Lane pressed his mouth against her cheek, which wasn’t nearly enough for her. She turned her head and pressed her lips to his, slipping her tongue into his mouth greedily. She’d missed the taste of him.
“Are you three always this dramatic?” A strange voice said.
Kierra lifted her eyes and took in the tall, built body, the smooth dark brown skin, the perfect cheekbones. “Hi,” she breathed at him.
“Jesus,” Lane muttered.
“How’d it go?” Monica said, stepping into her line of view. She reached up to cup Kierra’s face. “Are you alright?”
Kierra smiled down at her. “Yeah, I’m fine. I think I broke some woman’s nose though.”
“What?” Monica and Lane shrieked.
Kierra leaned around Monica. “You’ve got great lips, by the way,” she said.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” the stranger breathed.
All Kierra could do was laugh.
fourteen
On the drive from the airport, Maya realized that it was entirely possible to be in the lap of a tiny bit of luxury and also scared shitless. It kind of ruined her experience in the back of the chauffeured town car.
Chanté had discovered that Mehmeti owned a number of properties all over the city so they weren’t surprised when the driver pulled the car into one of his hotels. As soon as the car stopped moving, Kenny pushed his door open and crawled out. He bent down to reach for Maya. She scooted across the seat and took his hand. The chauffeur took their slight in stride and pulled their baggage from the trunk. A porter met them and placed their bags on a trolley. Kenny tried to tip the chauffeur.
“No sir, Mr. Mehmeti has paid me well. Please enjoy your stay.”
They both smiled and Maya tried not to fidget out of nervousness. They followed the porter into the lobby and straight toward the elevator.
“Don’t we need to check in?” Kenny asked.
“No need, sir. You are guests of Mr. Mehmeti,” he called over his shoulder as if that explained everything.
Kenny clutched Maya’s hand tighter in his.
The elevator ride to the penthouse was silent. She could feel sweat collecting at her hairline and she hoped her palm wasn’t also sweating. Kenny’s body grew ever more tense as they ascended, his hand tightening around hers. Maya could barely breathe. She wondered if it was too late to back out of this. She wished she and Kenny were back in her living room snuggled together on her couch.
When the elevator stopped Maya closed her eyes. She had no idea what was on the other side and she found that she was terrified to find out. But when she opened her eyes she exhaled, “Oh shit, this place is amazing!” She tried to let go of Kenny’s hand, wanting to dive into the room, but Kenny held her fast. Thankfully, he was much less awed by the spacious living room, floor-to-ceiling windows, full size kitchen. “Is that an infinity pool?” She screamed.
“It is, ma’am,” the porter said.
“Oh, I’m fucking skinny dipping in that bitch,” she exclaimed.
Kenny couldn’t hide the choked gasp. As they followed the porter around their hotel suite, Maya’s mouth and eyes were wide open in shock. Kenny’s body was tense and alert. The porter bowed – actually bowed – as he turned to leave. Kenny tried to tip him, but he refused as well. They stared at the elevator doors for at least a full minute after it closed.
“So like…. What now?” Maya said turning to Kenny.
Kenny turned to her and slipped a hand behind her neck, pulling her close. Just before their lips touched he whispered, “Assume the room is bugged.” And then he kissed the fuck out of her. It was hard and insistent with lots of tongue. He grunted when her teeth grazed his lips. It was a perfect kiss. So perfect she almost forgot that he had warned her someone might be spying on them.
When she remembered, she broke the kiss, but Kenny kept her head close to his. So they could talk, she realized.
“You think he’s spying on us?”
“I think he’s a creepy fuck who flew us out here first class to watch us have sex in person.”
“Great point,” she breathed. And then, because his mouth was so close, she kissed him again, smiling as their tongues danced. He backed her against the wall, lifting one of her legs around his waist. She groaned when he ground his hips, and his semi-hard erection, into her.
“So what do we do?” She whispered when they came up for air with panting breaths, their mouths still close.
