by Desiree Holt
He threaded his fingers through her hair, eyes searching her face. “It’s a little calmer right now. Dan’s had a security guard parked down the block all day and I think that kind of keeps the lid on things. All the security sensors are set and the phone’s set for the answering machine. Let’s say we enjoy a little downtime while we can. Sound good to you?”
Lauren smiled. “Sounds great to me.”
He lifted her in his arms and carried her up the stairs, his mouth pressing softly to hers as he walked. Late afternoon sunlight slanted in through the windows, giving the air an amber glow. He set her on her feet while he drew back the covers of the bed then proceeded very slowly to undress her. He drew her t-shirt slowly over her head and tossed it to the side. Then came her slacks, followed by her bra and panties. His eyes drank her in, memorizing every inch of her naked skin. At last he leaned toward her and brushed his lips over hers. His mouth traced kisses along her jawline and her neck, on the upper swell of her breasts.
Shivers skated over her as his tongue traced little circles at the hollow of her throat and his hands palmed the cheeks of her ass. Desperate to feel him, touch him, she tugged up his t-shirt and smoothed her hands over the hard plane of his abs, up, up to feel the soft mat of hair on his chest. His heart beat beneath her fingers, accelerating as she dragged her fingernails back and forth over his nipples.
When he unhooked her bra and bent to take a nipple into his mouth, she let her head fall back and arched into him, letting the sensations race through her straight to her cunt. Little whimpers drifted from her mouth as he sucked and pulled on first one nipple then the other. Harder, she wanted to tell him. Suck harder. His teeth nipped lightly at the pebbled flesh and the pulse in her womb ratcheted up.
“Off,” she said, desperately pulling at his t-shirt.
He yanked it over his head and pulled her against him, crushing her breasts against his solid chest. She lifted her face and he took her mouth in a hot, searing kiss. His tongue in her mouth moved over every surface, gliding over hers and teasing it to dance with his. She clutched his biceps, trying to anchor herself as the kiss went on and on and his hands moved over her shoulders, her arms, then up to cup her breasts.
He lifted his mouth from her, drew a line with his tongue to her navel and then knelt before her. “Sit,” he whispered, and nudged her until her ass landed on the edge of the bed.
Then he lifted one foot, cradling it in his hand as he kissed her toes and her arch and on up to her ankle. She moaned softly as he moved his lips up the inside of her leg to the top of her thigh, blew softly on the curls covering her pussy and kissed his way down the other leg. She was trembling all over by now, the need a tremendous pressure building inside her.
When he separated her thighs and put his mouth directly on her cunt, she cried out and grabbed his hair to pull him even closer. His tongue was a flame on her clit, swirling around it and brushing over it, then dipping into the channel of her pussy. Her inner muscles clenched around his tongue and his fingers tightened on her thighs. She tugged and pulled on his hair as he worked her with his tongue, in and out, then teasing her clit until without warning, the orgasm burst from her. He held her tightly as she rode his tongue, drawing the very last tremor from her, licking the lips of her pussy and grazing her clit with his teeth.
She fell back on the bed, exhausted yet still unfulfilled. Troy rose, a smile of satisfaction on his face.
“I purely love pleasuring you, Lauren. You are so damn responsive.”
As he spoke, he divested himself of his jeans and boxer briefs, his gaze raking over her with barely disguised hunger.
“I want to touch you,” she said, mouth watering at the sight of the rigid cock extending from his body. She reached out a hand. “Please let me touch you.”
He knelt over her on the bed, straddling her, his shaft barely an inch from her mouth.
“Take it, darlin’. It’s all yours.”
She wrapped her fingers around him, feeling the thick vein pulsing on the underside of his cock.
Troy sucked in a breath at her first touch. Her slender fingers sent heat pouring through him straight to his balls. When she opened her mouth and licked the head of his shaft he closed his eyes at the surge of pleasure. Every muscle in his body tightened and he closed his eyes, the softness of her tongue so teasing and tantalizing. She swiped over the soft flesh once, twice, then closed her mouth around him completely.
Oh Jesus!
He ground his teeth together at the intense pleasure, digging his fingers into his own hips to maintain control. He’d always prided himself on being able to take his time with a woman, make sure he had satisfied her in every way possible before giving in to his own needs. But Lauren Cahill was different. One touch of her fingers, one brush of her lips against his and he was hotter than a two-dollar pistol.
One hand slipped between his thighs to cradle his balls as she took him deeper into her throat, sucking hard. And god, he wanted to come in her mouth. Just shoot down that lovely throat and let her swallow it all.
Maybe next time, when I have a little more control over myself.
Abruptly he pulled from her mouth. She looked at him, stunned.
“Did—did I do something wrong?”
“No, baby, you did everything right. It’s me. I’m so aroused with you I want only to be inside you.”
Her smile was tremulous. “That’s good then.”
“Damn straight.”
He fished a condom from the pocket of his jeans, thinking how smart he’d been to stick it in there that morning. His hands actually shook slightly as he rolled it on, and then he was back between Lauren’s thighs, his hands sliding beneath her butt to lift her to him. He paused for a second, his gaze locking with hers, then he rolled his hips and drove into her.
