Sleight of Hand

by BJ Bentley

  An hour later, Bertie was sound asleep, her neck bent at an awkward angle. Turning off the TV, I gathered her up in my arms and carried her upstairs. I debated as to which bed she’d be sleeping in tonight, figuring she might appreciate having her own space again. “Fuck that,” I muttered to no one. I carried her into my bedroom, lightly kicking the door shut behind me. She didn’t wake when I placed her on the mattress and tucked her in. I climbed in beside her, pulled her in as close as I dared without waking her, and breathed her in. She smelled like coconut. It reminded me of a warm tropical breeze. Both exhilarating and comforting. How had I never noticed that before? Why was I noticing it now? I huffed out a small breath at the romantic notion that began to form. I closed my eyes and ordered myself to get some sleep. And a new couch.

  Chapter 14

  Bertie

  I woke up on a gasp, the nightmare not quite ready to release me to the light of day. I could still feel the weight of it crushing my chest, making it hard for me to breathe. Oh, no, that’s just Aleksander’s arm wrapped around me like a vice. “Dude, you gotta loosen up,” I gasped out as I tried to wiggle free.

  “You were having a nightmare. I was comforting you,” he said in a tone that suggested I should be thanking him for the favor.

  I glared at him and rubbed my chest where I was certain to bruise. “Next time just bring me some ice cream,” I grumbled. “Or a puppy.”

  He thinned his lips as he spoke. “What were you dreaming about?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t remember.” The explosion. The screams. Being roughly shoved to the ground and practically flatted by two hundred and fifty pounds of Bert. The cries of the injured, the scared. The blood. I swallowed and stood up a little too quickly. “I need a shower,” I blurted as I swayed on my feet. Aleksander scrutinized me with a narrowed gaze and opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off. “Could you tell Elaina I’ll have eggs and bacon this morning? Thanks.” With that, I rushed across the hall to my room and shut myself in the bathroom. Slumping down on the closed toilet, I let out a shaky breath. “Girl, you have got to get a grip,” I whispered to myself.

  After a scalding hot shower, I slathered my skin in cocoa butter and slipped into the softest yoga pants and tank top I could dig up, which wasn’t too hard considering all the clothing that Aleksander provided was of the highest quality. I applied a bit of makeup in an attempt to cover the dark circles under my eyes and unwrapped my hair. Figuring that was the best I was able to do, I headed downstairs. The smell of coffee lured me directly into the kitchen. As soon as I rounded the corner, Elaina dropped a glass, the sound of shattering glass causing me to let out a small scream. I slapped a hand over my mouth and stood there frozen as two heads whipped in my direction.

  “It’s okay, sparrow. Just a glass. No harm done,” Aleksander said as he inched toward me like I was a wild animal and he didn’t want to be mauled. Which wasn’t wholly inappropriate. I was doing a pretty good job of faking it, but that explosion and the feeling of being watched beforehand left me feeling paranoid and skittish.

  I forced myself to relax. “I know. I’m fine,” I said, my voice tight.

  After inhaling the largest omelet I’ve ever seen so quickly I barely tasted it, I excused myself and scurried back to my room. I was sitting on the bed, with my head between my knees struggling to breathe when I felt the bed dip.

  “Breathe, sparrow,” Aleksander ordered.

  “I’m... trying.” I was pretty sure my heart was going to beat right out of my chest.

  “You need to calm down,” he said firmly.

  “Yeah, no shit. Easier said-” My words were cut off as I found myself flying through the air and landing in the middle of the bed. “What the actual fuck?!” I wheezed.

  Aleksander gave me a look that was all business and growled in that sexy voice of his, “What is your job?” When I didn’t immediately react, he unbuckled his belt and began sliding it from the loops on his pants. “I asked you a question, sparrow.” He looped the belt over on itself and snapped the leather together. Somehow, that sound aroused me. My breathing was suddenly shallow for an entirely different reason, and my nipples tingled in anticipation. He cracked the leather once more.

  “Obey,” I said, weakly.

  “Good girl.”

