No Limit

by L. P. Dover

  We started down the street and I looked up at the buildings. “Which one’s yours?” I asked. And as soon as I asked it, she pointed to a place up ahead. There was a store with her name on it in big bold letters. “Never mind, I see it now. I guess I should’ve looked harder.” She snickered. “So what kind of clothes do you design?” I already knew since I had researched her thoroughly along with her husband.

  “Anything and everything basically. I don’t like to stick with just one style. I design from casual on up to elegant, winter and summer. Even if you don’t care much about fashion, I’m sure we’ll find you something you like.”

  As soon as she opened the door to her shop, the ladies all brightened and stood straighter. The place was two stories high, filled top to bottom with clothes. “Wow,” was all I could say.

  A tall, blonde with a huge smile stepped forward. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Randall.”

  “Thanks, Emily. This is Aylee McFadden,” she said, turning to me. “Aylee, this is Emily. She’s the manager of this branch. I’m sure if you decide to work with me, you two will be spending a lot of time together.”

  I held out my hand and Emily took it. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise. Whatever job she’s offering, take it. She’s really good to her employees. I’ve been here for fifteen years.”

  Diane put her arm around my shoulders. “See? I make a good boss. Now, let me show you around.” We walked around her store and I had to admit, some of her clothes I’d consider wearing. She kept grabbing things left and right, folding them over her arm. Was she getting them for me? Surely not, but they did happen to be in my size. When she was done, she opened up one of the dressing rooms and pushed me inside. “Here you go,” she said, handing me the bundle of clothes. “Try them on and whatever you like you can keep.”

  Eyes wide, I gaped at her incredulously. “You can’t be serious. There’s probably about eight hundred dollars worth of clothes here.”

  She smirked. “More like a thousand.”

  “Holy crap, that’s insane. I can’t take any of this.”

  “You can and you will. I’m your elder, so no arguing.” Grinning from ear to ear, she winked and shut the door.

  One way or another I was going to find a way to slip her the money. Instead of trying on the clothes, I pulled out my phone.

  Me: I hate shopping!

  Jason: Try on some clothes and take pics for me.

  I took a picture of me flipping him off and sent it.

  Jason: That’s my girl. Lol! I’m in the Randall Enterprises lounge.

  Me: WHAT? Why?

  Jason: Drake wanted me to come by. I have a feeling it’s about you. Pray that I don’t kill the fucker.

  “Shit balls.”

  Diane knocked on the door. “Aylee, you okay in there?”

  Did I just say that out loud? “Yeah, I’m fine,” I replied quickly.

  “Okay, just asking. I thought I heard you say something. Anyway, I want to see that floral dress on you. I think it’ll look amazing with your skin tone.”

  Throwing the phone in my purse, I quickly undressed. “Be right out, give me one sec.” I slid the dress on and grunted, trying to get the fucking zipper pulled up.

  Diane laughed. “Do you need help?”

  Opening the door, I turned around. “I can’t get it zipped.”

  She lifted the zipper and put a hand on my shoulder, speaking to my reflection in the mirror. “You look so beautiful. Times like these make me wish I had a daughter.” Her eyes started to grow teary.

  “It’s an exquisite dress. You have an amazing collection.” Just then, something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention.

  “Aylee, are you all right?”

  I forced a smile. “Yeah, of course. I’m just going to change.”

  She grabbed the clothes that were in the room, grinning mischievously. “I’ll just get these packaged up for you.” Before I could protest, she slammed the door and I could hear her giggling all the way to the register. There was no way in hell I could get out of there without Diane wanting to introduce me to her sister.

  Me: Trouble. Madame Chatfield is here!

  Jason: Shit!

  Me: What if she recognizes me?

  Jason: Play it cool. I’m sure you’ll know what to do.

  I finished getting dressed and took a deep breath. I didn’t have a choice, I was going to have to leave the dressing room.

  Diane was at the desk talking to Madame Chatfield with three big bags full of my clothes at her feet. There was no way in hell I could sneak out. “I’ll take that for you,” Emily offered, reaching for the dress.

