The Project Pt. 03

Scott looked disgusted. "Should have known. I did look up there."

"Arrangements have been made for it to visit a garage where the beacon will be transferred to a similar vehicle headed west. I'll take this one south tonight, as we agreed."

"Karen, his list of credits for keeping us among the living is growing."

"Maybe I need to transfer my affections. But that would cause a lot of trouble, wouldn't it?"

I was quickly transferred to Scott. "Yes, it would. My girl is super territorial. And she carries a knife in her boot top."

"Oops."

In the fancy SUV, I had my head down on the leather top of the console. It felt nice, but Scott's hand working my neck and head was better. His touch was calming me down. I asked in a small voice, "Where are we headed?"

"A friend's place in Scottsdale. He has a cottage in the back that I have rented and made some adjustments to. Very cozy and almost as good as a regular safe house. You willing to have fresh pasta prepared by your brother?"

I sat up and laughed. "Only if there is a really good Chianti to go with."

He fisted me and said, "Sorry for this morning. I'll make it up to you."

I nibbled on his fingers. "I have a new life experience to remember. Being shot at on my morning run."

In an hour, we were nosing into a gated community off Indian School Road, and taking a narrow paved driveway around to the rear of a Mediterranean villa style home. Scott parked in front of a three car garage with living space above.

"This belongs to a friend who started at Motorola and has done well for himself. He is a consultant now and only takes on interesting projects. Those outside stairs are a fake. The door at the top is armored shut. Grab your duffel and follow me."

An unobtrusive niche at the side of the garage held another armored door with an electronic lock. Scott went up the inside stairs and keyed another electronic lock that opened into a pleasant studio apartment.

"Let's do a list and you can clean up while I shop."

I was just tired and dirty enough not to argue. He disappeared, with instructions not to open to anyone. "Ray knows we are here and will not come without calling first."

I was still soaking in very hot bubble bath when he returned. I shut my eyes and smiled.

"My god, what is Cinderella doing in my bathtub?"

He knelt and found an underwater nipple to tweak. "Smells nice in here. Better than that nasty adrenalin sweat, isn't it?"

I sat up and tried to wrestle him in with me. Instead, he pulled me out and wrapped a large towel. If I was going to be chased around the desert by Russians, it helped to have a big, strong male along for protection.

"Prawns with pasta," he said, handing a glass of expensive chardonnay across the kitchen counter. The towel had slipped down around my waist and I laughed at his sexy stare.

He broke off long enough to ask, "Fettuccini or linguini? I have both."

"Linguini." I stuck my tongue at him. He took a long sip of wine and walked around behind me.

"You are completely irresistible. I am out of my mind to involve you in this crazy Xtrax business."

His hands wandered from boobs to hair to ears to other places that were driving me insane.

"I could wait for dinner if you..."

His lips were close to my ear, "Not on your life. You are going to eat your fill of my seafood pasta and my wine and my fine dessert. Then we have the whole night ahead of us..."

I put my head on the counter and moaned agreeably. His fingers worked on my nipples and I was so relaxed and he was so sweet that I came, right there on the kitchen stool, my head turned to find his lips. That hardly ever happened and I sagged back into his front.

"Scott, you are..."

We ate side by side, holding hands. With no lunch, everything disappeared in a hurry.

I was transported to the sofa, the remains of my wine delivered, with instructions to close my eyes and think of a tropical island we would visit as soon as he could get the current project dealt with.

I pulled the wool throw over my head and laughed. If we could zero out the guys with guns, this lifestyle had a lot going for it.

I sleepily opened my eyes into early dawn. He was looking at me with dark predatory eyes from two feet away.

I mumbled, "What happened to togetherness?"

"You needed your sleep and I needed to work." His hand reached for mine and squeezed.

"No loving last night and no loving this morning?" My voice was plaintive.

The hand drew me close for a long, soft kiss. "I have to keep you alive."

"We have to keep us alive." My voice was sharp and my hand squeezed his erection as hard as I could.

I was tight to his front now, teeth painfully gripping my shoulder muscle. He growled and poked the stiff cock between my thighs. Before I could say anything more, he relaxed and fell back with a groan. I assumed the female superior position and tickled him. That got me a wrestle and kisses and more threatening growls.

