Chapter Nine

 

 

 

They stopped off at a burger restaurant a little way before the entrance to the freeway heading north. After ordering enough to feed an army, they took the food back to the car to eat. Daniel raised an eyebrow at the two burgers, large fries and apple pie that Beth had ordered. She’d warned him she ate more when she was stressed, but now she was trying to convince him that she wanted to make sure he was fed. Cute.

Sure, that was it. As if she had any reason to care about what he did. Not after the way she’d been lied to, taken on this rollercoaster ride across the country, then to top it off he cops a feel when she slips in the shower. It was a goddamned miracle she hadn’t run away from him, or listened to anything he said. Damn, but she certainly filled out that towel well. He felt the blood go south even thinking about it. Don’t even go there, Daniel.

Nah, she was just trying to hide her amazing appetite from Kevin. She’d become pretty chummy with him in a very short time. And why not? Kevin never had much trouble attracting women. It was the Irish charm and that blarney he came out with. He was such a flirt. But why did it bother him so much? He and Kevin always competed for women. It was a friendly rivalry. All he had to do was tell Kevin to back off and he would. But did he have a right to ask? And if he did, what would Kevin make of it? When this was over, he’d probably never see Beth again, but why did that thought make him feel just a little empty?

“So are you going to tell us what happened?” asked Beth.

Daniel stiffened and took a deep breath. There is only one way to do this, he thought. Just tell her straight.

“Someone got to Will.”

“The helicopter pilot?”

Daniel nodded. “He’s dead.”

Beth paled. “Who did this?”

“He arranged to get me a car, and before I showed up to collect it, someone shot him.”

“Oh God.” Beth buried her face in her hands. Daniel fought the urge to jump over the seat and take her in his arms. He settled for reaching over and squeezing her shoulder instead.

“It’s not your fault, Beth. You do know that, don’t you?”

“I don’t know what to think, Daniel. Ever since we’ve met, I’ve been followed and shot at and I’m constantly scared. And now someone else has been killed, all because of something I can’t even remember. I just don’t see a way out of this.”

Kevin cleared his throat. “I think this is when I put in my two cents worth. I think I should put you both in an ASIO safe house. I know a place not too far from here. No one in the AFP knows about it.”

Daniel shook his head. “No, I don’t agree. We need to get to Brisbane and find a place for us without outside help. Somewhere no one knows about. There are obviously some security breaches going on here and I think we’ll be safer without anyone knowing—you included, Kevin.”

“You don’t suspect me?”

“Of course not, but I’m also thinking of your safety. If you don’t know, they won’t come after you.”

“So Kevin’s not coming with us?”

“No, I’ve changed my mind. This is where you get out, mate.”

“I understand where you’re coming from, Danny boy. You know where to find me if you need anything. I’d better get off the bus then. It’s been a pleasure, Beth,” said Kevin, as he took her hand and gently kissed her knuckles.

Beth laughed. “Yes, it has been, you flirt you.” Her smile faded. “You be careful, Kevin.”

“I’m always careful,” he said. He opened the car door and jumped out. “Farewell, fair lady.”

“Cut it out, Kevin, before I throw up.”

Daniel joined Kevin at the boot of the car and handed him his backpack. “I meant it, Kevin. Sorry about the change of plan, but it’s safer for all of us this way.”

“I know, Danny boy, but if you get stuck, you know where to reach me.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Daniel watched Kevin walk out of the car park and head for the railway station before he rejoined Beth in the car. She’d moved to the front seat and was stuffing the uneaten food into a paper bag. Her hands shook as she twisted the end of the bag closed before tossing it toward the bin outside the open window, missing it by several inches.

“Damn,” she said, grabbing the door handle.

“Leave it.”

“I can’t leave litter lying around…”

Daniel started the car up and shoved the gearstick into reverse. “Leave it. We haven’t got time.”

The car roared to life as Daniel reversed and drove out of the car park. He headed down some back streets, avoiding the highway.

“Where are we going?”

“Not Brisbane…yet. We need to stay in Sydney for another day at least to check up on some things.”

“Like who killed Will?”

“Among other things.”

“So why did you tell Kevin we were going to Brisbane?”

“The less people who know where we are, the better.”

Daniel pulled over to the side of the road next to a large wall. The sign indicated a waste management site. The stench of rotting garbage made Beth nauseous and she cupped her hands over her nose.

“Why are we stopping here? This is a rubbish tip.”

“Get your bags. We’re dumping them.”

“Dumping them? Whatever for?”

“Someone knew I was meeting Will. I can’t take a chance that there’s some sort of tracking or listening device hidden in any of our gear. We’ll dump it all here, including the phones. I’ll keep the money and we can replace anything we need.”

“So you think that’s how they keep finding us,” said Beth, as she handed Daniel the bags to throw over the wall.

“I don’t know, but I can’t afford to take the chance.”

“So where to now?”

Daniel opened Beth’s door for her. “Let’s go shopping.”

