Accounting for Lust

by Ylette Pearson

  The apartment appeared crowded, her privacy invaded in the worst possible way. The telephone jack hosted a shiny black box and a constant buzz sounded from the laptop on the dining room table. With the curtains drawn, the place resembled a low budget spy movie where the producers saved costs on lighting.

  “Put your laptop on the table and back off.”

  Cassie started at the accusatory words. They couldn’t really believe she masterminded the thefts and attacks on herself, could they? Her hands trembled as she dropped the case on the table before heading for room. Once she shut the door behind her, she slumped on the unmade bed. Rumpled sheets and dented pillows bearing the only evidence that she experienced the throes of passion less than twenty-four hours ago.

  She closed her eyes and battled against the tears threatening to spill. Playing the helpless heroine never suited her and wishing upon stars was pointless. Physical activity combatted fatigue and limited time to think.

  Cassie changed into sweats and a t-shirt and pulled the treadmill open. Dust mites floated in the air as she plugged the machine into the electrical outlet. She’d worked up a sweat after fifteen minutes when she noticed the piece of paper sticking out from her jacket pocket. Without waiting for the treadmill to stop, she jumped off and opened the folded sheet of paper.

  Don’t panic. You’re safe. Just follow the instructions of the woman in the apartment and we’ll catch the SOB. Call you as soon as we have news.

  Great. The inefficiency of negative instructions struck her and she smiled against her will. People only start reading at the first verb and in this case, her body reacted to the panic part, ignoring the don’t. She stuffed the note into her jacket and eyed the treadmill. The thought of more sweating abhorred her and she rinsed her face, upended the machine and walked to the dining room.

  “Feeling better?” the woman asked without lifting her head from the laptop.

  “Yes, thank you. Do you need anything from me?”

  “No thanks. You should choose the passwords for your computer more carefully. It took me all of five minutes to crack it.”

  Cassie stared open-mouthed at the woman. “You must be very good at your job. I spent weeks compiling passwords with enough strength according to our IT department.”

  The woman laughed, but Cassie detected no mirth in the sound. “Doesn’t matter now though. I think I know how they used your computer to do the transactions.” She turned the screen so Cassie could see. “Someone assigned a static IP address to your computer. This means anyone with the same IP address and your access codes could use their own computer, log on to the server and perform any task you could.”

  Cassie nodded. “And with the camera the access codes wouldn’t have been a problem even though I changed it regularly.”

  “Exactly.” She turned the screen towards her again and her fingers pounded on the keys. Cassie paced the living room, hugging her midriff. If only this nightmare could be over, her world would return to normal.

  Not that she knew what normal was anymore. She quite enjoyed the challenge of running the company and meeting interesting people along the way. A couple of months ago she would have shied from any high stress confrontation with the milkman. Now, she negotiated deals with governments not altogether friendly towards the western monetary system. Could she go back to her charted accounting practice and feel fulfilled? She supposed she had to decide eventually. At present, she would be happy if Matt caught the culprit and she could commence running the company without incurring unnecessary losses.

  Ignoring the woman at the dining room table, Cassie switched on the television and flipped through the channels. She found a romantic comedy she hadn’t seen before and settled on the sofa with her feet drawn under her.

  Chapter Eleven

  She awoke with a start when someone shook her arm. Jake’s face hovered inches above hers and she stared transfixed into the brown pools of lust above her. Only this time, lust wasn’t what darkened his eyes. It was pity.

  Cassie stretched and swung her feet to the floor. The small hand on the clock rested deep in the east side of twelve. A quick scan of the apartment confirmed the woman had left.

  “Did you find anything?”

  Jake nodded. “I came to fetch you. We need your take on what we found.” He took her hand and pulled her up. She ended with her breasts pressing into his chest and his leg between hers. Unable to resist, she tucked her head under his chin and listened to the steady beat of his heart. Despite the lateness of the hour, he smelled all man. She sighed.

  “If you keep doing that we aren’t going to get to the office soon.”

  She softly ground her pussy against his leg. “Do we have to go right now? Will an hour or so later make any difference?”

  Jake retreated and stared at her. “I’m afraid it would. Matt and the team are waiting for us.” He held her gaze for the longest time, indecision rampant in his eyes.

  “The hell with it. They can wait a little longer.”

  Jake picked her up and carried her to the kitchen. He gently deposited her on the counter before he claimed her lips in a kiss. He ran his tongue over her lower lip, teasing her lips apart and deepening the kiss. She clung to his shoulders as evidence of his arousal pressed against her inner thigh. Cassie shifted her buttocks to hug him closer, grinding her already moist pussy against his hard cock. Jack lifted her off the counter and removed the sweats and her thong. She kicked her legs until the garments thudded on the floor.

  Jake broke the kiss and and lowered her shoulders until his mouth could reach the hardened pebbles of her nipples. He caught them in his mouth through the fabric of her t-shirt, nibbling and she writhed against him.

  She clasped her hands behind his neck as he put a finger into her wet pussy, whirling and twirling the digit inside until she thought her body would explode with sensation. Two fingers probed her opening and Cassie gasped. She writhed and bucked against his hand, unable to form a coherent thought. She needed more.

