“Why yes, young lady. We’re from Paradise Catering, here to set up lunch in the conference area,” Blaze said in his most fatherly voice. Like he’d know shit about being fatherly.
The lady frowned. “Um, I’m not aware of Mr. Kosta ordering lunch for his meeting today. Hold on just a minute while I find out.” She picked up the phone, punched in an extension. “Mr. Kosta? There’s a — my apologies, sir. I just need to ask — yes, sir. I’m sorry for bothering you.”
“Is everything all right, dear?” Blaze asked politely.
“Yes, I suppose so. He told me to handle it, so I’m guessing it’s fine for you to go ahead and set up in the conference room.” She waved a hand down the hall. “Third door on the right, across from Mr. Kosta’s office.”
“Excellent. Janie?” He waved a hand for Ozzie to follow and breathed a sigh when they were out of the woman’s sight. Another hurdle crossed. At the conference room door, Blaze held it open. “After you.”
Once they were inside, he closed the door behind them, and they set to work. Quickly and efficiently. They didn’t speak as they set out the catering boxes, pretending to take great care with the presentation of the food even as they placed the bugs in strategic spots — under the conference table, under two chairs, and one in the phone.
This done, Blaze nodded at his companion. They’d planned for Ozzie to remain here and protect their cover while Blaze tried to slip into Kosta’s office to plant the rest of the bugs. Easier said than done. Moving to the door, he eased it open a crack and saw that at some point in the last few minutes, the man in question had left his office. He wouldn’t get a better opportunity.
With a last glance at Ozzie, he peered right and left, then hurried across the hall and eased Kosta’s office door shut. Faster than he’d ever worked, he placed the devices in the phone, into a potted plant, and under the desk and a guest chair. He couldn’t do more to ensure success, and if Kosta held a single damning conversation, they’d record it. He’d just thought they might get away clean when Blaze heard raised voices from across the hall. One was Ozzie’s, exclaiming in a frightened woman’s voice.
Shit!
Blaze hurried back across the hall and into the room to find Kosta well into Ozzie’s personal space, fingers wrapped around the agent’s arm.
“I asked you a question,” he hissed. “What are you doing in here?”
Ozzie stared at the man, eyes wide. “We’re from Paradise Catering, and we were just setting up for your luncheon! Please, let go of my arm.”
“I didn’t order any damned—”
“Excuse me,” Blaze interrupted in a chilly, cultured tone. “Is there a problem?”
Realizing the “lady” wasn’t alone, Kosta let go and stepped back, pinning Blaze with a glare. A glare that narrowed as he tilted his head, as though trying to work out a puzzle. “I didn’t order any luncheon for my meeting, so perhaps you can explain all of this food.”
That stare. Blaze’s heart did a slow roll in his chest. There was no way the man could possibly recognize him. “Obviously there’s been an error. Allow me to call my office and we’ll get to the bottom of this.” Extracting his cell phone, he placed a call to Willis and made the rehearsed speech, explaining that they’d delivered an order to the fourteenth floor of the Sands Building, and waited an appropriate length of time before exclaiming. “Oh, no! What are we going to do? Yes, all right.”
“Well?” Kosta demanded.
“It seems we have the wrong address! We’ll be lucky if we don’t lose our client over this,” he lamented. “Please accept the luncheon as our apology. We can’t possibly serve it to our first client now. We’ll have to go fetch another order for him.”
Kosta seemed placated by the idea of free food and smiled. A crocodile smile. “In that case, you’re forgiven. You can show yourselves out.”
The man turned and walked out, leaving them alone. They took the cart and split as fast as possible without attracting attention. Mission accomplished.
“Jesus, that was close,” Ozzie whispered as they exited the building and headed for the van. “That dude doesn’t have a soul in his body to be found.”
“I’ve noticed.”
He kept thinking about Kosta’s appraising stare. The recollection gave him goose bumps.
And then it hit him.
Despite their care and the success of their mission, they’d made a grave error today. One that might doom them all if Kosta figured it out.
When altering Blaze’s appearance, they’d completely forgotten to use colored contacts to hide his golden eyes.
“We didn’t use contacts.”
“What?” Emma studied Blaze’s grim expression. He settled across from her in the van and leaned his head back against the side, looking drained.
“We forgot about my eyes. Didn’t color them.”
Emma felt the blood leave her face. “Oh, crap. That’s all my fault! Do you think he recognized you?”
“No, but if he thinks about it, he could figure it out.”
“I’m such an idiot. I can’t believe I made such a crucial mistake,” she said miserably. God, she’d placed his life in danger. Unforgivable.
“Sweetheart, I didn’t think of it, either.”
“It’s not your job to think of those details. It’s mine!”
“We’re a team, Emma,” Ozzie reminded her. “We all dropped the ball on that one, but there’s no help for it now. We have to go on as planned.”
“That’s right,” Blaze agreed. “No choice. Tonight we keep our date with Kosta and his group, see what we can learn.”
A lump of ice settled in her gut. She wanted to call the whole thing off, but as he’d said, what choice did they really have? They had to find that weapon, period. There wasn’t time to bring in another team.
Their mood was pensive on the drive back. Worried. In under an hour, they’d bid good-bye to their friends with plans to be in motion that evening by nine. Everyone was to rest up for a long night.
Once inside, Blaze took her into his arms and held her tight. “It’s going to be all right, baby.”
She wasn’t so sure. “Make love to me. I want to forget all this for a while.”
“My pleasure, always.”
Upstairs, they shed their clothing piece by piece, never taking their eyes off each other until he disappeared into the bathroom.
“I’ll be just a minute.”
True to his word, he returned shortly, the wig gone and hair loose, most of the makeup washed from his face.
“Damn, I was kinda looking forward to getting done by my sugar daddy,” she teased.
He grinned. “We can save it for when I really am old.”
“You’ll never be old. Not in my eyes.”
Hands clasped, they moved to the bed, and he pushed her onto her back, melting against her body as though they shared the same skin, the same soul.
Her legs were nudged apart as he settled between her thighs, pressing his hard length into the soft cradle waiting for him. With one hand, he raised her arms above her head and pinned her wrists to the bed, sliding inside. Home.
His lovemaking wasn’t entirely gentle, but not rough, either. More like a passionate claiming, a man taking his lady to new heights. Letting her soar while keeping her safe.
She reached the pinnacle with a cry, bursting into a million shards. He followed after, thrusting deep, throbbing within her, face buried in the curve of her neck. She was floating down to earth thinking that in spite of this mission, her life with this man couldn’t get much better, when he raised his head, stared into her eyes, and proved her wrong.
