SCRATCH (Corporate Hitman Book 2) (5 page)

Chapter 8

If Monica had
an issue with him having a room already reserved, she didn’t let it show. It was possible that she didn’t care, because she allowed Scratch to take and hold her hand as he led her to the bank of ornate elevators. As if he needed anymore proof that luck was working in his favor, the elevator arrived empty and they were the lone passengers waiting to board it. Scratch smiled a wicked, unabashed grin as he watched her step inside.

Following close behind, he kept one hand on her lower back while he pulled his key card out of the pocket of his dress slacks, and pressed the button for the eighteenth floor. His thumb rubbed a circular pattern into her skin through the lace. He felt her body quiver under his touch, and it drove him damn near insane. He wanted to go caveman on her ass and rip that enticing dress right off her body.

Once the doors shut, he turned to face her. As he pressed forward, she moved back. They did this little dance until her back was pressed to the wall. Scratch smiled as he enjoyed the obvious desire blazing behind her long lashes, despite her act. Instead of molding his body to hers like he longed to, he planted one hand above her head and leaned in closer.

Monica looked up into his eyes and was trapped by his intensity. Scratch studied each of her features, tucking each image away for later. His hand caressed her thigh as he stared into her eyes.

“Tell me you’re wearing panties,” he groaned. Not because he was fond of them, but the thought was driving him insane.

Monica smiled and shook her head. “No.”

Scratch fought the urge to lift up her dress and plunge his fingers into her heat. Instead,

he worked his way up, smoothing his palm across her flat stomach. Her lids fluttered when he slid his thumb over the soft mound of her breast, gently teasing her nipple as he did. His eyes traveled to her lips as his hand crept up the column of her neck. His touch was gentle, yet possessive. As if he were exploring and owning her at once. When he wrapped his strong hand around the back of her neck and ran his thumb across her throat, she touched him at last, grabbing hold of his hips. Scratch twined his fingers into her ponytail and tugged so that her head tilted upwards making her lips look like an offering, and he ducked down for a taste.

“Why do I want you so much?” It was as much a question for her as it was for himself.

“I don’t know,” she murmured against his lips.

They just gazed at each other, breathing in the steamy passion that flowed between and all around them.

He kissed her lightly, holding back the powerful urge to lift her against the wall and slide deep inside. Instinctively, he knew he shouldn’t rush with her. Oh, she would let him, but he wanted to treat her better than that. Being with her felt like a gift, and she was something to treasure.

Once the elevator reached their floor, Scratch eased away and took Monica’s hand once more as he led her to the suite. His casual strut hid the urgency that was bubbling up inside of him. He never had to wait this long for a woman he wanted, and the fact that he almost had her, made things worse. His episode in the shower had proved to intensify the want.

At the entrance to the suite, he steered her in front of him and opened the door, letting his composure slip for the first time by pressing his erection into her firm backside and squeezing a cheek for good measure.  She walked into the room, and headed straight to the bed, pulling him behind her by the loops of his designer slacks.

Once the door slammed behind them, Scratch pulled her to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, bending his taller frame to accommodate her. Monica let out a low moan when he buried his face into her neck. He tasted her skin with a hunger so fierce, it was as if he hadn’t just enjoyed a five-course meal. He didn’t think he would ever get tired of the way her skin felt under his tongue.

Reaching lower, he gripped her dress, pulling up each side until her ass was exposed. As promised, her body was void of panties. He groaned deeply as he ground his aching cock against her. Scratch lowered to his knees, wanting to taste her so bad his mouth watered. Monica gasped when she felt the cooler skin of his nose brush the underside of her ass as he placed sensual kisses to the backs her thighs.

“I’ve been wanting to do this since I saw you in this peek-a-boo dress,” Scratch growled.  Holding her dress up with one hand, he used the other to spread her legs. Monica whimpered with anticipation as his tongue traveled from the inside of her thigh up to the entrance of her throbbing pussy. She moaned wildly when he flicked his tongue out and began lapping at her sensitive flesh.

Monica felt her knees weaken and threw her arms down on the bed for support.

“Oh,” she groaned into the expensive duvet. Scratch eased her open even wider now that he had use of both hands. He began to French kiss her, matching the intensity of their first kiss in the office.

