by A. C. Grey
Looking up at Lucy with a bemused, evil expression on her face, Meg placed a finger to her lips, indicating the need to be quiet. "Please what?" she whispered, loving the look of sheer pleasure on Lucy's face. She was clearly just as worked up as Meg. Meg's own center was throbbing in time with her heart beat, completely ablaze at the thought of torturing this woman in the best possible way.
"Please . . . don't stop.” Lucy managed between heavy breaths, her eyes closed and her lips parted.
"I wasn't planning on it, babe.” Meg said quietly. She dipped her head, intent on picking up where she left off, when there was another knock on the door.
"For the love of God!" Lucy said, perhaps a little too loudly, as Meg rolled off of her and grabbed a towel. Lucy slipped beneath the covers, the cool sheets a poor replacement for the hot, sexy warmth of Meg's skin.
Meg chuckled at Lucy's frustration, but she felt it too. Did these people have no respect for privacy or the need for sleep? It was late. Re-wrapping the towel around her, she answered the door. It was a young man in a bellhop uniform.
"Hello. My name is Ted. Paolo has asked me to give you this. He wheeled in a luggage cart that contained what looked to be a bunch of clothes, as well as things like toothbrushes, makeup, and other toiletries. "He noticed that you did not have luggage when you arrived and figured you'd be in need of some clothes and other essentials. He guessed your ladies' sizes. He rather has a knack for that. However, if he's wrong, please dial 0 on the phone and let me know and we'll have replacements brought. Also, Paolo asked me to give you this.” Ted handed Meg a handwritten note. Meg took it, thanked Ted, and let him leave.
Lucy got up and strode naked towards the cart. Meg struggled to focus on the cart and not the naked distraction beside her. As much as she wanted to continue what they'd just started, she needed to see what Paolo wanted first. She read the note.
Meg,
I know that it is late, but if it's not too much of an imposition, I'd like to ask you to join me for a quick drink in the bar downstairs before bed. I promise not to keep you long, but I found you so charming upon our initial acquaintance that I'm eager to get to know you better. I apologize, but Ms. Lucy's escort, Roberto, is indisposed this evening, but I am sure that he will be eager to meet her tomorrow.
Very Truly Yours,
Paolo
"Indisposed,” Lucy began. "More like in the grave.”
Meg chuckled lightly. "Shh . . . we wouldn't want to offend our hosts.”
"Right.” Lucy said, her fingers flitting over the gorgeous designer clothes Paolo had sent them. Both women were surprised and slightly creeped out by the fact that Paolo had in fact picked the exact correct sizes for both of them, right down to the bra size.
"So what are you going to do?" Lucy said, eying Meg cautiously.
"I'm going to meet him. Don't really have a choice. I can't give up any opportunity to . . . uh . . . get to know our host better.”
"Right.” Lucy said again. Even though she knew Meg was right, she'd hoped somehow that Meg would decline. Because right now, even though the mission mattered to her a great deal, it was hard to get past the need throbbing between her legs. If she thought that they could save the Seal and disarm any weapon that night, it would be one thing. But she knew this was going to take time. And surely a few hours delay couldn't hurt. "Are you sure?" she let herself ask.
Meg smiled. "I know. I got you all worked up and now I'm leaving you. But it's for the best. We've got to remember the goal.” Meg said quietly, knowing that Lucy knew what their true goal was, but that anyone eavesdropping would assume they were just in the market for a rich sugar daddy.
Lucy nodded and sighed. She headed back to the bed and watched as Meg dressed herself in a gorgeous, black, off-the-shoulder dress before heading to the bathroom to do her hair and makeup.
Before heading out the door, Meg came back to the bed and leaned over, giving Lucy a lingering kiss. She said nothing, but it was a silent promise of things to come.
"Be careful,” Lucy whispered as Meg headed out the door.
