Tarot Series 2

Rod handed the fifty-dollar bill over and took a condom from his wallet. Unzipping his fly, he released a long breath when his cock poked through the opening. Clothing rustled and the faint shadow directly in front of him released his belt. Rod glanced over his shoulder, scanning the far end of the alley and the back of the nightclub. He had insisted they go deep enough into the alley that should someone come from the back of the club, they wouldn't be able to see them in the darkness.

The bartender had sent Scotty over to him, a small man with a high-pitched laugh. One glance at him and Rod nodded approval and slid off the barstool. He looked clean enough, but then one could never be too certain of who he was fucking. He fingered the tube of lube in his coat pocket and reminded himself that he had to be fast so he could return home at a reasonable hour. He had early appointments and people would question if he didn't show up. His brows rose. It wasn't likely that he and Scotty would get it on more than once—since he wanted fifty dollars a fuck.

"Are you ready? Do you have lube?"

The stench of liquor and cigarettes wafted to Rod's nose when Scotty spoke, a wretched reminder that he was paying a stranger for sex in an alley. Son-of-a-bitch! Could things get any worse?

He ripped open the condom and rolled it on his hard cock. He was so aroused that his balls had begun to ache. "Yeah. I have lube." He took the tube from his pocket and squeezed a few drops on his fingers, then rubbed the condom, coating it. He reached for Scotty and his fingers touched a warm buttock. He pulled his ass against his crotch and made the first contact with his cock. He sucked in a deep breath, momentarily savoring the heat from Scotty's body.

Pushing in, he listened to Scotty grunt, then dug his fingers into his bare ass cheeks and began thrusting. He closed his eyes, trying to pretend that he wasn't in a dark alley with someone he just met. Sweat popped out on his forehead as he drew near his time.

"You're big," Scotty said, his voice a low rasp. "Next time, it will cost you more."

There won't be a next time. Rod gripped Scotty's buttocks and increased his speed, lunging deep and nearly making him lose his footing. The orgasm hovered just on the brink, teasing him, making him pump faster, work harder to bring it about. A picture of Chet flashed in his mind, sexy, muscular Chet with sun bleached hair and ropy abdominals.

An hour later, Darvon still questioned his fate. "Gah!" He stood up, his abrupt motion caused the chair to tilt back. He caught the armrest, righted it, blowing out a steadying breath. Without meaning to, she'd wrecked his perfectly structured life. Determination seized him. His leisure amble hastened. He stalked to Sere's quarters to put some boundaries between them. Only when he eased open the door intent to speak, lust overrode his thoughts.


* * * *


"Darvon." Sere moaned. On the middle of the platform bed in view of the door, she adjusted the pillow between her naked thighs. Her shaved pussy rubbing against the fabric of the pillowcase elicited another moan from her lips. Her hair fell over her face, curtaining her breasts. She tossed her head back and lifted her body up. Wiggling her bottom, she slid back and forth, slow and deliberate to rub her distended clit over and over, pretending she was riding him.

She wanted his cock, ached for it to be buried inside of her. Instead, she fucked her pillow, taking pleasure in her approaching orgasm. Placing one hand behind her, she leaned back to give herself room to toggle her clit and allow the cream to drench her fingers. "Fuck me." She bit her lip and closed her eyes. Out of breath from her work up, she came close to exploding.

Not yet.

Sere repositioned herself and rocked faster. Short pants of breath left her mouth, her body trembled and her pussy tightened. Burning with desire, the need to climax slammed into her. She denied herself the pleasure of coming just yet. Her pebbled nipples ached to be bitten. In her fantasy, she imagined Darvon ravaging her body, his lips on her nipples, her clit. Visualizing his finger sliding in her hole sent her careening over the edge. The strength of her orgasm sucked the breath right out of her. She pulled the cum-soaked pillow from between her thighs, tossed it to the foot of the bed and fixed her gaze on a movement by the door.

"Darvon!" Heat suffused her face. "How long have you been there?" Crumpled bedding surrounded her. She tugged the loose sheet in a vain attempt to cover her nakedness.

