by Cathy Pegau
I scrambled for my purse and shoved the stick in just as Zia appeared. She was a shadow in the doorway, a dark silhouette against the nearly lightless room behind her.
“There you are,” she said with a hint of relief. “Are you all right? Someone said you ran from the ballroom after an encounter with Clemens. Did he do or say something?” The edge of protectiveness in her voice made me smile.
“Nothing inappropriate.” I lied a little, but what else was new? “He accidentally spilled his drink on me.”
I gestured at the stain on my dress. With my back to the city lights coming in from the window, I was sure she couldn’t see it.
Zia walked toward me, her shadowed body becoming more defined as she stepped into the soft light. Her hips swayed hypnotically; I couldn’t look away from the flowing crimson. She stopped less than an arm’s length away and brushed her fingertips down the discolored silk that covered my stomach. My muscles quivered beneath her touch, and I breathed in sharply. Jasmine perfume filled my senses, making me think of sultry nights in a lush garden.
“You might be able to save it if you take it off and treat it soon.” She glanced up at me through thick lashes, licking her lips as she lowered her hand. “It’s a beautiful dress.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, my throat dry. The idea of removing my dress in front of Zia was at the same time appealing and disconcerting. Lord knew I was attracted to her, but I shouldn’t want her—all of her—as much as I did. “Th-that’s what I came here to d-do.” Shit. Swallowing hard, I regained control of my voice. “Change clothes, I mean. When I got down here my head started to hurt, and I just wanted to take a few minutes to relax.” I eased back a step and turned to the window, watching her reflection in the dark glass. “I’ve always loved the view from your office. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” She moved forward, closing the space between us again. Her gaze flicked to the desk and the SI.
I tensed as panic gripped me then gave myself a mental shake. The unit was off. Nothing on her desk had been moved.
I was safe. From that, at least.
Zia looked up and our eyes caught in the reflection. “I wanted to thank you again for all your help these past weeks,” she said.
“Just doing my job.” My voice sounded rough in my ears.
“You do it very well. Better than James ever did.”
I smiled at her in the plasti-glass. “You don’t make it easy on a girl.”
She touched my bare shoulder with her fingertips. The blunt nails weren’t plain this evening but tinted blood-red to match her dress. I could have sworn lightning crackled out of them, but that may just have been me.
Her finger trailed down my arm, and a shiver ran through me. “I think you’re a girl who appreciates a challenge.”
“I do,” I said, “within reason.”
She stepped closer, pressing her breasts against my bare back. Her body heat sank into me through the soft fabric of her dress. Slowly she stroked up my arms. Sparks seemed to dance along my skin where she touched me. “I promise I won’t have you do anything illegal.”
Well, that would be different from my past relationships.
“What did you have in mind?” I asked as the sparks moved to my belly.
Zia brushed her warm lips against my shoulder. Her tongue flicked out, and my skin felt on fire as she blew across the damp spot she’d made. The sparks shot down my belly, between my legs.
“I like you, Liv.” She kissed me behind my right ear. My knees wobbled. “I like you a lot,” she murmured into my hair.
Her caresses were different from the men I’d known. Not the caresses themselves; I’d had gentle lovers and not-so-gentle lovers. But there was something about her touch—about her—that made those men seem like inexperienced fumblers. If it felt like this with just a few strokes of her fingers on my shoulders and a couple of kisses on my neck, what would it be like to have her touch the rest of me? My body tingled at the thought, anticipating the newness of sensations to come.
She kissed along my shoulder again as her hands found my hips. Her palms skimmed over the silk, across the front of my thighs, and I leaned into her. Our gazes met in the reflection. I fought the urge to close my eyes in pleasure, wanting to see her touching me as well as feel her body against mine.
“I like you too.”
“Good.” Her smile became a wicked grin, and she dipped her head to nuzzle my neck again.
I covered her hands, enjoying the feel of her skin next to mine. “I’ve never been with a woman before.”
