Who Wants to Be a Sex Goddess? (20 page)

“How—” She stopped. It was suddenly becoming clear. “That's your job, isn't it? You're trained to pick out counterfeits. For Goddess International? Does Dr. Bliss suspect—”

Dillon cut her off. “No.”

“A government agency?”

He shook his head. He didn't belong to any agency that could be traced.

“But you're here undercover.”

“Don't be ridiculous. I knew you were a fake because…the night I spilled water on you, you left your glasses. I went after you to return them, and I, uh, saw you through the window.”

“Window?” And then it hit her. “You watched me undress?”

Dillon's eyes shifted away. “Yeah.”

“Why, of all the—I can't believe it.” She gave him a look. Saw something else. He was getting hard again. She didn't know whether to be flattered or insulted. But as she watched, he hit full erection. In her peripheral vision, she saw him run fingers through his hair. She took advantage of the moment to inflict a little punishment. She scooted closer to him until she was face-to-face, front to front with him. Let her thigh brush across his erection as she settled closer to him.

“I fooled everyone else.”

“Maybe.”

“Do you have a plan? What do you want me to do?”

She saw Dillon's Adam's apple bobble as he swallowed. “I want you to stay out of it. Go home and leave this to the professionals.”

“So you are a policeman.”

“No. I'm not. But this could turn into a volatile situation, and I want you far away from it.”

“You're trying to get rid of me?” She brushed his erection with her fingers.

He grabbed her wrist. “Stop that. I'm serious.”

Andy sighed. If only a man said that to her about their relationship. But alas. “Well, I'm serious, too. And I'm not leaving until I know that Mac is safe.”

 

Dillon gritted his teeth. She wouldn't be easy to dissuade. But he'd have to, somehow. He leaned over her, part intimidation, part seduction. “I don't want you to get hurt.”

Her eyelids fluttered. He brushed her lips with his. “And I can't find your aunt if I'm worried about you.” He kissed her lightly.

“You
are
police.”

He kissed her again. “Something like. But the less you know, the better.” He rolled into her. Skimmed her breast with his hand.

She sighed. “I know what you're doing.” He licked her nipple, felt it bud beneath his touch. “Trying to distract me.”

He sucked the nipple into his mouth. Released it. “Is it working?”

“For now.”

He moved to her other breast. “So you'll leave this to me?”

“Maybe.”

He nipped her breast and shifted so that he could slide his hand between her legs.

She purred, and he felt himself getting distracted.

“Promise.” He slid a finger inside her. She was wet, slippery, ready. “I'll take care of it. I'll take care of you.”

And for the next twenty minutes, he did.

“A
ndy, wake up.”

“Okay. I'm on my way. Tell them to chill.” Andy rolled over. Hit the floor. “What the—” She sat up, blinked. She was surrounded by giant pillows. “Oh,” she said and climbed back up.

She was yanked to her feet. Her face brushed a bare chest on her way up. She nestled into it. His skin radiated heat, and he smelled musky and salty. Like he'd been making love all night. “Mmmm.”

“Rise and shine, baby.”

She opened one eye. “It isn't morning.”

“It's almost five o'clock. Unless you want the entire camp to see you skulking back to your cabin, you'd better shake it.”

She pushed away from him. “Oh, shit.”

Dillon grinned.

“What?”

“I knew I heard you say shit on that first day up the hill.” He gave her a quick, heated kiss, and shoved her chiton into her hands.

She slipped it over her head. It slid to the floor. “What?”

Dillon leaned over and pulled it up her body. He reclasped the shoulder straps, then dug in between the pillows and brought up the gold cord that tied at her waist. He looped it around her and pulled it tight.

“It's just like being in wardrobe,” she said and cracked a huge yawn.

He turned her around and pushed her toward the door.

“Just
like being in wardrobe,” she groused. “Always in a hurry. We didn't even eat dinner, and we didn't come up with a plan.”

He stepped away from her to open the door, leaving her cold in the places that had just been warm. “We're not making a plan.”

“Suit yourself. But I always think you should have a plan.”

“I have a plan, and you're not a part of it.”

Cold seeped into Andy's gut. Why should that surprise her. She'd never been a part of any guy's plan. Mustering all her sangfroid, she brushed past him. “Well. Thanks for the lovely time. I'll call you.”

“Andy. I didn't mean—”

“See ya.” She stepped across the threshold onto the dewy grass. It sent a chill straight through her bones. And for a panicky moment she thought she might cry.

“I'll walk you back.”

