Scent of Persuasion: Sensory Ops, Book 2

by Nikki Duncan

  “Okay.” Ava mirrored Kami’s posture and wiggled excitedly. “I didn’t have long in her office, but it seems as if each one of us here has something in common—similar backgrounds.”

  That wasn’t possible. She was here to find the girl who had known Channing. To prove he hadn’t killed himself. No one could know who she really was. Though if they did, it could explain why Ava was the only one who had accepted her. On the other hand, if they all came from similar backgrounds, they would share common ground.

  “Half of the girls here were looking for an escape and a way to make some good money.”

  “And yet Lori felt the need to escape from here. Ironic.”

  “Yeah, and the money isn’t as great as people would think.”

  “What sort of details does she have in the files?” Had she tracked Kami all the way back to her emancipation hearing? Did she know who her family had been? Madame V wouldn’t be the one she needed to hide from if it got out to her family she was a call girl.

  “Some were more detailed than others. Lori’s was vague, but there were several notations about her being more involved with one of the men than Madame allows.” Ava glanced around before continuing. “Madame was watching Channing really closely.”

  “This is bad. Very bad.”

  Because she suspected him of being Lori’s love interest, or because she wanted as much dirt as she could get before trying to take him out? Either scenario would work, and either way made it possible Madame V knew of her connection to Channing. If Madame V knew Kami wasn’t there entirely for the reasons she’d given during her interview…

  No if. Dread settled like a lead balloon in her stomach. Madame knew who she was.

  Madame had delivered a perfume bottle to her late that afternoon and spritzed some on her wrists for her to smell. Then she’d patted Kami’s hand and told her she would wear the perfume on her assignment that night with Breck. The next thing Kami remembered, she’d been swimming laps in the indoor pool.

  Yeah, Madame knew who she was, and Breck wasn’t her only target.

  Kami just needed a way to warn him, and the phones were out. She couldn’t risk the possibility Madame V had cloned or bugged her cell. If she’d done either, she already knew about the texts to Breck—a scary-ass-uncomfortable thought, but one she couldn’t set aside.

  Her only chance was to hope Madame didn’t know she cared about Breck or had confided in him. Depending on the timing and Madame’s command, she might not have been able to escape the effects before meeting Breck.

  “I have to let him know.” A warning might not be possible.

  “You’ll be fine.” Ava winked. “Trust me.”

  Kami’s heart twisted. She didn’t want the vagueness of fine. She checked her watch and winced. “Shit. I have to go get ready.”

  “Come on.” Ave jumped lithely to her feet. “I’ll pick out your clothes. My choices haven’t let you down yet.”

  They hooked their arms together and headed toward the mansion, chattering as if there was nothing wrong with the world they were living in. As if they hadn’t just spent the last hour and a half analyzing the inner workings of Elegant Entertainment. As if Kami hadn’t become one of Madame’s many targets.

  Faster than Kami had thought possible, she was showered, dressed and ready for Breck. Madame stopped by her room long enough to spritz more of the perfume on each of her main pulse points.

  “You’re perfect for tonight’s assignment, Kami. You’ve been a pleasure to have here.”

  Gee, if a girl didn’t know any better she’d think she was being sent to her death. “Thank you, Madame V.”

  The next thing Kami knew she was riding the elevator up to Breck’s office. The forty-five minute drive from the mansion to his office was a complete blank. Blinking to clear the haze from her mind, she checked her appearance in the reflective surface, hoped she had control of her actions and wondered what she’d done on the drive in.

  A lifetime of etiquette lessons and formal functions had taught her the importance of projecting the proper appearance. Projection could prepare her for anything tossed her way. What her mother had failed to explain was that the outer shell was just that—a shell. The shinier the shell, the better you felt about yourself and the stronger an opponent you made.

  Kami liked herself just as much when she was wrapped in a cozy bathrobe as she did wearing the sexy clothes Madame V provided. But she couldn’t deny that the closer she got to Breck the more excited she became to see his reaction to her appearance.

