Barracuda security compl.., p.6
Barracuda Security Complete Trilogy, page 6
part #1 of Barracuda Security Series
“I’m sure he is. But he was the cop who arrested one of my clients a year or so ago. I was pretty rough on him, did everything I could to make him look incompetent because it was the best option we had to get the guy off.”
“Jimmy’s a good cop.”
“I know. But anyone can be made to appear incompetent if you go at it right.”
“Did you win your case.”
“Yeah.”
“Then I suppose it was worth it.” I glanced at her, my hands suddenly gripped the wheel with more force than necessary. I’d gone up against a defense attorney or two in my time on the force. I knew how brutal it could be. But we were all just doing our jobs, right?
“I’m a criminal defense attorney. That’s what I have to do to help my clients.”
“Of course.”
“Look, if it wasn’t me, it would be someone else and he might have been even harder on your friend than I was! This is the way our justice system works!”
“But if a cop arrests a man, he’s doing what the law tells him to do. Cops don’t have an agenda.”
“I realize that.”
“Then why attack the cop? Why not attack the criminal who committed the crime?”
“Because I don’t always know who that is! If the world was all black and white, it would be so much simpler to live in. But it’s not. There’s lots of color thrown in, blurring the lines and making it difficult to know who’s right and who’s wrong. But if I’m not there to defend my clients, the system would be unbalanced and it wouldn’t work!”
“But you have all these cops who do their job impeccably and you lawyers screw everything up with all your legal maneuvering, with your games and your manipulative tricks. Is it no wonder that people have lost their respect for cops? They see you lawyers turn everything up on its head and think that the cops are the ones who screwed it all up!”
“Do you think I like having to do stuff like that?” She shook her head as she continued to stare out the window. “I’m just doing what I have to do.”
“Aren’t we all?”
I pulled into her driveway a moment later. She jumped out of the car, rushing up to the front door of the house. I followed, grabbing her arm as she started inside
“Let me check it out.”
“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to put you out, or anything.”
I chose to ignore that little jab, and moved around her to enter the house. I hadn’t stepped foot in her house since I took this case, but I’d been watching video surveillance of it for four days. I knew that a long room opened to the right of the small entryway, a formal sitting room that she used as a home office. To the left was a small dining room with a real chandelier that tinkled in the slight breeze coming through the door. Straight back was a large room that flowed into a kitchen suitable for a proficient home cook.
I checked all the windows and doors, making my way down the narrow hall that lead to the two large bedrooms at the right of the house after I’d checked the French doors that opened onto the back patio and the window that sat high above the toilet, I paused in the master bedroom. She might not live on the exclusive side of town, but that didn’t mean she didn’t enjoy some of the luxuries in life. The sheets on her bed were clearly of high quality; that was obvious even in their unmade state. The carpet was thick and lush, and the walk-in closet clearly modified from what was originally provided in this modest home. Even the bathroom had been upgraded, perhaps even built in what once was a third bedroom.
It was the bed that kept drawing my attention, though. Or, more specifically, the underwear left lying on the bed forgotten. There was a lacy black bra and a pair of panties that I was pretty sure was called a thong. The idea of Rylee in those…something like that could really get a man’s blood pumping!
“Hey! Did you get lost in there?”
“No.” I walked down the hall and gestured to her. “It’s safe. You can come in.”
“Gee, thanks. I can walk into my own house.”
“We don’t know who put that rat in your car. It doesn’t hurt to be a little cautious.”
“It was probably just an unhappy client.” She started to unbutton her blouse as she walked past me. “I’m going to take a shower. Make some tea, would you?”
“I should get going.”
“I thought you were my bodyguard tonight.”
She paused in the hallway, her blouse hanging free from her slacks and unbuttoned enough that I could see the top of her pink bra. As she waited for my response, she continued to release the buttons, her fingers holding the material together, but barely.
Damn! The woman knew how to tease!
I cleared my throat. “I am. I was just going out to sit in my car.”
“Why? I have a perfectly functional spare bedroom. You can stay in there tonight.”
“I shouldn’t. Kai—”
“To hell with Kai! He’s the one who set you on my tail without bothering to tell anyone who hired him. He can go stew in his own juices for a while.”
“Kai is my boss.”
“Kai doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into, messing around with Roman. He’s going to regret it.”
“Roman, your brother? Is that who you think hired him?”
“Who else?”
She leaned her shoulder against the wall, dropping her hands to her sides. Her blouse slowly fell open, revealing her full breasts and flat belly, her skin so taut and firm that I could almost feel the soft resistance it would offer against my hands. I bit my lip to keep my mouth from falling open. But the desire was almost overwhelming.
“Do you know Roman?” she asked. “He had some issues with the cops a few years ago. Maybe you dealt with him.”
“Once. I pulled him over for a broken tail light about two years ago, right before I left the department.”
She didn’t seem to notice the effect her near-nakedness was having on me. She tugged the blouse back over her hip, exposing most of one shoulder looking as though she was trying to think something through. Then she shrugged, her eyes warm and filled with a light that—unless I was misreading it—suggested she actually was aware of what she was doing.