"Long enough to hear you cry out my name, not once but twice." The door creaked when he pushed through it, entering, his gaze never leaving her flushed cheeks. "Fantasize much?"

"I--uh." Her tongue ceased to work. Dry mouthed, she gaped at Darvon as he strode to her, his baritone voice caressing her skin with each syllable. Sere hid her aroused body beneath the sheet she'd gripped in her hands.

"Tell me…do you feel better?" he challenged.

"Yes."

"Liar."

Sere swallowed, his pectorals bunched as he moved, making her drool and her stomach fill with butterflies. Her heartbeat quickened. "I'm not lying." Light sweat dampened her palms from her little white lie. The predatory gleam in his eyes sent shivers of desire straight to her pussy. Her nipples beaded so tight she whimpered at the contact of her sheet brushing against them. Her eyes widened in anticipation of him hitting the edge of the bed.

Cologne never graced his skin, why would it?

Rugged, ripped, hot. Under lowered eyelashes, she took a closer look at the erection he sported. Sweet temptation urged her to reach out and grab it, though her hands remained gripping the bedding tightly. She moaned so soft she hoped he didn't hear as she scooted to the head of the bed, placing distance between them, waiting, for his next strategy.

"We shall see." He chuckled, closing the remaining distance.

"Darvon--what're you planning to do?" Sere nibbled on her lip, afraid to make the first move. How long have I dreamed he'd make love to me? Damn near forever.

Her indrawn breath came out in a long hiss when he pulled his shirt off his body, baring his pierced nipples for her. Damn, that is sexy. Her gaze drifted lower, where his hands deftly unbuttoned his pants and dropped them.

"Figured I was over dressed for the occasion."

"Well? Whatdya think?"

Arte propped himself up on the pillows, his mouth gaped open. "My God, woman. Get over here." He tossed the sheets aside and patted the bed beside him.

Anita watched while he removed his briefs and handled his erection. "I've got something for you."

"Is that any way to talk to your wife?" she teased.

"You're right. I've been bad." He turned around so his ass was just within striking distance.

"You have." She spanked him hard and pulled out the handcuffs, holding them over her head. "Now put your hands up, mama's gonna have to arrest you now."

Arte flipped on his back and stretched his arms overhead. "Yes, Officer Shaw."

Anita jumped on the bed, straddling him and cuffed his wrists together. "There you go." She kissed his bare chest, starting from the base of his chin, slowly working her way down his neck, to his torso. She flicked each nipple with her tongue.

"Ahhhh," Arte sighed.

Thank God Emmy had told her what to do. Her younger sister had been married for a few years and was a world of help in the sexual advice department. "Like it?" She kept moving down until her mouth was wrapped around him, her tongue teased him into an even harder state. She reached her fist around his shaft, squeezing it tight and felt him harden even more.

"I want you now. Get on me," he begged.

"Not yet," she said with a full mouth. She slid her rounded lips over him, stroking him with her hand, rubbing her breasts on his hairy legs which teased her nipples.

Arte reached out to try and grab her shoulders, but couldn't move. "Hey!"

Anita laughed. "What's wrong? Someone having a little trouble there?"

"You're gonna be in trouble when I get out of these," he teased.

Leaning in to kiss his neck, Anita ran her hands down his torso, making him shiver. "Sounds good to me. Let me get the key." Straddling him, she reached to the nightstand, grabbed the key and twisted it in the lock on his right hand first.

He instantly slapped her bottom.

She squealed.

"I told you you'd be in trouble, didn't I?"

"Uh huh." She freed his other hand, leaned down on his chest and teased his nipple. "I've been a bad girl."

"So I heard." Flipping her on her back, he spread her legs and began returning the favor. He teased her clit with his tongue, dipping deep inside her every so often.

Arching her head back, Anita moaned as he licked her and teased her nipples with his free hand. Emmy had mentioned this to her, but she had no idea it could be so good. "Ahhhh."

"I want you." Propping himself up on one hand, Arte dipped forward, pumping himself with his free hand. He slid his cock's head on her wet opening. "Ready?"

