She opened her eyes and saw Mitch’s smoky gray gaze staring back at her. His lips were curled up at the corners. She could feel his hard-on beneath her.
For a moment, everything was pure bliss…and then she suddenly came to her senses. She’d just had the most amazing orgasm of her life while she was half naked on top of a yacht, out where anyone could see her. “Oh, my God.” Heat flooded her face. “I’m sorry. I—”
“I’m not. That was the sexiest thing I have ever seen. You’re amazing.” Mitch tipped his head up to kiss her, but she turned her head away.
“I’ve never done that before.”
He cocked an eyebrow, but his mouth still had that maddening curve to it.
“I meant out in the open like this,” she said as she adjusted her bikini top. When she shifted her weight to move off him, she rubbed against his hard-on again. “Oh.” Her cheeks got hot. “I didn’t realize. I mean I should have…”
“You’re fine. I didn’t have a condom.” He smiled, and his eyes got that smoky look again. “It just means that I’m going to enjoy next time all the more.”
“Next time,” she breathed out. There couldn’t be a next time. What the hell had she been thinking? That was easy—she hadn’t been thinking. At least not with her head. This man was sex walking. She couldn’t be around him without wanting to screw his brains out. She could still feel his fingers inside her. Bloody hell.
She tried to hop off his lap, but he grabbed her hips. “Hey, why are you in such a hurry all of a sudden? Relax.”
“I think it’s time I got moving.” She tugged, and he let go. She hopped up and adjusted her bikini bottoms. Then she grabbed her cover up and pulled it on.
He frowned at her. “Are you embarrassed?”
“Seriously? Is that even a question?” The heat was back in her face. Mortified was a better word. She quickly started gathering up the food and dirty plates. The sooner she got out off the yacht, the better.
“Hey,” he called softly. She ignored him and kept cleaning up. “Hey,” he said again and grabbed her arm. “Stop.” She kept moving, trying to shake off his hand.
“Enough,” he insisted. “I have no idea what’s going on, but a few minutes ago we were having a great time. You—”
“Stop, please.” She put up her hand. The last thing she needed was to hear what he thought of her. She was all about having sex when she wanted it, but she had never done it with such abandon, such disregard for her own safety. She was on a job and she, she…let herself relax. She let herself be normal because he had listened when she spoke. He actually seemed to care what happened to her. It was all so…enticing. Hell, she’d even told him the truth about her childhood. But she wasn’t normal. He was the mark, and she was on a job. She had screwed up big-time.
“Listen to me,” he said, his voice sharp. “We’re consenting adults. There’s no shame in us enjoying each other. Maybe you made yourself a little vulnerable, but that’s what’s supposed to happen during sex.”
“Not to me,” she said through clenched teeth. “Look, I’ve got to go.” She finally escaped his grip off and stood up, turning toward the stairs.
“Alex—”
She froze. She couldn’t breathe. Had he said her name? Her real name? She whirled around to face him, and she saw the truth of it written all over his face. He knew who she was. All the conversations they’d had ran through her brain. All the layered meanings. “How long?” she whispered. “How long have you known?”
“I…I knew you were the woman from the balcony in Venice when you came on the yacht the first time. But Alex, I didn’t—”
“From the beginning then. You were setting me up from the very beginning.” Horror raced through her body as she realized how badly she’d been played. She was an even bigger fool than she could have ever imagined. “Congratulations, well done,” she said in a strangled voice and then whirled around and ran down the steps.
She could hear him coming down behind her, calling her name, but she didn’t want to hear it. Didn’t want to see him. She needed an out and fast. Instead of going down the next set of steps to the wharf, she went to the stern of the yacht and dove into the water. Down, down, down she went. She knew the water was murky so Mitch could no longer see her. She only prayed he didn’t jump in after her. She swam for all she was worth across the U shaped berth, saying a silent prayer of thanks to her best friend Lacy for making her join the swim team all those years ago at boarding school.
