Her Officer in Charge (9 page)

“Now that sounds like the classic excuse; I’m too busy. Discipline, beautiful girl, is what’s missing in your life, and you know it.”

“Again, I plead the fifth.”

“When I caught you behind that screen, that background check made all kinds of sense. Lack of discipline is what made you do something so reckless, and there’s no pleading the fifth that will change that. Now I suggest you call Scott, then we’ll turn out the lights.”

“I’m too tired to debate,” she sighed. “I swear, I could sleep for a week. I don’t even want to leave this bed, but I will.”

Extricating herself from his arms, she crawled from beneath the sheets and padded slowly across the room to her bag.

“I can’t imagine why his background check would be questionable,” she muttered as she pulled out her phone. “Was it something specific?” she asked, returning to the bed.

“I can’t go into details,” Vince replied, “but there were a couple of red flags.”

“Huh, I wish you could tell me,” she grumbled as she touched Scott’s name on the screen.

“Yeah, hello?” Scott said sleepily.

“Sorry, Scott, did I wake you?”

“Yeah, what time is it?”

“I’m not sure, but listen, you don’t have to come and get me. I’ve made a new friend and I’m staying with him for the night.”

“Lucky you. Do you want me to pick up you somewhere in the morning?”

“I’m not sure about tomorrow, but don’t worry about me. You have a fun day, and if I need you I’ll call. Oh, and don’t forget about the war games tomorrow night.”

“Right. Let’s get back in touch late tomorrow afternoon and make sure nothing has changed. I’m glad your escapade worked out. I was worried.”

“So worried you went to sleep,” she quipped.

“I’m on the sofa. I didn’t go to bed, and yes, I was worried.”

“I was just yanking your chain.”

“If he’s into all that spanking stuff, tell him to give you a swat from me.”

“I’ll do no such thing, but your comment is noted,” she said haughtily, then immediately changed her tone. “Thanks, Scott. See you tomorrow.”

Ending the call, she turned off her phone, placed it on the nightstand, and curled into Vince’s arms.

“I’m sure your security check, or whatever it was, is wrong,” she yawned.

“Maybe,” he sighed.

In a luxury suite on the sixth floor of The Majestic Hotel, a high-end resort on a nearby expansive, white, sandy beach, a rotund, balding, bespectacled man was sitting on his patio nursing a Scotch, gazing out at the moon’s reflection on the calm ocean water. It reminded him of a lake in Switzerland he would visit as a boy.

In two days he’d be on a jet heading back to Europe. He would hand over the latest documents his source had been able to extricate, and collect a nice chunk of cash. They weren’t bits of paper, of course. Everything brought to him he immediately scanned and placed on a flash drive. The hard copies were burned and the computer files deleted. He didn’t trust the Internet, and he hand-delivered everything.

Lifting his glass, he raised it in a toast.

“Here’s to traitors around the world.”

Chapter Eleven

Bella stirred as Vince’s hands roamed across her body. She was lying on her side, and he was behind her with his lips on her neck, his already sheathed cock pressing against her pussy.

“Good morning, beautiful girl,” he whispered, “how’s your butt?”

“Mmm, good morning. How do you think?” she yawned.

“Get used to it,” he purred in her ear, sliding inside her. “I’m going to keep it that way, and whenever I have the chance I’m going to tease you mercilessly, and wrap you in rope, and do all kinds of decadent things to your body.”

“Ooh, Vince, what a wonderful way to wake up,” she groaned, wriggling against him. “I want all that, I want everything you want to do to me.”

Riding her with strong, forceful strokes, he moved his fingers against her clit, massaging as he thrust, purposely scraping her tender bottom with his pelvis. As the minutes ticked by, the only sounds were her soft moans and gasps of pleasure, and when the momentum began to build, she grabbed a stray pillow and hugged it tightly, burying her face in the soft down. His pumping cock was working in unison with his relentless rubbing finger, driving her forward into her climax. She expected him to pause, to tease her until she was aching to come, but instead he accelerated. Her moment was suddenly hovering, promising to detonate, and she lifted her head from the pillow.

“Vince, I’m there,” she declared breathlessly.

