Suddenly Sexy (15 page)

Eric crawled up her body as sweat beaded on her hot skin. “Stay the night.” It was part command, part plea.

Her arms and legs felt heavy as she curled them around Eric. “How can I say no when you asked me so nicely.”

He parted her legs and pressed his cock against her. She tilted her hips in invitation. “But tomorrow,” she said, “you’re sleeping over at my place.”

Eric froze. For one heart-stopping moment Julie thought she had made a mistake. She spoke like a girlfriend. She shouldn’t have made demands on his time. She had no right.

“Your place?” he asked gruffly as he braced his hands on either side of her head. He stared at her face, looking intently into her eyes. “Are you sure?”

Julie realized her request pleased him. “Yes.” She exhaled as he slowly entered her. “I might even make dinner for you.”

“Dinner,” he repeated.

He spoke in a daze as if a quiet night and a home-cooked meal were a deep, dark fantasy of his. If only. “Will you come home with me?” she asked in a whisper.

His forehead touched hers. “Yes, Julie,” he said softly. “Tell me when and I’ll be there.”

11

E
RIC RESTED HIS ARMS
on the bar, struggling with the sense of déjà vu. The nightclub was dark and crowded. Music pulsed from the tiled floors and mirrored walls. The scent of perfume, alcohol and sweat filled the air. It was another Friday night, another premarital screening. Same nightclub in Bellevue, same procedure. Only this time he couldn’t find their decoy.

He surveyed the area but didn’t see Julie. It was strange. She enjoyed being a decoy but she wasn’t honing in on the target. Sometimes he thought she had more fun preparing her alias than the actual assignment, but that could be wishful thinking on his part.

Where was Julie? He looked around again. He didn’t want to spend all night at the club. He only had a few more days before he left for D.C. and he didn’t want to spend it on work. He wanted to spend it with Julie alone.

He had worked hard to find Perry’s agency more premarital screening assignments. It was paying the bills and there would be no layoffs for now.

He frowned as he counted how many days he had left in the Seattle area. He didn’t like to think about it, but there was no future for him here. Julie had opened her home to him and they shared all their time together in the past week, but he knew not to read too much into it.

Julie was only interested in a fling. A walk in the wild side. She didn’t need any guidance, he thought with a smile, but he was glad she had chosen him. Julie Kent may look innocent, but she managed to turn him inside out.

He punched in Asia’s cell phone number. The moment his second-in-command answered, Eric asked, “Where is Julie?”

“She’s in the nightclub, I’m guessing.”

“The target is at the bar. Julie is not.” He glanced at the man in question. Zack wore a blinding white
T-shirt and extremely tight blue jeans. He was slouched against the bar trying to talk up a brunette.

The wrong brunette. He should be propositioning Julie.

Eric winced. God, he couldn’t believe he just thought that. “What is she doing?” he said sharply.

“Hey, I adore Julie,” Asia said. “But sometimes you need to leash her. She’s having way too much fun with her aliases.”

“Those aliases are the quickest way to get to the target,” Eric said in defense. He knew Julie placed too much emphasis on her disguises, but he was impressed by how she got into the target’s head and figured out each man’s particular fantasy girl.

“If I were heading this assignment, we would be celebrating at the hotel bar already.”

“Asia, I promise you can lead the next premarital screening.” He wouldn’t be here to take charge and if he had to transfer leadership, he would choose Asia. “Just tell me where she is.”

“I want it in writing that I get lead. You know Max is champing at the bit to take charge.”

He expected nothing less from Asia. Julie, on the other hand, would accept his word. She believed in him and his abilities, and he didn’t take that honor lightly. “I’ll send an email to Perry tonight,” he told Asia.

“Thank you,” she answered smugly. “I’ll tell Julie to find you.”

He ended the call, chugged down his water and checked on Zack’s location. From the disgusted expression of the brunette and how quickly she walked away, he suspected Zack failed to get as much as the woman’s name. Eric scanned the premises. This would be the best time for Julie to strike.

Where the hell was she?

He looked out onto the dance floor. Suddenly, the crowd parted. Eric blinked as he saw Julie under a spotlight, dancing to the music as she went from one partner to the next.

