by Mia Dymond
Her fingers kneaded the stimulated muscles of his back, pressing deep into the tissue while he continued his gentle assault on her mouth. Her lips were soft and pliant beneath his, taunting him with the incredible promise of sweet ecstasy. No doubt in his mind, this one tiny woman had a hold on him and he had no intention of ever letting go.
With one last sweep of his tongue and a final caress of his thumb across her left cheek, he reluctantly closed the kiss and lifted his lips.
“You’re an expert at lots of things,” he whispered.
“Not compared to you.” She gave him what he interpreted as a satisfied smile as she stepped out of his embrace. “Good night, Ace.”
“Good night, Carley.”
***
He wasted no time in closing the office door and then quickly seeking the comfort of his chair while his heart pounded in the depths of his chest. As badly as he hated to acknowledge it, the evening’s events had left him shaken. He drew several deep breaths in an attempt to calm his nerves so that he wouldn’t come across as a weak imbecile when he reported to his source.
He braced his elbows on his desk and steepled his fingers, angry as hell that they continued to shake. The deed was done; there was no need for fear now. Yet, the eerie pests continued to wreak havoc in his mind. He should’ve worn gloves – then the feel of scales on skin wouldn’t be so prominent in his memory.
He released a hard breath and leaned back in his chair. At least the operation had gone off without a hitch. He hadn’t held much faith that the bugs would stay burrowed in the cake, but he was pleasantly surprised they did long enough for the desserts to reach the table.
Her reputation should suffer quite nicely now. And if she were smart, she’d tuck her tail and run.
Satisfied he could now speak without stuttering, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and pressed an icon.
“I issued the warning,” he said as soon as the call connected.
“And how did she react?”
“Appropriately, except now there may be a problem.”
“What kind of problem?”
“She’s grown a tail.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
“Is it the one we expected?”
“Yes, and if his actions tonight were any indication, he won’t leave her side.”
A deep chuckle crossed the line and familiarity told him that the other man found his suggestion ludicrous. “There are ways around him.”
“I hope you’re right because something about him tells me he won’t take his eye off things.”
“He won’t. He will do everything in his power to intervene.”
“And that doesn’t concern you?”
“Not in the least. He’s doing exactly as I planned.”
He released a heavy breath, careful to keep a tight hold on his doubt. “I’m following your lead. As long as he doesn’t interfere, I couldn’t care less how closely he watches.”
“As long as you follow instructions, we will achieve all of our objectives.”
CHAPTER FOUR
The blinding afternoon sunlight penetrated the front bay window of Carley’s house and pierced his eyeballs as Ace stood with one hip braced against the sofa and waited for Rebel to twist several different colors of wire into a bundle. As badly as he hated to think safety had become an issue, both he and Carley would rest much easier once the place was severely locked down. Well, mostly him.
And, although the system was a necessary evil, he had to admit the place was currently a disaster. Rebel and Chaos stood in opposite corners of the room, preparing multicolored wires to be strung through the ceiling in an effort to connect the house to a safety grid that would lock down the place darn near as tightly as Fort Knox. Thunder stood on the top rung of a ladder, drilling holes in the ceiling that would eventually hold motion sensors and security lights.
“Carley agreed to this, right?” Chaos plugged several more wires into a flat panel that would become the brain of Carley’s alarm system.
He frowned. “Yes, but what makes you think I need her permission?”
“Personal experience,” his friend mumbled.
“You always need her permission.” Thunder’s no-nonsense admission cemented the absolute truth in the statement. “I’m going up into the attic. I’ll bang when I’m ready for the wire.”
Chaos shook his head as Thunder left the room. “Hotter than hell up there. Did you get anything out of Carley last night?”
He released a long breath as Rebel handed him the bundle. “Apparently, the hottest topic in conversation at present is a new shipping port. EF Chemicals intends to build a bigger facility to accommodate their growing business.”
“Were they represented at the party?”