 

* * * *

 

The shopping mall was crowded, making it easy for them to blend in with the masses. Loaded up with purchases, they’d changed clothes, including their underwear and shoes, discarding what they’d been wearing. Daniel led them to an electronics shop where they replaced the laptop and bought a couple of prepaid mobile phones. Beth followed Daniel in a daze, still not quite able to take in the fact that Will had been killed. With that public servant on the train and the train driver, that made three people dead. The whole thing was so surreal. This couldn’t be happening to her—ordinary Beth Hamilton, receptionist and computer student. It was inconceivable that someone wished her dead. The worst part was not knowing who—never knowing if the person behind her was one of those trying to kill her. Never knowing when they would strike.

Daniel walked beside her with such confidence. He appeared relaxed as he pushed the supermarket trolley he’d commandeered to carry the load of articles they’d bought. They could be any other couple out enjoying shopping together. How does he do it? How does he live with the constant danger that comes with his choice of job? Oh yes, he doesn’t do it anymore. He has a desk job now.

Now Beth understood a little of why he’d left the field. It must’ve been so tough living with all that stress on a daily basis. She’d only experienced it for a few days. She couldn’t imagine living with it day in and day out.

Daniel’s eyes lit up as he stopped and stared at something in the distance.

“Cool. I think it’s time for a little indulgence, don’t you?”

“Indulgence?”

He laughed as they pulled up to an ice cream vendor.

“Chocolate chip? Or are you a pistachio fan like me?”

“Pistachio? Oh, ice cream. Yes, I love pistachio. Double scoop, waffle cone, thanks.”

Daniel chuckled again. “Coming right up. Take a seat. Watch the trolley and I’ll be right back.”

“So where to now?” asked Beth, when Daniel returned a few minutes later with their ice cream. “I thought we were heading to the Conference? At least, that’s what you’d told Kevin.”

Beth watched as Daniel licked a small drizzle of ice cream from his fingers. Sudden heat surged through her as she zeroed in on his lips, remembering the feel of them on her own. His eyes met hers as he stopped mid-lick then brought his mouth down and sucked on his fingertips one by one, his eyes never leaving hers. She felt a tingle between her legs and moisture in her panties as she imagined him doing things to her in the same slow rhythm as his finger, moving in and out of his mouth. Oh God!

Not now, don’t think about it now. She bowed her flushed face, staring at her own fingers and wiped them roughly with a napkin.

Daniel hesitated, winking at her before swallowing the last of the cone. He reached behind him and threw his crumpled napkin in the rubbish bin. When he turned back, he was all business again. “For the time being, we need a place to crash and get on with my computer search. There has to be something we’re missing. Someone knew where we were in Canberra and I’m not sure how, but at least now we’re clean of possible bugs and if I’m right, we’re safe for the time being.”

How does he do that? He can turn the heat on and off like a light switch. She needed a minute to cool down so she screwed up her paper towel into a tight ball and stood to walk over to the bin and throw it in.

“You ready then?”

She swallowed, desperately trying to cool her emotions and praying Daniel wouldn’t notice anything amiss. “Yeah, I guess. Where are we going again?”

“We’ll know when we get there.”

“That’s comforting to know.”

“I haven’t decided yet. We’ll work it out when we’re driving. If we don’t know until we get there, at least whoever is following us will have no chance of knowing either.”

“You know, in a scary sort of way that actually makes sense to me. I must be catching on to this spy business.”

“Don’t get too comfortable. It’s not the life for someone like you.”

“What do you mean ‘someone like me’? Didn’t I get myself out of trouble in Canberra? I can hack it if you can’t.”

“Hey, don’t jump down my throat and get all defensive. I didn’t mean I thought you couldn’t hack it, just that a woman like you deserves a normal life with a family and all that goes with it—not a life in the shadows and having to keep secrets from those you care about.”

“Don’t you deserve that, too?”

Daniel shrugged and stood up. “It’s not a priority for me. I have other plans for my life.”

Beth followed him as he wheeled the trolley toward the car park. “And that includes being by yourself for the rest of your life?”

“Works for me. Let’s get this gear to the car and take off.”

Well, that confirmed what she’d originally thought. He was the love ’em and leave ’em type. He did warn her after that spontaneous combustion kiss. Good thing she’d stopped herself from caring too much. Yeah, good thing all round.

 

* * * *

 

The sleazy hotel they checked into in Kings Cross was a far cry from the five-star luxury of the previous night. The stench of cigarettes and stale beer had Daniel coughing to cover the gag threatening to close over his throat. He didn’t want to think how bad this place was and how Beth didn’t belong here. If he was gagging, what the heck was she feeling? After he handed over the cash to the long-haired, scruffy guy who passed as the receptionist, he turned to find her staring out at the street outside. A couple of kids were passing. They couldn’t have been more than fifteen or sixteen, but they were dressed to kill in short skirts, high heels and tight tank tops. Heavy eye makeup and lipstick marred their adolescent faces. Such was life in Sydney’s notorious Kings Cross, but from the shocked expression on Beth’s face, it was something she’d hadn’t seen much of in her past, which was amazing since she’d grown up in Sydney.

