Speechless (10 page)

Eva nodded. Her heart pounded hard against her rib cage, but
she kept her eyes on the road, not sure what looking at him would do to her. In
the wake of the explosion, everyone had heard the stories of the easily
available sex in Thailand, the districts where any fetish could be entertained.
Any
fetish or predilection.

“These people had made contacts inside Bangkok’s sex
industries and used them to set up a prostitution ring catering to high-end
clients, including government officials, corporate executives and military and
intelligence personnel from around the world. They specialized in providing virgins
and children.”

Eva gagged, thought for a moment her supper would come up
and fought it down. She wanted to wrap her arms across her suddenly churning
stomach, but had to keep her hands on the steering wheel. She regretted her
offer to drive. Stone didn’t seem to notice but went on with his story, his
voice as hard as ever.

“Men, especially ones with big egos and feelings of
invulnerability, like to talk about themselves, like to brag about their
accomplishments, even when they know they shouldn’t. Sex increases those
feelings of invulnerability and pride and relaxes inhibitions. When you’re a
foreigner and your partner is an innocent—or playing the role of an
innocent—and doesn’t speak your language, then it’s safe to talk. You can brag
as much as you like about the top-secret military contract your company just
won or how no one will ever discover that it was you who paid for that
assassination. But the people—my bosses—who ran this service had high-tech spy
toys at their disposal. Hidden cameras and microphones were in all the rooms.
The prostitutes all had language training and were taught how to read faces and
body language. After each liaison, they had to report everything they heard and
saw. The information from them and from the recordings that were made was sold
to rivals, foreign governments and freelance information brokers. If any of
their clients threatened to expose them, they simply brought out the video
recording of the client pounding his cock into a twelve-year-old kid.”

Eva jerked the car onto the side of the road, slammed on the
brakes and ran for the ditch. She dropped to her knees and her dinner spewed
out, splattering onto the grass in front of her. Even after everything was
gone, she dry heaved, as if she could vomit out the image raised by Stone’s
words. Finally, the convulsions stopped and she knelt there, her arms wrapped
around herself, her body shaking. Something tapped her shoulder and she looked
up. Stone held out a bottle of water. She took a mouthful, swished it around her
mouth and spat. She didn’t think she’d ever get that taste out of her mouth. A
couple sips of water helped to ease the shaking.

Stone put his hand on her shoulder and she wrenched away
from the touch.

“Eva—”

You bastard. You did that on purpose.

“I was just telling you what I discovered.”

You didn’t have to do it like that.

“I wanted to be sure you understood—”

I’m not an imbecile. I understand what child prostitution
is and that it’s horrific without you being so graphic. Crude. Dirty. Cruel. I
don’t even know the word for that.

“Listen to me.” He knelt beside her, wrapped his arms around
her and refused to let her jerk out of his embrace. She felt as if the contact
were infecting her with something. “Eva, listen.” She stilled, felt tears
streaking her cheeks. “I wanted you to understand how I felt when I found out.
If I’d known what would happen, I don’t know what I would have done, but you
have to understand why I did what I did. Do you hear what I’m saying?”

She nodded. She didn’t know if he was right, but she
understood his logic. Still, she stayed stiff, trying to lean away from him,
wanting distance between them.

“I didn’t think, not enough. I put together the evidence I’d
found and took it to my immediate superior—Smith. His name hadn’t come up in
any of my investigations so I thought he wasn’t involved. He told me to ignore
it, that it was a valuable source of intelligence and I should mind my own
business. Even then I was too blind to see it. I told him I’d show the evidence
to someone who cared about those children, not to mention the selling of
secrets, including our secrets, for monetary gain. They acted fast. Later that
day the brothel exploded, killing everyone inside. No clients were there, none
of the people who ran it, just the women and children.”

Eva moaned silently and folded in on herself.

“I was so angry, so disgusted with these people, that it
didn’t even occur to me that by trying to do something about it I was only
making it worse. I might as well have lit the fuse myself.” Stone paused,
waited for her to say something, then when she didn’t, went on. “These are the
people who are after me. Us, now. This is what I’ve gotten you into and I am so
sorry. I have copies of all my evidence stashed all over the world with people
I trust, in safe deposit boxes and with me now. The US attorney general has
everything, knows everything, but until all these people are apprehended and
maybe not even then, I am not safe. You are not safe. It’s my testimony that
will put them away and they’ll do anything to prevent that. Anything.

