Tell Me What You Need

by Susan Sheehey

  Cora

  “It worked.” Cora grinned from inside her car, parked down the street from the coffee shop where Vaughn helped pull of the con with Portia Conway.

  From her vantage point, she could see both of them sitting in the shop, the man layering on his thick charm, easily heard through the microphone she’d taped to his chest under his shirt.

  This time, she wore a black wig, pixie hairstyle. She couldn’t use the blonde wig anymore, since that was on a dozen video cameras at the bank from the safe deposit box heist.

  She certainly couldn’t be seen this close to Portia Conway with her normal appearance, either. The woman would recognize her instantly.

  This wig was just as itchy as the blonde one.

  “Now we just need to find a way to get back inside her house.” Tom’s voice came through the speaker on her cell. He’d overheard the entire exchange, secure in the safe house she’d set him up in when they arrived six months ago.

  “I’ll find a way.” Cora kept her gaze on Vaughn, his smile so captivating, even from a distance. “I always do.”

  “I didn’t expect him to be able to pull this off.” The condemnation in Tom’s voice thickened. “He could still be using all this to set you up.”

  “Not Vaughn.”

  A few keyboard clicks sounded in the background. “You’re far too trusting.”

  She seethed through her nose. Telling Vaughn everything last night about the Conway job had never been part of her plan. Confidentiality of her jobs was the ultimate priority for every mark. Which she clearly blew out of the water with Vaughn. Not to mention, she’d broken her father’s cardinal rule. Never involve friends.

  But it felt good, sharing her secrets with someone. Her career could be so lonely.

  “If I hadn’t been at least a little trusting, you’d be sitting in a federal prison right now.”

  “Back at you, Cor. This job doesn’t get done without someone like me.”

  “I know that. Stop questioning my choices, and I won’t question yours anymore.”

  He laughed. “Which of my choices could you possibly question?”

  She smiled, even though he couldn’t see it. “Your habit of not showering for a week. Your fetish for setting off the fire sprinklers in the lobbies of every company you couldn’t hack within an hour. Or how about your preference for boy band music.”

  “Is this you not questioning my choices? Because you suck at it.”

  Cora laughed.

  Vaughn stood, and Portia Conway rose on her tiptoes to kiss him on either cheek.

  She smirked.

  The older woman was a red-blooded American, but she insisted on European farewells, as if raised with French aristocracy.

  “They’re on the move.”

  “I got ‘em.” More keyboard clicks in the background. Tom was recording the whole exchange through the coffee shop’s surveillance system he’d hacked into that morning.

  Portia left first, with her chauffeur pulling up in a black Cadillac to drive her away.

  Vaughn stood on the corner, finishing off his coffee. He chucked it in the trash can. Dark jeans and a form-fitting, forest green T-shirt oozed confidence and capability. The sun peeked through the clouds, and caught red tinges in his hair, giving him a rugged, Irish look.

  Then he glanced down the street, toward Cora’s car.

  Their stares met.

  He blew her a kiss.

  Her cheeks warmed. There was no helping it. She blew a kiss back.

  “Hey, lovebird,” Tom chastised. “Can you bring me a frappuccino?”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Vaughn

  “Didn’t I tell you not to push your luck with this woman?” Dorian barked from across the bar table. His beer was half empty, along with Riggs’. But only D wore a scowl that defied his non-combative nature.

  “Sounds like that date went better than expected.” Riggs snickered behind his bottle.

  “Best night of dancing I’ve ever had. Better than all the cruises we’ve ever been on, D. No joke.”

  He placed his elbows on the table top. “I hope so. Since you’re risking your neck on this klepto.”

  “Don’t call her that.”

  “Easy, guys. We’re all on the same team.” Riggs motioned for another beer from the bartender.

  “Who am I to judge her on a job with gray areas, when we’re essentially paid for sex?”