Before I could rub him into action, he said, "The feds have work for us today."

"Damn, what's a horny girl to do?" I laughed at him as the cock wilted fast.

"Have you found a tropical island yet?"

I fell to his side and burrowed in. "Damn, damn, damn. This is like Bonnie and Clyde. Can we skip the bad ending?"

Over coffee and wheat toast, he said, "The agency people are developing a list of locals who might have been involved in the attempted theft. Want us to join the hunt from the inside. I'll make some calls this morning. I'm thinking you could check in with Sandona and pry some contact information from him."

"I hope he doesn't try his Italian stallion routine on me."

We laughed and Scott said, "You had him on the ropes the other night. Give him your soft pitch about the new partner needing to know who's who."

"What can I tell him about the new project?"

He grimaced, "You and I are way behind the power curve. It will take a whole weekend to get us on the same page. I need your advice about a whole bunch of things."

"On top of that, you still don't have any clothes." He thought for a moment and picked up the phone, smiling."

"Olga! I am so glad you are up and about. Your work on Karen the other day was fantastic. Every eye in the room was on her!"

Rapid chatter from the other end. "Yes. Please pad your already enormous bill, it was worth every penny. I have a special favor to ask. Karen needs some wardrobe essentials for here in the desert. Can you recommend a shop?"

More rapid chatter. "No, Olga, that is too generous. I couldn't accept."

Sharper chatter. Scott broke into French, with effusive thanks. "Yes, I will deliver her in one hour."

He grabbed my ears and kissed the tip of my nose. "You have a fan, Sis. She says she has never dressed a more beautiful, elegant woman, and I am to bring you to her immediately. Her contacts will be there with samples."

I walked around the table and pressed my front into him. "Your girlfriend is going through her allowance awfully fast. Maybe you should send me back to Mama?"

After a long, long kiss, he said, "Stop sounding like a mistress. Every nickel of her bill is a business expense. You are going to call Sandona right now and ask if he is free for lunch to discuss assisting you in learning the ins and outs of technology in Phoenix. If I know Antonio, he will take you to a fancy place and try to charm your undies off."

"Fat lot of good the fancy undies did me the other night in that jumpsuit!"

Scott had a quick conversation with Alphonse about a driver cum bodyguard for me, and grinned over the phone, telling him our location.

"He insists on looking after you personally. Says no one else can be trusted to keep our high class woman safe."

He grinned some more and added, "If he wasn't so tangled up with the black beauty, I would have real competition."

I decided Olga might as well see my tattered worst, and walked out to Alphonse and the limo looking very unglamorous. It had been a rough several days.

"Miss Thomas, we are going to the right place. You need a workup."

"Alphonse, any ordinary girl would have ditched that louse Scott by now. Talk about being unappreciated!" I gave him a hug and a hot kiss.

"Hey, missy, you have some serious fans in the intel crowd. Heard one of them say he'd never seen anything like it. Impressing every man in the room one minute, and hauling loot out of a subbasement the next."

"Did you steal that jumpsuit from your girlfriend?"

"What jumpsuit? My lips are sealed."

He said I was required to sit in the back. I thought of Kevin Costner watching out for Whitney Houston in the Bodyguard movie. I'd rather have Alphonse any day.

Olga and helpers took one look at me and clucked loudly, "What has that horrible man done to you?"

Knowing that Olga knew exactly what had happened, I invented a tale about an after party gone bad, with drunken fights and having to escape from arriving police. More clucking. They worked me out of the clothes, which were headed for the trash. I gave them my best naked smile and pointed out that my body was sore but unmarked.

In two hours, Olga's fantastic fashion sense had me ready for lunch with new everything, including what she described as the proper scent for a power lunch with a prominent businessman at Luigi's, the most visible spot in town for upwardly mobile technology executives.

Standing at her door with Alphonse staring and impressed, she whispered, "Remember, you are now Scott's partner and one of the most powerful people in the room. Act like you own the place and everything will be fine." She kissed my ear and gave my bottom a pinch as I descended her steps.

After loading several large boxes of clothing into the trunk, Alphonse and I drove away in style.