He nodded as Thunder banged against the ceiling. “Christopher Remington attended. He’s the current president.”
Chaos climbed the ladder and crammed a bundle of wire through the hole. “Any info on him?”
“Only that he is a childhood friend of Carley’s. The two families have rubbed elbows for years.”
“Do you have Intel on the company?”
“I talked to Remington personally last night. Their main product is fertilizer high in nitrogen and phosphorus. He claims that shipping it by water is more cost effective than by air. That’s where the bigger port comes in.”
“Anyone oppose the project?”
“No.”
Rebel bent in front of a laptop on the floor at his feet and moved the mouse with his fingertips. “He was on the guest list. Remington’s squeaky clean on the surface. Not even a traffic violation.”
“He left the City’s party before the finger made an appearance and the Mayor’s Reception before the scorpions invaded.” He shrugged. “As far as I know, the Police Department questioned him by phone.”
Rebel frowned. “Why the hell did our perp leave a finger?”
“Obviously a threat.”
“Well yeah, but he had to have known everyone else in the room would see it.”
“He was banking on the fact that his victim would take the hint.”
“If not a threat, could it be sabotage?”
“Maybe,” he agreed, “but I’m not convinced any of the guests had a problem with Carley. She plans events for probably ninety percent of them and sometimes on a repetitive basis.”
“Okay, so what about the scorpions?” Another bang signaled Chaos to feed the remaining wires through another hole.
“Same thing – a means of intimidation.”
“Coincidently – or not – the one thing these parties have in common is Carley Kensworth.” Rebel voiced the one conclusion they all shared. “I’m convinced someone wants to put her out of business.”
Chaos descended the ladder and punched several numbers on the keypad. “Competitors?”
“None.” Rebel stood. “I’ve searched the city and surrounding area. I found a few wedding planners but no one who operates on the same scale as Carley. She’s owned Let’s Party for five years, all of them extremely successful.”
“That means one thing,” Thunder said as he re-entered the room. “It’s personal.”
“I’ve already come to that conclusion.” Ace grinned at his teammates. “That’s why I told Carley we’d work as waiters at the Senators’ Reception.”
Thunder widened his stance and folded both arms over his chest. “We?”
He nodded.
“We, as in us?” Chaos mimicked the captain’s pose.
He frowned. “Yes, all of us except Rebel.”
“Why not Rebel?”
“I’m almost one of Senator Graystone’s family,” Rebel drawled, obviously amused by the other men’s lack of enthusiasm. “I’d blow your cover.”
“Damn.” Chaos released a hard breath. “What do we have to wear this time?”
“Relax.” Ace grinned. “Just a suit.”
Thunder unfolded his arms. “It’s good strategy.” He shrugge
d. “We’ll all be there anyway.”
Ace tilted his head to one side. “You were planning to attend?”
“Liv,” Chaos mumbled.
The captain glared. “Enough said. Test the sirens, Rebel.”
***
Carley sat on a stool in front of an easel and stared at the blank, white canvas while she lifted a wine glass and sipped the rich, smooth, red contents. Although Sophie’s suggestion of meeting at the Pampered Palette for a girls’ outing was attractive, she wasn’t so sure she would be able to wow anyone with a masterpiece.
The small, quaint café hosted wine and painting six days a week, offering customers the opportunity to flex both their social and creative muscles in quite an impressive atmosphere. The interior walls, painted a soft cream color, showcased three dimensional windows built of rich wood behind which silhouettes of people appeared in the paint. Below each window, life-size replicas of brass keys hung on brass knobs. On the accent wall in the back of the room a large, black Eiffel Tower stood tall and proud with painted details so lifelike, the iron literally jumped off the wall.
Black iron tables and matching chairs with padded, cream-colored, satin cushions offered guests a place to sit and visit without participating in the artistic activity. In the center of the room, black iron easels stood tall, complete with a matching stool and a palette of paint.
“This was a fantastic idea, Sophie.” Kat picked up her paintbrush and smirked. “But you know I don’t have a creative bone in my body.”