  “Thank you,” I murmured a couple of hours later. Aleksander had effectively distracted me from my panic and provided me with multiple orgasms. It really was a gift.

  He didn’t say anything. Instead, he planted a kiss on my forehead and rolled away to redress. “I’ve got to check in at the office,” he said. “So, I’ll be down in my home office for the majority of the afternoon. I trust you can entertain yourself?”

  I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. “Sure.” I was already planning which magazines to read while I lounged by the pool all day.

  Aleksander nodded once in acknowledgement and was gone. I got up and changed into a bathing suit, grabbed my magazines, and headed up to the roof. The small patio area had a cabinet for towels and a small refrigerator, like the kind you find in hotel rooms, which held bottled water and one half-full bottle of whiskey. I grabbed a towel and a bottle of water for the time being, but I won’t lie, I eyeballed that whiskey something fierce. I was halfway through the current issue of Essence when I fell into a fitful sleep.

  Aleksander

  I wasn’t lying when I said I needed to check in at the office. But it wasn’t the only thing on my agenda. As soon as Bertie had made her way up to the rooftop pool, I made a beeline back to her room. I had already checked the most obvious places, so what was next? I rummaged through the top drawers of the dresser, moving aside scraps of silk and lace. Nothing. I quickly made my way through the rest of the drawers before moving on to closet and patting down every pocket I came across. I turned over every shoe and shook out every handbag. Still, nothing.

  I leaned against the door jamb and chewed on my lip. In reality, whatever I was looking for could be anywhere in this penthouse. Or, she could have hidden it somewhere before going to Starlight that night. But, something in my gut told me she’d want to keep it close for safekeeping. Whatever it was was highly valuable. She’d want to have it handy for leverage. As I stood there considering the possibilities, I caught sight of something on the counter through the bathroom door. Bertie’s makeup. I picked up the compact on the counter. I knew she was using it to hide the signs of exhaustion she was feeling. The only thing I ever used to hide what I was feeling was a willing pussy. That was the thought that inspired my next search.

  Crouching down in front of the double sink, I began opening cabinet doors. Toilet paper, toiletries, a few cleaning products was all I found. “Fuck!” I shouted and swung my arm out in frustration, clearing the contents of one cabinet. “Shit,” I sighed and hung my head. I began to pick everything up and place it back into the cabinet. Gathering up the fucking tampons that spilled everywhere, I set the box right side up on the floor and stared down in confusion when I heard a rattle. Peering inside the box, I knew I had just found what I was looking for. It was a flash drive. A flash drive that Bertie had hidden in a box of tampons. Wily little minx. I shoved the flash drive in my pocket and finished cleaning up the mess I made.

  I strode back down to my home office and connected the flash drive to my laptop. There appeared to only be one file on it labeled NWWS. Double-clicking the file icon, my mind raced with the possibilities. The most common type of data that was stolen was financial. But if that were the case, why hadn’t Bertie just taken the money and run? Must be something she couldn’t use herself, I thought. The file opened and all I knew was that I was staring at some sort of data. It looked like gibberish. Code, maybe? I rubbed my fingers over my bottom lip as I scrolled through the file, but none of it made a lick of sense to me.

  I picked up my phone and dialed Rafael.

  “Magnus,” Rafe answered. “I hear you’re living in sin these days,” he taunted me.


  “You’ve been talking to Holm, I take it,” I said dryly.

  A grunt from the other end of the line confirmed my suspicion.

  “Assholes,” I muttered. “I need something from you.”

  Snort. “Of course you do,” Rafe grumbled.

  He was an ornery bastard on the best of days, but he was also one of my best friends, so I knew that no matter what I asked of him, he’d come through for me. He was also the technology expert. Didn’t matter if it was a Swiss bank, the dark web, or a government firewall, if it involved code, Rafe could get in or through it. Unlike Jensen and myself, who had diversified business interests, Rafe stuck to his computers. He prefered it that way, and he was good enough at it that he didn’t need to do anything else.

