That"d been when the pinhead had got p.i.s.sed. The guy had started talking conspiracy, rival gangs and infiltration. Dave had just rolled his eyes. It was all too much paranoid drama for his blood.
It hadn"t been until the pinhead had sicced his goon on one of Dave"s computers, beating it into a pile of plastic and metal, that Dave had gotten scared.
It seemed that even though Dave had been a loyal employee for the past six months, although he"d followed their instructions, he"d worked his fingers sore hacking enough numbers to meet their dirty needs, the mix-up was all his his fault. And while Dave was willing to take the blame-especially since the goon had still been hefting the baseball bat he"d whacked the computer with-the pinhead wasn"t willing to let him off the hook. fault. And while Dave was willing to take the blame-especially since the goon had still been hefting the baseball bat he"d whacked the computer with-the pinhead wasn"t willing to let him off the hook.
Probably because Dave had gambled away a good portion of the first installment Du Bing Li Du Bing Li had fronted. Not that he"d told them that, or apparently that it would have mattered. They wanted the chip. The original, not a copy, not a new batch of names. It had to be that one. had fronted. Not that he"d told them that, or apparently that it would have mattered. They wanted the chip. The original, not a copy, not a new batch of names. It had to be that one.
As proof of Dave"s desire to live.
Here he was, Mr. Nice Guy, doing them a favor by offering up the goods. Dave knew the value of the info he"d hacked. Full ident.i.ties. Names, addresses, social security numbers, mothers" maiden names. The works. All those tidy little tidbits of information a savvy group such as Du Bing Li Du Bing Li could use. could use.
Dave was a smart man. He knew Du Bing Li Du Bing Li was tied to was tied to Wo Shing Wo, Wo Shing Wo, and the word on the street was they were looking to start transporting their human cargo into the good ole U.S. of A. For that, a computer chip of cleanly hacked IDs was a goldmine. and the word on the street was they were looking to start transporting their human cargo into the good ole U.S. of A. For that, a computer chip of cleanly hacked IDs was a goldmine.
Now he had to get it back from some club tramp, or lose his a.s.s.
"Move, dude."
Dave waited until the refrigerator-sized bouncer was past him before he sneered and gave him the finger.
He swiped his forehead again and stepped into the club. d.a.m.ned flashing lights made it hard to see, so he squinted, looking for the woman.
He could barely remember what she looked like. Hot, sure. But the details? Jeez, all women looked alike from the neck up; he never paid much attention.
Finally, he spotted a blonde who seemed familiar. She had been here that night. He was sure, because he remembered thinking that in the animal-print thing she"d been wearing, she"d looked exactly like one of the p.o.r.n queens he idolized. She wasn"t the woman he was looking for, but maybe she could help him find her.
He timed it right, waiting until she and the woman she was with waved to the waitress for drink refills. Then he sauntered over, hand on his wallet ready to make an impression.
"Ladies, how ya doin"?"
"We"re out of your league, dude. Get lost," the blonde said, with barely a glance his way.
The other one, a redhead with a nice rack, gave him a sympathetic look and little shrug. It was that shrug, the dainty apology of it, that made Dave look again.
She was gorgeous. It wasn"t just the sweet curve of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s pressing against her dress or the way her hair curled down her back, inspiring one of his favorite fantasies. It was the polished, moneyed look of her. Dave was an expert at recognizing money and what it could do for a person. Which was why he"d dedicated his life to ama.s.sing as much of it as he could.
A man such as himself could definitely appreciate the silky richness of a woman like this one.
"Don"t underestimate me," he told the blonde. "There"s a lot more to me than meets the eye."
The blonde snorted.
Normally, that kind of c.r.a.p would send him back to the safety of his computer and his agreeable online ladies. But d.a.m.ned if he"d be brushed off when he"d found his dream woman. Especially when his a.s.s was on the line, too.
"You might be overestimating yourself if you think you could handle either of us, dude." This time, the blonde actually turned to face him. Davey recognized the look in her eyes, the combination of pity and disinterest.
