"So? Will you do it?"
"Of course," she said with a sigh as she rehung the blue nightie.
Maybe Jesse was into sports bars?
JESSE STOOD outside the gilt-trimmed door of the boutique and ground his teeth. This was the last place he should be. On a date with a suspect he was in imminent danger of falling for. outside the gilt-trimmed door of the boutique and ground his teeth. This was the last place he should be. On a date with a suspect he was in imminent danger of falling for.
A suspect, for that matter, whose worst crime to date had been flirting with a known criminal. Because other than the flirting, and Dave"s conversation afterward, Jesse had nothing on Audra. At least, nothing illegal.
Especially now that they"d found out her sister-in-law had blown off the lingerie company in China that sidelined as a money-laundering front. Reports said the woman had barely kept the appointment. Whether it was because they were backing away from dealing with the triad, or because the women really weren"t involved, Jesse couldn"t tell.
Nowhere in the communiques, the e-mails or the chats he"d hacked from Davey"s computer was there any reference to Audra by name or by any description other than "hot babe." Without more, the only involvement he could pin on her on was whatever Dave had pa.s.sed to her in the club. That, and the large sum of money conveniently deposited into the boutique"s account.
Neither of which, so far, was enough to convict her. Which meant there was a remote chance she could be innocent.
Jesse should be focusing on the case. He"d finally made a breakthrough on Davey"s computer system. The guy had accessed an off-site storage unit to transfer a large sum of cash. Jesse hadn"t been able to break into the system yet. But the way his fingers tingled when he worked at it a.s.sured him it"d be the key he needed to blow this case out of the water. A little deep excavation and he"d have enough to nail Davey boy. And, if the strings he was pulling led where he thought they would, enough to take down the Du Bing Li Du Bing Li triad too. triad too.
He should be working on that now instead of going through with this date. He was a lousy actor. There was no way he"d be able to pull off the smitten suitor bit.
But the captain had other ideas. Shale had as much as promised Jesse his coveted promotion if he nailed this case with no loose ends. A promotion that would prove, to Jesse at least, that he"d succeeded by doing things his his way. Using his brains and those computer skills his father had so often disparaged. His family would finally accept that his brainiac tendencies were just as valuable as his father"s flash. way. Using his brains and those computer skills his father had so often disparaged. His family would finally accept that his brainiac tendencies were just as valuable as his father"s flash.
So he squared his shoulders, reached for the door handle and prepared to reel in his last loose end.
Audra was bent at the waist talking on the phone. Her back was to him so he had a mouthwateringly sweet rear view. Her short skirt hiked up to show the seams running up the back of her black stockings. Jesse swore he felt his heart stop. Other parts of his body, however, raced to full alert.
d.a.m.n, she had to be the s.e.xiest thing he"d ever seen. When she straightened and turned, a glowing smile on her face as she saw him, he wanted to groan. She looked that good.
"So he"s that good, huh?" she said into the phone as she blew Jesse a kiss. "You"re definitely welcome."
With a quick goodbye, Audra clicked off the phone and leaned across the counter to set it in its cradle.
"That was my friend, Isabel, calling to thank me," she said with a wicked look on her face as she turned back to face him.
"For?"
"Bringing her over to the naughty side." She winked. "We have all the good s.e.x over on this side."
Jesse"s body stiffened in reaction. He wasn"t going to give in to the naughty. He had a job to do, loose ends to tie up. And arrests to make.
"It sounds like she appreciates your bad influence."
"Definitely," she said, coming toward him. Those delicious, stocking-clad legs seemed to go on forever, from the edge of her short skirt to feet encased in gladiator-style spiked heels. Her hair was a solid black, giving her an oddly conservative look after her fuchsia-tipped ends of the previous week.
Audra reached him and, without hesitation, put both hands on his chest to lean up and press her lips to his. Against the soft pressure of her kiss, he opened his mouth without thought and met the sweet dance of her tongue.
Jesse"s hands curved over her slender hips, and he pulled her flush against him. His body welcomed the feel of hers like a homecoming. It was all he could do to break away and end the kiss.
