“Yes, sir.” The sergeant looked like bread pudding was the farthest thing from his mind, but when the servers whisked away our empty plates and came back with their trolleys full of bowls of dessert, he looked over interestedly, and his eyes brightened as the server placed a steaming bowl of bread pudding in front of him.

  The Commissioner was watching him with a little smile playing around the edges of his mouth.

  The sergeant took a little bite of the pudding, and then a bigger bite, and the Commissioner’s smile broadened as the sergeant swallowed eagerly. The older man glanced up and saw me looking, and he inclined his head the smallest amount and raised his eyebrows as if to say, Look, it’s all about morale.

  I returned his smile and then dug into my own bowl of dessert. I’d never had bread pudding before, and I found that I was really enjoying it. It was a thick, sweet, cinnamon-spiced slice of pudding stuffed with raisins and smothered in a creamy custard, and it was pretty damn fine.

  “What did you say this was called?” Letty asked as she scraped her bowl clean.

  “Mamallena,” the Commissioner replied. “It’s a traditional Panamanian dessert.”

  “Oh, Letty, you should totally try to make this,” Dia said in excitement. “I bet you’d make it even nicer.”

  “Is it not to your liking?” The Commissioner raised his eyebrows and gave Dia a piercing look.

  I winced internally at her faux pas, but Dia didn’t seem at all fazed.

  “Oh, no, it’s very nice,” she assured him. “It’s just that everything Letty makes is somehow ten times nicer than anything else. If you tried one of her meals, you’d know what I was talking about.”

  “Dia,” Letty hissed as her cheeks flushed dark red.

  “I’m serious,” Dia insisted.

  “Then I’m sorry I won’t get to taste your cooking,” the Commissioner told Letty gravely. “There are some fine chefs here at the hotel, but the mamallena they make just doesn’t compare to the pudding my mother would make for me when I was a boy. Home-baked food is always nicer, in my opinion.”

  “I agree.” Letty nodded her head fervently.

  Commissioner Hernandez was an intriguing man, I decided. On the surface, he looked like any other high-ranking official who had probably risen through the ranks and seen a thing or two on his way to the top. But he clearly really cared about the people under him, and he was sensitive to the beauty of flowers and the power of simple home-baked food.

  But then Sergeant Rodriguez put down his spoon and pulled a thumb drive out of his pocket. The time for theorizing about the Director General was over, and it was time to get down to business.

  The servers came to take away the dishes, and we all rose and followed the sergeant and the Commissioner out of the dining room and into a small room that joined onto it. It was full of couches and soft chairs, and there was a laptop with a projector set up against the back wall.

  “Please, make yourselves comfortable,” the sergeant called as he went to the projector and inserted the thumb drive into the laptop.

  A map came up on the projector, and the sergeant directed a laser pointer at the screen.

  “This is a map of the Canal,” he announced. “We are here in Panama City. The area we plan to target is Forest Protector Arraiján. Tomorrow morning we will leave the hotel and travel by car to the Bridge of the Americas. After we have crossed the bridge, we will travel by Jeep along Route One to Burunga, then change to Route Four for a few miles. From there, we go off-road. We know that the Coast Guard has set up camp somewhere in this area away from the city and close to the Canal.”

  “Will the Coast Guard have any suspicion that you might be planning an operation like this?” I asked.

  “Not at all.” Commissioner Hernandez shook his head. “We have been nothing but compliant with the Coast Guard since day one. They have no reason to suspect anything out of the ordinary.”

  “But, of course, it is still imperative that we avoid attracting the Coast Guard’s attention,” the sergeant added. “We cannot risk them finding out what we are planning here. If they knew that we were working to expose their operation, it could force Panama and the United States into open war with each other.”

  The women raised their eyebrows and exchanged glances.

  “Don’t worry.” Shannon gave a firm, decisive nod. “You can count on us. We know the risks.”

  “Can’t let the home of bread pudding come under attack,” Dia murmured, so quietly that not all the soldiers heard her. It was just the Commissioner whose mouth curled into a slight smile, although he kept his eyes focused on the projector screen.