  Dorian swore under his breath. “You know damn well that’s not what we’re paid for. We’re paid for our time. You better watch it. If any cop overhears you say that, we’re all pinched.” He took a long swig of his Guinness.

  Not likely.

  That charge would be easy to get out of with the friends he’d made along the way. Vaughn chose not to reveal that card.

  “Same thing with her. It’s all about perspective.”

  His old friend set down his beer a little too hard. “My perspective is this woman using you to steal shit. The second she gets what she wants, she’ll split. On the first flight out.”

  He shrugged, trying to play that off as though he didn’t mind. Deep down the possibility made him want to throw up. “That’s her choice. At least I got another job out of it.” Not really the consolation prize he hoped for, but at least he’d proven to her the way he really felt.

  Dorian eyed him.

  Even Riggs paused mid-bite from the nachos they ordered.

  “What job?” D asked.

  “There’s a masquerade party Saturday. Portia Conway needs entertainers. To keep guests on the dance floor.”

  “Portia Conway? The one who blamed you for this woman’s ploy?”

  Yep.

  “Do you want the cash, or not?”

  “How much?” Riggs asked.

  Vaughn told him.

  The guy whistled. “Caviar and champagne tastes, that one.” He winked at the female bartender when she dropped off another beer. When she left, Riggs held his beer up in a toast. “Count me in.”

  “What about you, D?”

  Dorian spun the bottle in his fingers, gently peeling the label off the glass. His scowl looked like he just took a giant swallow of spoiled wine. “You’re taking a job, knowing this girl will be stealing while you’re there.”

  “No, I don’t know that.”

  He shook his head. “You’re fooling yourself.”

  Vaughn leaned forward over the table, looking his friend in the eye. “I believe her. Do I think she gets a bigger kick out of the thrill of her role than she lets on, of course. But her heart is in the right place. That, and she stuck her neck out for me.”

  “What d’you mean?”

  “She apparently called in every favor she had to get me released.”

  “Released for a crime she committed, and pinned on you.”

  Vaughn rubbed his forehead.

  “Does Duane know about any of this?” Dorian asked.

  “About Cora? Absolutely not.”

  “Good. I don’t want him catching a single breeze of this. He’s paranoid enough about protecting his business’s reputation.”

  “He doesn’t have to know a thing. He’ll still get his commission.”

  Dorian shook his head at him. “You’re putting yourself in a messy situation. I’m can’t clean up for you this time. Two years is enough.”

  “I don’t need you to do cleanup.” He reclined in his chair. “Just dance with a few women at this party.”

  “What do you say, D?” Riggs took another bite from the nachos.

  Vaughn stared. Doubt crossed every pore on the man’s face.

  Dorian finished off the last drops of his beer, and stood. “Gentlemen, I wish you the best of luck.” He fished in his wallet for a tip, and threw the cash on the table. “I’m out.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Cora

  “I’m out.” Tom shook the empty box of coffee pods. “Any left in the pantry?”

  Cora looked through the shelves, sparse as they were. “Nope. I’l
l make a store run for you later.” She grabbed a soda from the fridge. One of the few things Tom kept in ample supply. “Did you get a call from the foundation?”

  “Yes.”

  She popped open the can, and raised her eyebrows. “And?”

  “Your payment came through for the necklace job.”

  “Finally.” She took a deep swig of the cold soda.

  “They won’t make a formal public statement for a few months, but they promise to recommend you for future recovery requests.”

  Cora nodded. “Damn right they will. I’ll transfer over your share tomorrow.”

  “There’s more.” He grabbed a soda, too. “More what?”

  “They’re very intrigued by the possibility of you having found the famed missing Amber Room items. They’ve contacted the Russian government, who’re anxious to get those items back. The foundation is willing to be the middle man for that.”

  She finished off the can, and crushed it in her hand. “Excellent. Maybe we can barter those items for the hundreds of pieces the Russians are holding hostage.”

  Tom nodded. “Exactly what the foundation head recommended.”

