SiNN (3 page)

“Whoa,” Danielle said, turning in her chair, her arm draped
over the back of it. “You saw someone you liked?”

Make that two. Not that a romp with them together or singly
would ever happen. After surviving a childhood with strangers, except for
Danielle, Lea wasn’t about to become a slave to her libido or get herself into
something that could only turn out badly.

Removing the chain from around her throat and those resting
on her hips, she dropped them next to the other body jewelry, leaving only the
diamond stud in her navel.

Danielle scolded, “You did.”

“Bull,” Lea lied.

“Then why are you blushing like a nun during a pay-per-view
pelvic exam?” She narrowed her baby blues. “Or like a woman about to be spanked
by a very exciting guy?”

“Bull.”

Laughing, Danielle turned back to the mirror. “So what did
he look like?”

Amazing. No. Fucking amazing. Desire shivered through Lea as
she recalled each man, thinking they both looked like decadent indulgence mixed
in with a whole lot of regret, which she didn’t need. Falling for bad boys with
rugged good looks or handsome business types with buttoned-down attire wasn’t
her style. They loved too easily and split without apology, often leaving their
offspring to mothers who dumped them into foster care.

Using a moistened towelette, Lea scrubbed off her eye makeup
and lipstick. “They looked like another woman’s problem.”

Danielle’s reflection showed her eyes widening. “They? Like
in two?”

Lea dropped the towelette into the wastebasket and pulled
her hair into a ponytail. “They seemed to be together.”

“How could you tell? Were they holding hands?”

Lea barked a laugh. “Hell no.”

The only hands they’d be holding would be hers as they kept
her from escape, a prisoner to their desires, their strength and male hunger
demanding all she could give. New bursts of warmth travelled from Lea’s belly
to her cunt. Inhaling deeply, she pulled on her bra and thong.

“And?” Danielle prodded.

Lea sighed noisily. “They were beyond luscious, all right?
With a capital L,” she added, remembering. “Both of them were tall with big,
solid bodies. Definitely men, not boys. The more intense of the two had dark
hair, coppery skin and rugged features. I think he may be Navajo. He had on a
black shirt and jeans. The guy next to him was blond, Nordic looking, you know?
Very reserved in his business suit, kind of authoritative, but in a good way.”
She sounded breathless. “God, they were freaking hot.”

“I can tell. Wow. What kind of tip did they give you?”

“They didn’t.”

“What?” She made a face. “Cheap bastards.”

“No, it wasn’t their fault.” Lea slipped on her
capped-sleeve tee, then pulled on her jeans. “They were way in the back.
Probably came in late.” Leaning against the door, she put on her socks.
“They’re probably still out there, hopefully closer to the stage, waiting to
catch your show.”

“Then I better get undressed.”

Smiling, Lea sank to one knee, tying the laces of her
running shoe. When she’d finished with the other, she slung her backpack over
her shoulder and pecked Danielle’s cheek, catching the woman’s signature
cologne, a strawberry scent. The fragrance always brought Lea back to their
early days when they got their first paychecks as waitresses, living in an
adult world for which they’d been ill prepared. Because of that, they’d
splurged on body splashes and sexy underwear at Victoria’s Secret rather than
food at the grocery store. “Thanks, again.”

Danielle patted her arm. “Happy to do it.” She called out as
Lea left the room.”Be good tonight.”

Lea’s step paused, pictures filling her mind of big male
bodies, large hands, rich mouths, weighty balls and stiffened cocks.

Damn.
Stop it.
She had an endless amount of slides to
go over, boring junk to memorize. She didn’t need this kind of distraction.

Teeth gritted, she closed the door and went down the hall to
the building’s back entrance. Even from here, she heard muted music and voices,
the sounds of men enjoying shows in any number of rooms or awaiting the next
performances. Some of them were probably watching an earlier act on one of the
flat-screen TVs while catching up on emails from work or text messages from
their girlfriends and wives.

Lea’s hand paused on the door’s handle as she recalled the
handsome Latino, his oddly pleased smile. Her brows drew together. That smile
was probably as phony as the one he gave to his wife or mistress when he lied
about cheating on them.

Shaking off her disgust, Lea left the building and headed
for the employee parking lot. Still warm at this hour, the sultry summer air
pressed close, inviting her to indulge in a cool shower and clean, fragrant
sheets. Perhaps even a bit of masturbating.

Yeah, right. She had enough studying to keep her awake past
dawn and to kill her sex drive for good. Sighing, she lifted her face. Stars
glittered next to the heavy moon, its filmy beams snaking across the blackened
sky.

