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Sean Thomas strode into Loretta’s office and didn’t even pretend not to stare at her chest. It wasn’t as if she came to work with a lot of cleavage on show. It was a bank, not a bar. And didn’t the man ever knock?
She minimised her browser and brought up a spread sheet before he came around the desk and caught her googling replacement parts for her beloved classic MG RV8 car.
“Hard at work I see. Good, good.” With his dark blond hair and chiselled jaw, he looked more like a leading man than a bank manager. It was a shame his temperament wasn’t as pleasant as his appearance.
He walked behind her and reached over her shoulder to take control of the mouse.
She hated it when he did that. It always made her feel as if he was about to pounce. “Just running the end of month reports.”
“How are the numbers looking?”
It was hard to believe that being close to such a handsome guy could make her skin crawl, but it most certainly did. Even when she was well into a year-long sex-drought. “Everything’s as it should be.” Of course it was. She’d been working late every night for weeks checking and double-checking all the accounts.
He let go of the mouse, but leaned over her for just a moment longer than he needed to. “I don’t suppose you’ve changed your mind about the fundraiser next weekend?”
She froze in place as she waited for him to move. As usual, he took his sweet time leaving her personal space. “Sorry, I just can’t make it.”
He walked around the side of her desk and perched himself on the edge of it. “You should come. These functions are the best places to make contacts. Get your face out there.”
“Maybe next time.” She gave him a tight-lipped smile that she hoped wasn’t too encouraging. There was some truth in what he was saying, but after spending all week with him, she was less than keen to see him at the weekends too.
“You’re positive I can’t twist your arm?”
It would be so much easier to deal with him if he wasn’t her direct superior, but if she ever wanted to manage her own branch, she had to play nice. “I wish I could go, but I can’t.”
When he got up off her desk, she almost breathed a sigh of relief. He ambled over to the door and stopped short of opening it. “Do you know what your problem is?”
She shook her head, sure that he was about to tell her.
“You’re too nice. Whatever you’ve got planned, you should tell them you got a better offer and come out with me.”
Loretta’s nervous smile was starting to make her cheeks ache.
“Nobody ever got what they wanted by being nice.”
“No, Sean. Probably not.” The sad thing was, he didn’t even sound like he believed what he was saying. It was the sort of inspirational business-speak they spouted on company bonding weekends. Maybe there was a decent person under all that bravado.
He disappeared through the door. She was about to put her head down on the desk and attempt to recapture the peace he’d shattered when he walked straight back in.
“I almost forgot why I came to see you. I’ve got to go out for twenty minutes or so. Keep an eye on things while I’m gone.”
“Of course.” That was another thing – he was always ducking out for one reason or other. He’d better be back before lunchtime today.
Yeah, right.
He went out, closing the door behind him.
Loretta counted to ten before she put her cheek on the cold table-top. When she was sure he’d left the building, she’d go and do the rounds. Talking to the cashiers usually cheered her up.
***
The alarm on his phone blared out from across the room and Jordan Bernardino woke up with a start. Gina – beautiful, hot-blooded, naked Gina – rolled over and nudged him to get up.
He crawled out of bed, turned off the noise and got back under the covers.
“Won’t you be late?” Her big brown eyes were half-closed and sleepy.
“Nope,” he said, pinching her nipple between finger and thumb to make her squirm. “I set that thing to go off an hour before I have to leave.
Her hand found his chest, then moved lower. “Only an hour, huh?”
“Ten minutes in the shower, five to get dressed.”
Her fingers twirled in his pubes and he got even harder.
“And forty-five for me?”
God, she was sexy. Curvy and just the right sort of blonde to set off his dark good looks. He covered her mouth with his. It was the only answer she was going to get.
His hands swept over her firm flesh, stroking and squeezing until she was breathing hard into his mouth. She was so responsive.
It was a pity they had so little in common outside the bedroom.
She bit down on his bottom lip just firmly enough to give him something to think about. He groaned and let go of her.
Sucking on him, she took hold of his manhood and he gasped.
“You’re very good at that.”
She ran her fingers all over his length. “I know,” she whispered.
He’d have to slow her down or he wouldn’t last forty-five seconds. It went against every instinct he had, but he moved her hand from his crotch to his ass and kissed her into submission. He kissed her thoroughly, savouring her taste and giving himself the time he needed.
But he couldn’t delay her forever.
Gina’s greedy fingers went for his cock and her touch undid all his efforts to draw things out.