“Maybe you would have been better off if I’d just left you
on that pile of rubble. Maybe I’ve done it again—doomed the person I was trying
to help.”

Stone.
And suddenly all she wanted to do was cling to
him. She could not get close enough to him. He was safety and comfort and
solidity in her rapidly eroding world. She felt as if she were sliding down
that cliff all over again.

“I’m sorry, Eva. I’m so sorry.” He rocked her, his arms
surrounding her, warming her, there on the side of a road somewhere in upstate
New York. Eventually she noticed the sticks and gravel digging into her knees,
the chirping of insects, the increasing darkness, the stench of her vomit, the
sound of Stone’s voice in her ear, murmuring “I’m sorry” over and over again.
She took a deep breath and pushed away from him. He let her go this time,
brushing at a lingering tear with his thumb.

“Are you all right?”

She gave a little hiccupping laugh.
Not really. I feel as
if I’ve been hit by a bus and then run over by a steam roller. But I think I’m
done being hysterical for the time being.

Stone granted her an understanding smile. “You were never
hysterical. Ready to move on?”

Eva nodded and got to her feet.

“Want me to drive?”

She shook her head.
I need something to focus on.
Something to think about other than what you just told me.

It took them all night and most of the next day to get
through New York, a corner of Pennsylvania and Ohio, stopping to fill up the
gas tank, eat and stretch their legs every so often. Stone swapped out the
car’s license plates before they crossed the Ohio River into Kentucky, for the
benefit of the bridge cameras. They picked up a state route that ran along the
river, following it southeast through tiny river towns and long stretches of
rural countryside, the Kentucky hills rising up steeply on their right and the
ground dropping away to the river on their left. The only thing that marred the
drive was the mine—Eva wasn’t sure what they were digging out of the ground,
but conveyors and pipe and piles of stone towered over them for a few minutes,
until they rounded a curve and left it behind. Not long after, they reached a
sign welcoming them to “Historic Augusta”. Stone took a left and wound through
the little town, with its tree-lined streets and old buildings until he reached
the river. Antique stores and galleries looked out over the water and a ferry
moved slowly across from Kentucky to Ohio.

Stone parallel parked and they got out of the car, Eva’s
cramped muscles complaining at how long they’d gone without a break.

How much farther?
she asked.

“A couple hours. We’ll spend the night here and go the rest
of the way in the morning.”

Is it safe?

“As safe as anywhere else. I called ahead to a B&B while
you slept. They don’t ask for license plate numbers or care what name you give
them.”

Eva stopped and gazed out at the river. She’d been surprised
that she’d slept. But then, the drive following the emotional turmoil of
Stone’s story had been exhausting. Stone stood next to her, close but not
touching. He’d been cautious, almost tentative with her since the night before,
when she’d moved so rapidly from pushing him away to hanging on for dear life.
She hadn’t been quite certain herself about how to act with him anymore. She’d
suddenly realized a little bit of what his life had been like as an
“international consultant,” just how dangerous a man he was. How many terrible
things he must have seen. And how easily he could hurt her, how much danger she
had been in, alone with him in that cabin. If he had been a different kind of
person…

“George Clooney’s parents live in this town.”

Eva stared at him.
Really?

Stone smiled and nodded. “Their favorite restaurant is right
over there. Shall we? We could check in at the B&B first.”

No—I don’t want to have to go out again once we get
there. Now is fine.

She followed Stone to the historic brick building
overlooking the river. He pressed the thumb latch on the door and led her into
a rustic hallway that looked as if it hadn’t changed from the days when the
first settlers arrived. Wide floorboards creaked beneath their feet and two
doorways opened to either side. A woman in an old-fashioned skirt and apron met
them.

“Do you have a reservation?” she asked.

“I’m afraid not,” Stone said. “Is there any chance of a
table? I wasn’t sure what time we would arrive.”

While they talked, Eva peered into the main room, left of
the hallway where they stood. A huge fireplace dominated the wall to her right
and most of the tables were occupied. They were all wood and all painted, with
their paint in various stages of peeling, but none of them matched and the same
with the chairs. But the small, dark loaves of bread on some of the tables
looked delicious and the smells enticed her.

The hostess had two menus in her hand and she beckoned for
them to follow her to a small table near a window. The table’s legs were too
close together and the wooden chair exceedingly hard. Then she looked at the
hand-written menu. Cuban black bean soup contrasted with lemon caper chicken, a
Middle Eastern lamb dish and classic prime rib. Eva was too tired to comprehend
it.