  Cora tossed the can into the recycle bin. “Hold off on arranging that. I should have the address soon. You can set all that up after we’ve done a background check on the location, of course.”

  “Speaking of background checks…” He finished off his own soda, and chucked it in the bin. “Let me show you something.” He led her into his office, where a bunch of codes ran on a few screens, more surveillance camera images flickered from what appeared to be Portia Conway’s hallway and kitchen, and a few other windows with bank transactions displayed.

  “Is that Conway’s house?”

  “Yep. From her new security system she installed, just after your little smash and grab.”

  “Shit. Can you control these like the last system?”

  Tom frowned. “I’m still trying to find a way in. But I might have to actually be on site this time.”

  She sighed. Being on site was never ideal for hackers. Especially not Tom. He loved his cocoon too much. “That’s okay. We’ve done it before.”

  He pushed a few keys, and another window popped up.

  With Vaughn’s picture.

  “You ran a background check on him?” Anger from the intrusion raged through her mind. Though she shouldn’t be. They ran background checks on marks all the time. It made sense he would do the same on Vaughn.

  “Of course. Care to know what I found?”

  Not really.

  “If you’re going to show me some arrest for a DUI, or reveal the number of women he’s slept with, save it.”

  “Surprisingly, no arrest record.”

  “You really don’t like him, do you?”

  “I don’t care about liking him. You involved a civilian, outside the company. Goes against everything we were taught.”

  Irritation crawled up Cora’s spine, and she put her hands on her hips while she paced the room behind him.

  Tom mistook that as a cue to continue. “After flunking out of college, his ultra-wealthy parents cut him off. Which is when he joined the cruise line. His work history report with a list of infractions against him is as long as The Iliad.”

  She scoffed. “As if you’ve read that novel.”

  “I pirated the Cliffs notes. Don’t change the subject. Seems he has a penchant for causing fights between female employees he slept with.”

  Cora rolled her eyes.

  Just like high school. Always a ladies man.

  “I’m not going to judge him for enjoying a good time with other women, just like I don’t judge you for enjoying your job. The countless accounts you’ve hacked into, and the havoc you’ve caused prior to this role. Just like he’s not judging me over my job.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “You’re saying I should trust that report over what really happened? You of all people know otherwise.”

  “I’m saying he’s more of a liability than a help. You shouldn’t involve him.”

  “I wouldn’t have even found the info I needed without Vaughn’s help that night. I partly owe him for the huge score we’re about to run.”

  Tom brushed his greasy hair out of his eyes, his scowl making him look like a pouty teenager. “I never expected you, of all people, to fall for a player like that. He sleeps with women for money.”

  Not since he saw me.

  Cora cast him a vicious glare. “Don’t take at your sexual frustrations on me. You’re just trying to belittle the smidgeon of a personal life I’ve found, because you have none of your own.”

  He returned her glare. “You know very well why I can’t have that kind of life.”

  She forced a deep breath to calm down. “That’s your choice. Neither of us has had any personal life for years. What’s wrong with me enjoying this, even if it won’t last?”

  Tom gave her a long, hard stare before he sat in his ergonomic chair. Then swiveled it around and started typing away on the built in keyboard.

  She started to walk out, when his voice stopped her short.

  “He must be stellar in the sack. For you to risk both of us like this.”

  Damn right he is. And then some.

  “Shut up.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Vaughn

  Cora crushed her lips against Vaughn’s, pushing her tongue into his mouth with an urgency he craved. Her hand wrapped around his neck, her nails digging into his skin with a sublime pressure.

  The Latin beauty had taken over his dreams every night, leaving his dick wanting every morning. He certainly didn’t expect her to jump him like this the second he opened the door at her knock.

  Not that he minded. She tasted like chocolate mocha and cinnamon.

  Once again, his cock stood at full attention, just from her body pressed against his.

  “Good morning to you, too,” he finally managed when he could take a breath.

