A Little Harmless Submission 6 (6 page)

“Callahan.”

She shook herself and tried to remember what they had been talking about. Great, now she had to embarrass herself with an explanation. She didn’t want to do this. She understood she wasn’t attractive to men like Rome. That she could live with. Having to admit it to him out loud was more than a little awkward. Talk about humiliating.

“I understand that a woman like me would never attract you—“

“What do you mean by that?”

She glanced up and realized he looked genuinely surprised.

“Nothing. Just understand I can play a role, and I won’t get all sappy on you. I want this guy as much as you do.”

Again he was silent. She hated that, hated the way he looked at her. It was as if he was completely perplexed by her. “Play a role?”

She rolled her eyes and pulled her keycard out, not able to look at him anymore. She was damned tired and ready to collapse. Add this embarrassment to the mix, and she just wanted to crawl under the covers and forget most of the day.

“When we’re out of the public eye, I understand. You don’t have to play the role of my lover behind the scenes. It’ll be easier if we have parameters.”

“Callahan.” His voice was quiet nevertheless commanding.

“What?”

“Look at me.” The order was soft but definitely not to be ignored. She couldn’t if she’d wanted to. His deep, resonate voice wrapped around her senses and forced her to do his bidding.

When she finally made eye contact, her whole body went hot again. The intense look had her trying to swallow, but she found her mouth dry. He slipped his free hand up to cup her jaw. Without saying a word, he bent his head down and brushed his mouth against hers. She could feel the heat of him through their layers of clothing.

He leaned even closer, and she could feel his erection. There was no mistaking that. Just feeling the hot, long length of him had every hormone in her body jumping to attention, ready to serve. When he pulled back, it took a few moments for her to open her eyes again.

The fire in his eyes was still there. His cheeks were flushed, and she could tell there was a little more than just playacting involved.

“Just so you know. Guys like me can be attracted to women like you.”

She nodded.

He kept his eyes opened this time as he gently brushed his mouth over hers. Just that little touch had her circuits going crazy.

“Go in your room so I can leave.”

She did as he ordered, without thinking about it until the door was shut and she was listening to his footsteps recede in the hallway. Dammit. What the hell was wrong with her? Her head was still spinning and her body humming. Closing her eyes, she tried to calm her out-of-control libido. The man was going to be a problem. She didn’t get involved, it was a rule she’d had. Sure, there were a few one-nighters here and there, but they mostly didn’t last, even if she wanted them to. Yearned for them more than she was willing to admit, even to herself.

She brushed that thought aside. She had learned the hard way that relationships and her just did not mix. Sitting down on her bed, she pulled off her shoes and started to unbutton her shirt. Her room phone rang.

She picked it up. “Hello.”

“Having fun with locals?” Masters said, amusement in his voice.

Shit
. “How long have you been a Peeping Tom, and does Gloria know about this?”

He chuckled. “I was wondering if you wanted to go over a few things since I’m heading out tomorrow.”

She sighed, glanced at the bed. “Sure. Let me get something more comfortable on, and I’ll be over.”

“I’ve been wanting to hear that for years.” He made kissy noises before he hung up. She was smiling when she put the phone back in the cradle. She’d realized that she’d misjudged Masters. He was an ass, and well, he didn’t like many people. But he was the easiest partner she’d worked with at the bureau. Of course, he wasn’t looking to make a name for himself. He was nearing twenty years in and ready to retire out of the FBI and do something else. He went through the motions and did what he had to do to make people think he was in for the long haul. And he respected her, although he did give her a hard time. Sort of like a big brother.

As she hurriedly undressed and threw on her workout clothes, she thought about Rome and what to do about him. She would just have to talk to him. Sure, they were playing lovers, but there was no need to do anything more. She would just tell him this was not going happen.

Because, if she thought about it, there was a good chance she’d definitely jump Rome’s bones. And if she did that, she would definitely end up with a broken heart.

