“I’m not either. That felt way too good for any regrets.” He grinned, winked and kissed her cheek. She disengaged, used several tissues to clean up, and settled back in the passenger seat to think about what had just happened. By the time she’d finished, he’d done the same and zipped his pants up.
“I hope you still feel that way tomorrow,” she said quietly.
“Oh, trust me, I will. No worries.” He grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I hope you also harbor no regrets by dawn’s early light.” His gaze traveled past her and out her steamed-up window. “Listen, I have to work the next five days, six at night until three in the morning. When will I see you again?”
Jessica pushed out a sigh, grateful they weren’t going to discuss the consequences of her actions at this time. “Probably not until your next day off. I rarely get home until seven or eight at night.”
“Lunch?”
“Infrequent and never at the exact same time.”
“I can text you and leave messages on your phone though, right?”
“Sure.” She looked toward her building with little enthusiasm. “Guess I better get upstairs and get started on that hostess of the year award.”
She reached for the door handle, but he wouldn’t let go of her other hand. “Hang tight.” He released her fingers, then popped open his door and came around to her side of the car as she exited.
Reece closed her door, laced their fingers together and started walking toward her building. Before she could even open her mouth to ask what he was doing, he said, “Yes. I am planning to walk you all the way to your doorstep. That’s where I collected you earlier for our date. You aren’t going to fight me on this, are you?” His signature sexy grin added to his charm. He pulled on her hand and she started moving again. Slowly.
Jessica wasn’t certain if she should let him take her to her door. She didn’t know where Elsa and Gordon were or what they were doing. “If I do, it’s only because the make-up sex is so phenomenal.”
She didn’t stop him until they’d travelled through the lobby and stood before the central stairs leading to the next floor.
“Keep moving,” he said, putting a foot on the first step.
“Will you be coming inside?”
His brows furrowed. “No. Not unless you want me to.”
“Oh. I want you to. I thought I’d made that blatantly clear downstairs in the front seat of your car.”
“So is this about you not trusting yourself to keep me out?”
“Maybe. I do have skills, you know.” She smiled, stroking her fingers along his jaw. “I could get you inside my bedroom if I wanted to, and trust me, I do.”
He grinned that oh-so-charming smile. “If I swear on all I hold sacred that I will not cross the threshold of your domain tonight, can we keep going?”
Leaning close, she whispered in his ear, “Sure. But what if I tempt you?”
“You already do.”
“What if I promise to show you my FBI badge?” She flattened her palm against his chest, smoothing out the fabric. She then fingered the lapel of his shirt, toying with the first button a few inches below his collarbone. She slipped the button through the hole. He laughed, a low sound of dark amusement that made her heart skip a beat.
“Wow. You do have skills.” He pressed against her, tangling his legs into hers and taking a couple of steps until she fell backward against the wall by the railing, practically clinging to him by the time they got there.
He planted his lips on hers hungrily. The kiss was devastating to every single one of her senses. She was overwhelmed in seconds, ready to go the distance. When she reached for his belt, he stopped her, wrapping his fingers around her hand and kissing the palm before placing it at her side forcefully.
Pulling back to stare affectionately into her face, he asked, “So, can I finish walking you upstairs now?” He didn’t seem the least impacted by the kiss, while she was ready to melt in a puddle of need.
She laughed. “Great deflection. You have skills, too. Fine. Let’s go.”
“You don’t even know how much it costs me to deny you, but I will if I must, this time. Just keep in mind that next time you might not be so lucky.”
“Oh, I suspect I’m lucky either way.”
Together they climbed to the second story and walked hand in hand to her door. He kissed her passionately before she unlocked her apartment.
As promised, he didn’t try to get inside. Instead, he kissed her again. It was a sweet kiss, filled with promise and a hint of fire, but then it ended and he said goodnight, backing away with a satisfied expression on his face. She likely had an equally satisfied look.
Once her door was closed, she pushed out a long sigh, turned and startled when Elsa entered from the kitchen.
“He didn’t come in?”
“No. We were exceptionally lucky already tonight. I didn’t know what you two were doing. I didn’t want to take any more chances. And I didn’t want to push my luck any further either.”
Elsa smiled like she wasn’t sure she understood. “We were prepared.”
“I wasn’t.”
“Oh? I don’t know about that. You looked like you had things well in hand downstairs.”
A rush of heat consumed her face. “You spied on me?”
She shrugged. “Perhaps I was worried when you were down in the car for so long.”
“And will you be sharing your insight with the team tomorrow?”
“Of course not. That was private.”
“Not as private as I initially thought,” she muttered.
Elsa crossed the room, but then stopped halfway. “If I were you, I’d be more worried about whether Pierce turned the coms off after we left the club. I took my piece out of my ear and so did Gordon. Eventually.” One eyebrow went up nearly to her hairline as Jessica’s heart plummeted to her belly. She reached up and yanked the communication device from her ear. Elsa cleared her throat loudly and held her palm out for the earpiece before Jessica could hurl the forgotten device across the room.
