Carnevale and Subterfuge (6 page)

“Yes, sir,” Ana replied.

“Good. Drogan out.”

The room fell silent and then the sound of footsteps could be heard moving around the room. Diego absorbed the information he had just overheard. He filed it away to ruminate on later. All he wanted to do now was concentrate on Ana and their time together. Tomorrow would be a rush for the both of them, their last day together. He would have to meet his brother and she would be getting ready to leave the planet. A sense of sadness rose up within him. Their time was so short. So much was in the way. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with her.

With a deep breath he unlocked the door and went into his flat to find her wrapped in nothing but a towel, hair wet from his shower. Ana’s face was slick, shiny with moisture, free of makeup. She looked younger, more innocent, and he cursed himself for what he was about to do. If he was found out, she would be horrified. Although she had no clue as to what he looked like, something in her memory would undoubtedly be triggered and she would know.

Worst case scenario, she would be charged with accessory to perpetrate fraud, lose her job, and maybe face jail time depending on the severity of what his mother was asking of him. Best case scenario, things could be smoothed out quickly. Diego doubted that that would happen. Nothing was ever smoothed out quickly.

“What’s wrong? You look troubled.” Ana was looking at him now, dark brown eyes filled with concern.

He was taken aback at how easily she had read him even with the mask on. Perhaps it was true; perhaps he had let his guard down. Diego made his way into the room and kicked the door closed behind him. With a great flourish he bowed low and presented her the flowers.

“Wilted, I know, but their beauty reminded me of you.” He winced at the cheesiness of what he had just uttered. Anarrae wasn’t some stupid girl of the upper class, easily bowled over by silly compliments and stupid lines, and yet, in that moment, he was treating her like one of his marks. Which, in a way, she was.

As soon as this weekend was over they wouldn’t be lovers. They would be strangers again. Sadness rose and Diego wanted to push that away and make her focus on him.

“I’m sorry. That was a very stupid thing to say. I’m new to this wooing thing,” he said. Both statements were true.

Anarrae ducked her head as if embarrassed. “Is that what this is, wooing? I thought this was just for fun.”

“Can’t there be a bit of romance even if this weekend is supposed to be fun?” Diego walked over and sat down next to her on the bed.

“I’m sorry. I’m not used to this either,” she said.

“Used to what,
tesoro
?”

“I don’t get noticed a lot and when I do, it’s not for romance,” she said.

“Why not?” The thought that any man would pass her by irritated him. What kind of men was she hanging around with?

Ana fiddled with a loose thread at the end of her towel. She didn’t look at him as she spoke next. “I’m not the most attractive woman and I don’t go out much. I usually stay in my rooms and read or something. I guess I’m too boring for most men.”

There was heartbreak in her tone that made Diego ache for her.

“I know what it’s like,” he said. “I understand the loneliness. My life doesn’t allow for attachments or for trust to develop. Your life of just spending time in your room reading sounds wonderful. A bit of peace. Me, I wouldn’t know that. Always have to be one step ahead of the law.” The words tumbled past his lips unchecked and he groaned inwardly. She’d breached his defenses and all she had was talk. Anarrae Lavender was a very dangerous woman. He had to put distance between them, and yet, sitting next to her, he didn’t want to pull away.

“Why do you do it? Why do you continue to be a conman?” Ana shifted beside Diego. Her eyes held questions and Diego wanted to answer her, yearned to just let go and tell her everything about himself and his childhood. For one shining moment he entertained the thought of being with her on that ship, relaxing, cuddling with her in bed while she read, holding her close while they slept. Goddess, that vision of what might be was so seductive.

Diego changed the subject hoping she’d get the hint. “Why did you become an officer on a starship? Isn’t that lonely too? Not much room on a ship. Sort of claustrophobic I would imagine.”

The urge was still there. It hung between them but Diego refused to act on it. He just couldn’t reach out and yank the wall down between them; if he did his life would go to hell. He was a criminal, for Goddess’s sake. She deserved better.

“I wanted adventure,” Ana said. “And I’m from a military family. Serving on a starship is in the blood. Besides it’s not all that claustrophobic. There are the fantasy suites.” A small smiled played on her lips and Diego envied that. He wanted to be the reason she was smiling.

