by Lexy Timms
“That’s a key part to this phone call.”
Really? Why would not getting caught matter? “We got Dean. My job’s done, isn’t it? Took me less than a week to finish what you guys have been digging at for how long?” He can’t help but brag. He caught the bad guy, and got the girl.
“As impressive as that was,” Grady hears the commissioner’s tone shift, “the man we arrested along with Miles was NOT Dean.”
Grady freezes, his hand mid-air to the fridge door. “What? That’s not possible. Miles said the man was Dean.”
“Sorry, Grady, but his prints don’t match.”
“What prints?” Grady nearly shouts. He drops his voice as he glances at the empty staircase. “You never mentioned anything about fingerprints.”
“A set of prints came with the package, along with Dean’s shitty picture,” Baxton says. “The prints don’t match anyone in the database, so we believe those are Dean’s.”
“It may not be and the man you have in custody is the Dean you’re looking for.” Grady sighs, knowing he’s wrong. It was too good to be true. He never caught the bad guy that fast. Why had he wanted to believe it so bad? Lara. He wanted Lara out of this shit-trap.
“Sadly that’s not the case.” The commissioner sounds disheartened. “We ran this Dean-guy in custody’s prints. He’s a drug dealer we dealt with before. Goes by the name Dean, but he’s actually Antonio James. The guy’s probably one of the real Dean’s henchmen. We won’t know though. He’s lawyered up and isn’t going to spill anything to us. No matter what deal with offer him.” The commissioner mutters the last part under his breath.
Fuck! Grady jerks his hand over his short hair. “So, where do we go from here? What’s my next move?”
“There is no move for you, kid.” The commissioner sighs. “The real Dean’s going to be more cautious now that one of his shipments has been taken. Miles was your only means of getting close to the man, and he’s now behind bars. I’m afraid we’re going to have to pull the plug on this undercover operation.”
“I think we can find Dean. I just need more time.” Grady thinks for a moment. He’s got an idea, he’s just not sure he actually likes it. “Give me one more day. I think I have another way in.” His eyes roll up towards the ceiling above him. It’s not going to end pretty. Lara’s probably going to hate him when it’s all said and done, but he’s here working undercover, not for personal reasons.
The commissioner is silent for a moment, until Grady can hear him mutter, “What the hell!” He clears his throat. “All right kid, you’ve got one day. Show me I’m not wasting anyone’s time here.”
“Got it, I’ll do that, sir.” He’s about to hang up. “And thanks, sir.”
Hanging up the phone, Grady groans to himself and leans his head against the stainless steel fridge door. He’s going to use Lara to get himself back into the group and closer to finding Dean. She’ll never forgive him when she finds out.
He goes and grabs a pair of athletic shorts from his room and then, rather than returning to the bed where Lara lays beautifully naked on her stomach, he goes to the living room. The guilt of using her to find Dean weighs heavy. It shouldn’t, she should just be part of the job, nothing more.
Beside the coffee table, he eyes the backpack laying on the ground. Curious, he picks up the pack and dumps the contents on his kitchen table. Taking a seat, he starts to count the money. The stacks of cash are held by a green band. Taking one in hand, he breaks the band with his nail and starts counting the money. After the hundredth bill is laid on the table, he looks to the other packs. Instead of undoing their seals and counting, he just counts the stacks. Forty-nine stacks sit on the table along with the one he had undone. A part of him wants to smile after counting, but he groans. He looks at the money in disbelief.
“What’s the matter?” Lara’s coming down the stairs in just a white v-neck shirt of his.
He stares, unable to stop. She’s sexy and all feminine at the same time. Grady runs his fingers through his buzzed locks. “Miles is such an idiot. He sold $200 million worth of drugs for only $500 thousand.”
“It doesn’t matter now, does it?” Lara folds her arms. “He’s going to jail.”
“True.” The thought of that Italian grease-ball behind bars brings a smile to his face. “So, what are we going to do with this money? We can finally get out of this line of work.” He knows she’ll say no, but suddenly he’s worried he worked too hard to convince her and she might actually want to.
