by Tena Stetler
“I don’t know how you do it. Always—never mind. Pleasure is the plan. Don’t wait up.” Tristian snickered as he slid into the sports car and sped off. Stopping only once to pick up a bouquet of a dozen long-stemmed lavender roses in a mother-of-pearl colored vase. A dark violet ribbon was tied in a bow at the top. After carefully examining the flowers, he nodded and handed the florist two hundred-dollar bills. “No change needed.”
Chapter Seven
A Romantic Dinner, Drive on a Moon Lit Night, Satisfaction Guaranteed—Not
Tristian pulled up in front of Hannah’s cottage and cut the engine. For a few moments, he sat there fingering the dark violet ribbon, then drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. I can make this work. Honesty is the key. But how much can I tell her—safely? He unfolded his tall frame from the vehicle, grabbed the roses, then strode toward the door. When he knocked, a vision in light blue opened the door. He sucked in a breath. “Wow! You are absolutely stunning.”
Dressed in a shimmering, one-shoulder dress that hugged her curves, she smiled shyly. “You’re early.”
A quick glance at his watch, he brought his gaze back to her. “Couldn’t wait to see you.” He handed her the flowers.
Eyes rounded, she sniffed the bouquet. “They’re beautiful. Thank you so much.” She padded to the coffee table and gently set them down. Beside the door, she slipped her feet into pale blue heels, picked up a frosty white leather coat from the couch, and returned to the door. “I’m ready.”
“Great.” He helped her into the coat. Unable to stop himself, he turned her toward him, took her face in his hands, gazed into her eyes, brushing his lips over hers. Trailing kisses along her jawline, he breathed a kiss in the pulsing hollow at the base of her throat, lingering only a moment. When she wrapped her arms around his neck and curved into him, he went hard, hoping there’d be no cold shower tonight. “I think we better get going, before…” he whispered against her ear.
She turned, nuzzled his neck, placing a soft kiss there. “I suppose so.” With a sigh, she turned to set the alarm, waited for him to exit, and locked the door. “Have you been to this place before?”
He opened the passenger door and waited for her to settle in the seat. Leaning over, he fastened her seat belt, caressed her cheek with his finger before straightening. “No. Noticed it was open for business the other day when I was cruising through town. Thought of you.”
“How sweet.” She looked out the window as they approached the restaurant. “Appears they have valet parking too. Wow, this town has never had a place like this.”
“I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like to skip the valet parking. Don’t want anyone touching my car without me being present.” He shrugged.
“No problem. You’d be surprised at what people will do to cars…trackers—”
He lifted a brow. “No, I have a pretty good idea.” Scanning the lot, he steered the car into a space flooded with light from the parking lot lamps.
Hannah giggled. “I guess you would, being in security.” Reaching for the door handle, she pushed the door open, only to find Tristian already there offering his hand.
The building had a rock exterior, double glass doors with an etching of a lighthouse on one side, a rocky pier on the other. As they passed through the entrance way, a man dressed in formal attire greeted them.
“Do you have reservations?” he asked quietly.
“Yes, for two at seven under Shandie.” Tristian glanced beside the man at the ice sculpture of a lighthouse lit from beneath with soft blue LED’s. “Nice.” He touched the small of her back and drew her to him.
“It’s beautiful.”
“This way, please. The maitre d’ led the way to an intimate corner table. In the center, the candle’s flame wavered slightly with their approach. “Is this to your liking, sir?”
Tristian surveyed the large room. The white starched linen table clothes covered wooden tables, crystal water goblets and stemware sat on each table beside cloth napkins neatly folded. “Yes, it will do nicely. Thank you.” Tristian held the wooden captain’s chair with an upholstered seat for Hannah, then moved a chair closer to her but still with his back to the wall.
“This is really a nice place.” She took the menu from the waiter, dressed in a black suit with a white shirt, who had joined them.
“May I get you something to drink while you look over the menus?” he asked.
“Yes, a bottle of your finest Chardonnay.”
“Of course. 2006?”