She surfaced cautiously on the far side of the dock, across the water from Drake’s yacht, and watched as Mitch walked along the side of the vessel, scanning the water. She dipped below the surface again, swam under the jetty and came out on the other side. The water was cold, and she was shivering, but the humiliation that burned in her cheeks and her stomach kept her plenty warm.
All this time she’d thought she was the smart one, she was the master manipulator, but no. She was the puppet. Well, no more. She made a solemn vow. She was going to get that car tomorrow and she was going to do it in grand style. Mitch Callahan’s reputation would be in tatters by the time she was through with him.
Chapter Twenty
Mitch cursed for the hundredth time. “Can someone please go check and see what the hell Dan is doing? I can’t reach him on his earbud. He keeps wandering in and out of camera range. He’s supposed to stand still and monitor the one blind spot. Why am I seeing him where he isn’t supposed to be? We’ve got an hour ’til the party starts, and he’s moving around.”
“On it,” Jake called to him and walked out of the dining room.
Mitch, finding his office too small to manage the new security monitoring equipment he had installed for the party, had converted the dining room into his command center. It gave him more space to set up extra monitors and more room for his men to congregate while discussing last-minute changes to the security for the day. He’d also brought in a mini fridge full of water and soda as well as a coffee maker and snacks. It was going to be a long day.
He knew deep in his bones that Alex was going to try to steal the prototype at the party. He’d spent a sleepless night trying to figure out how she was going to do it. The look she’d given him when he’d slipped and said her real name would haunt him forever. Horror and then hatred. She thought he had seduced and then humiliated her on purpose. He knew it, and it made him sick to his stomach. He hadn’t been able to eat for the last twenty-four hours.
He’d wanted to explain that he’d never met anyone like her before. He was so taken with her he couldn’t help himself. He never should have touched her. He hadn’t planned on it. It just happened. He couldn’t blame her for running. She probably thought he was going to turn her in. Deep in his heart of hearts, though, he wasn’t sure if it was panic that had made her run. Or fear? Resentment? Whatever it was, she’d been so desperate to get away from him that she’d risked her own life to do it. He shook his head, as if that would clear the memory of her face from his mind.
“You don’t?” one of his team, Gunnar, said.
“Sorry, what Gunnar?”
“I asked if you wanted me to do a final door and window check yet?”
“No. Not yet. I have to talk to Drake, and then we’ll do it together.”
Gunnar nodded. “Roger that.”
Mitch left the makeshift war room and walked down the hall to Drake’s office. The door was open, but when Mitch stepped in, his boss wasn’t there. Before Mitch could go off in search of his employer, Drake walked into the room.
“Are we set to go?” he asked as he crossed over to his desk.
“Almost.”
Drake sat down and pointed to the chair behind Mitch. Mitch sat down and said, “We’ve arranged everything, so it should go like clockwork. I don’t imagine anything will happen until after nightfall.”
Drake leaned back in his chair. His hand adjusted the collar of his navy polo shirt. “You’re sure it’s going to happen today?”
“Yes, she’s he
re. She’s moving forward with her plan.” Mitch ground his teeth. He wished he could have caught her yesterday. They could have talked. He could have made her see reason. Now she was going to get caught. By him. And there was nothing he could do to mitigate the damage. Drake was out for blood. Mitch’s gut churned. He didn’t want to hurt her any more than he already had.
Drake narrowed his eyes. “You don’t seem pleased by this.”
“I just want this to end. Allowing someone to breach my security doesn’t make me comfortable.”
“I understand your objections, but I think it’s the easiest way for me to find out who Tolliver is working for. We catch her in the act and use her to get more information. She’s bound to know something. You’ve assured me time and again that your security setup is second to none, so there shouldn’t be a problem.”
Mitch bristled. “My security setup is second to none when I’m allowed to put all of it online, but you’re tying one hand behind my back by allowing her to break in. The system works best when it’s keeping people out, not when it’s catching people on the inside.”