He trailed kisses across her face. “We go about the rest of our day as if we’re being watched.”
“That doesn’t help,” she hissed and then moaned when he sucked the sensitive skin under her chin into his mouth.
“We know the mission. We’re going to Mehmeti’s club tonight. There’s nothing to do until then. If you need to tell me anything, find a way to say it without saying it.” He licked at her pulse. “Or text me.”
“Or kiss you?” She giggled, arching her back to press her breasts into him.
“Or kiss me,” he said. “But feel free to do that whenever you want.”
He lifted his head and smiled down at her. A shocked smile spread across her lips. “Fuck, are you really flirting with me now?”
He laughed and kissed her again.
She moved her hand over his on her hip and then dragged them both between her legs.
He groaned and broke their kiss. They pressed their foreheads together. “Why aren’t you wearing any underwear, Maya?” He croaked.
“Better question,” she whispered, using her hand to grind his against her very wet core. “What are you going to do now that you know I’m not wearing any underwear?”
She’d barely gotten the question out before two of his fingers curled inside of her, stroking her slowly. Their breaths became pants and moans as his fingers skimmed along the sensitive flesh. But when he added the heel of his hand to put delicious pressure against her clit, they both turned into writhing, groaning messes.
Kenny undid his pants, licked her palm and she snaked her hand inside his boxers. She’d just gotten a slow and steady rhythm, pumping him into a frenzy, when his fingers pulled her over the edge. She shuddered and shook, her head listing forward onto his chest. She smiled and laughed. And then drooled onto the head of his cock.
He groaned, his hips jumping. She was barely conscious, but her body knew exactly what to do. Exactly what she wanted. She stroked him slowly to orgasm, his fingers still inside her, her pussy clenching around his digits as he sprayed over her hand and their clothes.
She lifted her head to meet his eyes.
“He better give you a bonus for that,” Kenny said and then crushed his lips to hers.
“I’ll split it with you,” she laughed.
He shook his head, “I’m happy to donate all of my time to your business if you make me come like that.”
She kissed him gently and whispered, “Deal,” against his lips.
***
Kenny woke to the sound of his phone chirping. He and Maya had stumbled to the closest bedroom, stripped off their clothes and fallen immediately to sleep. He crawled from the bed and pulled his cell phone from the pocket of his pants.
The text message was a series of numbers. A cypher. He knew exactly who it was from and what it said. The knowledge made his pulse quicken and not in the way Maya did. He wanted to crawl back into bed with her, wrap his body around hers, let every possible inch of his bare skin touch hers and never leave. But this was not her bed. And however great that orgasm had been, he reminded himself that this was not real life. But he did something he’d never done before her; he put the mission aside for a moment, because there was something more important. He crawled onto the bed and kissed her softly on the cheek.
She stirred, smiled, but she didn’t wake up.
“I love you,” he whispered, even though it was too soon and they barely knew each other and they were on a mission. He traced his thumb over the curve of her chin. It was cowardly, since she wasn’t awake. But it felt r
ight.
His phone chirped again.
He took a quick shower and rummaged in his suitcase for workout clothes. Just before he left, he grabbed the pad of paper on the bedside table and scribbled a quick note to Maya. He called the elevator to their floor. He hated leaving her, he’d promised her that he would stay by her side, but this message would not wait.
He used his room keycard to let himself into the hotel gym. His eyes drifted to the row of treadmills. He was desperate to hop on one and run a few miles to expel the frustrated energy coursing through his body. But he couldn’t. He walked through the regular gym and headed into the locker room tucked behind it. He grabbed a towel from a well-stocked cabinet and headed to the closest empty locker. He toed his shoes and socks off and deposited them in an upper locker. There was no one else around so he pulled his shirt and shorts down. He wrapped the towel around his waist and pushed the locker closed, pulled the key out of the lock and headed to the sauna.