“I know,” he growled, “and now you’re going to give me your orgasm.”

“Ooh, I love that,” she groaned.

“Then do it! It belongs to me!”

She screamed into the pillow as her orgasm fired and the cascading convulsions enveloped her. He held her tightly as her writhing body contorted, his fingers gripping her skin as his buried cock exploded, groaning his glory until the waves became ripples, then abated, leaving them in the calm, quiet water.

A short time later, after drifting in the serene sea of post-orgasmic tranquility, Bella rolled over to snuggle into his chest. His arms came around her, stronger than any she’d ever felt, and she loved how he completely engulfed her.

“I’m in heaven,” she murmured. “I want to stay here, just like this, forever.”

“We could, but then we’d starve to death.”

“I suppose that’s true,” she sighed, “but it might be worth it.”

“I’ve made an executive decision,” he purred, stroking her back.

“You have? What might that be?”

“We’re going to have brunch at The Majestic.”

“We are? How fabulous is that. I’ve always wanted to eat there. Isn’t it incredibly expensive?”

“It’s not a problem,” he assured her.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive,” he smiled. “Let’s get up. There are a couple of calls I have to make, then we can head out.”

“I can’t believe I’m here with you,” she murmured. “I don’t meant to sound like a broken record, but I hope you don’t think I usually leap into bed like that. I’m a bit embarrassed right now.”

“Hey,” he said softly, “with the chemistry we have, I don’t think either of us could have walked away. I tried, remember; well, sort of.”

“Sort of? You mean offering me the guest room,” she laughed. “I do admit your feeble attempt does make me feel better. If a disciplined officer like you couldn’t say no, what chance did I have?”

“None,” he crooned, giving her a squeeze. “After brunch we can take a walk on the beach. I meant what I said last night. I want to know who you are, I want to know all about you.”

“A walk on the beach? That sounds so hokey, but it does sound perfect,” she sighed, “absolutely perfect, and I want to know about you too. How can you possibly be single? Makes no sense.”

“I’ve been waiting for you,” he chuckled. “I’m going to grab a fast shower and get things squared away so we can get out of here.”

“It’s Sunday. What things do you need to square away on a Sunday?”

“Never you mind,” he replied as he started to move from the bed.

“I refuse to let you leave,” she exclaimed, grabbing his arm.

“I’m the officer in charge, or have you forgotten that already?”

“One last cuddle?” she begged.

“Always,” he grinned, turning back to hold her.

He held her for a few more minutes, then, gently pulling back, he softly kissed her.

“Enough dilly-dallying,” he said firmly. “Time to get up.”

“I don’t want you to,” she grumbled again.

“Stop your moaning, or I just might throw you over my knee for a morning spanking.”

“Yikes, never mind!”

Watching him roll out of bed, she thought about how she’d hesitated in the kitchen at the venue, and silently rejoiced that she’d thrown caution to the wind. It reminded her of Scott and how he tried to talk her out of her reckless plan, and though she was sure her sound man was exactly who she thought he was, the questions Vince raised began to crinkle her brow.

I suppose I don’t know much about Scott’s life outside the show. He never mentions his family, but maybe that’s because it just never comes up. All we ever talk about is my act, what we’re going to do, and the postmortem afterwards. He says he works construction, and why would I question that? He looks as if he works construction, but his band is a bit of a question mark. They’re supposed to be cutting demos for some label that’s interested, but he’s been saying that for months. Huh. I hope this security check thing turns out to be nothing. He’s been such a great help and I adore him.

Closing her eyes, she stretched and yawned, and as she wandered her hand over her sore backside, she broke into a grin.

Ouch
.
Talk about wishes coming true.

The bathroom door opened, and she turned to see Vince smiling across at her.

“All yours,” he declared as he pulled some underwear and a T-shirt from the dresser.

“Why don’t you live on the base?”

“I did once, but I needed to get out of there. I live my job and I love it, but I needed my own space.

“That makes sense,” she nodded.

She watched him pull on a pair of jeans, and as he turned to face her, she let out a whistle.

