Covert Interview

by Missy Marciassa

  “I’m a surprise to a lot of people,” Elle replied. She couldn’t just keep walking: it would be rude, right?

  Kagan didn’t hide his enjoyment of her legs. “Surprises can be irresistible challenges.” He raised his eyes to meet hers.

  Irresistible? Elle could see why women would find this guy alluring. He was handsome, but more than that, there was something about him, a seductiveness that slithered out from him, coiling around the object of his flirtation and squeezing tight. Yet it was also… creepy. Elle forced herself to smile at him.

  “Did you enjoy your dinner with your father?” His eyes glanced behind her, maybe toward the elevators where she had said good-bye to him? Was he making sure her father wasn’t coming back out?

  “I did.” Elle realized she really had. That was something new. “I have an early-”

  “Join me for a nightcap.” Although his tone was fairly casual, and his smile was seductive, there was a definite note of command in his voice. A note that caused a bit of a puzzling thrill. She did not think of herself as a docile woman even if she was a geek, but she could see where it might be tempting to be docile for him, if someone was into that sort of thing. She and Lyle hadn’t been dating long enough to be an item, but regardless, something told her playing with Kagan would be a little too much like playing with fire for her liking.

  “Your sister was adorable as Little Red Riding Hood,” Kagan continued, reaching out to take her hand in a grasp just firm enough that pulling away would be an effort. “But I must admit I like your version better.”

  She couldn’t stop herself from blushing. Hopefully she didn’t match her dress. “If I’m Little Red Riding Hood, does that make you the Big Bad Wolf?” She thought about the fact that her father said the problems with their business centered on Kagan. Was he the target? Could she get any information out of him?

  The sparkle in his eye told her he didn’t mind that assessment. “I’m told my bite is memorable.” He pulled her a little closer as she laughed.

  She bet it was. She also bet she had no business getting into a position to find out. She’d done enough “detective work” for the evening. “I’d love to, but I really have to be going-”

  “One drink. I’m meeting with someone in half an hour, so I won’t keep you long.”

  “You’re meeting with someone at this hour?” It had to be after nine o’clock by now. Wasn’t that at least a little, well, suspect?

  “I’m leaving town first thing in the morning,” Kagan said with a shrug as he gave her a gentle tug to follow him. “It’s the only time we could arrange.”

  Half an hour wasn’t bad and wouldn’t lead to anything awkward: sleeping with one of her father’s business associates was not high on her list of potential dating escapades. Besides, they were out in public in an upscale hotel: nothing that bad was going to happen there. Maybe she could find a way to ask him about his problematic business transactions, see if her father was involved… perhaps even get some info for Mason. Besides, Marni was going to love hearing this story.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Elle tried to breathe normally as Kagan escorted her into the lounge. She tried to pull her hand out of his, but not only did he not let go, he let his other hand rest on her lower back. There was sexy assertive and creepy assertive, and this guy was inching over the line from sexy to creepy.

  Of course the bar was crowded.

  “The bar’s crowded: let’s get comfortable in one of the booths,” Kagan said as he steered her towards one of them. The booths lined the back walls and had curtains. This guy really was The Big Bad Wolf. She’d rather be playing with Lyle, but if she could find out something about her father, this drink could be worthwhile. Now she just had to figure out the right questions to ask.

  She slid into the booth, feeling almost dwarfed by the tall back of the booth. If that curtain was closed, a lot could go on back here.

  “What’s your poison?” Kagan asked.

  Poison. Okay. Was he just being a flirt or was he really a bad guy? Like a terrorist? “Poison?” She arched her eyebrow as she looked over the drink menu. He wouldn’t actually put anything into her drink, would he? Now she was just getting paranoid. They were way back in a booth and there were several bartenders working that crowded bar. How could he do anything?

  “Do you have evil intentions, Kagan?” She gave him a smile that she hoped was somehow alluring. She’d read plenty about women giving “alluring smiles” but had no clue how to do it.