“Not necessary. Go make your plan. Whoever you are.”

“Oh, for Christ's sake. Be reasonable.”

She struck off across the grass.

He yanked her back. “Did anyone ever tell you that you're cranky in the morning?”

“It's in my résumé. Now, let go.”

“They probably have us under surveillance, and you're not acting like a thoroughly fucked goddess this morning.”

Just a fucked-over one,
she thought.

“Listen. JoJo told me that Dr. Bliss always debriefs the couple, separately, after a night in the Bower. We should have the same story prepared.”

“Gee, Dillon, that sounds like a
plan
to me.” She cut him a look. “I'll just tell her you fucked me silly, then told me to get lost.”

“The hell you will. We talked, for a long time, got to know each other better.”

“And left the place looking and smelling like a Roman orgy.”

“Yeah, well. We made love; you were shy at first, but ready to try. It was wonderful—”

“Oh, please.”

He looked a little hurt. “Okay. Leave the wonderful part out. Just say it was very nice; then we fell asleep and didn't wake up until it was time to leave. I'll say the same.”

They were marching along like a couple of Caesar's foot soldiers. They didn't speak again until they were standing on her front porch. There was an awkward moment while they just looked at each other. Then Dillon said, “Later,” and sprinted down the steps.

He was halfway to the path, when Andy called out, “Hey, Dillon.”

He stopped. Turned around.

“It was wonderful,” she said and closed the door.

 

Dillon knew he'd made a tactical error. He'd hurt her. But hell, when he said she wasn't a part of his plan, he'd been talking about the investigation, not the future. Anyway, they didn't have a future. Why couldn't they have just met in a bar sometime when he wasn't on assignment.

Because, dummy, if you randomly met her in a bar, she'd turn out to be an agent, trying to slip in beneath the radar.

His radar had blipped off the screen ever since he'd first seen Andy. And how the hell was he going to juggle keeping her from interfering, while he kept her safe, while trying to wrap up this investigation, and find her aunt in the bargain.

Time was passing. Tonight they'd celebrate the end of the first week with a Bacchanalian Barbecue. There were only two weeks left, and he didn't feel any closer to the truth than he had a week ago.

 

Andy left her meditation session feeling languid and more than a little depressed. But she couldn't really blame the latter on meditation. That honor belonged to Dillon Cross. Still, she'd done her share of meditation in her training over the years, and she didn't remember ever feeling so zonked afterward. Maybe it was a combination of communing with her inner self, not enough sleep, and get-down, knock-your-socks-off sex.

Katherine Dane stopped her as she was leaving the Spa. “You seem tired today.”

“A little,” said Andy.

“Well, you're doing fine. Just keep listening to your inner self, and keep up the good work.” Katherine gave her the smile that all the priestesses seemed to have perfected. Then she patted Andy on the shoulder and returned to the meditation room.

Andy went straight back to her cabin. She wasn't ready to face the third degree over breakfast. She had no intention of “sharing” the details of her night in the Bower of Bliss with anybody, not even Dr. Bliss during her dreaded debriefing. And she definitely wasn't going to any of the workshops and take the chance of embarrassing herself again.

No. She'd take the morning off and come up with a plan of her own, since Dillon wasn't going to “share.”

She was ravenous by lunchtime. She hadn't come up with a plan. It was hard to think when you were angry and depressed. Damn Dillon. No, it was her own fault. When would she ever learn.

She passed the yard crew on her way to the pool. They stopped and smiled at her, then went back to work. At least someone was happy this morning. Well, why not, there would always be grass to cut. Talk about job security.

Evelyn, Loubelle, and Jeannie were sitting at their usual table. Louis was handing around iced teas. Andy sat down and ordered coffee.

“Sure thing.” Louis trotted off toward the cabana.

Jeannie lowered her sunglasses to look at Andy. “Well?”

Loubelle pulled her chair closer. Evelyn leaned forward on her elbows.

“Well,” said Andy.

 

Dillon had just left Dr. Bliss's office, feeling okay about how his debriefing had gone, when Katherine Dane stepped out of her office.

“Dillon, a word if I might.”

Now what? he wondered as he followed her inside. Surely she didn't want to know about his night with Andy. Well, she'd be disappointed if she did. He'd already told Fiona Bliss all he intended to say.

“Have a seat.”

Dillon sat down.

The business manager sat on the edge of her desk. “Dr. Bliss told me that you were scheduled for the Bower of Bliss last night with Ariadne.”

Dillon tipped his head, waiting to see where this was going.

