Game On (The Bod Squad Series Book 1)

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For my parents, who have raised me with equal amounts of love, support, and humor.

For Anna, Julia, and Allyson, who have helped me through some dark winters into a formidable spring.

And for Sammi Bee: your light shined so bright that the world was dark when you left, and I had to write this book to put a little light back in it.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

FIRSTLY, THANKS TO
my agent, Joelle Delbourgo, who took on a new writer with such excitement. How I love a lady who bets on a dark horse! To my editor, Abby Zidle: you have made me the beginning of the writer I am to become, and I admire you so deeply for your sharp insight. To Marla Daniels and everyone at Pocket Star—I am honored by the extraordinary level of work, respect, and thought you have given this book; I think you all deserve to be honorary members of the Bod Squad!

Profound thanks go to the great writer Abby Sher, who made me write because she thought the world needed to hear my voice; and to the great elocutionist Anna Stone, who tirelessly read each draft and attempted to make that voice just what I wanted the world to hear. For Angela and the Highland Cork and Coffee: thank you for letting me sit for hours in your beautiful space as I wrote the majority of this book. A loving shout-out to the following people who have been of particular help in the writing of this story: Anna Stone, Allyson Johnson, Julia Motyka, Abby Sher, Sara Moss, Katie Hartke, Rachel Fowler, Erin Graham, Kathleen Moreira, Lauren Fortgang, Kim Martin-Cotten, Johanna Bell, Lisa Benner, Erin Moon, Ellen Robinson, and Ashley Hazel; the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival cast, crew, and staff; the Denver acting community; my mentor, the incomparable Jonathan Fields; my parents; and my brother, Odin, his wife, Mara, and the newest love of my life, their son, Noah Vinny.

Thank you to the authors whose work I’ve narrated—how I’ve fallen in love with your stories and how they have inspired me! And lastly, my deepest of thanks to Mike, Kat, Neil, Bruce, Sam, and Jason at Audible.com for giving me such wonderful work that has sustained me all these years.

1

SUSANNAH CARTER STEPPED OUT
of the limo and looked up at the Greenwich Village town house alight with the sounds of the party within. She was dressed to the nines, all five feet nine inches of her long sleek frame suctioned into a dress she would blush to show her mother. Thankfully, her mother was in Virginia, and she would never know her daughter wasn’t in DC, on Capitol Hill, where she was supposed to be. Her job demanded discretion, first and foremost. And if she wasn’t discreet in the dress she wore . . . well . . . it was what she jokingly called job security.

The driver’s-side window rolled down, and the chauffeur smiled at her. He was a fine-looking man, dark skin, dark hair, and his hazel eyes sparkled with mischievous delight. “Lookin’ good, Susie Q.” He chuckled. “You gonna be able to walk in those heels?”

“Shove it, Jackson,” Susannah retorted. “You come near me and I’ll make sure you get a heel in just the right place.”

“Ooh . . . testy.” He smirked. “I like it. Frankly, I think I like you better like this. You’re a little too soft normally.”

Susannah took one step toward the window, and Jackson began to laugh. “Okay, okay . . . mercy, baby, you know I’m no match for you!”

She smiled. “Well, you said it, Jackie, not I.”

“You remember all the deets? Or do I have to go over it again?”

“Yes, I remember ‘the deets’!” she snarled. “How many times have we done this, for fuck’s sake?”

Jackson gave her a wry smile. “Still. Bossman’s orders. Say it to me.”

“Oh, fuck off.” Susannah sighed. “All right. I never go off headset. We always rendezvous at the appointed hour unless there’s an emergency. I never try to do anything we haven’t discussed. You never interrupt me for
any reason
unless I am in danger. I never use the code unless I am in a
code 5
. And I never give my real name.”

Jackson rubbed a hand over his grizzled chin. “And?”

“And what?”

He paused for effect. “And you never get personal.”

“Yes,” she grumbled, “I know. I never get personal. Unless it’s you, sweet Jackie.”

“Aw . . . you always make me blush. Take it easy, okay? I don’t like the sound of this guy.”

“Yeah, neither do I. But hopefully this’ll be a one-shot deal.”

“From your lips—” Jackson began.

“To God’s REARS. Yes, yes, I know.” She grimaced.

“See you later, kid.” He rolled up the window and drove off into the New York night.