  “There are many bad boys out in the world, but The Big Bad Wolf truly is a more apt description of me.” His eyes smoldered rather like Lyle’s but this smolder was so intense, she nearly felt scorched. She was playing with fire. Something told her he meant exactly what he said.

  She needed to focus: think about what to ask this guy and see if her father was involved with something he shouldn’t be. Something told her Kagan was more than capable of being a CIA target. And she was having drinks with him. Jesus.

  He reached out and covered one of her hands with his. “Such big eyes you have, Ms. Paquet.” His touch felt proprietary, which was a problem because she was not this guy’s property. This was a man who was used to getting his way. Something told Elle he didn’t care how he had to do it, either. “Ready for play with a little bite?”

  Was he challenging her? Why was everyone a challenger since she got out of school? “How bad of a bite are we talking?” Elle shifted on the bench, feeling as if she was sinking a little in the plush velvet. Wiggling away from him wouldn’t be easy, but it would also defeat the purpose of having drinks with him. She shook her hair back, feeling it brush her shoulders and upper back.

  Kagan stroked her hand. He wasn’t letting go. “As bad as you want.”

  Elle tingled, although not necessarily in a good way. On one hand, this man was exciting. Oh yes, he was. Yet, playing with fire could get a girl burned. Badly. She tried to think, scanning the menu. She needed to order a drink; the server was waiting. What would work? “I’ll take a white Russian.”

  Why that particular drink jumped out at Elle on the menu, she originally didn’t know. Then she remembered. Marni always confused them with the blowjob drink. Oh God. This was as close as she was getting to a blowjob tonight that was for damn sure.

  “Vodka.” Kagan’s voice was almost a snap as he spared the server barely a glance.

  The server slipped away as he said, “Coming right up.”

  “You surprise me, Ms. Paquet.” Kagan’s deep voice pulled her attention back to the task at hand. “I wouldn’t think you were the type to date bad boys.”

  She wasn’t and didn’t plan to start now. She just needed some intel. “What’s my type?” She wanted to back away, put a little distance between them, but that wouldn’t get him talking, so she stayed in position, leaning in toward him.

  The server brought Elle’s frothy white Russian and Kagan’s vodka. Talk about fast service. She took a sip of her drink. She did like White Russians, and she liked the Blowjobs drink, too, although the name made her want to gag. She liked pretty much any sweet drink: alcohol was often too bitter for her.

  “Is it to your liking?” Kagan nodded at her drink. “Or could you tell from that baby sip?”

  Baby sip? Talk about patronizing. Elle took a deeper swallow. “Perfect.”

  “First time drinking a white Russian?”

  Seriously? Elle laughed. “Not at all.” She drank more. Okay, she may have drank very little before coming of age, but Marni had insisted she get up to speed starting on her twenty-first birthday.

  Now she had to focus. She was there for a reason, and it wasn’t to flirt with this guy who was a little too close to a human version of The Big Bad Wolf for her liking. She just couldn’t think of what to say to find out about her father.

  “My father said he’s in town because of some troubles with your companies. I hope it’s not too bad.”

  Well that was lame.

  “Nothing we can’t ge
t cleared up,” Kagan replied. “It’s probably a matter of taking care of some incompetent employees.” He reached up and tugged on the curtain, pulling it part of the way shut.

  Oh shit. Elle couldn’t stop herself from gulping more of her drink and immediately felt the burn of alcohol. She needed to get a grip. “A staff shake-up will make things better, huh?”

  Elle was very aware of Kagan leaning back on the bench and stretching out an arm above her head as he scooted just a bit closer. She hated when guys just claimed space like that. “Sometimes being a boss feels almost like being an exterminator. You have to identify the rats and go to work.”

  The weight of his arm as it dropped onto her shoulder felt too heavy. This guy sounded menacing. She couldn’t stop herself from shuddering, as much from his touch as the image of him exterminating employees. It was funny how the same touch could be so different. When Lyle pulled her close and rested his hand on the small of her back, it set off a flurry of tingles. When Kagan did it, the tingles were more like the clanging of alarm bells.