Davey fought off his natural instinct to run away. He needed the chip. To get the chip, he needed to find out who that woman was, and once he did, find a way to get to her. He was sure she"d been with these women that night. Which meant they might know her name and address. And hopefully, they meant enough to her to be bait if necessary.
"Let me buy you ladies drinks and I"ll show you how wrong you are." Dave pulled out his wallet and, hiding a grimace, handed the waitress enough to cover the drinks she"d just delivered. "I"ll bet women as hot as the two of you are used to all the studs. .h.i.tting on you. Bunch of egocentric, selfish guys, all out for whatever they can get off you."
"Obviously any guy can hit. Who we let connect is what counts."
"Sure, sure. You"re hot, you"re in the driver"s seat. But what I"m saying is, you ladies, hot as you are, have to get sick of the users around here. Me, I"m all about what I can do for you."
"Nice try, and points for creativity." The blonde rolled her eyes at him in obvious dismissal. "But, no thanks."
Davey ignored the blonde"s disinterest. It was the redhead"s reaction that sent the surge of triumph through him. Her slight nod and the droop of her mouth screamed "Score."
The gorgeous rich girl was the key. Antic.i.p.ation swirled through him at the idea of working on her to get the information he needed.
Like a hawk focused on its prey, he shifted his weight just a bit. Enough to face her, but not enough to scare her off.
Her soft blue gaze met his, sending Cupid"s arrow straight through his heart. He skimmed his gaze over her, taking in the designer clothes, flash of sparkles at her ears and pricey cosmetics. The only thing that turned him on more than a gorgeous woman with a C cup was one who came wrapped in wealth.
Unfortunately, as he did whenever he was faced with a fantasy woman, his tongue tied itself in knots and he lost the ability to think coherently.
Dave quelled the panicky feeling in his belly and tried to get his brain to work. He needed that chip. To get it, he needed the name of their friend. That wasn"t gonna happen unless one of them trusted him. Since his body screamed out for the hot redhead, he"d focus on her. After all, the blonde scared him.
Dave put on his most trustworthy face and hid his fists in his pockets. Sucking in a deep breath, he almost choked on the mix of perfumes, BO and booze in the air. He ignored it and pasted a big smile on his face.
"Your friend"s loss is your gain," he said to the redhead. Davey looked at her gla.s.s, almost empty, and hid a wince. She sure drank fast. Dammit, he might have to fork out more dough than he"d wanted. "Let me buy you a couple more drinks and tell you how well I"d treat you if you were my lady."
Three drinks, two painful dances and countless barbs from the blonde later, Davey was pretty happy with his progress. He had his hand on the redhead"s-Bea"s-a.s.s. He"d got a buzz going and lost some of the edgy nerves that had dogged him since the pinhead had slammed down his door. Now to get that name.
"You ladies look familiar. Have you been in any commercials or print work I"d recognize?" he asked.
Bea"s eyes lit up and she did a sweet little wiggle that sent her chest swaying. Before she could reply, though, the blonde gave a mean little laugh.
"Oh, please," sneered Suzi. "You"re already feeling her up. Can"t you do any better than that cheesy pickup line?"
"No, no. I"ve been on the cover of California Girl, California Girl," Bea said with a glare at her friend. "He probably recognized me."
Davey didn"t even recognize the magazine. But he grinned anyway and nodded.
"Of course, of course. I knew it. I"ve seen you recently, though. Maybe in person? Do you come in here a lot?"
"Actually," Bea said, giving him a long, slightly wasted look, "you look familiar, too."
"Gag me," Suzi murmured.
Davey had to force himself not to take her up on the offer. Instead, he offered her a sneer and his shoulder. She just laughed.
"I was in last Sat.u.r.day scoping out talent. I"m a photographer," he told Bea, who"s eyes sparked with excitement. "Maybe you were here then?"
"Sat.u.r.day?" the blonde said with a shrug. "Maybe. We hit a lot of clubs."
Bea narrowed her eyes, then nodded. "We were were here Sat.u.r.day. That was Audra"s party. Remember, Suzi?" here Sat.u.r.day. That was Audra"s party. Remember, Suzi?"
