He liked that a lot.
“Report.” He sat behind his desk and did not, of course, invite Juan to sit.
“I kept the house in Dallas under observation before and during the police operation. It was exactly as the gringo said it would be. The raid took place just before dawn. That one the gringo named, Alvarez? He was there. It appeared as if he was perhaps one of the supervisors, for he was with the commander.”
“I see. So, how much of Silas’s merchandise did they get?”
“Enough to make them believe they did very well.”
“And you have the replacement base ready to go?”
“Yes, sir. We’ll be in operation again by this evening.” Juan smiled then. “I would say we will be in business just in time to slack what will have become a very desperate need for some customers.”
Miguel observed Juan for a long, silent moment. “Excellent. I trust you will have no trouble getting back to Dallas and seeing to it that things run smoothly for us from now on.”
Juan didn’t answer because only one answer was acceptable, and presumed. He simply nodded and left.
He knew Juan wondered why he didn’t order something be done about the federal agent he’d been ordered to watch for, the man who had already cost Miguel a small fortune in diamonds.
Miguel hadn’t become powerful and wealthy by trusting those beneath him. Juan would carry out one part of his plan. For that troublesome federal cop, he would pursue a different tack entirely.
Taking his cell phone out of his pocket, he dialed a long distance number from memory. The call was answered immediately.
“Tell me you have something useful for me,” Miguel ordered.
“Yes, sir, I do have some useful information for you. Not only that, I know something about your target that is quite surprising, really, considering he’s a Fed.”
The voice on the other end of the phone held echoes from his own youth. As Miguel listened, he felt his excitement rise. This was even better than he’d dared to hope for. This new man showed great promise.
“That is excellent! Can you get close to the secondary target, then?”
“Yes, sir. When I discovered the connection, I let certain things be known to certain people. If he reacts as expected, I’ll not only be able to track his movements electronically, I’ll be very close to him, as well.” Miguel listened as his man gave him the pertinent information. He sat back in his chair and thought that perhaps another cigar was called for. Not only did Miguel now have a way to exact his revenge on the man who had cost him a great deal of money, but he also had a means to discredit the bastard, as well. He smiled. In discrediting one American federal agent, he could stain the entire agency—perhaps even their Department of Justice, itself.
He would wait until he had verified from another source the truth of what he’d just heard. In the meantime, his new man needed a measure of praise, and instructions.
“Excellent. I expect you to let me know once you’re in position. Do not move on your target until I tell you to do so.”
“Yes, sir, I will wait for your orders.”
Miguel disconnected the call and closed his phone. Satisfaction spread through him. It wouldn’t be much longer before his thirst for vengeance was quenched. Special Agent Peter Alvarez would soon discover what harsh fate awaited anyone who dared to cross Miguel Ramos. Ramos grinned. He wished he could see the look on that agente’s face when he realized he was a dead man.
* * * *
Tracy had never been so scared or excited in her entire life. She’d stashed her overnight bag in the trunk of her car, and hopefully it would be needed—but not too soon. On the seat beside her in a tote bag were two-thirds of the ingredients for what she hoped would be a dessert those two strong men wouldn’t soon forget.
I can’t believe I’m actually going to do this.
As she’d stood in front of her closet door that morning, wavering, she’d called Julia. She didn’t know if she’d expected her best friend to talk her out of this scheme, or not. Tracy smiled now, thinking of Julia’s enthusiastic reaction to the plan, and the way she’d even raced over to her apartment and helped her pick out the contents of her overnight bag. Julia’s advice had especially included what “dessert” toppings to use.
Ahead, the lights of Dallas beckoned. She could probably make her way to the Kendall Plaza almost by rote. She’d worked for a year in this city and during that time had gratefully lived in one of the family suites there. Now, as she headed to the familiar destination on what might very well be the most important night of her life, she couldn’t help but think back over the path she’d traveled to get to this pivotal appointment with her destiny.