“I think I remember that,” she said slowly, licking her bottom lip between sentences. “He had an argument with his wife and she threw a rock at the car as he was driving away. At least, that’s what he had his lawyer tell the judge in traffic court.” She shook her head, licking that lip again. “What asshole takes a lawyer to traffic court?”
“Rich assholes who get away with murder.”
It was a cold shower, a sober awakening. My wife was murdered by one of those rich assholes. If she hadn’t been, I wouldn’t be here being tempted, and I wouldn’t feel like a complete ass for thinking of Meredith while talking to this beautiful woman.
“You should go get in the shower. I’ll make the tea.”
“Sure, you don’t want to join me?”
“Kind of against the rules to be too familiar with the target.”
“Target? Is that what I am?”
I paused, turning slightly to look at her again. She’d straightened, but her blouse was still hanging open, in part because she was holding her hands behind her back and the bottom of the blouse was pulled back over them. I studied her for a long moment, letting my eyes move slowly over the length of her, lingering over that sexy bra, those lovely abs…I cleared my throat, forcing myself to look her in the eye.
“Yeah. You’re the one who’s in danger from some unknown source. That makes you a target of both the threat and of our protection.”
She lowered her head slightly. “Makes me sound like a big dot on a dartboard.”
As I watched, she shook her shoulders, allowing the blouse to fall to the floor, then she turned on her heel, her fingers working the clasp on her bra. The last thing I saw as she disappeared into the bedroom was that bra falling from the tips of her fingers and the slightest hint of bare breasts as she turned slightly to offer me a little smile before she closed the door.
I stood there for a minute, arguing with myself. I loved my wife, but that didn’t mean that I wasn’t still alive, that I hadn’t been with other women in the five years since her death. But this woman…there was something dangerous about the way she looked at me. This woman was different from any other woman I’d ever known.
I could go in there, do what came naturally between men and women, but then I would put my job at risk. I’d been out of work for nearly a year, taking small jobs here and there to make ends meet. I didn’t want to go back there. She was my target, my job. Sleeping with her would only complicate things.
But it would certainly be a delicious complication!
I went to the kitchen and like a good boy, filled the kettle and made the tea as she told me to. I searched the cabinets, looking for the tea bags. The woman didn’t have much by way of food, just a few condiments, a stick of butter, and a few eggs. What did she eat during the week? The freezer was a little better stocked, filled with little frozen dinners, some frozen burritos, and ice cream. There were chips and crackers in one cabinet, a case of water bottles in the pantry that should have been filled with staples, but whose shelves were pretty much empty. Someone needed to teach this woman how to take care of herself!
Rich girls—she’d probably never learned to cook.
Finally locating the tea bags, I dropped a couple in one of the deep coffee mugs I found hanging from a device on the counter. I was just pouring the boiling water into the mug when she came out, her hair hanging in strings around her face making her look like a drowned rat.
“Thanks,” she said, moving close beside me to take the mug. She smelled like honey, with a slight scent of coconut coming from her hair. She picked up the mug and sighed as she breathed in its hot steam.
“Do you really think it was a client who put that rat in your car?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. It could have been Roman.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Because I arranged for a lawyer in my office to represent his wife in their divorce.”
“He knows it was you?”
“Of course. Roman keeps close tabs on everything Briar does.”
“But he’s your brother. He must have some feeling for you, surely?
She laughed softly. “You don’t know much about the Pierce family, do you?” She sipped at the tea, then turned and leaned against the counter. Staring into the cup, she was quiet for a moment before she began to explain. “My mother was what she liked to call ‘poor white trash’ when she was a kid. She grew up with a father who was a garbage collector. She hated her life; hated the way it kept her from doing the things she wanted to do, from having what she wanted to have. So, she set her sights on marrying the richest guy she could find. Unfortunately for him, she met my father and he was absolutely dazzled by her.” She shook her head. “My mother can be quite charming when she wants to be. But get on her bad side…”
She sipped the tea again. “She destroyed him a little at a time, taking away everything that made him a strong, confident man. I remember once, when I was just seven or eight, asking him why he didn’t just leave her. You know what he said?”
I shrugged.
“He said that he loved her, and his life wouldn’t make sense without her. He said this about the woman who belittled him in front of his employees; this woman who berated him for the stupidest things. He loved this cruel, acid-tongued woman.” She shook her head, staring into her tea. “When he died, she didn’t shed a single tear and she smacked the back of my head for daring to cry at his funeral. That was when I realized my mother was probably the most evil person in the world, at least my little world. That’s why I got out of here the second I could, and why I’m getting out of here as soon as I can convince Briar that she and Molly would be better off somewhere else. They’re the only reason I came back, the only reason I stay.”
“Love is a funny thing. It made him stay, and it made you come home.”
She stared into her mug for a few, quiet moments. Then she sighed. “Roman is a lot like my mother: selfish, cruel. Before the Army, he was always in trouble, always running with the wrong group, doing things he knew he shouldn’t do. But Mother, she always covered for him, made sure he didn’t suffer the consequences of his actions. If he hadn’t stolen the mayor’s car and run it into the ocean, he never would have gone into the Army.” She sipped. “I had hoped he would change in the Army, with all that discipline and structure. But then he was injured and the head wound only seemed to make things worse. I mean, he was calmer at first. Briar seemed to soften him a little. I was happy for him, but Mother made it clear she didn’t like Briar. And then there were the bruises…”
“What bruises?”