“That would be fine.” Tristian leaned back in his chair and watched Hannah unfold her napkin, delicately place it in her lap, arrange the silverware, then turned her deep blue eyes up to meet his.
“What? Did I do something wrong?” Hannah kept her hands in her lap and held Tristian’s gaze. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a place like this. Surprised they built one in our little town.”
“No. You do everything exactly right.” He glanced at the waiting line that formed out the door, then at the dining rooms where there wasn’t an empty table. “Looks like it’s pretty popular.”
The waiter returned and presented Tristian the bottle of wine, label up. “Is this what you had in mind, sir?”
“It’s exactly the one. Thank you.”
The waiter popped the cork and poured the sparkling golden liquid into the wine glasses. He paused and glanced at Tristian.
“You can leave the bottle on the table.”
Any more news on the work front?” Tristian placed his napkin in his lap, then swirled the wine in his glass, sniffed, and took a sip. “This is excellent.”
Hannah picked up her glass and took a sip. “Yes, the vanilla note is delightful with a hint of fruit and oak.”
She knows her wine. He didn’t know why, but it pleased him.
The waiter brought a basket of rolls then asked, “Are you ready to order?” He looked first to Tristian, who nodded to Hannah.
Hannah sat her wine glass down and smiled up at the waiter. “Yes, I’d like the lobster ravioli.”
“And I’d liked the poached lobster.” Tristian handed the menus to the waiter.
“I’ll be back with your salads shortly.” He turned on his heel and strode across the room.
Hannah took another sip of wine. “Work is good. My boss turned the clearance situation to the higher ups who claim to be able to expedite things. My citizenship test is a couple months away. There’s a lot to study for, so the timing is good.”
“Will you be relocating with the company sooner?” The knot in his belly tightened.
“No. The big wigs are going first to finalize the location, and the building arrangements then purchase the latest and greatest equipment. I’ll be one of the last to go, because when it was initially thought I couldn’t get a top-secret clearance, the company shifted all civilian clients to me.”
“Doesn’t that make your workload heavy?”
“Job security.” She laughed. “Besides, I’ve worked with most of these clients for a couple of years. It’s comfortable knowing we’ve met their expectations. In a crisis, they trust we can handle any situation, quickly and confidentially. That makes my job easier in a breach.”
“What you are saying is that the government is a pain in the ass.”
“No—it’s an unknown factor. The private sector we handle has the latest encryption software, secure networks, and top of the line hardware. Whereas, the government has always lagged behind. Now they realize it, and updating their systems is going to be a monumental task. Think about it. Cyber security, government style is going to include, offices, aircraft, ground vehicles, telecommunications, and the list goes on.”
“To job security.” He chuckled, tapped his glass to Hannah’s, and took the last sip as the waiter brought their entrees.
After the waiter left, Tristian poured more wine.
Hannah cut into the ravioli, forked up a piece, and slid it into her mouth. She closed her eyes. “Mmmm, this is excelle
nt! Never tasted better.”
Tristian chewed a piece of poached lobster, swallowed. He pointed to the dish with his fork. “It’s delicious.”
After the meal, he ordered dessert and coffee. Placing his large hand over her small delicate one, he brought his gaze to hers and was lost in the depths of her deep blue eyes. How could I drag her into my world of treachery and expect her—their relationship to survive—even thrive? He struggled to shake the haze from his mind. Her gaze locked on his and held for a moment. He leaned over, brushed his lips lightly over hers, not caring who was watching.
She ran the tip of her tongue around her moist lips and smiled. “What are you thinking?”
“Hannah, I’m not good at—” He cleared his throat, tried again. “These last few days have been the best I’ve had in a long time. I enjoy your company and would like to make our relationship mutually exclusive.” He blew out a breath. “What do you think?”
She gave a soft laugh. “As far as I’m concerned, it always was.” Hannah entwined her fingers with his. “You’re a tough man to figure out. So many layers. But I’m willing to give it a try.”
The waiter paused at the table, coffee cups on saucers and plates of cheesecake topped with strawberries sat on a tray he carried. “Coffee and dessert, sir.”
