To Protect & Serve (15 page)

A series of vibrations shot up her arm as she registered Alex’s heat. This was no time for an attack of nerves, she thought. The ploy had worked. The determined blonde had veered off in another direction, aiming her seductive stare at another woman. Alex’s eyes were fixed on Keri’s hand, which rested inches from her crotch. The look reminded Keri of that horrible night in the gym. She withdrew her hand so quickly it sent her beer flying off the table and skidding across the dance floor.

“Nice improvisation, Morgan. I didn’t see that coming.”

Keri jumped to her feet, horrified. Great. She’d drawn attention to them. What did it matter if someone asked Alex to dance? Weren’t they supposed to blend in?

“I’m sorry.” She snatched up a cocktail napkin. Before she could hurry to clean up after herself, Alex caught her wrist.

“Don’t be. You’ve made an impression on our target.” She nodded toward Chad, who was approaching their table.

With a cocky swagger, he picked up the beer bottle and handed it to the barman who’d approached to deal with the spill.

“Hey, ladies.” Chad acted like a smooth operator. “You got his attention with that little touchy-feely show. Wanna play?”

“Why not?” Alex tried to erase the vision of Keri’s hand teasing its way up her leg, leaving a trail of oversensitized flesh and inextinguishable passion. She’d silently prayed Keri would stop but wished she hadn’t. She was just playing a part, Alex reminded herself, defending against the advances of another woman. But she was so damn good at it, Alex had experienced a wild thrill to be claimed so publicly. The thought that her pleasure-pain gave Sonny Davis even the tiniest thrill made her stomach lurch. She distracted herself with a sharp instruction to Chad. “By the way, Einstein, I’m Kathy and her name’s Lynn. Remember that.”

Three NFL-sized men and an accountant-type character were strategically positioned around Davis. Alex almost smiled at the predictability of the stereotypical vile henchmen. Two of the large men rose as she and Keri came closer.

“Sorry, ladies,” one said, “I gotta pat you down. You understand.” He lifted his hands in resignation, but the sneer on his face said he was enjoying himself.

“Whatever.” Keri raised her arms.

The goon, a buzz-cut blond, took his time, slowly running his hands over Keri’s body, squeezing and patting places that couldn’t possibly conceal a weapon and leering at Alex as she stood by helplessly. The hairs on the back of her neck bristled and she thought about the woman Keri had hugged in the police parking lot. An uncustomary surge of jealousy clamped like a vise through her insides. The thought of anyone else touching Keri infuriated her, but someone like this guy, mauling and probing for the sheer hell of it, made her homicidal. She reminded herself this was business and there’d be payback soon enough.

When it was Alex’s turn to be groped, she mimicked Keri’s pose, inhaling deeply and waiting for the assault. Muscles throughout her body tensed as the unwelcome stroking around her breasts, between her thighs and down her legs seemed to go on forever. When the blond finally completed his task, Alex whispered, “Sorry about your penis.”

With a confused look, the man withdrew and told Davis, “They’re clean, boss.”

Davis waved a fifty dollar bill at the waitress. “Get these ladies a drink.”

Chad made the introductions and pulled up chairs for Alex and Keri.

Davis said, “Sorry about the body search.” His full lips curled back over pristine, perfectly shaped teeth and produced a devastatingly handsome grin. With his smooth complexion and curly black hair, he looked like the proverbial Greek god. While they waited for their drinks to arrive, he introduced the four men at his table. The blond who’d searched them was “Fletch.” A huge individual with no neck was “Hunk,” and a scar-faced, dead-eyed sociopath had the nickname “Cappy.” The brains of the crew appeared to be “Dolph,” who had the nose and beady eyes of a rodent and wore a green leisure suit that had gone out of style two decades ago.

Alex flashed her most seductive smile while studying each man carefully and cataloguing every facial nuance. Davis cruised her and Keri at length through dark, menacing eyes, his expression heating as he took in the gentle curves of Keri’s body and the slight tenting of her T-shirt from the air-conditioning.

