SASSY IN STILETTOS ARe version (18 page)

Of all the conversations she didn’t want to have
with him. “Look. I barely date as you call it. Not usually past the third or
fourth date. Not since Simon.”

He frowned. “You’re really letting that asshole
control your relationships like that?”

“It has nothing to do with Simon. I’ve been
completely focused on my career. I don’t really have time to date.”

“And what about sex? You’re a beautiful woman.” His
gaze once again slid over her body like a caress. “A beautiful woman with a
clearly healthy sex drive. I can’t believe you’ve shut yourself away since then.”

Now would be a fantastic time
for the ground to swallow me whole
. “I—” This was too mortifying. “I,
like I said, I’m too busy to worry about it.”

He pulled up in front of their building and parked
on the street. “Bullshit.”

Micha scowled at him. “Fine. There have been one
or two guys that...” Her voice trailed off, and she cleared her throat. “I call
them from time to time when I need to.”

His brows snapped down over his eyes. “I’ll need
their names.”

That sounded like a growl. “Is that really
necessary? It’s not like I talk to either of them frequently. They have no
reason to—”

“Names, Micha. I’m not screwing around.”

Oh, geez. He looked pissed. His big hands gripped
the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were white. Well, fine. It wasn’t
exactly a picnic telling him that she had no love life to speak of. “Fine.”

“How long ago?”

Not understanding his question, she asked, “How
long ago what?”

“Since you saw one of them?”

Oh, and the hits kept coming. The way she figured
it, she couldn’t have a more awkward conversation. “It’s been a year.”

His eyes rounded. “You haven’t had sex in a year?”

She flushed. “That’s right. What’s the big deal?” She
sniffed and looked out the window. She was not going to sit there and look at
him while he dissected her personal life.

“But you’re always so...hot. I just assumed.”

“Well, you’d be wrong. Most people would. My
personal life is…”
A fucked up nonexistent waste land.
“…limited.”

Caleb exhaled. “Micha…I…look I’ll fix this. It’ll
be okay. I wish you’d told me.”

“You wish I’d told you what, Caleb? It wouldn’t
have changed anything. What happened last night was… Well, yeah, you know what
it was. My lack of a sex life has no bearing.”

“I certainly wouldn’t have waited so long.”

“Come again?”

“I’ve been giving you time to get used to the idea
of me, to come around to my way of thinking and go out with me. I figured you
were getting over some long term thing and needed time.”

She did not need to hear this. “Caleb.”

“I would have been inside you sooner. I would have
said the hell with waiting. Thought you needed time or something.”

And because the idea of him thrusting inside her
made her body wet and pliable, she ducked her head. “I still wouldn’t have
wanted a relationship.”

“Maybe, but I could have stopped torturing both of
us.”

Caleb stared at the report of Trisha Jax on his
laptop. The news didn’t exactly fill him with the warm fuzzies. Apparently
Little Miss Psychopath had been released after being transferred to a low
security psychiatric facility. Doctors there had felt her recovery to be
substantial and that she was no threat to herself or others. According to the
report, she died. Jumped off a bridge six months after her release. They’d
trolled the water, but had never found a body. That couldn’t be good. Though
the likelihood that she’d survived the fall was slim, it was still a
possibility.

Why hadn’t anyone called Micha?

He didn’t want to be the one to have to give Micha
the bad news that that crazy woman was on the loose, but right now they had to
consider all possibilities.

He’d done the requisite check on all the men Micha
had any involvement with and any wives or girlfriends they had. It was like she
said: She kept things friendly, but never really went past a few dates. And as
for those assholes she sexed up, well they were clean too. As much as that
chapped his ass. He hated knowing that she’d gone to others to sate her need. She
hadn’t come to him. Even though they’d been sniffing around each other for
nearly two years.

He kept telling himself that it was none of his
business, but his cock kept remembering where he’d been and how good it had
felt. So, yeah, it kind of was his business.

He scrubbed both hands over his face. Tom and one
of his other guys both checked in via text. The first message was to say that
Micha had been dropped off at the apartment, and the other, that she was safely
inside and the place had been looked over.