  She grinned. Her adorable sweetheart-neckline black shirt accentuated her cleavage just enough to make him drool. Her high ponytail with the large curls at the ends skimmed just between her shoulder blades.

  Licking her bottom lip, her gaze drifted to the erection against his jeans. “I’m pretty happy to see you, too.”

  He hummed his approval, and kissed her again, taking his time at tasting her more thoroughly. “Do you have time for a not-too-quickie?”

  Cora shrugged. “Twist my arm.”

  Her fingers went to work unbuttoning his steel blue shirt, as he unzipped her dark jeans. The fabric fell away from his shoulders, and her nails scraped down his bare abs.

  Everything in his body hummed. The anticipation of another romp with Cora Castillo nearly made his not-too-quickie turn into way-too-quickie. They tangoed backward step by step, her three-inch black heels clicking along the hardwood.

  He pulled the bottom of her shirt up over her head, and nearly groaned out loud at the sight. Her satin black bra hugged her breasts so beautifully, laces crisscrossing the front like a mini-corset.

  The sweet perfume intensified when he ducked his head to kiss along her skin.

  “Are you all set for tonight?”

  Cora pulled back, her glorious lips swollen from his kisses, and her face flushed with arousal. She pressed a finger to the corner of his mouth, licking her lip as she traced his. “The less you know, the better. Plausible deniability.”

  His hot cheeks started to cool with that statement. The firm reminder that she was going to be doing something questionable…something dangerous, while he danced away with clients for whom he had no feelings…started to chill his bones.

  She dropped her hand. “Yeah, kind of kills the mood, doesn’t it?”

  With a deep breath, Vaughn kissed her knuckles. “Probably a good thing. If we’re both supposed to keep our heads on straight.”

  “Speaking of which…” She reached into her back pocket, and pulled out a folded envelope. “Your payment f
or tonight.”

  He frowned. “Portia Conway’s the one hiring me.”

  “A bonus, then.”

  The taste of her mouth lingered on his lips. Staring at the envelope in her hand made his gut twist. “I’d rather not.”

  Her delectable smile slipped. “Then, how about as payment for your hour in the coffee shop with Conway?”

  The twisting still didn’t go away. He grabbed the envelope and tossed it on his couch. Money from Cora didn’t feel right.

  Not anymore. Not for this.

  If Vaughn could just forget the Knight business between them, how they started out…

  Maybe holding her against him, he could get that hot, lustful mood to return.

  He pulled her in close until her breasts pushed up against his pecs. Smothering her mouth with a deep kiss certainly brought back his passion. And hers.

  She reached down and grabbed his hard-on though his pants, squeezing in her tight grasp. His sac tightened, and his tongue dived deeper into her mouth.

  A chirp rang through the room, and she pulled away. “Damn,” Cora whispered.

  Incoming text on her phone.

  A few quick taps on the screen, and she read the message. Standing there in just her bra, pants, and ponytail, her intimidating factor increased ten-fold, typing back a text with lightning fast fingers. When she finished, she shoved her phone back in her pocket. Her deep sigh tightened around his heart. “Look, after tonight…I don’t know what’s going to happen next. Maybe nothing. I might not find what I’m looking for, and I’m back to square one. Or, I might find it, and this could lead to much bigger doors for my career.”

  No shocker where this speech was headed. Had heard it before. Hell, Vaughn had said something similar, back when he played football in college. Translation. This could be her last night in Texas. The last time he’d ever see her.

  This was the first time hearing the speech where it started to make his chest ache.

  “Who knows where this could lead?” Her expression melted into something apologetic, and a few sad wrinkles appeared at her eyes.

  Normally, he’d steer clear of these serious conversations. He’d have been ecstatic over this fling with no strings clinging to his heart. Yet, in one of those wet-dreams this week, he and Cora were older, together, in the clichéd suburban house with a giant rock on her finger. Deliriously, happily married. He’d never felt better any other morning.