  “Once we have reached the Coast Guard camp,” Sergeant Rodriguez continued, “we will provide cover for Drew to approach and take as many pictures and as much video as is necessary to provide a clear and unambiguous image of what is going on there. And then we will return. We estimate the entire operation will be completed in under five hours. Does anybody have any questions?”

  “What about weapons?” I asked. “The Commissioner mentioned guns.”

  “That is correct,” the sergeant replied. “Although we understand the need for subtlety, in this case we also feel it would be imprudent not to equip ourselves with the relevant firepower. You will receive your weapons tomorrow when we head into the forest.”

  “Won’t that just alert the Coast Guard to our presence?” I pressed.

  “The Coast Guard knows that we deliver food to the workers at the locks along the Canal,” the Commissioner replied. “That is our official cover story, so if the Coast Guard hears or sees our soldiers in the forest, it can be explained away as a routine supply drop to our workers. Their camp is based near the Canal, so it makes sense that we would use the route we’re taking to reach them.”

  “And the dragons?” Ally raised her eyebrows. “What about them?”

  “You will be armed with assault rifles,” the sergeant responded.

  “We have assault rifles,” I assured him. “We’ve been using AR-15s.”

  “That’s a good weapon,” the sergeant acknowledged. “Chambered in 5.56 NATO?”

  “.223,” Shannon answered.

  “It’s almost exactly the same round, Shannon,” I explained. “The 5.56 NATO round is slightly more powerful and a little longer than the .223 so all military rifles will fire .223 but not all civilian rifles will fire 5.56.”

  “We use 7.62 X 39 NATO,” he said. “A skilled marksman can take out a dragon in just a few shots from an AR-10. And although they are not a subtle weapon, in our risk assessment of this mission, we decided that the firepower and experience of the team was a sufficient counter to the danger posed by the creatures.”

  “What’s he talking about?” Dia whispered to Shannon.

  “He says the guns will be noisy, but we’re cool enough to handle the danger,” Shannon whispered back.

  “Sweet,” she responded. “Finally our talents are being recognized.”

  “Any more questions?” the sergeant asked.

  Everyone shook their heads.

  “Drew?” the Commissioner pressed. “Are you satisfied?”

  I looked around at the women. They all nodded their heads.

  “Yep,” I replied. “I think we’re all satisfied here.”

  “Excellent, excellent.” The old soldier stood up. “In that case, I think this meeting is complete. Gentlemen, ladies, I wish you a pleasant evening, and I suggest you try to get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a big day.”

  “He could just wish us good luck,” Letty murmured to Dia.

  “Good luck.” The Commissioner didn’t seem to have heard Letty’s whisper, but as his piercing gaze swept around the room, his eyes lingered for a moment on Letty’s face, and a little smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.

  Letty blushed.

  Dia giggled.

  “Good night,” the Commissioner said. “Sleep well, all of you.”

  The soldiers got their feet and saluted their commander. He dropped them a quick salute back, and walked out of the room.

  “I guess that’s it, then.” I looked around at the women. “Time for bed.”

  “We will call for you tomorrow at oh-eight hundred hours,” Sergeant Rodriguez said. “And, as the Commissioner said, I wish you a pleasant evening.”

  “Thank you,” I replied.

  We stood up and went out of the room. I wasn’t sure if the women were aware of quite how eagerly the soldiers’ eyes followed them, but from the saucy look that Dia threw over her shoulder, I could tell that at least one of them was aware of the attention they were receiving.

  “You should wear dresses like that more often,” I told her in a low voice as we walked back to our rooms.

  “Maybe.” She pulled a face. “I do like putting on pretty dresses and getting all dolled up. But I also like my cargo shorts and sports bras.”

  “Well, you look sexy as hell both ways,” I told her.

  A pink flush spread over Dia’s cheeks, and she looked down with an uncharacteristic display of shyness.

  “Thank you,” she mumbled.

