Cop a Feel (Handcuffs and Happily Ever Afters) (17 page)

“T
here are around forty to fifty protesters. They have campers and have set up what they’re calling Jesus Town,” Luke said with disgust. “Men, women, and children. They’re using the kids for their own ends. Makes me sick.”

There was so much more to that statement than he was openly revealing. I knew his parents had used him in unforgivable ways and it broke my heart. My parents might have been cold and screwed up after my sister died, but they loved me and would never knowingly hurt or harm me.

Luke had taken Jim with him to check out the protesters, since Jim was the one who had briefed Shoshanna. I knew Luke would grill him to see if he had any involvement in the death threats. I liked Jim, but I would do the same. No one was innocent until we found the guilty party. No one.

“Did you see anyone you recognized?” I asked.

“No, but I’ve only seen pictures of the professors you questioned. I might not be able to identify them. I want you to take a walk down there in about an hour. They have a sing along against pornography planned.”

“Awesome, just what I’ve always wanted to see.” I rolled my eyes and noticed how tired Shoshanna seemed. “Shoshanna, you don’t have anything for three hours until your signing. Why don’t you lie down?” Sometimes I forgot she was in her late sixties and this was a lot on her.

“You know, I think I might do that.” She yawned and gave me a loopy grin. “Not as young as I used to be.” She walked through the connecting door and went to her room. I turned on the monitors.

“I’ll make sure her doors are locked,” Luke said, following her. I watched her crawl sleepily into bed as Luke fastened the chains on her door. He walked over to the bed and carefully draped a blanket over the already snoring Shoshanna. He bent down and softly kissed her forehead. My heart lurched and I felt an overwhelming need to cry for the little boy that Luke never got to be. I quickly turned off the monitor. I would turn it back on when he was in the room. This moment was private and should be his alone.

“So, did you talk to Steve?” he asked a moment later, plopping down on the couch and turning the monitor back on.

“I did.” Lord have mercy, he was beautiful. He’d changed into some worn-out jeans and a T-shirt to walk the crowd of protesters. Leathers and chains would have been a poor choice since he wanted to blend in. I looked away. Work, I was here to work, not ogle the hot guy on the couch. “The gals think they might have broken the code, but they need a little more time. They should be here sometime tomorrow.”

“Great.” He shuddered and laughed. “I didn’t think this trip could get any more fucked, but I was wrong.”

I smiled and agreed. The combination of characters was becoming overwhelming, but it was what it was. No amount of complaining would change it. At least we’d been given twenty-four-hour advance notice . . . Although the anticipation might be worse than if the sisters just showed up unannounced. Whatever.

“There’s another note.” I handed him the copy I’d printed from Steve’s e-mail. “Same shit, different endearment.”

“The death threat is still there,” he observed.

“Yep.”

“Read me all the salutations. That has to be the key.” He was terse and frustrated. Hell, so was I.

“Let me see.” I quickly pulled the notes from the file and dropped everything to the floor. “Shit, hang on,” I said as I gathered them back up. I went through them one by one. “
Stupid Woman, Evil Bitch, Emasculating Slut, Sinful Shoshanna, Irritating Monster, Trollop, Vicious Whore, Insane Bitch, Meddling Idiot,
and
Nosy Harlot
.” I shook my head in disgust. I’d seen much stronger language and more descriptive threats in my time, but these notes set me on edge. Such blatant hatred was unnerving.

“Fucking lovely,” Luke muttered, closing his eyes. “Sounds like a whack job and those are the worst.”

“I just don’t get it. She has no clear enemies and the point she made the other day about being unsure the threats were even aimed at her won’t leave my head.”

“Agreed. While they’re offensive, they don’t scream Shoshanna.”

We sat in silence for a few moments. My need to fill it was replaced by the storm inside my brain. Who in the hell was doing this and why? With so little to go on, could we really even keep Shoshanna safe? I loved danger, but not when it threatened those I was becoming attached to.

“I just want to lock her in the room until this is all over.” I put the notes back in the file and pinched the bridge of my nose.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“What?” I picked up the folder and reopened it. “Did I leave something out?”

“No, you left something undone.”