No matter what moment in her life she reflected back upon, two constants anchored her—her family, and her love for Jordan Kendall.
She simply couldn’t recall a time when she didn’t love the man. She’d always believed that she and Jordan would come together when the time was right. To her, it felt as if they’d been mated in another lifetime, so instinctive seemed her feelings for him. When he’d confided in her, oh so many years before, that he was as attracted to men as he was to women, she’d not batted an eye, or thought anything strange about it. Somehow, that, too, seemed right to her—almost as if it had been that way before, in that previous lifetime they’d shared.
While she couldn’t recall when she’d fallen in love with the man who was also her brother’s best friend, she could quote date and time, down to the minute, of when she’d fallen in love with Peter Alvarez. Those emotions had exploded the first moment they’d met at her cousin Susan’s commitment party.
Tracy had understood almost immediately that the sexy newcomer and Jordan were drawn to each other. She’d accepted that the two men had needed to get to know each other and begin to explore their relationship together first, before either of them could really see her.
That, too, seemed to be as it should be—as if in that previous life they’d been mated before they knew her. Thoughts of her own ancestors’ love story, of how Amanda Dupree had fallen for and taken on Adam Kendall and Warren Jessop, flitted through her mind. Tracy shrugged. She supposed stranger things than reincarnation could happen. Who was to say?
Tracy navigated the off-ramp and then made her way into the heart of the city. Traffic seemed unusually light, and before she was really ready for it, she parked her vehicle in its usual spot in the underground lot at the Plaza.
As she emerged from her car, the belt of her raincoat loosened just a bit. With something akin to panic she grasped the ends of it and pulled them tight again.
Completely reckless and totally daring, she’d left the buttons of the coat undone. If the belt came free, the coat would open and reveal what she wore under it.
Which is nothing at all but a smile. Tracy didn’t know whether to giggle or turn tail and run.
“No running away, Tracy May Jessop. You have to seize the moment. Think of your great-greats. Bold action has been bred into your bones. Think of Amanda and Sarah. Think of finally making love under those two, yummy, strong men.”
Her voice echoed in the cavernous underground parking garage, which did make her giggle.
She bent over to reach for her purse and the tote bag that held what she hoped would be a taste of paradise for the men. Cool air swooshed up under her coat and tickled the cheeks of her butt. She felt as if her assets were exposed for the entire world to see. Locking the car, Tracy resisted the urge to giggle again as she headed toward the elevators.
If she survived the next few minutes, it would be a miracle. One sober wave of trepidation washed over her. Rather than push it away, as she always did when this kind of fear attacked, she decided to face it head-on.
If the men rejected her, it wouldn’t really be the end of her world. She knew she’d get over it. Probably. In a decade or two.
She turned her key in the slot, and when the doors opened, slipped into the penthouse elevator. In a heartbeat she was whisked u
p to the top floor.
Tracy swallowed her nervousness and tried to master her trembling. No more time for thinking, no more time for anticipating and for certain, no turning back. The elevator doors opened, she stepped out, walked down the hall to penthouse B, and knocked on the door.
Within a minute, the portal swung open. Looking scrumptious in jeans and sweater, his mahogany hair gleaming with streaks of dark red, Jordan Kendall damn near stole her breath.
“There you are!” Jordan reached out and took her hand. The snap and sizzle of contact traveled up her arm and flooded her senses. He drew her into the apartment, kissed her cheek, then put his gaze on the tote bag she carried.
“Come on in. Peter and I have been trying to guess what delectable goodies you have in store for us.”
He slipped his arm around her shoulders as he sometimes did, and walked her down the short hall into the apartment proper.
The sound of voices she didn’t recognize nearly had her tripping over her own feet.
They emerged into the living room, and it was all Tracy could do not to shriek. Two men she’d never met before appeared to have relaxed and settled in for the duration—one on the divan, and another in one of the large leather arm chairs.