“Of course, whatever happened is between you and Ariadne and Dr. Bliss. However.” She paused, looked thoughtful. “Did everything go smoothly?”

Not the word he would have chosen. “Fine,” he said. “It went fine.”

“Good. I feel so much better knowing that. I've been a little concerned about her.”

Dillon quirked an eyebrow.

“Nothing specific, you understand. The goddess program is a pioneering venture. It involves new ways of approaching one's life and can be a very powerful force in a woman's sense of self. It can also be a bit frightening.”

Not to mention fatal if you're a rich heiress,
added Dillon to himself. Andy had said that her aunt wasn't an heiress, but he hadn't thought to ask Andy about her own finances.

“Unfortunately, in a few extreme cases, it can be threatening. In a person like Ariadne, whose self-esteem is so skewed to reality, there's always the danger that she might be overwhelmed by the changes she's going through.”

Was Dane worried about Andy in light of Imogene Southwaite's apparent accident? Or had she picked up on Andy's subterfuge and was reading it as aberrant behavior. He did a quick mental shuffling of everything he knew about Katherine Dane. Not a lot, he realized. The background checks had been cursory at best. Of course, if they didn't expect him to find anything, they wouldn't have wasted the man hours, would they? “I didn't know that you were a psychologist.”

“Yes, in addition to my business credentials, I also have a degree in clinical psychology. All the staff are trained in some area of psychology. Even Hans has a sociology background in addition to certificates in Swedish massage and fitness.”

As well as being an ex-marine,
added Dillon.
And the head of your security force.

“We are here to help women, guide them, not set them adrift.”

“Ariadne seems fine to me,” said Dillon.

“Yes, she does—on the surface. But I've talked to her several times because of certain anomalies I recognized. I asked her to join my meditation class in the hope that it will help her to stay centered during this turbulent time. And well, to be honest. It gives me a chance to pay particular attention to her.”

Dane stood up. “I just wanted to apprise you of my assessment, and ask you to be alert to any change in her behavior. Depression, thoughts of suicide—”

“She seems perfectly fine,” he said. “Dr. Bliss didn't seem concerned.”

Katherine gave him one of those goddess smiles. “Fiona is the conceptualist, the dreamer, the driving force behind the program. It's my responsibility to make sure it runs smoothly. And that everyone is being cared for properly.”

“I see,” said Dillon, repressing a shudder. She made Terra Bliss sound like an insane asylum.

“Excellent. Well, possibly no cause for alarm. But we must be vigilant.”

He stood up. “I certainly will be. I wouldn't want anything to happen to Ariadne.”

For a second, something kindled in her eyes, then was gone. She stood up. “I was sure you would understand. Well, I didn't mean to keep you from your duties.”

Dillon left her office, wondering what had really been the purpose of that meeting. Because he had a feeling that it all tied up into a nice little conspiracy-to-commit package.

He'd be vigilant all right. He didn't plan to take his eyes off of Andy for a minute, and if any one of them tried to hurt her, he'd come down on them so fast and hard, they wouldn't know what hit them.

 

“This is delicious,” said Andy, spearing a succulent piece of crab from her salad. “You were right, Evelyn, this is the best. And I'm starving.”

“All that exercise,” Jeannie said and waggled her eyebrows.

“It sounds like it was a lovely evening,” said Evelyn. “I'm so glad you enjoyed yourself. We weren't quite sure—”

“Damn him,” said Jeannie. “That's the second time I've seen him talking to that Gloria Hollander.”

Everyone looked across the pool. A slender woman with platinum shag hair was stretched out on one of the chaises. Demetri was leaning over her.

“I'm sure he's just being polite,” said Loubelle. “You know how some of these women are.”

“I do,” agreed Jeannie. “I'm one of them. And I don't plan on sharing my slave with anyone. I have a good mind to go give her a piece of my mind.”

“Now, Jeannie, don't do anything rash,” said Evelyn. “See. He's leaving.”

“Well, if he expects me to keep putting out—”

Loubelle tittered, then covered her mouth with her napkin.

“That's not what I meant.”

Loubelle shook her head behind the napkin.

Evelyn frowned. “You haven't been giving him any more presents, have you?”

“Just a few trinkets here and there. But if he wants it to continue, me and him are gonna have to have us a little chat.”

Andy was glad to finally have the subject move away from her and Dillon, but she didn't like the look in Jeannie's eye. As far as Andy could tell, Demetri was an arrogant, deceitful ass. If Jeannie was getting too wrapped up in him, she was bound to be hurt.