Tristian nodded. The waiter put the items on the table and strode away.
Still holding on to Hannah’s hand, he brought it to his lips, brushed them over the back of her hand, and released it. “Guess we should enjoy the cheesecake.” He glanced out the window at the sliver of moon and bright stars. Great night for a ride. “Let’s finish our dessert and see if they will give us the coffee to go.”
“You want to go cups in a place like this? What do you have in mind?” She took a bite of cheesecake, closed her eyes, savoring the flavor. “Exquisite.”
Seeing her expression, he forked up a piece of the cheesecake with several slices of strawberries on top. Popped it in his mouth, savored, then swallowed. “Why not? It’s a beautiful night, I’d like to take you for a ride before we call it a night.”
“How about we finish dessert and stop by the specialty coffee shop and get lattes?”
“Much better idea.”
After a relaxing drive, he pulled up in front of her cottage, cut the engine and leaned over, took her mouth with his, then deepened the kiss. Her flavor spun into him, as his tongue twined with hers in a sinuous dance. She moaned; he’d aroused her passion as his grew stronger. Heart pounded as his fingers feathered along the side of her breast. Trailing kisses down her neck, he flicked his tongue lower to the cleavage between her breasts then kissed his way back to her lips. Raising his mouth from hers, he stared into her eyes. His breathing increased as his fingers continued to explore.
Her pulse quickened, matching his heartbeat, she hesitated then whispered, “Would you like to come in?”
“We both know I shouldn’t, but…” Getting out of the car, he walked to the passenger door and opened it. He leaned in to unfasten her seatbelt, brushed aside her soft hair with his fingers and breathed a kiss at the base of her neck, lingering a beat. Finally, he straightened and offered his hand to assist her out of the car.
She took his hand, swallowed hard, and stepped onto the curb, the heel of her shoe caught in a crack, she pitched forward into his arms. He smiled seductively as he swept her into his arms, carried her to the door.
“Saved by my gallant knight in a sleek sports car.” She giggled and unwound her arms from around his neck as he lowered her to the ground.
“I’m afraid I’m no one’s knight, but save you I did from a nasty fall.”
Hannah pulled the keys from her purse, unlocked the front door, and deactivated the alarm. “Come on in.” Her voice wavered. She toed off her heels and kicked them against the wall. “Don’t believe I’ll be wearing those anytime soon.” Padding barefoot across the floor, she stopped at the doorway to the kitchen. “What can I get for you?”
Shrugging out of his coat, Tristian’s eyes raked boldly over her as he closed the distance between them. She sucked in a breath when he took her in his arms, holding her against his growing excitement. “Are you sure this is what you want?” he said breathlessly, his lips hovering over hers, then he took her mouth hungrily. His one hand caressed the side of her breast, along her ribs, waist and curved around her butt cheek pressing her against him. “We have too many clothes on.”
“Wait. Before we go any further, there’s something we need to discuss.” She pressed her hand against his chest. He pushed at her elbow and her arm encircled his neck. “The consequences of making love to me are…”
He lowered his lips to the swells of her breasts, reached for the zipper in the back of her dress, and tugged it down to her hips; the dress slipped off the one shoulder, pooled on the floor. He went hard at the sight of her beautiful, nearly naked body. “Step out of the dress.”
Unbuttoning his shirt with shaky fingers, she ran her fingertips over the contour of his naked chest and licked kisses across his jawline, nibbled on his ear lobe then whispered, “Our lives could change forever. You need to—”
“Later.” He growled and swept her up in his arms, unceremoniously deposited her on the couch. She squealed, struggling to keep him from crawling between her legs.
“We can’t.” Squirming beneath him, she finally stilled enjoying his ministrations.
“We can seek pleasure without compromising you.” The sexual haze engulfing them thickened. He kissed her belly, sucked her nipples until they were hard, trailed kisses up her neck. Finally, he pressed his lips to her mouth, teasing her lips apart with his tongue, thrusting inside to stroke her sweet mouth, her flavor mixed with the evening’s wine spun through him. He caressed her throat, slipping his hand between her breasts, and lower. She arched against him as he slid her panties aside and his fingers coaxed, teased, danced and dipped between her spread thighs until she cried out in pleasure. He smiled against her warm moist lips.