“Hey, Tracy!” Peter stood beside the shelving unit that held the stereo system, a selection of CDs in his hands. He set them down and came over to her. Jordan stepped back, and Peter moved in, wrapped his arms around her, and gave her a hug. Being enveloped in his arms felt as electrifying to her as Jordan’s touch had been. She had no doubt whatsoever. She was so gone over both of these two strong men.
He stepped back and met her gaze, one eyebrow raised. Belatedly, she realized that as his hands had smoothed over her back, he might have felt what she wasn’t wearing under her coat.
“These are a couple of friends of mine, Jerry Mitchell and David Campbell.” Jordan performed the introductions, oblivious to Peter’s assessing look. “Guys, this is Tracy Jessop, one of my cousins some number of times removed.”
“Hi, Tracy. A cousin, huh? A kissing cousin?” Jerry asked. She saw enough twinkle in his eye to make her just a bit uncomfortable. Now that look, Jordan caught.
It delighted her when Jordan frowned at his friend in response.
“Nice to meet you, Tracy,” David said.
Jordan reached out toward her. “Here, honey, let me take your coat.”
“No!” The word emerged more or less as a squeak, and she stepped back, removing herself from Jordan’s reach.
Jordan furrowed his brow, confusion plainly visible all over his face. Tracy felt herself blushing. Helpless to do anything else, she turned and met Peter’s gaze.
His eyes widened, whether in response to her strange behavior or in understanding, she couldn’t say.
“Holy…uh…shit. I forgot to tell you, Jordan.” Peter’s expression turned anxious as he let his gaze move from her to Jordan. “Tracy called earlier to tell us she could only pop in for a couple minutes because she had to um…meet those people. Over at that place. About that thing. And, um, we were supposed to go there with her. And…we’re late. Yes, we’re very, very late.” Peter exhaled and then stared hard at Jordan.
Tracy fought the urge to laugh. She knew she looked odd, her gaze bouncing from one man to the other, clutching the front of her coat as if it was a lifeline. She couldn’t help it. Terror of imminent mortification kept her frozen to the spot.
Jordan looked from her to Peter once more. She could see he didn’t have a clue about what the hell was going on. He turned to his friends.
“Sorry, guys. I guess we’ll have to get together another time.”
“Hey, no sweat, Jordan.” Jerry got to his feet and gave Jordan a playful punch in the arm. “Give us a call when you’re free.”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it. We’re going to be seeing a lot of each other once we break ground on that Waco Outlands project.”
“Thanks, guys.”
The men shook hands with Peter and her and tossed in a couple of “nice to have met you” type of comments directed at them both. Jordan walked his friends to the door. Tracy listened to their casual talk but didn’t allow herself to look at Peter, or to move. She barely even breathed.
The sound of the door closing echoed loudly down the hall. She heard no footsteps because the apartment was carpeted. And then Jordan was back, moving slowly into the room, gazing from her to Peter.
“Okay, what’s going on? Tracy, I thought you were bringing over a dessert for Peter and I to taste test?”
Tracy cleared her throat. Oh, God, could the situation be any more awkward? She’d envisioned the end result of her derring-do, but not the middle part. Not how they all went from standing, looking at each other to there.
Peter reached out and took the tote bag from her nerveless fingers. “I’m pretty sure she’s done exactly that,” Peter said.
Her gaze snapped to him, because his voice had gone deep and soft. She said nothing, though, as he opened the bag and looked inside it.
He grinned and passed the bag to Jordan.
Jordan looked inside the bag and then looked up, his confusion still in place. “Chocolate sauce and whipped cream. There’s more, isn’t there? Something to put these on? Or are you going to make that here?”
“Yes, there’s something more.” She’d come this far. Jordan still didn’t seem to get it, but she thought Peter did. He let his gaze wander down her body then back up again in a slow, provocative perusal. Oh, yes, she really liked the look of smoldering heat in his eyes.
A few feet separated her from the men. Mentally crossing her fingers, and taking a deep breath, she reached down, untied the belt to her coat, and then let the garment slip from her shoulders to the floor.