“Mmmm,” Scratch moaned at the taste of her. With the scent of vanilla everywhere, he felt like he was eating a sugar cookie.  As he devoured her, he let his eyes drink in the sight of her perfect, naked ass. He gripped and massaged one cheek as he mouthed her clit. The sounds of Monica cursing and whimpering nearly undid him. His face disappeared between her legs as he used his other hand to free his agonizingly hard dick. He gave himself a few good strokes to take the edge off.

“Jesus,” she cried out. “What are you doing to me?”

He was owning her, that’s what. Scratch ate her pussy like it was the last thing he would ever do in life. He wanted to fuck her so bad that his balls felt like they were going to explode. He tapped her ass to make it jiggle, and when she moaned loudly, he gave her a good smack. Monica let loose a hoarse scream as she came. Hard.

Scratch indulged a few more licks, relishing her flavor on his tongue before he moved away. He stood up, looking down at her while he stroked his shaft. Her nicely rounded ass was perched in the air. Perfect position. She had the bedspread twisted in both hands, and her face was planted, cheek first, as she gasped to regain her breath. That wouldn’t be happening anytime soon if he had his way.

Scratch quickly removed his clothing, and then crawled onto the bed until he was straddling her back. He unzipped the back of her sexy dress, and pulled it over her head. Then he removed the clip that was holding her hair in place so that it tumbled over her shoulder. Nothing looked better than her naked body underneath his. Leaning forward, he laced his fingers in hers and extended their hands over her head while he stretched his body along the length of hers. Even in the throes of an orgasm, she arched her back so that her ass rubbed his cock.

Scratch chuckled. “You ready for me?”

Her answer was a repeat of the same motion until his dick was wedged between the crease of her cheeks. He answered by grinding his pelvis until they were both moaning and panting with need. Scratch slid a hand between her legs so that he could tease her into even more of a frenzy.

“I want you. Now,” Monica grunted as he tweaked her clit. Reaching into the bedside table, Scratch pulled out a condom, and deftly sheathed himself, hating that he had to use one. His imagination taunted him with how good she would feel with nothing between them.

Rising up on his knees, he gently smacked her ass again before he parted her cheeks. He watched as his cock sank into her glistening slit, inch by inch until the feeling of being inside her overwhelmed him, and his head reared back in pleasure.

Monica groaned as Scratch slowly filled her, stretching her to his will. She shook from the sheer force of pleasure, and her arousal increased, making the ride even slicker.

“Fuck!” His shout sounded foreign to his own ears. Scratch felt like he was having an out of body experience. Even as he controlled the show, Monica was ruling his senses. Being inside her felt so good that he saw stars when he closed his eyes. The way she matched his thrust as her ass bounced back with each stroke was too much.

He was done being gentle. Monica was bringing out all types of feelings, and at that moment he felt like an animal. When he heard her whimper, “Give it to me.” He lost it. Gripping her hips, he began to work his pelvis so that he could get as deep inside as she could take. And she gave as good as she got. The demure, quiet mask was off and she was just as wild as he was. He smacked her ass; she clenched her muscles around him until he groaned for mercy. Any position he wanted to try, she had two more she wanted to do.

He didn’t know how long they’d been going at it, but his muscles were beginning to burn. He’d held back his own climax for fear that he would pass out from how good it felt. Then Monica rolled onto her back. She reminded him of a she-devil, the way her eyes blazed at him, and her wild and crazy hair. Then she reached her arms up and pulled him to her. Scratch hated the missionary position, but he couldn’t resist her. Monica made everything better. When she sucked his fingers into her mouth, he was a goner.

“Shit! Monica!” He shut his eyes tight as his cum shot from his body so hard it made his back jerk.  She wrapped her legs around his back and thrust her hips up, chasing her own release. Her pussy tightened around him, her moans filled his ears, and that’s the last thing he remembered before his world went dark.

Chapter 9

He wasn’t feeling
it today. Pure and simple. Why? Oh, it could be waking up from the hottest sex he’d had in...well, forever, and finding the mind-blowing woman gone. Or could be the fact that he’d had to resort to sending her flowers, pretty little Forget-Me-Nots, because he didn’t want to believe that she could write off such an explosive night so easily. And leave his hotel room alone with no morning awkwardness. Yeah, for the first time in his life, Scratch was on the outside looking in when it came to a woman’s emotions. He couldn’t quite get a read on Monica. When she was in his arms, he knew it, could taste her passion, and her desire for him. But when he didn’t have his hands on her, she could flip the switch and step back into her place.

