The Prince's Gamble

by Caridad Piñeiro

Nicolai chuckled harshly and shook his head. “I see the prince is still alive and well. I’ll speak to my people and see what they have to say.”

  “What does that mean?” he shot back, his impatience real.

  Nicolai rocked back and forth on his heels. “Send Kat to my room at nine, appropriately dressed, of course. I’ll have an answer for you then.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  A gown, lingerie, and shoes were waiting for her when she arrived in her room after a round of morning meetings and an afternoon spent on the casino floor, monitoring for more activity.

  Another designer dress, this time in a shade of blue like the ocean at night. Lush and lustrous, the fabric shimmered in the light, rousing all kinds of cerulean hues.

  As for the lingerie…

  She lifted the bra and panties for an inspection. The fabric for both combined couldn’t be more than a square foot of material and would hide little from Petrov’s gaze.

  Her stomach twisted at that possibility.

  Dropping the garments onto the bed, she took a quick shower and then prepped for her assignment. Without the help of Tatiana and the women in the salon, it was an arduous task. She was definitely not used to being Glamour Girl.

  She leaned close to the mirror and carefully applied her make-up, trying to recall all that they had explained to her the day before. A sultry, brown-purple mix on her eyelids to bring out the green in her eyes, together with dark brown mascara. With a light hand, she swept blush along her cheekbones and toward her temples, smoothing it out into her hairline.

  She straightened and was pleased with the results. She held off on the lipstick until she was dressed.

  Grasping the panties with two fingers, as if they were something distasteful, she realized to her horror it was a thong. Anal floss. Great. But she shimmied into them and tried to cover as much as she could.

  Not much.

  She shifted from side-to-side in front of the mirror. Praying for more, but not expecting it, she put on the pale blue bra trimmed with cream-colored lace.

  Staring into the mirror, it occurred to her that maybe she had been wrong to pray for more, because that was exactly what was showing past the demi-cups of the bra. A lot more.

  It’s for a good cause, she told herself. Petrov could give them the opening they needed to find out who was behind the money laundering. And it might lead them to Alexander’s missing hostess. She wished they had something to confirm it was Stravinski who took her—a grainy photo of a tattooed man eating dinner was not very strong evidence—but maybe the fact that no Jane Doe matching Vanessa’s description had been discovered was the only proof they would ever have that the hostess wasn’t dead. She had to hope.

  She shrugged into the tight-fitting gown and reviewed all the facts they had uncovered over the last few days, including that Vanessa’s earlier juvenile rap had been a misdemeanor for possession of marijuana. Kathleen was still trying to figure out how that could tie her to Stravinski. Unless maybe Vanessa had been involved with him recently. That was a more troubling proposition.

  She reached behind her and struggled to close the long zipper on the gown. Over and over she tried, but the zipper refused to budge past mid-back.

  A knock came at the door.

  With one hand on her chest to keep the bodice from falling down, she hurried to the door and peered through the peephole.

  Alexander.

  She pulled open the door, half-turned, and said, “Could you help me with this?”

  …

  Alexander swallowed. “Sure.” The last ten minutes of lecturing himself on keeping it professional tonight flew straight out the window.

  This was so unfair.

  He entered and closed the door while Kathleen moved a few steps away. Her back was to him, exposing the long, creamy slope from her shoulders to a few inches below the closure for her brassiere.

  He itched to reach around and cover her breasts in the tiny satin and lace lingerie he had chosen for her along with the rest of the outfit.

  He resisted the temptation much as he hoped Petrov would. Easing his fingers to the zipper, he slowly dragged it the final few inches and hooked it closed. The back of the dress left most of her upper back and shoulders exposed.

  “Done.”

  She turned, providing him a full view of the front bodice of the gown. The bra did its job, pushing the sweetness of her breasts upward to the edge of the daring bodice.

  Tearing his gaze from the far too tempting sight, he examined her features, noting the make-up she had expertly applied. Normally she was more fresh-faced, which he had rather grown to like. But the heavier application of eye make-up brought out the green in her eyes, while the shimmering cerulean of the gown accented the blue.