  His reactions made her feel sexy and desirable. The more time she spent in his company, the more she found herself caring what he thought of her, which was a recent concept for her to grasp. After leaving her family, she’d taught herself the opinions of others didn’t matter. Odd that the man capable of changing her views didn’t seem interested in being around long enough to find out how he’d impacted her.

  When she finished her role and discovered the truth behind Channing’s death, hopefully without causing Breck’s or her own, she would return to her life. Their relationship would end, but her lifelong desires wouldn’t lessen.

  Desire to be seen as an intellectual equal with more to offer than a pretty smile at a fundraiser.

  Desire to be more than an entertaining time in bed.

  Desire to win Breck’s acceptance of her as a woman, rather than a passing pleasure.

  She would never have the chance to prove herself as more. What Breck Lawson thought of her made no difference.

  In the end, he represented the life she’d worked so hard to escape, except the occasional visit with Channing. Breck represented the life that had robbed her of her best friend, and beyond this case she would not be enticed back.

  Kami shook her head at her reflection. The silk, ankle-length skirt and black scoop-necked top appeared conservative enough. Until she moved and the skirt split into four panels cut to just above mid thigh, or until she turned around to reveal that the top was much like the dress had been that first night—held on by little more than a sliver of silvery string.

  “You look like a harlot dressed to kill.” She frowned and shook her head. “Or a modern-day Juliet about to die,” she mumbled as the elevator dinged to announce her arrival at Breck’s floor. She preferred the second image a little better.

  She had a job to finish, but things had changed. She had changed.

  Some changes were partly due to the old men she’d escorted, but largely her thanks belonged to Breck. Great men existed.

  Men who understood the sort of loyalty that drove a woman to pretend she was an escort.

  Men who didn’t stand in judgment even when they preferred space.

  Men capable of offering a woman—her—the emotional security she’d never known in her money and opportunity-driven family.

  He wasn’t likely to change his lifestyle for her, though, so she would never have those answers.

  Kami shook her hair back as the elevator doors slid open. She stepped into the elegance of Breck’s office and stiffened her resolve, just as she had the first time. Unlike the first night, she didn’t question her ability to have sex with him. She questioned how she was going to face him without infecting him.

  Madame V hadn’t said anything to confirm their suspicions about the DNA influencer, but it was more apparent than the lights on the Vegas strip.

  The only plan she’d come up with for possibly saving him was getting into the shower immediately. Taking a final, bracing breath she opened Breck’s office door.

  Instead of Breck, Edwin was behind the desk. “Oh, hi.”

  “Ms. Evans.” Edwin’s head popped up, clearly surprised. “I did not expect to see you.”

  “I’m having dinner with Breck.”

  “He did not inform me.” Edwin’s surprise had passed, but he didn’t move from Breck’s chair. He returned to shifting through papers.

  “I’m sure it’s frustrating to not know your boss’s every move.” She smiled kindly t
o counteract her sarcasm and pointed to the apartment door. “Is he in there?”

  “I haven’t seen him in some time. I assumed he had left.”

  “I’ve been in the labs.”

  Kami spun on the ball of her foot. Breck had come up close behind her. Too close. She backed up several steps to put space between them. Widening her eyes, she shook her head tightly, warning him to stay back.

  He looked relaxed and urbane in a dark gray suit with shimmery black pinstripes. He’d loosened the tie like she’d suggested he do at the bar a few nights ago when he’d surprised her by actually taking it off. The top button of his dress shirt was open, showing off the tan skin she’d love to explore. The indentation beneath his Adam’s apple that she’d tasted a few times taunted her.

  She retreated another step, as much for a reminder of the space he’d put between them with his constant refusal to reply to her texts as for his safety. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” He closed the distance between them and grabbed her hand.