After Meg left, Lucy tried to sleep. She tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable. Even though they'd never shared a bed, the bed felt empty without Meg. It was as if Meg had taken a piece of Lucy with her and she felt incomplete and lonely without the woman beside her.
Frustrated, Lucy threw an arm across her forehead as she stared up at the ceiling. She struggled to settle her mind. She was so used to being active, to being useful, to being a key part of the team. Right now, she was frustrated, she was alone, she felt helpless. She needed to do something. But what could she do? She knew that she should stay put, that Meg would most likely be back soon. After all, Paolo had promised not to keep her long. But the thought of that creepy old man trying to seduce her woman . . . wait . . . Meg was by no means her woman. She had no right to feel jealous. Or did she?
In any event, she felt antsy. She felt so helpless. Needed desperately to do something, anything, to get her mind off things. And if it helped the mission, even better. But at the same time, she knew that leaving the room without an invitation at this hour, was very risky. If she were caught, it could somehow compromise the mission. And even through her jealous, lusty haze, Lucy knew that couldn't happen. She couldn't mess up the mission because of her own selfish needs.
Chapter Ten
Frustrated, Lucy threw back the sheets and began pacing. The bed, with its sudden emptiness, provided her no comfort or solace. She and Meg, after all of the teasing, all of the denial, all of the tension, had finally succumbed. They had been so, so close to finally letting the undeniable need for one another take over. And from the brief contact they'd had, Lucy knew that the end result would be unlike anything she'd ever known. But no. Damn interruption after interruption. First Pete and then that damned invite from Paolo. Didn't they know that she and Meg were otherwise occupied?
Lucy sighed as she continued to pace, naked, across the room. She chastised herself. She had no real right to be upset that Meg had been taken from her right as they were about to finally act upon their mutual attraction. She was not here to get lucky. Neither was Meg. If that happened, when there was nothing else to do, fine. A nice, okay, an amazing bonus. But her primary focus, as well as Meg's, had to be making sure this mission succeeded. Lucy felt deep pangs of self-loathing. Somehow, blinded by the overwhelming lust for Meg, she'd lost sight of what was really important. If this mission failed because she'd been too focused on getting laid, she'd never, ever forgive herself. Sexual conquests would come and go. Saving his life, saving the lives of potentially hundreds or thousands of people. That mattered.
Lucy knew what she had to do. Despite the fact that her body seemed to thrive only on the looks, touches, smiles of Meg Murphy, Lucy knew that she had to quit her. Cold turkey. No more. If, after this mission succeeded, they both decided to pursue a relationship . . . okay that was jumping to conclusions. Relationships were serious business and Lucy wasn't sure that she or Meg were ready for that. They'd barely kissed. Barely knew each other. Why in the hell would her mind go there? If, she corrected, they both chose to pursue a romantic tryst after the mission was over, so be it. But in the mean time, Lucy knew that their focus had to be on saving lives, not on hot, sweaty, blissful, delicious, mindblowing . . . okay, she was getting sidetracked again. The focus should not be on sex. She shook her head, as if to rid it of any dirty thoughts.
Lucy knew that she had to do this. Obviously, Meg's head was at least a bit clearer than hers – after all she'd managed to pry herself away to go see Paolo. But Lucy knew that she couldn't be a distraction. That Meg was good at her job, but she'd be even better if there was nothing else to focus on but the job. So that was it. No more flirting. No more kissing. And definitely no more dirtiness.
Resolved, she found a pair of pajamas amongst the clothes Paolo had send and slipped them on. Sliding back into bed, she turned on the TV, determined to find something to distract her from the nagging thoughts o
f Meg and her warm, smooth skin. Her soft lips. Her soulful dark eyes. Her smile. The way her body felt pressed against . . . Lucy sighed. This new plan was not going well.