On the surface roads to the left, Lea caught the steady
swish of tires. Accompanying the sound was the incessant chirping of insects
and men’s muffled laughter coming from outside the club’s front entrance.

With her keys in one hand and pepper spray in the other, Lea
turned the corner of the building and stopped.

Standing in front of her rusting Ford Fiesta was the blond
from inside.

A mixture of surprise, curiosity and desire rippled through
Lea, matching the unmistakable longing sweeping across his face.

It didn’t last.

His look of authority returned quickly, hardening his
features, dismissing his previous lust, as though he recalled he was here on
business, and not of the corporate kind.

Unfortunately, that only left the government, as in the INS
or Uncle Sam. Did he think she was an illegal being paid under the table?

Lea’s arousal and confusion turned to fast indignation. As a
good, upstanding citizen, she reported her tips…for the most part. So was that
why he was here, giving her that I-want-you-but-you’re-in-deep-shit look? He
intended to check her status or audit her? Damn. Was he planning to take her
vehicle because she hadn’t paid enough in taxes? Her stomach sank. What in the
hell would she do without wheels? How in the crap had he even known she was
SiNN and the vehicle was hers or that she’d be leaving early?

Had one of the bouncers told him, caving because he had his
own tax problems?

Idiot. When she got her hands on the SOB, he’d regret the
day he—

“Ms. Baptista.”

Her pulse jumped at the voice from behind…deep, resonant,
possessive.

Even before Lea looked, she knew she’d see the man in black.
The way he spoke matched what she’d imagined in her mind. A protective,
masculine tone, commanding but also safe, that called to the female within her.
Glancing over, she met his dark eyes, his irises sparkling in the parking lot’s
lights.

Unlike the blond, he was close enough for her to sense his
restrained strength and heat…the male animal within him barely controlled.

Everything went still, the sounds of traffic, insects and
masculine laughter receding beneath the wild pounding of Lea’s heart. Held by
his potent allure, she couldn’t think, breathe or move.

That is, until he slipped his hand into his back jeans
pocket as though reaching for something.

Lea wasn’t about to ask what. Acting on instinct, she
stepped to the side, putting distance between herself and him, taking in his
full length. The tails of his shirt hid the bulge behind his fly. The erection
she sensed he sported.

It should have frightened her, but did not. No more than the
blond guy by her car.

Having grown up with strangers, she’d acquired the ability
to read them quickly. These men didn’t seem to be physically dangerous, though
they were clearly together, just as she’d told Danielle. They knew her name and
had come out here for an ambush. Now all she needed to know was what kind? The
blond seemed prepared to hassle, not harm her, while naked passion flickered in
this man’s eyes.

Her legs went weak.

“Ms. Baptista,” he said again, speaking quietly as though he
wanted no one except her to hear. “I’m Jake Gabriel with the U.S. Marshal’s
Service.”

It took a moment for his words to register. Even then, Lea
didn’t understand. U.S. Marshals? Here? To speak to her? Why?

He brought his hand from behind himself and opened a leather
wallet, displaying a circular gold badge with a large star in the center.

Very impressive. But what did it mean? She looked at him
questioningly.

Regarding her container of pepper spray, he inclined his
head in the direction of her car. “That’s my partner, Toby Quinn.”

A part of Lea wanted to look, but could not. Once more, Jake
had captured all of her interest. She guessed him to be six-three, given how he
towered over her. This close, she caught his scent, an intoxicating mixture of
leather and musk. The faint breeze ruffled his glossy black hair, freeing a
strand.

It fell forward, grazing his forehead, the tip touching one
of his dark brows.

Tantalized, she imagined reaching up and easing his hair
back, then trailing her fingers over his rich skin. She could almost feel its
heat, the bite of his beard-stubbled cheeks. “You need to come with us,” he
said.

Okay, that she understood. Sort of. Her arousal receded
beneath a thread of alarm. “What? Why?” Was he arresting her? How could he?
Bastard. She frowned. “I haven’t done anything wrong. I’m in this country
legally. I pay my taxes.”

Amusement flickered across his face. “This isn’t about your
status or taxes.” His tone was gentler than before, the way a man would speak
to someone he valued. “You’re not in trouble, but you do need to come with us.”
He slipped his wallet back into his pocket and rested his hand on her upper
arm.

The warmth of his fingers, his tempered strength, jolted
her, sending Lea’s heart to her throat. The organ beat so fiercely, her head
spun.

Breathless, she said, “I don’t understand.”

“You’re in danger,” he said.