  I linked my arm through hers and pulled her closer to me. I could feel the heat of her skin burning through my clothes, and when I glanced down at her, I was given an unparalleled view of her cleavage. Her bodice was a very snug fit, and every breath Dia took made her breasts heave as though they were in danger of popping out of her neckline at any second.

  The sight made my cock twitch in my pants, and I had to swallow hard and drag my eyes away.

  We walked up to our rooms and parted ways at the door. I kissed them all tenderly, and watched them leave for their separate rooms.

  “I can’t believe I get my own suite!” Dia squeaked.

  She clearly couldn’t wait to get inside her room and take advantage of all the space that had been given to her.

  I smiled and waved goodnight to them all before heading inside my room. I stripped off my fancy suit, and found that someone had returned my old clothes as well as a basic pair of pants. They were freshly laundered, pressed, and laid out on the bed.

  I heaved a little sigh and looked ruefully at the suit as I hung it back on its hanger. The time for glamor was over. Tomorrow morning it was back to normal.

  Still, it had been fun while it lasted.

  And the memory of the women in their fantastic dresses was going to stay with me for a very long time.

  Someone had laid out some fresh clean pajamas on the bed, but I laid them on the chair and slipped between the sheets in the nude. I always liked sleeping naked, but it wasn’t very practical on the yacht when I might have to leap on deck at a moment’s notice.

  But tonight I didn’t have to keep watch, and I could sleep all the way through the night without worrying about dragons or gangs or jaguars or crocodiles.

  I smiled to myself as I wrapped the sheets around myself and closed my eyes.

  I drifted gently into sleep.

  But although my brain knew that there was no need for me to be on alert, my body was too used to waking up after four hours of sleep to let go of the habit for one night.

  I awoke suddenly and quickly in the darkness. For a second I wondered where I was, but then I remembered, and I let out a quiet groan as I realized that the opportunity for an uninterrupted eight hours of sleep had passed me by.

  I fumbled beside me for the bedside lamp and switched it on. Its soft golden glow filled the bedroom, and I laid back on my pillows with a yawn. I closed my eyes and tried to will myself back down into sleep, but I was used to instantly springing up out of bed once I’d woken up, and I felt too energized to just fall back asleep.

  I let out a huge sigh and pressed my forearm against my eyes. I wondered how the women were getting on, and if they were lonely in their huge, luxurious beds, or if they were just enjoying the opportunity to have a bed all to themselves. It was only for one night, so they should try to enjoy it as much as they could.

  I’d already had a taste of how empty and cold the bed could be, and now, even though I was warm and relaxed from sleep, part of me still missed the women’s presence beside me.

  This bed was pretty damn fantastic, and I was glad to be able to use it, but if it came down to a choice between sleeping alone in this bed and sharing the yacht’s cabin bed with the others, I wasn’t sure which option I’d choose.

  I imagined the women curled up in their respective beds, and I smiled to myself at my mental image.

  Then I stiffened. I snapped upright in bed and stared through the shadowy light as I heard a creak in the lounge room beyond the bedroom.

  Then the bedroom door handle squeaked as someone on the other side turned it and pushed the door wide open.

  Chapter 13

  I was ready to grab the lamp from the bedside table and hurl it at the intruder.

  But then a familiar figure slipped through the door.

  “Oh, my god, Letty,” I gasped as I sagged back against the headboard. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”

  “Sorry,” she whispered. “I woke up, and I couldn’t get back to sleep.”

  “Me, too,” I replied. “I’m so used to sleeping and waking up in shifts. It’s a shame I can’t take full advantage of the one night when I don’t have to keep watch.”

  “That’s what I thought. Plus…” Letty came to the side of the bed and looked down at me.

  The lamplight gleamed in her dark eyes and made soft golden highlights on her cheekbones. She’d taken her hair out of its braid, and her ringlets sprang free around her face. She was wearing a silky white nightgown, and it shone and seemed to move like something alive as it rippled down over her body.

  “Plus?” I pushed in a low voice.

  “Plus… I missed you.” Letty bit her lower lip, and a slow smile spread over her face.