  Her lips were colored with dangerous red, almost demanding that he kiss her, until he met her both annoyed and amused gaze.

  “Like what you see, Sasha?” Kathleen challenged.

  “Very much, Kat,” he answered honestly.

  “Let’s hope Petrov does as well.” She turned from him and shoved her room key into a small matching purse along with a thin wallet filled with fake IDs her ADIC had provided for her cover. Undoubtedly, Petrov would look, and run a background check on her before allowing her to touch his money. The man might be a creep, but he wasn’t stupid.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Alexander could feel her uncertainty—and his own.

  Lifting her chin, she said, “What choice do I have?”

  Having been raised with the weight of demands due to his family’s traditions, he understood about the lack of choices. But this was not one of those times. “You can choose not to do this. We can lure Petrov in some other way.”

  She shook her head and her now expertly fringed locks shifted against her shoulders and immediately fell back into place. “That would take more time, which we can’t afford. Besides, I’m sure you want to be part of the sting, to make sure the casino’s reputation isn’t affected.”

  Alexander bit back a curse and looked away for a moment before pinning her with his gaze. “What I want is for both you and Vanessa to be safe. That’s all I want, Kat.”

  The faintest hint of a smile came to her lips. “I’m a federal agent with hand to hand combat training and backup agents ready to take him down at one word from me. I’ll be fine, Sasha.”

  His name on her lips tightened his gut and made him reconsider allowing her to go through with this. Funny thing, thinking that he could allow her anything. Kathleen was not a woman who would seek his permission on any level. Which was the one big reason she was so wrong for him. Even as he laid his hand on the small of her back and gently guided her from the room, it made him wonder why he was so intrigued by her. She couldn’t be more far removed from the kind of woman he had thought he wanted.

  One who had some spirit, but would not be as stubbornly independent.

  One who would one day want to settle down and have a child. Or two. Who would be supportive of his work at the casino, and be waiting for him when he was done at the end of a long day. Have a hot meal waiting for him.

  Kathleen would do none of those things.

  But the fact that his attraction was lunacy did nothing to keep both worry and jealousy from gnawing at his gut as he dropped her off on Petrov’s floor. He continued down to the security offices where a very select number of people would be watching and taping everything that happened.

  Swiping his key card, he stalked to the security area conference room that he had permitted the FBI to convert into a temporary field office. Inside, Kathleen’s ADIC and two other agents were at work, along with Jim and Peter Roman. He had asked Peter to be there since he might have insights if Stravinski’s name was mentioned, and also on the off chance that an arrest was made tonight. They needed a local for that.

  As they all watched the monitors showing the different camera feeds, Kathleen approached Petrov’s door. After her knock, Petrov eagerly opened, a broad smile on his face.
>
  “Sasha asked me to keep you company,” Kathleen said as Petrov stepped aside so she could enter his suite.

  Two large men were playing cards at a small table, but at Petrov’s sharp command, they disappeared into the second bedroom of the suite.

  Next to Alexander, Peter leaned in close and whispered, “Sasha? You let her call you Sasha?”

  “Shut up and watch, Peter,” he ordered dryly, and fixed his attention on the monitor, apprehensive as Nicolai grasped Kathleen’s hand and led her to the couch in the room. Although he sat, he urged Kathleen to stand before him and placed his hands at her waist.

  “I’m surprised Alexander sent you to me.” Nicolai trailed his hands to just below her breasts and then down to the first swell of hip.

  Kathleen laid her hands on his to stop the motion. “Why is that, Nicolai?”

  “Because Alexander was never one to share. That tells me he must be really pressed for cash.”

  Kathleen shrugged. “He’s had a few sleepless nights lately.” She didn’t stop him as he moved his hands upward again to her breasts. As he slipped his hands forward to cradle the weight of them, he said, “I guess you would know what he does at night.”

  “What he does, he does quite well, Nicolai. Can you say the same?” she challenged, earning an approving grunt from Alexander.