He’d wanted to do it himself, but he’d been busy
chasing down information on this missing girl. Though, she wasn’t really missing.
She’d taken all the cash he’d slipped her and checked into a motel. From the
address his guy had given him, it was little more than a hovel, but it was dry
and off the street, so he could live with that for now. He was still waiting on
the report back of who she’d called or seen. If she didn’t make any moves for
another day or two, he’d have her brought in under his protection. She’d seemed
to trust him. His guy at the FBI had sent him an email saying they had no
information on her prints. She wasn’t in any database. And from the photo he’d
sent, they had no photo recognition on her. He stared at her picture. “Where
did you come from? And what are you hiding from?”

The light in Micha’s bedroom went on, and Caleb’s
whole body tensed. After what had already happened today, he knew he shouldn’t
be watching for her. It felt wrong somehow, but still he sat sentry.

His phone buzzed beside him.
You
probably already know, but I’m home, safe and sound.

Micha. His body’s semi-aroused response was
getting to be annoying.
Good. How are you doing?

Her text came a few seconds later.
Fine. A little raw. And tired.

All because he’d been careless and too busy
thinking with his dick and not his brain. He texted her back.
I have my best guys tracking the video’s origin. I don’t want you
to worry about it.

His phone buzzed in his hand as she responded.
Thanks. Not sure how I’m going to get to sleep. Maybe I should
have stayed with Jaya after all.

Caleb frowned. He didn’t want her at Jaya and Alec’s.
He wanted her much closer than that. But he knew better than to text her that.
It’s not too late. I can take you over there if you want.

It took a moment, but she texted back.
No. I really want to be in my own bed
.

He really wanted to be in her bed too. Smirking,
he texted back.
You need a tea or bedtime story?
What
he wanted to ask her was if she needed sex, because he could help her out if
she was so inclined. But he didn’t.

Her response left him an opening though.
No. Thx. I... I don’t know what I need.

Caleb told himself that calling her was a bad
idea. He still had hours of work to catch up on. But he wanted to hear her
voice. Soothe her. Comfort her.

She answered on the first ring. Her voice was a
little hoarse and husky, like she was lying down or she’d recently woken up. “Is
this when you tell me my bedtime story?”

Why the hell did she have to sound so sexy? “I’m
fresh out of stories. Are you in bed? I see your light’s still on.”

“Yeah, I was trying, unsuccessfully, to read.”

“Must be riveting.”

“Yeah, well, it might have been the wrong choice
of book. It’s that new erotica one everyone’s been talking about. I have an
interview with the author.”

Caleb’s heart stuttered at the mention of the word
erotica. “I hardly think that’s going to help you sleep.”

“Well, if it’s good enough to get me an orgasm,
then I’ll sleep just fine.”

Oh, hell. The mental imagery of her coming as she
rode him charged to center stage in his mind. “Is that what you need? Another
orgasm?” He was more than willing to oblige.

Her voice was soft, even huskier. “Caleb.”

His hands shook as he held the phone to his ear. “Micha,
are you in bed with a toy?”

“What? No.”

“Don’t lie to me, I heard you turn it on last
night. It made me jealous. And hard.”

She let out a breathy sigh. And was silent for
several beats. “I wasn’t sure if you could hear it.”

“Oh, I heard it. I was so busy concentrating on
your movements, I heard everything.”

“Oh, fantastic.”

“Micha?”

“Hm?”

“Are you wearing another camisole and panties?” He
didn’t know why he asked. It was just another way to torture himself.

Her voice was breathy. “Yes.”

He didn’t expect her to answer, but then she did,
and he knew where they were taking this. “Is it the same thin fabric like the
one last night?”

“Yes.”

“Micha, are you touching yourself through the
camisole?”

“N-no.”

“I want you to run you hand over your breasts.”
Caleb held his breath. She would either comply or tell him to go fuck himself.

Her moan was soft, but unmistakable. He shifted
the laptop off his lap and reclined against the pillows on his couch. “Are your
nipples tight?”

“Yes.”

“With your thumb and forefinger, I want you to
roll that tight little milk chocolate bud. Pinch it a little.”

