Without moving away from the counter, Mitch raised the cup to his lips, while Juliana retrieved her own cup and did the same. They locked eyes over their coffee mugs. “I never realized that you have green eyes.” They weren’t just green, but such a vivid colour that he had never seen before.
Well, maybe he’d seen it once before.
“Yeah, and I always have,” she laughed. She put down her cup. “Oh, while you’re here, would you mind giving me a hand with something?”
“Yeah, of course.”
She walked out from behind the counter and crooked a finger, beckoning him to follow her. “My filing cabinet is completely ancient,” she said over her shoulder, as he followed her to her office. “And one of the drawers is out of alignment or something, I can’t get it open.”
“And you need a big, strong man?” he asked her, joking.
“Oh, I’m plenty strong,” she laughed, flexing a lean, tight bicep. “But this needs a little extra brute force. And I don’t want to pull anything,” she laughed, pointing to the top drawer. “This is the one.”
Mitch grasped the handle, and gave it a hard, quick pull. It was well stuck, but under his strength, it gave way with a loud clang.
Juliana smiled gratefully. “Thanks so much, Mitch. My payroll files were in there. My staff thanks you.”
“It was nothing,” he said with a shrug. “Glad I could help.” He took a quick look around her office. It was neat, orderly, but something shiny on his desk caught his eye. He froze for a moment, and didn’t say anything when saw the gold cat mask sitting on her desk.
She caught him staring and picked it up, and put it in her bag. “I was at a masquerade party last night,” she said, by way of explanation. “I was a cat.”
He put it together in his head. Juliana was the woman he was with the night before. He hadn’t been able to tell then, he’d been drugged, she was wearing the mask, it was dark, and the music was loud, and he couldn’t clearly hear her voice. Being with her had been incredible. And standing in front of her in the light of day, in her office, was just as stimulating. He didn’t know what to do. He knew he should tell her. But he had no idea how to even start that conversation?
Mitch was about to speak when Juliana spoke. “Thanks again, tough guy,” she smiled over her shoulder. “Now let’s get back to the caffeine, I’m in need of a pick-me-up.”
Mitch stood for a second, alone in the office watching her walk back to the front counter. Remembering the feeling of her shapely ass in his hands. The words he was thinking dying on this tongue. A conversation for another time.
Mitch grabbed his coffee cup and paid for it, leaving Brewed Moon before he said or did something stupid. He got back in his car and took a deep breath. He wondered if he should tell her; reveal himself as the fox from the party? She deserved to know that they’d had amazing sex the night before, but she had wanted it to be anonymous. He wondered just how would she react if she knew what had happened between them?
His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a message from Peter, saying that he had to get to a crime scene in the east end of the city. His problem with Juliana could wait, his day job wouldn’t.
It was late when Mitch got home that night. He was tired and there was no amount of coffee that could keep him awake. Fishing his keys from his pocket, he walked up the stairs to his front door. He turned the lock and when he lifted his foot to walk inside, it collided with a small box that was sitting on his front porch.
He stooped to pick it up and narrowed his gaze at the small rectangle box, secured with a gold ribbon. Dropping his jacked and sidearm on the counter he inspected the box before tugging it open. Inside was a gold slip of paper, inscribed with only his name, and a neatly hand-written note.
Detective Swanson,
Thank you for cleaning up our club. Use your pass to visit us any time you choose. We would love your company.
Edward
Mitch put the box on his kitchen table. He almost threw the entire thing in the garbage. But he stopped himself, and put the gold paper securely in his wallet. He smiled. Maybe some day, he might just use it.
Some day. Probably soon.
Thank you for reading Up All Night. If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review!
Keep reading to see an excerpt from the Double Shot to the Heart (Brewed Moon #2)
Juliana Lark pulled the lapels of her long coat closer over her chest as she got out of her car. The night air was cold and wet, and it left her with the kind of chill that sat deep in her bones and lingered. She walked through the parking lot, as quickly as her high heeled boots would allow in the slush and snow. Reaching the entrance, pulled open the door and was immediately immersed in the warm, sensual air of Leather & Lace, St. John’s only high-end, exclusive adults-only club. Her blood warmed, and she shucked her jacket and passed it to the coat-check attendant.
She strode purposefully to the concierge desk where the courteous attendant smiled at her. “My name’s Juliana,” she said. “I’m here for a meeting.”
The gorgeous blond checked the spreadsheet on her tablet, and then looked up. “Alright, fantastic. You’re in the blue room. The silk blindfold, and everything else that you requested is already in there.”
“Is he here yet?”
The woman checked the tablet again. “Not yet. But he’ll be told to wait for you to ring the bell in the room, signalling that you’re ready.”
Juliana nodded. “Thank you,” she said, and walked away, and turned to the main ballroom. There was only a small crowd gathered, people mingling, chatting, laughing. It was definitely a far cry from the Halloween masquerade ball that had packed the club when she’d last visited, about two-and-a-half months ago. Everyone in attendance that night wore a club-issued gold mask covering half of their faces. She was a cat. Juliana recalled with a smile the scene in the room that night, bodies close together, the beat of sexuality thrumming in the air and she remembered how, even through the crowd, she had been able to lock onto the man in the fox mask.