Heated bodies were pushed together like fish caught in a very expensive net. Jack maneuvered his way to the bar and requested a whiskey sour. He stood waiting patiently, his eyes staring unfocused at the design etched into the marble top of the bar. He felt a heat on his back. He turned in curiosity when his shoulder smacked into something.

“Whoa.”

He saw Kate, her drink dripping from her hand. “Sorry.” He found himself staring at her, a lump in his throat, his neck heated. “I didn’t see you.”

“It’s okay.” She moved to the spot next to him at the bar. She placed her drink on the bar and began to clean the alcohol from her hands and dress.

“You should know better than to try and navigate through a crowd with a full drink.”

“I’ll make a note for next time, thanks.” She tossed the used napkins on the bar and then looked back to him. “This is quite a place.”

“It stands out.” His focus went back to the crowd.

“Are you having a good time?”

“Can’t complain.”

“I haven’t seen Chris. Is he having a good time?”

“Wouldn’t know, he disappeared about an hour ago.” The bartender arrived with his drink. Jack laid some money on the bar before grabbing the glass.

“I’d better get back to Mike.” She excused herself, stepping away from the bar.

“I’ll go with you.”

What are you doing?

They made it halfway across the floor, before becoming engulfed in a deadlock of people. Jack instinctively grabbed Kate’s hand, pushing a path through to the other side. Not realizing the warmth of her hand was within his until they reached Mike, he quickly released it, and shoved his own in his pocket.

“Hey, Jack, I see you found her,” Mike said with a grin, scotch in his hand. “I thought you got lost.”

“Not exactly, just delayed.”

Mike’s blackberry lit up. He grabbed it and began to read. “Crap, there’s a problem at the station. I have to go. Jack, will you do me a favor and take Kate home?”

“I can grab a cab, Mike. Jack doesn’t need to—”

“You’re not taking a cab, Kate.” Mike looked to Jack for support.

“It’s fine.”

Kate’s expression crinkled in discomfort.

“We have plenty of room.”

Kate finally nodded in agreement.

Mike smiled. “Great, you guys have fun, and I’ll see you later.” He stepped forward, squeezing Kate’s hand. Mike moved away from them.

Jack looked to Kate, his heart pounding uncontrolled.

“We should probably get back to the VIP room.” She said, the area around them filling with an overflow of people.

“Okay.” Jack led the way to where their party was congregating. Once again, they ran into traffic between point A and point B. Jack consciously kept his hand to himself, letting her push her way through behind him. The crowd swayed, taking them with it, and he found himself trapped against the far wall. He looked to his left and saw Kate in the same situation. She made her way along the wall toward him.

A tornado of thrashing dancers erupted around them, and Jack instinctively used his body to protect her. The crowd once again crashed like a wave against the wall. He felt the pressure lessen and he looked down, meeting her emerald eyes. His body tingled, reacting to the softness against him.

“They really need to do something about crowd control.”

“I’ll be sure to mention it in my review,” he said, her scent filling him.

Peaches

“Should we try and move?” She pushed her hair off her shoulder, revealing a gently curved neck, begging to be nibbled.

“I don’t know.” He caught her eyes, his body steadily becoming a raging inferno. “Usually this where I get thanked for my selfless act of chivalry.”

“You’ve already gotten one blow-job this evening, Tucker.” She hit back with a glare. “I would have thought the Viagra would’ve worn off by now.” Her eyes breathed fire. She shoved him away and dove into the crowd.

Jack followed, annoyed by her spur of his advances, and eventually arrived on the steps of the VIP area. He saw Melissa meet her with a wide smile.

“Kate!” Melissa cooed, embracing the woman. “I was looking for you, when did you get here? Where’s Mike?”

“He had to take off. Kate is going to hang out with us for the remainder of the evening. I offered to give her a lift home,” Jack said with a little too much enthusiasm. Like a dog that caught a rabbit and was proudly displaying it to his master.

“Awesome, this gives me a chance to introduce you to some of our friends!”