She smiles, but shakes her head. “When Miles comes out, he’s going to be looking for the money. The cops have no idea where to look. They don’t know about either of us.”
Grady claps his hands and rubs them together. “We’re so fuckin’ lucky!” He smiles at her. “So, what’s the plan? Are we going to spend some of it?” He knows this is material money, but telling her that would give away his cover.
“We should spend all of it.” She grins mischievously. “This is chump change.”
“Really?” Grady scratches his head. “It’d pay a good chunk of my debt off.” He knows she won’t give it to him but, in the slight chance she did, he would hide it until the time was right and give it to the cops. It would keep her out of trouble, or maybe out of jail.
Lara laughs and Grady finds himself liking the sound. He’d like her to laugh more often. Lara grabs a stack of the hundreds. “We’ll work on the debt of yours, but not today.” She twirls in front of him and his eyes drop to her curvy hips. “The first thing we’re going to do is get you a new suit.”
“A suit?” He blinks. So much for the fun of pretending they’re one dollar bills and she’s a stripper. He swallows, trying to push the image out of his head. He slowly brings his eyes to hers and raises a brow. “Why the hell do I need a new suit? Another job?”
“For tonight,” she says with a smile. “My dad called me earlier. He’s got some gala honoring him with an award.”
“I didn’t know you still talked to your folks.”
“Of course I do.” She cocks her head to the side and puts her hand on her hip. “What did Miles tell you?”
Busted. Grady shrugs. “It doesn’t matter. He’s in jail now.” He smiles.
Lara doesn’t let him go that easy. “What did he say?”
“Nothing really. Just that your dad’s some big-wig and you prefer standing on your own feet, without his help.”
She stares at him, her face unreadable. “I have a hard time believing those are Miles’ exact words.”
Grady laughs. “Maybe not his exact words…”
“And that’s all he said?”
“Pretty much.” He isn’t going to add that Miles complained about not sticking his dick in her. Grady preferred to keep that to himself.
“I do prefer doing things without Daddy’s money.” She shakes the stack of hundreds. “I can make my own.” She reaches for his hand and pulls him off the coach. “I told him I’m bringing you tonight, so we need to get you a new suit. An expensive one.”
“Wait, you’re going to introduce me to your dad?” Grady isn’t sure how he feels about that. He’s undercover and as much as he’s attracted to her, this isn’t what he signed up for.
“I’ve told him all about you. He really wants to meet you.”
What had she told her dad? He was a drug dealer? A gambler? He’s pretty sure Lara’s dad isn’t too keen on meeting him.
A horn beeps outside before Grady has a chance to say no.
“Now come on, the taxi’s waiting outside already.” She magically finds a pair of shorts on the floor and slips them on. How did he not notice them lying there earlier? Then she ties his shirt in a knot at the side and it’s damn sexy. It distracts him from listening to what she’s saying.
“Wait, what?”
Lara leads him by the hand and grabs another stack of cash as they move around the coffee table. She pulls him through the front door, laughing and joking about buying him an Elvis suit if he doesn’t hurr
y. “I have an app on my phone. I ordered it when you were in the kitchen.”
Grady sees sitting outside is an idle taxicab with a driver whose skin looks bronze. As Lara drags him down the stoop, the driver turns and gives a sly smile when he sees a beauty walking up to him. He shows off the three gold teeth in his mouth. Lara literally shoves Grady into the taxi before climbing in after him.
“Where do you want to go, miss?”
“Times Square,” she says, handing the man a Benjamin. “And if you get there as quick as you can, I have another one waiting for you.”
The driver’s eyes widen as he takes ahold of the crisp new bill. He raises it to the windshield, an old way of checking its authenticity. Finding it to be legit, he slams his foot on the pedal.
Lara and Grady are tossed around in the back of the cab as the taxi swerves in between traffic. No seatbelts are available, so they must hold onto each other to keep from slamming into everything. Grady blushes when he feels Lara’s fingers moving up his thigh with a specific purpose. She rubs her hand against his cock and it grows hard. He stares out the window, pretending not to notice, and thankful for the AC in the cab.