She had been drawn to him, a victim to his magnetism, so she’d gone to him, confident in both her instinct and her seduction. She’d learned that it was his first time at the club, and she could tell that he was lost, so she’d offered to show him around. She showed him the ins and outs of the things the club had to offer, and it was only a matter of time before the wildness of that night overcame any trepidation he may have felt and he’d lifted her against the wall and taken her thoroughly in front of a crowd of partygoers. Juliana shivered a little at the memory, and the anticipation of what was to come. It had been the best sex of her life, and now she would finally be with her mystery man again.
Juliana walked into her assigned room, took a deep breath and smoothed her hand down the front of her short, tight dress, and then removed her boots, replacing them with the dangerously high heels shoes she’d brought. Anticipation made her hands shake, and she walked over to the armoire placed in the corner of the room, opened it and smiled. Everything she’d requested was provided for her use, including the man she wanted – no, needed - who would be arriving shortly. While it was expensive, her club membership was well worth it, and one of the few real luxuries Juliana allowed herself. She pulled out the black silk blindfold and walked toward the king-sized four poster bed that dominated the room. For a moment, she allowed the dark material to pool and slip through her fingers, luxuriating in the anticipation of what was to come.
When she fastened the cool silk mask over her eyes, Juliana found herself cast in complete darkness. No light from the small room made its way through the blindfold, and she carefully found her way to the bed. When she bumped into the high mattress with her knees, she lowered and sat on the edge. Her hand groped for a moment to find the small brass bell she had seen on the bedside table and gave it a short ring. She sat in the dark silence, straining her ears to hear anything as the bright notes of the bell faded. But she heard nothing except for the excited pounding of her heart a
nd the rush of blood and desire past her ears. She was so ready, and she clenched her thighs together in anticipation.
The door opened, and then closed, and her shallow breath hitched in her throat at the soft click of the lock. She fought the urge to hook a finger underneath her blindfold to see who he was. But no. Anonymous. That was what she wanted. That was what they’d agreed on the first time they’d been together. She didn’t want to know. That was the thrill she sought, why she returned to Leather & Lace.
When he didn’t come to her immediately, Juliana stood and took a few steps away from the bed toward the sound of his breathing, in an effort to find him. She hoped to affect a display of confidence to mask her nervousness. Instead, in classic, klutzy, Juliana fashion, she tripped on something, and stumbled, arms pitching out in the darkness to brace herself for the fall. But before she hit the floor, his arms wrapped around her, holding her up.
“Mr. Fox?” she whispered, looking upwards.
“Hello kitty cat,” he whispered. His breath washed over her shoulder, gliding over her like a touch. She shivered with need.
“I’m glad you came,” she said, with a smirk.
“You were playing it cool on Halloween, I didn’t expect you to throw yourself at me so soon.” He chuckled, the sound warm as it rolled over her. His voice, a low whisper was gravelly, yet honey smooth. “You have no idea how surprised I was to get a message from this place about meeting you here,” he told her.
Juliana bowed her head. She’d taken a chance in messaging the concierge, hoping that she could be connected with her Mr. Fox. She was more than surprised when she’d received a confirmation from Leather & Lace saying he would meet her. “I didn’t know if you would be open to it.”
He lowered his head and the short hair of his beard tickled across her cheek, as his lips grazed the shell of her ear. “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. I’ve thought about you so much since Halloween.”
“Me too.” She sighed when his lips skimmed the sensitive skin of her throat. “It’s so crazy. And I don’t even know your name.”
“Do you want to know my name?” he asked her after a brief silence.
Adamant, she shook her head, and her brown hair waved with the movement, covering her shoulders. His fingers dragged through the tendrils, pulling back her hair, baring her shoulder again. Behind the blindfold, her eyes closed with his touch. “No,” she whispered. “No names. The more anonymous, the better.” His lips tickled her shoulder, and she sighed. “I like not being able to see you. It already feels like each of my other senses are heightened. It’s just like on Halloween. But I know tonight is going to be better.”
“It will be,” he promised.
***
About the Author
J. Margot Critch graduated from Memorial University with a BA in Religious Studies and Folklore. She currently lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland, with her husband, Brian, and their two little buddies, Simon and Chibs. She spends equal amounts of time writing, listening to Jimmy Buffett music and looking out at the ocean, all the while trying to decide if she should have coffee or margaritas.
Connect with J. Margot Critch online!
Website: jmargotcritch.com
Twitter: @juanitamcritch
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Also by J. Margot Critch
Bump & Grind: Brewed Moon #1
By day, Erica Hardin is a barista at Brewed Moon, a trendy downtown St. John’s café, but by night, she is one of the city’s most sought after burlesque dancers. She craves more adventure and excitement in her somewhat dull, coffee-pouring life, and she gets all that and more when Peter Swanson walks into Brewed Moon. Unknown to Erica, Peter is a detective, part of a special team trained to fight the scourge of organized crime. When he and his team have suspicions of mobsters associating in the Brewed Moon, they spring into action, investigating the café and everyone who works there.