"Oh, yeah, I remember." Suzi giggled, the softest sound he"d heard from her. A self-professed expert at reading people, Dave wondered at the affection and regret in the blonde"s eyes. "She hit on that geeky loser and he ran like a scared little girl, remember Bea?"
Bingo. Davey cracked his neck, pasted on a fake smile and hoped they didn"t recognize him as the scared little girl. The Audra chick must have his computer chip. Dave wasn"t too concerned, though. It wasn"t as if she was the compet.i.tion, out to sell it to the highest bidder. Nah, this was all gonna be fine. Just fine.
Davey leaned his elbows on the high table and turned on the charm. He"d find out if he had anything to worry about, get a name to retrieve his chip from and romance his dream woman in the bargain. n.o.body was better at getting his way than Dave Larson.
AUDRA"S SMILE drew Jesse"s attention away from the mouthwatering view of smooth flesh showcased in red leather. He knew the flesh was smooth because his fingers had memorized the feel of her. drew Jesse"s attention away from the mouthwatering view of smooth flesh showcased in red leather. He knew the flesh was smooth because his fingers had memorized the feel of her.
"You"ll have to tell me a little bit about your preferences," Audra told him. Straightening slowly, the view shifted and he saw her top only reached her midriff, leaving her stomach bare above low-slung jeans.
A bare stomach adorned with not only an ultrafine gold chain, but also a belly-b.u.t.ton piercing-a glittery red jewel with dangling stars.
Jesse did his d.a.m.nedest not to swallow his tongue.
"Preferences?" he asked. The possibilities ran through his mind at the speed of light, each one featuring a deliciously naked Audra.
"Yeah. You know, what look you like. What gets you excited?"
"You."
And she did. Instead of the magenta-tipped spikes he"d seen before, today her hair was fluffed around her head. Still edgy black, it was just a little softer. Her face seemed softer, too. Maybe it was the girly atmosphere of the boutique instead of the harsh lights of the club or the parking overheads. This easy, approachable look made it d.a.m.ned hard to think of her as a criminal.
Especially in this confection-style shop, with its gilded edges, swirly decorations and ma.s.s of frilly s.e.x-inspired nighties.
She laughed a little and shook her head. "I mean what lingerie looks are you into? Any fashion preferences?"
"I like the look you have going on," he reiterated. "What style is that?"
Audra looked down at herself, then shrugged and grinned. "You won"t find this in here. For the most part, Simply Sensual"s stock is more subtle. You know, satin and lace. Someday, I hope to bring in a little leather, maybe some metal detailing. But for now, the stock here is pretty sweet. I call this my last rebellion style."
"Do tell."
"When I started working here, I was the ultimate rebel. It was all about the design, not the boutique. Shop, retail, that was boring. I"d show up for work whenever I felt like it, take off when I wanted."
"Didn"t your employer object?"
"Believe me, I didn"t come with references," Audra said with a rueful laugh. "I remember my first job. I worked at this trendy little boutique. One day I saw a list of "employee rules" posted in the office and realized I"d broken them all."
"Don"t you worry about breaking rules?"
"Nah. I"m not big on rules. Usually the worst I get is a lecture and I"m used to that. I had a social worker once who was the queen of lectures."
"Social worker, huh?"
"No biggie," she said with a shrug, "I had a high school counselor who doubled as Dottie Do-Gooder. She was so sure I was gonna end up in jail or on the streets, ole Dottie called in Child Protective Services. They"d already tagged me as a lost cause, but this social worker figured she"d hang out and make me her project child."
Even though her tone was light, it was clearly a closed door. Jesse noted the tight, pained look around her eyes as she talked about the past. From the info he"d dug up, she"d never actually been in the foster system. It didn"t sound as if she"d gotten off unscathed, though.
"So you"re not big on rules, huh? What about losing your job?"
Her wide smile was obviously in thanks for changing the subject. Jesse ignored what it did to his body and told himself to focus on the case. His body, of course, ignored him.