Her head came up, and her hands stopped. In the reflection of the window, uncertainty flickered behind her green eyes. “You haven’t?”
I shook my head.
She closed her eyes. Her words were almost too soft to hear. “I thought—”
“Thought what?”
She opened her eyes. The uncertainty was gone, or carefully masked. “The way you’ve been acting recently, I thought you had experience with women.”
She started to pull her hands away, but I held them tight against my hips. Her palms were hot through the thin layer of silk. “Why does it matter if I do or don’t? We’ve been dancing around each other for days, Zia. I’m tired of dancing.”
“It’s not that simple.”
With a small moan of frustration I turned, cupped her face in my hands and covered her mouth with mine. She made a startled sound but despite her earlier hesitation, parted her lips and let our tongues twine. She tasted of wine and cinnamon. Her hands glided over my ass, drawing me closer. The friction of our breasts, separated by mere millimeters of cloth, tightened my nipples and sent miniature shockwaves through my body. I eased her back against the edge of the desk and slid my leg between hers.
A very un-R. J. Talbot-like whimper squeaked from her throat, and she pushed me away, holding my upper arms. Both of us breathed hard.
“I’m sorry.” Her eyes glittered in the near-darkness. “We can’t.”
Funny, I thought I’d be the nervous, reluctant one. I smiled reassuringly. “Sure we can.” I tried to come toward her, but she held me back.
Our eyes locked, Zia took a shaky breath. “Your first time with another woman, with anyone, shouldn’t be a quick fuck on the desk, Liv.”
I’d never heard her use that particular word—it wasn’t common vernacular for any executives I’d spoken to—but what surprised me more was her sincerity. There were plenty of men and women who’d take great joy in introducing a novice to their preferred sexual activities whatever way they could.
But not Zia. She cared. More than I thought. More than I could ignore.
Slowly she loosened her grip on my arms, as if she expected me to attack her. When she saw I wouldn’t, she lowered her hands and fisted them at her sides. “Liv…” My name was a plea, a request to understand.
The problem was, I did understand.
“I have to go.” I grabbed for my silver purse.
Zia laid her hand over mine, pressing the hidden data stick into my palm and unintentionally reminding me of my real job, my real life. I curled my fingers around the purse and slid my hand out from under hers. I moved toward the door on shaky legs, my body quivering with need. And the unfamiliar sense of guilt.
“Liv,” she said, her tone as commanding as it was pained.
Damn the void, why couldn’t she just let me leave?
Crossing my arms over my chest irritated my sensitive nipples, sending another rush through me as I turned around.
“We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?”
“Sure,” I said with a weak smile. But I had the files; I’d never see her again.
Picking up my satchel and coat, I walked out of the office. Somehow I even managed to leave the building and call for a taxi without sobbing in frustration.
The ride home was anything but relaxing, mentally or physically. Why did it have to be so complicated? Why couldn’t she just sleep with me? Why? Because Zia Talbot didn’t “just” sleep w
ith someone.
The bumping and jostling of the taxi kept my body on a heightened state of awareness for the entire twenty-minute ride. Each shimmer of the car rippled through me, and I thought I’d have to take care of things there in the back seat. But that would have been more of a tip than the driver deserved. When he pulled up to my building, I tossed a larger than necessary chit to him and bolted for the door.
Not recalling whether the elevator was under security surveillance, I gripped the satchel’s strap with both hands as I rode up, willing it to move faster while images of Zia filled my head. I could still feel her mouth on mine, her hands on my skin, her body against me. And it wasn’t just her physical beauty that made me ache. I’d found someone who treated me well, who cared how I felt, who I respected.
And I couldn’t have her. Not in this lifetime.
What she wanted—what I wanted—didn’t matter.
Stop it! I squeezed my hands tight and gave myself a mental shake. I couldn’t let her get to me, even now that the job was done. I had to lock away any feelings for Zia Talbot. If you’d kept it purely physical, you’d be fine. But no, you had to go and—
The elevator stopped with a slight jolt, and the doors slid open. I dashed to the flat, carded the door and dropped my coat and satchel on the floor, making for my bedroom.