"Damn, Kim, that woman knows how to fix you up. Sandona is going to be impressed all over again."

"That's the idea. Hit 'em high, hit 'em low!" Do I get to call you something shorter than Alphonse?"

"Well, my men friends call me Rocky, because I'm pretty good with my fists."

"What does your girlfriend call you?"

He gave me as terrified a look as a woman gets from a very large black man. "Oh Kim, you know how to get me in trouble! She calls me Junior."

I let him wait for my next words.

"Ok, I will call you Senior. It will confuse Scott. It is a secret for just the two of us."

"Damn." He was blushing but no one would ever know.

Luigi's has uniformed valets at the curb, who popped open my door and offered a hand. Fortunately, getting out of the SUV didn't offer any looks at my underwear.

"Driver, I will call your cell when I am ready to be picked up."

"Yes, Ma'am." He had a deferential thin smile that spoke volumes. I marched up the steps in my new heels, feeling good and ready for another fencing match with Antonio, who appeared at the entrance to embrace his guest with a discreet hug and kisses on both cheeks.

"Katherine! Look at you! The most beautiful executive in the Valley. You honor me by your presence."

"Antonio, you are the most polished seducer I've met. If Scott weren't such a big territorial guy, you would be making a move on me instantly, I suspect."

I took his hand and squeezed. "This is an important business lunch, but you may treat me as your date if you wish." I gave him my best inquiring look.

"I very much need a date with you, but the eyes in this room would alert my wife in an instant! Perhaps some evening at a remote location?"

"Perhaps, Antonio, your wife and I need a conversation?"

He whispered in my ear as we were being escorted across the dining room, "You are truly dangerous. There is entirely too much gray matter between those lovely ears."

After we were seated and I had accepted his offer of a champagne cocktail, he asked, "Now that I am rejected, may I ask the purpose of our meeting?" His eyes sparkled at me.

I smiled back, "First, let's get to a first name basis. My friends call me Kim. Surely you don't go by Antonio at home?"

"Yes, and when my wife hears that you used the name she calls me when we are together, it is all over!"

He blinked a few times and said, "You may call me Franco. My teenage friends called me that. He was a tough guy in the movies."

Still smiling, I replied, "Franco, I am here for you to instruct me on the ins and outs of tech society in Phoenix. Scott insists that my new marketing position requires knowledge of these things. Since I am just a simple engineer, you must make allowances for my ignorance."

"My dear Kim, I am completely undone. Never has a woman softened me up like you have just done. I must concede my position to you now and quietly retire."

The waiter arrived for our orders and the atmosphere cooled slightly. Taking another sip of his wine, he said, "There are, of course, circles of acquaintance and influence. As a startup working at the intersection of advanced chips and advanced optics, many people will seek you out as word gets around. Is it true you are considering locating here? I thought you and Scott were wedded to Silicon Valley?"

"We would love to be there, but the Bay Area is pricing itself out of startup locations and budgets. Do you think we could recruit successfully here?"

Over the next hour, he was remarkably frank about the pros and cons of Phoenix, who knew who, and related items. Along the way, I found a moment to inquire about foreign presence.

"Is this attractive for international firms? Did I see something about a Russian delegation in the paper?

"I would say yes and no to that question. The local politics and politicians are not friendly, but if a company is careful, and uses the right partnership and trade phrases, the business community will quietly be accommodating and interested. There are a number of joint ventures that do not get into the newspapers. The Russians were here seeking ways to build their mobile systems with licensed technology developed by Motorola and others."

A good cover, I thought. Everyone knows about mobile phones, or thinks they do. It was common for national security agencies to adopt this kind of dodge for what is going on in the back room.

We finished and I excused myself to the Ladies, where Alphonse answered on the first ring. "Senior, I am yours whenever you are free."

His response was low and guttural, "You are too much. I will be right there."

At the door, I whispered, "Franco, I am in your debt. The next time there is an event for spouses, let me know and Scott can be my escort. I would like to meet your wife and I promise not to tell any tales."

"I will tell Annette about you. After she beats me, she will want to meet!"

The black SUV was at the curb, with Alphonse scanning the vicinity for anything suspicious as he opened the door and helped me in.