“Undone?” What the hell was he talking about? The monitors were on. Shoshanna was snoring happily in her bed. I’d checked in with Steve and I’d briefed Luke on the new note. The crazy-ass sisters were coming tomorrow. I would walk the crowd in an hour . . . What else was there?

He crooked his finger at me and gave me a lazy smile. Every nerve in my body jumped to attention. And I went from business to pleasure so fast I had to grab the chair for support.

“Ohhhhh, that.” I rolled my eyes.

“Yep, I believe you made me a promise. I negotiated for extra terms and you agreed, although I might switch it up a bit. We have a snoring client and a monitor to spot any movement. I’m pretty sure you need to pay up, beautiful girl.”

“Well, as interesting as that sounds, your mom
is
in the next room and if I recall correctly, you’re very loud.”

“You’re the screamer,” he shot back, sitting up and removing his shirt. “God, your tits are a weapon in that corset. Loosen it.”

“Seriously? Here?”

“Very serious. Now.”

I shrugged and started to cross the room to him as I loosened my leather torture wear.

“No. Stay there in that chair. I want you to strip and then you’ll do what I tell you to do.”

I nodded, afraid if I spoke I’d say something I’d be embarrassed about later. Outrageous terms for sex and male body parts were the only things floating in my brain.

“Take everything off slowly,” he instructed in a voice that made me weak. “Keep your eyes on me. Watch how much my body wants you.” He slid his jeans and boxer briefs over his hips and huge erection as I tried to remember how to remove my clothes. I’d put them on, so I should be able to take them off . . . Right? My hands trembled as I peeled the leather pants and thong from my body. The corset took a little more effort, but I finally succeeded. “Put those heels back on.” His voice was husky and his lids were hooded.

I carefully stepped back into my shoes and waited for his instruction.

“Sit down on the chair and spread your legs.”

I did. He was pushing every button I had and he knew it . . .

“Show me how you touch yourself,” he said gruffly. “And watch me while I show you what I like to do to myself when I think about you.”

Oh. My. God. I had never done anything like this. It excited me and scared the hell out of me. I felt vulnerable and a little slutty . . . and I loved it. I watched, rapt, as he took himself in his hand and stroked. It was so hot, I forgot my orders.

“Touch. Now,” he said, increasing the speed of his hand. “I’m going to make you come without touching you.”

I slowly reached between my legs and was shocked to find how wet I already was. With small tight circular motions on my clit, I closed my eyes as the tingling pressure began.

“Look at me,” he hissed.

My eyes shot open and locked with his as we brought ourselves higher and closer to orgasm. The sexy sounds that came from the back of his throat as he watched my now flushed body join my hand in movement almost undid me. I pressed down on my clit with the heel of my hand as I pushed my fingers inside of me. My hips undulated with a fierce desire of their own as he watched me intensely.

“So fucking sexy,” he said as he sped up and got rougher with himself. His almost violent strokes were going to send me over the edge, and the look on his face caused my breath to come in short uneven spurts. “I’m gonna come and you’re gonna come with me. Do it,” he demanded in a voice that made the blood rush to my ears and my heart pound like a hammer in my chest. “Now.”

I pressed down on my clit with two fingers and slammed my legs shut, trapping my hand and letting my body take over. My head fell back on my shoulders and the buzzing in my ears increased to a roar. I heard him swear as I came so hard I thought I would pass out. His moans of ecstasy as he came prolonged the orgasm ripping through my body. I gasped for air and bit down on my lips so I wouldn’t scream. The aftershocks rocked my limp body and I slowly opened my eyes. He was standing over me with an expression of pure male satisfaction on his face. I hid my face in my arm and giggled.

“That was so fucking sexy.” He dropped to his knees in front of me and took my chin in his hand. His searching stare took my breath and I leaned in. His lips gently brushed mine. He ran his tongue along the seam and I opened to him. The kiss was different. It was tender and sweet. It held a promise of so much, I had to close my eyes or I would cry.

“It’s okay,” he whispered. “I’ve got you.”