Sophie rolled her eyes. “It’s abstract art. You’ll do fine.”
“Yeah,” Liv agreed. “Just do what I do. Paint a multi-colored blob and go with it.”
“What are we supposed to be painting, anyway?” Carley giggled. “I tend to put a little more emphasis on the wine.”
Sophie gestured with her head at a chalkboard on the front counter where the evening’s topic was written in pink chalk. “Love.”
“Oh great,” Kat mumbled.
“No hearts,” Sophie said with a grin.
Carley dabbed red paint on her brush. “At least we don’t have to paint fear. After last night, I’d have a page full of scorpions.”
“They were creepy,” Liv agreed.
Kat snorted. “Who in their right mind uses scorpions as a scare tactic, anyway?”
“Someone who wants to ruin me.”
“Don’t worry, Carley,” Sophie soothed. “No one believes you had anything to do with that.”
“I agree.” Liv nodded. “Scorpions aren’t your average pests like ants or roaches. They had to be brought in. You’d have an extremely hard time convincing anyone that the Westminster Hotel has scorpions living in the kitchen.”
“Any ideas who might have brought them?”
“Not a clue. Chef Arturio said the desserts sat on the kitchen counter in plain sight until they were delivered to the table. Sharon Ramsey carried them and I can guarantee you that if she saw anything move on her tray, they would’ve ended up in the floor. Even ladybugs freak her out; she’s a very squeamish person.” She paused to take a drink of liquid courage. “I’m extremely nervous about the Senators’ Reception.”
“Don’t be,” Sophie soothed. “That place will be watched so closely, trouble doesn’t have a chance at interference.”
Liv nodded in agreement. “Maybe it was just all a big coincidence.”
“Hopefully.” Carley grinned. “Although, I did make a significant change to the reception staff.”
“Oh, Carley.” Kat shook her head and tsked. “Sergeant Moore will not be happy to hear that. Last I heard, he finalized all the background checks.”
“Actually, the change was his idea.”
“Really?” Kat still didn’t appear convinced. “What exactly did you do?”
“I hired Alpha Four as waiters. Well, all of them except Rebel – that would be a little too obvious.”
Kat’s eyes widened. “And they agreed?”
“Thunder’s not really a people person,” Liv mumbled.
“I have no idea what anyone said,” Carley answered. “Ace planned to tell them this afternoon. I’m just ready to get to the bottom of this mess.”
“It’s a mystery.” Kat picked up her wine glass and sipped. “But in the meantime, you have your own personal bodyguard. Welcome to my world.”
Carley couldn’t have prevented the smile that split her lips. “Actually, it’s not so bad.”
“Really? Do tell.”
“We had coffee.”
“Cold or hot?”
“Definitely hot.”
“Good for you.” Liv nodded. “I had a feeling about the two of you.”
“You realize Liv’s feelings are never wrong, don’t you?”
She nodded as she sipped her wine. No one could deny Liv’s talent for reading people. It was as if her friend had an uncanny sixth sense of seeing right into a person’s soul. And in her case, she hoped Liv’s feelings were correct. Her hesitance had nothing to do with Ace or what she felt for him, she just needed a little more time to organize her thoughts and plan an appropriate strategy.
“Forget it, Carley.” Kat shook her head and laid down her paintbrush. “All the planning in the world won’t help you.”
Carley raised both eyebrows at Kat’s response, not surprised the other woman had read her mind. “You don’t think so?”
“I know so. All four of those men are as unpredictable and spontaneous as an EF-5 tornado.” Her friend smirked. “Well, except Sgt. Taylor’s freakish neatness habit.”
Sophie nodded. “I have to agree.”
“I’m finding that to be exceptionally evident in Thunder’s case.” Liv released a hard sigh, something she never did unless she became extremely agitated. “Every time I think I have him figured out, he goes and proves me wrong.”