“Liv? What’s wrong?”
Tonio came out of his room and I almost cried. Barefoot and shirtless, he wore those damned blue-striped pajamas. The perfect amount of dark hair covered his perfect chest, and his just-tumbled-out-of-bed sexiness brought me to a dead stop.
“I got the files.” I licked my lips and watched his mouth. Fond memories of that mouth, how it tasted, what it could do, sent fire through my veins.
“Where are they?”
Either he was completely blind or he was deliberately ignoring the fact I was ready to pounce on him like a Bidarki puma. I stepped forward and raised my hand to caress his chest. He grabbed my shoulders, and for one insane moment I thought he was going to kiss me. I strained against his hold with my lips parted, ready to take him.
But he didn’t kiss me. He held me at arm’s length and tilted his head away from me. Didn’t I just go through this with Zia? Damn my luck tonight.
“Liv, what the hell’s going on?” he said and gave me a little shake.
I blinked up at him as reason returned to my besotted brain. “I—I’m…”
Heat flooded my cheeks.
His face turned crimson beneath dark stubble. He let me go and stepped back. He’d finally figured out what I was after, but only I realized it wasn’t him.
Wiping my hand across my mouth, I waved the other toward my satchel. “The stick’s in there. I’ll be out in a bit.”
Determined not to run, I strode to my bedroom and shut the door. As it closed I stripped out of the halter dress, hose and shoes on my way to the lav I shared with Tonio. I locked both doors and stepped into the shower. Warm water sluicing over my skin, I slipped my hand between my legs.
It wasn’t the memory of Tonio, of his touch and taste, that brought me to a body-shaking climax. The eyes I envisioned looking up from where phantom fingers and tongue worked were green, the smile on a generous yet more delicate mouth. I could almost smell jasmine-scented steam clouding around me.
Chapter Thirteen
Mission accomplished on both personal and professional levels, I wandered back into the living room in shorts, tank top and robe. A thick towel draped around my neck kept my damp hair from dripping water down my back.
Tonio, wearing a shirt and trousers now, sat at his computer. Willem stood at his shoulder, as well-groomed as ever; the man had to sleep in a suit. Had Tonio called him while I was in the lav, or did he have us under surveillance? He seemed to pop up when least expected.
“Gentlemen,” I practically purred as I drew closer. Self-satisfaction—again, on several levels—made me relaxed and cocky. I’d gotten to Zia’s computer without having to prostitute myself or risk attachment. And since my job was over, neither prospect was going to be an issue.
My chest tightened with the thought of not seeing Zia again. If only…I shook it off and focused on Tonio and Willem. Dwelling on the impossible made no sense. It was done. I could keep the fantasy of her in my head, and nothing more.
Both men looked up. Tonio’s cheeks flushed as they had earlier, and he returned his attention to the screen. I felt heat on my face as well, but we wouldn’t talk about my attempt to kiss him. My actions would be shelved next to our kiss from a few weeks ago, just another consequence of physical attraction and sexual frustration. It required no discussion, which was fine by me. We both knew we’d never make it as a couple. We’d known it for a while. It just took longer to figure it out than it should have.
Willem straightened. His blue eyes glittered dangerously as they took in my attire and settled on my face again. Feeling naked, I pulled my robe tighter.
“Nice job, Liv.” His sarcastic tone wasn’t lost on me.
My earlier satisfaction evaporated like a raindrop in a supernova. “But?”
“But it isn’t what we need.”
Ignoring the fact he seemed about to strangle someone, I joined him beside Tonio. “What the hell do you mean? I got everything off Zia’s computer that had anything to do with K-73, filters, her or the Exeter employees she’s working with.”
I read the screen as Tonio opened and closed files. Columns of numbers, graphs showing odd letter combinations like FVC and PEFR—whatever they were—decreasing over time, and a few lines of text flashed by, but that was all. Disappointment tinged with dread fluttered in my gut. Now what would we do?