What kind of place is this?
she asked Stone.

He smiled at her but the only answer he gave was, “Save room
for dessert.”

Eva’s eyes flicked from one entrée to the next and when the
waitress, the same woman who had seated them, came bearing bread and the
question of whether they’d decided, she had to ask Stone to order for her.
Not
too much, though. I’m too tired to eat much.

He ordered her the soup and a fish dish she’d somehow
overlooked but which sounded perfect.

The soup was delicious, thick and smooth, with swirls of
sour cream contrasting with the dark soup, but Eva put her spoon down after
only a couple bites.

Concern etched Stone’s face. “Are you all right?”

Eva let her exhaustion show on her face, closed her eyes and
tilted her head to the side to mime sleep.

“I know, but you need to eat. You’ve barely eaten anything
over the last couple days.”

She waved a hand away from herself in a pushing motion.

“No. It won’t wait until tomorrow. You’ll sleep better with
some food in your stomach.”

Eva hadn’t felt much like eating since she’d thrown up her
dinner the night before and even now, the thought made her stomach churn.

“One more spoonful. Please, Eva. You’re hungrier than you
think.”

He was probably right. She picked up her abandoned spoon and
ate another mouthful. Her stomach growled loud enough for Stone to hear. He
smiled, but elected not to say, “I told you so.” It didn’t take long to finish
the soup and she ended up eating most of her fish, as well. She felt energy
flowing back into her, proving just how right Stone had been. He ordered
chocolate mousse for dessert, a single one to share. Eva didn’t complain,
especially after he fed her a bite and she let its richness melt on her tongue.

Stone drew his spoon slowly from his mouth and gave her a
secret look.
I can think of some interesting ways to serve this.

Eva felt a blush creeping up her cheeks, deepening as her
nose filled with the remembered smell of peaches and she looked down. She could
not keep a smile from spreading across her face.
Sometime when I have the
energy to enjoy it.

Is that a promise?

Eva expected to see his wolfish grin, but his expression was
intent and his request for a promise serious. Eva shivered with anticipation.

That’s a promise.

They walked the block or two to the bed and breakfast where
Stone had reserved a room for them. The proprietor seemed grumpy at having to
wait for them until so late in the evening and she looked them over skeptically
as Stone signed the register. Eva’s newly purchased duffel bag apparently
didn’t meet her standards. Stone noticed her examination and he gave her his
most charming smile.

“I can’t tell you how grateful we are to have such a
wonderful place to spend the night. It’s been a terrible trip until now. We had
a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, the zipper on my wife’s suitcase broke
and we had highway construction the whole way. Your welcome has made the day so
much better.”

Their hostess’s mood reversed instantly and she became
solicitous and helpful, even picking up the duffel to carry it upstairs.

“Breakfast is at eight. Let me show you to your room.”

Their room was large and beautifully decorated, with a tiny
floral pattern on the wallpaper, antique furniture and a vase holding a spray
of autumn flowers and bright leaves on the center of the table. The king size
bed beckoned and Eva almost fell straight into it, even before their hostess
left. The woman took her time about pointing out towels and their private bath,
then hovered at the door.

“Be sure to let me know if you need anything. You’re the
only guests tonight and we’re very casual around here, so just come find me any
time.”

“Thank you. We’ll be fine. We’ve had a very long drive, so I
expect we’ll go to bed soon.”

She didn’t take the hint—Eva wondered if Stone had charmed
her a bit too much—until he said “Good night,” and started closing the door.

As they started getting ready for bed, Eva had a sudden
realization.

We forgot to get anything for me to sleep in the other
day.

“Who says you need anything to sleep in?”

It’s different tonight.

“I know. But you still don’t need anything to sleep in. Pull
back the covers and lie down on your stomach.”

She hesitated, not sure what he planned or what she wanted.
Then she finished undressing, glad to shuck the clothes she’d had on all day
and all the night before. The sheets on the bed were soft and smooth against
her skin and she relaxed onto the mattress—a little soft for her taste, but at
least not saggy—with a sigh of gratitude and closed her eyes.

Stone just stood and looked for a moment, enjoying the sight
of Eva’s rosy skin, the smoothness of her back, the rise of her ass and the
curve of her legs. His cock twitched, began to stiffen and he commanded it to
relax. Tonight was not about his desire, but her needs and their connection,
their closeness. It had been stretched and strained the night before. He wasn’t
sure Eva even realized it, but he knew the signs—she didn’t trust him as much
as she had.