He tried not to look directly at Lamont. He wasn’t sure if this was a good or bad omen, but either way, there could be cameras here. He sat on a bench across the sauna from Lamont and avoided looking directly at him. They both kept the door in their peripheral vision. Kenny began to sweat immediately. But this was a good sweat. His muscles ached from the prolonged tangle of fear, worry and sexual arousal. His body needed this break, even though he wanted to run back upstairs to Maya.
After a few minutes of silence, Kenny leaned forward and ran his hands over the crown of his head. “What are you doing here?”
Rather than answer, Lamont stood up and poured more water onto the coals.
Kenny exhaled loudly. “What’s going on?”
“We have the Setter brothers in custody.”
Kenny almost laughed from relief. “That’s fucking great. Isn’t it?”
“We have two of the Setter brothers,” Lamont said, his lips barely moving.
“There are only two,” Kenny breathed. His eyes moved in Lamont’s direction but didn’t land on him. “Aren’t there?”
“That’s what we thought. But then we found a mole. Two moles,” he quickly amended.
Kenny’s head snapped to the side. If they were being surveilled, there was no way to take back that movement. He cringed at his misstep. “In what agency?”
Lamont gave a frustrated grunt, “Mine.”
“The ATF has two moles? For who?”
“Had. And so far as we know they were working for the Setters.”
“You’re certain?”
Lamont nodded once. “As certain as we can be.”
“Who?”
“One was passing himself off as an agent in my office. He was the other Setter brother.”
“How did we not know there were three?
Lamont shrugged. The movement would have seemed nonchalant if not for the rigid set of his entire upper body.
“And the other mole?”
Lamont’s jaw tensed even more, which Kenny wouldn’t have thought possible. “Neutralized.”
“What the fuck is going on in Columbus?” Kenny exclaimed, not bothering to hide the whip of his head or avert his eyes from Lamont’s face.
Lamont inhaled and exhaled slowly. He was always so measured. Kenny had enjoyed that about him during their brief time as partners.
“Once I clean house, I’ll let you know.”
“What are you doing here, Lamont?”
For the first time, Lamont turned to look at him. “I worked with this asshole for over a year. I’m here to arrest him and take him back to Ohio so he can be prosecuted. He’ll be put on trial with his brothers and the rest of their white supremacist cell.”
“We could have done that,” Kenny said lamely.
Lamont laughed bitterly, “The Agency doesn’t give a shit about anyone else’s directives but their own. When we find him, I’ll put a bullet in his forehead or arrest him.” And then his eyes settled on Kenny’s. “I won’t get in your way so long as you don’t get in mine.”
“You alright man?” Kenny asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
“I’m fine. Did the PA deliver the package?”
“Yeah,” Kenny breathed, surprised that he’d completely forgotten about the bathroom exchange. “I haven’t looked at it yet,” he admitted.
“There’s a comm piece for you and the USB device you need to let your hacker into the computer when you find it.”
Kenny nodded. “Weapons?”
“I’m in locker fifteen. When I leave, there’ll be a package for you there.” With that Lamont stood and headed toward the door.
“It’s good to have you watching my back again,” Kenny called after him.
Lamont didn’t hesitate as he pushed the sauna door open without a word.
***
Maya woke up to her phone ringing.
“Shut up,” she mumbled in her sleep. “Go away.”
The phone kept ringing.
She pushed the covers off of her body and sat up in bed. She was naked, groggy and confused. She looked around her at the bedroom, with its wall of windows behind the headboard. She wasn’t sure where she was.
Her phone stopped ringing.
She stood up, stark naked, and looked around her. When she saw Kenny’s suitcase open next to hers, a pile of their clothes next to it, she remembered where she was. And more crucially, why she was here.
Her phone started ringing again. It was coming from the pile of her clothes. She had to squint at her phone to read the name on the screen. She’d fallen asleep in her contacts.
“Short stack,” she croaked.
“How’s the penthouse?” Kierra asked in a giddy peal, as if this was a normal part of their day. And then Maya realized that actually, maybe this was a normal part of Kierra’s day.