  “Thanks,” I said, handing it to her. She sauntered off toward the desk and put it in one of the bags, drawing Diane’s attention.

  “There you are. I thought you got lost in there. I want you to meet someone. Veronica, this is Aylee. Aylee, this is my sister, Veronica.” Ronnie must be her nickname.

  Smiling wide, I strolled over and held out my hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  She shook my hand, furrowing her brows. “Likewise, my dear. I’ve heard a lot about you. I believe my sister has taken you under her wing.”

  “That she has and she’s very persistent. I hope it was all good things you heard.”

  Letting my hand go, she searched my face, raking her gaze down my body. “Of course. Have we met before? There’s something familiar about you.”

  “Not that I know of.” The back of my neck started to sweat so I grabbed my hair and pushed it off to the side. Her eyes went wide and it didn’t take long to figure out my mistake.

  “It’s you,” she whispered, clutching her purse tight. “What the hell are you doing with my sister? She has nothing to do with this.”

  Diane stepped back, cautiously glancing at me while I tried to figure out how to get us out of there without a scene. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  Ronnie pointed to me. “She’s an FBI agent. I recognize her from the scar. She forced her way into my car the other day and scared Harold half to death.”

  Gritting my teeth, I glared at her. “Keep your voice down. Right now isn’t the place to discuss this. I’m one of the good guys, remember?” Then, blowing out a sigh, I turned to Diane, her gaze weary. “I need you to trust me. Can you do that?” She glanced quickly at Veronica and then gave a swift nod to me. “Good, let’s get out of here and I’ll tell you everything.”

  She grabbed the bags of clothes, but I stood in her way. “You know I can’t accept those,” I told her.

  She stood firm, pursing her lips like a mother scolding a child. “And what did I tell you about respecting your elders? You’re going to take these clothes even if I have to shove them up your ass. It’s the least you can do for lying to me.”

  Storming toward the door, I let her go and hung back with Ronnie who laughed under her breath. “You’ve done pissed her off now, child. At least this time it’s not me who did it.”

  “Gee, thanks.” We walked outside and right out front was her limo, with Harold waiting by the back door, talking to Diane. Before getting to the car, I stepped in front of Ronnie, blocking her path. “I need a favor.”

  “Like what?”

  “If I’m putting my identity on the line, I need something in return. I need to talk to your girls. There are a couple of men I’m investigating and I want to know who have spent time with them.”

  “Are you going to tell them you’re with the FBI?”

  “No, I’m going to pretend I’m just like them and interested in working for you. It’s come down to the point where I have to find out more about these men. We can’t lose another girl.”

  Sighing, she pushed me toward her car. “Let’s go then.”

  We all got in and as soon as Harold shut the door, Ronnie lifted the privacy window. Across from me, Diane was on the edge of her seat, waiting for the window to seal us off. I counted down the seconds until she blasted off on me. Three . . . two . . . one.
<
br />   “I can’t believe this whole time you’ve looked right in my face and blatantly lied to me. Is your name really even Aylee?” she asked, her voice laced with hurt.

  “Yes, my name’s Aylee McFadden. I didn’t want to lie to you, but it’s my job. I know my betrayal hurts, but I had to find out as much as I could about the people I’m after. I have a feeling you already know something by the way you tried to keep me from whoring myself out to your friends.”

  Her eyes went wide. “Drake? You didn’t . . .”

  “Have sex with him?” I finished, watching her cringe. “Hell no. I searched his house and couldn’t find anything. I’m not ruling him out just yet. Unfortunately, I have others to investigate as well.”

  Ronnie spoke up next. “And how do you think the police got the tip off about those men?”

  I looked over at her. “Other than the eyewitness, I don’t know. They didn’t reveal the source.” She nodded over at her sister. I gaped at Diane, completely in shock. “It was you?”

  She sighed. “I see William’s friends with Veronica’s girls all the time. Sometimes they’d be passed around multiple times in the same night. When they started turning up dead, I kept getting this uneasy feeling in my gut. The guys didn’t seem to care their playthings were being killed. They’d simply move onto others.”