"I missed you," she said in her husky tone. That voice had haunted his dreams. In those dreams, he"d imagined her doing all sorts of decadent things to his body, describing each one as she did it. "I haven"t been able to think of anything but you and our phone conversation since last night. How soon can we do it for real?"
"I missed you, too," he admitted. And he had. Not just because his body had been rock-hard every time her image popped into his brain. But he"d missed her sweetness, her fun outlook on life.
Then he shook his head and gave her a rueful look.
"I"m really not trying to be a tease or whatever you"d call it. But I do want to spend more time with you before we actually, you know..."
"You know? Last night, you told me how delicious I tasted, and today you can"t say s.e.x?" she teased with a laugh.
"Go figure." Jesse grimaced, then gave a laugh and a stiff shrug. Last night he hadn"t been looking for evidence to arrest her. He"d do well to keep that fact front and center in his brain tonight. He had to get the goods to nail her, or cut her loose. "You ready to go? I thought we could get something to eat, spend some time talking."
"Sure. I just need to grab my jacket and shut down the computer first. Dinner sounds great. I need to make one stop first, if that"s okay with you."
He followed her down the hall to the office and stopped in shock at the sight of the once immaculate room.
"Whoa. What happened here?" It looked as if someone had tossed the place. Maybe in search of missing or stolen information? "Did you call the cops?"
"Cops? Why on earth would I want to bring some busybody cop in here?" Audra followed his gaze around the room. As if seeing the mess for the first time, she winced. "Ooooh, you mean the mess? If I claim a tornado set down in here, do you think Natasha will believe me?"
"You did this yourself?"
"It"s been a h.e.l.lish week. I guess I kind of let housekeeping duties slide." Audra"s shoulders sagged and she ran her hand through her hair. "I don"t suppose you"d care to have a seat and flip through some lingerie magazines while I tidy this up a bit?"
She eyed what was probably still a sh.e.l.l-shocked look on his face and wrinkled her nose. She looked around the mess of papers, piles of fabric and lacy things, and the half-buried computer. Then she grinned.
"I know, you"re a computer geek, right? Want to play online or something? I won"t be more than a quarter, maybe a half hour at the most. And I"ll treat you to a drink afterward?"
Could it get any better? If she was was crooked, she really needed to take lessons. The first rule of being a good criminal is not to trust anyone. Audra was practically inviting him to invade her privacy. Then again, she"d welcomed his fingers into much more private places than her computer keyboard. crooked, she really needed to take lessons. The first rule of being a good criminal is not to trust anyone. Audra was practically inviting him to invade her privacy. Then again, she"d welcomed his fingers into much more private places than her computer keyboard.
Which didn"t prove she was innocent, Jesse forced himself to remember. But, maybe a few quick strokes on that keyboard and he could at least figure out how guilty she was. Then he could find a way to make her a deal, get her to roll over on Larson. She"d be in minimal trouble, and he"d be there to set her on the straight and narrow.
"You can cruise the Net, play games or something. Whatever floats your boat."
Resolved and comfortable that it was for her own good, Jesse smiled back and flexed his fingers.
"What computer geek can say no to an offer like that?"
Audra laughed. "I wonder what would get you more excited? A fully loaded, up-to-the-minute, technologically advanced computer? Or me, naked?"
Jesse let the images flash through his mind and heaved a delighted sigh. "How about both? You, naked, on my lap while I use the computer?"
"Kinky. I like that." She cleared a couple bolts of silky-looking fabrics in jewel tones off the rolling computer chair and, after looking around, stacked them in a corner by the door. "Here, get comfy. I"ll run in and get you a soda. Then it"ll only take me a little bit to tidy things here and we can go."
"Sounds great," Jesse said absently, his b.u.t.t already in the chair and fingers hovering over the keys. He waited until she left the room before hitting her programs option to see what bookkeeping software they used. He"d opened it, minimized and was playing Tetris online when she came back.
"Cola, right?" She leaned over his shoulder to set in on the desk, her breast brushing his forearm. Distracted, Jesse saw the bars stack up on his screen through blurred eyes. A vision of her, naked on his lap while he worked some complex computer program, flashed through his mind.
d.a.m.n, he wanted her. And if he connected her to the crime, she"d be so off-limits, he might as well l.u.s.t after a cover model as Audra. He"d have no chance with her. Who knew regret could hurt so bad?