Pulling away from her grasp, he shuffled down the bed. She cradled his head and he nuzzled her breasts.
Every day should start off like this.
She tightened her fingers in his hair as he licked his way around her nipple. Crushing her other breast in his hand, he sucked at her and closed his eyes.
Even as he enjoyed her body, he felt the end of the affair looming. He’d been stupid to get mixed up with her in the first place. If her father ever found out...
He stopped sucking and bit down. She cried out, pulling at his hair so that he opened his mouth. When she pushed him down her body, he knew what she had in mind but he wasn’t in the mood.
Kissing her navel, he reached between her legs and thumbed her clit. If he got her off, she wouldn’t care how it happened. She was good and wet – his thumb slid over her with no resistance at all.
She moaned with pleasure. The sound of a woman enjoying his attention always took him close to the edge. He had to get inside her while he was still in control of himself.
Moving back up the bed, he reached out and snatched a condom from the bedside table. After pausing to put it on, he climbed on top of her and manoeuvred his aching cock into position. Their eyes met. Hers widened as he entered her and then his fell closed. They lost themselves in the rhythm of their bodies.
She rose to meet his every thrust, falling into the pattern they’d put in place over the last few weeks. They knew an impressive number of ways to bring each other to orgasm, but he was coming to the conclusion that it wasn’t enough.
His thrusts grew faster – he was getting close. From the urgency of her groans and the way that she held on to his waist, he could tell that she was too. He hurtled towards his peak, his eyes shut tight. When he came, he grunted into the mattress and went still.
But she wasn’t there yet.
It would be rude to leave her high and dry. Circling his hips, he ploughed into her, thrusting deep until he heard the long drawn out shriek of her climax.
He collapsed on her naked body, knowing he didn’t have time to rest. After a few seconds, he kissed her temple and went for his shower.
***
After making sure that she’d closed her incognito Google window, Loretta stood up, smoothed a hand over her chignon and went out to check everything was running smoothly.
It was getting to that part of the morning when there were a few people waiting to be served at the counter. Melanie and Nora were dealing with customers in their usual brisk but friendly manner. They smiled hello to her as she passed through.
Tom was on the enquiries desk, which was also cultivating its own queue. “How’s Edna doing?” he called out as she walked by.
The man he was serving probably thought they were talking about her grandmother. When she’d bought her old rust-bucket of a car, she’d just looked like an Edna. “She needs a new front grille.”
“You’ll have to let me have a spin in her when she’s finished.”
Loretta just smiled. There was no way anyone but her was ever going to drive Edna.
She looked at her watch. If she was lucky, Sean would be back in time for the lunchtime rush and she could slip out for something to eat. There was a very tasty new man with hazel eyes at the sandwich shop around the corner.
In reality, it was more likely that Sean would come back for ten minutes and announce that he was taking an early lunch.
At least she was getting plenty of experience of being in charge. When she got her own bank, she wouldn’t find it as daunting as some assistant managers who never got to run things unsupervised. And she wouldn’t load all the work onto her staff either.
The out of order sign on the corner cash machine caught her eye and she made a mental note to give repairs another call.
Everything was okay. If she was quick, she could fit in one more search for that elusive grille before she got interrupted with paperwork.
***
Today was going to be a great day – the sun was shining, Gina had let him go without an argument and in a few hours Jordan would be a few thousand pounds closer to getting out from under Vittorio Ursino for good.
A couple more days like today and he’d be free to do whatever he wanted.
Now if he could just figure out what the hell that was...
Bill should be at the meet by now. He hurried over to Danny’s garage with a song on his lips. Not even the prospect of working with Bill was going to darken his mood.
He arrived in plenty of time. None of Danny’s mechanics were in – they would have had strict instructions to stay away for the morning.
When he slid open the side door, the guys were there waiting in a silence that carried too much edge for his liking. Oh well. The best way to get over that was to get moving.
“Everyone ready?”
Danny cast Bill an evil look and straightened up. “Yep. We’re good to go.” He patted his black sports bag. Bill and Jordan had matching ones. They were pretty empty, but they wouldn’t stay that way for long.
There shouldn’t have been any need to say anything more – everyone knew the plan – but Jordan couldn’t let Bill go without giving him one last warning.
“Remember, we only shoot as a last resort and we don’t shoot any people.”
Bill laughed and drew his gun out of his bag. “Yeah, unless the manager tries to play hero.”