  Ronnie patted my leg. “My girls know their profession is dangerous. I’ve lost a couple over the years, but never four within six months. When Diane and I started getting suspicious, that’s when I temporarily shut down my business. I wasn’t about to lose anymore girls, but it doesn’t matter what I do, I keep losing them.”

  “That’s why I called the police,” Diane confided. “I didn’t want William to know I was doing it, so I made sure to keep my name anonymous. He refuses to believe that any of them could be capable of murder.”

  “You don’t think he has anything to hide do you?” I asked regretfully.

  “No,” she exclaimed, shaking her head, “not my William.”

  “But you haven’t told him about your conversation with the police?” She shook her head. “Does that mean you’ll keep today a secret from him too?”

  “Yes. The more people who know about you, the more dangerous it’s going to be. The thought of you doing this alone . . .” She paused and put a hand over her mouth, eyes wide. “Oh my God, you’re not alone. Jason’s with the FBI too?”

  I shook my head. “He’s an undercover cop I had the privilege of meeting when I took on this case. As soon as it’s all over, we’ll go back to our regular lives.”

  “But you’ve fallen for him, haven’t you?” Diane inquired.

  Averting my gaze, I focused on the city view sweeping past the windows. I hadn’t known Jason long, but my heart hurt knowing that one day soon I wouldn’t be with him anymore. At least for the time being, I didn’t feel alone. It was an amazing feeling. “It doesn’t matter. I’m here to do a job. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, right?”

  “Jason?”

  I glanced over my shoulder at the younger version of Drake Blackwell. “Blaine, right?”

  He held out his hand. “The one and only. I heard you were coming by today. Where’s your lady friend?”

  I shook his hand and laughed. “Doing what women love most.”

  “Ah, shopping. I know how that goes. If you want, you can follow me. I’ll take you to my dad’s office.”

  I followed him down the hall until we got to the end. He opened the door just as Drake finished a call and stood, extending his hand. I shook firmly, smiling when I felt his knuckles crack.

  “Got a hard grip there don’t you, son?”

  “You know better than I do, you can’t be a limp-wristed bitch in this business.”

  Tossing his head back, he bellowed, “You’re completely right. See, I knew I liked you. I didn’t take you away from the poker tables this morning, did I?”

  “Nah, I figured I’d take a break. What can I do you for?”

  “I thought I’d see if you wanted to catch lunch with me and some of the guys. You interested?”

  “Sure. Where we going?”

  Waggling his brows, he reached for car keys. “You’ll see. Come on. You can ride with me and Blaine.”

  As we made our way to the door, Blaine excused himself. “Actually, I have a meeting with Tim Forrester on his new building project. I’m supposed to meet him in fifteen minutes.”

  “Good deal, that’s what I like to hear.” Blaine nodded and disappeared down the hallway. “Ready to go?” Drake asked.

  “After you.” I followed him to the elevator.

  “Where’s Aylee today?”

  We got in and the door closed. “She’s spending the day with Diane Randall.”

  “That Diane is a looker too, isn’t she? I’ve always told Randall he was a lucky man.”

  “You’re wife is beautiful as well,” I told him. Well, she would be if she wasn’t as fake as a plastic doll.

  He snorted. “You want her? I’ll trade her for Aylee.”

  “Nah, that’s okay. I’m happy with my choice.”

  We got off the elevator and walked out to the parking lot, straight to a black Maserati. “How long are you going to be in town?”

  Opening the car door, I got in and he started up the car. “I don’t know. Probably not much longer, why?”

  “Just curious as to how long you’ll be keeping Aylee to yourself. I have a list a mile long on the men who want a piece of her.”

  Clenching my fists, I focused on the fact that nothing happened between them. “Are you one of them?”

  He chuckled. “How could I not be? She was the best fuck I’ve had in a long time. I don’t see how you ever agreed to let her go.”

  “Trust me, I didn’t want to, but she has a fiery temper to match that hair of hers. Besides, I’m not her owner. She’s free to make her own choices.”