Shit! She felt so damn good, her pussy like a hot wet fist clenching around him. He looked directly into her eyes as he thrust into her, slowly, steadily, until she tightened around him even more, her eyes glazed with desire and those sexy little moans burst from her mouth. He accelerated his pace, driving into her harder and harder, loving the liquid feel of her, the heat that flushed her body, the sound of her breathing as it grew more ragged.
When her body signaled him that she was close, he rocked into her harder and faster, driving both of them up to that peak and over it. When he came, when he pumped into her, he cried out her name as if it was a prayer. He felt as if he were caught in an explosion of fireworks, blinding him with its myriad colors. Tossing him like a whirlwind, Lauren’s body convulsing beneath him again and again.
And then at last they were still. He rested his forehead on hers, his breathing as rough as hers and he wasn’t sure whose heartbeat he heard, his or hers or both of them. Finally he kissed her, gently, softly.
“I’d try to tell you how great that was, but I don’t think I can even find the words.”
She smiled, a slow, tempting curve of her lips. “Same goes.”
He eased himself from her body, then managed to lift her in his arms.
“I think a hot shower sounds good about now, wouldn’t you say?”
* * * * *
Reid McFadden looked at the woman sitting across from him in the coffee shop. She looked exactly like the picture he’d been given. Gayle Hauser could have been one of a million other middle-aged women, neatly dressed in slacks and a sweater, dark hair streaked with gray and pulled back in a no-nonsense ponytail, except for two things. Her posture was that of someone defeated by life and her face was lined with anxiety and distress.
Olberman had given him the woman’s cell phone number, but he knew she had to keep it turned off in the hospital. But during the two days he and Fred Bonner had taken turns watching the building, looking for an opening, they’d seen her come out periodically to check her messages and return calls. Eventually she’d returned his. He’d used an alias, as Olberman had instructed. Whatever happened, there could be no trails leading back to his boss.
&nb
sp; He watched now as she fiddled nervously with her cup of coffee.
“You said you could help me. What did you mean?”
“Exactly that.” He kept his tone of voice even. Comforting, even. That’s what would get her.
“That’s the only reason I agreed to meet you,” she told him. “I still don’t understand why you couldn’t come to the hospital. If it’s about helping my husband, wouldn’t that be the best place to meet?”
Convincing the woman to meet with him had taken all of his persuasive skills.
He’d had to work hard to get her to agree to meet him, phrase his words just right—enough to tempt her into squelching any misgivings about a meeting with a stranger. “I represent a man who demands no notoriety or recognition. If word got around that he was giving out huge sums of money to strangers, you can imagine what a circus his life would be. His only reward is helping others. There are too many chances for exposure in the hospital. Too many people to overhear a conversation and gossip.” And Reid also didn’t want anyone there to see him and remember his face.
Even then, she’d told him ahead of time she didn’t quite trust him. Good. That showed intelligence on her part. People shouldn’t trust too easily. But she had an Achilles’ heel, and that’s where he’d hit her to get her to accept his offer.
“You said you could solve all our problems.” She took a nervous sip of her coffee, set the cup down carefully. “I don’t see how you can do that. Our medical insurance has run out and we’re over our heads in debt. Not that anything has done any good. The doctors have tried everything to set my husband on the road to recovery and I get the feeling they’ve about given up. Nothing seems to work on the infection that’s set in. His condition seems to have them baffled.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, obviously trying to maintain her composure. Reid hoped she didn’t burst into tears. He wasn’t much good with crying women.
“That’s why—”
“I can’t imagine what you have to offer,” she went on, overriding his words. “My husband is desperately ill and getting worse every day. I shouldn’t even be away from him this long. While I’d appreciate and be so grateful for the money, as you obviously know, what I really need is a miracle cure.”
Okay. Now was the time to spring it on her.
“That’s exactly what I’m proposing, Mrs. Hauser. Someone who can work miracles.”
He steeled himself against the sudden look of hope in her eyes. He hoped Olberman knew what he was doing. Reid himself was not given to sentimentality, but neither was he as brutally cold as his boss. If Lauren Cahill couldn’t work her magic on Gayle’s husband, he didn’t want to be around to see the emotional fallout.
He watched the look of hope change to one of suspicion.
“What kind of line are you feeding me? And if you’re right, why didn’t you just give me the information over the phone?”
This was the tricky part. “This is a very delicate situation. The person I’m going to tell you about demands absolute anonymity. When word leaks out it becomes a feeding frenzy for the media, and she is a very private person.”
“She? Is this a woman doctor?”
“Not…exactly a doctor.”
“Exactly what, then?” Gayle Hauser pushed.
He’d practiced this part of his conversation, turning it over and over in his mind, yet he still wasn’t sure how to present it. The concept was so foreign to him he had to make himself believe it first. Oh well. Olberman paid him incredible wages to do shit like this so he’d best get to it.
“Have you ever worked with a healer before?”
The woman’s eyes widened. “A healer? You mean like a faith healer? Like in those tent revivals?”