She turned to face him as he approached. A small tear escaped and trickled down her left cheek before she managed to swipe it with the back of her hand. “They’re so young. They should be giggling in the back row of the movies with their boyfriends or having sleepovers with their girlfriends, not walking the streets soliciting paying customers.”

Daniel hustled her toward the dingy stairs. “Yeah, well, sometimes life sucks and people are forced to do some crap things to survive. Not our problem at the moment. Let’s get to our room so we can get out of sight.”

“Don’t you care?”

Daniel stopped after he turned the lock in the door to their room. “Once, a long time ago, I thought about how it’d be great to right all the wrongs of the world, but guess what, sweetheart? No matter what we do, there’ll always be another street kid turning tricks. It never goes away.”

“That’s a cynical attitude.”

“Yeah, well, I’m a realist. Life seldom turns out the way we’d like it to.” He placed his hand in the small of her back and urged her into the room. “Okay, let’s get the door closed. The walls have eyes and ears.”

 

* * * *

 

“Where the hell are they?” the silver-haired man demanded.

“Still in Sydney. I’m closing in on them now. It won’t be long and the problem will be eliminated,” the man at the end of the phone replied.

“It had better be. You owe me this and you’re being paid very well for your trouble. Don’t even think of failing.”

“Don’t worry. This is one assignment I’m going to enjoy.”

The silver-haired man grimaced. “You’re one sick bastard, you know that.”

The other man chuckled. “I’m not the one giving the orders here.”

“But I get no pleasure out of this business. If there was any other solution…but there isn’t, so get on with it, and don’t tell me any of your sick fantasies.”

The other man snorted. “Whatever. I’ll be in touch.” He shut off his phone and whistled as he started up his car and headed into the city.

It won’t be long now, he congratulated himself. It was all coming together. Finally.

 

* * * *

 

The room was better than Daniel had expected, considering the hygiene level of the lobby. At least the bed appeared to have clean sheets and the small sink on the wall was clean. He couldn’t say the same for the moth-eaten carpet though. Beside the bed, there was a large rusty stain that could only be an old blood. He hoped it was from someone’s sinus condition and not something more ominous. He dumped the bag over it, hoping to cover it before it got Beth’s attention. She was uptight enough just from being in the ‘Cross’. She didn’t need any more reminders of the seedier side of life. He scanned the room for any more surprises but, finding none, he sat down on the bed and began unlacing his shoes.

“How long do you think we need to stay here, Daniel?”

The first shoe plunked on the floor and Daniel let out a breath. “I’m hoping I’ll be able to access more files tonight, and if we’re lucky, by tomorrow we might have a better idea who we can trust on this thing. Maybe just one night, two at the most.”

Daniel watched Beth as she sat down on the only chair in the room. A throwback from the sixties, the seat was a murky mixture of olive green and orange stripes. Well, it might have been those colors once. Years of sweat and dirt now made the colors merge into one. It didn’t seem too sturdy either.

“You sure you want to sit there? There’s plenty of room over here.”

Beth flushed to the roots of her magnificent red hair and sat down quickly.

“It’s okay. I’m sure it’ll take my weight.” She crossed her shapely legs and placed her hands on either side of her on the seat of the chair, gripping the edges. “I suppose I can handle a couple of nights here. If you think this is safe, I’d stay anywhere.”

Daniel smiled. “Even camping?”

Beth laughed, her stiff demeanor relaxing a little. “Well, probably not camping again. You know how well that turned out last time. My dad was right. Camping is bad news.”

Daniel watched as she uncrossed and crossed her legs, bringing instantly to mind a scene out of Basic Instinct. He shook his head to purge the image of those long, gorgeous pins wrapped around his hips. “We should get some rest. We have a busy day ahead of us. I’ll go and get us some takeout then we should try to get some sleep.”

Beth stiffened in her chair again although she stayed glued to the seat. The idea of being left alone in this room obviously didn’t sit well with her. “Okay, I promise not to open the door for anyone and I won’t make any phone calls either.”

She looked away as Daniel approached her. He touched the soft skin of her cheek, turning her face to meet his gaze. “Beth, you know it’s for your own safety…these precautions?”

Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “Yes, I know. I just wish it was over. I want my life back, but whining about it won’t help, so you get going and I’ll be here waiting.”

Shit! He hated to leave her while she was upset, but they had to eat and he would be back in a flash. “You’ll be all right?”

“Go!” she said, breaking the contact and pushing him away.

“Okay, I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Flashing her an encouraging smile, he headed for the door.

“Daniel…?”

He turned back. “Yes?”

“Don’t you think you’d be more comfortable with your shoes on?”