“What do you do there? Is it something naughty?” he asked, thankful the conversation had turned away from him. The sense of envy remained.

“Sometimes, although what we did last night doesn’t compare. I’ve never been in charge before.” Her smile widened as she looked up at him.

“Do you want to be in charge again?” He had loved surrendering to her, loved the freedom in it. Diego trusted her, which should have scared and surprised him. Instead it only deepened what he felt for her, whatever that was.

“No, I want you to be in charge. I want you to fuck me, hard.” There was confidence in her tone. Her shyness slipped away and in its place was a beautiful woman who knew what she wanted. He had given her that. His inner male preened. His outer male, on the other hand, was hungry to be inside his woman again. Yes, she was
his
, would always belong to him, even after this whole thing ended. He would look back on this time fondly.

“Leather or silk, love?” Heat poured through him in waves.

She licked her lips. “Silk. And I want to be blindfolded.”

Diego’s cock twitched and his stomach tightened as the image of her blindfolded surfaced.

“Yes.” His voice came out ragged and hoarse. It surprised him how immediate his reaction was, and yet he couldn’t hide it, not from her. “I mean, I’ll go get the scarves and blindfold. You just lie back.”

“But what about my hair?” Anarrae gestured to her damp hair.

“I don’t care. I just need you.” Diego meant it. “I plan on fucking you all over this apartment before we part. You are going to remember me, and I want you to think of me when you’re all alone in your cabin and needing release, understand?” He stared down at Ana, willing her to say yes. If they couldn’t be together on the ship, then at least they would be thinking of each other.

“How could I forget you?” she asked. Ana reached up and caressed his feather-covered cheek.

Diego cursed the mask, wishing he could feel her palm against his skin. Instead, the rest of her body against his would have to do. He moved around his apartment, trying to ignore the woman stretching herself out on his bed. An idea struck him and he grinned.

“Love, how would you feel about being bound just wrists on your knees? Perhaps a bit of role-play? Hmmm, interested? You could still be blindfolded but you’d have to trust me.” He waited for her answer.

“I do trust you. Otherwise why would I have stayed? Where do you want me?”

Deigo turned to look at Ana, now sitting up on his bed. His heart constricted and he couldn’t breathe. Only his brother and mother had ever trusted him so completely, and that had been a long time ago. He was honored. He vowed to try to be worthy of that trust, not matter what.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Ana smiled. “Just get the stuff and let’s get started.”

In that instant, Diego wanted to kiss her senseless and thank her over and over again for the gift she had just given him.

“You are amazing, you know that?” he asked as he gathered up all of the things he wanted to use with her.

“Don’t tell me. Show me.” Her tone was husky. The sound wrapped around Diego’s cock and it jumped in response. It pressed against his pants with the need to be unleashed.

“Oh, I will, love. I will. Just wait a moment.” With silk scarves, blindfold, and edible body dust in his arms he made his way back to her.

Ana stood in the middle of the room, hugging herself. “What do you want me to do?” She looked so unsure.

“Take off the towel and go lie on the bed,” Diego ordered, distractedly, as he laid out the items he had chosen. He went into the bathroom and got the body oil. “First, I’m going to give you nice massage to relax you. I must blindfold you first.”

“OK.”

He heard the mattress squeak softly. When he exited the room he saw she had followed his instructions. He gripped the oil tightly, trying to keep from jumping and fucking her right then rather than carry out his plan.

“Roll—” he paused to clear his throat. His voice had become rough. “Roll onto your stomach and relax.”

Ana did as he said and Diego blew out a breath. When he climbed onto the bed, she lifted her head and waited patiently for him to cover her eyes. Once that was accomplished, Ana resumed her former position and lay, arms over her head, legs spread wide.

Diego swallowed, unsure of his ability to control himself. She was like a decadent buffet, waiting for him to feast on her using his hands, mouth, lips, tongue, and teeth. He had to clench his jaw to keep himself from deviating from his original plan of working her up slowly.