“You two’d have to be swingers,” he concluded finally. “You’re too classy to be whores and too cute to be dykes…nothing personal. I like watching two women together as much as the next guy. Guess that’s why I come here.”

Keri felt the vein bulge on the side of her neck. She wanted to arrest this scum-sucking piece of filth right now for allowing his goons to handle Alex. Keri knew it had taken every ounce of her restraint to endure the mauling of her body by these misfits.

“So, Chad tells me you girls are looking to have some fun.”

“Yeah, we like a little variety, too,” Keri said, eager to close out the game now before anyone thought he could maul Alex again. “We’d like to get our hands on some—”

“Hot bodies,” Alex completed, closing her fingers firmly over Keri’s right knee. It was too soon to bring up drugs, and she was surprised that Keri had made such a rookie mistake. They needed to establish rapport with the group first.

“How come I haven’t seen you here before?” Davis asked.

“Good question.” Alex managed a small insulted pout. “I used to dye my hair jet black and wear it longer. Oh, yeah…and I was with a guy the last few times.” She trailed a hand casually over Keri’s hair. “I like to keep my options open.”

Keri struggled to keep the incredulity from her face. Alex was a pro. She made undercover look easy. Davis was completely hooked. He smiled and scooted his chair closer to Alex, a look of pure sexual hunger in his eyes. Helen Callahan had the same look the day she’d tried to seduce Alex. But Keri wasn’t about to let another socially challenged and morally deficient degenerate have his way with her boss.

Before she could react, a college-aged girl wearing what looked like a toga approached Davis from behind. Her eyes were pinpoints of dull light, her face pale and drawn.

The three large goons rose simultaneously. “I have to talk to Sonny,” the girl told Fletch.

“He’s busy right now and can’t be disturbed. Whaddaya want?” The young woman turned her back to the table and appeared to be whispering to Fletch. After a brief exchange, she walked toward the back of the bar. Fletch returned to the table, leaned down, and spoke quietly in Davis’s ear.

Alex made a point of looking bored, hoping Keri would pick up on her cue. They needed to act like they saw strung-out teens in clubs every day. After another round of drinks, lots of bragging, and some small talk, Davis cleared his throat and rose nonchalantly.

“If you’ll excuse me for a minute, ladies. Nature calls.” He went toward the restrooms at the rear of the bar, Fletch close behind.

When they were out of sight, Keri said, “Sounds like a good idea. This beer’s going right through me.”

Hunk lurched in his seat but Keri turned to him. “I don’t really think your boss’ll be in the same place I’m going, unless you know something I don’t.”

Alex thought about stopping Keri but decided it might look too suspicious if she made a fuss. Instead, she resigned herself to letting Keri go and hoped she wouldn’t blow the case by doing something stupid.

Keri leaned over, gave Alex a light kiss on the cheek, and whispered, “I’ve got a hunch I need to check on.” She gave Alex’s arm a reassuring squeeze and darted after Davis.

She slipped along the darkened hallway to the restrooms and listened at the men’s room door—nothing. A sliver of light shown through a crack in the back door that had been propped open with a beer can. Keri ducked into the adjacent broom closet. The small space reeked of Clorox and stale urine. Her nostrils burned and her eyes watered as she focused on the voices from outside.

Davis’s cordial tone had dissolved into piercing cold. “You’ve been told not to contact me in public—ever. You’ve got a source. If you want more product call him. And if you do anything like this again, you’ll pay.”

Keri couldn’t understand the woman’s low, whiny reply. When Davis opened the door to come back inside, he motioned to Fletch with an angry jerk of his head and said, “Take care of this shit,” and reentered the club.

When she was sure Davis had time to be seated again, Keri darted into the ladies’ room, washed her hands, and came back to the table shaking them and complaining about the lack of paper towels. Keri swept a quick, confused look around the table. Alex wasn’t there anymore. Nerves bunched in her stomach. She’d sensed that Alex wasn’t happy with her rushing away to the restroom alone, but this wasn’t a one-woman show. Keri supposed she wanted to prove she had what it took to work undercover, too. Even though she wasn’t wearing a wire, the contents of her report would be valuable to the investigation. She’d memorized everything she heard.