Susannah took a minute to review her intel. She took out her cell and clicked on the private-file page of her company’s website. Her phone was outfitted with a data transmitter that allowed only her, her boss, and Jackson to open this particular file. She had worked for the company for ten years, ever since she graduated from Georgetown. She was headhunted at a frat party by John Collins Boss, the head of her company, who everybody referred to as Bossman or the Boss. The Boss had also gone to Georgetown and had graduated a few years earlier; he had come back that day to give a lecture to seniors on starting their own businesses. After a bunch of wicked banter and several vodka tonics, he asked if she’d be interested in going undercover. She was just drunk enough to mistake that for “under covers,” and they had a torrid two-week love affair. After the affair was over, he asked again. She accepted. And it had been her job ever since. She and the Boss managed to find just the right working relationship: their initial intimacy made it possible for them to be open in every way imaginable.

She clicked on the file marked “Rosebud” and smiled. The Boss had a peculiar love of the classics, and always worked one of them into the file name. He had called this one Rosebud in the hopes that somewhere in this guy’s
Citizen Kane
past would be a key to how he ticked. Or why the fuck he was so elusive, so off grid, and so goddamn slippery.

She accessed the data using her own password, “Legs32,” and an icon of Jessica Rabbit that Bossman thought was her ideal avatar. Maybe it was her deep red hair—she actually was a natural redhead but dyed it a darker shade—or the way she looked in a minidress, or the fact that she carried two pistols. Truth was, despite the sex-kitten looks, she was really one of the boys. The only tricky part of an evening like this was not the task at hand, or the false identity, or the danger—the rough part was walking in six-inch stilettos on a cobblestone street. So she leaned on the railing to steady herself and read up on Bossman’s notes about tonight’s mark.

Charles Oakley Palmer III. Goes by Chas. CEO of PalmStar Equities. Has a way with computers and large sums of money and an even greater way with the ladies. Careful, Legs. This may be too much even for you.

She snickered, reading it. The Boss of all people knew how much she loved a challenge.

Grew up in New York, the son of wealthy parents. Mother died when he was a teenager, and his father died not long after. He wound up living by himself with a nanny in the lovely town house you’re about to party at. Don’t get too excited, Legs. He’s not a superhero, even though he fits the profile.

“Ha,” she said, smiling. The Boss knew her penchant for Marvel comics, action movies, and Superwoman memorabilia.

But then, if he was wearing his cape, how would you get to swoop in wearing yours?

“Very funny, asshole.” She smirked.

Here are the goals for tonight: get in and get in good. We want him coming after you. If you can download the contents of his phone, do it. If you can find his computer, do it. If you can rifle through files, do it. But beware: this man is as sharp as a tack. The FBI and the CIA have thrown their hands up. And this is our big chance to enter a whole different realm. White-collar, Legs. Big money. You get something incriminating on this guy, and maybe you can buy that Corvette you’ve been dreaming of. Yes, I go through your Internet search history. Remember, I own the place. But really, Legs, a Corvette? That’s so 1980s.

“That’s because you haven’t seen the 2015 Z06, asswipe,” Susannah muttered.

Attached you’ll find the crimes he’s been associated with over the past ten years or so . . . he’s come out clean as a whistle on every single one. But it’s widely suspected that he’s the reason the whole thing came off without a hitch. He’s brilliant, Legs. And damn good at his job. If you weren’t sexy AND a fierce operative, I’d never even think of putting you near him. Your computer skills leave something to be desired. But I think you may be our only chance.

The corner of her mouth tilted up as she said, “You’re damn right I am.”

One more thing. He likes the tall ladies. So pull the skirt up. And may the force be with you.

The entry ended with a graphic that was Bossman’s own avatar, a Humphrey Bogart still from
Casablanca
with Bossman’s best film noir face superimposed on top.

Susannah scrolled through the list of Charles Oakley Palmer III’s “supposed” associates and let out a low whistle. “Wow, Chas. You don’t play small, do you? Damn. You’ve been involved in every single great heist since 2002. Shit.” The crimes were spread out over a tremendous terrain: art, finance, real estate. What the books would call a multidisciplinary criminal and what the Boss would call an equal opportunity player. All big money. All very elite. All cleanly and carefully done. And apparently the linchpin was one man. One very computer-savvy, very wealthy, and—if the pictures were accurate—very sexy bachelor. This was Susannah’s wheelhouse, and she felt her heart begin to beat with the anticipation of hot pursuit.