She leans into him as the cab swerves around another car and her soft breasts rub against his bare arm. He turns to her with a hungry look in his eye.
“Later,” she whispers coyly and moves just out of his reach.
“Tease,” he mouths back and smiles despite himself.
It’s a twenty-minute ride to Times Square. The cab slams on its brakes as it pulls off of the road. Grady has to throw an arm in front of Lara and hold out his other hand to prevent the two of them from slamming into the front seats. Despite the wild ride, Lara gives the man the extra hundred she promised. The cabby thanks her with a gold-toothed smile before driving off somewhere else in the city.
Taking him by the hand again, Lara leads him down the street. Grady allows her to so he can look up at the large billboards. The lights, the noises, the sights, the smells; all of them leave him in awe.
Lara watches his head snap back and forth, trying to take as much in as possible. “First time here?” she asks with a laugh.
“Sorta. I just never really took the time to walk around and look at the scenery,” he says with a small grin. “It’s so different than what they show on TV.”
They walk a bit and then all of a sudden, she’s dragging him into a store he’s not familiar with. Looking at the sign, he’s unsure if he can even pronounce it. The inside of the store makes him feel completely out of his element and severely underdressed. He tries to back out the door, but Lara prevents him. She pulls him over to an employee who happens to be looking at a suit jacket being worn by a mannequin. The man turns around. An air of superiority flows over him. A long, beak-like nose stares down on the two of them and anyone else he may talk to. He wears one of the suits belonging to this store, with a bright pink vest.
“Is there something that you want?” the employee asks, his beak thrust upwards.
“I need a new suit,” Grady answers blatantly. He never did well with snobby people.
“Do you have an appointment, sir?”
Grady gives him a puzzled look. “No, I don’t. Can’t I just by one of the suits off the shelf?”
Hearing these words makes the employee scoff. “Sir, this is not some sort of shopping mall. These suits are custom fit. If you would be so kind, I’ll ask for you to vacate the premises.” He stares down at Grady’s clothes and then his eyes widen at Lara’s short shorts and tank top.
Lara steps forward, getting between an annoyed Grady and the arrogant employee. She coyly slips a few hundred dollars into the man’s breast pocket. “I’m sorry. My husband didn’t know I made the reservations. It’ll be under Benjamin.”
Seeing the generous tip changes the tone of the employee. He pretends to scroll through his phone. “Oh yes, I see that you do. Well, Mr. Franklin, if you would be so kind as to follow me. We need to take a few measurements.”
The employee takes Grady by the arm, dragging him to the back with Lara following close behind. She’s giggling. Grady can hear her and shakes his head. At the back of the store is a pedestal where another employee is standing. He turns, showing his face clean-shaven and rosy. His hair is styled flat and off to the side. The bangs are touched with purple. Seeing Grady, this new employee waltzes over, seemingly quivering with delight.
“My, my, hello there good-looking,” he says with a flirty smile. “My name is Mitchel, and I’ll be getting some numbers off you, honey.”
“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Grady objects.
“Oh, are you playing hard to get,” Mitchel jokes. “Don’t worry, darling, I won’t bite. There is no need to be so shy.”
“You’re fine, Grady,” Lara reassures him.
Clearly outnumbered, Grady is forced up on the pedestal. The flamboyant Mitchel trots over and wraps the measuring tape around his waist. Grady tries his best to ignore the playful comments the man makes. He turns to Lara. “So, who exactly is your father? Should I be nervous?”
“Well,” Lara’s voice trails off as she looks away. “He’s a university professor.”
Grady looks confused. “So why is it that—” All of a sudden, he feels Mitchel sliding his hand up the inside of his leg. “Hey, you’re way too close!”
“Oops! My fingers slipped,” he giggles. “Don’t worry, honey, I got everything I need. I’ll be out shortly with your suit. You’ll be the toast of the ball.”