  She tried to pull away. He was jeopardizing himself, and she couldn’t warn him with Edwin in the room. He smiled and pulled her close.

  Bending down, he kissed her just beneath her ear. Just over a perfume-covered pulse point. “Relax. I’m protected.”

  Her breath caught as he pulled away and moved to his desk. She was glad one of them was. And she didn’t entirely mean against the unknown workings of the perfume.

  Breck’s greeting was much more personal than the first time she’d been here, and their apparent intimacy seemed to please Edwin. It just confused her. Breck expected her to accept his tenderness when he hadn’t acknowledged her for days? Was he acting a role now? Did he not care that she’d been sent here to endanger him? And what did he mean he was protected? How could he know he wasn’t already under the influence, when she wasn’t certain it had worn off for her?

  “Eddie, may I help you find something?” Breck walked around his desk and picked up the papers Edwin had been shuffling through.

  “I was leaving you the latest Oedipus reports. I believe they address your concerns.” He tapped a file on the desk and rolled the chair back. “I’ve printed a new contract. Sign it.”

  “I have everything I need from you.” Breck smiled, but never blinked as he stared Edwin down. “Good night.”

  “Good night.” Edwin hustled to the door, but turned back before exiting. “Rather than go out, you should cook. The apartment kitchen is fully stocked. Use the new spice beside the stove.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Edwin smiled and pulled the door closed behind him.

  Breck smiled at Kami, but the flirtatious warmth he’d shown moments ago had vanished. Had he already been affected? He appeared sort of blank, like maybe he was in a daze. “Kami, why don’t you lock that door?”

  She did as he asked while he flipped through the file Edwin had left. Breck grabbed some papers and shredded them before tossing the file on the desktop. Laughing, at some joke she didn’t get, he rounded the desk and closed the distance between them.

  Kami moved away as he advanced. The idea still seemed crazy, but unless they were very wrong, her perfume could get him killed. Not that she had any clue how much distance that meant she needed to maintain, or how much exposure he could handle.

  She rounded a chair to avoid him. “Breck.”

  “Kami.” He smiled and backed her toward the wall. “Aren’t you glad to see me?”

  “Of course. It’s just not…” She trailed off, afraid Madame had her bugged somehow. It would be better if she wasn’t a likely weapon. If being near him didn’t threaten her own peace of mind. Her heart.

  Shit. When had she fallen for him? “How do you feel?”

  “Great.”

  “What meal did we last eat together?” They were silly questions he may be able to answer even if he was being influenced. He’d shredded what she suspected to be the contract, but she had to at least try to verify his mental clarity.

  “You had chicken tenders just before daring me to sing karaoke, which I still can’t believe I let you manage.”

  That song. That’s when she’d fallen. Who would have suspected a woman could fall in love with a man singing a song by The Monkees? It was insane, but her resolve against him had crumbled in those moments.

  He obliterated the gap between them until only a few inches remained.

  Damn, she hoped he was right about being protected.

  He ran his hands up her arms, closed his eyes and leaned in close. He rubbed his cheek along her neck, trailing kisses in his path.

  Her body heated. Her blood rushed, screaming for her nerves to wake up. He aroused her, but unlike before, he’d erected a wall between them. His moves were calculated, as if he was trying to prove something. But what, and to which one of them?

  “Breck, back off.”

  “I don’t believe I want to.”

  “Stop.” She didn’t mean it, but if he was being controlled he’d be compelled to obey, right? It seemed logical.

  “It’s been a long day. What would you say to a long shower with me?”

  He rubbed his face along her neck. It was like he was trying to prove to himself that he couldn’t be taken out by some perfume. Or that he wasn’t as into her as she’d suspected when they’d gone to his home. Still, she had a job to do that, in her mind, included saving his ass. The faster she got him to the shower the sooner she could wash off the perfume.

  If they were very lucky he wouldn’t have been too affected and could fight off the influence quickly.

  He didn’t act like a man being controlled, but she needed assurances.