“Sweet Jesus.” Jordan’s eyes went wide as his gaze traveled over her naked body. His expression turned avid, and his breathing hitched. Tracy dared a peek of her own and felt everything inside her ease up at the evidence of the rapid and rather impressive arousal growing in his pants.
“I promised you a confection you’ve never tasted before, and here it is—me.”
Chapter 5
When you’re naked and out on a limb, time sure slows down.
Tracy found herself out of patience. “Damn it, if you don’t want me, just say so. This waiting is shredding my nerves.”
“Don’t want you?” Jordan finally met her gaze. He’d repeated the sentence as if the words had been spoken in a foreign language. He looked at Peter, who returned his stare, nodding slightly.
Jordan turned his attention back to her. “My God, sweetheart, I’ve wanted you since I understood what wanting was all about.” He shook his head once, as if coming out of a fog. And then he took the two steps necessary to bring him to her.
“I wanted you when I had no business doing so, when you were much too young for a jaded man nearly a decade older.”
His smile looked a little sad, and Tracy wanted to reach out and touch it.
“It got so that every time I’d see you I’d think, ‘Tracy is so hot and so completely off-limits.’ It became a habit.”
“You’ve never been jaded.” It was going to be okay. Well, at least until they understood one tiny little detail. She’d told them, kind of, but she’d bet they hadn’t been paying attention.
Relaxing as best she could, Tracy looped her arms around Jordan’s neck and cozied her breasts against his sweater-covered chest. “And I am not too young for you anymore.”
“Are you sure?”
“Jordan, I’m twenty-four years old.” If it weren’t for the fact that his arms had come around her and his hands were very seductively stroking her back and her bottom, she’d be worried.
“No, I mean, are you sure about this? Once I taste you—once we taste you—I don’t think we’ll be able to let you go. Not without one hell of a knock-down, drag-out fight, at any rate.”
Tracy extended one hand beyond Jordan’s shoulder, reaching for Peter, needing to feel
connected to him, too. She needed him to be there, close and touching them both. He didn’t hesitate, just stepped forward and took her hand.
“Maybe I’m the one who won’t let go. Did you ever think of that?”
Jordan’s quick grin warmed her inside and out. “Think you’re going to be possessive, do you?”
“No thinking involved. I know I am. I always have been when it came to you.”
Jordan’s expression turned serious once more. “Peter and I are lovers. Are you sure you want to be in this kind of a ménage relationship?”
Tracy wondered what more she needed to do to convince this stubborn man that she knew her own mind, and her own heart.
Peter sighed. “Jordan?”
“Yes, Peter?”
“There’s a totally naked, totally hot, and eminently desirable woman in your arms, man, and she wants you. She wants us. So do something, other than talk her ears off.”
“Right.”
Jordan gave her that grin again, the one that melted her insides. His aroma surrounded her, and she breathed him in. Could he feel how fast her heart beat? Did he know just being held in his arms pleasured her? She didn’t have a chance to ask because just then he drew her closer and laid his mouth on hers.
Sweet and gentle, his lips grazed back and forth over hers. Finally she could taste him, his essence. His was a flavor her soul recognized. His was a heat her body drank in as if that heat alone would be her salvation.
When his tongue stroked out, brushed her bottom lip, she opened to him, accepted the oral invasion, and reveled in the wet glide of him inside her. Need wrapped in joy wound through her. As she drank him, she rubbed her breasts against his chest. The wool of his sweater abraded her nipples, and she longed to feel the flesh of his body flush against hers. His hands felt hot against the skin of her back, and she longed to immerse herself in him completely.
A third hand stroked her, nape to ass. Tracy shivered. Peter’s touch fed the flames of her passion. He curled his fingers down so that he cupped her bottom, then teased them back and forth close, oh so very close, to her wet and swollen feminine folds.
Covington, Cara - Love Under Two Strong Men [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 5
