The Sweet Thief

by Temple Madison

  Cap frowned. “Yeah, I did, didn’t I? Well, looks like this is his show from here on in.”

  “It’s been his show from the minute he walked out that door. Remember?” The senator and Cap looked at each other with knowing glances. “Maybe we weren’t as smart as we thought.”

  Cap looked back up at the screen. “Either that, or he’s a hell of a lot smarter than either one of us.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  When Griff landed on her soft body, she was so willing that he could feel her passionate fire lick upward, enclosing him in its erotic flames. She moved like no woman he’d ever known. The buttons popped off his shirt as she brutally pulled it back and began biting his chest. She moved like an animal, coming up to meet him instead of waiting for him to come to her. Her teeth pulled at his lip sensuously, making the fire inside him leap and jump. His breath became labored and heavy. He brought his mouth down on hers and his tongue teased her, and then drew back.

  She moaned as he tantalized her by running his tongue along her lips. Already, his erection was so hard he felt it was going to burst. Impatiently, Gabrielle reached down, grabbed his cock, and pressed it against her. She began moving its tip up and down along her cleft, causing a raging tide to rise in his groin. He couldn’t wait any longer and plunged himself deep inside her with a strangled gasp. She was so tight, the intense pleasure that engulfed him was almost painful, and he had to tense himself up to keep from coming too soon. Her hips rose up to meet his over and over again. Her smooth, hot sex grabbed him possessively and her firm, silky thighs clenched him. As Griff savagely took her, he was painfully aware that he was being observed, but the deeper he delved into her succulent magic, the less it mattered. Try as he might, Griff couldn’t keep himself from falling under her spell. The more he rode her, the more primitive and savage it became. It made him want to open windows and shout. He wanted velvet curtains to part and the whole world to delight in her, adore her, fuck her. She was a queen, and he was her slave.

  His passionate, guttural voice whispered obscenities in her ear that caused her to buck and jerk. Her nipples hardened to diamonds against his chest and he tasted her wet lips being offered to him over and over again. He reached down and pulled her hips even closer, wanting to literally crawl inside her. The two of them began crashing over the deep dark edge that beckoned Griff down, down, down into the whirlpool of dark desire. He had always been afraid of the abyss, but as the fires of hell licked at him, he couldn’t resist. He heard the moans of lost souls all around him until he realized the cries were his own. Gabrielle began bouncing wildly as she neared her peak. The feel of her uninhibited movements caused Griff to rock dangerously on the edge, but still he clung.

  She lured him with her lips, her body, her words, and he felt himself slipping. She pulled him closer with her irresistible acts of lust and debauchery, and it became harder and harder. When her moans became savage, and she turned from woman to animal, Griff knew he was coming dangerously close to slipping out of control. And then she emitted a blood-curdling scream and her movements became brutal. It was then he fell, his heavy body twitching around wildly. Control had been yanked from him, and as he continued, he only knew that the flames in his groin had to be quenched. In the midst of his deep, guttural moans, he thrashed about plunging in and out and saw the devil himself laughing wildly and cracking a whip as he cruelly egged Griff on. Excitement of the moment rose in him, and he couldn’t help himself. He relentlessly rocked himself back and forth until his seed spilled out inside her.

  The deep release tore at his soul.

  “Oh, god, Griff, it’s so hot it’s burn—” But before she got the words out, her face contorted and her body began to quake with the convulsions of multiple orgasms, one after the other. Finally she exhaled a sigh and lay limp in his arms.

  * * * *

  Cap turned to the senator. “Well that rips it. What—” When Cap saw the senator’s face, he stopped. “Orval... what’s the matter?”

  The senator looked pale when he turned to Cap. His mouth moved, but no speech came out.

  Cap realized that he’d just seen his son-in-law make love to another woman.

  “My god, Cap,” the senator whispered. “Did you see what just went on in that room? He’s an animal, for god’s sake. Is this what my daughter goes through every time he makes love to her?”

  “Oh, hell, Orval, you ought to know better than that.” Cap motioned toward the monitor with his hand. “When a man is with a woman like that, he’s not himself.”