His heart clenched at the sight of her. Julie’s appearance wasn’t that different than how she looked at work. Her hair was pulled back in a tight French braid and her makeup was understated. She wore a fitted black halter dress that fell several inches above her knee. She looked sexy, but not scandalous.

She twirled on her black stiletto heels and Eric discovered that her dress was entirely backless. The plunging
V
showed a dramatic expanse of her smooth pale skin and suggested she wore nothing under that dress.

Eric watched, mesmerized, his pulse skipping a beat when she leaned forward. How did she keep from falling out of that dress? Sheer willpower?

As he watched her dance, he noticed the slight differences in her expression. Her friendliness was absent, and her mouth was formed in a pout instead of her breathtaking smile. He wasn’t fond of her aloof manner, but he could guess her alias: Ice Princess Julie.

Soon, his gaze ensnared hers. Julie’s eyes brightened and her lips pursed as if she were holding back a smile. He wanted that smile. Waited for it, but it didn’t come.

Julie faced him, her hips swaying, and motioned for him to come forward. Damn if that confident curl of her finger made him get up and meet her.

He moved as if he were hypnotized. His progress was slow, but he only had eyes for her. When he reached Julie, she pressed her hand against his chest before he could wrap his arms around her and stake his claim.

“What did I tell you about your shoes?” he asked.

“Aren’t they fabulous?” She twisted her foot from side to side. The metallic heel reflected the colored lights. “They were a steal at this consignment shop in Redmond.”

“They put you at a disadvantage.”

“No way, Eric. These shoes are my secret weapon. Look at what they do for my legs.”

It was best if he didn’t stare at her legs and remember how they felt tangled with his or wrapped tight around his waist. “Your target is at the bar,” he said, mindful of the people around her and the earpiece she wore.

“I know,” she said as she linked her arms around his shoulders and rocked her hips against him.

“The bar is that way.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on Zack,” she promised as she turned around and leaned against his chest while she danced.

“Sure you have.” Was she trying to drive him crazy?

“He only goes for women who blew off other men,” she said as she rocked her hips against him. “Hotter, cuter men. It’s like a challenge for him.”

“You saw that from across the nightclub?”

“Yes.” She turned around and hooked her leg over his hip. “The dance floor offers me a great vantage point before I make my move. My guess is that he has something to prove, but I can’t tell if he would go with a woman who—” She stopped in midsentence as her eyes widened.

Eric immediately went on alert. “What’s wrong?”

“I see Mercedes and Tiffany at the bar,” she said excitedly. Julie frowned and tilted her head as if she were listening to voices in her head. “No, Asia. They aren’t relevant to the case. Not this case, anyway.”

“Are they moving in on Zack?” Eric asked. The last thing they needed was to have to compete for their target’s attention.

“I doubt it.” She peered over his shoulder and tracked the women’s movements. “They go for computer geeks in pairs.”

“Then focus, Julie.”

“Oh, I’m focused.” Her eyes narrowed into slits.

Eric grasped her upper arms and looked directly into her eyes. “On our case,” he clarified. “The one we’re getting money for so we can pay the rent.”

“But…but…” Her eyes flashed with frustration. He knew she was conflicted. She wanted to redeem herself with the decoy assignment, but the other investigation was so much more enticing with a bigger payoff.

“I’m going to make it very simple for you,” Eric said. “Whatever you’re thinking, the answer is no.”

Her mouth set into a firm line. “You don’t even know what I’m considering.”

“Yes, I do. You want to do the decoy assignment and investigate at the same time.”

Her shoulders sagged in defeat. “How did you know that?”

“Finish this assignment first.” He saw the rebellious flare in her eyes. “That’s an order.”

“Fine. I will. Oh, and don’t take what I’m about to do personally. It’s part of my alias, I swear.” She flattened her hands against his chest and pushed him away. He staggered back a step and she flounced off the dance floor.

Eric watched her leave, enjoying the sight of her bare back. He couldn’t wait to take her back to his hotel and strip the dress from her body.

He frowned as he watched Julie stride past Zack. Was it his imagination or did her hips wiggle a little more? It caught Zack’s attention. The man watched Julie’s ass as she bent down to adjust her shoe before taking a bar stool several seats away from her target.