“I’m sure you will make it work.” There was no doubt that Drake was threatening him.
“It will work. You can count on it.” Mitch stood up. “I’ll let you know when we’re all set.”
Drake nodded, and Mitch turned and walked out of the room. This plan of Drake’s was killing him. He’d called his brothers, and they both agreed it was asinine, but the three of them had also concluded there was no way to change Drake’s mind.
Gage and Logan were working on tracking down Tolliver’s movements. They had boots on the ground trying to find him as well as people trying to find any kind of electronic trail, like credit cards, cell phones, but so far nothing. Mitch was left here working the Alex end. “Shit,” he mumbled as he rolled into the war room. Just a couple more days, and Drake would be out of his hair. Tuesday could not come soon enough.
Alex scratched her head. Her curly red-haired wig was the itchiest by far, but it was also the most distracting. People never remembered her face after seeing the mass of curly, orangey red hair.
“Here you go.” Tony handed her a set of keys. “Park this one on the side of the drive, in front of the Porsche.”
“Sure,” she said with a smile. She walked around the Mercedes and slid into the driver’s seat. She moved the seat up slightly and then set off to park the vehicle as directed. A yawn escaped her. Her brown contacts were sticking to her eyes a bit, and she was flat-out exhausted. It had taken her all night to work out a new plan and put it into action. She’d been paranoid that if Mitch knew who she was, he also must know her game plans, all of them, so she’d come up with a new one. Luck had more to do with it than she wanted to admit.
She heard Mitch’s voice on the walkie-talkie of a security guy walking by. Her cheeks flamed with humiliation at the thought of what happened. She had been so sure, positive in fact, that she’d had everything under control, but her cover had been blown the whole time. Her stomach rolled when an image of Mitch finger fucking her surfaced in her mind. Focus. Today was the day, and then she could put this sorry town and that asshole completely behind her.
She jogged back to the valet stand at the front steps of Drake’s estate. One of the other valets, Pete, was already driving away in an Audi. Tony stood waiting for the next person to arrive. The quick glance he gave her seemed nervous. “Don’t worry,” she said with a seductive smile, “you’re not going to get in trouble. You just need to help me keep Pete from blocking the garages, and you’ll get all of the tips.”
He gave her another quick glance and shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever.”
Pete came jogging up. “We’re running out of space down there. Should we start parking some in front of the garages?”
“Uh, no.” Tony shook his head. “What if Drake wants to show off one of his cars or something? Then we’d have to move everything. Better keep them clear.”
“Oh, right. That happened at the Mason place last weekend. The jerk son decided he needed to take his Lamborghini to the store even though their Mercedes was clear. It took us ten minutes to move everything. He was screaming at us by the end. I don’t want to go through that again.”
Alex allowed herself a small smile and silently thanked the jerk son, whoever he was, for making her job easier. More cars pulled up in rapid succession over the next hour and a half. Finally, the slowdown occurred. Guests were inside and having fun. She’d overheard the security guard who was working the door say there were only a couple of guests who hadn’t arrived. It would soon be time for her to act.
She would wait until dark since it would be easier to get away in the cover of night. There would be very little moonlight as well. Another plus. She stood and chatted with Tony and Pete for another forty-five minutes until the last two guests arrived. After the second person was checked in, the security guard moved inside. It was just after eleven. Later than she had thought it would be but she gave it a few more minutes before making her move. “Why don’t you guys take a break? I’ll stay in case anyone else shows up.”
Tony looked reluctant. “I don’t know.”
Pete, on the other hand, seemed desperate. “I gotta take a piss, man. Let’s go.”
Alex said, “Look, even the security guy went inside. I’ll radio you if anyone shows up.”
“Come on, man.” Pete was practically dancing.
“All right, but call us on the radio if anyone comes.” Pete was already moving toward the side door that led to the downstairs kitchen with Tony following more slowly behind him.
Showtime.
“Anything yet?” Mitch asked for the thousandth time.