He could hear her soft pants. “Imagine I’m sucking
on the tip of that magnificent breast, imagine I’m plucking your other nipple
to readiness. Show me what you like. Guide my hands.”

She whispered his name.

“Are you plucking your nipples like I told you?”

Micha moaned, and Caleb bit his lip. She was so
fucking hot. Everything about her. How uninhibited she was, the way she moved,
the way she spoke.

“Can you part your lips for me, Micha? How do you
feel?”

“Wet, slick. I need, need—”

“Tell me what you need, Micha, I can give it to
you. All you have to do is tell me.” Caleb unfastened his jeans to give himself
a little room. He ached and throbbed, but this wasn’t about him. This was all
about her. He’d take a nice icy shower. Later—much later.

“I remember how much you liked me stroking your
clit with my tongue. Do you remember.”

“Mmm.”

“Imagine I’m licking you now. Along that sweet and
spicy length of you. Can you feel me stroking? Is that what you want?”

“God, Caleb, yes.”

“Don’t touch your clit yet, sweetheart, let me
tease you, let me lap at your sweet skin. Maybe dip lower and let my tongue
slip into your sweet center.”

“Oh, God. Caleb, I...”

“Maybe even lower, stroking and licking. Has
anyone ever touched you there? Licked you there? Tell me, sweetheart, would you
like to try that with me? Something new?”

Her soft moans filled his ears, and by her
reactions the other night, he knew she was close. She made the sweetest little
mewling sound when she was about to come.

“Go ahead, baby, touch your clit now. Stroke it
firmly. Come as loud as you want.” His brain played the images of the two of
them as he stroked her slit and the way she’d tossed her hair back and came
again, and again, and again around his cock.

When she groaned low and harsh, then whispered his
name, his breath poured out in ragged breaths, like he was the one who’d
climaxed. He wasn’t new to phone sex, but never like this. His heart thundered
and blood roared in his ears. He was so close to orgasm, and he hadn’t even
touched himself yet. The things this one woman could do to him.

When she didn’t speak, he reached out to her. “Baby,
are you there?”

Her voice was a hushed whisper. “Yes.”

He’d kill to be in there with her, but as much as
he wanted that, he had other work that needed him. But at least he’d helped her
relax a little. “You think you can go to sleep now?”

She moaned. “Mm, better than a sleeping pill.”

He cleared his throat. “Yeah, anytime. I’m at your
beck and call.” Shit this was fucking perfect.
Why not give
her keys to your heart?

“Caleb?”

“Yeah, sweetheart?”

“It still would have been better with you here.”

He held his breath, willing her to say more. All
it would take was a word, and he’d postpone everything he had to do for the one
thing he wanted to do. But she remained silent. It wasn’t long before he heard
her deep even breathing on the other line. He smiled to himself. Like last
night, she’d passed out as soon as she was done.

He smiled to himself and disconnected the call.

***

Somewhere in the deep recesses of sleep, Caleb
heard a distant chime. It repeated in a sequence of three then went quiet
again. 

As the fog lifted, he recognized it for what it
was. An alarm.
Micha
. Springing out of bed, he
snatched his phone. He placed a quick call to the guys he had watching Micha’s
place. “There’s an alarm. What the fuck?”

Tom’s voice was low but calm. “It’s not her. It’s
at the office.”

Caleb gave Tom strict instructions to not let her
out of the apartment until he gave the all clear. He opened his laptop and
checked the monitors. The offices were dark, but the night vision picked up a
dark, hooded form walking through the office. He made another quick call. Once
the cameras were in, he didn’t have anyone posted on the building unless they
were physically watching Micha. Whoever that was, was taking a hell of a risk. He’d
need to rely on the police for this one. If he’d received the alarm, that meant
the police had also been notified.

The hooded figure went straight for Micha’s
office. All Caleb could make out was wild thrashing and flinging of equipment. Using
the zoom feature, he tried to get a better picture. “Come on, you asshole, show
your face.” But regardless of which of the three cameras he tried, he couldn’t
get a clear look. Almost like the asshole knew there were cameras or that he
knew where they were.