Darlene (7 page)

We're not dissuaded by the thumps from the room next door. Instead, we laugh.

"Someone's mad they weren't in here," Kevin remarks as the thumps continue. "Okay, okay!" He yells. They stop.

I crack up, lazily resting over the edge of the tub still, slowly trying to move my legs agai
n. The shower's still running—we never turned it off in the midst of our lust."Better hurry up before it gets cold." Kevin smiles, holding the glass door open for me. I finally move my legs to follow him.

I
brace myself (and perhaps, my hot spot too) for another fifteen minutes of smashing, but Kevin's gentle hands do nothing but lather me up with the wonderful smelling French milled soap from the hotel and washes me clean. After our shower, he hastily dries himself as I pat myself down and wring my hair out.

He looks at me, almost forlorn. "Will you stay?"

"This is your room?" I ask, incredulous.

"Just for tonight," he replies with a sheepish grin.

"You didn't have to do this for me." I'm serious now.

"Don't worry about it. What's done is done." A pause, then, "Answer my question."

I don't. I walk over to the king sized bed and rip the sheets back. I hop in naked, wet hair and all. A grinning Kevin follows me, snuggling up to my backside. The next thing I know, the sun is rising on the horizon and it's morning. Neither of us has moved an inch.

Chapter 11

It's go time.

I squint trying to admire the sunrise as I become aware of the gentle cadence of Kevin's snoring. I slip from beneath his arm and, to my surprise, he barely stirs. Quickly I dress and gather my
things, the only sound I leave is the hollow thump-click of the room door behind me.

On the way to my own room, I detour to the lobby coffee stand
to grab an extra-large cinnamon-vanilla latte and a huge banana muffin packed full of raisins and nuts. I will need the energy, that's for sure. I have a big job to do. I'm walking so fast, I feel like I'm floating. I glance through the large floor to ceiling glass panes that enclose the large indoor pool. As I turn the corner, someone bumps into me, sending my muffin flying onto the floor. It's a wonder I hold onto the latte.

"Well, well. You're up early."

It's Adam, his voice full of sarcasm. It takes everything within me not to roll my eyes. "Hey," I reply dismissively.

"Humph," Adam retorts. "Where are you rushing off to?"

My cheeks get hot as I roll my eyes back toward the muffin I just dropped. I'll grab another on my way out. Adam stands in front of me, his arms crossed, eyes boring into me. "Get out of my way, Adam."

"She speaks. You've been blowing me off. At least have the gall to tell me to my face."

"No problem." I brush past him. "I'm officially blowing you off." I shake my head, walking toward the elevator.

"Whore!"
Adam spits.

I turn, back in his direction, my glare indignant. You might be surprised that I'm shocked, but I am. In all my life, no one's ever called me a whore. It gets under my skin. Holding the elevator open with my foot, I call back to this asshole. "So, I'm a whore? I think it's funny that you had no problem fucking me the first day we met.
You think I’m stupid? For the record, you wouldn’t have gotten a dime out of me. So, try not to wear the fact that this whore is no longer fucking you on your sleeve."

The elevator lets out an angry buzz, signaling me to hurry up with my business. I comply and hop on, coolly sipping my beverage.

Chapter 12

It's warmer than usual today, and I'm sweating more than I'd like. I'm back to trying to look like a boy, Dickies hanging from my waist, ball cap pushed low, dressed like the maintenance guys at the Pricewater. I'm feeling more focused now, having downed my entire latte and scarfed another muffin to make up for the one Adam had knocked from my hands.
Asshole
.

I slip around the corner into the alley where the delivery door entrance is located. I could care less about the
cameras, I just don't want to be seen by any passerby. After a few seconds, I confidently stroll to the door and try the key Nelly's uncle made for me. It slips right in. I smile, thinking about Kevin, at the warmth flooding between my thighs. Inside, I quickly move through the corridor, taking the stairs to level one on the south side of the building. Another short hallway and there it is: the Grand Ballroom. And my grand vacation.

I pull out the little portable lock gadget and run my fingers under the electronic locks on the door.
Bingo.
This is making my work easy—no Plan B required. I like this. I insert one end of my lock-buster into the small port in the door's lock mechanism. I punch in a universal code and almost orgasm when the light on the door flips to green, confirming my entry.

The lights are off and the monstrous ballroom seems hollow, ominous even. Booths sporting the names of the various jewelers and wholesalers are set up in a maze of curtains and long tables covered with white linen, blank canvasses for all the bling that will be displayed later. "Some of the best will be missing," I say aloud to myself with a smirk. Toward the back of the maze, along the wall are two large storage rooms
where some of the vendors have placed their jewels just hours ago. Again, I run my finger under the door latch. This time, no such luck. I'm going to have to pick these locks the old-fashioned way. I sling my bag to the floor, barely making a noise. I'm trained well.

Or, so I think.

As soon as I unzip my bag and reach for the tools I need, I hear a voice behind me.

"What the fuck do you think
you're
doing?"

Chapter 13

My kickboxing and judo training come to me without hesitation as I immediately whip my body toward the voice. My gloved hands go up on instinct. One thing I know: I will leave this room of my own free will. I almost laugh when the adrenaline slows down long enough for me to recognize that it's just some flashlight cop making his rounds. I shuffle my feet slightly, readying myself for a hard kick. I'll take him down with little effort, I'm sure.

I finally speak. "Mind your damned business."

He chuckles. "All you martial arts bitches think you're so tough." His hands go up, too. "I'll make you a deal. You win, I let you go. But if I kick your ass, it's mine." He laughs again, moving into a sliver of light from the skylight above.