  The senator remained silent, concern creasing his brow.

  Looking at the senator’s face, compassion for his old friend washed over him. The vigorous man he knew suddenly looked old and tired, and he draped his arm around his shoulders. “Think back to Shanghai,” he whispered confidentially. “Were you always the perfect gentleman with those oriental beauties? Didn’t you get a little rough now and then? I’ll bet you didn’t treat them the same way you did your wife.”

  The senator shrugged.

  “Don’t you see? Gentleness and foreplay... those things take place where there’s love, when you want to enjoy the one you’re with. When Griff and Lorelei weren’t battling, did you ever see anything in her eyes but love?”

  “Well... no... I guess not.”

  “Did she ever say anything that would make you believe he was hurting her or treating her bad?”

  “No.” The senator looked embarrassed, a tiny smile tugging at his lips. “As a matter of fact, she complained if he didn’t touch her.”

  “Well, there you are. All I can say is whatever the hell he does to her, she must like it.” He turned again to the monitor. “With a little whore like this, a man’s dark side comes out, it’s bound to. Hell, Orval, what’s the point in cheatin’ if you can get the same thing at home?”

  “Okay, I’m convinced, but how the hell are we gonna show this tape to anyone, especially Lorelei? When this thing breaks, the whole damned world is gonna see it. I just can’t let—”

  “The guys will edit the tape,” Cap said.

  “Sure,” the technician said as he looked around. “There’s no problem. We’ll just do an editing job, that’s all.”

  “But won’t it leave a gap... a hole?” the senator asked, looking from one to the other.

  “Not the way we do it... it’ll be smooth as silk. No one will know.”

  The senator looked hopeful. “Thank god.”

  “Sure, no problem. We can cut it up any way you want, and just use the parts that are important.” The technician shrugged. “It’s done all the time.”

  “Well, problem solved,” Cap said. “So, I guess this...” Cap’s words died in his throat when he saw the senator’s face. “What’s the matter now?”

  “Nothing... nothing at all,” the senator said, putting a smile on his face.

  Cap saw the way the senator’s pain-filled eyes slid back up to the screen. He could tell the old man cared about Griff. As much as he hated to admit it, he loved him, and it was hard to see him with someone other than his daughter. Cap reached over and nudged the senator on the shoulder playfully, trying to lighten the moment. “You know, that Fancy Dan of yours is an all right guy. You watch and see. He’ll come out of this smellin’ like a rose. Yeah.” Cap sat back in his chair and eyed the monitor. “It happens with guys like him. Everything goes their way. Handsome as all get out, a beautiful wife, a kid on the way.” He looked back over at the senator and smiled. “And to top it all off, he’s the friggin’ president. With all that goin’ for him, he’ll probably whip my sorry ass tomorrow morning. Talk about luck.”

  The senator’s gaze leaped quickly toward Cap. “Surely you’re not going through with that.”

  “Naw. But I’ll have to be there because he’ll show up. Yeah, that Fancy Dan of yours ain’t no coward. He don’t have to be. All the cards are stacked in his favor.” Cap softened his voice, and he smiled a sad smile. “Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s great.” He rea
ched up and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “It just makes an ugly old sea dog like me wonder every now and then.” Movement on the screen caught their attention, and their eyes fixated to the monitors again.

  * * * *

  Griff was lying very still. He felt Gabrielle begin scooting carefully along the bed, as if she was afraid of waking him. When she got up and moved away, she slipped a robe on and went to the phone.

  Griff saw her through a slit in his eyes. He followed her every movement and watched as she slowly picked up the phone and punched in a number. Suddenly, the person on the other end clearly had her attention. “He’s out,” she whispered.

  Griff closed his eyes when she turned and looked back at him.