  “I’m having another party Saturday night. Do you think she’d be willing to be the prize again?”

  “I don’t know, I’ll have to ask her.” The thought pissed me off. I couldn’t wait to get myself and Aylee the fuck out of Vegas for good. There was no way in hell I was coming back unless I had to. He pulled us into the parking lot of our destination and I tried my best to hide my impatience. We were at a fucking strip club that was also a steakhouse. “Lunch, huh?”

  He winked. “What’s a steak without a lap dance? Come on, it’ll be fun.” Unfortunately, fun didn’t cover it. Chazz and Mark, along with three other men waited outside the door and smiled as we approached.

  Chazz walked up to us. “Did Blackwell ask you about Saturday?” he asked, sounding hopeful.

  “About the poker game or Aylee?” They were fucking obsessed with her. I guess I couldn’t say much because I was enamored as well.

  Drake put his arm around him and smiled. “She’ll be there, my friend. Don’t worry, you’ll all get your turn.”

  Mark acknowledged me with a nod and walked inside while I followed behind them, seething. They weren’t going to fucking touch her.

  “Damn, Avery, you had all the ladies lining up for your cock today,” Drake exclaimed as we left the club. Under normal circumstances, I would’ve been hard up having them dance on my lap, but I didn’t give a shit about those women. “You should’ve let them take you to the VIP room.”

  “And why would I do that when I have my own piece of ass at the hotel, ready to pleasure me anytime I want? Those women don’t compare. Besides, who honestly likes leaving a strip club with a hard on. Definitely not me.”

  He chuckled. “You have a point.” It was three o’clock by the time we got back to Randall Enterprises. We got out of the car and I headed toward mine. “Saturday night you’ll be at my house, right?” he called out.

  I turned and waved. “Wouldn’t miss it.” As soon as I got in my car, I pulled out my phone. Alyee still hadn’t texted an update.

  Me: You okay?

  Aylee: I’m fine. But you will not BELIEVE the s
hit I just found out. I’ll be back soon.

  After thirty minutes of waiting in the hotel room, I heard her slide the key card in the door. When she walked in, she had three huge bags full of clothes. “I thought you hated shopping,” I taunted.

  Groaning, she dropped her loot to the floor. “I do. But at least now I won’t have to go shopping for the next decade.”

  “How much did that shit cost?”

  Throwing her purse on the counter, she trudged over and wrapped her arms around my neck, smiling wide. “They were really expensive. I hope you don’t mind, but I swiped your card this morning before I left.”

  I grabbed her ass and squeezed, making her yelp. “I know you wouldn’t be stupid enough to do that.”

  Eyes wide, she kissed me quickly and let me go. “I have so much to tell you.”

  I sat down and huffed. “So do I.”

  Instead of sitting on the couch, she sat down on the coffee table in front of me. “You go first.”

  “We got invited to Drake’s party on Saturday night. Apparently, according to Drake, you were the best fuck he’d ever had. Now the others want their turn.”

  She grimaced. “It makes me feel dirty just hearing that. Are they playing for me again?” I nodded. “Okay, good. I’ll join the game this time. Anything else happen?”

  Smirking, I grabbed her hands. “I went to a strip club. Does that count as anything else?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Did you have fun?”

  I shrugged. “Not really. You see, it’s not as fun getting a lap dance when you’re not going to bring the girl home and fuck her. I don’t see the point in it anymore.”

  “So you didn’t get any lap dances?”

  Pulling her onto my lap, I bit her bottom lip. “That’s exactly what I’m saying, firecracker. Why would I want those women when I am coming back here to you?”

  Her lips drew back in a smile. “Smart man. While you were off at a strip club, I was actually at a whorehouse. I guess I can’t get pissed, huh?”

  “Whorehouse? Did you go to Chatfield’s?”

  She nodded. “Ronnie recognized me by the scar on my neck. She also told Diane I work for the FBI. Needless to say, she was hurt I lied to her. And get this, she’s the one who called the police to give them the descriptions of Drake, Chazz, and Mark.”