Tamed by Love (Agent Lovers Series Book 2) (11 page)

“You’re all a bunch of party poopers.” Jeff grimaced and fished the small disposable camera out of his pants pocket. Reluctantly he pressed it into Terence’s hand and watched, pouting, as the film was ripped out of the camera and the embarrassing pictures destroyed.

“According to our investigation, the information wasn’t accessed from the outside. There was someone working from within. It can’t be anything else, since we haven’t been able to discover any trails,” Gray explained to Townsend. “I spoke with the software specialists; they came to the same conclusion. There’s no proof of access from the outside. We’re sitting on a mole.”

“I’ll give you a complete list of all employees who have direct access to this sensitive information. There are only a handful, but it can only be one of them.”

“Thank you, Sir!”

“I have you and Robbins to thank! Hopefully you’ll find him soon so we can put a stop to it.”

“We’ll do our best!”

“I know you will. Until you’ve exposed him, don’t let Elizabeth and Jennifer out of your sight. If you need more support, let me know. I’ll send it immediately.”

“That won’t be necessary. We’re already watching over them. Besides, Jeff and Terence are being very supportive.”

“Of course! Report as soon as you’ve found out anything, Blackwood!”

“Of course!” Gray hung up.

“What did Townsend say?” Terence and Chris asked.

“You can picture his consternation, but he’ll get us a list we’ll be able to check. Luckily there aren’t that many employees who have access to SFSU-IV information.”

“We can’t keep Jennifer and Liz in the dark much longer,” said Chris.

“As long as they can enjoy themselves at Terence’s expense, they’ll stay busy,” Gray said and laughed as Terence jokingly glared at him.

“That’s true, too.”

“I just hope they’ll put one over on you at some point and I can be there to laugh in your silly faces,” Terence said chuckling.

“It’ll never come to that,” Gray and Chris said.

The door opened and the men turned around. Jeff entered, followed by the three dogs. “It’s someone else’s turn to keep the girls happy. They’re driving me crazy!” Jeff said.

“What’s the problem?” asked Gray.

“They pushed me around the whole time,” Jeff whined like a little child. It almost seemed as if he was going to burst into tears. “It would be easier to watch a bag of fleas. What am I talking about? A truckload of fleas would be easier than dealing with them at the same time.” With a groan, Jeff sank into a chair, exhausted, his head fell back and he closed his eyes. “And if they don’t want something, your pets do. The only one who leaves me in peace is Furball.”

“You’re an agent who’s gone through the toughest training in the world and two women can do you in?” asked Terence.

“You forget they finished the same training. They tried to wear me down. You don’t have any idea what they did to me over the last few hours!” Jeff glared at Terence. “And let’s not forget that they also worked you over. So don’t brag!”

“What exactly did they do to you?” Gray asked. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. Despite the urgency of their “problem” he found it easy to set it aside for the moment because he’d had the distinct feeling Liz and Jennifer had been up to something.

Jeff sat up and rolled his shoulders as if they were very tight. “I went shopping with them.”

Terence waved him off. “That isn’t anything I’d classify as particularly difficult. Schlepping around a few bags couldn’t have been all that bad.”

“Let me talk! Before I served as a pack mule, I filled in for you…” with his head he pointed first at Chris and then at Gray, “…on a marathon of trying on clothes.”

Gray and Chris tried to hold back their laughter. Jeff jumped up, took on an exaggerated feminine posture and waved his hands in the air. “Chris desperately needs a couple of new tops,” Jeff imitated Jennifer. “He desperately needs them. What size are you any way, Jeff? … You have to be about Chris’s size.” Jeff looked at Chris with resentment. “And before I knew it, I was standing in the changing room and had to try on almost two dozen tops, shirts, T-shirts, polo shirts.” Then Jeff turned to Gray. “Liz then had me try on jeans one after the other for you. I quit counting after ten. … And you know what?” His eyes moved back and forth between Gray and Chris. “They didn’t buy a single thing. For a solid two hours I acted like a clothes tree, only for them to decide that no one could stand in well enough for you trying on clothes.”