* * * * *
Meg smoothed out her dress, her hair, whatever, as she fidgeted anxiously, waiting for Paolo to meet her at the bar. She wasn't nervous. She ate men like Paolo for breakfast. The consummate professional. She was completely experienced and at ease in situations like this. Able to keep her cool under much more stressful, dangerous situations than the one she currently found herself in. Yet somehow, tonight, she couldn't make herself relax and relaxation was key. Not to the point where she lost all focus, where she lost sight of the end goal. But enough to lull her enemies into a false sense of security. If there was one thing that raised suspicions more than anything, it was acting nervous or uneasy. So she focused on her breathing, slowly metering the breaths as they went in and out. Calmed her nerves, forbade herself to dwell on what was really unnerving her – the fact that she'd left a very hot, very naked Lucy in bed – their passionate tango stopped in mid-dance. But she couldn't focus on that. This mission would not be compromised because she'd gotten figurative blue balls . . . you know . . . not having balls to begin with.
As she saw Paolo approach, Meg offered him her biggest smile, pushing all thoughts of Lucy the strange and wonderful things she did to her body, to her mind, aside. There would be plenty of time for reflection on that at another, more suitable time.
As she sat beside her, Paolo took her hand and kissed it gently. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Meg.”
Yes, Meg mused. This guy, despite his age, knew how to bring on the charm. "It's nice to see you again too, Paolo.” She smiled again and did her best to train her attention on him, despite intermittent invasions of thoughts of a certain raven-haired beauty. It wasn't an easy task to accomplish – focusing on Paolo – especially given the throbbing wetness between her legs that hadn't yet gone away. If anything, the pangs had become more insistent since her tryst had been interrupted.
"So you go by Meg. Is it short for something?" Paolo asked.
"Margaret.” Meg said. "But only my father calls me that.”
Paolo nodded. "Speaking of your father. Tell me about your family, where you grew up.”
Meg told him a prepared, fake backstory that she used on most of her missions. That her parents were teachers, retired and living in Oregon. That she had no siblings. That she'd been married once, but that her husband had left her for another woman.
Paolo took in her story with apparent interest. "So what brings you to our lovely country, Meg?"
Meg bristled at his use of her proper name. Somehow, it sounded so possessive, so dirty, so wrong, coming from him. But she hid her distaste as best she could and he hadn't seemed to notice. "I inherited a bit of money from a relative. After my divorce, I needed some time to clear my head. So I'm traveling. Seeing the world.”
The answer seemed to appease him. "And your friend?" he asked.
"Actually, we just met at the hotel about a week ago. There aren’t many people from our country here, and we were both kind of bored. You know. We befriended each other. Out of boredom and loneliness.” She smiled to herself, realizing that the last part was true. She hadn't known she'd needed someone in her life, sometime to fill her thoughts, maybe even her heart, until she'd met Lucy. Still, it was likely nothing more than overblown curiosity. You always want something more until you've got it. Meg was sure that once they got the sex out of the way, not that it wouldn't be fantastic, she'd crave Lucy less. She'd have a clearer head.
"Ah. I see. And how did Pete convince you to come here? I must admit he's been having a little trouble finding suitable company for me and my friends lately,” Paolo said, studying her with a keen curiosity that unnerved her just a bit.
Meg wavered. Did she tell him that she had a thing for older men? Play the innocent? Somewhere in between? Finally deciding that the last thing she wanted to do was encourage his advances, despite her earlier flirting, she spoke. She leaned in with a slightly bashful look on her face, slipping a hand onto his arm. "Actually . . . this is kind of embarrassing. I have a confession to make. Honestly, Lucy and I didn't know exactly what we were getting into. We were just so bored and we'd heard so many awesome things about your club. So when Pete offered to show us the place, we said yes. We had no idea that we'd be invited to stay. Or what you might expect of us.” Meg, feigning embarrassment, looked down at her hands, hoping Paolo would take pity on her. It worked like a charm.
"Relax, my dear. You are a guest here. My friends and I, well, as you might have noticed, some of us are getting up there in age. And we still like to feel interesting and charming, to the ladies. We don't expect anything of you and your friend beyond the pleasure of your company at times. Join us for dinner, for drinks, that sort of thing. We won't ask of you anything you wouldn't feel comfortable doing.”