Jordan tensed up. This was just the sort of shit he’d been hoping to avoid. He fixed Bill with a hard stare. “No. No shooting people at all.”
He rolled his eyes. Danny held back, sensing the tension building.
“Bill, if you can’t be professional, you shouldn’t be here.”
“Professional? Listen to yourself. I’ve been pulling jobs since before you even knew who the Ursinos were.” He stopped short of saying it, but the challenge was there. He clearly thought he should be the one in charge. Well, there were good reasons why he wasn’t.
“Get your shit together. We’re on a schedule.”
Bill squared up to him. “Fuck you, Jordan. I know what I’m doing.”
Jordan shook his head. They didn’t have time for this. He stared him down and finally did what he’d been longing to do ever since he’d been handed this job – he drew back his fist and punched him square in the nose.
The whole thing happened so fast, he almost thought he’d imagined it. But there was the idiot doubled up, blood streaming through his fingers as he cradled his face. It was difficult to make out what he was saying, but it sounded like a very muffled “You bastard.”
Jordan didn’t wait around for him to recover and get any ideas about fighting back. A couple of blows to the kidneys put him on the floor.
“Stay down and stay away from the job.” He waited a moment or two to make sure the guy wouldn’t do anything really stupid like stand up.
He didn’t.
“You ready?” he asked Danny.
Danny nodded and followed him out to the street. They had work to do.
***
Loretta was about to go back to her office when someone on the other side of the big glass doors at the front of the bank caught her eye.
“Tom?”
“Hmm?”
Two men in black balaclavas walked in and her heart fell into her stomach. “Press the alarm.”
“Hmm?”
It was a simple enough request. She took a step backwards, ready to do it herself, but then one of the men pulled out a gun. What was that thing? An eight millimetre? Nine millimetre? Why was she even trying to guess?
Loretta’s brain stalled and she froze on the spot.
“Who’s in charge here? Where’s Sean Thomas?” The taller of the two men stepped forward as his partner bolted the doors shut.
Holy shit. Sean wasn’t there.
Which meant she was in charge.
She tried to step forward, but her legs didn’t want to move. The staff were depending on her. And the customers too.
“Everybody on the floor. Mr Thomas, please step forward.” He waved his gun around, prompting a few screams as people dropped to the ground.
Loretta remained standing. She wasn’t sure she still had the ability to move.
The two robbers walked further inside, sweeping their guns around the room. They moved with certainty, stalking their way towards her.
“He, he’s not here. I’m in charge.” Her voice sounded pathetic and she forced some more air into her lungs. “I’m the manager.” That sounded more convincing. There was no need to confuse matters by saying she was the assistant manager.
“You?” The taller one looked her up and down and her throat burned hot.
“Yes. I’m in charge.” He came straight for her and she resisted the impulse to back away.
He was so big. The other one hadn’t said a word – this was obviously the boss. She’d have known it just by the swagger in his walk.
He grabbed her arm above the elbow and she caught a whiff of his musky aftershave. Not something she should have been thinking about in the middle of an armed robbery.
Leaning in, he lowered his voice. “You’re kinda hot for a bank manager.”
It took a while for the words to penetrate through to her brain. He’d said she was hot. A prickle of excitement ran along her spine. But he was holding up her bank. At gunpoint.
“Just get on with it,” she muttered under her breath, but it came out louder than she’d intended and he stared at her with his clear blue eyes. Blue eyes and dark lashes. The entire morning’s events flashed across her memory, but then his face crinkled in amusement and the fear got a little less overwhelming.
“Okay ladies and gentlemen, this is an armed robbery.” His voice carried clear across the bank. This wasn’t a man who knew the meaning of self-doubt. “If you all do as you’re told, you’ll get out of here with nothing more lasting than a nice story to tell the grandkids.” Turning back to Loretta, he actually winked at her. The cheek!
He headed for the cashiers, dragging her along by the arm. “Everybody stay down and stay quiet. Your beautiful bank manager here is going to fill our bags with money and then we’ll be on our way.” He bundled a pair of cheap black shoulder bags into her hands. “If you’d be so kind?”
She held her tongue and shoved the bags under the window. “Melanie, you know what to do.” They all did. If there was a robbery, you were supposed to hand over the money and wait for them to leave.
Had anyone managed to trip the alarm? She glanced around, but Tom was down on the floor with everybody else and she couldn’t catch his eye. It didn’t matter much now. The men in the balaclavas seemed pretty capable. Surely they wouldn’t be hanging around long enough for the police to turn up.