Turning toward the town house, she put her phone in her purse and pulled her skirt up a few inches, though it didn’t really have a few inches to go. As she pulled it up, she revealed the tip of her .380 strapped around her inner thigh. Furrowing her brow and wondering when the fuck someone’d make a decent thigh holster, she bent over. Her hands were between her thighs, trying to adjust the new holster her fave coworker, Lisa Bee, had given her for Christmas. Lisa Bee was a lot shorter and always on the hunt for the holster that was both practical and still feminine. Notably, there weren’t a lot of these in the world. Lisa Bee had gotten one for herself with a bumblebee engraved in the leather and had given Susannah one with a pair of legs as the insignia. It was pretty user-friendly. But still a pain in the ass.

“May I help you?” a deep, amused voice breathed from over her left shoulder.

She snapped up in alarm, furious to be caught bent over in the street with her hands in her crotch. Shimmying her skirt back down a bit, she turned around in a huff, exploding with, “Why don’t you mind your own fucking business, asshole, before I—”

But before she realized what she was saying, she realized who she was saying it to.

Charles Oakley Palmer III.

And he was much better-looking than his pictures gave him credit for.

2

CHAS PALMER NEARLY
choked as he saw the gorgeous rear end of the redhead on the stoop next to his. He had snuck out of the party to catch some air and get away from “New York Society.” It was a huge part of his job, shmoozing with the clients, but one he’d happily do without. As the CEO of PalmStar Equities, a privately owned investment firm, he was the face of the company. But frankly, he’d rather be its back.

And speaking of backs . . . what was this treat that had showed up on his doorstep? It appeared he had caught her in a . . . period of adjustment. Well, there wasn’t much room for anything under a skirt that tight. Not even a pair of panties, or so he thought. Even so, she did seem well and truly pissed off as she turned on him and let out a storm of vitriol.

“Whoa there, Nellie!” He apologized at once. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“I . . . I was just caught off guard,” she stammered, finding her footing. “And the name’s not Nellie.”

Chas let a slight smile tickle the corner of his mouth. He loved a challenge. And it was clear from moment one that this woman was not easy. He’d had a lifetime of easy lovers: pretty, vacuous women who couldn’t hold a candle to his wit, his edge, his fight. Sure, they looked nice on his arm, but he couldn’t care less about them. This one seemed interesting. And fierce. And sexy.
And that body!
She had legs that went from here to Kathmandu and a tight set of curves to match. And a dress that didn’t leave much to the imagination.

“What is your name?” he asked. “If I might be so bold.”

“The name’s Susie. Susie Quinn.”

“How often do you get ‘Susie Q’?”

“Really? You want to come up with one I haven’t heard?”

“Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman?”

“Very funny.”

“Quintessential?”

“Warmer.”

“Quinn or lose?”

“Well, in that case,”—she smiled—“definitely Quinn. Always.”

He smiled back. “I’m Chas,” he said, extending a hand.

“Oh, I know who you are,” she replied smoothly, taking his hand. “I believe it’s your party I’m here to attend.”

He was a bit taken aback, but delighted for sure, and the energy that seared through him when he touched her hand was a surprise bonus. “Now how does a nice piece—er—person like you wind up at a party like mine?”

“Well, Chas,” she said, slowly pulling her hand from his while digging her heel into the sidewalk and eyeing him from top to toe, “I was invited by Peter Graves. He wasn’t able to make it, but said to send his best. Funny, I thought he said it was fancy.”

“Oh, I’m not one for black tie. And frankly, these events bore me to tears. Peter is a fine colleague, but I’m sure glad he sent you in his place.”

“Do I detect a note of the South in your voice, Tex?” she teased.

He cast his eyes downward, not to avoid her gaze but to catch a glimpse of her legs again. “My family owns a ranch outside Savannah. Well, it’s called a plantation, but I hate using that term. So, you were kinda far off. South, yes. Texas, no.”

“Too bad,” she murmured. “Ranch in Texas would’ve been sexy. Plantation in Savannah, not as much. So, you want to show me inside, Tex?”

He grinned. He sure as heck would.

‡‡‡

SUSANNAH FOLLOWED CHAS
up the marble staircase to the main ballroom. It was an amazing place he had here; she could feel her jaw literally drop, looking at what the Boss referred to as a Harry Potter apartment. Seemed like an innocuous small brownstone on the outside, turned out to be a lavish lap of luxury on the inside. Chas didn’t just own
this
town house; it was connected to the next two on the block. All the interior walls had been removed, leaving several floors of wide-open space. The design was immaculate. It was an homage to the turn-of-the century robber barons and was both romantic and ornate, like Downton Abbey. The entryway had a high vaulted ceiling, painted blue with bronze trim, and vintage pale green and rose sconces. It was exactly Susannah’s style, the kind of old-world look that sent a frisson of excitement up her spine. Susannah was a fervent lover of antiquities, a passion that she never shared with anyone. Her most closely held secrets were that, and what had happened to her father.