“We have liftoff.” Jake’s voice came through Mitch’s earbud loud and clear. Mitch’s heart started to pound. This was it. The moment of truth. He needed to catch Alex to save his boss, but his gut churned at the thought of doing his job. Catching her would mean jail time in her future. And if he knew her at all, she was not going to go quietly.
He looked over at Drake and gave him a nod. He insisted on being in the room to watch the whole thing unfold, and as much as Mitch hated the idea, he didn’t have a choice. “She’s changing her position.” Drake stood up and came closer to the screens.
“The prototype is in the safe, correct?” Mitch asked.
Drake nodded but didn’t take his eyes off the monitors.
“Eyes open, everyone. She’s on the move,” Mitch said as he watched Alex on the security monitor. He had to hand it to her. If he hadn’t been looking for any sign of her, he might have missed it. A last-minute valet substitution. It was smooth.
Tony and Pete would take a twenty-minute break. Alex knew it would give her more than enough time for her to get the car and get out. She waited until the boys were out of sight and then gave it an extra minute before moving to the side of the stairs and grabbing her backpack. The backpack had been a calculated risk, but—as expected—the guards had only given the clothes and beach towel stuffed inside a cursory look.
She glanced at her watch as she walked over to the garage. She was on the clock now. If the security was as tight as she imagined it would be, someone would have already noticed her. She figured she had about five minutes tops before guards showed up.
The guy watching the video monitors would give her sixty seconds to come back into view. He would then ask the people around him what they thought. Another sixty seconds or so. Then he would call down to the guard in the kitchen and tell him to go check.
The guard in the kitchen would come out and look around. And then he’d head to the garage. Two minutes. He’d move around back and not be able to see anything so there would be another sixty seconds of conversation. Then he would move around front and they would either open a bay door or more likely come around and unlock the side door. Five minutes.
It could be less, but she was counting on everyone being so hyper that no one wanted to sound the alarm until they were absolutely sure since th
ey’d be drawing security away from other spots if it was a false alarm.
Hugging the side wall of the garage, she made her way quickly toward the back of the garage, which faced the forested part of the yard and not the pool area.
It was a two-story garage with an apartment on top, and there was a small balcony with sliding doors around the back. Leo’s research said that the grounds guy lived up there, but he was off that evening and had gone to Queens to visit family like he did every Saturday night.
She waited until her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She combed the area, making sure that she was alone and no one was around to see her. There were security cameras everywhere, but if she stayed against the side wall, they wouldn’t pick her up. They were more concerned with people attempting to break in than with lurkers.
When she reached the back corner of the garage, she peeked one eye around the corner. The AC units were against the back of the garage, and rather than expose people to such an unsightly mess, the groundskeeper had planted a hedge of arborvitae around them. The security camera in the back would only see the hedge, not her. Biting her lip, she pulled on her gloves and then slipped around the corner. There was no going back now. Jumping up, she grabbed hold of one of the balcony supports and then wrapped her legs around it, shifting so she was on top of the slanted wooden beam.
Then she jammed her foot into the crevice between the support and the building, reached over her head and grabbed the balcony railing. After pulling herself upward, she flattened her body against the wall and waited a beat. No lights turned on. No alarms went off. All good so far.
She slowly eased across the balcony and then turned so her stomach was against the glass slider. A quick tug confirmed it was locked. She slid down the door and flattened herself against the floor, taking cover behind the gardener’s barbeque against the far railing. She opened her backpack and unrolled the towel. She selected a glass cutter before sliding back up the door. After making a strategic cut, she pulled the glass piece toward her and caught it in the towel. Wrapping it up, she put the towel in her backpack and the glass cutter on top of it with the rest of her tools. She put her hand through the opening and unlocked the slider. Again, she gave it a second or two, but no response was evident. She finished opening the door and stepped inside.
Break and Enter: A Sexy, Thrilling Romantic Suspense (Callahan Security Series Book 1) Page 14