Melissa whisked Kate away to fashion and celebrity heaven.

A warm ambience greeted her. She’d expected the building to be a high rise. Pleased, she walked up to the receptionist’s desk.

“Good morning, I’m here to check in for an assessment.”

“Name?” the receptionist asked while fielding phone calls from her headset.

“Eden Jennings.”

“You’re a bit early, please fill out these forms, front and back, and don’t forget to include insurance policy numbers, if you decide to have surgery, payment options will be discussed, including monthly payments, should you qualify. One second please.” She paused, “Thank you for calling the Thornton clinic, please hold.” She shifted her attention back to Eden. “When you’re done, please bring back the clipboard and the top document, the rest will go with you.”

“Thank you,” Eden said as she found a plush seat to fill out the requested health assessment forms.

“Eden Jennings?” a nurse called from the opening of a private set of doors leading to examination rooms.

“Yes.” Eden picked up her purse, tucked it under her arm and rose, following the nurse to the back.

“I’m Carmen, I’ll be joining Dr. Thornton during your physical. Please follow me.”

“Okay.” She eyed the efficient nurse and followed her past the doors leading to the back.

“Nervous?”

“Very. Is it obvious?”

“Normal. Anyone contemplating surgery should have a level of nervousness.”

Carmen’s warm smile made it easy for Eden to relax.

“Dr. Thornton’s door is two doors down on the left.”

Eden opened her mouth to speak.

“Thank you for the report, Mrs. Hatfield. I’m pleased to hear your son’s healing well. Don’t forget his check up in two weeks. No, daily reports aren’t necessary.”

“It can’t be.” She stopped dead still just before his office. Her heart lurched. One coincidence was enough, now two? She didn’t believe in such things. On the other side of that door sat TJ.

“Is there a problem, Ms. Jennings?” Carmen said as she touched her arm lightly.

“I’ve made a mistake.”

“Panic is common, let’s go talk to the doctor and we’ll see if this is for you, okay?” She encouraged her.

“I-I can’t go in there. Do you have another doctor?”

Carmen shook her head. “Doctor Thornton doesn’t have a partner, ma’am. You did request him. I’m not sure why there’s a problem. I assure you he’s the best surgeon on the West coast.”

Bile rose in her throat. No way could she go in there and ask her first lover to augment her body.

“Carmen, bring my appointment in please,” a timber voice ordered over the intercom.

Eden darted a nervous glance at the door and began backing up toward the reception desk, her throat dry, hands shaking. She couldn’t very well explain why to the nurse. The sooner she made it out the door, the better. Turning on her heel, she made a break for the door.

“Madeline.”

Kate parked her car and headed to the main street. Restaurants, shops and various vendors lined the cobblestoned street in front of the actual arena. Kate knew there was an annual Rodeo and regular stockyard sales in the fenced areas around her. She heard the laughter of children and turned to see a group of them gleefully running through a wooden maze. The smell of barbeque and beer wafted from one of the open dining areas and her stomach growled in wanting.

When he’d texted her he needed to see her, she was elated and cautious at the same time. She scolded herself for feeling elated at the thought of seeing him. She had no right to look forward to his presence. She had done nothing but cause him pain.

She hoped to God he wasn’t entangled in this mess somehow. She spied a coffee vendor and ordered a latte. She smiled and paid the man as Jack approached. Her breath caught in her throat.

You can do this…

“Hey.” A small but distracted smile edged his lips, his gaze moving everywhere but where she stood.

“Hey.”

“Best coffee in Ft Worth.”

“Can’t argue with that, do you want one?”

“Ah…yeah sure, I could use a pick-me-up.” His grin widened as he seemed to take a needed breath. His hands in his pockets, he looked out over the street.

She paid the vendor and turned, holding out his coffee.

He took the coffee, but didn’t drink it, preoccupied with the people surrounding them.

She studied his face, it was tight and drawn, the veins in his neck bulged and he locked her gaze. He was scared, but not for himself. “We should probably walk.”

“Yeah.” He pointed down the cobble-covered ally to their right and they walked silently side by side for a few moments.