  “I want your cock inside me,” she fumbled with the button on his trousers. Jake removed her hands and dropped his pants to the floor. He pulled her buttocks closer to the edge of the counter and rubbed the head of his penis along the slit of her vagina, teasing her clit into a throbbing mass of wanting.

  “Now. Please.”

  He pressed his cock against the tight opening of her anus before slowly making his way to her clit, spreading the moisture along the engorged lips. When he at last entered her in one fell stroke Cassie cried out his name and dug her nails into his arms. Her body arched. Jake had no mercy, moving hard and fast. Banging into her until he filled her to the brim of her womb.

  “Harder. Faster,” she panted.

  With his free hand, he rolled her nipple between his finger and thumb increasing the pressure in her pussy, heightening the want. Her muscles clenched, pulsed and the peak of pleasure catapulted Cassie into mindless ecstasy. Jake pounded harder and deeper into her. Moments later, he flooded her with his warmth and gathered her against him, hugging her tight.

  Once their breathing returned to normal, Jake lowered her to the floor and framed her face in his hands. He kissed her softly before shoeing her out of the room. Sated and satisfied, Cassie showered and dressed. Ten minutes later, she joined Jake in the kitchen.

  “I made you coffee. It might be a long night.” He glanced at his watch. “Make that morning.”

  “Thank you.” The clock against the wall showed just after one in the morning and Cassie doubted she would get any more sleep before starting her meetings for the day.

  She sipped the scalding liquid while retrieving her handbag from the table. This time Jake drove and as they pulled into the underground parking at the office, Cassie eyed the darkness. The overhead lights had been switched off and the only the headlights of their vehicle pierced the darkness.

  “Who turned off the lights?”

  “I did. As soon as we alight, I’ll give you a suit to put on before we enter the building
. It’s easier to remain unseen in the darkness.”

  Claustrophobia threatened to overwhelm her as Jake switched off the headlights of the car and drove the last couple of meters in the dark. She heard the door opening, but the interior light remained off.

  After fumbling in the dark to don the suit she managed to pull the headpiece over her head, effectively shutting out the rubber and damp smell of the underground parking. Jake took her hand and managed to reach the closed elevator doors without once losing his way. Cassie suspected he had some way of piercing the absolute darkness.

  She heard the elevator doors opening, but total darkness still prevailed. The doors closed again and Cassie’s claustrophobia returned. She struggled to breathe and a great weight sat on her chest.

  “Breathe in through your nose and exhale through your mouth.” Jake squeezed her hand and waited until she complied. She couldn’t close her mouth, she couldn’t breathe. Didn’t he understand?

  “Come on, Cassie. You can do this. Another twenty seconds and we’ll be out in the light.”

  She nodded and hoped he could see. Talking was impossible when just breathing was difficult. When she thought she couldn’t stand it anymore, the doors swooped open and the dim emergency lights lighted the corridor. A few steps further and Cassie relaxed.

  “Come.” Jake let go of her hand and hurried to her office, but stopped before entering. Instead he walked to the supply closet next to her office. Muffled voices sounded through the closed door and Jake knocked softly, calling out before he opened the door.

  Inside the overhead light buzzed and Cassie blinked at the sudden surge of light. Rows of cleaning supplies sat tightly packed on steel shelves with brooms, mops and vacuum cleaners resting against the wall next to the door. In all, the room measured no more than two metres by three metres.

  Jake pulled her further into the room and behind some shelves, several people stood huddled over a computer screen standing on a small table. Only when Matt stood to the side, did Cassie manage to see the picture on the screen . . .

  Depicted in a sickening shade of green and grey, she could see her desk, chair and door. One of the technicians touched the screen and the picture enlarged with astonishing clarity. Matt turned to her and smiled.

  “It took us just over an hour to find this. Do you recognize any of them?” He held an envelope out to her. Inside the photo depicted a boy of about sixteen and a woman she assumed to be his mother standing in front of a dilapidated camper. Both the woman and child were as filthy as the surroundings.

  Cassie concentrated on the boy, trying to recognise any features. Something rang familiar, but she couldn’t place it. She had no idea who the people were. She shook her head.

  “No. The boy seems familiar somehow, but I can’t place him. ” She handed the photo to Matt. “Where did you find the photo?”

  Matt pointed to the keyboard. “It stuck to the underside of the keyboard.” He swivelled round to face her. “Who works in this cubicle?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “No matter, we’re getting the records from Joshua as we speak.” Matt tilted his head to the side. “You’re sure you don’t know any of these people?”

  “Quite sure. Like I said, the boy is somewhat familiar, but I don’t know why. It’s not someone I deal with regularly – that I’m sure of.”

  A hiss sounded behind her and Cassie jumped. One of the technicians held up a can of detergent and mouthed a silent apology before carefully replacing it on the shelve. Several people were busy unpacking the shelves and checking the contents, taking care to replace every item exactly as they found it.

  Jake pulled Cassie out the door and walked her towards the personnel office. Inside, Joshua huddled over the keyboard, typing furiously only to stop and stare at the screen every couple of seconds.