“My turn,” she murmured. Slipping from beneath him, she tugged his zipper down pushing his trousers and briefs to his knees. She kissed her way along his sculptured chest, feathered her fingers over his taut abs and lower, he groaned, arched up as she reached her destination.
Chapter Eight
Tristian’s World Spins Out of Control and Takes Hannah With It.
Tristian strode to the mailbox, gathered his mail, and continued into the house. He tossed the mail onto the dining table, picked up a large manila envelope, and slid his finger under the flap. When he drew out the photograph, his eyes narrowed; he snarled and flipped the picture over. In neat script, the words read “Your sister has a secret.” He stared at the photo of his demon boss and Angie strolling along the street, fingers entwined, she smiling up at him. The streetlights cast a golden glow across the couple.
All the threads fit together in a web of deceit. Recalling that both his boss and sister were missing the weekend he arrived in D.C. Angie on holiday with friends, supposedly. Bruce away at his estate. Willow seemed nervous at first when he appeared at the shop. She was in on it. The flames of fury engulfed him. Out of the closet, he grabbed his black duster, shoved his arms into the sleeves, and checked his magic arsenal, poison darts, and arrows. He added poisoned arrows conjured for demons and his silver dagger. He grabbed his crossbow from the shelf, raised his arms, and disappeared.
He materialized on the fringes of the parking lot behind The Krystal Unicorn. Bent over at the waist, hands resting on his knees, Tristian was exhausted due to lack of sleep from the night before and the use of magic to port from Maine to D.C. Somewhere in the back of his mind a voice screamed, What the fuck are you doing? You know better than to go into a fight fueled by emotion clouding your focus and judgment. He mentally slapped the voice away. Bruce’s midnight blue SUV pulled up to the back door of The Krystal Unicorn. Bruce leaned over toward Angie when Tristian caught his attention standing several yards in front of the vehicle, stalking forward.
The arrow penetrated the windshield, split the rearview mirror, and lodged in the headrest an inch from Bruce’s neck. Blue liquid oozed from the tip of the arrowhead, and a stream of red mist escaped from the other end of the arrow. Surprisingly unaffected, Bruce leaned over and kissed Angie as the mist began to disappear. Tristian roared in anger and rushed toward the SUV. In a blur of movement, Bruce and Angie exited the car. Willow opened the back door and yanked Angie inside.
When Bruce turned, Tristian buried a dagger between Bruce’s neck and shoulder. Blood spurted from the wound, soaking his shirt in seconds. Tristian swaggered forward as his boss staggered and fell against the wall of the structure and slid toward the ground. Tristian watched in horror as Bruce raised his hand, a white-hot electric bolt surged out of his upturned palm and struck Tristian in the center of his chest, he stumbled backward. Before he could recover, Bruce dislodged the dagger and lunged toward Tristian, dagger held out in front of him. Bruce drove the dagger into the small of Tristian’s back and jerked upward. He screamed in pain and crumpled to the ground, rolled to his side, took aim, and released another silver tipped arrow from his wrist gauntlet. He eased his head to the ground, his vision dimmed, the arrow hit the inside of Bruce’s thigh, the target being the femoral artery before everything went black.
****
When Tristian regained consciousness, he was sprawled on an unfamiliar bed. Tobi’s face swam in and out of focus as he blinked his eyes. “Where am I?”
Tobi, the wife of Bruce’s right-hand man, stood hands on hips, her wild auburn hair with green streaks fanned about her face as she stared down at him. “The question is not where, but what the hell were you thinking. You stupid bastard. You tried to assassinate your boss, the Overlord of the Western Hemisphere.” She shook her head. “You’d be dead if it wasn’t for your sister. Owen took pity on you and brought you to our home to recover. Willow and Angie worked tirelessly to save your sorry ass.” Tobi rolled him over gently and changed the magic herb patch on his back.