Daniel stared at his bare feet and laughed. “I suppose I’d better put them back on. Although bare feet are common in these parts, you never know what might be on the ground.”

 

Minutes later, he was out of the door and Beth found herself alone. She thought back to the other time she’d been alone in a hotel waiting for Daniel to return. She’d been pretty annoyed with him for keeping her out of the loop, and had decided to take matters into her own hands. Fat lot of good that had done. It’d almost gotten them both killed. No way was she moving out of the room this time. She’d learned that lesson the hard way.

She looked around the dingy surroundings and wrinkled her nose. If only they could have stayed five star again. She was in her hometown but she’d never stayed in this part of town before. Sure, she’d driven down Darlinghurst Road with a group of people to check out the scenery, but she’d never really thought about the people who lived there. It was different when she thought of the place as a tourist trap. What she’d seen in the last hour was enough for her to change her opinion completely.

Her mind went back a couple of days to when they’d been in Canberra. Maybe if she went through everything that had happened step by step, she could work out how they’d been discovered, and maybe even who was following them. Images of their arrival in the hotel flashed in front of her eyes. The dinner and what had happened after when she fell in the shower came to mind. How embarrassing. Her skin warmed several degrees, her heart pounded and her breathing came in and out in short spurts. Memories of Daniel’s firm, demanding lips on hers came back in a rush and she gasped. His unique scent lingered in the room and teased her nostrils and the path his hands had followed now burned with intense heat. Unable to sit still, she stood and paced restlessly around the room.

This was stupid. It was getting her nowhere. She spied the jacket Daniel had left strewn over the bed. She picked it up, pressing it to her face and inhaling, groaning as she breathed in his unique masculine scent.

Oh yeah, she had it bad.

Back to business, Beth. What happened next? She recalled scrolling through the diary on the laptop. She remembered feeling lonely. Wait, now she remembered. Her father’s friend hadn’t answered when she’d attempted to call him. But he couldn’t be involved, could he?

A key sounded in the lock and Beth jumped, her heart once again thumping. She moved to the window, not sure what she could do if a stranger accosted her, but there was a small balcony outside where she could escape if she needed to. She grasped the window frame and was poised to force it open if need be when Daniel walked through the door.

“Everything okay?”

Relief flowed through her. “Thank God it’s you! You almost gave me a heart attack. How about we come up with a secret knock or something? I almost jumped out the window, you know. I was this close,” she said, with her thumb and forefinger placed an inch apart in front of his face. She couldn’t stay mad at him and broke into a smile.

Daniel smiled sheepishly as he placed a paper bag down on the small table. “Sorry, I was rushing back to feed you. I know how much you love your food, but you’re right, I should have knocked first.”

“Well, since you’ve brought food, I’ll forgive you this time.” She recognized the aroma of something spicy. Oh yes, just what she needed to banish the thoughts of the last few minutes.

“Is that what I think it is?”

“If you’re thinking sub sandwiches, then you’d be correct. They’re two doors down. I didn’t want to leave you by yourself for too long. I’m glad to see you approve of my choice.”

Daniel handed her a sub and napkin and seated himself on the bed before opening his own sandwich.

Beth watched as he took the first bite. He let out a groan of pleasure. Beth’s breath hitched and she turned away. Her internal thermostat rose another twenty degrees just thinking about those incredible lips as he tasted her sensitive body parts. Her nipples tightened when the flush expanded to cover her whole body. Down, girl! Back to business. She should tell Daniel about what she remembered, and now was as good a time as any. She forced herself to breathe deeper and slower.

“Daniel, I’ve been thinking.”

Daniel polished off the rest of his sandwich in another two bites. “Hang on a sec…”

Beth turned back to him in time to see him place his fingers one by one into his mouth to suck the juices from the sandwich off. She grabbed her bottle of cola and took a large swig, taking in the liquid too quickly and coughing desperately.

Daniel jumped up from the bed and patted her on the back. “You okay?”

Mortified, Beth sucked in a couple of deep breaths and nodded, not trusting her voice at this stage. Jeepers creepers, how was she going to get through one night in the same room as him, let alone two? Every movement, every gesture, had her hot, thinking of the things he could do to her body and her to his.

She gradually stopped gagging and she took another sip, carefully this time. “Yeah, I think so. Thanks for the back pat though. I needed that.”

“You said you’d been thinking about something, Beth. What was that all about?”

Grateful to move on, Beth took another small sip of her cola before she walked across to the window to stare at the street below.

“I’ve been trying to piece together everything we’d done and everyone we’ve spoken to since this started. I thought I could figure out where they picked up on our position, and following on from that possibly who.”

“And what did you come up with?”

“I remembered something about what happened in the hotel in Canberra.”

“What else happened?”

“When you were out, and before I went out on my adventure, I called a friend of my father who lives in Canberra.”

“You what?” Daniel jumped up and walked over to her, the sparks from his dark eyes almost touching her skin as he came closer to her.