  “She knows Nicolai hates being second best to me. She’s using his pride to goad him to act,” Alexander said. At three sets of matching frowns directed at him, he added, “And no, she does not have firsthand knowledge of my abilities.”

  A bright flush of color swept across Nicolai’s cheeks at her not-so-subtle dig, and his hands stiffened against her breasts. “You’ll find out soon enough, Kat,” he said, but then roughly shoved her away.

  When she stumbled on her high heels from the force of his push, Alexander’s hands curled to angry fists as he watched, but she quickly regained her balance. Facing Petrov, she tilted her chin defiantly and stared at him with chilly determination. “Tell me what you want, Nicolai. I don’t have all night.”

  Nicolai laughed harshly and shook his head before his mood turned dangerously serious. “Come here, Kat.”

  Alexander’s jaw clamped tight.

  She hesitated for a moment before stepping into the vee between Nicolai’s legs once more.

  “That’s a good girl.” He patted her hip the way he might a favorite pet. “Now take off the dress.”

  Alexander swore roughly and Roman grabbed his arm to keep him from charging to the bastard’s room. “Easy, man. This is the plan, remember?”

  Kathleen reached behind her back, but as had happened earlier in her room, she had trouble with the fastening. “I need some help.”

  She turned and allowed Nicolai to undo the zipper, while all the time Alexander cursed himself for choosing that dress. She shot a quick look directly into the camera hidden in the ceiling light. He could not fail to see the concern in her gaze about what might happen next. He clenched his fists even tighter, fighting the overwhelming urge to rush to Nicolai’s room and put an end to the entire charade.

  The front of the gown gaped as Nicolai dragged the zipper down and Kathleen held her hand there, holding it to her as she did a slow turn and faced Nicolai once more. “You can see I’m not wearing a wire.”

  “Off with the gown, Kat.”

  With a tight exhale, she let the gown slide down her body, baring the tiny scraps of lingerie hiding her most intimate parts. As the blue fabric pooled at her feet, she stepped out of it and kicked the gown aside. There was a small chorus of cleared throats in the room, and the molten edge of Alexander’s anger neared the boiling point.

  “Tatiana picked that out?” Peter whispered in disbelief and let out a low whistle, momentarily forgetting about gripping Alexander’s arm.

  “No. I did,” Alexander confessed through gritted teeth, and cursed the lustful impulse that had led him to do so. What had he been thinking? He should have picked something with a lot more fabric. Something to hide all those beautiful, generous, deadly curves.

  “Satisfied?” she replied, sparing Alexander from any additional comments.

  “Not yet.” Nicolai ran his hands down her back to cup her all-but-naked buttocks in his hands and urge her closer. His gaze was fixed on the swell of her breasts over the demi-cups as he added, “If you were mine, I would not share.”

  “Maybe that can be arranged.” Kathleen laid her hands on his shoulders and stroked them before tunneling her fingers into Nicolai’s wavy golden hair. Leaning forward, she dropped a kiss on his temple and worked her way down to his mouth, skimming her lips along his.

  Alexander wanted to vomit. He turned away, then with a growl forced his gaze back to the monitor, making himself watch. If she could endure it, so could he.

  Nicolai groaned and moved his hands upward to cradle her breasts again. “You would drop Alexander so easily?”

  Kathleen leaned back and playfully chucked Nicolai under his chin. “Let’s just say I don’t appreciate that Sasha was so willing to give me away.”

  With a sinister laugh, Nicolai shifted forward and brought his lips to the swell of her breasts.

  Alexander jammed his fists into his pockets to keep from shutting down the video feed. When was she going to put a stop to this? “Use the damn safe word,” he mumbled beneath his breath.

  “Well, I certainly appreciate his generosity.” Nicolai worked his disgusting mouth over the flesh exposed by the small demi-cups.

  “I can be even more generous,” Kathleen replied in a throaty purr that drew a powerful arousal from Alexander.