  I explained everything to him about Bertie and then the flash drive. He agreed to meet me in the lobby of my building where I would hand it over to him. Twenty minutes later, the flash drive was in Rafe’s possession and I had a promise for answers. Of course, that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to also get what I wanted from my current addiction, the woman who made my cock hard just by breathing.

  Chapter 15

  Bertie

  I woke to the sound of a splash and the cool drops of water which peppered my lower legs. I sat up with my heart in my throat until I heard Aleksander’s soothing voice.

  “It’s just me, sparrow,” he called.

  Annoyed that I’m reacting this way to sudden sounds, I curled my lip in disgust. I was a tough bitch who’d been through far worse, so why the hell was I having such a hard time with this? I peeled off the magazine that had become stuck to my leg under the heat of the Vegas sun and tossed it aside. Settling back in my lounge chair, I idly watched Aleksander swim laps and admired the flex and extension of the muscles in his shoulders and back. The longer I started, the drier my mouth became. He eventually rose from the water, and I damn near swallowed my tongue. It obviously wasn’t the first time I had seen him naked, but this time, I wasn’t expecting it. He smirked at me as he bent to retrieve his towel, which he used to dry his face but didn’t bother to cover himself. Instead, he stalked toward me and straddled my lounge chair, lowering himself until my legs were trapped underneath his and his ridiculously large erection was practically poking me in the stomach.

  I settled back in my seat as though I weren’t interested in the gorgeous specimen that taunted me. “Do you mind? You’re blocking my sun.”

  With narrowed eyes, Aleksander said, “Oh, I’m sorry, princess. I didn’t realize I was being a nuisance.” And then he trailed one hand down his chest, over his glorious abs, gripped his perfectly proportioned cock, and stroked.

  My legs tried to close of their own volition. The throbbing between them intensifying. But since he was, for all intents and purposes, locking me down, I couldn’t press my thighs together without a bit of an awkward struggle. Looking like he knew exactly what he was doing to me, he smirked while he continued to stroke himself casually. I swallowed hard. “You’re a royal pain in the ass, actually.”

  Aleksander barked out a laugh and stood so that I was eye level with his groin. I involuntarily licked my lips and closed my eyes at the sound of his responding groan. “See something you like, sparrow?” he taunted, his voice like gravel.

  “Yeah,” I moaned shamelessly. I couldn’t lie, and what would be the point in it?

  “Hm. Well, then I guess it’s too bad I’m being such a bother.” He swung one leg

  and pivoted, so that he was standing to the side of my lounger, and then turned to walk away.

  I stared after him with my mouth hanging wide open. What a tease! I threw

  myself back in my seat with a harrumph. Not being able to relax, I gave up on my vitamin D absorption in favor of swimming laps. Once my muscles felt like Jell-O, I pulled myself out of the pool and wobbled to my towel just in time to see Elaina entering the pool area.

  “Hey, girl,” I called out to her.

  “Hey, Bertie. This came for you today,” she said indicating the package she held in her hand.

  I froze. “For me?” I took the package from her noticing that it was indeed addressed to me, but there was no return address listed. No one outside of Aleksander and those in his employ knew I was here, with the exception of Charlotte Holm. “Uhm, thanks.” I granted Elaina a weak smile.

  Elaina left me there on the roof with the package. I sat back down on my lounge chair and let out a shaky breath, telling myself to relax. Good Lord, woman, it’s not like it’s a bomb. The package was one of those rectangular 8 x 11 mailing boxes that was only about two inches deep. I carefully peeled open one end and peered inside. Tipping the contents into my lap, I found an oversized envelope and a flip phone. A burner. What the hell? I picked up the envelope first and reached inside. “No,” I gasped as I thumbed through several photos of Elaina entering and exiting the building. Photos of Elaina at the grocery store. There were also photos of Aleksander going about his business. And at the bottom of the pile were photos of me. Charlotte and me shopping and then again at Starlight, both before and after the explosion. And photos of me sitting by the pool. The very pool that I was now sitting next to. Suddenly feeling very exposed, I shoved the photos and phone back into the box and dashed back into the stairwell leading down to the penthouse.