He took my hand and led me to the shower. He washed my body in silence and I did the same for him. The orgasm had been amazing, but it was the emotion afterward that rendered me silent. This was what I wanted, wasn’t it? He was beginning to own me, body and soul. He hadn’t said anything more about me giving up my work, but unfortunately he didn’t have to. I was coming to the decision he wanted all by myself. I had no intention of telling him that or that I was in grave danger of losing my heart to him. It was simply too scary—and still too soon.

“Am I hot or am I hot?” Shoshanna trilled as she modeled her purple rubber jumpsuit.

“You look like a freakin’ alien,” I said as I checked myself out in her mirror with trepidation. “Fuck,” I muttered. “I look like an alien too.”

Wearing a hot pink rubber miniskirt and a black rubber boob tube with black thigh-high fuck-me boots and hot pink feather earrings, I looked like a fashion disaster with a rubber fetish. I feared what Luke would be wearing when he arrived in our room. I prayed to God it wasn’t rubber.

I’d walked the picket line after our shower and didn’t recognize anyone. The protesters were unsure of my allegiance as I was dressed normally. I smiled and made polite small talk with several. They were convinced that it was Gomorrah inside the hotel with public sex displays and sacrifices going on. One misguided imbecile informed me that the sinners were fornicating with goats and sheep. I feigned shock and moved on. They appeared to be stupid and harmless, but I planned to take another walk first thing in the morning. There were three more busloads of God-fearing anti-porno Christians scheduled to arrive.

“I think I might make the
New York Times
bestsellers list,” Shoshanna told me. “My agent said I’m a shoo-in, but I won’t believe it till I see it.” Her eyes were huge and her excitement made my eyes water.

“My God,” I gasped. “That would be amazing.”

“I know,” she shrieked, and jumped into my arms. I hugged her little body tightly to mine, but when I tried to put her down, we realized our rubber had basically fused together.

“Oh hell,” I groused as I literally peeled her off of me. “Rubber is for fucking tires—not clothes.”

Shoshanna, who found the humor in everything, grunted with joy and went to find a notebook. I supposed this, too, would make its way into one of her books.

“You guys ready?” Luke asked from the other room.

“Holy Mary Mother of God in a jockstrap,” Shoshanna shouted. “My son is one hot motherfucker.”

Fear paralyzed me. If Shoshanna thought he looked good, there was a fine chance he was wearing a matching rubber jumpsuit. I slowly left the bathroom and sighed in relief when I saw him. He had on his leather pants and a strategically ripped shirt. Kind of Flash-dancey. He looked silly, but Shoshanna was right. He was hotter than hell. What the hell couldn’t he carry off?

His eyes narrowed to slits when he saw me. “What are you wearing?” he inquired with immense displeasure.

“Rubber,” I hissed, and flipped him off. “Don’t you crawl up my ass about it either. I feel like an alien and I look like a hooker. I warned you that it would be bad.”

“You’re
my
alien hooker and I forbid you to wear that.”

“There is so much wrong with that statement, I don’t know where to begin. Shoshanna, put the fucking notebook down.”

She sheepishly dropped her notebook and pen and slunk to the other room. “Let me know when you’re ready,” she said, trying to swallow her glee.

“You.” I poked him in the chest. “Are not the boss of me. If I want to look like a rubber hooker from hell, I damn well will and you have nothing to say about it.”

“You are going to cause me to shoot someone,” he informed me.

“Are you serious?” I was flabbergasted. It was just an outfit, for God’s sake.

“Deadly,” he replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

I realized I could turn this into a win-win situation if I wanted to . . . I hated the outfit. It was rubber and smelled weird and my ass cheeks hung out of my skirt. If I caved, he would be happy and so would I. Rolling the consequences of letting him win around in my brain was interesting. If he got his way with my hideous clothing choices, I would be more comfortable, but he would have gained far too much ground. I paced the room and tried to figure out whether letting him win would outweigh my loss of power.

“Nope.”

“Nope?” His eyebrows raised in displeasure.

“That’s right. Nope. I’m wearing this, and if you don’t lay off, I’ll remove my panties.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me,” I snapped, getting up in his face.

He grabbed me by the arms and put his lips to my ear. “I want to fuck you so bad right now it’s not funny. Every man that looks at you tonight will want the same thing and that makes me insane. You are a walking wet dream and you belong to me. You got a problem with that?”