by Carter Blake
Of the group, he’s the most rugged looking with the dark, trimmed beard and hair. And he’s got an intense stare—made all the more so with how dark his eyes are—that would intimidate anyone on my security staff for sure.
“Right, I think I’ve got it.” I lean forward and rest my elbows on the table, shifting my gaze from each of the men I was just introduced to.
“You.” I say, pointing my finger at The Jackal. “You’re the one I want if I want to be someone else—or divorce this guy.”
The group of them laugh, and The Jackal nods, raising his glass as he agrees.
Griff pinches my thigh under the table, and I laugh, my grip on his tightening briefly.
I swivel my view to The Leviathan across from me and flash him a grin. He responds with a shy smile. “And this fine young man across from me is The Leviathan, and he’s who I need if I want to hack into the White House or something, right?”
He beams at me and bobs his head up and down. “That’s me. Ace hacker and an expert of all things tech.”
I turn now to the older gentleman and raise my brows at him. “And this strapping, broody man over here is The Manticore. Ex-spy and goon.”
“Goon? No, no. More like problem solver,” he corrects with the hint of a grin. His voice is deep and there is an intensity that drips from each syllable.
“That works.” I turn to face Griff now and take a drink, peering at him from over the top of my glass. “And you’re supposed to be the master thief? Hmm.”
The others at the table laugh at my dig, and Griff shakes his head at me and leans in. “What’s this ‘supposed to be’ business, hmm?”
I slide my hand further up his thigh and stop just as I catch his breath hitching, and I bite my lip. “I’m just saying.”
“Get a room,” The Manticore scolds.
The rest of the table laughs.
But even with the lighthearted laughter, the tension in the air is palpable.
Griff inches away from me and winks. Again, I feel my heart flutter in my chest and heat pool in my core.
“Let’s get some more drinks, shall we?” he says to the table, and after no one objects, he flags down the waiter to order another round.
Chapter 26
Griffin
I sip my drink and glance around the table as the others talk among themselves. It’s the usual chitchat before a job.
I glance over at Kalista. She’s smiling. She’s taking everything in and making mental notes, judging by the contented concentration riddled across her features.
She really is a gorgeous woman—long, flowing dark hair; deep eyes; and the shape of a goddess.
I’m shaken from my thoughts when she laughs and says my name. I look over to see her smiling at me, her brows furrowed and lips turning upwards in a teasing smirk.
“Were you even listening, Griff?”
The corners of my lips turn upwards in a smirk. She knows I was too busy ogling, and she caught me. Now she’s trying to make me admit it, the little minx.
“Sorry, seems I got a bit distracted. Continue.”
She shakes her head and sighs, smiling at me as she turns her attention over to Leviathan.
“As I was saying,” he says as he crosses his arms across his chest, “The Sultan of Morocco Diamond is located in the far east of the museum, and—”
“Oh, no,” I cut him off with a wave of my hand. “We’re not going after the diamond.”
The entire table goes silent, and all of them turn their eyes on me. I can feel the skepticism and confusion as it ripens in the air.
Jackal leans over the table and scoffs at me. His brow is furrowed with a mix of confusion and annoyance. He’s not a fan of last-minute changes to the plan.
“We’re not?”
“No, we’re not,” I confirm, a smile spreading across my face as I glance around the table. “We’re going to take the Sword of Alexander.”
No one at the table seems to be even remotely interested in what I say, so I raise my hands in protest.
“Oh, come on. This will fetch a much higher price than the diamond. And do I need to mention the fact that it’s infinitely more interesting? We steal diamonds all the time; let’s mix it up a bit.”
No one is still giving any indication that they’re even remotely interested, but they aren’t disagreeing, either. Better than a flat out no, I say.
“Well? What do you say?” I look each of my allies—my friends—in the eye as I look around the table at them.
Surprisingly, Manticore is the one who breaks the silence. He nods his head and downs the rest of his glass, planting it down on the table.
“Fuck it, why the hell not.”
I’ll be honest, of all people to speak up first, he was the last person I expected.
No complaints, though, as the rest of them don’t like disagreeing with him. I can’t say I blame them, given how illusive he is about his particular set of talents. The man’s got more firepower in the trunk of his car than I do in four of my residencies.
“That’s the spirit! I know you had it in you.”
He simply nods, waving the server over for another drink as I scope out the rest of the other’s reactions.
Jackal is looking at me with suspicion, and I can’t tell if he’s intrigued or against it.
Leviathan doesn’t seem to care either way—he’s going to be disabling the same alarms regardless of what we swipe.
And then there’s Kalista.
She’s absolutely beaming at me. She’s got that wild look in her eyes that reminds me why I’ve been so happy to have her along. Grinning ear to ear, she nods her head, and her grip on my thigh under the table tightens.
“I think that’s a much better idea,” she exclaims.
“Wait, wait,” Jackal is eyeing me. He puts his hands up in protest.
“I don’t know, Griff, a diamond is easy, and there’s already hundreds of buyers bidding for it. How on Earth do we find a buyer for something so specific?”
“Actually, I’ve already got one.”