"Where to?" he asked. I wanted to do a memory dump into my computer and responded that we needed to go back to the apartment so I could work.

He glanced across, "I've never known a woman who could turn on the charm like you do, and then drop back into work mode so fast."

I blushed at the compliment and said, "You don't do so bad at the charm business, yourself. Do I ever get to meet the girlfriend? What about dinner? Fresh pasta at the apartment?"

"She hates my work, but the two of you would get on. She was the first female black engineer hired at one of the local startups."

"Name?"

"Sylvia. If you call her mobile, she might accept." He grinned across at me and provided a number.

I thought a moment about a good time and decided to strike while the iron was hot, dialing her.

The answer was careful, since my phone did not provide a name, "Yes?"

"Alphonse tells me you might be interested in homemade vegetarian pasta for dinner tonight."

"You must be Kim. It is nice to hear your voice. He won't tell me anything about you except the Scott connection, so I should accept. What can I bring?"

"Salad or dessert, your choice."

"Both. The two of them will be working your booze supply and we can talk." The voice was soft with an edge in it.

"Yes. No telling when they will decide work is over. We can let them decide since pasta is a last minute thing."

"Thank you for the invitation. Bye."

He glanced over at me with raised eyebrows.

"You heard. Tonight at the apartment. You and Scott decide when." I reached over and squeezed his big hand. "She sounds nice."

His fingers wrapped around mine. "You don't know..."

On the way home, Alphonse took me to his favorite upscale market and I shopped for dinner, filling a basket with no regard for expense. After all the TLC I was getting from my big black bodyguard, he and Sylvia deserved a good meal.

As we were going up the stairs, I nudged him and asked, "It's ok to call you Senior?"

"Ask Sylvia." He left me to digest that as I did my notes into the computer. Actually, I only finished half of them before I gently collapsed into a nap on the down sofa, where Scott found me an hour later.

His tongue darted to my lips and inquired gently.

"That's a nice way to wake up. More please."

More came with a quick carry to the bedroom. I thought he was going to throw me down and take me, but his hesitation meant the fabulous dress would be protected. He hummed as the dress came off and the French underwear was revealed. "Karen, you are a goddess!"

He was so humbled by my sexy body that even the underwear was treated with respect.

"I could shower before..."

"Not on your life. I want my woman, all of her." There wasn't any more talk, just a violent entry and hard thrusting. I giggled at him.

"What's wrong?"

"You are fucking your sister, that's what is wrong!"

He jammed tight and raised his eyes to mine. "You have a problem?"

"Yes. Why did you stop?"

A few more seconds banging on me and I was wailing his name and coming for a long time. He was better than any of my other lovers, who numbered in the single digits. I dug my nails into his back and clenched everything I could. I even had his cock immobilized for a little bit.

His head rested between my boobs, breath returning. "Stay in there, we don't want to mess the quilt."

I liked riding on his hard shaft, and he was laughing as we made our way to the shower. "Damn, Karen, a guy could get carried away loving you."

I nipped at his ear and whispered, "I don't put out for just anybody."

Instead of entering the shower, he pushed me up against the wall, holding me there with his key in my socket and his lips thrashing my nipples. He was harder than ever, and just banging me against the wall like any old slut. As he drove me to another wailing climax, his phone began chiming in the other room. He cursed and I pushed him away, laughing hysterically.

I was drying off when he returned, eyes blazing. "Bastards. They are so full of themselves, they would probably call in the middle of your having our first child."

I rushed into his sweaty chest, having a total meltdown. "Oh, Scott. My god, babies."

He held tight and licked my neck. Softly, "Yes, babies. One of these days. After we figure out how to deal with all the brother-sister issues."

"I have something to tell you that will help"

He looked at me curiously, keeping his arms tight."Shoot."

I took a deep breath. "After they married, Mom and Dad spent a couple of years with no contraception but nothing happened. Then they went through all the tests and both were at the low end of the fertility scale. This was before IVF and all that messing around. So they adopted, and got me. Everything jelled so well they decided to seal the papers and go on with life as though I was really their own. I wasn't told until I was eighteen. And, of course, like some other couples, Mom found herself pregnant with you before I was two."

"Oh god, Karen that makes you even more precious to me."