In Peter and his sinfully-good looks, Erica sees the element of danger she’s been craving. Peter however, can’t look past her luscious curves and wily red-lipped smile, and he’s willing to sacrifice everything he holds dear to get close to her. Despite the circumstances, neither Erica nor Peter can escape the instant attraction they feel, and before they know it, their steamy, forbidden affair is embroiled in a sinister plot perpetrated by Irish mob kingpin, Dylan O’Connell. Soon Erica finds herself in more danger than she anticipated, and she must rely on her own wits to survive, while Peter has to stop O’Connell before he makes his evil plans a reality.
Double Shot to the Heart: Brewed Moon #2
All of Juliana Lark’s hard work is finally paying off. Brewed Moon, her trendy downtown St. John’s café, is finally turning a profit, and she is on her way to business success. Her days are consumed with running her business, but her nights belong to Leather & Lace, an exclusive club that facilitates sexy rendezvous for its members. It was at the club’s Halloween masquerade ball that she met a mystery man in a fox mask, and their subsequent encounters have been lifting her love life to new heights. Just as Juliana’s stars seem to be aligning, her life gets turned upside down when she witnesses a grisly murder behind her café on a quiet winter morning. Shaken to her core, she calls the only person she can trust to protect her – Detective Mitch Swanson.
Mitch, the leader of special team trained to fight organized crime, suspects this latest killing in a string of murders is linked to Yuri Petrova, the head of a Russian crime syndicate. A major war between two gangs is boiling over into barely-contained bloodshed, and this latest crime is putting his friends in the crosshairs. Unfortunately, Mitch’s team has been unable to get any concrete evidence to hold their prime suspect. Mitch is reluctant to involve Juliana in the case for her own protection, but he can’t deny that the killing at her café might be the break his team needs to blow the case wide open – and end the turf war before more lives are lost.
Meanwhile, the street violence reaches a fever pitch and Mitch is torn between protecting his witness at any cost and falling in love with her while keeping secrets from both her and his team. At the centre of the chaos, Juliana fights to maintain some normalcy in her life, and her independence despite Mitch’s intensifying insistence that she lay low with him until the danger subsides. However, she finds the stress of doing nothing is worse than the danger, so Juliana clings to the two bright spots in her life: the café and her anonymous lover from Leather & Lace, who may be someone more familiar to her than she realizes.
Long Shot: A Brewed Moon
When an explosion ripped through Brewed Moon, Juliana Lark was convinced that her dream of running a successful café had come to an end. That is, until a silent investor comes forward with the money to help to start over, bigger and better than ever. Now, just three months later she can’t believe how far she’s come, both with the business and with her boyfriend, police detective Mitch Swanson.
Meanwhile, Mitch feels like he’s being pulled in two directions at once, with his shaky partnership with the Irish mob on one side, and his boss snooping around his team’s activities on the other. The only constant in his life is his insatiable desire for Juliana. However, Mitch will find his worlds colliding when Juliana finds herself in business with an unsavoury element.
As allegations of corruption in the police force leads to increased scrutiny of Mitch’s team, and mob violence spills out on the streets once again, Mitch scrambles to control the situation. However, Juliana has her own secrets that threaten to change both their lives, for better or worse.
HARLEQUIN® BLAZE®:
In the Boss’s Bed
Hot for the boss…
Maya Connor was already embarrassed after a dare—and a shot of vodka—resulted in one seriously sexy kiss with an even sexier stranger. She had no idea that the man she made out with was hotel magnate and reputed playboy Jamie Sellers. Or that she would soon be working
for him…
Maya won't let anything get in the way of her ambition. And she's determined to be taken seriously as she begins her career—and not give in to the heat that's constantly driving her to distraction. Lust, that's all it is. The more Maya and Jamie ignore it, the stronger it gets. But ending up in the boss's bed won't just be Maya's wickedest fantasies come to life…it'll be the end of her dreams.
In Her Best Friend’s Bed (coming February 2017; available for pre-order now)
She wants him so much!
Abby Shaw has had enough. She's done with relationships (why are guys always so needy?) and wants to focus on getting her career off the ground. The fact that Trevor Jones—her new best bud and her boss—is seriously hot shouldn't complicate things at all. But that deliciously hard, tattooed body? A kiss that suggests hours—and nights—of wicked pleasure? Yep, Trevor is trouble…
Abby and Trevor can't resist turning "just friends" into "friends with sexy benefits." Which means lots of hot sex, no messy emotions. It's the perfect arrangement—at first. But their searing sexual chemistry verges on becoming dangerously intimate…and Abby will do just about anything to keep herself from falling in love with Trevor Jones.
Up All Night (Brewed Moon 1.5) Page 4