Meg let out a sigh of relief, which was only partially faked. She had absolutely no desire to be the sex toy of some slimy rich old man. "Thank you for letting me know.” She smiled, knowing now was the time to put him at ease. "And trust me, Paolo, you have nothing to worry about. I do find you charming and interesting.”
Paolo chuckled lightly. "Thank you, Margaret.”
The hairs stood up on the back of Meg's neck as he used her full name, but she simply kept smiling.
"As I was saying. You and Lucy should feel free to make full use of the club. We've got a full set of amenties and activities. My friends and I are generally occupied with business interests during the day, so you'll be left to entertain yourselves, I'm afraid.”
Business interests . . . more like terrorist activities, Meg thought. "I'm sure we'll manage.” she said playfully, doing her best to cover up her disgust.
"And if there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask. I guessed that Pete hadn't told you that you might be invited to stay, given that you arrived with no luggage. I hope that the items I had sent to your room are suitable.” He glanced at the dress she was wearing, his eyes lingering at her breasts a little longer than Meg would have liked. If she weren't on an important mission, this guy would have gotten a swift kick to the groin for that. Funny how different her reaction was when Lucy's eyes were the ones straying.
She swallowed her disdain and pretended not to notice. "Yes, they are great. Though there are a few personal items I wish I had.”
"That's not a problem. I can send someone to the hotel to retrieve your things,” Paolo said.
Meg had a moment of panic. Anyone packing up her things might suspect that she was up to something more than just a vacation. Sure, her files were safely hidden in a false compartment in her suitcase and her computer was equipped with top notch encryption, but she had no idea what else incriminating might be lying around or how careful Lucy had been with her own room. Meg batted her eyelashes and did her best to charm Paolo. "Would it be too much trouble if Lucy and I went back ourselves to get our things? I know it's silly, but I'm really quite compulsive about how I pack. I have this organization system and hate when things get wrinkled.”
Paolo seemed a little surprised, but he didn't balk at the question. "Certainly, Margaret. Anything to make you feel more comfortable.”
"Thank you so much. I know it sounds crazy.” She shot him a mega watt smile.
"Not at all. I'll arrange for a transport for you and your friend first thing tomorrow.”
"Great.”
"Well, I feel as though I've kept you up late enough as it is. Allow me to escort you to your room.” He stood, offering her his arm.
"That would be wonderful. I am tired. It's been a long day.” She linked her arm through his and let him lead her to her room.
* * * * *
Lucy tried to focus on a re-run of some old sitcom on the TV. Tried to focus on sleeping, on the mission, on anything beyond Meg Murphy and her addictive qualities. Frustrated, Lucy threw the sheets over her head. However, she quickly threw them
off again in exasperation. Even the sheets smelled like Meg. She'd been on the bed for, what, maybe 10 minutes? And yet there she was, Meg, worming her way back into Lucy's head. This quitting Meg cold turkey thing was going to be difficult. Especially considering how hot and bothered she still was. In her head, Lucy knew that she needed to take a step back. She'd always prided herself on being a logical, rational person. One who didn't let her emotions and her hormones lead the way. Even so, she felt utterly trapped, utterly frustrated by her infatuation with the woman.
She wondered . . . perhaps if she relieved some of the tension that had been building over the last week, maybe then she'd be able to focus.
Lucy let her hand creep beneath the sheets, trailing slowly across her breasts, down her abdomen. She hesitated for a moment before dipping her hand beneath the waistband of her shorts. She let out a quiet sigh and closed her eyes as she slowly began to slide her fingers against her folds. Yes, Meg had certainly worked her up. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this wet, this hot, this sensitive. Too bad Meg wasn't here to finish what she started, Lucy mused. But it was probably for the best. Take some of the edge off herself, then maybe Meg wouldn't be quite such a distraction.