She sucked in a deep breath to calm her racing heart, and pushed it out slowly. It was really just too much. She would either run screaming or break out into hysterical laugher, unable to stop at will.
Elsa put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. Even if there is a recording, Pierce will ensure it’s deleted. Okay?”
Jessica nodded.
“If I say please, will you make sure it’s deleted either way? I don’t have the nerve to ask Agent Pierce myself.”
Elsa laughed. “That’s not true, chica. You have plenty of nerve. And you did a great job tonight. But I’ll make sure for you.”
Jessica nodded. “Thank you.” Now the only thing to worry about was a possible unexpected pregnancy. Well, that and if her brothers would promptly pull out a shotgun—or four of them—and beat the shit out of the only man she’d ever been in love with to force him into a hasty marriage.
Chapter Eleven
Several nights after the amazing make-up sex in his car, Reece was still thinking about it, and Jessica, and how he could make his relationship with her permanent even after this deep cover assignment was finished.
If there were ever any consequences to that sublime connection, he was fully ready to step up. She’d mentioned having four older brothers, which might be awkward, but she was worth any grief from anyone else. If he were smart he’d change jobs and pursue her. He’d have no problem with her career in the FBI. Who better than a current or former law enforcement officer to support her vocation?
Reece had enjoyed being undercover for the last ten years, but it was often lonely work. Circulating throughout the club this evening, ensuring everyone played nice, he contemplated his life after a long undercover role. One of his security instructors had once told him, “When you’re ready to get out of the field, you’ll know it in your gut.”
Reece thought maybe his gut finally had something to say. Or maybe it was his cock doing all the talking. Eith
er way, he planned to seriously consider life behind a desk as his next assignment. He thought about his brother, Zak, again and his job with The Organization. The name was pretty much all he knew, but he understood it was privately funded instead of government run. That alone was worth a looksee. Perhaps he’d consider applying there when he finished his career undercover with this lettered agency.
Then he went back to thinking about Jessica and where he’d take her the next time they went out. Dinner? Movies? Baseball game? All of the above? Or maybe she’d rather stay in and order takeout. That would be fine, too.
In his ear he heard Arthur’s bodyguard call him up to the owner’s office for a chat. He wanted to rebel and tell him to go fuck himself, but instead signaled he was on his way.
“I have a special assignment for you,” Arthur said the moment Reece stepped into his lavish office.
“Okay. What’s up?”
“I have a special guest coming in tomorrow night with several of his associates for a meeting with me. They’ll be at the center court table. I’d like for you to be their personal security while they’re inside the club.”
“Sure. Who is it?”
Arthur narrowed his eyes. “Do you want their names?”
“Well, yes. How else will I know they’ve arrived so I can enter with them and keep guard while you all talk?”
His boss visibly relaxed. “Forgive me. This is a very important initial meeting for me and my new friend. Both sides want complete discretion, of course.”
“Of course. I am the very definition of discretion.” As far as you know. Although Reece thought it was stupid to expect any kind of discretion in a loud club when sitting center court. He did see an opportunity looming where Arthur would have to retrieve and enter new information regarding his new contact and the dealings. Perhaps Reece’s work here was coming to a close.
Thirteen years ago—in his lucrative drug lord days—Arthur had always cleaned his own dirty money. Now he helped other criminals do it, for a hefty percentage. A multi-talented criminal with a huge hidden ledger with over a decade’s worth of his best lawbreaking clients recorded. Somewhere. And the reason Reece was here.
“Honestly, you won’t need his name,” Arthur said. “He’ll come with a very impressive entourage. You won’t be able to miss them, trust me. This guest will be responsible for getting himself into the club under cover from the people waiting in line.
“Once he’s inside, we’ll use the curtains. In fact, I’d like their entire entrance to be hidden from the moment they come inside. From the vestibule, we’ll have temporary drapery walls lining the ramp leading to their table.”
Reece reflected quickly on whether this meeting would help him end this undercover gig, but said out loud, “I’ll see to it personally. What time?” Reece made another mental list of all the hoops he’d have to jump through to make this circumspect meeting happen. He’d have to start setting things up tonight. It wasn’t lost on him that Arthur hadn’t given over the guest’s name. And he wouldn’t ask again.
“Late. Their arrival will be sometime after ten. They want the space until after closing.”
“I can get it partially set up with the bulk of the heavy curtains tonight after we close.”
Arthur nodded. “Good. Don’t forget to run a bug sweep. Although with your girlfriend connected, maybe we’re okay. As a matter of fact, why don’t you ask her if anyone has shown any interest in watching this place recently?”
Reece faltered within. “Sure. I’ll check it out. I’m certain she would have said something if it were an issue.”
He’d have to make contact and report this special meeting to his higher ups. They liked being apprised of any special guests Arthur brought in. This was additionally a significant boon because tomorrow night was the first time Reece would be the assigned security.
At long last he was being trusted. He knew it was because of his recent FBI connection to Jessica. He’d also have to tell Miles his suspicions regarding Elsa, Gordon, Neil and the freaked-out young blond guy who’d manhandled Neil inside the government car.