“Why did you agree if it annoyed you so much?” Gray was grinning broadly and shook his head.

“Why?
You’re
asking me why?” Jeff leaned across the desk in disgust, his hands on the table. “Does, ‘Keep them busy somehow! But for God’s sake, don’t let them out of your sight. Stay close to them!’ ring a bell?”

“Two hours as a clothes tree,” Terence said. “And you’re making such a fuss about that?”

Jeff shot him a withering glance over his shoulder. “I’m not finished! Afterwards they dragged me from one lingerie shop to the next, until they finally landed at
Victoria’s Secret.

“Well, I imagine that was pretty enjoyable.” Chris leaned back and chuckled. He was eager to see what Jennifer bought there.

“
Enjoyable?
They kept the two salesclerks on the run. And not just them!”

“Don’t tell me you had to help?”

“Of course! They tried on sexy lingerie without a break. You know how in the movies they have people get dressed and undressed in fast forward?” Everyone nodded. “I never thought that could really happen, but it did today.” They all laughed. “The salesclerks ran around like crazy. And when they couldn’t keep up, I had to help. Then Jennifer turned in a brilliant theatrical performance by bursting into tears in the middle of trying things on.”

When Chris looked up, alarmed, Jeff waved him off.

“She complained that she couldn’t do anything right for her husband and that he constantly criticized her. First about her cooking and then her lack of imagination in bed.”

“She would never say that! I never said that either!” Now it was Chris’s composure that was at an end. Never in his life would he presume Jennifer would say something like that.

“It gets better!” said Jeff. “While she went on about her unsympathetic husband, she looked with a really pathetic tear-stained face out of the dressing room … in my direction.”

“Oh dear.”

“You could say that.” Exhausted, Jeff flopped back in his chair again before he continued. “At any rate, all of the other customers in the shop felt for her. If they were furious earlier for Liz and Jennifer taking so much time trying on clothes and tying up the only dressing room, suddenly they showed immense understanding. After all, there was someone they could take it out on.”

“You?” guessed Gray.

“When I tried to explain the whole issue, even an elderly lady hit me in the back with her purse and called me a douchebag who didn’t deserve a woman like Jennifer.”

Terence roared with laughter and almost tipped over. He had definitely gotten off a lot easier with their poker game.

“How did you finally get out of that situation?” Chris asked.

“They had eventually tried everything on, so they just came out of the dressing room. I had retreated toward the door with my back against the wall while they paid for their purchases. I was thrilled to finally be able to leave.”

The girls had really taken their anger out on Jeff.

Chris said, “They know something. I would bet my bottom dollar on it. Maybe not exactly what’s going on, but they know it’s about them.”

Gray nodded. There wasn’t anything left for them to do other than tell their wives the truth. It had probably been a stupid idea to keep the issue a secret.

***

“Do I get my keys to my motorcycle back, Gray? You’ve kept them from me for an eternity. I’ve earned it.” Liz said, sweeping her mouth provocatively across his lips before withdrawing and sitting up. She braced herself with her hands on either side of his head and looked down at Gray. A portrait of pure temptation. She towered over him, naked, with ravishingly tousled hair.

“Earned in what way? You made a mockery of Terence and drove Jeff crazy.”

“You and Chris condemned us to boredom. Why?”

Gray wrapped an arm around her body and laid his leg over hers. Then he grasped her neck, pulled her down to him and pressed his mouth to her lips. “You call this boring?” he feigned outrage, without answering her question.

“You know that isn’t what I mean. That will never get boring.” She rubbed her naked body against his and was happy to see that he reacted immediately. “Do I get my keys now?” she said and kissed him on the chin.

“Are you trying to bribe me?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not working, darling.”

“Why not? I faithfully promise to drive properly.”

“Liz … I just don’t want something to happen to you.”

“What’s going to happen? For as long as I’ve had my driver’s license, I’ve never gotten in an accident,” she said and pouted.

“And what was that with my SUV?”

“That wasn’t an accident, it was intentional. That doesn’t count!”

Gray laughed and with a quick movement, rolled over with her in his arms, so Liz was underneath him. He supported himself with both elbows on either side of her head, peppered her face with kisses and kissed her lips. “Later, sweetheart. We’ll talk about it later.”