  “A shower sounds great.” She slid her hands into his jacket and pushed it over his shoulders while she nudged him toward the bathroom. “Let’s get you naked.”

  After dropping the jacket on the floor, she attacked the tie and buttons of his shirt. Job or not, she was going to enjoy every moment of his company she could. She was going to store up as many untainted memories as possible.

  He freed her from her clothes while she divested him of his. They were naked by the time they made it to the bathroom. She stepped back long enough to turn on the shower.

  Looking back to him, she smiled and ran her gaze up and down the length of him. “You’re magnificent, and I’m going to lather up every inch of you. Then, I’m going to have some fun you’ve stopped me from having so far.”

  “I haven’t heard you complaining.” He stepped into the shower and held out a hand for her. Once she’d joined him, he closed the glass door. “In fact, maybe I want to lather you up.”

  “Go ahead.” It would only mean they’d have the perfume off of her faster.

  She would still have her turn, though. She wasn’t leaving the shower until she’d committed every inch of his body to memory. Until she could feel him against her, in her and in her hand long after they’d gone their separate ways.

  He squirted body wash in his palm and rubbed his hands together. A hint of the intimacy she’d seen in his gaze when he’d been singing burned into her. She stared into his eyes while reaching out to fill her own palm with soap.

  In perfect unison, like when they’d danced, they worked the soap over each other’s bodies. Beginning at the neck, they worked their hands over their shoulders and down. He rubbed his palms over her arms while she eased hers over his and lower. Water and bubbles ran between them, lubricating his skin.

  She stepped closer into the curve of his arms. He lathered her back. She worked her hands over his hips. He groaned and thrust his pelvis forward. As much as she wanted to taste him, she wanted to prolong the pleasure for both of them.

  He cupped her ass. She ached to have him touch her. Moisture ran between her legs that had nothing to do with the shower.

  She cupped his erection in her palms and raised her face to meet his gaze. His pupils flared when she squeezed him lightly and set a rhythm she could easily imagine him setting as he thrust in and out of her.

 
; She bent her knees. Her body moved in time with her hands.

  In and out.

  Advance and retreat.

  Stroke and tease.

  Breck broke her stare when his head dropped back. The muscles in his neck bulged as he groaned his release.

  Chapter Ten

  He put the finishing touches on the baked chicken and grilled vegetables he’d prepared for them. He would have ignored Edwin’s suggestion to cook for her on principle, but he’d gotten a message from Tyler who had been monitoring the video feeds in the office and apartment all day. While he’d been in the labs working on his safeguards for the night, Edwin had placed cameras of his own in the office and apartment.

  When they’d dressed after their shower, he’d pulled his gun from beneath the towels in the bathroom cabinet and slid it into the waist of his slacks beneath the tail of his un-tucked shirt. He missed his side holster. The gun moved too much without it.

  Soon things would return to normal. Whatever was going to happen, it would end tonight. He would solve his case. Kami would have her answers about Channing. Trevor would reclaim his life.

  Breck and Kami would go their separate ways.

  Things would return to the way they belonged. And somehow, some day, he’d learn to stop thinking about the woman who’d gotten him to sing and enjoy it.

  They’d discovered each other through lies. She’d amazed him with her bravery and astounded him with her sexual freedom. She’d unknowingly forced him to view the world a little differently.

  Secrets were a part of his job, but they didn’t have a place in a relationship. Certainly not in the foundation of one. No. As soon as this was over, he and Kami would go their separate ways.

  For now, for tonight, he’d enjoy her company and keep her out of harm’s way. That meant keeping her in the dark on certain details to ensure her reactions were believable.

  While watching the footage in the apartment and office, Tyler had seen Edwin extracting tanghin, a cardiac poison, from the bean of a rare plant that had been delivered after Trevor’s funeral. He’d done some research and discovered the plant’s origins and uses. It was the spice Edwin had suggested he use in their meal.