“I thought it was okay. He worked with my father for years and I hadn’t seen him since my parents’ funeral.”

“Beth…you know I asked you not to call anyone. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I actually forgot about it.”

He placed his hand on her shoulder and spun her around to face him, the heat from his touch burning through her shirt. “How could you forget something as significant as this?”

“I’m sorry. I got distracted with running from the bad guys. He wasn’t there anyway. I didn’t even leave a message. But why would he be after me? He was my father’s workmate.”

Daniel’s hand dropped and he stormed back to the bed, sitting down. “Haven’t you learned anything from this, Beth? We can’t trust anyone.”

“I’m sorry, Daniel. I know better now. I was feeling lonely and wanted to hear a friendly voice. It won’t ever happen again.” Beth tried hard, but it was difficult to keep the tears out of her voice. She gulped back a sob and started for the bathroom.

“Hell…”

She fumbled for the door and Daniel was there in front of her, pulling her into his arms.

“I’ve been such an idiot. I should have known better. It was just that I was so lonely and I thought that if I spoke to someone who knew my parents…” A small tear slid down her cheek. Damn. She never cried, but in the last two days the tears had been running like a river in flood.

“It’s okay,” said Daniel as he pulled her even closer and rubbed his hand up and down her back. “Shh…we’re in this together.”

It felt good. Too good. The heat that was generated was stimulating other parts of her body that had no business being stimulated. From the hardness she felt as she brushed against his jeans, the same thing was happening to him. He tilted her chin and she gazed into his eyes. His face inched closer as his lips descended. With a featherlight touch, he kissed her once, twice, but as he moved in for a closer exploration, Beth placed her hand on his chest, pushing gently, forcing some badly needed distance between them before she found herself melting into him. Daniel dropped his arms to his sides and stepped back, his short, sharp breaths letting her know it was just as difficult for him. She turned her head away from him—his smoldering eyes were too much of a temptation.

She cleared her throat to mask her raspy voice. “It couldn’t be Uncle Jack. Someone must have been monitoring his phone. He would never try to hurt me.”

“How good a friend was he? When did you last see him?”

“When I was younger, my parents socialized with him and his wife. He frequently came to our home.” She took a few steps toward the table, picking up her cola and lifting the bottle up to her mouth, taking a long drink before putting it back down. “The last time I saw him was at my parents’ funeral.”

“I wish you’d told me about this before, but there’s nothing we can do about that now. At least we have another point of entry to investigate. Tell me, where does your uncle work?”

“Some government department in Canberra. I don’t think he’s ever told me exactly where, and I probably didn’t think to ask.”

“That doesn’t give us much to go on.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Forget it. I need to think. I’m going to take a walk. I won’t be long. Will you be okay?”

Panic gripped Beth as she sucked in a breath and felt her heart slam in her chest.

“You’re not okay…”

She swayed on her feet as she reached behind her back and steadied herself on the table. “I’ll be fine. I just need some air. If I put on the wig, can I come with you?”

“I don’t think—”

“Please, Daniel… I’ll suffocate in here by myself. I’ll be careful. I promise. I won’t do anything to attract attention. Don’t say no.”

Daniel stood in front of the door and stopped, his back to her. “The short blonde one. And hurry up. We should get some sleep sometime soon.”

Yes! Without waiting for him to change his mind, Beth grabbed the bag of disguises and headed for the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind her.

 

* * * *

 

Five minutes later she emerged, transformed. Daniel stared at her. She’d changed clothes. With the spiky-heeled shoes, her legs seemed to go on forever. The short black skirt fit snugly across her mid-thighs and the fabric of the red tank top stretched taut across her breasts. He hardened instantly. Shit! This is a bad idea. He tried to turn away, but couldn’t. Not until he’d checked out every sexy little inch of her disguise. She’d made up her face and painted her sexy lips with a deep red lipstick. The blonde hair of her wig curled provocatively over her forehead and his hand itched to slip a spiral behind her ear. This was a different Beth to the one he’d come to know. She was more confident somehow. Her eyes were a flash of green light, daring him to challenge her. His gaze traveled from her eyes down her body once more. When he stopped at her breasts, she made a small gasping sound and he saw her nipples outlined through the strained material. They’d better get out of there and fast before he did something stupid, like throw her on the bed and show her exactly how she made his anatomy react. He grabbed her arm and dragged her to the door. “Let’s go!”

She stood her ground and shook off his arm. “Do I look okay?”

“Yeah, fine. Let’s get out of here.”

“Not too much?”

“No. Yes… Maybe. But we’ll wing it. Just stick close to me, okay?”

“Okay,” she rasped as he once again took hold of her and propelled them into the hall. The door slammed shut as they walked down the staircase. He could feel her trembling under the weight of his hand on her. When they got to the street, he let her go and wrapped his arm over her shoulder.

“What are you doing?”

“Making sure no one propositions you. In that get-up, it’s a sure thing.”

“Somehow I don’t think that was a compliment.”