That pissed him off. Royally. It also turned him the hell on. A vicious cycle, to be sure. And dammit if she wasn’t winning the game. He couldn’t get her out of his head. Couldn’t forget the way she smelled, or the taste of her. Every time she touched him, an inferno raged inside of him. So different than the cold rage that had buoyed him for so long. The cold he was used to. He understood it, knew how it worked. This with her was different. And he was losing track of his mission the whole way. It just didn’t seem as important, and that was dangerous. The mission could save their lives. If she knew more than what she was acting like, then he could very well be playing house with a woman who could lead to Jack’s downfall.

And that thought made the anger come back. Jack, of the three of them, was the most fragile despite being the most dangerous. He’d had the worst rap of all of them, and couldn’t handle another hit like that. Scratch failing to keep him safe would send Jack spiraling down a road none of them were prepared for. Jack would go down swinging, and it would be a lot of collateral damage, to include, most likely, Glitch and Scratch for letting him fall. No, Scratch couldn’t, and wouldn’t do that. He just had to figure all this shit out.

The files they needed for TopSec were a no go. Any digging into that would possible lead them to Jack. How would he wash over those files in a way that made them look feasible, with some sort of trail for them to sink their teeth into without implicating Jack? Scratch was amazing at making money disappear, and his alter ego at Hawk Global, George Hines, was a wiz at account filing and organization. Scratch was sure that Eagle had assured them that George’s files would be complete and extensive. That meant that he would have a hell of a time messing them up and cleaning out some areas. He wondered if he could have Glitch create some revolving accounts that would route into the ones he would provide them on paper, with a created paper trail of spending and purchasing that mirrored what had truly been done on the correct accounts, but not the hundreds of small increment payments that accumulated to Jack’s salary for his mission.

They all had a salary they made under their alter egos, but Eagle paid them special through company expenditures that were placed neat throughout the company. Scratch was in charge of that. But with the clarity that Eagle was not looking out for their best interest, he could help expose those accounts. The feds couldn’t do anything until they had proof in their hands, and Eagle wouldn’t want to come out and say he had a hand in it. He’d have to spin it in a way to have Jack be the liar who came to the company under false pretenses and did this job for some other purposes. Eagle would wall behind his lawyers by then and be untouchable. He had no doubt that was exactly what the feds were looking for, in their round about way. He just needed to coordinate with Glitch and see if it was possible.

Scratch picked up the phone, preparing to call Glitch and go over the adjusted account files he’d be turning over when his door opened.

“Mr. Hines. Good we found you in your office,” Agent Axe said as he entered, without being acknowledged. Scratch clenched the phone before he forced himself to put it down slow and easy. The agent was dressed in a standard black suit with a white shirt and black tie. Couldn’t fault the man, though, it laid well on him—said official status and power all at once. Scratch had become a master at reading people. But he saw something else in Axe’s face, however, and that made his hackles rise.

Monica trailed in behind Axe, in a smart black blazer and slacks outfit. So they were twinzies, wasn’t that nice. Her hair was smoothed out and fell around her shoulders in a graceful wave and her eyes were trained on him. He gave her a cursory glance, before looking to Axe. There was the danger, for now.

“What can I do for you?” Scratch asked, standing slowly. He refrained from straightening his tie or coat. No use acting like he was nervous. He lifted his hand to shake Axe’s, who in turn glanced at it for a minuted before sliding his hands into his pockets. So it’s like that, huh? Scratch thought.

“Monica has told me about the files you gave her. I’m not sure why I would have to come down here to do her job for her, but you need to be aware that as a federal agent, anything she asks you for must be provided immediately,” Axe said, looking right in Scratch’s eyes. Scratch chewed on his irritation a moment. In one comment, Axe had been able to establish familiarity between him and Monica, put her work down, and set Scratch straight on procedures.

Yeah, Scratch was having none of that.