Chapter Four

The ticking of the clock was the only sound in Rough ‘n Ready’s office after Rome explained everything. Even though the room was cool, Rome barely registered it. He was boiling hot. On one hand, he wanted the partners to accept Callahan’s idea. There was a good chance that the crazy ass plan might work. But it was that other hand that bothered him. Callahan was a competent agent. He’d checked her out that morning. He hoped that at least Evan would disagree, but Rome had known that was a long shot. Both men had been worried about the killings from the very first one and had been fully cooperative with the investigation. Their wives were well-known submissives at the club, so it was more than just protecting their name.

After a few more moments of silence, Evan leaned forward.

“You want to use the club for a sting?” he asked.

Rome knew that both partners would want all the information they could get on the operation. They might not have college degrees, but Rome hadn’t met many men as business savvy as Evan Chambers and Micah Ross. They both started out life on the wrong side of the tracks, but they knew how to build a business and how to thrive. They would also be an asset to the investigation, had been from the start.

Rome nodded. “That’s the plan. It wasn’t my idea, but there’s a good chance it could work. No one but the captain and I know she’s here to work. Her partner is going back to DC today.”

“You’re doing this outside the FBI, though. They think she’s here to observe and offer guidance, correct?” Micah asked.

Rome rolled his shoulders. “Yes.”

Micah looked at Evan. “He doesn’t like it, but he doesn’t have a choice.”

“Does he think the woman can’t do it?” Evan asked.

Micah shrugged. “Not sure. I do know he’s attracted to her.”

“Really?” Evan’s eyes widened. “He has been in kind of a dry spell.”

Rome’s irritation soared. “Hey, jackasses, I’m right here.”

They glanced at him then at each other and laughed.

He sighed, knowing they had done it on purpose to get under his skin. Ross and Chambers had grown up on the streets of Atlanta together, and their longstanding partnership allowed them to read each other well. In other words, they tended to be good at fucking with people. Especially him.

He pushed the thoughts aside and tried to concentrate on the business at hand. “I think she wants to start tonight.”

“I know she does,” Micah said. “She called Dee this morning about what she would need to fit in. She’s shopping with May and Dee right now.”

Evan raised his eyebrows. “Oh, that’s who they were shopping with this morning. They said something about how sad it was that they couldn’t make a trip to Maui Kink.”

Rome felt his temper soaring. He kept it in check—barely. “There’s no reason for that. What the hell are those two doing with her?”

Micah smiled, and Evan studied him. Rome ground his teeth together, knowing that both men were too perceptive to not pick up on the territorial note in his voice. Hell, if he could hear it, he knew they could.

“What I mean is that minimal expense needs to go into that. Knowing Callahan, she’s footing the bill for the clothing.”

“She’s going to stay at the Hilton?” Micah asked, ignoring his lie.

“No. She said something about having a rental or something from the FBI.”

And now that he said it, he realized he never asked her where she was going to be. It was a safe bet she would be out of the hotel today and in the house, and he had no freaking idea where that was. She had rattled him, and he didn’t like it one bit.

Evan tsked. “He’s not acting normal. He’s usually on top of everything.”

Micah nodded. “He was off last night, too. She really has thrown him for a loop.”

“Who would have thought some fed would come in here and mess with the ever-organized Romeo Carino?”

Rome gave Evan the finger.

“Okay, so we’ll put her name on the list. Is she using her real name?” Micah asked.

Shit
. “We didn’t go into that last night.”

“What did you do last night?”

He could feel heat flare in his cheeks. Dammit, he was blushing again. He hadn’t done this much blushing since puberty hit him. No one at Rough ‘n Ready would believe it. Hell, no one at work would believe it.

“I took her back to her hotel room.”

The partners shared a glance then looked back at him.

Aggravation inched down his spine. “What?”

“And what else happened?” Evan asked.

“Nothing. And if there had been anything, I wouldn’t tell you. I would think you would appreciate my discretion.”

Evan shook his head as his lips twitched.

“Let’s get back to the problem at hand. You’re worried she might not be able to handle it?” Micah asked.