“Take it however you want… Now, let’s get that fresh air you wanted.”

They moved out onto Macleay Street, into a crowd of people laughing and jostling each other along the pavement. Daniel watched the tourists and locals alike bustling along up and down the main drag of the Cross. Daniel had been there many times, but never with a woman like Beth on his arm. He could feel every leer from every teenager out with his mates searching for fun and every sleazy club bouncer out drumming up business in the many strip joints along the street. His face hurt from the snarls he gave them all. God, she was so damn sexy in that almost outfit. Another big bruiser of a guy stared at her breasts and he had an urge to punch the bozo’s lights out. Jesus, he’d better get her back to their room soon and pray she’d put on those flannel pajamas she’d bought on their shopping trip that morning. Was it only that morning? Ever since he’d found Will dead, he’d felt as if he was on a treadmill that was gaining in speed. He didn’t have the luxury of feeling tired. He’d been living on adrenaline for the last three days and it wasn’t going to slow down for a while yet.

Beth shifted position and slid her arm under his jacket to hold him around his waist, her fingers biting into his flesh. He tightened his grip on her shoulders and scanned the area up ahead. A large group of boisterous youths stampeded toward them.

“We’d better get out of their way,” said Daniel.

“I agree, but where?”

When the marauding crowd was almost upon them, Daniel pushed Beth through a door that led to a staircase down to a basement. Unfortunately, it appeared that this was the intended destination for the group they were trying to escape from. They were propelled forward by muscle and testosterone into a room at the bottom. Inside they were pushed up against a wall as the rest of the group entered and took their places in a row of seats surrounding a catwalk-style stage. The musky smell of sandalwood permeating the walls was strong as Daniel edged toward the exit with Beth’s hand in his. When they neared the door, it was closed by the bouncer they’d seen before on the street. The lights went out and the audience went wild with wolf whistles and cheers.

Daniel leaned over and whispered in Beth’s ear. “I guess this means it’s show time. We’d better wait for a bit.” God, she smells so good. He inhaled deeply. Unable to think of one excuse to keep his mouth close to her face, he stood upright again, but not before her gentle shudder.

“Er…show time? Just what kind of ‘show’ is this?”

“Shh…try to be inconspicuous. We may be able to get through the door unnoticed if we’re lucky. Just sit tight through the first act. We’ll make a move during the applause.”

The spotlight went on as the curtain opened and the music started. Ravel’s Bolero squeaked and crackled through a sound system that must have predated vinyl records. A young woman with flowing black hair, whose body was draped in magenta gauze veils, swayed to the music as she twirled and stepped her way down the catwalk.

 

“Oh my God—this is a strip show!”

Daniel’s hand came over her mouth and his lips brushed her ear. She could feel his warm breath as he whispered, sending shivers of sensation all over her scalp. “You’ll have to lower the decibels if we’re going for inconspicuous. If the show’s too hot for you, you can always close your eyes.”

Close my eyes. Yes, close my eyes. That’ll work. I can do this. Bloody hell, I’m watching a sex show with a man who makes me sweat thinking about him!

Closing her eyes wasn’t going to fix the problem. And besides, once she spied the girl moving, she couldn’t take her eyes off the stage. She inhaled deeply as Daniel withdrew his hand from her mouth. “I’m all right, just a little surprised.” She could swear she heard a hint of a chuckle from Daniel as he slid his arm back around her shoulder.

The girl leaned suggestively into the audience. A young patron in the front row took one of her veils between his teeth and drew it off her body.

Beth gasped.

When the crowd caterwauled and several men reached for her, the girl deftly withdrew and blew a kiss to the audience before moving off the catwalk to the stage area where a red velvet lounge chair had appeared. Only a few scraps of material covered her lithe body and what was there left little to the imagination. Her large nipples and areola peeked through the transparent fabric, as did the dark shadow of her pubic hair between her thighs as she swayed to the music. She stopped before the chair, faced the audience, and stood perfectly still. The music stopped and the crowd went wild. Cries of ‘Get it off!’ and ‘Show us the rest!’ filled the room. The girl’s face was expressionless, but her eyes shimmered with passion while she awaited the next part of the performance.

Beth stood on her toes to whisper in Daniel’s ear. “She’s getting off on this.”

Daniel shifted uncomfortably in place and tilted his head down to answer her. “They aren’t all forced in to this life. Some actually do it because they like it.”

“I can’t imagine wanting to bare yourself to strangers like this.”

Daniel shifted again and cleared his throat. “I hear it’s a favorite fantasy for some women.”