Unable to help himself, Jesse pulled her around so she sat across his lap, her back cradled in the crook of his arm. Her eyes sparkled as she smiled up at him and she curled both her hands around the back of his neck and raised one brow in tempting dare. She felt right in his arms. s.e.xy, but comfortable at the same time.
"I like this," she said.
"You"ll like this better," he a.s.sured her before his mouth descended. They went from tinder to flames in an instant. She met his tongue with hers, challenged him to keep up with her demand for more. Audra would accept no less than complete pa.s.sion, breaking down all inhibitions and hesitations. For once, Jesse knew he held a woman who"d not only meet any and all of his s.e.xual needs, but she"d encourage him to explore his limits.
As their mouths continued their sensual dance, Audra slid one hand down his chest, teasing his belly before those talented fingers moved to play with the snap of his jeans. Sensual antic.i.p.ation grabbed hold of him. He wanted to feel those clever hands everywhere, to experience the intense pleasure he knew they"d bring.
Jesse wanted her to feel the same exquisite wanting, the same desperate need he felt. Oddly enough, he wasn"t intimidated by Audra"s experience or her grasp on the art of s.e.xual pleasure. But he was was determined to make one h.e.l.l of an impression himself. determined to make one h.e.l.l of an impression himself.
With that in mind, using the lightest of touches, he brushed his fingers over the tip of her breast. He felt the intake of her breath against his mouth and, taking it as a good sign, continued his barely-there teasing. After ten seconds, she gave the slightest squirm on his lap and Jesse wanted to groan himself. He palmed her nipple until it pebbled beneath his hand. She left off playing with his snap to sc.r.a.pe her fingernails down the zipper of his jeans, making his already straining flesh burgeon with need.
Unable to deny the rushing intensity of desire any longer, Jesse tweaked her nipple. Audra"s fingers convulsed on his d.i.c.k, making him groan aloud and pull away from her mouth.
Jesse buried his face in her throat and tried to gather some control. d.a.m.n, she was incredible. He was about ready to come in his jeans, from just the simple pressure of her fingers. He hadn"t seen the woman undressed yet, but he"d dedicated so many o.r.g.a.s.ms to her, he felt as if they were in a long-term relationship.
But they weren"t. And they couldn"t be. He needed to remember that. To remember why he was here, what his purpose in her life was. To save her, not to screw her. Maybe if he had it tattooed somewhere, he"d be able to remember that.
With a deep breath, Jesse pulled back and brushed a kiss over her forehead. He forced himself to meet her eyes as he tried to come up with an excuse to not go any further.
But when he looked into those wide, brown depths, there was no demand or expectation. All he saw was happy pleasure.
"Nice," she murmured.
"Same to you."
She grinned and patted his cheek before sliding off his lap.
"Play away, I"ll just be a few minutes. Then we"ll go, okay? I do have to be at this thing by eightish, so I"ll hurry."
Jesse refrained from asking what kind of thing, since he"d be there to find out himself. Besides, the sooner she got to cleaning, the sooner he could peek at her books.
"Are you one of those people who can"t concentrate if someone is talking to you?" she asked as she started gathering bolts of fabric from around the room to stack by the door with the others. "Or are you a social computer geek?"
"In between," he admitted, keeping one eye on her as he pulled up her bookkeeping program. He frowned. It wasn"t even pa.s.sword protected? She was such an innocent. That"d go in her favor when he was trying to plea-bargain a good deal for her.
"If I"m doing anything intense, programming or something, I"m better without conversation. But for games, most computer work, talking doesn"t bother me."
After that, Audra kept up a steady stream of chitchat. None of which required much response, but was fun to listen to all the same. She had a quirky way of relating a story, of describing clients and salespeople. It told him a lot about how much she liked the people she dealt with. This lingerie business was definitely a labor of love.
Jesse looked over to see her sorting beads and things into a plastic container and clicked on the recent list of deposits. And there it was. Ten thousand, cash. With the initials "S.S." and a notation of China loan China loan next to it. next to it.