“And exactly, if you don’t mind me asking, what has Agent Tidwell not gotten from me?” Scratch asked. He stepped around his desk and pulled at each cuff before dropping his arms. He lifted one eyebrow as he waited for Axe’s response and slid on hand into his pocket. Scratch understood power, and he understood little shits that needed to be reminded they had none. Fuck the alphabet letters on Axe any day of the week.

“The files on accounts we requested,” Axe said. He didn’t turn his body. Instead, he unbuttoned his suit jacket and re-tucked his hands. The action bared both his badge and his sidearm. Tacky move.

“I gave her those. She came to me and told me those were not the ones she needed. Had you been more specific on the exact files you wanted, the misunderstanding would have been easier to stop from having. I work on thousands of accounts in any given week. I have accounts that my employees handle. Tell me exactly what you need to know and I can get it for you.”

“It’s not your place to know exactly what or why we are looking for anything. Eaglemohr has expressed that you are more an intermediary. A middleman. A very simple place to be.” Scratch bit the inside of his cheek. A middle man huh? A nobody that just booked the deals. Yeah, fuck him and Eagle.

“Then you get what you get, agent. I was on the phone with my employee to gather a large amount of files for Agent Tidwell when you came in. Are you going to continue to interrupt my day, or would you like me to get the files to her as she directed?” Scratch asked. Axe stepped forward slightly, shooting Monica a hard glance when she moved to step forward.

Wrong move.

Monica didn’t know what the hell was going on. She wasn’t thinking objectively. Every time George spoke or move, she could feel it vibrating through her. She could remember the things he did to her, the way he made her feel. Right at the moment, she wanted nothing more than to relive those memories. Roderick had been irritated with George from the moment they’d come on this case. She knew her partner to be level headed, if a little close for comfort. She’d turned him down about six months into their partnership and he’d taken it well. But anytime George was around, something in him shifted.

“Interrupting you? Is that what you just said to me?” Roderick asked, his gun hand bunching in his pocket. What the hell was his problem?

“Did I stutter?” Monica’s gaze swung to the man she’d shared a bed with the night before. There was a difference in his voice. A harshness that didn’t fit with a corner office employee. She’d seen it on the streets. Seen it in the faces of rough teenagers with junkie moms that had to tough it out to get by. In men who’d seen hard times and learned to live through it. Nothing in George Hines’ employee file, or what they could pull up on the California native suggested that he’d had that sort of life. Axe must have heard it too, because he stilled. He went from antagonizing to ready in an instant.

“I’m thinking my hearing must be failing, because I didn’t hear you speak to law enforcement personnel like that. I couldn’t have. That would be...a bad move.”

“You know, where I grew up we treated women with respect. Say things like ‘yes ma’am, thank you ma’am’. We held open doors for them and pulled their chairs before they sat down. I’m sorry if I’m the only man in here affronted by your treatment of Agent Tidwell in reference to her job. Your sensibilities I’m just not that worried about,” George replied, never taking his eyes off Roderick. What the hell? Even his face was set in stone. His tone was nice, and his words were pretty, but the way he carried himself, with absolutely no fear didn’t make sense. The situation was fast getting out of hand.

“I don’t believe that Agent Axe was, in any way, belittling my care of the case. While I appreciate your concern, it was unnecessary,” she said, stepping up next to Axe. She felt her partner take a deep breath and breathed a sigh of relief inside. 

“Not at all,” Axe gritted out. He at least got the signal that they needed to keep up their good cop/bad cop routine. Corporate America could lock down tighter than anything behind their lawyers if they felt like they were being played with in any way. It was a boon that they were even able to talk directly with staff and handle inquisitions without a lawyer presence because of Eaglemohr’s directive for his staff to cooperate. If they lost that they’d have a whole bunch of red tape to wade through to get to what they  needed to know.

“What I meant was, she needs those files sooner than later. And she needs any, and all, files dealing with TopSec and the acquisition of the defense contract you received. Is that clear enough for you, or will I have to explain it another way?” The last part of his statement made George’s eyes squint, but all in all the tension had relaxed well in the office.

“That could be a large amount of files, just so she is aware. TopSec, while small, had several subcontracted accounts, hundreds of workers on the posting, and then the subsequent                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 acquisition of the DOD contract was larger. I will get her the files I already was getting ready and then pull the others,” George finished, going back to his desk and picking up his phone.