  Cassie sank into one of the chairs. She knew Joshua wouldn’t notice them until he found what he was looking for. She was so tired. If she could only close her eyes for a couple of minutes, she would feel better.

  She woke with Jake towering over her. Damn, it was the second time tonight he had to wake her. Indulging in staring into the inviting brown eyes for a second or two, Cassie pretended to wake slowly. She wanted nothing more than to pull his head to her and kiss him senseless. Her body stirred at the thought and she shifted in the chair. Stifling a yawn, she sat up straighter.

  “Sorry, I must have dozed off. What time is it? Have you found anything?”

  Jake laughed. “You haven’t missed much in the . . .” He checked his watch with much ado. “Three hours that you supposedly dozed off.”

  Cassie’s eyes widened. Three hours. She couldn’t have slept for three hours. That would mean it was nearly five in the morning. A glance through the window confirmed that dawn had indeed arrived. Her face coloured.

  “Sorry. I must be more tired than I thought.” She rose from the chair and winced as her stiff muscles protested against the sudden movement. “Well, have you found him?”

  Jake nodded slowly. “Yes.”

  “I detect a ‘but’ in there.”

  “I’ll let Matt explain. It’s not going to be easy to catch him with enough evidence to convict.”

  “What do you mean? We found his equipment and the photo. What more do you need?”

  Jake sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “Let’s find Matt. He’ll know how to explain.”

  Cassie nodded and followed Jake out the door. The corridor contained a fine mist and Cassie silently thanked Jake for the foresight to have her put on a protective suit. She once made the mistake of walking in on the spraying process and itched for days afterwards. After that, she never complained when the shutdown took two days instead of just the one it took to spray the building.

  They found Matt still inside the supply closet busy helping the technicians install miniscule microphones and cameras. His big body perched precariously on the edge of one of the chairs as he stretched to place a microphone in the ceiling.

  “Have you found anything that we can use to stop this guy?”

  Matt stared at Cassie and finished placing the device before answering. “Yes and no. We have a strong suspicion who it is, but we need evidence to prove it.” He pointed to the small device barely noticeable in the ceiling. “Hence our own surveillance equipment. If he comes here and we are sure about his identity, we’ll catch him. No use alerting the police if we don’t have enough proof.”

  Cassie nodded. “Fair enough. What do you plan to do?”

  He stepped off the chair with his protective suit crackling. “We’ll monitor the cameras and when he uses the computer we’ll nail him. Hopefully this will be over soon.” Matt glanced towards Jake before he continues.

  “Until then, you’ll be assigned a new bodyguard. Someone we can pass off as a friend visiting from out of town. Our man here knows who and what Jake is and we need to lull him into thinking he’d won.”

  Jake squeezed her hand. “I’ll never be far.”

  However re-assuring that was supposed to be, Cassie still felt uncomfortable knowing that Jake wouldn’t be there to shield her with his own body. A body she would love to use to forget the nightmare she currently experienced. Liar, the voice inside her head whispered. She needed Jake for much more than physical protection. He made her feel safe. And normal.

  She hadn’t known normal since before her father died and part of her longed for the uncomplicated life she had. With a small shake of her head, she banished the negative thoughts. If she was honest, nothing in her life was ever normal.

  “Fine.” She extracted her hand from Jake’s. “I need to get ready for my meetings today. I presume someone will drive me home?”

  Jake inhaled sharply. He felt the moment Cassie shut him out. And he didn’t like it one bit. Matt’s plan was sound and he agreed with the methods. If the client was anyone else but Cassie, he would even feel confident in their abilities to keep her safe. Even though he assured Cassie he wouldn’t be far, he knew he c
ouldn’t’ be at her side all the time. Not if they plan to catch the SOB trying to destroy her. He had to do a complete background check on their suspect and that involved traveling to the other side of town.

  He met Cassie’s stare and saw the question inside. Frowning he tried to remember her question. Tension knotted his stomach. No, sadly he wouldn’t be driving her home.

  “Someone will meet you at the elevator in the underground parking to take you home. I had your car brought over. The agent is very capable and I trust her.” Jake attempted a grin. “At least she would fit inside your matchbox.”

  Cassie only nodded and Jake ached to wrap her in his arms and never let her go. For the first time since this ordeal started a couple of days ago, she looked tired and vulnerable. He hated to let her go.

  Jake handed Cassie over to the agent and watched as she disappeared into the darkness. Only when the car disappeared from sight, did he press the button to take the elevator upstairs again. He had work to do and the sooner he finished the sooner Cassie would be safe.

  An hour later, Jake pulled into the driveway of his house. Despite the early hour, the front door opened as he switched off the engine of his car. The butler took the stairs two at a time, scanning the pavement for luggage. Normally, that would have elicited a smile from him, but this time, it just irritated him. The man meant well, but he always made Jake uncomfortable with his eagerness to please.

  “Breakfast is served whenever you are ready, Sir.”

  Jake merely nodded and pounced up the stairs. The opulence of his family home still repulsed him as it did since the time he inherited the place from his parents. He planned to re-decorate the place years ago, but there had never been time. His work kept him from home most of the time so it wasn’t that he had to live with the décor on a daily basis.