What was she doing? Eric walked off the dance floor ready to correct Julie’s mistake. He watched her request an apple martini. As she waited for her order, she gave Zack a quick once-over. When Zack raised his glass in a salute, she casually dismissed him.

Eric winced. This night was not going as planned. What was wrong with Julie? She could wrap this Zack around her finger if she wanted to. Was she trying to blow the assignment so she could pursue Mercedes and Tiffany? He wouldn’t put it past her.

He saw Zack get up from his bar stool. Great, the guy was probably going to leave and they had nothing for their client. No audio, no photos, no evidence. Nothing.

This was why he could never trust Julie as his partner. She wanted excitement and most investigations were mind-numbing work. She got distracted with whatever was new and shiny and wouldn’t have his back.

He should have known better than to give her a second chance. It had been a moment of weakness.

Eric’s mouth sagged open as Zack moved in on Julie. He couldn’t see what the guy said. Julie had a bored look on her face as she shrugged and gestured at the seat next to her. Zack gratefully sat down.

Wow. She knew exactly how to manipulate Zack. He had been wrong about Julie. Perhaps she didn’t need his constant supervision. Maybe he should give her a little leeway.

He saw her attention divert to Mercedes and Tiffany.

Or maybe not.

* * *

“S
O?”
Z
ACK DRAWLED
, his mouth too close to her ear for comfort.

Julie jerked her head back and swatted his hand as he slid his fingers under her dress. The guy was getting bolder with every minute she stayed. “I’m sorry?”

She compulsively snuck another look at Mercedes and Tiffany. They definitely followed a procedure. She knew that in a few minutes they would visit the restroom to download information onto their phones.

She wondered if the two unsuspecting computer geeks they were with were employees of Z-Ray. Nothing on their T-shirts revealed where they worked. All she could tell is that the men looked as if they had won some cosmic jackpot.

“Come on, baby. What do you think?” Zack asked with a knowing laugh.

She wrinkled her nose at the smell of alcohol. What did she think? She thought their client was wasting her money and time on this louse. Zack wasn’t worth the trouble. “Think about what?”

He licked his lips as he stared at her chest. “Let’s go somewhere private.”

It was amazing. She hadn’t been kind to Zack and practically ignored him as she did surveillance on Mercedes and Tiffany. Yet he thought she was ready to jump into bed with him. The man was delusional. “Where do you suggest?” she asked.

“There’s a classy hotel next door.”

Julie shook her head, dismissing the idea. “I hear there’s a conference going on. No way could we get a room.”

Zack pulled out a hotel key card from his jeans pocket with a flourish. “I have one,” he said with a triumphant grin.

She didn’t expect that. “Well, aren’t you prepared?”

“Let’s go,” Zack said as he stood up.

She heard the crackle of static in her ear before Asia spoke. “Okay, Julie, I think we have enough. Wrap it up.”

“I’m sorry, Zack, but you’re just not my type.” She looked over his shoulder and her gaze clashed with Eric’s. “I like to tie up men and then lick every inch of them.”

Zack looked as if he was going to swallow his tongue.

Asia hooted with laughter. “Do you really think that’s going to make him back down?”

“I’m into that,” Zack insisted as sweat beaded on his upper lip.

“Ri-i-i-ight.” She drew the word out. “You look like a beginner. You wouldn’t last an hour as my sex slave.”

“Sweetie,” Asia’s voice crackled in her ear, “you just challenged his masculinity. We need to talk about how to repel a man.”

Zack slid his hands over her legs and cupped her ass. “Believe me, babe, I could last all night.”

“Good to know.” She saw Mercedes and Tiffany head for the restroom. Time was of the essence. “But first I need to make a phone call to my parole officer.”

Zack withdrew his hands. “P-parole officer?”

“It’s no big deal,” she said as she backed away. She couldn’t tell if the women had taken a couple of USB sticks or not. “I found out this guy I was sleeping with had a girlfriend. I kind of went all
Fatal Attraction
on him.”

“What?” His voice was a high squeak.

“That’s good, Julie,” Asia encouraged her. “Nothing freaks a man out more than a bunny boiler.”