“You get the cash,” he called back over his shoulder, “we’re going out to the safety deposit boxes.”
“No.”
The broad-chested thief smiled down at her. “Sorry, you don’t get to say no.” He pulled her over to the security door. “Enter the code.”
She shook her head. “No.” Money was one thing – all the deposits were insured up to a limit. But there were heirlooms and irreplaceable items in those locked boxes. Looking down at the floor, she steeled herself for his reaction.
Something hard nudged her in the ribs and she slowly came to the understanding that he was holding the gun against her.
“Please.”
“Sorry, sweetheart. I need as much as I can get. Open the door.”
Loretta hesitated, but when it came down to it she wasn’t willing to die for other people’s possessions. She tapped in the first two numbers, but then her mind went blank.
“Come on.”
“I’m trying.” Her voice broke and he eased up with the gun.
“Okay, okay.” He pointed the weapon at the floor. “Take a few deep breaths. It’ll come to you.”
She closed her eyes and tried not to think about the guns or all the customers and workers who could get hurt if she didn’t give him what he wanted. The last two numbers dropped into her head and she typed them in.
The latch clicked and he pushed her through the door in front of him.
Jordan’s day kept on getting better. There hadn’t been any mention of a foxy black bank manager in the reconnaissance for the job. And he certainly hadn’t seen her on any of his planning visits.
Her perfect skin was the colour of soft brown sugar. And her eyes... They were a shade lighter and piercing enough to make him believe she could see right through all the macho bullshit that was his stock in trade.
Then there was her berry-brown pout. Plump, luscious lips that begged to be kissed.
He wouldn’t have forgotten a woman like that in a hurry.
Raiding the safety deposit boxes was an optional and risky part of the heist. Had he decided to go for it because it meant being alone with her?
There’d been some serious sparks back there when she’d met his eye. And she was a feisty little thing.
But nothing could happen. Even if she wanted it to. This was work.
“Keys?”
She pulled a key ring off her belt. Having the keys on her like that didn’t seem like bank protocol, but hell, it made things easier for him.
“What’s your name?” He was trying to behave himself, but it just slipped out.
She looked at him with her big hazel eyes. Most women would have been scared witless, but not her. She was wary, careful – all the sensible things – but not scared. Interesting.
“Okay, don’t tell me.”
He watched her open the door to the safe room and gestured for her to go in first. “Let’s get into some of these.” It would be foolish to hang around for more than an extra couple of minutes, but those two minutes might be all he needed to hit the jackpot.
“Why don’t you just take the money and go?” She stood in the middle of the room, her uniform navy pencil skirt not quite frumpy enough to hide the shapely curve of her ass. She wasn’t as busty as Gina, but it looked like she had a tight little body under that acrylic jacket and stripy blouse. All she needed was a pair of glasses and she’d be the perfect ugly duckling fantasy.
He’d be more than happy to take off those glasses, let down her hair and show her just how beautiful she really was.
Jesus, Jordan. Keep your mind on the job.
“What does it matter to you? Why do you care if some rich guy has his diamonds stolen?”
“I could lose my job.” She folded her arms and stood her ground.
“They wouldn’t fire you over this. They don’t expect you to stand between an armed robber and a few boxes.”
“You don’t know that.”
“For crying out loud, woman.” He didn’t want to threaten her with the gun again. There was still a bad taste in his mouth from the last time. “Just open a damn box!”
She looked at the gun pointing harmlessly down at the floor. He’d left himself with nowhere to go.
“Look, there’s a lot of money upstairs. You got here before lunchtime so there’s plenty in the tills. Take it. The police will be here soon. Just take it and go.”
Damn her. Why couldn’t she have been a typical grey middle-aged man who didn’t give a shit? “Maybe I will.” He moved closer and picked up the faint floral scent of her perfume.
If she wouldn’t let him into the safety deposit boxes, he’d just have to take something else.
“What are you doing?” She took a step backwards.
“You want me to take the cash and nothing else?”
“Yes. There’s more than—”
“Make it worth my while.” He stepped closer and she backed away.
“What?”
“One little kiss and I’ll go back out there, take the bags and leave.”
She stared into his eyes. Now that he looked closer, there were flecks of darker brown in the hazel of her irises. It was a shame they hadn’t met under different circumstances. If he’d run across her in a bar he’d have bought her a drink and given her his best line in chat.