I smirk in satisfaction as shock—or maybe acknowledgment—washes over Jackal’s face, and I lean back in my chair.
“You know we can do it. Same place, same time; the only difference is that now we’ll have more help, and an extra set of eyes.”
Kalista grins next to me as I glance over and I squeeze her hand under the table.
“Who said anything about the girl coming?” Manticore objects.
Jackal nods and sighs, shrugging as I balk at them. “I’ve got to say I agree with him, Griffin. She’ll only slow us down, and we can’t risk having to look after—”
“Excuse me?” Kalista is glaring at him from across the table as she snaps at him. “I don’t need anyone to look after me, thank you very much, and if anything, you could use another pair of eyes in there.”
“Oh, really?” Jackal is looking at her, a thinly veiled smirk on his face. “What could you possibly have to offer us in assistance, except perhaps maybe a distraction?”
Bad move right there.
“Well, for one thing, Mr. Jackal, I happen to be quite skilled at acquiring things myself. Not that you’d know anything about that, would you?” she scathes.
He looks around the table and smiles in disbelief, the rest of them darting nervous glances at each other.
“No offense, but I doubt that an inexperienced heiress can really offer—”
He stops short, and his jaw drops as Kalista brings her hand up from under the table. With a triumphant smile on her face, she waves the wallet around that I swiped from his pocket a few moments ago.
“What? How did you—”
He shakes his head and looks at me.
I shrug.
“Griff snagged it a few minutes ago. You didn’t even notice, did you? Passed it to me under the table.” She grins at him, and he narrows his eyes as his lips purse together in agitation.
“And how does Griffin taking something from me and passing it
to you prove anything?”
“It proves that he and I are a good team and can accomplish a task without people so much as suspecting a thing,” she croons, sneaking a knowing glance at me.
This next bit is going to be rather enjoyable.
If only I had a camera to catch the look on Jackal’s face that I know is coming.
“The real kicker is this,” she purrs as she reaches her other hand under the table.
Her hand flits up, and I do my best to stop myself from laughing when she reveals what else she has been holding. In her palm is Jackal’s watch. Kalista sits there fiddling with it and rolling it between her fingers.
The table erupts with barely concealed snickers as Jackal desperately grabs his now empty wrist. Jackal is floored, his mouth agape and his eyes wide in disbelief.
“I swiped it when you greeted us at the table. You didn’t even notice, did you?”
He now has got a full grin on his face, and he claps slowly, shaking his head. “Well, bravo. It seems I have grossly underestimated your talents. Maybe you’ll be some help to us, after all.”
She throws him a flirty wink and tosses the watch to him over the table. He catches it and starts shaking his head—albeit still grinning.
Manticore leans forward from across the table and reaches out to shake her hand. “Never have I ever seen Jackal be put in his place like that. Thank you.”
She laughs with him, and her face lights up. A mischievous smile plays on her lips, and I can’t help but wonder just what is going in in that delicious mind of hers.
“That’s a fun game. Shall we?”
Leviathan looks at her with confusion. “What?”
“Never Have I Ever. Manticore said that, and it reminded me of the drinking game I used to play. Do you know it?”
“Ohhh, yeah. That’s a good one. Got me in some trouble, that one did.” A nervous laughter comes from Leviathan, and he starts rubbing the back of his neck.
Poor bloke never does good with drinking games. Especially when they involve a beautiful woman.
“Look, we’ve got all night to plan this, why don’t we take a little break, have some fun?” She looks around the table, and the guys glance at each other.
They’re unsure of how to react and—given how our typical meetings are—I don’t blame them.
There’s silence for a moment before Leviathan chimes in apprehensively and shrugs his shoulders.
“I mean, I’ve got the alarm system and security plans mapped out already. We’d already discussed the plan for the diamond, and this one is pretty much the same, so…”
Leviathan’s words trail off, and Manticore simply nods. The man’s expression is even, as it always is.
I look at Jackal and raise my brows in question, to which he sighs and concedes. I’m surprised at how long it took him to agree. Normally, he’s the one who enjoys the drinking games.
“Hold on to your hats, boys. I’m undefeated, and I don’t plan on breaking that record tonight,” Kali declares with a lopsided grin.
We spend the better part of an hour swapping stories, downing drinks, and laughing so hard that our sides hurt.
At this point, Kalista has her head resting against my shoulder, chuckling and sighing anytime my hand brushes against hers.
I’m starting to get to the point where if I continue drinking, I’m going to regret it the next day. And, as if on cue, Kalista raises her arms in a gesture for quiet.
Once everyone complies, she smiles nervously and looks around at us.
“So, if I’m going to be doing this, does this mean I get a cool nickname, too?”
Jackal laughs, and I grin back at her. “Of course. How’s ‘Phoenix’ sound?”
She ponders for a second, then smiles back at me and nods. “Hmm. Exotic, rare, beautiful, and strong. I like it.”
I slip my arm around her and rest my head atop hers. She snakes her arm around my waist, curling into me. Just as soon as I got used to the feeling of her body against mine, she pulls away excitedly.