Susannah would likely have gone into the art world as a career, or architecture, or design. But after her father died, her world had been tossed on its head, and she had taken a different path. She had tried dating several different men but always seemed to choose the wrong ones. Instead of going after a fulfilling love life, she threw herself into her studies. She had minored in art history, just for the love of it, but her major was in criminology. Her knowledge of late nineteenth-century art and architecture was as much of a pursuit as catching the bad guy. On a day off, of which there were terribly few, she could be found doing one of two things: working in the company evidence locker or walking around a museum, particularly the Smithsonian.

“You holdin’ tight, Susie Q?” Jackson’s deep voice rumbled over the hidden earpiece, startling her for a moment. It was against protocol that he’d decided to contact her midway through without her SOS, and Susannah figured that he was, as usual, acting the role of the overprotective older brother. Though it was annoying sometimes, she always knew that Jackson had her back. And that he’d make sure she was okay.

“I was, until I almost tripped on these fancy stairs,” she said quietly, noting that Chas was a few steps ahead.

“Shocked that hasn’t happened yet.” He chuckled as Susannah promptly dove headfirst into the staircase.

Chas looked back and rushed to her side. He was way too attractive for any sane person to deal with. Thankfully, she had proved her insanity too many times to count. He lifted her off the marble effortlessly, as though she were light as a feather, and they stood eye to eye for a moment.

“You okay?” he asked, concern in his voice.

“Do it all the time,” she replied sarcastically.

“Well, I’d wipe out all the time if I were in heels like those.”

“Mmm. I’ll remember that next time you ask me for shoe advice.”

He cocked his head. “If you ask me for shoe advice, however, I’m gonna beg you to wear those again. Hot, Susie Q. Hot.”

She smiled. “Foot fetish, Tex?”

He winked. “So shoe me.”

She groaned. “Oh, so BAD! You’re such a heel.”

“You, on the other hand,” he murmured, “are keeping me on my toes. . . .”

They moved closer together. And held each other’s gaze. Then Chas broke the moment.

“Shall we go in?” he asked.

‡‡‡

THE PARTY WAS
in full swing when Susannah and Chas walked into the ballroom. It was an extraordinary sight to behold: a tri-tier chandelier sparkled in the midst of the enormous room, and candles blazed atop crystalline pillars. All the crystal seemed old-world; vintage colors of rose and dusky green, continuing the theme from the entryway, adorned the structures. Tables of various heights were positioned throughout the room; they glittered with candles in glass holders and colored stones that surrounded the glass. Larger tables were decorated similarly but overflowed with fancy-looking delicacies like oysters on the half shell, shrimp cocktail, and a carving station with what looked to be prime rib. Susannah’s stomach growled loudly, and she glanced at Chas, grateful for the sounds of music and the crowd. There was a three-piece band playing old jazz tunes; a singer in an exquisite forties-style chiffon gown was crooning a beautiful, haunting rendition of “Someone to Watch Over Me.” Butlers in tuxedos carried trays of champagne as other waiters passed hors d’oeuvres. Chas walked up to the closest butler and picked two glasses off the tray. “Champagne?” he offered.

“Oooh, rose champagne! Love to,” she said appraisingly.

“It’s the 1999 Heidsieck,” he said.

She took a long gulp. “Well, its delicious, Tex, but I wouldn’t know the difference between a Heidsieck and a Hide ’n’ Seek.”

He laughed. “I wouldn’t mind playing hide-and-seek with you.”

She took another long swig of the delicious fruity champagne. “Well,” she said seductively, “play your cards right. . . .”

He paused for a moment, looking straight at her. “May I have this dance?”

‡‡‡

CHAS PALMER WAS
an excellent dancer. His steps were sure, his hand warm on her waist. It seemed the entire party’s eyes were on them as he spun her around the floor to the wistful tunes of Cole Porter. He wore a spicy scent, musky and masculine, and just the right amount. She could only truly catch it when her chin was pressed against his shoulder.

After a few dances, she said, “Thank you, Tex. We’ve hit my limit of pretending I’m an elegant dame. Really, it was an honor. But I’d better go rest my feet before I lose ’em. Or perhaps I should seem like a lady and powder my nose?”

“You’re more than lady enough for me,” he said, interest potent in his deep blue gaze, “but if you’re looking for the bathroom, it’s upstairs. There’s one down here of course, but it’s not as private. And the one upstairs has more seating room, if you’re looking to rest your feet.”