  “Yes. Okay,” she said softly to the disembodied voice, then slowly lowered the receiver back into the cradle. She looked over at him before she walked back and sat down on the bed. Griff felt her hands on him. She was looking in his pockets, even in the lining of his jacket. As she searched him, Griff heard the door open gently. He barely opened his eyes and saw the two men that were there earlier. They both had on jeans, denim jackets, and boots, and when they parted, a third one walked in behind them. It was the reporter the senator had fired from the Post—Sidney Wilde.

  “It’s been two goddamned hours. What the hell were you doin’ in here besides fuckin’ the guy’s brains out?”

  “Nothing except...”

  He waited for her to finish. “Except what?”

  “We talked, that’s all. It was nothing... just a bunch of threats.”

  “Talk, bitch!”

  “He said this was our last meeting, and if I bothered him again... he’d... take care of me... go to the police.”

  “All right, that’s it. Tonight’s the night. What else did he say?”

  “Nothing important. It was just talk.”

  Sidney frowned at her. “About what?”

  “Dating... I don’t know.”

  “Dating?”

  “He was drunk. He didn’t make any sense. He probably won’t even remember any of it.”

  “Well, it don’t matter. What’s he got on him? Any weapons?”

  “Nothing.”

  “All right. Let’s shoot him up, see what he has to say, then get him out of here.”

  “Where are you taking him?”

  “What the hell do you care?”

  “I want to know, Sidney.”

  “I’m gonna find a nice little place to bump the creep off.”

  “Kill him?”

  “Yeah, so what?”

  “But he’s the president. You’ll be killing the president!”

  “He’s a loose end, Gabrielle, and after a job, I like to tie up loose ends. Understand?”

  “No, I don’t, you sleaze bag.”

  Griff saw him reach over, grab the back of her head, and get a handful of hair. “Hey, baby, don’t let the way you feel about this guy get in the way. Besides, he threatened you.”

  “Only if I keep bothering him. We can just walk away... leave the country with what we have. We don’t have to kill him.”

  “It ain’t that simple, sweetheart. He knows something. That’s why he was tellin’ you to lay off. Hey, I’m a reporter, I know these things, and I know Griff Nyle. If he’s threatening to go to the police, it’s probably because of what he knows, and that’s the last thing we want.”

  “I tell you, he didn’t know what he was saying. He was drunk.”

  “We can’t take that chance. If he don’t know, then he’s sure as hell suspicious, and that’s all it takes. He’ll start diggin’ around and find out everything. Well, I ain’t gonna let that happen. I’m gonna end it all here... tonight.”

  She grabbed his arm. “No, Sidney, please.”

  He jerked his arm out of her grasp. “Too late, baby, I’m...” He paused. “Why in hell am I tellin’ a little tramp like you anything?” He punched himself in the chest. “I make the decisions here, and it’s your job to do what I tell you. Now go get a goddamned blanket while Doc shoots the bastard up.”

  Gabrielle hesitated.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Sidney yelled at her. “Get going. Now!”

  “Why shoot him up again? Don’t we have enough information?”

  He pushed her toward the door. “Don’t ask dumb questions—just do it.”

  Sidney looked over at Griff while talking to the other two. “My god, this is a sweet deal. All this stupid bubblehead knows about is Gabrielle, so she’s the one who’ll take the heat. Know what that means? It means we get away clean and that’s the end of it.”

  “Where are the tapes?”

  Sidney slid his gaze over to Harley. “Just don’t worry about those tapes. They’re in a safe place. How about this one? Is the tape in yet?”

  “Yeah. All I have to do is punch the Record button.”

  “Where’s the needle, Doc? You got the truth serum in it yet?”

  “Not yet. Won’t take but a minute.”

  * * * *

  “My god, he was shot up with sodium pentothal? Wait’ll I get my hands on that dirty bum,” the senator shouted.

  “Calm down, Orval. All it does is loosen your tongue a little.”

  “But mixed with alcohol... isn’t that dangerous?”

  Cap shrugged. “I suppose so, but it doesn’t seem to have done our Fancy Dan any harm.”

  “I’m worried, Cap. He’s bound to have said something.”