“Looks like if you want any of that tonight, you better get a move on, girlie.” Davis laughed from behind her.

Keri followed his gaze to the dance floor, and something vile and bitter rose in her throat. Alex was with the blonde from earlier. One of the woman’s hands rested on Alex’s lower back almost touching the swell of her butt. She held Alex so tightly their bodies moved in unison. Her thigh was wedged between Alex’s legs. With every step the stranger ground her hips into Alex’s body.

Keri tightened her fists until her nails cut into the palms. She knew exactly where the urge came from, but she couldn’t stop herself from swaggering onto the dance floor like she was going to make an arrest. She grabbed the hand that had migrated to Alex’s butt and lifted it away.

“Excuse me, please.” She met the blonde’s startled gaze in a challenging stare.

The hook tightened around Alex’s heart, pulling her closer to Keri. Everyone in the club vanished except the gorgeous woman standing before her. As the blonde released her hold, Keri’s satisfaction was obvious. Looking like she’d won the prize, she pulled Alex into her arms, carefully insinuating her body where the blonde’s previously rested.

“Let’s keep dancing,” she said. “Davis is still watching.”

There was no awkward maneuvering for position, no hesitation in the sway of their bodies as they moved closer.

“Did you find out anything back there?” Alex asked before her concentration was completely lost.

“Maybe. I don’t know.” Keri encircled Alex’s waist and her leg slid naturally between Alex’s thighs. Keri had wondered, even imagined, how they would fit together. Now she knew. Perfectly.

The curves and contours of her shorter, more compact body melded completely into the dips and swells of Alex’s sleeker frame. Where she was soft and yielding, Alex felt muscular and firm. Keri’s breath caught in her throat as she succumbed to the surreal feelings Alex evoked. She felt weak yet simultaneously infused with a tender strength. She had never experienced this level of arousal with anyone, had never believed it possible. She’d resigned herself to the mediocre stirrings of excitement with one-night stands. But this… She trembled in Alex’s arms as the pulsing heat between their bodies grew hotter. Her breasts tingled and her nipples stood erect. Pressure gathered in her pelvis. Time and place evaporated into pinpoints of pleasure where their bodies joined. The occasional ache in her clitoris throughout the evening had turned into a constant hammering. She wondered if Alex could feel her wet, swollen clit pounding against her thigh.

For her part, it had been years since Alex
wanted
anyone to hold her this close, to feel her need, to know her vulnerability. Somehow Keri Morgan had managed to sneak into the protected places of Alex’s heart when she least expected it. Their bodies swayed like they’d done this dance of intimacy many times. Keri raised her head from Alex’s shoulder and looked up into her eyes. The distance closed between them, the warmth of their erratic breaths swept across her face, and Alex’s muscles trembled. Keri parted her lips in welcome. She wanted this just as much as Alex did. Neither of them could hide it.

Alex brushed her moistened lips lightly across Keri’s and stroked the hot flesh with the tip of her tongue. The connection was complete, the fusing immediate. Alex felt as if she’d straddled a lightning rod. Every nerve in her body sparked with long-suppressed passion. Her knees threatened to collapse. She pulled Keri closer to steady herself, and with a sharp intake of breath plunged her tongue voraciously between Keri’s parted lips. The burning that spiraled up from her core fueled a kiss she wanted never to end. For just a second she had to possess this exquisite creature, to feel she truly belonged to
her
.

Just as Keri thought she would be consumed by her own passion and the intensity of their kiss, she felt Alex’s body tense. Dropping her arms from Keri’s waist, she stepped back. “I think we’ve been convincing enough for one night. Davis will assume we’re getting a room.”

Keri was momentarily stunned by the sudden change of direction and body heat. Her head felt dizzy and she looked around, readjusting to her surroundings. Alex took her hand and led her out of the bar, waving to Davis as they exited.

“Are you all right?” she asked when they reached the ’Vette. She held the passenger door open.

“I’m fine.” Keri slid into the seat. “Did I do something wrong?” She couldn’t stop the relatively insignificant question, hoping to forestall the more fundamental queries that screamed for answers.