Reid shook his head and did his best to keep his expression calm. “I represent a benefactor who wishes to remain anonymous. He’s heard of your situation and is aware of a young woman who is a psychic healer.” He held up his hand as Gayle opened her mouth to object. “Just hear me out. This woman has had fantastic results.”
Gayle frowned. “I don’t know. I don’t put much stock in stuff like that. I’m not even sure how it works.”
“As I understand it from the benefactor, in the type of healing this young woman does the psychic ‘builds up energy or life force’ internally and then transfers the same to the patient. She’s able to identify by touch where the spots are that need healing and places her hands over them.”
The woman took another sip of her coffee, although Reid could tell she was just doing it to take a moment to pull herself together.
Listen to me.” She leaned across the table, pinning him with eyes filled with misery. “If this is some kind of scam—”
He held up a hand. “No scam. I wouldn’t be that cruel.”
“You know I’m really at the end of my rope in trying to help Clark. But this?” She shrugged. “I don’t know. Although I suppose I really have nothing left to lose at this point.”
He watched her silently, letting her turn things over in her mind. If he rushed her she’d become suspicious again, and he couldn’t let that happen.
“And the money?” she said at last. “Do you have any idea how much we owe that the insurance didn’t cover? Not to mention other debts that keep piling up.”
Reid nodded. “The same benefactor is offering you a gift of five hundred thousand dollars, no strings attached, to help with all that.”
This time her eyes really popped wide. “Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of joke?” She shook her head. “I don’t know what kind of thrill you get out of playing with people’s lives like this but—”
“This is no joke, Gayle.” He made himself smile. “May I call you Gayle? Just think of this as a new twist on that old television program, The Millionaire, where a very wealthy man gave himself pleasure by making anonymous gifts to deserving people.”
“But why us?” she persisted. “How does he even know about our situation?”
“He keeps his fingers on everything going on in the world. He looks for people like you who are in a bad situation. He’s amassed a fortune and it pleases him to be able to help others. In fact, these days it’s his main goal in life.”
More silence. He could almost see her brain working, the combination of suspicion and desperation battling each other inside her. The research on the Hausers had been very thorough. Olberman had chosen them out of dozens of other possible candidates because they lived in the same city as Lauren Cahill. He was banking on the fact the desperation would win out over everything else.
“All right,” she said at last, hope warring with skepticism in her voice. “Who is this young woman and how do I go about getting the money?”
“Easy.” He took a slip of paper from his pocket with Lauren Cahill’s name and phone number on it. “First you contact the person I told you about. You’ll have to plead your case with her. She demands absolute privacy and anonymity, but occasionally someone will leak information and the media hounds her. That happened with her last patient and she’s still dealing with it.”
“Maybe she won’t take my call, if she has all that going on right now.”
“I’m going to keep checking her house to see when the media is finally gone. Then I’ll let you know it’s time to call her.” Reid gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “She’s very kind and very sympathetic. If you present your circumstances to her, I know she’ll agree to see Clark.”
Gayle frowned. “If your—benefactor—knows of this young woman why doesn’t he just contact her himself?”
Reid smiled. “I told you he’s obsessive about anonymity. Even more so than Lauren Cahill. Your story touched him and he just wanted to help. He doesn’t like to intrude himself into a situation.”
“He must be a wonderfully selfless person.” She twisted a paper napkin in her fingers. “I just can’t imagine someone doing this and not even wanting any credit for it.”
“Yes. He’s an unusual person.” That’s an understa
tement, Reid thought. “You call her and when the arrangements have been made, call me at this number.” On the back of the slip of paper he’d just taken out, he wrote the number of the burner phone in his pocket. Once she’d called, he’d throw it away. “Once I get your call that the appointment is confirmed, I promise you the money will be transferred immediately into your bank account.”
“Why do I have to make the appointment first? Is this some kind of trick? If she won’t come we don’t get the money?”
“It’s part of the gift.” Jesus, all he needed was for her to harp on that. “They just go hand in hand.”
“I hope you’re telling me the truth.”
“One more thing,” he added. “No one is to know anything about this except an anonymous benefactor decided to help you. Understand? The name of the healer and the gift of the money came to you anonymously and that’s that. Don’t discuss it any more than you have to, no matter how many questions people ask you.”
“I understand.” She gathered her purse and slid from the booth. “I have to get back to the hospital. I’ve been gone too long already.”
Reid paid for their coffee and walked her out to the parking lot.
“I don’t know how to thank you.” She was facing him and for a moment he worried again that she’d burst into tears. But she took a deep breath and pulled herself together. “But you know how much I appreciate it. If this all actually happens please tell your employer for me that he’s saved us. Really saved us.”
“I’ll convey your feelings.”
He watched her climb into her car to head back to the hospital. Olberman was right. It was ridiculously easy to manipulate someone who was desperate. Well, he’d done all he could. Now he could only wait, banking on the predictability of people.
* * * * *
The day had been a busy one, despite the chaos that continued outside. Mark and Dan spent better than an hour at the house, going over everything until they were satisfied things were to their satisfaction.