S.S.? Jesse flipped through the files in his brain, but couldn"t connect any names-or even nicknames-to S.S. What was the deal? Loan? Not payoff? Could it be to cover their criminal activities? That didn"t makes sense. Not when there was a payment schedule outlined, complete with terms.
"Hey, what d"ya know? Natasha really does have a desk. I just had to clear enough stuff to find it," Audra said with a laugh.
Jesse hit the Close b.u.t.ton and laughed too, albeit a little stiffly. His mind was going in a dozen directions, and none of them made sense.
"You about ready to go?" she asked.
"Sure. You want me to shut this down?"
"Thanks, yeah. I"ll just grab my jacket and I"m ready."
Jesse used the time she took to do that, turn off the lights and lock up the boutique to puzzle through what he"d found. By the time they"d reached their cars, he still hadn"t figured it out. He"d have to do some further computer investigation after their date. Good thing he"d given her that good boy excuse; at least she wouldn"t be expecting him to spend the night. Not that he wouldn"t want to, but it was a h.e.l.l of a lot easier to fight one person"s wants than two.
"Do you mind if I drive?" she asked. She gave a little shrug and glanced at her watch. "You can follow me to my place and drop off your truck. It"s on the way. We"re running a little late and it"d be faster if I didn"t have to give directions and all."
"Um, sure," he agreed. Jesse tried to hide his frown. It wasn"t that he was uncomfortable with a woman driving. Just with a suspect driving him to a possible crime scene.
"Where are we going?" he asked after he"d followed her three blocks over to her apartment complex and dropped off his truck. He settled into the pa.s.senger seat, gripping the door as she zoomed out of the parking lot with barely a glance for traffic.
The woman drove like she did everything else. Wildly.
"There"s this little place in Auburn I need to go to. I have to be there by eight, eight-fifteen."
"Sure, no problem. Are we meeting someone?" he asked as they sped toward the freeway. Was it some kind of handoff? He flipped through his mental files, but nothing in Auburn sounded familiar. The triad tended to meet in clubs, Larson in nudie bars. But always in Sacramento. At least, not so far.
She took the on-ramp at high speed, zooming in and out of slower traffic with an ease that had the tension in Jesse"s neck unknotting just a little. For all her wildness, she seemed to be in complete control.
"It"s a nice place, a little bar I know. We"ll be in and out before you know it. Call it a quickie." Audra laughed and glanced over at him. Her scent, that sensual, musky rich perfume, filled the car"s interior and Jesse"s senses. His mouth watered, because he knew the scent was stronger right along her collarbone.
"Bar, huh? Not a club? That doesn"t sound much like your speed."
"You"d be surprised how much time I"ve spent in this particular bar," she said.
She paused, and Jesse glanced over. Sadness tugged at the corners of her eyes and she sighed. Then, catching his gaze, she pasted her s.e.xy smile on and winked.
"But it is a nice place, and the people are great."
"Okay. But there are plenty of nice places with great people here in Sacramento," he teased.
"Sure there are, but not like this. Besides, I promised I"d be there. It"s a matter of life or death, babe. I can"t blow off a promise."
Jesse raised a brow. He wasn"t sure why the Auburn location, but something big must be going down. After all, it was life or death. life or death.
Fifteen minutes later, brows drawn together, Jesse watched Audra park in the reserved parking spot in front of the Home Run Sports Bar. This was, just like she had said, a nice place.
This was her brother"s place. Jesse recognized the name from her files. Did she use it often for illegal activities? He"d have to check into it.
A middle-income neighborhood in the suburbs, there was a restaurant on one side of the bar and a flower shop on the other. Both looked to be frequented by families. The cars parked along the street and in the shared lot all looked middle-to upper-cla.s.s. It didn"t look like he"d need to worry about calling for backup.
Not a strip joint in sight, so it was unlikely the person they met inside would be Dave Larson. Which left any of a dozen others, Jesse reminded himself as he came around the car.
"Nice neighborhood," he commented as he opened Audra"s door for her.
"It"s picked up the last five years. The neighborhood was a little rougher, a little seedier before. But, yeah," she gazed around with a fond, indulgent look on her face, "it is nice, isn"t it?"