Making Him Want It 2 -- Callie's Secret: Conning the Billionaire (5 page)

So the thought of going to Venice again, and maybe getting to enjoy some of it was nice.

But Callie Thornton didn’t know a thing about an international airport in Europe.

“An airport where?” I asked.

He smiled and buttoned up his shirt, leaning over and kissing me lightly on the lips.  “There’s an assortment of toiletries in the bathroom, and hair care products.  And a diffuser if you’d like to fix your hair afterward.

I sighed as he turned to leave.  Even in black slacks, and with the lights dim, his derriere was fantastic.  He stopped right before he got to the door leading out of the bedroom and turned back to me.

“
So where did a clerk in a bookstore learn how to pick handcuffs?”

Oh, he
’d noticed
that.

I shrugged.  “I dated a guy my senior year that was a raging youthful offender.  His idols were De Niro and Criss Angel.”

His eyebrows knitted for a beat and then he laughed.  “Well, you certainly have quite the skill set.”

“Wait till you see me parallel park.  I’m hopeless behind the wheel.”

He smiled and left the room.  I exhaled and sighed.  Thank god he bought that one, because I’d pulled that explanation out of my ass on the fly.  Any poking and he’d have found the multitude of holes in my story.

The shower was another large, complicated monstrosity…but damn did it feel good after I got the thing on.  I dried my hair this time, did a pretty good job coaxing it to behave.  I didn’t want to go around a city like Venice looking like a mess.  Then I pulled on my change of clothes.  A pair of jeans that fit like a glove, and a very nice silver silk blouse. 

So I looked pretty good by the time I made it out to the jet proper again.  The flight attendant was just serving Gabriel coffee, a
croissant with chunks of cheese and apples. 

As I got closer I saw The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was sitting across from him with just a cup of coffee in her hand.

I stopped and gave her a polite, shy smile.  Her expression didn’t change a bit.

“Callie, this is Dora.” Gabriel gestured to Miss Pale and Sullen.  “Her family has worked for my family for decades.  I believe you’ve already met her father, Grayson.”

My jaw dropped.  Handsome, charming Grayson had a daughter like this?

I held out my hand and smiled more broadly.  “Your father was so nice to me…what, was that just yesterday?”  I looked from Dora to Gabriel and back.  She didn’t even try to move, she just stared at me.

“Forgive Dora, she was raised by wolves,” Gabriel said. 

She turned her emotionless gaze to him and the slight dipping of her brow might have been her
version of a frown.

“She’s also mad at me.  She didn’t even know you existed until right before you boarded the plane.”

Dora’s eyes didn’t leave Gabriel for a second, but I do think her eyes brightened with a shade of anger.

“If I don’t give her a week’s w
a
rning on all
new associates and traveling partners, she gets testy.”

“Why?” I was pretty sure I already knew.

“Dora heads up my security detail.  Don’t let her appearance deceive you.  She has computer skills Microsoft hasn’t even dreamed of.”

I remembered how she moved earlier, when I first boarded the plane.  She
has
more than just computer skills.

“Sit,” Gabriel said, indicating the seat next to his.

The moment I sat the attendant was there with fresh orange juice and coffee.  I took the coffee.  She offered me a plate and then pulled up a cart laden with breakfast foods.  It was even more than had been at the hotel.

I was starving…nothing like having mind boggling sex
for hours
to give you an appetite.  I took more French toast, a couple pancakes, sausage, bacon, and two piping hot biscuits. 

Gabriel watched me with smiling eyes.  Dora just sipped her coffee and watched Gabriel.

“So, is anyone ever going to tell me where we’re going?”

Gabriel started to shake his head, but Dora just said, “Venice.” And Gabriel’s fun was officially over.

“Do you mean Venice Italy?”

*****

Marco Polo Airport is on the mainland of Italy.  Once one lands you need to cross the lagoon, either tha
t
or you can take a bus into the city.  One guess as to which conveyance Gabriel Sinclair went by.

The morning sun was just rising as we departed the jet, and was well on its way to painting
the world in
a brilliant golden glow by the time we started off across the water toward the city.

I’m not one to gush…but it was breathtaking.  The ancient building
s
, the glorious
,
near cloudless sky, the rich blues and greens of the water.
  It made me think of the inside of a woman’s jewelry box: rich and exotic.

Gabriel held onto me as the powerboat cut through the choppy waves with almost no turbulence.  I liked how it felt to be by his side.  And the warmth of him against me as the cool Mediterranean winds tore at us was a godsend.

Dora was piloting the boat—another of her many skills, so I went the entire trip without once receiving one of her cold stares.  We docked in front of The Centurion Palace, and I let my jaw drop in wonder.  The place truly was a palace, looking as if it had been built to be the envy of all who laid eyes on it.

“It was the best I would swing in such short notice,” Gabriel said as he helped me up an
d
out of the boat. 

“It’s gorgeous,” I said.  I cringed inwardly at using the same word to describe the building as I did describing him.  But damn it!  They were both gorgeous.

Well dressed partygoers were stepping out of other water taxis as we gathered on the dock.  They reminded me of the patrons of the Kimmel Center back in Philadelphia…but even better dressed, their clothes not only more
h
aute couture
, but far sexier as well.

Dora was shutting down the speed boat when I noticed movement in my peripheral vision.  Two large men in suits moving quickly down the walkway from the hotel.  They could have been from the hotel…but the way they moved—like predatory animals moving in on their prey—was a dead giveaway.  They were pros
:
hitters I’d bet from the bulges under their suit jackets.

I intentionally didn’t turn and look their way.  I couldn’t just pull out a gun and start shooting…I didn’t have a gun.  And I still needed to keep my cover in place.  Being able to pick handcuffs was one thing.  Taking out a couple hit men in broad daylight was another.

I looked to Dora and the congregated muscle Gabriel had with him.  I couldn’t believe none of them saw two gun
packing
gorillas coming
our
way.

I reached into the pocket of my jeans and pulled out a round cylinder of perfume.
  I made as if I was going to apply some, and then surreptitiously dropped it just as the two men bore down on us.  It rolled just the right way, and gorilla number one stepped on it and stumbled.

I moved back, acting like I was trying to
pick my perfume up, and gave gorilla number one a hip check that sent him crashing into gorilla number two.  Both gorillas landed on their knees and cursed loudly.

Gabriel’s team suddenly noticed the two men then, and Dora shot up out of the boat and had twin
Sig Sauer pistols pointed at the men’s heads.  I had to admit, that was pretty damn fast.  But I was still mentally scratching my head that they had all been blind to what was going on when the third man snuck from out of nowhere and held a shiny Browning
high power 9m Luger to Gabriel’s head.

“Let’s all stay
calm, shall we?” said the man holding the gun to Gabriel’s head.

*****

Don’t miss the next installment in Callie and Gabriel’s story, coming soon!

Also by Mercy Walker

Making Him Want It: Conning the Billionaire

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