“You really don’t know about my family.” She turned and set the mug of tea down. She came to stand in front of me, her hand warmed by the hot mug pressed against the center of my chest. “I tried this earlier, but I think maybe I was a little too subtle.” She rose up on her tip toes and kissed me ever so lightly on the lips. “I think you’re incredibly hot, and I’ve had a really bad day—hell, it’s been a really bad few months!—and I’d really just like to work off a little of the bad mojo, you know?”
“Rylee,” I said, grabbing her wrists and forcing her hands down to her sides, “I told you, I can’t be intimate with a target.”
“Then we won’t be intimate. We’ll just fuck.”
She kissed me again and I…how could a man refuse a woman that determined? I tried to pull back, but there was nowhere for me to go. I was stuck between her and the counter. I could move sideways, but she was pressing her body against mine, her thin bathrobe moving like silk against me, her full breasts completely bare under the thin material. How could I ignore the softness of her body, the hard ache it awoke deep inside of me, or the taste of her as she forced herself against me, as she urged my lips to part?
I opened up to her, moaning softly as she began to explore me, doing things to me that I normally did first with a woman. Her tongue was cold, minty as if she’d just brushed her teeth, but there was a touch of heat from the tea, a touch of green-tea bitterness. I still held her hands low, but she didn’t seem to need them. Her chest was flattened against mine, her hips moving in a lovely rhythmic motion against my upper thigh, her body stroking parts of me that wanted to be touched, that ached to be stroked.
I pushed her back, trapping her hard against the front of her kitchen sink, bending her back just slightly as I took control and explored her with as much curiosity as she’d done me. She sighed, a slight upturn to her lips as I let my mouth move over her chin and slowly down along the curve of her jaw. Her skin was slightly greasy and softly scented from some lotion she must have put on. I liked it, liked the taste of it, liked the way it made her skin feel better than the silk of her robe.
I let go of one of her wrists in order to urge the front of her robe open, cupping in my hand one of the lovely round breasts she’d been so cavalierly showing off earlier. That hard little nib in the middle was long and thick, aching for what I couldn’t resist doing, taking it in my mouth and nibbling at it like a tasty treat. She moaned, her fingers pressed into my short hair and pulled me closer to her, not too shy to tell me exactly what it was she wanted. I gave it to her, for a moment, loving the sound of pleasure as it slipped from between her perfect lips.
I wanted to kneel before her, wanted to worship her the way a woman should be worshipped. I wanted to touch every inch of her perfect body, wanted to taste every bit of sweetness she had to offer. I wanted to take my time, wanted to make her scream with something better than horror and disgust. But she tugged at my shirt, pulling me upward as she undid the buttons on the front of my shirt. She wanted to touch me as badly as I wanted to touch her.
Who was I to deny a beautiful woman?
I lifted the shirt over my head and buried my fingers in her hair as she pressed her face to between my pecs, her breath hot as she rested there just a moment. Her robe had fallen completely open, and I slid a hand underneath, letting my fingers play on the bumps of her spine on the way down to her perfect ass. She began nibbling at my shoulder, my throat, more sighs slipping from between her lips.
“Let’s go to the bedroom,” she said softly.
She slipped around me and held out a hand, waiting for me to take it. This was the moment when I could have walked away. Her back was to me, covered by that silky robe. I could have refused, could have told her to go to bed alone. But I couldn’t bring myself to say the words. I took her hand and followed her up that long corridor, to do what I had been strong enough to resist just an hour before.
And then the bathrobe was gone.
She sat at the end of the bed and undid my pants, her hands stumbling in their work, as I leaned down to kiss her I stood to make it easier for her enjoying the erotic sight of such a beautiful woman doing such a mundane thing for me. She looked up at me as she slid her hand into my unfastened jeans, and watched my reaction to her touch. I gave into it and closed my eyes. I felt her smile more than saw it, felt the heat of her heavy sigh. And then I felt the heat of something else, my knees threatening to buckle as absolute pleasure burst through me. Who was this woman? Who taught her how to move her tongue like that…?
When we finally fell back onto the bed, she pulled a condom from the drawer of her nightstand filled with all kinds of interesting items. She read the curiosity on my face and shrugging her narrow shoulders she said, “A single woman has to be creative.” I laughed, causing her to slap my arm even as I struggled with that damn prophylactic.
The laughter stopped as she pulled me toward her, this beautiful, intelligent woman who knew exactly what it was she wanted and exactly how to get it. She taught me more in that one night that I probably could have learned in a lifetime with the good girls I was normally drawn to: Not that Rylee wasn’t a good girl, but there was nothing timid about her, nothing docile. She didn’t lecture, but just the slightest movements of her body instructed better than anything she could have said. And when she tossed me onto the mattress, taking control with her beautiful body moving in ways that were like a well-choreographed show meant just for me, not only did she know what was right for her, she knew how to offer me things I’d never known existed.