“Hey, I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you all come to Griff’s place the night before the heist? It’ll give us a chance to go over any last-minute details, and I can cook for you guys.” She looks back at me suddenly, concern in her eyes. “I mean, that would be alright, wouldn’t it?”
I’m picturing her in my kitchen, cooking for us as we all laugh and go on. I can’t remember the last time I looked forward to something as simple as a home-cooked meal.
“It would be great, actually.”
I smile at her, and she beams back. The team nods and voices their approval.
She glances over at Jackal and winks as she teases him.
“And, Jackal, I promise I won’t take anything else of yours. Unless you make it really easy. Again.”
I’m caught off guard as the laugh escapes my lips. The rest of them cackle as Kalista continues to mock him playfully.
I look down at her and find myself unable to stop from smiling. I can’t tell if I’m more excited for the heist or for doing the heist with her.
One thing that I know for sure, though, is that I think I’m falling for her.
Fuck.
Chapter 27
Kalista
“Who knew I married a homemaker?”
“I offered to prepare a meal, not scrub the toilet,” I say as we enter the Riad.
Although, to be fair, I’ve discovered that being on my knees around Griff isn’t the fucking worst thing ever.
“Plus, it’s not like we’re really married, right?”
“Right.” He almost sounds disappointed.
As we walk down the main hall, Griff is a few steps ahead of me, allowing me uninterrupted time to drink him in and size him up. His broad shoulders taper down to a narrow waist. I may not be able to see the sinewy back muscles through his expensive, tailored suit, but I know they’re under there.
“Drink, love?”
“Oh, yes, please.”
Griff heads over to the bar. He doesn’t even ask me what I want, but that’s because his places only ever carry one thing: scotch.
I lean back against the plush settee in the sitting room and enjoy the view before me. When he turns just the right way, I can see the unmistakable outline of his cock through his designer pants.
Between that sight and meeting the crew tonight, I’m soaking through my La Perla.
Meeting his associates and talking about clandestine, criminal enterprises was intoxicating enough. But watching Griff so naturally slip into a leadership role and command the room—like he commands every room—made me want to rip his clothes off right there in the middle of the bar.
As Griff hands me my Scotch, our hands meet.
Am I telepathically communicating with him how much I want to fuck him on this sofa? Or is he looking at me like he wants to fuck me too because he can see it in my eyes?
Griff sits down across from me with that sexy, confident grin of his.
“You haven’t had a chance to explore the house yet?”
“Why? Is there a hidden amusement park in the basement?”
“No, but there is a hammam at the end of that hall,” he says pointing to a part of the Riad I hadn’t visited yet. “You could relax in a soothing bath.”
“A bath alone doesn’t sound very relaxing,” I purr.
“I might be persuaded to join you. A hammam is an intoxicating experience, especially if you’ve never tried it.”
Griff reaches over the short distance between his ottoman and my settee and starts stroking my leg. It sends shivers through my body.
“Intoxicating? You have my attention.”
“Too bad we weren’t here before our ‘wedding.’ You could have partaken in the traditional pre-wedding bathing ritual.”
This gets my attention.
“It’s bad enough I’m already doing wifely duties like cooking for your friends—”
“That was your idea.”
“—but now I find out that I miss
ed out on a bathing ritual?
“My apologies, Mrs. Langdon,” Griff says as he stands up and holds out his hand for me. “I’ll try to make it up to you. You won’t be disappointed.”
He leads me down the hall and down the stairs to what seems like another world.
Moroccan tiles cover the walls, which lead to a dome in the center of the room. Moonlight from the windows and skylight stream into the room, making the beautiful tiles practically shimmer in the light. Built-in couches are set into the curved wall of the round room, which has a circular bath sunken into the center of it.
As I’m taking in this breathtaking sight, I notice how warm the room is. The moist heat of the room alone would be enough to get anyone’s juices flowing.
I don’t need any help, however.
Just as I’m breathing in the warm, comforting air, Griff is behind me, unzipping my dress. His hands on my bare back send shivers of pleasure throughout my body. With those same strong hands, he turns me around to face him.
I instinctively lean in for a kiss, only to be stopped by a finger on my pursed lips.
“Not yet, love,” Griff practically purrs as my dress drops to the floor. My wet panties aren’t far behind. “That’s not part of the ritual. You’re a pure, innocent bride-to-be, remember?”
Ooh, role-playing. This is going to be more fun than I thought.
Griff takes my hand and leads me into the bath. It’s cool, but not cold. The difference in temperature between the humid room and the cool bath is refreshing and heady all at once.
I settle into the water just in time to watch him strip for me. Our eyes never break contact as I enjoy the show from my front row seat.
Joining me in the cool water, he settles in behind me and reaches for a sea sponge resting on a dish beside the bath.
He dips the sponge to fill it with water and then begins the most seductive bath I’ve ever had. He squeezes the sponge so it drips a steady stream of water onto my shoulder, flowing over my tits.
When the water hits my warm, exposed skin, the contrast is fucking awesome. My nipples are instantly hard—or, well, harder.