  Elle tried to focus on her breathing without seeming obvious. She needed to keep calm, despite the rising temps in the booth. What could happen in these booths? Not much without them getting arrested.

  “I- I know I’m in the middle of a ninety day probationary period. I guess they want to make sure I can do the work.” It occurred to her that if the CIA or FBI or whoever was watching Kagan, as opposed to her father, she was going to have a hell of a lot of explaining to do, especially since she was on probation. Having drinks with him may not have been the best decision after all. Her stomach was starting to sour.

  Kagan said, “Your father told me how smart you are.” It took all of her self-control not to shrug out of his grasp when his fingertips began to stroke her shoulder. It felt like a large spider- or some other large insect- was on her that would normally have her jumping out of the booth.

  Yet she was starting to feel tired. How could she be feeling tired and tense at the same time? She drank more of her drink.

  “Do- do you have a probationary period for your employees?”

  Not the most useful question but at least she was talking.

  “I have a rigorous selection process beforehand.” Elle felt his fingers on the skin of her neck and wanted to startle but her body didn’t seem to feel like moving. She didn’t drink much but this was ridiculous.

  “Does- does my father help you with the hiring?” For whatever reason, she felt the need to keep talking, like that would somehow ward off trouble. How much time had passed? It had to be close to time for his meeting. She would just drag herself outside to a cab.

  “I personally handle the hiring of all my people.” She felt his arm tighten as he pulled her closer, like a snake tightening around its next meal. “Your eyes are wide again.”

  Dammit, the man was like a furnace, he gave off so much heat. She tried to move back a little but couldn’t. She struggled to stay calm, maintain her composure. She could do this. They were in public in upscale lounge: if she screamed, someone would do something.

  “All the better to see you with.” Elle needed to stay focused but her head felt fuzzy. That White Russian had been a strong.

  “Are you enjoying the Library of Congress?” His arm tightened even more around her. This man was used to getting what he wanted out of women. Tonight was going to be a disappointment.

  Library of Congress? The heat and the dimness seemed to work together to fog Elle’s brain. “Library of Congress?” she repeated. Were his fingers stroking her neck?

  As if from far away, she heard Kagan say, “Where you work?”

  Damn, that drink had been really strong. She wasn’t on a college campus where they watered down drinks anymore. Her throat felt dry. She needed to think. He was asking her about the Library of Congress, where she supposedly worked. “Oh, yes!”

  She pulled away, enjoying the bit of coolness that came from not being pressed up against him, and drained the rest of her White Russian. She was so thirsty. Hopefully a server would be by with a pitcher of water soon. “I- I spend so little time there,” she said as she set the empty glass down, “it’s like I don’t work there. At the Library of Congress.” She nearly said CIA. She shouldn’t have ordered any alcohol and stuck with pop.

  Kagan snaked his arm back around her waist. She could feel his persistent fingers stroking her side. Forget thrilling. This was just creepy. “Where are you spending your time?” he asked.

  Focus. She needed to focus and not screw this up. “I’m the liaison for the Virginia university library system,” she said. She was tired. Exhausted. “So I spend most of my time moving between them.”

  In an unmistakably reptilian fashion, Kagan’s arm tightened, pulling her back towards him. She tried to stay where she was, but it was as if he was a force that she couldn’t resist.

  “A lot of-” Was his hand moving up her waist? She wanted to twist away and slap at his hand, but she felt so tired. What was she saying? Oh yeah, “a lot of major research is done within universities, so it’s important the libraries be- be top notch for those scholars.”

  “What do you do?” he asked.

  It was on the tip of her tongue to say “analyst for the CIA,” but she stopped herself. She couldn’t tell him that. His hand stroking her upper back may be making her feel relaxed, but she couldn’t get too relaxed. What was she supposed to tell him?