She quirked her brow. “Thanks for the tip. And thanks for the dance. I enjoyed it.”

“Oh, I think we both know that I enjoyed it more.”

Spinning on her heels, she gave him one last glance before making her way upstairs.

‡‡‡

CHAS WATCHED SUSANNAH
retrieve her purse and then disappear. He felt frozen in place, like his legs were no longer working, and he wondered what his next move would be. He wasn’t used to feeling this way, titillated, challenged, and thrown off all at once. This woman was doing things to him that made him want more of her, and in a space where they could be alone. He wondered when and if he’d have that chance. Turning back to the party, he smiled as he began to plot his next course of action.

‡‡‡

SUSANNAH DASHED UP
staircase number two as fast as her little heels could take her. She spoke to Jackson frantically as she did so. “Jackie? You there?”

“I’m here, Sugar Plum,” he replied instantly. “Sounds like a fun party.”

“Well, he’s one smooth operator, I’ll say that for him. Give me an idea of where I should be heading.”

“Okeydoke,” he said, and she heard clicking in the background. “I gotcha. You’re on the third floor. Turn right at the top of the staircase and go all the way to the end.”

“Got it. On my way.” She looked around in disbelief as she hurried down the hall. “Jackie—whoa! I wish you could see what I’m seeing. This is like the kind of place I’ve only read about!”

“Yeah, and the kinda place I’ve
never
read about.”

“Very funny.” She smirked, coming up on the end of the hall. “Now what?”

“You’re looking for a room at the end of the corridor, one of the last two, most likely—it’s where he spends most of his time. You’re looking for any computer or handheld so you can download the—”

“Yes, yes, I know what I’m doing,” she interrupted. “I’m out. Will do what I can.” In truth, Susannah understood why Jackson was repeating the instructions. Hacking was not her strong suit. Undercover work? Easy as pie. Assuming an identity and using a gun? Of course. Flirting up a storm and getting incriminating information? Hell, yes! But hacking? Not really. That’s what Lisa Bee handled, at the outset anyway. Lisa Bee was really the office manager, the one who kept them all on task, but she had some mad computer skills to boot. If Susannah needed something really tricky, however, she always asked her best friend, AJ Jones, who was an expert hacker in a class all her own and went by the handle “Fingers.” But was Susannah up to this task tonight? Damn right she was.

Entering a room that could have only been Chas’s office, she let out a breath. The office felt like one of those libraries seen in old movies: hardwood furnishings, antique maps, the scent of fine cigars. And yes, of course—a beautiful decanter with a golden-brown liquid in it. Scotch, she’d bet. Probably the finest. On the opposite wall was an old-fashioned credenza over which was a Kokoschka painting she loved. It was one of her favorites: a man and a woman in a swirl of passion. Was it a print? Or the real thing? “Oh, Mr. Palmer,” she murmured, “we have more in common than I thought.”

And incongruously placed, in the midst of it all, was his computer. “Gotcha!” she exclaimed.

Reaching into her bra, she pulled out a small, square gadget no bigger than a button. From it, she unfolded a high-capacity USB drive. Inserting it into his laptop, she then typed several commands on the keyboard. As she waited for the hard drive to load she sent a text to AJ.

Hey, Fingers. Got stuff. Uploading HD now. Instant transfer to Rosebud. Use my login. Xoxo Legs

The Boss knew she had an outside source, but she had never introduced him to AJ, her girlfriend from childhood. Some things were best kept on the DL. And lord knew, AJ was a maniac about her privacy. She had different aliases in different cities and walked through the world as though she were omnipresent, seemingly living several lives at once. Susannah had no desire to compromise her friend’s extreme lifestyle choice, and, in fact, made great use of it. AJ was the best in the business and had a way of storming through even the strongest firewalls. When they were in high school together, AJ was the one who got all the answers to the tests before they were given, got the gossip about their classmates before anyone else, and staged elaborate revenge plots on all the “mean girls” who tortured Susannah. Her favorite involved a video that was shown to the entire school in the auditorium depicting a particular cheerleader trying to wax her own bikini line . . . Brazilian style. Susannah still laughed about said cheerleader—the whole school called her Hairless Wonder till graduation.

After about five minutes, the transfer was complete. She removed the USB, tucked it back into her bra, and was just about to exit when Chas walked in.

“Going somewhere?” he asked pointedly.

“Oh”—she blushed—“I just lost my way and got a bit . . . curious.”

“That’s okay. I’m a bit curious too.”

“About what?” she began to ask, but was taken off guard by Chas’s lips as he moved in for a kiss.