He sat next to her on the bed, touched her calf gently,
making her twitch in surprise.

Shhh. Just feel, absorb.

Her skin was cool and smooth and the shape of her calf
muscle fit perfectly into the curve of his hand. He didn’t massage her, only
caressed. Massages had a physical purpose, to ease pain or relax muscles or
improve blood flow and could be given by strangers at any spa or massage
therapy office. This was touch at its purest, touch for the sake of touch,
connecting two people skin to skin. His hands covered her whole body, neck to
toes. And gradually the tension that had held them apart melted away. He
wondered whether, with their mind-to-mind connection, he could caress her
emotions as well as her body, if he could use mental touch to soothe the trauma
of the last few days. As his hands continued to travel her body, he reached out
with a wordless, thoughtless mental gesture the same way he might reach out to
run a finger down her cheek.

Eva gave a deep sigh. Stone watched her face and was
surprised to see a tear trickle out of her one visible eye.

Should I stop?

No.
Her voice was insistent.
It’s wonderful,
whatever you’re doing.

You’re crying.

It’s all released now. It comes out as tears.

Stone bent down and kissed her cheek and the corner of her
eye, where the tears caught. Another mental touch found shreds of stress and
fear streaming away and he kissed these, too. Eva’s breath hitched and Stone
went back to purely physical caresses, not wanting to cross the line between enough
and too much.

Roll over.

Eva obeyed and Stone’s hands repeated their journeys across
her body, cupping her breasts, smoothing over her shoulders and stomach and
legs, but avoiding her mound, not wanting to make his attention about sex or
foreplay or orgasms.

I love
… She paused, arching into his hand on her
stomach and Stone held his breath, wondering what would come next.
I love
the way you touch me.

She hadn’t responded when his “I love you” slipped out the
morning before and he’d feigned sleep so she wouldn’t feel compelled to. He
hadn’t forgotten he’d said it though and didn’t want to retract it, but he
wouldn’t repeat it either. Not for a while. When he’d slid his mental hands
across Eva’s emotions their texture had been jumbled and mismatched—spiky and
soft and sandpaper rough all knotted up together. He wasn’t sure she knew how
she felt about him. Still he’d hoped when Eva had spoken that she might return
his feelings. Not yet. But she would. He knew she would.

Take your clothes off. I want to feel your skin against
mine.

If I do I’ll have a very hard time not making love to
you. Tonight wasn’t supposed to be about sex.

If it happens, that’s okay. You told me to feel. I want
to feel your skin against mine. Please, Stone.

So Stone stood and stripped. Eva’s eyes, closed until now,
opened and she watched him, her gaze traveling his whole body as he took off
his shirt, pants and briefs. When she saw his erection—which had persistently
disobeyed all his commands to stand down—she shifted a little on the bed and
spread her legs.

Are you sure?

She nodded. He covered her body with his and pulled the bed
covers over them both. They lay like that for a while, skin to skin, Stone
supporting his weight on his elbows, his cock nestled in the warmth of Eva’s
labia. She moved her hips, rubbing her clit against his hardness and he let her
control her own sensations. Soon he could feel her moisture spreading, her
vagina opening, his cock weeping with need to be inside her. He repositioned
himself, hovering at the edge of her opening and watched her face.

Okay?

She nodded and he sheathed himself in her warmth. He rolled
them together onto their sides, facing each other and she wrapped one leg over
his hip. The shorter, more careful movements required by the position would
keep him hard longer, let him stay inside her longer. He moved slowly against
her, massaging her inner muscles with his cock, letting the sensations
accumulate slowly, the two of them creeping up on the edge instead of hurtling
like they had before. His lips brushed hers, gave soft kisses across her face,
on her mouth, down her neck. As always, he inhaled her scent, filling his lungs
with her, filling his mouth with her taste, filling his being with her essence.
He felt her muscles clench and release him and he kept moving through the baby
orgasm. Her eyes glazed over and she smiled.

Can I have another of those?

Of course.

Again and again, she came for him, in a torturous cascade,
building up in between only to find another edge, another wave of pleasure. Stone
gritted his teeth to keep from coming himself, to draw out her pleasure.
Finally, he couldn’t hold himself back anymore and his slow thrusts sped up and
he let himself go, taking her with him in her final climax. Her vagina milked
him, contracting in frantic waves and drawing every drop of his seed deep into
her.