Kate waited for him to start the conversation. He had, after all, called the meet. When he remained silent, she knew she was going to have to pull whatever it was out of him. “So, Jack, what’s up?”

“I got a visit from an Agent Whitaker and an Agent Mitchell.” His eyes dropped and he took a sip of his coffee. “They wanted to know about your relationship with Mike.”

“What about my relationship with Mike?”

“They wanted to know how close you two were exactly.”

“What did you tell them?”

“I said you two were colleagues and friends, nothing more. They also wanted to know when was the last time we spoke and if you had tried to contact me since you arrived in Dallas.”

Kate’s brain swirled with questions. They must’ve known about the connection between DiAvex and Mike. Were they working on the assumption that Mike was collaborating with someone? All of this happened around the time she was here in Dallas. Had she become a suspect?

“Kate.”

She looked up, seeing worry and confusion in his eyes.

“What’s going on?”

“I…” Kate’s back stiffened. If she was in fact a suspect, talking to her made him a suspect as well. She scanned the area for anyone out of place or too comfortable. “Jack, you need to go.”

“What?”

She tried to move away.

“Wait…Kate, wait!”

He grabbed her by the wrist, preventing her escape. The electricity from his touch paralyzed her. She faced him, silently pleading for him to release her. His face creased in frustration. He led her down the alley and into a small alcove out of the setting sun.

“Tell me what is going on.”

She stood beneath his shadow in silence, her body melting beneath his gaze.

He leaned his hand against the wall, a look of determination in his eyes. “You’re a suspect aren’t you?”

“Don’t…”

“Kate.”

“It’s complicated.”

“So explain it to me.”

“It’s better if you stay out of this.”

“Yeah, well that is not going to happen so you can just stop right now.”

Something had happened between the last time she saw him and this moment. His gaze was unrelenting and confident. Something she’d known was in him. She’d seen a glimmer of it before, but now it stood strong against her own stubborn will.

“I shouldn’t have come.”

“Stop.”

“We can’t do this, this was a mistake. I need to go. Please…”

“No.”

“Jack—”

“No, Kate. You are obviously in trouble and I am not going to just walk away. Not this time.”

“I can take care of myself, I don’t need you—”

“The hell you don’t! Kate, when was the last time you slept or ate?”

“Jack, I…” she stuttered, the world around her collapsing.

“Talk to me.”

She searched his eyes, her heart pounding against the logic of her head. I shouldn’t be here. I am putting him in danger. She needed to do this without him. It was too big of a risk to get him involved. Her head swam in a pool of thick panic, her lungs clenching, cutting off her air. “No.”

She felt his hands on her arms and turned out of them. She stepped away and ran, not looking back.

“Goddamn it, I should have seen it.”

“Kate.”

“It’s a key.”

“A what?”

“They already have the data. They always had. It explains the time lapse between the lab fire and Mike’s death. They had the data, but they can’t get to it.” She rose from the couch, her mind obviously working faster than she was able to express. “That’s why they killed Jacqui Busa, she created the key. They found out we were about to bring her into custody so they killed her. Lloyd Andrews must’ve figured out what was going on and sent the data to Mike. Mike hid the data, knowing that eventually those responsible would crawl from the woodwork.”

“Okay back up, explain what you are talking about.”

“The flash drive has what’s called a key on it. It is the key to unlocking an encryption code used in protecting a file. Namely the data file we thought they were looking for.”

“So all this time they weren’t after the file itself, but the key to open the file?”

“Yep,” she said, rubbing her neck.

“So is this good news or bad news?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” she said with a smirk. “The data was clearly defined, cut and dry. This is something different. There has to be something special the encryption is holding to make so many parties actively searching and or killing for it.”

“So what happens now?”

“We have to get the chip into the right hands before they find us, and hopefully put an end to all of this.”

“How do we do that exactly?”

“That, I have to think about.”

Jack moved to where she stood, brushing the hair off her shoulders. She looked to him, her eyes wide and intense. “What can I do?”

“Jack, I’m going to need you to trust me…”

“I already trust you.”