  To everyone’s surprise, as well as Kathleen’s, Nicolai let her go, pulled back onto the couch, and placed his hands on his thighs. “I am very glad to hear that, Kat.”

  She looked genuinely puzzled. “Did I displease you, Nicolai?”

  “Not at all. You’ve pleased me very well. It’s good to know Alexander is willing to keep his part of the promise.” He bent and snagged her gown from the floor and offered it to her.

  Kathleen’s ADIC stabbed a hand through his short-cropped hair. “What the hell is going on here?” he muttered.

  Alexander wondered the same thing, though he was swamped by relief.

  As she dressed, she asked petulantly, “Then what’s wrong? Why are you sending me away?” Alexander was amazed she was such a good actress.

  “I’m still waiting for my partners to agree to this new partnership. Tell Alexander I’ll have an answer for him tomorrow. When it’s in place, you and I can finish what we’ve started.” To prove his intent, he ran the back of his hand across her breasts again and surged off the couch to take her mouth in a short, hard kiss.

  “Tomorrow, Kat. Six o’clock. Be here if Alexander is still interested in our arrangement.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Do you think he’s on to us?” Kathleen paced worriedly back and forth in the temporary field office in Security where everyone had been waiting for her after the meeting with Petrov. She reviewed every exchange with him in her mind, her thoughts keeping rhythm with the subtle rustle of the gown’s fabric.

  “Nicolai was always good at games, but I didn’t get the sense he was playing just now,” Alexander offered.

  She swung around to him and her skirts whirled around her legs with a swish. “But he was testing me. Us.”

  “Yes, he was. He wanted to see just how far we would be willing to go.”

  “Well, I was convinced,” Peter said while shooting Alexander a knowing look.

  “Glad to hear it.”

  Alexander’s voice conveyed a pique toward the detective that Kathleen didn’t quite understand. She glanced in the direction of her ADIC and fellow agents. “So we repeat this again tomorrow. In the meantime, we keep our watch on Petrov and his entourage?”

  “Confirmed, Special Agent Martinez. In the meantime, Detective Roman will continue checking with his sources to see if there is any scuttlebutt about Stravinski or the missing
hostess,” her ADIC replied.

  “I’ll discuss this with my people and have a report for you as soon as possible,” Peter confirmed.

  ADIC Reynolds narrowed his eyes and scrutinized her. “Get some rest, Special Agent Martinez. We’ll meet here tomorrow at fourteen hundred.”

  “Yes, sir.” She shot a sideways look at Alexander.

  His face was set in stern lines and tension radiated from every muscle in his body. She could guess at the reason for his upset, but had to deal with her own. Inside she was chilled to her core from her encounter with Petrov and was barely containing the shivers lying just beneath her skin.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” she said at the same time Alexander said, “I’ll walk you to your room.”

  She wasn’t going to argue with him. She didn’t have the strength to do so.

  Exiting the field office, she moved quickly to the elevators, her arms wrapped around herself to battle the cold within her. When they stepped in the elevator as it arrived, Alexander mumbled a Russian curse. He tore off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. The heat of his body clung to it, providing a temporary respite from the frostiness at her center.

  “C-c-c-old.” The shudder of her body was growing almost more violent with each second that passed.

  “It’s the aftermath of the adrenaline rush. A nice warm shower will help it pass.” He drew her into his arms, surrounding her in his embrace.

  She laid her head against his chest, welcoming the warmth of him and the steady beat of his heart beneath her ear. His presence provided a reassuring sense of comfort.

  When they reached their floor, he maintained his embrace, his arm draped around her shoulders while he walked her to her room. Inside, he urged her in the direction of the bathroom and helped her by undoing the troublesome zipper part way. “Take a shower. It will make you feel better.”

  She nodded and handed him back his jacket, instantly regretting the loss of his warmth. Hurrying to the shower, she finished unzipping the gown and stepped out of it. She ripped off the lingerie Petrov had touched so hungrily. Just the reminder of it, and of him fondling her, had her feeling dirty. With that thought, the cold inside her intensified. Heavy, rolling shudders vibrated across her body.