"Natasha knew what she was getting into when she signed me on. Actually, I started in the back doing design work while I went to school. Simpl Sensual has two functions. The boutique and the lingerie company. My focus is design, first and foremost. But somehow I got conned into creating displays, eventually got suckered into working the cash register."
"Sounds like your-" Jesse stopped himself before he let slip sister-in-law sister-in-law "-boss is pretty wily. She obviously knew what it would take to entice you into becoming the model employee." He eyed her bare belly and winked. "Especially if you get many men in here shopping." "-boss is pretty wily. She obviously knew what it would take to entice you into becoming the model employee." He eyed her bare belly and winked. "Especially if you get many men in here shopping."
"We get a few. And yeah, Natasha"s okay. She just promoted me last week. Now I run the design department of the lingerie side of the business."
"And you still rebel?"
Audra laughed, a husky sound of delight.
"I"ll always be a rebel. I"m just a little...less, now." Her tone drooped, kind of like the wispy bit of silk that dangled, one strap hanging forlornly, from the padded hanger. She reached over to adjust it, securing the loose strap over the fabric-covered b.u.t.ton.
"Over the last few months, I suppose I have become the model employee. h.e.l.l, I even put the money in the cash register now so it all faces the same way." She gave a rueful laugh and walked toward him. The effortless swing of her hips tempted him to forget his resolve to stay on track. Jesse caught her distinctive scent and felt his body reacting with remembered yearning. "But a girl loses her edge if she doesn"t keep that naughty side alive and kicking. So now I find other areas to be...bad."
His mouth watered as he envisioned her being bad on him. Over him. Under him. Oh, h.e.l.l. Focus, Martinez. Oh, h.e.l.l. Focus, Martinez. He needed to get a grip. She"d given him the perfect opening, he needed to think with his cop head. He needed to get a grip. She"d given him the perfect opening, he needed to think with his cop head.
"So what kind of bad are you into now?" he asked.
"Just about anything you have in mind, I"ll bet I"d be into," she said, taking a few steps closer. So close, he could feel the heat radiating from her lush body. So close, his fingers tingled with the need to touch her. She was like a drug. She"d wormed her way into his system and he couldn"t get enough of her. Then he frowned. Anything?
"Like what? I mean, how far do you go to be bad? Drugs?"
When her eyes popped wide, Jesse winced. Dammit, he belonged behind a computer keyboard, not here trying to sneak information out of a woman whose scent fogged his brain.
She gave him a long look, the most serious he"d ever seen from her. Then she offered a one-shouldered shrug. "I guess, given what some people call bad, I don"t mind clarifying for you. I"m anti-drugs, and to be honest, I"m a very light drinker. I"m not big on artificial stimulation."
She paused, inspecting his face. She must have been satisfied with whatever she saw there, because she ran her tongue over her lower lip and moved close to him again.
"I am, however, very into physical stimulation. If memory serves, you"re pretty good in that area."
"I can work magic with my hands," Jesse a.s.sured her. Sure, it was usually on a keyboard, but all that finger work limbered him up for much more intricate maneuvers.
"Really? Does that mean your wand is magic, too?" Her comment, combined with her wide-eyed innocent look, made him laugh with pleasure.
"You"re so d.a.m.ned cute, you know that?" He was surprised at how much fun she was. How at odds her playful side was to the hot packaging.
"Cute? I don"t think I"ve ever been called cute," she said with a snicker.
He winced. That probably wasn"t the kind of thing a woman over twelve took as a compliment. But she didn"t seem offended, just amused.
"Is that a bad thing? I know my sisters have this need to be taken seriously, and cute isn"t synonymous with serious. Other women I"ve known seem to need compliments and-" he almost said "to be fawned over," but stopped himself in time "-you know, to be treated so carefully. You"re probably the most comfortable person I"ve ever met."
"Comfortable? You"re kidding, right?" She furrowed her brow and gave a little curl of her lip. But, again, she didn"t seem offended.
"Comfortable with yourself, I mean. Not comfortable to be around. After all, I get a hard-on the minute I see you. That"s not exactly what I"d call relaxing."