  “Orval, so he talks. It don’t mean he’s tellin’ the truth. It’s a proven fact that even though this stuff loosens your tongue, you’re still the same damned liar you were before. Besides, our Fancy Dan is a smart cookie. He ain’t gonna give away government secrets. I’d bet on it. Now stay quiet. We’ve gotta hear the rest of this.”

  When they heard voices, they looked back up at the screen.

  * * * *

  “Come on,” Sidney said as he picked up the blanket and threw it at Harley. “Let’s get goin’ on this. Doc, fill up the needle, and, Harley, stand by to wrap him up good and tight after the doc sticks him and he spills his guts.”

  Still watching them, Griff saw them slowly drift together into a little group watching as Doc filled up the needle.

  “Thanks to you, Doc,” Sidney said as the liquid climbed up the clear plastic past the little lines. “We’ve got information that’ll blow this country sky high if we ever get it into the right hands.” He looked from one to the other. “And you know what? We can live any friggin’ place in the world we want. To hell with this country and everybody in it. What’s it ever done for me but hustle me from one bad situation to the next?” He looked over at Griff lying limp and lifeless on the bed. “I’ll teach that bastard to get me fired. He thinks just because he’s the goddamned president he owns the world. Well...” He looked at Harley and the doc and laughed. “Ain’t he gonna be disappointed when he wakes up dead?” He turned toward Gabrielle with an evil smile tugging at his lips. “You was really hooked on the guy, wasn’t you?” Sliding his eyes back over at Griff, he continued. “Well, I ain’t surprised. All the women love him. Can’t say that I blame them. He’s a babe, all right.”

  While their backs were turned, Griff knew it was now or never. He watched to make sure they didn’t see him, then slowly began moving. He sat up gently, trying hard to shift around without the rusty bedsprings making a sound. With careful movements, he rose from the bed and quickly but silently slipped into a dark corner. Once there, he leaned over and pulled a gun out of his ankle holster. He waited until he saw the group break up, and with the needle poised, make their way back to the body only to find the bed empty.

  “What in...” Sidney said, lifting his eyes and glancing around.

  Slowly Griff emerged from the dark corner, holding a gun on him. “Hello, Sidney,” he said softly.

  Sidney whirled around, saw the gun, and lifted both hands. “Well, I guess you put one over on us, didn’t you, big guy?”

  “It wasn’t hard. Like taking candy
from a baby, really. I just had to picture myself in the same room with the Three Stooges.”

  “You told me he didn’t have any weapons,” he said to Gabrielle.

  “She looked everywhere but down around my ankles. You see, the ankles are not in the erogenous zone, so sweet little Gabrielle didn’t go there, if you know what I mean. Mighty fine little whore you’ve got there. Knows how to give a man a good time, but when it comes to matters of anything other than sex and hocus-pocus, I’m afraid she’s useless.”

  “You bastard! Don’t you have enough sense to know you’re dead in the water? I’ve got it all on tape. And if that’s not enough, I got pictures. Pictures that’ll bury you.”

  “Fine. Get a scrapbook and we can all enjoy them.”

  Sidney sputtered. “Ain’t you even worried? I got the goods on you, Nyle. We fed you truth serum and you spilled your guts.”

  “Lies, Sidney. All truth serum does is make you want to talk. I swore an oath when I took office, and that vow is stronger than any truth serum you or your little witch here can come up with.”

  “How can that be? You were tanked up on...” Sidney’s words faded as he frowned. “Hey, why ain’t you fallin’ down drunk?”

  “I brought my own.”

  “What, that gin bottle?”

  “Pure water. You see, I got a little suspicious when I realized I was under the table on two drinks.”

  Angry, Sidney slid his eyes over to Gabrielle. “You bitch! You ain’t got the sense god gave a flea. I ought to kill you. If this falls through, there ain’t no one to blame but you.”

  “That’s right, Sidney. Blame everyone but yourself. The fact is, the little lady couldn’t get me on top of her until I was out of my head. That’s why she did it. Well, I’ll say goodbye now, since I’m going to be busy putting your ass in prison.”

  “Yeah? Only if you leave this room alive.”