Now it was Beth’s turn to be squirm. She didn’t want to admit it, but being in this room and thinking about being naked and adored in front of all these men aroused her more than she would ever have thought. Lucky the lights stayed low, she thought as she felt a flush of heat rise over her face and spread through the rest of her body. She licked her dry lips and attempted to answer him, only managing a croaky, “oh”. What could she say after that revelation? An image of herself standing naked in front of Daniel flashed through her mind. Her core temperature blasted off the scale when she pictured his eyes glazed with passion for her. Stop! With reluctance she turned her attention back to the stage, where a drummer began a pulsating rhythm, the girl swaying to its beat. The spotlight shifted to the side of the stage and a man appeared. He was tall, muscular and gorgeous, and wore tight leather pants with a leather bolero vest. In his right hand he carried a large whip. The handle was thick and black and shaped like a large phallus. He flicked the leather coil toward the audience before aiming at both sides of the girl.

Oh shit! Beth felt for Daniel’s hand and squeezed.

The performer raised his hand and Beth held her breath. The room fell into silence. Daniel tightened his grip on her shoulder, sending waves of heat through to her very core.

The first crack of the whip caught Beth’s attention, her eyes unblinking as she watched it snake across the woman’s breasts, leaving a thin pink slash before removing the offending piece of cloth. Wetness flooded Beth’s panties as she swallowed, anticipating the next flick of the whip. It felt as if she was on stage and not the performer.

Crack! Again it flicked out, removing the cloth over the girl’s mons. Now the girl was exposed completely. The scent of her arousal assailed Beth’s nose, inflaming her growing desire and ramping up her own body’s desire to find release from the tortuous tension building inside her. Discreetly she peeked at Daniel, wondering what he thought of this erotic performance. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him readjust the bulge in his pants and realized she wasn’t the only one affected. With the third crack of the whip, her eyes flew back to the stage and she bit back another gasp.

The strips of cloth that had been the girl’s only covering now lay in shreds on the floor. The crowd hooted and whistled, but Beth didn’t hear a thing except the beat of the drum and her own heartbeat thundering.

The man tossed the whip to the back of the stage, behind the girl. He stood in front of her and slowly circled her naked body while she continued to stand perfectly still, no expression showing on her pale face. The spotlight softened and flames erupted from lanterns surrounding the stage. The smells of sandalwood and patchouli wafted over the room and mixed with the cigarette smoke, creating a thick haze.

He picked her up and laid her down on the lounge chair, posing her with her arms above her head and her legs apart. He stepped back, exposing her body on full display to all. As he leaned over and covered her breasts with his hands, Beth gasped. He explored the girl’s body, sliding his fingers up and down, then he moved farther along her body, kissing her mouth before trailing back down to her breasts. The girl moaned as the man continued his exploration with his mouth, finally stopping at her labia. He turned to the audience and smiled as he showed them his tongue. The crowd went wild. Laughing, he turned back to the girl, licking his way through her entrance as she thrashed her head from side to side and cried out her release. He shifted between her parted legs and rubbed against her groin in time to the drums. She arched into his exploring hands as he mimicked entering her.

Beth closed her eyes as a moan escaped from her open mouth. She felt every touch, every lick and every sliding movement as if it was happening to her. Her whole body tingled with heat. She was on fire. Oh God—I have to get out of here! She shifted out from under Daniel’s arm and tugged his hand. “I have to go… I can’t stay and watch any more of this.”

She saw Daniel checking out the door and at the bouncer, who was engrossed in watching the couple on stage. “Okay, we’ll make our way out slowly, so as not to draw attention.”

Luckily most of the patrons were seated, facing the stage, when she and Daniel made a quick, quiet escape out of the door and up the stairs. Once they were back in the street, they ran hand in hand back down the half block to the hotel. Inside the room, Daniel slammed the door shut with his foot. Their hands were still joined when Beth stared up into his face. She trembled. His eyes seared hers with a heat she’d never felt before. She was still caught up in the intoxication of the show and her body moved of its own volition. Daniel shifted closer as she reached up to kiss him. But this was no tentative kiss. It went from zero to a hundred in a millisecond.

 

Beth opened her mouth to his invasion as he took charge. He’d been holding on by a thread ever since she’d emerged from the bathroom in that amazing disguise, and after that wild show they’d just witnessed, he was at detonation point. He wanted to hold back, but the way she made those erotic little moaning sounds into his mouth, control was a thing of the past. He pushed her up against the wall beside the door, trapping her with the heat of his body. The musky scent of her arousal was heady as she lifted a shapely leg and wrapped it around his thigh. Holy shit! He had to have her. Now.

He slid his hands underneath her top and skimmed over her silky skin. She shivered at his touch and it fired him further. Moving his hands higher, he was relieved that no bra delayed contact with her enticing breasts. Her moans increased when he scraped his palms over her puckered nipples. He almost lost it right there as he moved his hands to her buttocks and pulled her closer to his erection.

Oh yeah, this is what you do to me.