At first, he thought so. Now that he knew she’d researched the situation, he wasn’t so sure. The way she’d handled herself the night before told him she was at least trained to handle situations like that. He shrugged. “According to her, she has done a lot of research.”

“What kind of research?” Evan asked as he wiggled his eyebrows. “Was it hands on research?”

A wave of heat rolled through Rome at the thought. She said she had done research, read books, but truthfully, knowing her, she’d been to clubs. The idea that she might have done something with a Dom had his temper flaring. He didn’t want another man to touch her. Just the thought had his anger heating to a dangerous level. And that thought had him worried.

“Ah, so you don’t know. Knowing the woman, she did. She seems pretty thorough. And she has something to prove,” Micah said.

“What are you talking about?” Evan asked.

“Father is that big serial killer hunter you always wanted to meet.”

“You wanted to meet Big John Callahan?” Rome asked.

Evan shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. “I just thought it would be cool.”

“He was.”

“You met him?” Evan asked.

“Went to a few of his lectures when I was stationed in DC.”

Evan looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but Micah steered them back to the topic at hand again. “Y’all are going to start tonight? Got a plan?”

Rome wanted to curse. He hated that a lot of this could have been discussed the night before. Of course, he hadn’t been able to think of anything else beyond touching Maria. “No, but I’m sure she has one. She has no problem telling me what to do.”

“At least you get to reverse that tonight.”

Micah’s comment sent a rush of heat through his blood, had his body reacting before he could stop it. Rome knew it was all about undercover. But there was the problem of their attraction. She might try to pretend she wasn’t attracted to him, but he had felt the way she had trembled when he touched her the night before. Hell, he could still taste her on his lips. He’d never really had this kind of response to a woman before. Not since high school. It was as if he couldn’t control himself.

The thought that she would be in the club, dressed to attract, had him sweating. He wasn’t sure he would survive the night.

· · · · ·

Maria looked at herself in the mirror and blinked. The dress May had picked out clung to her curves and accentuated her hips. The push-up bra…well it did its job well. She blinked again. She didn’t recognize herself. Her face looked the same, but her body…she felt almost naked.

“Come out, we want to see.”

Maria frowned as she smoothed her hands over her hips. “I’m not so sure about this.”

The curtain opened, and Dee stood there. Her eyes widened as her gaze took in the way the dress fit Maria. “Wow!”

Horrified, Maria gasped. “I could have been naked.”

“If you were in here alone all this time naked, I would be wondering what you were doing,” May said. The woman had a sassy sense of humor that appealed to Maria. She seemed to say the things that Maria thought but didn’t have the nerve to say out loud.

“I say you’ll grab the attention of more than one guy tonight. Especially Rome,” May said. “He likes a full ass, doesn’t he Dee.”

“That really isn’t that important,” she said even as a tiny little thrill zinged through her. She shouldn’t be that excited that Rome apparently went for her body type.

“Sure it is. You want to attract men, right? Which, with this tiny waist and that rear end of yours, especially in this dress, you will. As I said, Rome likes some booty,” May said, giving hers a little wiggle.

Maria cleared her throat as her face burned. She was an adult, but she had spent little time around women. She was always mystified by the openness of their discussions, especially these two women.

Dee nodded. “Yeah, he does. I watch him watch women, and those are the ones he always goes for. He’s going to be dying when he sees you in this.”

Maria was shaking her head. She couldn’t fall for the fantasy they were creating—no matter how much she wanted it to be true. And it was best to lay it out so these women understood the situation.

“Whether or not he finds me attractive isn’t a concern for me.” Not really. “That’s not that important. We just have to pretend.”

The women shared a look and then looked at her. “From what Dee said last night, there was no pretending on Rome’s end.”

Before she could respond to that, Dee said, “Turn around.”

Maria did as ordered and then cursed herself again. She let the little woman order her around like she was some kind of dress up doll.

Without permission, May tugged at the bodice of the dress, pulling the neckline further down. “Oh, yeah, that’s the perfect cut on the top. Your boobs look great with the push-up.”