“But I want to talk about it now. I want to know what’s really going on! Quit stalling!” Liz had enough. He distracted her again and again. And again and again she let him.

“We’ll talk about it afterwards,” he murmured, barely comprehensible. He would tell her everything, no more secrets. But first Gray wanted to enjoy her one more time. An extremely sensual smile came over him when he demanded, with a grumble in his voice, “Now quit slacking and do your wifely duties!”

“Excuse me?” she said with wide eyes.

Liz’s stunned expression was magnificent and comical. The consternation didn’t last long and Liz began to struggle under his body. She reared up, pressed her hands against his chest and tried to push him off her. But the more she pushed and turned, the harder Gray pressed her into the mattress. His expression changed. The smile disappeared and gave way to pure desire.

“Calm down!” he said in her ear. “Any resistance is futile. There’s no escape for you!” He pressed his lips hard against hers and pushed her thighs apart. He wrapped her legs around his hips, raised her abdomen against him, and penetrated her deeply, burying himself completely in her warmth. Gray smothered her soft moan with his mouth and began to move inside her with rhythmic, powerful thrusts.

She wasn’t capable of thinking clearly anymore, gave herself up to him with abandon and returned his endearments. All of a sudden, it wasn’t important anymore that she wanted to confront him; it could wait until later.

Liz’s fingers stroked his back, the muscles of his upper arm and she clawed his shoulder. Sighing, she answered the wild play of his tongue and prodded him to go faster. She squirmed against him and Gray was only too happy to follow her silent pleading. He thrust into her more powerfully and felt her approaching her climax. With one last powerful thrust, he plunged into her moaning and muffled her scream with a kiss. He spilled warmly into her, and sank onto her body enjoying the sweet lassitude that overcame him after each time they made love.

Gray was crazy! Crazy in love. Crazy for Liz. And his happiness would be complete, when she finally realized she felt the same. But he could wait. His victory and her defeat would be that much sweeter.

Carefully he rolled onto his side with Liz so they could stay connected, and slid one arm under her head.

“That was an attempt to distract me, wasn’t it?” Chuckling she snuggled close to him.

“Attempt? It worked pretty well.” Gray swept a stray strand of hair from her forehead. It was time to tell her everything. After all, he had promised.

“Is it that one of you is constantly around us because some unauthorized person got access to our files?” Liz said.

Surprised, Gray raised his eyebrows. “How do you know about that?”

“We poked around your office.”

“You did what? When?”

“When Terence arrived. We had to put him out for a while, but afterwards, we knew why you were constantly holed up in your office.”

“He didn’t say anything to us.”

“Because he didn’t know. We put some sleeping pills in his coffee and he just thought he had fallen asleep from the jet lag.”

“So you found the key to get in?”

“No. We didn’t even look for it. Jennifer opened the door with a pocket knife. Why didn’t you just tell us about it?”

“Because we didn’t want to upset you.” With a contrite expression he looked at her expectantly. Would she feel betrayed by him?

“With the job we do, we don’t get upset all that easily, Gray! You should know that. And we don’t need babysitters either.”

“Is that why you made Jeff and Terence suffer?”

“We couldn’t get any information out of them. They were as silent as church mice. Why?”

“We thought it would just be better not to tell you about the situation right away.” He sighed, leaned over Liz and touched his forehead to hers. “We were going to tell you about it, but later,” he whispered and kissed her tenderly. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“Don’t worry. Nothing is going to happen to us.”

“I hope not, darling.” Gray wrapped his arm around her and pressed her tightly to him. He really hoped nothing happened to her. Because if it did, he would never forgive himself for it.

***

“Do I get my keys back?” Liz broached the subject again the next morning, snuggling close to Gray’s back and putting her arms around him. They had talked late into the night. Liz learned that there wasn’t accidental access to the TDA’s personnel files. The highly sensitive data had been copied and sold.

“You don’t give up.” Gray rolled over. “What do I get if I give them back to you?”

“My gratitude will know no bounds. Take what you want!”