  I pushed the sheets down to the bottom of the bed, and I held out my arms to her.

  She climbed into the bed and straddled me with her knees on either side of my hips. The heat of her pussy radiated out through the silky, thin fabric of her nightgown and awoke my cock in a gorgeous, maddening haze.

  I looked up into her beautiful face. Letty’s eyes were shining in the lamp’s yellow glow, and the light created dark shadows that hid under her cheekbones and in the shadow of her throat and made her look like some fantastical goddess from another realm.

  I ran my thumb over her lips, and my heartbeat quickened as Letty opened her lips and took my thumb into her mouth. She sucked it deliberately with her eyes fixed on mine, and then she released it with the sheen of her saliva catching the soft light.

  I cupped her face in my hands and pulled her mouth down to meet mine. She kissed me hungrily with one hand pressed against my shoulder and her other hand tracing a path down my bare chest. She rocked her hips forward as she ground against me, and I couldn’t muffle the groan that sprang out of me as I felt the heat of her so close to my cock.

  “God, Letty,” I whispered. “Your body is so fucking sexy.”

  “So is yours,” she whispered back. “I’m kinda disappointed you’re not wearing anything, Drew. Because then I can’t rip it off.”

  “But then that means there’s more time for me to do this,” I responded.

  I slid my hands up her smooth thighs. I cupped her delicious ass and squeezed it before my hands traveled up and over her soft stomach. My knuckles brushed the heavy hang of her breasts. Letty sighed as her nipples tightened in anticipation, and goosebumps sprang out on her arms and thighs.

  But I wanted to keep her waiting, and my hands trailed over her stomach, over her hips, over her ass, over her back, but only just brushed her breasts.

  “Drew,” Letty whispered.

  “Yeah?” I whispered back.

  Her nipples were popping through the scanty nightgown. I knew she was desperate for me to touch her, but I was enjoying the anticipation too much.

  “Drew…” Letty gave a sigh. “You know what I want.”

  “No,” I teased. “What do you want?”

  “Mmm…” Letty shook her head, and a smile tugged at her lips. “You’re terrible.”

  “Am I?” My thumb just grazed her left nipple. Letty’s whole body convulsed, and she grabbed my shoulder and gasped.

  “Ohhhh, yes you are,” she panted.

  “What do you mean?” I countered. “You have to tell me what it is that you want.”

  “Okay.” Letty leaned forward to whisper in my ear, and a delicious shiver ran down my spine as her warm breath tickled my neck. “I want you to touch me everywhere. I want you to suck on my nipples and fuck me until everyone in this building knows what a fantastic lay you are.”

  Fuck, I didn’t think there was anything sexier than a gorgeous woman telling me to suck on her nipples.

  “Okay,” I breathed. “I think I can manage that.”

  I slid my fingers underneath the ribbons that served as the straps on Letty’s gown. I slipped the straps down her shoulders and pulled down the neckline to reveal Letty’s breasts. The soft light warmed them to the color of milky coffee, and her nipples were dark as raisins as I closed my lips around them.

  Letty sighed and threw back her head. She wrapped her hands in my hair and kept my face in her breasts as my tongue worked her sensitive nipples and kept them in dark, aroused points. They nudged against my lips, and the soft, smooth skin of her breasts was all around me as I buried my face in her cleavage and sucked on her nipples.

  “Mmmmm, yes, yes,” Letty whispered. “Oh, my god, yes.”

  I pinched her free nipple between my finger and thumb, and Letty let out a tiny, high-pitched mewl of pleasure as I fondled her breasts with my fingers and with my mouth. My other hand slipped between her thighs, and she jumped and then moaned as my fingers pressed against her hot, wet pussy.

  “You’re so fucking wet, Letty,” I whispered. “Your pussy is just waiting for me.”

  Letty grabbed my hand and pulled it up. My fingers were glistening with her juices, and the smell of Letty’s arousal was maddening and delicious.

  “I want your cock inside me,” she told me in a breathless gasp. “I want you to fuck me with your gorgeous cock.”

 

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