He pushed the crotch of her panties aside with his fingers and delved into her folds. She was hot, wet and ready. He felt her hand as it scraped over the front of his jeans and unzipped them so fast it sounded as if the denim had ripped. With his free hand, he reached for his pocket and pulled out a condom, ripping the packet open with his teeth. Beth snatched it from his hand and rolled it onto his erection, inch by slow inch, driving him insane with her featherlight touch on his hard cock. He couldn’t wait any longer. His body was on fire. He lifted her up to just the right level and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. He ripped the crotch out of her panties before entering her, groaning at the feel of her tight, hot pussy. This was no sweet and romantic lovemaking. It was raw and primal and neither of them could stop.

“Yes… Oh yes…” Beth’s moans became shrieks as he pounded in to her once, twice, then some more. Her cries of release set off a mind-blowing climax of his own that went on and on until he felt like he dissolved into liquid onto the floor. He kissed the side of her neck as she nestled her head on his shoulder and sighed. Not wanting to lose contact with her, he tightened his hold as she held onto him, and moved them both to the bed, laying them both down, arms wrapped tightly around her.

Beth lifted her head and pulled off the wig. She ran her fingers through her sweat-streaked hair and tried to move away. Daniel tilted her chin and looked into her eyes.

“Are you okay?”

Beth pushed his hand away and sat up, turning her back to him. “I’m fine.”

“Did I hurt you?”

“No.” She shuffled her bottom a little bit farther away from him, crossing her arms in front of her. She leaned forward, rocking slightly.

Aw hell! He should have known he was coming on too strong. She obviously wasn’t ready for that level of intensity. Intensity? Hell, inferno more like it. He wasn’t sure he was okay yet either. Reaching over, he lightly touched her shoulder, careful not to surprise her.

“Beth?”

She shrugged his hand aside and released her arms from their vise-like hold of her middle and let her legs slide to the floor. “I’m all right, okay!”

 

She shook her head and covered her eyes with her hands. Why on God’s earth had she done that? Embarrassment filled her. She’d never lost control like that before. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t get any more involved with Daniel, but holy moley, it’d been amazing. No one made her tingle all over like that. No one but Daniel. How could she face him now? How could they go back to all business and find whoever was trying to kill them?

The weight of the bed shifted as Daniel sat up and zipped his pants. They’d been so impatient, they were still dressed. Beth’s singlet top was all askew, her skirt hiked up to her waist. Ewww. She needed a shower, but was reluctant to stand in her current state. She moved her legs back onto the bed, pulled the covers over herself and lay back on the pillow, turning her head away.

“You’re not okay, are you? I’m so sorry, Beth. I’m not usually that out of control. My only excuse is that you seemed to want it as much as me. Am I right?”

Beth sighed and turned to look at him. He really did fill out a shirt well, and his penetrating brown eyes were intensely beautiful staring at her, waiting for her response.

“Call it momentary madness? I don’t know. I’ve never been to a strip show before. Do people always react that way to one?”

He reached for her hand and stroked her palm gently with his index finger, sending quivers through her body. “Maybe, but in this case I think it had more to do with how we reacted to each other. That hasn’t happened quite that way before. Not to me anyway.”

“Oh,” she said softly, lowering her gaze to his strong fingers as they continued their lazy exploration of her hand. A small thread of hope wound its way around her heart, but then Daniel pulled his hand away and walked to the other side of the room.

“Let’s try to get some perspective here. We’re attracted to each other. We like each other, and nature took its course.”

The thread fell away as quickly as it had formed, disappointment thudding into her chest. So nothing has changed. She bit into her bottom lip to stop it quivering as she waited for the bravado to kick in to defend her fragile feelings. “And it wasn’t the first time, so don’t beat yourself up about it. We’re grown-ups here, no big deal. That’s what you mean, right?”

“Not quite. I think we could have something really special going for us, but I think we need to be mindful of the situation we’re in. We shouldn’t get too involved right now when all our focus should be on finding out who’s following us. We can’t be distracted. I can’t be distracted. I can’t keep you safe unless I have total concentration.”

“So what are you saying…the fun’s been had, let’s move on?”

“No, I’m saying this was amazing, but we should slow down so we can keep our heads together. After this is over, who knows?”

In other words, he was letting her down easy. Wasn’t that the classic line—‘now’s not the right time’? Okay, so if that was the way he wanted to play it, fine. Beth pulled the sheet up around her body and stood, wrapping it around herself. She needed to get herself together, and she needed some sleep. Tomorrow promised to be another stressful day, trying to get off this wild goose chase and make some progress. Maybe he had a point about not getting distracted. All right then, she’d play it cool.

“Fine. I agree. No more sex until we finish. I can handle that. Now excuse me while I go to the bathroom and get ready for bed—to sleep.”

She waddled to the bathroom with as much dignity as she could muster and shut the door. When she emerged some time later dressed in her ‘granny’ pajamas and with her hair wrapped in a towel, Daniel had gone. A note on the dresser told her he was checking out a lead and for her to get some sleep. Great. Fat chance. Especially now she was worried about him being out there on his own. The noise from the street was pretty bad too. She didn’t really have a choice though, so she toweled off her hair, climbed between the sheets and rested her head on the pillow. Five minutes later, she slept.