“It’s going to be more than that. I need you to really trust that I am going to do what needs to be done.” Her hands rested on his chest. “Even if you’re not there.”

“Excuse me?”

“You can’t come with me, Jack, it is too dangerous.”

“Wait, I thought you hadn’t even decided what to do yet?”

“I haven’t, but I already know you’re going to have to stay here.”

“I thought we were in this together?”

“We are—”

“Obviously not, Kate, you are willing to walk into this alone with no one to watch your back. Which to me sounds like a suicide mission and I’m not going to let that happen. No matter how much of your pride I have to fight.”

“Jack…”

“This can’t be about you protecting me while I hide in the bathroom. We have to be in this together or this isn’t going to work.”

“Don’t you think I know that?”

“So, what then, you asked me to trust you, doesn’t it go both ways?”

“Of course it does.”

“Then why can’t you trust that I can handle this?”

She met his eyes and then turned away. “You staying here has nothing to do with me trusting you, or whether or not you can handle yourself, Jack.”

“Then what is it?”

She continued to avoid his eyes, causing the frustration in his chest to build. “Stop pushing me away and just tell me the truth!”

He waited, preparing himself for the ugly truth of him being dead weight and a liability. He wasn’t an agent and this was too important to leave to inexperience. He waited to be patted on the head and told to wait, safe in the shadows until it’s over.

“I can’t…” Her face scrunched in frustration.

He held his breath.

“I can’t deal with the fear of something happening to you. Something I can’t stop.”

“That’s not going—”

“Stop, Jack, please. I’m just not strong enough to be the federal agent who is protecting you as well as the girl who loves you. Out there, it has to be one or the other, because I can’t do both.”

“Kate—”

“I’m sorry, Jack, I almost lost you once this week. Taking you with me is asking me to do something I just…can’t…I won’t do.”

Eric took out his cell phone and made a quick phone call. As they rounded the next corner, he opened the door to Room 12. “I’ll jump into the shower for a few minutes to freshen up. Make yourselves comfortable.”

Dylan and Lauryn went ahead of him as he locked the door behind them. While they stared, Eric kicked off his boots and had his black jeans and t-shirt on the floor in moments. His body was hard and firm, with a cock on its way to being there. As his body moved, Lauryn was mesmerized. It was obvious he was a man who regularly worked out and counted on his good looks for a living.

“My goodness,” she said, as she stared, “if you are on the menu often, you’re probably a millionaire.”

Eric smiled as he turned toward the bathroom. He left the mirrored door open at an angle.

“And I wouldn’t be?” Dylan flexed his biceps.

“You don’t work out like him.” Lauryn pinched the flexed arm, as she watched Eric get into the shower. “I have no idea if he can rival you in the brains department, though.”

Dylan held his head up high. “At least I have something going for myself.”

Lauryn glanced around the small room that looked like a hotel except for the bedside wicker basket containing lube and condoms. She had never been in a hotel like this before. Pulling off the bedspread, she sat down on the edge of the bed. Non-descript carpeting in a blue Berber coated the floor. Matching drapes and bedspread of green and blue checks adorned the windows.

She glanced up toward the bathroom and her mouth dropped open. The angle that Eric left the mirrored door open offered a full view of his nakedness as he washed in the shower. He was spectacular looking, like a large, blond Viking god.

“Come over here, Dylan,” she said softly, patting the bed behind her. Her breathing was coming quicker just watching Eric. He certainly was a handsome man. She scooted back further on the bed as Dylan climbed behind her.

They watched in the mirror as the water poured over Eric’s hot body. He lathered a huge, hard cock, taking his time as he let it slide through his hand. She wondered if Eric knew they were watching. When he turned so they could see it from a side view, she realized he knew. It was planned that way all along.

Dylan pulled her closer as they sat on the bed, pressing himself against her. She hated to admit it felt comfortable being in his arms again. Lifting up her skirt, he ran his hands up and down the silky skin of her inner thighs. Feeling Dylan touch her again was exciting, even without any alcohol involved.