, he slid his fingers over the exposed skin between her shirt and pants.

  “I bet that even right now you’re wet for me. My cock could slide deep inside of you easily. Why are you fighting?”

  Because no one, no man, was ever going to get the better of her. Of course, she couldn’t very well tell him that.

  “I’m not wet at all. You don’t turn me on.”

  Another one of those smug smiles spread across his face.

  “Liar.”

  “Yeah, well, why don’t you let me up and I’ll show you how much of a liar I am.”

  Rather than doing as she asked, she figured it was a long shot at best; he sat up, straddling her body. He sat across her thighs so she still couldn’t move. He still held her wrists pinned together over her head with one hand.

  “I don’t think you’ll be getting up until I decide to let you up.”

  “Well, could you let me know when you think you might want to make that decision?”

  It appeared that Cal wasn’t suffering any lasting effects from whatever it was that happened to him. And it also appeared she wasn’t going to get her way any time soon.

  Or was she? She was pretty sure that she was going to get fucked, she just couldn’t remember anymore whether that was what she wanted or not.

  With one hand still above her head, he slid his other hand down to her collarbone. His hands were warm on her skin, leaving a path of burning skin in his wake.

  Di felt a light sheen of sweat break out on her skin. She tingled, wanting him to touch her more, while at the same time, wanting to fight.