“There’s nothing in any of these files that tells us the filters are in place, where or for how long,” Willem said. As he spoke, his voice became louder and more strained. “Numbers alone are useless. Are they dates? Location codes? Results of some test or another? These files mean shit if we don’t know what they represent.”
I took a step back and met his glare. How could the man’s gaze be icy cold and laser hot at the same time? “I copied everything that was there, Willem.”
“And there’s nothing encrypted within these,” Tonio said while continuing to peruse the files. “At least not in any way I can determine. They’re just data sets and theories.”
Shit. I scrubbed my hands over my face and through my damp hair. “If Zia had additional files coded to conceal them there’s no way I could have found them.”
“There’s more somewhere. They’re supposed to be in the SI, but there could also be data sticks or hard copies.” Willem’s voice had returned to its normal pitch, but that didn’t make him any less menacing. His blue eyes found mine. “You’re not done yet.”
He wanted me to go back to Exeter. Back to Zia. I swallowed the groan of dread that started to build in my throat. “What do you expect me to do? Ransack her desk? Copy every file she has on her computer?” I shook my head. “It’s not gonna happen.”
He jabbed his stiffened fingers into my shoulder, pushing me back a little. I winced, more out of surprise than pain. “You’d better find a way to make it happen,” he said.
Tonio’s chair crashed to the floor as he shot up. He shoved Willem’s shoulder and put himself between the elder Grey brother and me. “Hands off.”
My hero. But the way Willem’s face darkened and his fists clenched, I was afraid he’d take a swing at Tonio. Or shoot him. I was pretty sure Willem wore a pulser under his jacket.
“She’s been fucking around that office for weeks,” Willem growled. “You said she could do the job.”
Tonio’s hands flexed at his sides. “Would you rather she tried for the files and got caught? Be glad she’s been so careful. Natalia sure as hell wasn’t. She didn’t last a day.”
Ha! So that’s who Zia fired before HR could finish paperwork. I was surprised Willem had even considered using Natalia. Getting close to Zia required more than a pretty face, and I couldn’t imagine languid Natalia
keeping up with her.
“So lay off,” Tonio continued in a softer, more dangerous tone. “We’re as anxious as you are, but we’re gonna do it right so no one gets caught.”
The two men stared at each other, Tonio’s back muscles bunched and Willem taking controlled breaths through his nose. Tonio wasn’t a fighter, or hadn’t been when I was with him. Willem, on the other hand, had the coldness in his eyes associated with a lack of conscience. Tonio had said the Greys would kill if it meant getting the job done. I’d seen it in Chaz, but this was the first time Willem made it so obvious.
I suppressed a shiver and tightened my robe.
Willem gave himself a small shake. He cleared his throat and adjusted his perfectly straight tie. “You get one more week, Liv.” He spoke to me but kept his eyes on Tonio. “Talbot may have stashed the files. If they aren’t at Exeter, they could be at her flat, maybe kept as hard copies. But they’re somewhere.” He walked to the front door, sparing me a glance over his shoulder. “Stay close to her. As close as you need to be, got it?”
Arms crossed over my chest, I nodded once, showing him confidence in my ability and guaranteeing I was on the job. When the door clicked shut I closed my eyes, knees locked to keep from falling over.
I had to go back.
“You okay?” Tonio asked from behind me.
I took a deep breath, let it out evenly, and turned to look at him with a crooked smile on my face. “Sure. Disappointed, but I’ll keep at it. Zia’s not bad to work for.”
It wasn’t working for her that I was worried about.
His eyes narrowed. “What’s going on?”
Giving him my most innocent face, I said, “Nothing. I’m just not sure what to do next.”
That was a lie. I was afraid of what I had to do next.
He stared at me for a moment then ran his hands through his hair and sighed. “The files were supposed to be in Talbot’s computer. If they aren’t at Exeter, her flat is the most logical place to try next.” He dropped down onto the couch and closed his eyes.
