Tame Me (Alpha Four, Book 2)

by Mia Dymond

  He forced his gaze off Kat and looked past the free–flowing wine and greenbacks when suddenly sweat droplets danced on his forehead and doom climbed all thirty three vertebrae of his spine.

  He turned back to face his teammates. “Uh, guys.”

  No one answered, apparently oblivious to the panic he held at bay. In fact, all of them still struggled with the God–forsaken ties. He reached to grab Thunder’s tie from his hands.

  “Guys!”

  “What the hell, Chaos?” Thunder frowned. “Liv threatened me within an inch of my life if I don’t wear that thing.”

  “Screw the tie.”

  “Come again?”

  He released a hard breath. “We don’t need the tie.”

  “You’re not making a whole helluva lot of sense.”

  He gestured at the dining area with his head. “Check out the action in there. Obviously, we missed the memo.”

  Rebel frowned and stepped past him to look into the other room. “Oh, hell.” His teammate turned back to the other men. “They’re passing out flowers and candy.”

  “Who?” Thunder snatched back his tie.

  “The other waiters.” Rebel released a similar hard breath. “In fact, several of them included small, square, gift–wrapped boxes.”

  “Jewelry?” Ace shook his head. “A freakin’ ambush – we are not prepared for this mission.”

  Chaos refused to admit defeat. “Yes, we are.”

  All three of the other men stood silent, obviously awaiting further explanation. Thunder broke the heated silence.

  “Explain.”

  “Look closer at those guys.” He yanked his own tie from around his neck and then began unbuttoning his shirt. “We have a secret weapon.”

  ***

  Clustered with her friends in one corner of the dining room, Kat moved her gaze around the crowd of women who gathered in anticipation of the night’s activities. Although the event was an annual one, women didn’t hesitate to attend and lend monetary help to those in need. And the men who participated did their best to assure the contributions did not go without appreciation.

  She caught a glimpse of her father, dressed in his black tuxedo, greeting each woman at his assigned table with a squeeze to her shoulder or a warm hug. Judge Abbott never failed to participate and it warmed her heart to see him so actively involved.

  At a neighboring table, the judge had put his assistant to work, as well. Always the methodical and professional aide, James Foster practiced perfect gentlemanly politeness with his guests. Although she knew James to be somewhat of a hermit, his social skills were finely tuned for the night’s event.

  “Tables four, five, six, and seven look lonely, Kat.”

  At the sound of Sophie’s voice, Kat glanced at the tables assigned to Alpha Four and frowned. Chaos promised they’d be on time.

  “Don’t worry, they’re here.” As usual, Liv managed to read her mind. “I had to threaten Thunder to wear his tie.”

  “Maybe, they’re shy,” Carley drawled.

  Kat rolled her eyes. “Hardly. I’ll go see if I can rally the troops.”

  “Uh, Kat.” Carley’s eyes widened. “I don’t think that’s going to be necessary.”

  “Why?”

  Sophie grasped Kat’s shoulders and turned her to face the kitchen where Chaos, Ace, Rebel, and Thunder exited and walked toward their assigned tables.

  “Oh. My. God,” she whispered.

  Someone – Liv she thought – released an appreciative, schoolgirl sigh just before she confirmed what every one of them were thinking. “Amen, sister.”

  With smooth, easy steps, eight black combat boots carried all four men into the room, with their white tuxedo shirts unbuttoned, cuffs rolled to elbow level, and their magnificently carved pectorals on display. Suddenly the silence was deafening. No one feminine eyelash blinked and oxygen seemed to leave the room. Finally, the whole room released one collective sigh – not for lack of oxygen, but in pure male appreciation, as they stopped in front of table seven.

  Although the sight of four breathtakingly handsome men was extremely satisfying, one man in particular drew Kat’s gaze. Chaos stood between Rebel and Ace, his trademark cocky smirk firmly in place and his green eyes sparkling with what she interpreted as mischief. In fact, she was willing to bet he had orchestrated this whole maneuver.

  Unable to stop herself, she moved her gaze down his staircase of abdominals to the sexy v–cut of his obliques just slightly noticeable at the top of his waistband, while her fingertips tingled with the urge to trace each defined, muscled indention. Yeah, she’d start with her fingers and then smash her body against the tempting flesh and rub until friction threatened to burn them both.

  Still mesmerized, she forced her eyes even lower where the tailored dress pants hugged his hips and thighs just enough to emphasize the sheer masculinity of him. Before she could stop it, her gaze slid to the bulge between his legs. She ran her tongue across her bottom lip – that appreciation could not be public.

  When she realized she stood staring shamelessly, she quickly lifted her gaze only to meet his head–on. He winked in the heated moment and instinct pushed her to move her gaze and ignore her attraction. Impossible. Held hostage by desire, she winked back and then nearly fainted when a slow, easy grin split his lips as he turned and headed back to the kitchen.

  She released a long, slow breath and forced herself to turn to look at her friends. “Those tables are lucky, lucky tables.”

  “Donations should be good.” Carley giggled and glanced at Liv. “And, they aren’t wearing ties.”

  “I hadn’t noticed,” Liv mumbled. “Do you think they can pull this off?”