“Good grief, Vince, is there anything that doesn’t look good on you? I thought you were drop dead in your uniform, then I saw you last night in that black T-shirt and jeans and my eyes bugged, and now, holy smokes.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” he chuckled. “I’ll be in my study. Come on in when you’re ready. Like I said, I’m starving.”

“Which room is your study?”

“Oh, right, the door opposite that guest bedroom.”

“Kiss goodbye, please.”

“You are so demanding,” he said, shaking his head. Leaning over the bed, he kissed her lightly, then winked and headed out the door.

Slipping from the bed, she ambled across to her purse and grabbed her cosmetics bag, then meandered into the bathroom. It was as modern and spotless as the kitchen had been, with a dark green tiled floor, a huge mirror, and dark green natural stone counters. Pulling her long, curly auburn hair into a ponytail, she turned on the faucets and stepped under the shower.

Staying overnight when she was performing was a recent development. When she’d first started her show, she would travel to the venue and return the same night, sometimes driving three or four hours. When her events planner started booking her at military bases for special occasions, word traveled fast and she became an instant sensation, so she pushed for an overnight expense allowance, and to her delight her request was granted. That’s when she’d met Scott.

When her first sound man had to quit because his band was going on tour, she’d been frantic. Finding a sound man was difficult. Not only did he have to be performance savvy and think on his feet, he needed to provide security.

When Scott called, she’d immediately liked his warmth and friendly personality, and when they met up she found him easy-going and affable. It was only a few weeks after she’d hired him that she had so many requests for shows at special events on military bases, she let go of the nightclub bookings. Everything had fallen into place; her hard work was finally paying off. The thought that her wonderful, sweet Scott had a black mark in his life was not a happy one.

Stepping from the shower, she quickly toweled off and, returning to the bedroom and wishing she had a change of clothes, donned her jeans and light sweater. She made the bed, took care with her makeup and fixed her hair, then grabbed her handbag and wandered out of the bedroom and down the hall. The door opposite the guest room was closed, so she tapped lightly, then poked her head around. Vince was sitting behind his desk, and even in just his white T-shirt he looked every bit the captain that he was.

“Reporting for duty, sir,” she grinned as she entered. “Wow, what a great room. Exposed beams! I love exposed beams.”

“Thank you, and you look lovely,” he remarked, standing up and walking around to greet her.

“I appreciate you saying that, but I wish I had something else to wear,” she said as he hugged her. Sinking into his chest, she added, “You feel so good I almost don’t want to leave.”

“None of that. I haven’t been out for breakfast in ages and I’m looking forward to it. You’ll love it. I guarantee you’ve never seen a brunch like this one. I need to get a regular shirt though. Wait for me, I’ll be right back and then we’ll go.”

“Can I wander around this office? There’s so much to take in.”

“Sure. I’ll only be a minute.”

He marched away, and Bella moved across the room to study the many photographs on the wall. As her eyes traveled from picture to picture, she realized it was a history. In the first photograph he was a very young man at a graduation ceremony, and the ones that followed showed him moving through his life as a marine.

“Okay, I’m set.”

“These photographs, they’re wonderful,” she remarked.

“Thanks. My other gallery is on that wall,” he said, pointing across the room.

“I feel all funny,” she murmured, ambling across to him.

“Funny? What do you mean, funny?”

“I’m not sure,” she said, staring into his brilliant blue eyes.

“You’re probably just hungry. Did you have dinner last night, anything after the show?”

“Uh, come to think of it, no, I didn’t. Scott and I usually stop somewhere, but of course, I had other things on my mind,” she said sheepishly.

“That’s what it is. You’re having a carb dip. Let’s get moving.”

“You’re probably right,” she mumbled,
but I don’t think so. I think I’m at a crossroads. I think I’ve stepped into a major life change. I can feel it. I can totally feel it.

Chapter Twelve

The stunning hotel restaurant was bustling, and Bella threw herself into the experience. Vince had been right. The buffet was the best she’d ever seen, and with so many selections they were back and forth from their table countless times. She was standing at the waffle bar waiting for a rice-flour blueberry waffle, when to her surprise, on the far side of the room, she thought she saw Scott. Squinting, trying to peer through the sea of people, she realized it was him, and he was sitting opposite the man who was supposedly the band’s manager.