  A hand settled on her thigh. She wanted to jump, but her muscles were too relaxed for quick movement. She needed to focus. “Uh- I am responsible for making sure the Virginia libraries are- are technologically advanced and have access to- to appropriate Library of Congress documents.”

  Their bodies were touching again. How did Kagan get so close? “The Big Bad Wolf detects something’s not quite right.”

  Was his tongue running around the outer edge of her ear? His hot breath made her want to tremble but not in a good way. She wasn’t going to find out anything from this guy, and she was in way over her head. “Kagan- what time is it? I don’t want to make you late for your appointment.”

  Her tongue felt thick in her mouth. What was wrong with her? She didn’t drink a lot, but she’d been drunk before. She’d never felt like this, though.

  “Why is the Library of Congress worried about Virginia’s libraries?” Kagan asked.

  Elle didn’t know which she should be more worried about: Kagan’s continued questions about her cover or his hand going up her skirt. She needed to focus on the immediate problem: his hands. Yet even lifting her hand to stop him felt like a chore. “Kagan-” She didn’t even slow his hand down.

  Had he… had something been in her drink? Maybe if she kept talking, he would focus on her words. “The Library- Congress has this program with all of the libraries- in all fifty states…”

  She was so tired. Too tired to even talk. And she was hot. “Kagan, stop-”

  “Stop?” Kagan murmured.

  She wanted to flinch as she felt his hand slide between her thighs, parting her legs, while his other hand squeezed her ass. Oh God, she was going to be sick. She actually felt nauseous. He lift her up, and she didn’t have the strength to pull away, both of his hands now clutching her ass, before settling her on his lap. She could feel him, hard, between her thighs. She needed to throw up on him. Now.

  Elle heard him murmur something as his hands slid up her dress. Sick bastard. Her eyes were closing; keeping them open felt impossible. She couldn’t even lift her head. . It was so hot.

  His sweaty body pressed up against hers. The feel of his hands on her bare skin made her want to wretch. She wanted to scream but couldn’t make a sound. Instead her scream echoed in her head, reverberating around her skull, a piercing wail like an alarm.

  And she had thought nothing could happen in a booth in public…

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Elle cracked her eyes open, but the brightness of the lights stabbed right into her brain, so she closed them again. What the hell had h
appened to her?

  “Ms. Paquet.” The deep voice seemed to crush her skull. Bastard.

  Elle squeezed her eyes shut and tried to move. She was able to move. She shifted again and realized she was lying on her back. Something- sheets? were on her. Her head pounded.

  “Eleanor.” Was that her father? They had had dinner, but it didn’t sound like his voice…

  “Elle. Wake up.”

  Something was seriously wrong. She bolted upright, forcing her eyes open and keeping them open despite the migraine-inducing bright light. Mason was sitting in a chair, focused on her as he leaned forward. Elle looked around, trying to take in her surroundings despite all the whiteness, made even brighter by the fluorescent light.

  She was in a hospital room. Elle realized she was wearing one of those paper thin hospital gowns. The sheets were crushed in her fists. She faced Mason.

  “You’re in the hospital.” His tone was actually kind of soothing. Well, it was as soothing as his voice would be, but he needed to tell her something she didn’t already know.

  Elle swallowed hard and then coughed. Her throat had never felt so dry. “What-” she croaked but couldn’t continue.

  Mason reached over to the night stand and poured a glass of water from a pitcher. He handed it to her. She accepted and began gulping it down. There may be an IV in her arm, but it wasn’t doing enough to hydrate her.

  “Kagan drugged you,” Mason told her as she drank. “He’s known for using rohypnol on women.” Rohypnol. Roofie. The date rape drug. Oh dear God.

  Elle finished the glass of water and held it out for Mason. He poured her another. At least she could speak. “What?” Her voice didn’t sound too raspy.

  “He uses them for the usual purposes: sedation, rape.” Mason handed her the full glass and settled back. It looked like he’d been there a while: his blazer was hanging off the back of his chair.