  Sophie nodded. “Don’t kid yourself, they know exactly what they’re doing. Rebel uses the same tactic when he mows the lawn. Traffic nearly stops in front of the house.”

  Kat glanced at Carley whose eyes remained glued on Ace. “Carley?”

  “Hmmm?”

  “Just do him already.”

  Her friend simply grinned, her gaze still stuck to the handsome soldier. “I’m thinking about it.”

  “Oh, geez.” Liv rolled her eyes. “Only you would have to think about it.”

  “Well, while you both consider the reasoning behind Carley’s hesitation, let’s get this party started.”

  Kat left her friends and walked to the back of the room and into the kitchen. She stopped short when she spotted Chaos cornered by the mayor’s wife who appeared to be intent on showing him her personal appreciation by stuffing cash into his waistband. She propped one hip against a nearby countertop and bit her tongue.

  “Thank you for your donation, Ma’am.” Chaos grasped both of her wrists in his grip and lifted them from his groin.

  “You’re welcome, Sergeant.” She blinked her eyelashes several times in succession. “I prefer to make my contributions personally.”

  “Duly noted.”

  Kat couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped when he took a step backward as the other woman stepped forward.

  Immediately, his gaze met hers and she saw the desperation in the depths. She pushed herself off the counter and moved towards them.

  “The ladies at your table are asking for you, Mrs. Peterson.” She loosened Chaos’ grip and turned the other woman toward the exit. “And the waiters refilled your wine glass.”

  “Thank you, dear.” She winked at Chaos. “Don’t be too long now.”

  Kat waited until the other woman left before releasing the giggle she held inside.

  “Think that’s funny, do you?”

  She nodded and stepped closer to him. “Serves you right for running around the dining room half naked.”

  “Better than naked.”

  “True.” She reached to pull several bills from his waistband. “The evening hasn’t even begun and you’ve been popular.”

  “Just doing my job.”

  She palmed the bills and then took a step back. “You’re a pro.”

 
; “Are all the women this handsy?”

  “No. That’s the mayor’s wife, Minnie Peterson. She likes to show her appreciation personally.”

  “Do you know her well?”

  “Yes. I’ve known her all my life and yes, she’s done the same thing year after year. Would you like me to tell her to back off?”

  “Nah.” He smirked. “All in the name of charity.”

  “I really appreciate you guys helping out.”

  He reached down and caught her wrist with his fingers. “We’re glad to help.” Her skin tingled as his thumb caressed her pulse point. “You look like a million bucks.”

  “Thank you. You clean up nicely yourself. I see you and your team have a distinct strategy.”

  He shrugged. “All part of the game. Divide and conquer.”

  “Well, I’ll admit it’s a brilliant plan. Four men such as yourself catering to not only one table but four seems to be a well–accepted maneuver.”

  She practiced great discipline to keep her gaze severely locked on his, an extremely difficult task while her eyeballs cramped from the force. She should be ashamed for being such a voyeur, perusing his body like a piece of meat. But, she wasn’t – not one bit. And, as long as he couldn’t read her mind, she was safe.

  Mentally, she rolled her eyes at that ridiculous excuse. Any fool could see what she thought from the hungry look she knew darn well crossed her face. Besides, he held her wrist; her pulse pounded under his touch.

  She released a long sigh and removed her wrist from his grasp. “Back to work.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He gave her another tummy–fluttering smile. “Keep your eyes open and your guard up.”

  She fought the urge to salute him, opting for the next best thing. She took a step forward and planted a soft kiss against his left cheek, leaving a faint lipstick print in the process.

  “Yes, sir,” she said as she stepped back and then turned to leave. “Thanks again.”

  ***

  Ace tucked himself into a corner away from the activity and settled in to analyze the surroundings. The place crawled with women, most of whom had now consumed a fair amount of alcohol. In fact, he’d spent the last half hour dodging numerous accidental caresses against his abdominals, several tugs at his waistband by wandering manicured fingernails, and so many suggestive winks by perfectly–curled eyelashes he’d lost count. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate the overage of female attention – what normal man wouldn’t? – but the attention made Recon difficult. He’d finally made a run for it and hid in the first empty corner he could find.

  Kat’s conclusion that murder for these women would be messy was proving to be true. The general consensus of the participants in this room seemed to be focused on enjoying the night’s festivities. So far, he hadn’t noticed anything or anyone out of place. Kat had organized a classy event and everyone involved appeared happy to participate. No sense of murder here.

  He moved his gaze off the group of women seated at a nearby table and onto the waiter. Hawthorne, he remembered by photograph, the accountant for the charity. Just like all the other men in the room, he worked overtime to please the ladies. He snickered under his breath. He had a long way to go to catch up to Alpha Four’s tables. He and his teammates had struck back at the ambush with one of their own. All four of them worked all four tables – donations by forty women went a helluva lot further than ten.

  “Hello?”

  Although he almost jumped out of his skin at the sound of a familiar female voice behind him, Ace didn’t so much as blink when a slender feminine hand moved the air in front of his face and attempted to capture his attention. Experience as a sniper had taught him to ignore even the slightest distraction but, hell, he hadn’t even seen her coming. And he knew for a fact, Carley Kensworth wouldn’t be ignored.