Mitchel hops away like an eager bunny. A second later, he hops back and takes Grady with him, much to his objections. Grady just does as the bunny asks and puts on everything.
Lara waits patiently in the other room until Grady emerges.
He’s dressed in a suit made of fine silk. It feels like he is being wrapped in clouds. The shoes are freshly polished, showing his reflection on the toe. A black vest and white tie makes him look every bit as debonair as the beaked man sitting by the door. Grady cannot help but smile when he sees himself stand before the mirror by the pedestal. A part of him feels like a secret agent. He playfully fixes his tie while keeping his brow cocked.
“Well, honey, what do you think?” Mitchel asks sweetly.
“Not bad, not bad at all,” Grady smiles.
“Uh, darling, I meant her.”
Lara laughs while Grady flushes. “He cleans up nicely.”
“Splendid, let me get you a little gift box,” the man says as he gives Grady a sly smile and a wink before he goes fluttering over to the cash register.
Paying in cash, the two of them step out of the store with the suit tucked under Grady’s arm. The box is decorated in fine gold letters giving the company logo. Lara hails another taxicab. Thankfully, it is not the same man as before, so the drive is slower, but more relaxing. Lara lays her head on his shoulder all the way back to the townhouse.
“I’ll head to my place and get ready.” Lara stays in the cab as Grady slides out and collects the box.
A pang of guilt hits him. “We can go get you a dress.” It sounds lame and he knows it.
“I’ve got lots.” Lara blows him a kiss as the cab pulls away from the curb. “I promise I’ll pick you up at sunset,” she calls out the window.
Dusk arrives while Grady is pacing at the front door, dressed in his suit. Some beads of sweat have appeared across his forehead. He waits for Lara with a pounding heart. He slugs a beer back to help him relax. At quarter to eight, he hears a horn honking outside. Opening the door, he sees her poking her head out of a silver Mercedes Benz.
He cannot see her dress. He does see her all dolled up, making his jaw drop. She looks even more enchanting than the day they met. When he gets in the passenger side, she smiles and kisses him on the cheek. He flushes and she steps on the gas. She’s wearing a black dress with a shawl that hides the tattoo on her arm. He looks forward and grins. It totally feels like he’s James Bond and she’s his sidekick tonight.
When the sun has almost set, the two of
them pull up to the Plaza Hotel. Awaiting them is a valet that takes the keys off Lara, promising to take good care of their car. The two enter side by side, Lara reaching for his arm as they enter the hotel. The other guests gathered in the foyer are dressed similarly to them.
Now that lights are upon them, Grady can take a better look at her dress. It’s a dazzling black gown, obsidian in color. Stones cover the cloth, making her look like the night sky. The dress hugs at her hips and bodice, with only one strap wrapping around her right shoulder. She’s let the shawl fall around her elbows, her tattoo sexy against the color of her skin and darkness of the gown. Grady realizes she belongs in these clothes. This is her. She knows how to carry herself and smile politely and act high class. He can’t figure out why she would rather be with someone like Miles and live that kind of life. He stares at her, confused and mesmerized by her.
People they pass seem to recognize her, and compliment her on the success of her father. She merely nods, acknowledging them and their words. She glances up at Grady at one point. He sees her beautiful brown doe eyes, making his heart thrum in his chest. She smiles, her lips full and ruby red.
All of a sudden, a portly woman approaches. Her voice is high and tight. “Dr. Lexington’s daughter! Lara, is it?”
“Yup, that’s me,” she says, taking the hand of the lady. Guess you can take the girl out of the street, but you can’t take the street out of the girl.
“I used to work with your father,” the older lady says with a glint of pride in her smile. “He’s a great man.” Her eyes coast up and down Lara, obviously thinking different about Lara. “I’m glad the world can recognize his greatness.”
“Thank you for your kind words.” Lara lets the woman walk away. Once she is out of earshot, Lara turns to Grady. “I never liked that bitch.”
Yup, can’t take the street out of the girl. Grady smiles as he finds this side of her confusing and interesting at the same time. She’s just totally confused him, blown him away.