Carley sat in awe at Liv’s outburst, not sure how to respond. Was her friend speaking personally or professionally?
“Geez, Liv,” Kat tilted her head to one side and glanced at the other woman’s painting. “Is that why you’ve painted what appears to be a ladybug dancing in the rain under a storm cloud?”
“Nice try.” Liv giggled. “My painting has nothing to do with Thunder or even love, for that matter. I just couldn’t think of anything else to paint.”
“Hmmm.” Sophie leaned over to look at the picture. “I don’t think so. I happen to know you love ladybugs, Liv, and you love to walk in the rain. However, the cloud in this drawing may represent something else altogether.”
Carley leaned over to look at Kat’s drawing and raised both eyebrows. “A dragon? How is that love?”
“Chaos has this creature tattooed on the back of one shoulder. Believe me, it’s extremely lovable.”
“Rebel has a knight on his back.” Sophie’s admission drew Carley’s attention off of Kat’s dragon. “Does Ace have a tattoo?”
“I have no idea.”
“Maybe you should find out.”
“Maybe I will.” She drained the contents of her glass. “Perhaps I can convince him to clean up the house shirtless.”
“Who says it’s under his shirt?”
“She has a point,” Liv agreed. “It could be anywhere.”
“Well, it’s a start. Besides, I have a feeling the place is a mess by now. Ace was up at the crack of dawn getting ready to install a monster of security systems, as he put it.”
“They’re big on safety.”
“Obsessed is more like it,” Kat drawled. “And don’t even think about using an easy code in your system. He’ll insist you use one that you can barely remember.”
Sophie giggled. “Rebel changes ours weekly and now he’s got my mother convinced she do the same. Do you know how annoying that is? I grew up in that house – that code is literally tattooed on my brain.”
“I can’t top Kat’s dragon.” Carley laid down her brush on the easel and picked up her now empty wine glass. “My drawing looks more like a paint sample.”
Sophi
e shrugged. “It’s all for fun.”
“Says the woman who’s an art major.” Liv raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps you should see about scheduling a show of your own.”
Sophie dismissed their friend with the wave of a hand. “Heavens, no. I’d rather appreciate it rather than paint it.”
“I think I’m done here too,” Liv agreed. “I’ve got a client interview in an hour.”
Carley frowned as she slid from her stool. “Does anyone else find it strange that we were allowed to come here alone?”
Sophie released another infectious giggle. “We didn’t come alone, Carley.”
“We didn’t?”
Kat shook her head. “Suit at six o’clock over your left shoulder.”
Carley glanced in the direction her friend mentioned. Sure enough, another sinfully handsome man sat at a corner table with his gaze focused right on them. Although she knew Kat used the term suit loosely, she also knew that the man in black meant pure business. As if he sensed her attention, he gave her a wink as he lifted what appeared to be a cup of coffee.
“Good grief,” she said as she turned back to her friends. “Obviously there’s a prerequisite to associating with Thunder’s team.”
“Yeah,” Kat drawled, “a sexy one.”
“Well, sexy or not, he’s going to have to let me go.” Carley turned to hug each of her friends. “I’ve got a board meeting.”
“I’m assuming you have an escort,” Kat said as she returned a squeeze.
“Of course. Ace insisted.”
Sophie repeated the gesture. “Is tonight the vote on whether or not to back EF Chemicals?”
“Yes. At least the meeting should be very short.”
Liv grinned as she embraced her. “I’m sure you’ll find something to do with the rest of your evening.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
She returned Liv’s grin, waved at the rest of her friends, and then headed to the exit.
Curiosity nudged her as she rested a hand on the door handle, ready to push open the barrier. She moved her gaze to the corner table. The hired muscle hadn’t moved or even attempted to stop her. Instead, he nodded, as if giving her permission to leave the café. Grateful, she shrugged as she opened the door and stepped outside – only to find Ace’s truck parked at the curb and the man himself braced against the passenger door with his arms folded, his muscled forearms on magnificent display.