I frown, squint my eyes together for a moment
. It can't be.
But it
is.

I drop my hands.
"Kevin!?" I take off the ball cap and shake my hair out, letting it flow freely behind me.

"Shit.
Darlene?
What the hell?"

The fake Jersey accent is gone. I put my hands on my hips indignantly. "I should ask the same of you. But first, I want to know if you still plan on kicking my ass."

"Definitely not," Kevin whispers, moving toward me. He grabs me fiercely, pushing me against the door I'd planned to pick the lock on. Almost desperately, he presses his lips to mine as his hand finds its way between my thighs. Instantly, I'm hot. I close my eyes as I feel my panties dampen under his spell.

I blink. "Now is not the time—
" I attempt to talk beneath the weight of his passionate kiss, but he presses harder. "Kevin!" I push him backward. He grins, which pisses me off. "I have work to do here. Now that you know what I'm really about, I'd appreciate it if you'd just go about your way." I kneel, turning back toward my tools. "And by the way, you didn't have to pretend to be some big time jewel trader. I still would have fucked you if I'd known you were just a flashlight cop." I smile, but away from his eye. I don't want him to know I think he's ridiculous.

"You can't be that foolish," he says. "We're here for the same thing, Darlene."

I stop. "What?"

"Clearly, we're in the same line of business. I'm surprised we've never met."

"I work alone, mostly." I stand to face him again, wondering if I can trust him.

"Don't worry, beautiful," he steps toward me to cup a breast in his right hand. "You can trust me. Besides, you don't have time to contemplate. They're going to start piling
in this place in about, oh,”—Kevin glances at his wrist watch—“thirty minutes."

"I'll take seventy
percent."

"
Psssh!" Kevin scoffs. "You'll take fifty percent. And no more. I'm doing you a favor."

Knowing I don't have time for a summit, I agree. I extend my hand and Kevin shakes it. "Now let's get moving."

Kevin looks at my bag. "If you'd been honest, this would have been a lot easier." He takes a key off the ring on his belt and slides it into the lock. The door clicks open. I smile. He looks me in the eye, "Fits almost as perfect as I fit inside you."

"Do you think about anything other than sex?" I smirk.

"Absolutely. I think about money all the day long. Come on."

***

It takes us less than ten minutes to clean out some of the dealers' trunks. We pick through quickly, taking the best of what we can find
. Kevin checks his watch again.

"We've
gotta move now."

Quickly, we zip up the bags that will hide our score and close the doors behind us. We both scan the immediate area. It looks as if we'd never been there, which is exactly what we want. I start to move toward the main door of the ballroom and Kevin tugs my arm.

"No. This way," he says, pulling me in the opposite direction.

I hadn't noticed a side door in the room and I feel like an amateur. Kevin pushes it open swiftly without even looking. My eyebrows go up and he notices.

"No one will be down here this time of day."

"So is this what you were doing when you weren't laying around with me?"

"Yep," he says with a smile.

Seconds later, we're behind the convention center in the same alley I'd slipped in from. A few paces down the alley, we hop into Kevin's nondescript, dark green Ford Taurus and take off. It's only then can I relax. My sigh actually comes out as a bit of a whoop.

"Hell yeah!" Kevin echoes my sentiments.

"I was moving so fast, I'm not even sure what our
take is yet."

 
"Probably a little over three," Kevin says, glancing in the rear view mirror.

 
"Shit," I say. Three million. And half of it is mine.

We hit a red light and Kevin strips the fake security guard shirt. His muscles pop out from under the plain, white tee shirt he wears. I stare at him, feeling the moisture again hit my panties. I've kissed those muscles, I think. No
w that I know Kevin's a thief—and a smart one at that—I'm turned on even more.

"Take that off," he says, motioning to my own tee shirt.

"I've got nothing on under it," I protest.

"Damn, Darlene." He shakes his head. Then, a look of panic crosses his face. "That hat you were wearing … Did you pick it up?!"

"Of course," I say, reaching into my bag to pull it out. I wave it in front of him as he drives. He swats my hand.

We reach the
Kimpton and decide to go to my room. The door closes behind us and I breathe in the fresh ocean breeze that travels through the open sliding glass door. We're both hot and sweaty between adrenaline and typical San Diego weather. I strip my clothes off, tossing them in a messy pile by the dresser. Kevin has taken off his shirt, and lies on the bed, resting with his eyes closed.

"Should I turn on the news to find out if they're looking for us yet?" I run a finger across his chest, stopping to trace his nipple. It rises in agreement with my touch.

"Not yet," he says, pulling my face to his. He slides his tongue in my mouth. We kiss with abandon, his fingers find my slippery spot. I moan. "I want to concentrate on this." He moves to push me back, but I resist.

"Oh," he smiles. "I love it when a woman takes control.

I smile and bat my eyes, but say nothing as I undo Kevin's belt. Deftly, I free his stiffening erection from its cage, running my hand along the smooth shaft. My kisses are slow and deliberate. Kevin runs his fingers through my hair as I move to my knees. Gently I kiss his testicles, eventually slowly sucking on them. I give Kevin's dick a long, loving lick before taking him into my mouth. He sits up on his elbows to watch.

"You're so beautiful," he whispers. "Don't stop."

And I don't. I lap, lick and suck him into a frenzy, stopping just before he pops. I don't give him time to be disappointed, though. I quickly move into his lap, sliding down onto his now even bigger dick easily. We both gasp as we start to move in a rhythm. Kevin gently nibbles on one of my nipples and fiercely cups an ass cheek with one hand. The contrast turns me on. I almost throw Kevin onto his back and start to ride him harder.