2

It was lunchtime. The conventioneers swarmed the bar, occupied all the seats in the restaurant.

“Are you sure about this” Eva whispered as they stood at the entrance.

“Absolutely. Go do your thing. Call me when you’re ready.”

Eva drew in a breath and sauntered into the dimly lit room. She quickly scanned the occupants, seeking the most likely candidate.

She smiled when she spotted him at the end of the bar. She lifted her chin. The adrenaline charged her like a new battery. If she were a man, she’d have a hard-on. The hunt always did that to her, the equivalent of foreplay.

She approached, pretended to look for someone as she absently took a seat. She brushed against his arm, nearly caused him to spill his drink.

“Oh my goodness. I’m so sorry.” She reached for a napkin and patted his chest.

“No harm done.” Pale lashes shading paler blue eyes peered at her through horn-rimmed glasses. He held his arms up and away from his plump body as she wiped away the invisible spill.

“I can be so clumsy sometimes. That’s what I get for not paying attention.” She balled up the napkin, checked his fingers. Gold band, third finger, left hand. Bingo. Her eyes flitted over him. A Mona Lisa smile, secret and seductive pulled at the corners of her mouth. “At least let me buy you a drink.”

“I … I c-couldn’t do that.”

She noticed his stutter and wondered if it was natural or nerves. “Please.” She pressed a bit closer, giving him a whiff of her Dior.

His doughboy faced flushed; the Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “If y-you insist.”

Eva leaned in. Her breasts brushed his chest. “I’m sorry. What did you say It’s so noisy in here.”

Perspiration dotted his upper lip. “Uh, the d-drink. That would be f-fine.”

She turned to the bar, got the bartender’s attention. “One more for the gentleman.”

Eva leaned toward the mark and in his ear said, “My name is Leslie. And yours”

“S-Stan. Stan Ingram.” He licked thin pink lips.

“Pleasure.” The word was a hot puff of air. She felt him shiver. Eva put her purse on the counter and hopped up on the stool, her shirt rising to a dangerous height. “So what brings you here” she asked, keeping her voice low, forcing him to lean in to hear her.

“Convention,” he shouted.

Eva nodded. “You’re with the group”

“Huh”

She crooked her finger. He leaned his head toward her. She repeated her question.

“Yes. I … I a-am.”

Their drinks arrived. She raised her glass. “To … hmmm … new friends.”

His pale blue eyes almost sparkled. He clinked his glass against hers.

“So, Stan, what do you do”

He launched into a banal, mind-numbing monologue about his job at the bank, how long he’d been there, his grandiose plans for the future.

Eva pretended to listen, smiling, nodding and offering the appropriate hmm umms in all the right places. In reality, she was doing a quick calculation: ten years at the bank, four as VP of financial securities. He should easily rake in a cool hundred-grand-plus, not including perks. One more thing she needed to check.

“It must be hard on your wife when you have to travel.”

He cleared his throat, adjusted his navy pin-striped tie. His cheeks grew rosy. “Lenora unders-stands. S-she knows it’s p-part of the j-job.”

“That’s wonderful. Tell me more.” She signaled for another round of drinks.

*   *   *

“Listen, I am so glad you suggested we get out of that bar,” Eva said, wrinkling her nose. They walked toward the elevator. “It was so hard to hear you. And your life seems so fascinating. I’ve never met a vice president before.”

He blushed crimson. No one ever complimented Stan Ingram. Most folks generally ignored him, even his wife, of late. To have this gorgeous woman hang on to his every word was the kind of ego boost that Stan only dreamed of. She smelled good, looked good. She didn’t laugh at his stutter, but rather at his jokes. No one laughed at Stan’s jokes. Not even his wife. This woman was interested in what he had to say. She asked questions. She touched him when she spoke or laughed. No one touched him. Not even his wife. He couldn’t remember the last time he and Lenora had a conversation—a real conversation, one that didn’t center around her achievements and his lack thereof. Lenora was a beautiful woman too. But her dark-haired beauty had become cold, distant, and calculated. Still, he couldn’t let her go. He remained mesmerized by the fact that she’d allowed him into her life, to partake of her bed, to experience the wonders of her body. He was trapped. But while he was with Leslie, he could pretend that none of that mattered.

“We could order room service. I-if y-you’re hungry.” He swallowed.

Eva turned to him and smiled. “I’m starving.” She ran her tongue slowly across her lips.

The elevator dinged. They went up to Stan’s room.

This should be over in an hour, tops. Eva followed Stan inside.

*   *   *

Eva tossed their things into the suitcases, squashing Jake’s shirts like dirty laundry. Another vacation blown to hell—and their anniversary, at that. She threw eye-daggers at him. He was busy checking the photos. He went over them one by one—a second time, then a third and fourth. Eva slammed a suitcase shut, leaving the sleeves of his good shirt dangling like broken wings.

“Should have gotten this one from a better angle.” He held up the picture and scrutinized it again.

Eva took aim and fired. Jake saw the sneaker from the corner of his eye, ducked just in time as it whizzed by his ear.

“Hey!” He held his ear, looked down at the rubber and cloth missile and then at his wife. “What was that for”

Eva stomped her foot. Her cheeks flared in indignation. “You know good and gotdamned well what that was for, Jake Kelly! You ruined our anniversary—again! Instead of relaxing by the pool with … with drinks decorated with little umbrellas, we’re running our asses out of here to get on the next plane.”

Fury and frustration boiled inside her until they erupted in hot tears that splashed over her cheeks.

“Baby, Eva…”

“Don’t fuckin’ ‘baby, Eva’ me. Not this time.” She balled up his Hugo Boss jacket and dumped it in the next suitcase.

Jake winced. He hated when Eva was upset, especially at him. The plane ride home was going to be hell. He and his wardrobe were going to pay.

He dared look at her. “I did it for us. For our security.” He slowly came toward her. He held her shoulders. She looked away. “I’ll make it up to you. I swear.”

Eva sighed. She looked at him then pushed him hard in the chest. “You’d better.” The rush of the sting was fading fast.

The knot in Jake’s gut released. “You were brilliant, as always.” His voice wrapped around her, reeled her in.

A slow smile of appreciation inched across her mouth. “I was, wasn’t I”

“It’s in your blood, baby. Just like it’s in mine.” He grabbed her hips and pulled her between his hard thighs. “It turns you on just like it does for me.”

She arched her neck back and drew in a long breath. “Yesss.” Her lids drifted down over her eyes. She lowered her head and then looked up into his eyes.

Damn, he wanted her. A job always did that to him.

“This is the last time, right” she cooed as she stroked the inside of his thighs. “We’re going to take the money and run. Right”

His heart pounded, pumped blood to his groin. His penis throbbed. He moved against her to gain some relief. “Nobody like you, babe,” he said against her neck, his breath like fire on her skin. “Whatever you want.”

Eva unbuttoned her blouse. Jake groaned in delight.

“I just have a bad feeling about this, Jake.” She sucked in a sharp breath when his tongue teased a nipple. She pulled the black wig off her head and tossed it on the floor.

“Don’t be silly.” He unzipped her skirt from the back, and it followed the wig. “What could possibly go wrong”