  Shutting my bedroom door behind me, I dropped the box on the bed and struggled not to crawl out of my skin. Maybe the smart thing to do would be to tell Aleksander, but the last thing I wanted was to drag him in any further. I originally came to him out of my own selfish desire to save my own hide. And he not only took me in without (much) question, he’s provided for me in every way. Shelter, clothing, food. Incredible sex. Plus, there was Elaina to think about. No, the safest thing for both of them was for me to find another way to keep myself alive and the flash drive out of the hands of evil assholes. The beeping of the burner phone brought me out of my thoughts. I dumped the box and snatched up the phone. I listened intently to the voicemail message that was waiting for me.

  “You’re not as safe as you think you are. Neither are they. Keep this phone handy. We’ll be in touch.”

  Even more resolved to move forward, I grabbed my bag out of the closet and stuffed it with whatever underwear I could fist plus a couple of shirts and a pair of yoga pants. Aleksander never did provide me with much else other than comfortable clothing except for the stuff I bought while shopping with Charlotte. Shoving toiletries from the bath into my bag as well, I knelt down to retrieve the flash drive from its hiding spot.

  Gone.

  “No,” I breathed. Shit!

  I ran down the hall toward Aleksander’s home office. “Where is it?” I demanded as I burst through the doorway.

  He looked up from his laptop. “Where’s what?”

  “The flash drive, you asshole. Where is it?” My panic had turned to anger which became obvious as my voice rose. He was ruining everything. I had a plan. Hide the flash drive. Keep it safe. Save my own ass. And he could sink it all.

  He slowly stood up behind his desk. “Roberta, calm down,” he said sternly.

  “Don’t tell me to calm down, Aleksander,” I all but growled. “Where. Is. The. flash drive?” I gritted out.

  I glared at him as his gaze narrowed. “What’s on the flash drive, Bertie?”

  I shook my head, both in refusal and in disbelief.

  “So, you’ll trust me with your body but not your secrets?” He nodded as if contemplating something and then coming to a decision. He walked around the desk until he was standing directly in front of me. Leaning in close, he said, “Here’s something you should know. I will have all of your secrets. Even if it’s the last thing I do. Even if I have to break you apart in order to do it, I’ll lay claim to them all.”

  I swallowed. “Just give me the flash drive, Sven,” I said, using the nickname I gave him when we first met. I knew it irritated him, and I was feeling bold enough to push his buttons and self-preserving enough to create some distance.
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br />   “Just what do you plan on doing with it, Roberta?” he countered and glanced down at my extended hand.

  I clenched my jaw. I clearly wasn’t getting anywhere. “You know what? Keep it.” I shrugged like it was no big deal. “It’s not my problem anymore.” When he didn’t say anything, just scrutinized me like he was looking for a crack in my facade, I turned on a heel and left. “I’m going to get something to eat,” I called out as I made my way to the kitchen. “Do you want anything?” No answer. Good.

  I ransacked the kitchen for something to eat and then filled one of Elaina’s reusable grocery bags with whatever food I could find that would keep without being refrigerated. Mostly apples and oranges from the decorative bowl on the counter, some trail mix I found in the pantry, and protein bars from cupboard. Taking my haul back to my room, and making sure I avoided Aleksander along the way, I noticed an odd sight as I passed by the living area. The sofa was gone. Or, at least, the sofa that felt like marble under my tush was gone. In its place was an overstuffed microsuede couch. Aleksander admitted that he rarely used that television and never sat on that uncomfortable sofa, so I can only assume he replaced it because of me. And that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And I really needed to not get sentimental and girly over a freakin’ couch. I continued my trek to my room and shoved my bag of clothes and my bag of food under the bed. Now, I had to wait.

  Chapter 16

  Bertie

  I stared out the window of the bus as we coasted down the highway and tried not to grit my teeth at the tiny kicks of the kid sitting in the seat behind me. Why was he even awake? It was barely dawn. We had passed the Las Vegas city limits sign about ten miles back, and it was still a long way to go before we reached our next stop. I leaned my head against the window and thought about what I’d had to do in order to get here.