Reece had discussed it with Hector to get his read on that shady situation. He asked if Hector thought the FBI guy was trying to spy. The big bouncer had not hidden his laughter. “The dude had no chance to get inside this club unless he flashed his big federal badge. He just wanted in so he could scope out premium women. He would have had to hide that badge to get any further action, though.” Hector laughed himself into a coughing fit.
If Hector was laughing Neil off, then he would also relay that sentiment to Arthur if asked. It helped that it wasn’t the first time someone with a badge tried to get special entry privileges to impress others. The bouncer on duty notified everyone inside. In the case of Neil, he’d likely been after Jessica. Or Reece. Or both of them.
Later, Reece had further explained to Arthur that Neil’s appearance was a personal matter regarding Jessica and not anything official. It had been an accurate gamble.
Once Reece got the center court set up for Arthur’s new guests, he’d send a coded message through channels to give his chain of command a heads up regarding the coming private meeting. What they did with the information was above his pay grade. He’d be sent specific instructions through Miles.
He’d also inform them he’d stay close to Arthur after the meeting. His understanding was that whenever Arthur added a new client to his lists, he’d take a few days away from the club to enter them in his super-secret secure system. This was the very reason Reece had been planted inside this undercover gig for so long. The only person Arthur trusted completely was Dixon. Reece would have to watch him closely, too.
Dixon was an excellent protector and completely loyal to Arthur for reasons known only to the two of them. There was quiet speculation that Dixon might be Arthur’s bastard. If that was true, Dixon took after his mother in looks.
Whatever their history, Dixon was rarely fooled. He was a good judge of character and was an additional layer of security Reece would have to get through or bypass. The latter was his better bet, as getting through Dixon to get to Arthur had never happened, to the best of his knowledge.
It wasn’t a stretch to believe that Elsa and Gordon had planted bugs in the club. Perhaps even at the table he’d be guarding tomorrow night. He’d have to do a fake bug sweep and hope the muscle for the meeting didn’t do their own check. They’d be stupid not to, but he’d seen it time and time again. Trust was often misplaced and humans were very fallible.
Reece wondered what might happen if he invited Jessica, Elsa and Gordon back to the club tomorrow night. The thought wouldn’t leave his head until he’d texted her.
Want to watch me at work tomorrow night?
I can’t talk, as I’m on guard duty at our table, but I can watch you dance.
Maybe Elsa can tear up the floor alongside you in the cheap seats.
Just a thought. Let me know. R
If she took him up on it, she’d either been lying about her love of club dancing or she and her two friends had been up to something else the other night. There might be other possibilities, but those were the two top contenders.
Reece vowed to do anything within his power to help her, drawing the line only at undermining or completely ruining his cover. If that happened, his career in or out of the field would no longer be his decision to make, if he kept his job at all.
~ ~ ~
Jessica floated to work the day after the operation in Reece’s club. Elsa and Gordon had been gone from her apartment before she woke up, but Elsa had sent her a text assuring her the van’s recording equipment had been turned off once they left the club. She hadn’t heard them leave, and they hadn’t come in by the time she arrived at work.
Pierce wanted her to attend an after-action meeting right before lunch to discuss the operation. She hoped to talk to Elsa before seeing Pierce to ensure no one else had been listening in on her fantasy date in the front seat of Reece’s car. Just because it hadn�
��t been recorded didn’t mean her new boss hadn’t heard them.
Neil hadn’t been at his desk all morning. She was probably a terrible person for rejoicing in that little break from her nemesis, and she couldn’t seem to wipe the smile from her face as she wrote up her report as to the previous night’s op at the club. She didn’t expect the little brown-noser would be gone for long, and she was right.
The good news was that right before Neil entered the floor, heading toward his nearby desk, Pierce had already parked himself in the extra chair by Jessica’s desk. In his hand he held what looked like her report. Mostly he seemed to be there to deflect Neil. She was greatly appreciative.
When Neil saw them, a satisfied expression graced his smug face. One she had categorized quite a long time ago. It was the one where he was supremely arrogant after getting away with something yet again, thanks to his uncle’s pull.
“You were right,” Pierce said under his breath, staring Neil down from across the room. Clearly, he was unhappy about Neil’s antics last night and equally unhappy to see him unscathed.
“I was?”
“Yes. Neil is proving more difficult to get off my team than I anticipated. I’ve been forced at gunpoint to allow him a second chance.” Jessica didn’t believe he was exaggerating about the gun to his head. That’s likely what it took to get Pierce’s compliance to allow Neil back on the taskforce.
“That’s too bad,” she said. “I was pulling for you to outrank his uncle. He’ll always be a loose cannon we’ll have to overcome in every situation where he’s the least bit involved, in my opinion, anyway.”
“That’s my opinion, as well. Neil must have dirt on his uncle or else the man wouldn’t be so forceful in his appeal to keep him not only employed, but on every high-profile case assigned within this building.”
Bouncer (Bad Boys in Big Trouble Book 2) Page 12