“Fucking gorgeous. Huge bed, softest sheets.”
“You nervous?”
Maya moved back to the bed. Her eyes caught on the pad of paper. The note read: Sauna. Back soon. She nodded, filing away how stupidly happy Kenny’s neat script made her as she crawled back into bed.
“So fucking nervous,” she finally answered. “What am I doing? I shouldn’t be here.” Thankfully, she wasn’t so tired that she forgot Kenny’s warning. She wasn’t sure if the room was bugged – which was an incredibly ridiculous thought to even have – but just in case it was, she chose her words carefully. “What if this was a terrible idea?”
Kierra laughed. Because she was Kierra. “Of course this is a terrible idea. You and me should not be living the lives we’re living right now. I’m a poet and you’re a CEO in the making. And yet here we are.”
Maya couldn’t help but smile as she burrowed deeper into the incredible bed. “Here we are.”
“Kenny will keep you safe,” she said reassuringly.
Maya nodded even though Kierra couldn’t see her. She bit back her smile and felt the rightness of what Kierra said. She was safe with Kenny. She knew that. But where was he? And as if Kierra could read her mind, “He’s meeting with another agent for intel. He should be back soon.”
Maya let out a sigh of relief and laughed. She sounded near hysterical. “I feel like I’m living in an alternate universe,” she breathed.
“Let’s imagine that you are.”
“What?”
“Look,” Kierra said, sounding much more serious than she normally ever did. “For the rest of this whole experience, why not just imagine that you’re living in some alternate universe. You’re not a kindly cam girl with hella debt. You’re La Femme Nikita.”
“I fucking love that movie.”
“Good. So your mission – and you’ve already accepted it so let’s just go with the flow – is to make this Albanian mobster want to give you all of his money. You need to make it so that he can’t see anything past you and your fucking amazing boobs. Got it?”
As Kierra was speaking, Maya found herself sitting up in the bed, her back straight and her head held high. She smiled to herself, “So you’re finally adm
itting that my titties are the best?”
Kierra hung up the phone. That was all the answer Maya needed.
She read Kenny’s note a few more times before finally crawling out of bed and heading to the bathroom. She showered, brushed her teeth and padded across the penthouse, still naked. She walked to the sliding glass door off of the living room and the open plan kitchen and peered out at the pool and the hills beyond. When she walked outside, the late afternoon air was colder than she’d expected. But she didn’t care. She kept her eyes on the crystal blue water as she took a running start and canonballed into the pool with a laugh.
When Maya came up for air, Kenny was calling her name.
“Maya,” he called again, kneeling at the edge of the pool.
She swam over to him and smiled as he tried valiantly, but very unsuccessfully, to keep his eyes on her face and not the hazy outline of her naked body in the water.
“You’re back,” she said.
He smiled, his eyes finally lifting to hers. He nodded. “I’m back.”
She put both of her hands on the ledge and lifted her body up. Kenny’s eyes widened and he choked. She could only imagine what she looked like, water cascading over her full breasts and round stomach as she moved her mouth to his. She kissed him quickly. “Everything okay?”
He nodded, his mouth slack with desire.
“You sure?” While she loved the effect she had on him, this moment was important. So she leveled her eyes with his and stared at him intently as she lowered her body back into the water.
He nodded. “Everything’s okay,” he breathed.
She smiled, “Good,” and pulled him into the water. Because right now she wasn’t Maya, cam girl, great friend, and loving sister. She was La Femme Nikita and she had a mission.
mission brief
Asif just wanted to shower and change and maybe call Chanté a few dozen times before they headed to Mehmeti’s club tonight. He approached the safe house from the rear through a deserted alley. At the service entrance, he knocked three times on the door. Nothing happened. He knocked again as he turned to peer left and right down the alley to confirm that he was still alone. Again there was no answer. This time he pounded on the metal security door with one hand and reached for the gun in his bag with the other. When it began to creak open, he put his thumb on his gun’s safety and waited.
Private Eye Page 24