  “Yeah?” he grunted as he moved his gaze to hers.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Watching.”

  “Obviously, but why?”

  “It’s what I do.”

  “Not tonight. You’re supposed to be taking care of your table.”

  “I haven’t heard any complaints.”

  “You’re right.” The curls in the ends of her long black hair moved the air as she nodded in agreement, and the scent of something sweet and feminine went straight to his groin. “But you can’t earn tips sitting here.”

  A threatened grin made his lips itch. He hadn’t earned a tip all night – his naked chest had done all the work. Besides, as long as the rest of the guys continued to give the ladies a show, none of the other waiters would come close to collecting as much money.

  “Come on, Ace.”

  The impatience in her voice caused him to glance down at his right biceps where her tiny, slender fingers attempted to squeeze the muscle. His lips itched again. The woman was tiny all over. Like her friends, she stood not much over five feet, but she had as much attitude as a giant. Funny how something so small could be so persuasive.

  “In a minute.”

  “What exactly are you looking for?”

  “Anything suspicious.”

  “Did you find something?”

  “A whole truckload of somethings.”

  “Really?” Her beautiful blue eyes widened and she lowered her voice as if she expected to hear top secret information. “Like what?”

  This time his lips split into a wide grin, partly because he found her interest amusing but mostly because he could get lost in those eyes. “The waiter at table eight is feeding his own pocket.”

  “What?”

  He nodded. “He hasn’t made a tip since I’ve watched, but I’ve seen him pull bills from his pocket and hang them from the garter squeezing his arm.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely positive.”

  “What else?”

  “The mayor’s wife out–drinks the women at her table, three to one.”

  She released a bubbly giggle. “That’s old news. In fact, the mayor will make sure her glass is filled only with water any time now.”

  He moved his gaze from the dining area and onto her, careful to control the hungry, wolf–like smirk that threatened to move his lips. The neckline of her black dress framed her breasts, lifting them perfectly to eye level. And with her arms currently crossed beneath them, she gave a whole new meaning to an eyeful. Without moving his gaze, he knew from previous observation that the remainder of the material hugged her small, curvy body before touching the tops of her thighs.

  He swallowed hard and pushed the lustful appreciation from his mind, opting for a quick change of subject.

  “Give me your cell.”

  She looked at him as if he had two heads. “Excuse me?”

  “Hand over your phone.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

  “Oh, for the love of…… give me the damn phone, Carley!”

  Her eyes widened and he thought she might actually smack him in the forehead with it. Instead, she handed it to him. He pushed several buttons, then returned the phone.

  “I added myself as a contact.”

  “That sure of yourself?”

  “In case you need me, you have my number.”

  “And you think I’m gonna need you because..?”

  Ace snorted. “The four of you girls have a knack for trouble. Rebel and Chaos already have their hands full, so I’m the next logical choice.”

  “Just as long as you don’t expect a booty call.”

  That made him laugh out loud. “A booty call?”

  “Yes. Why is that funny?”

  “Have you ever had one?”

  “Of course not. Why?”

  He lifted one hand and moved his fingers down the side of her face. “A booty call is short and sweet. I can guarantee that if you call me in the middle of the night we will not have a booty call.”

  “No?”

  “No.” He gave her a long, slow smile. “If I visit you in the middle of the night, the experience
will be long, drawn out, and very, very nasty.”

  ***

  After several hours of dodging the mayor’s wife and numerous other not–so–subtle invitations, Chaos wiped a napkin across his cheek one last time, not surprised in the least to see the smudge of lipstick on the paper. The women in attendance tonight were certainly not shy about expressing their appreciation.

  He smirked when he reached into his front pocket and pulled out a wadded piece of paper. He didn’t even need to unfold it to know there was a phone number written on it.

  “Add it to the pile.”

  He lifted his gaze to see Ace approaching, wearing a smirk he was sure matched his.

  “There’s a pile?”

  “Yeah, in the kitchen.”

  He shook his head. Of course his friend had already discovered the stash of phone numbers. Question was, did he discover anything else?

  “You see anything tonight?”

  “Nothing other than a waiter cheating to feed the pot, but at least he was adding to the total. Kat’s analysis of these people was right on target.”

  “I didn’t see anything unusual. What about Thunder and Rebel?”

  “Same conclusion.” Ace pulled his shirt over his chest and began to fasten the buttons. “I’m convinced our guy’s not here.”

  “Agreed.”

  “You know how this works. It’s only a matter of time before he makes a move.”

  “I’d rather just burn him to ash.”

  “We have to identify him first.” Ace grinned. “Then you can obliterate him.”

  He allowed himself a small, satisfied smirk as he moved his gaze to the opposite side of the room where Rebel and Thunder stood with all four girls. The captain’s slight nod told him the caravan was ready to leave.

  “Looks like it’s time to call it a night,” he told Ace. “We’ll follow you.”

  Once he and Kat sat in his truck behind tinted windows, Chaos allowed himself to relax a notch. Although they were a moving target, at least they had more of a chance to escape.