But he had a feeling she was enjoying the rush of an armed robbery.
“No!”
He stepped up to her again. This time, she didn’t move away.
“One kiss.” His gaze fell to her full lips. Gina was usually drenched in lip-gloss, but the bank manager’s lips were tantalisingly bare.
“One kiss and you’ll go?” Her voice dropped to a low murmur that made the breath catch in his throat.
He nodded, getting closer still. She was even prettier at a second glance. Her lips parted ever so slightly. She was thinking about it. Why did he get the impression she was one of those quiet ones you were supposed to watch?
“Okay.”
So she was a naughty girl after all. He swooped in before she decided to change her mind. At the last moment, he went in softly, pressing his lips gently to hers.
She was so tender, it was like nothing he’d imagined. A tiny sigh escaped her and it went straight to his crotch. She was driving him crazy.
He kissed her harder, pushing his tongue between her lips. She welcomed him in and a multitude of questions sprang up in his mind.
This was not the way bank managers were supposed to kiss.
Their bodies weren’t even touching, but he was reeling. If just a kiss from her could have such an effect, what would it be like to take her to bed?
The alarm on his phone went off, bringing him back down to earth.
When he moved away from her, the room lurched. She still had her eyes closed.
“Time to go, I’m afraid. No rest for the wicked.” He turned on his heel and went back out to find Danny.
***
The robber was almost through the door before Loretta’s brain caught up with the rest of her. She could still smell his aftershave on her top lip. What was she supposed to do now? She followed after him at a safe distance and watched him take a bulging bag from his accomplice.
When they left without a second glance she should have been relieved, but she found herself wondering how he could have kissed her like that and then walked away as if nothing had happened.
What was she thinking? The kiss should never have happened in the first place. She’d only gone along with it to stop him taking anything from the safety deposit.
But was that the whole truth?
Tom came over and put a hand on her arm, making her jump. “I pressed the alarm while they were filling their bags.”
“Oh. Good.”
“And I think someone’s called the police.”
She nodded, still trying to process what had taken place. “Can you go and wait on the door? Stop people coming and going.” Now it was over, her legs felt boneless. She managed to make it to the customer service desk and into a chair before she crumpled in a heap.
Someone placed a cup of tea in front of her – she couldn’t remember who or when. A few minutes later, the police arrived and started taking statements.
Loretta gave her account of events to a sympathetic female officer. She left out the part about the kiss. There was nothing to be gained by going over that again. Not to mention how mortified she’d be if Sean Thomas found out.
No. Those were five minutes she’d take to her grave with her. It had been a reaction to the shock of the robbery. Her life had been in danger.
But then she remembered the way he’d carefully pointed his gun at the floor. He’d never intended to hurt her.
That didn’t excuse him from armed robbery.
The police finished up and people started to leave. Where the hell was her boss? A sudden burst of anger put her on her feet. That lazy sod was out doing who knew what while she had to deal with robbers and guns and the police.
“Okay everybody, we’re closing for the day.” She’d wait until Sean came back and then leave herself. He could hang around for the forensics team to turn up.
The last of the customers drifted away and everyone else got their things from the staff room. Loretta fetched her handbag from her office and waited by the door.
***
With their firearms stashed away and their balaclavas gone, Jordan and Danny looked pretty inconspicuous walking into the shoe-shop next to the bank. Ursino had made a small investment to make sure the security cameras wouldn’t be working in there.
There was no need to tell Danny to keep his cool. Thank god they didn’t have Bill to worry about.
“Well, that went pretty smoothly.” Danny cracked a smile for the first time that day and Jordan slapped him on the back. They changed out of their black jackets into colourful green and red ones. They’d agreed to split up for the next part. Jordan went first, walking out of the side entrance and out into the shopping centre. Danny would catch up with him in the car park.
He wasn’t handing the cash over to Ursino until that evening so he had to stash it in a safe place for the meantime.
As he strolled past the shop windows, Jordan felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. It was bound to be Gina. He brought the mobile out and sure enough there was a text from the lovely lady scrolling over the display.
Are you done yet? How about lunch? And then we could get some food.
She just didn’t stop. His thumb hovered over the screen lock. More sex would be good right about now – his blood was up from the robbery and he had an abundance of nervous energy.
His mind went back to the bank. To the bank manager and her irresistible lips.
He put the phone away.
Yes, he was horny. But he didn’t want to screw Gina. And there was something he could do about that.