Before he started, Diego removed the mask and placed it on the nightstand. There was no fear that she would see him and for once he could let the Dodger persona fall away and be with her as himself. He poured oil onto his palm and rubbed his hands together. With a deep breath, he touched her back, spreading his fingers wide. The lubricant warmed and she let out a soft gasp, which made him smile. Slowly, he moved his hands over the expanse of her back, taking in the differences in their skin tones—his tanned flesh against her milk chocolate. He increased the pressure, running his hands down the sides of her spine. Her skin was so soft, so warm, like silk come alive. Each breath she took moved her back up and down, bone and muscle sliding under the skin—so smooth!

“Computer, soft golden light,” Diego called out. The room dimmed and a gold glow emanated from the small lights in the wall. He knew Ana couldn’t see it, but he wanted to set the atmosphere. He knew this is what he would have done for her if they were in a relationship, little things like candlelight, intimate dinners, and full body massages. This was not about seduction or the con. This was real to him. He wanted to know about her life; he
yearned
to know more about the beautiful woman on his bed, trusting him with her body and safety.

“Tell me about the ship. What do you do on there? Do you have friends?” He cursed himself for asking but the words couldn’t be taken back.

“I’m just an officer. I give reports, type up reports, gather data…boring stuff really. I do have a few friends.” Ana’s voice was slightly muffled by the bedspread. There was a laziness in her tone that told her he was doing a good job.

“Do you love it?” He hoped she did. If she said, no, he knew he would try to tear her away from it. He’d kidnap her for real and take her someplace where she would be pampered, cherished, and waited on hand and foot. He had enough money to buy an island on one of those luxury planets out near the rim of the universe, close to the suns of Pollex and the moons of Hecate. She would love it.

“I do love my job,” Anarrae said.

“You said people don’t see you.” Diego loathed that. He hated that she went unnoticed. To him she was the rarest gem, the most beautiful. His time with her, though it was not long, showed him a sweet, lonely woman who was pure in her intentions but had wicked desires that lit him from the inside out until he wanted to take her regardless of where they were. No one had ever made him feel like that. His throbbing cock, pressed against the fly of his pants, was proof of her effect on him.

“Yeah, but they’re so busy. There’s always activity on the ship, even in the dead of night.” Her tone was not neutral, her body tense. He knew she was lying. She was making excuses for their lack of consideration.

Instead of pressing the point, he let that pass, only to find himself asking the one question he didn’t want to know the answer to. “Is there someone on the ship you fancy?”

He was on pins and needle waiting for her to answer.

“No, no one. I did once, but he left. Changed ships.” There was pain in her voice.

“I’m sorry,” he said. Silently he rejoiced, yet was angered by the pain this nameless person caused.

“Why are you apologizing? It’s not your fault. He never knew. Besides there are rules in place. Crew can’t fraternize.”

“Rules were meant to be broken.”

“Spoken like a con artist.” She was smiling now. He could hear the smile in her voice.

Diego laughed. “Well, first you bend them, then you break them. I am what I am. Can’t help that.”

“Did you always want to be a con artist?”

He tensed. It was only fair. He was poking and prodding, asking things he shouldn’t.

“No,” he said. “I wanted to be strong. That’s it. It didn’t matter if I was an officer in the Universal military or a copper or whatever… I just wanted to be strong.”

Memories spilled around the edges of his mind and he tried to push them back. He refused to think of his past—not with her here. It was as if thinking about his father would taint things, and he didn’t want that. Thankfully she didn’t push.

“What do you do when you’re not conning?” Ana asked.

“I read, sleep, catch up on universe news. Boring really.”

“Do you have siblings? Or is that too personal?”

Here was another bittersweet subject. “A brother. He and I don’t really get along. We do and yet we don’t. We have very different views on the world.”

Diego could just see his brother scowling and he shook his head. His hands moved down to cup the cheeks of her ass, giving them a good squeeze. Her groan was his reward. He gave her a good slap on one mound and she squirmed.

“You like being spanked. Mmm, I think you’ve been a very naughty girl. Perhaps I’ll have to punish you later.” He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on the nape of her neck before nipping the skin.