Tricks & Treats: A Romance Anthology (13 page)

Mitch could feel the pleasure rising low in his stomach, as he pumped in and out of her, and the heat of his oncoming orgasm could be felt radiating through his limbs. He knew he would soon come, but it also felt like he could go on with her forever. He felt her clench around him, signalling her own oncoming orgasm, and it was enough for Mitch. She came, and he ground himself against her, finishing as well with a hoarse shout.

Breathing heavily, Mitch gently lowered the woman so she was standing the floor. Her emerald green eyes never left his as she fixed her dress, and he disposed of the used condom and adjusted his own clothing. The people who had gathered around to watch them had dissipated.

He could see the flush that coloured the bottom of her face and her chest. “Well, Mr. Fox,” she smirked. “That was
fantastic
.”

It sure had been. Mitch felt his head clear a little. His dose must be wearing off. “It was,” he nodded. He realized that he wanted to see her again “Can I get your number?”

Her eyes widened behind her mask. “I don’t know,” she said. “Why don’t you just come back here to see me?”

So she wanted to keep the mystery alive? “Maybe I will,” he told her and leaned in to give her a soft kiss. Her bruised lips cushioned his. “Thanks for the tour,” he said.

“See you around,” she said, turning away from him, and disappearing into the crowd.

Chapter 7

With the cat nowhere to be found, Mitch could now get back to work. She had been a fun distraction and it was too bad that she didn’t want to see him… Well, she didn’t want to see him
outside
of Leather & Lace. Maybe he would come back some time. Mitch took a deep cleansing breath and despite himself, he could smell her. He inhaled again, pulling her scent deeper.
Dammit!
He was distracted again. He had to clear his head, and made his way to the curtains where the man with the bear mask had disappeared earlier.

Mitch parted the heavy curtains and he found himself in front of a closed door marked with an
employees only
sign. He shrugged and went through it anyway, ending up at the end of a long hallway. Outside of the major party rooms, Mitch removed his mask so he could see better, as he moved down the hallway, away from the driving music, flashing lights and gyrating bodies. Halfway down the hallway a new sound was discernable over the noise behind him - a woman crying. It didn’t sound like the blissful cries he would equate with the sexual activities he’d seen that evening. It was sad, pained. Then he heard a masculine yell, one that was menacing and violent. He crouched, and reached for the gun strapped to ankle. He wasn’t going any further without his weapon at the ready.

Mitch followed the sound down a staircase that led to a basement. It was so far removed from the opulence of the party, but he felt right at home in the gritty, dingy room. It was lit by one bare bulb hanging from the ceiling, and he saw that three women were lying on bare, thin mattresses on the dirty floor, and Mitch could tell that they were almost too strung out to hold up their heads. An imposing male figure loomed over them. It was the man who’d worn the bear mask, the one who’d drugged Mitch, was holding a fourth woman by her wrists; the only way she was staying upright. He was yelling at her in a foreign language.

“Hey asshole!” Mitch called out, his gun drawn. “Why don’t you leave the women alone?”

The man released the woman and she fell to the floor. He turned. “Why don’t you mind your own business?” The man responded, in a thick Russian accent. He was no longer wearing his mask and Mitch studied him for a second before recognition struck him. He was Igor Ivanov, a member of Yuri Petrova’s syndicate that was making a push into the city.

“I’m afraid it’s too late for that,” Mitch shrugged. “You’re under arrest.”

“For what?”

“I don’t know, drugging a cop and many others, assaulting these women, serving a lethal cocktail to trafficked women.” Mitch shrugged. “We’ll make something stick.”

“What’s going on here?”

Mitch whipped around to the sound behind him. A well-dressed, elderly man, Mitch recognized him as a successful businessman in the city. He was flanked by two other men who, seeing Mitch’s weapon, drew their own.

“I’m a cop,” he said. “Drop the weapons.”

The security detail didn’t move.

“I mean it,” Mitch warned them. “Drop ‘em.”

The man looked to his security guards. “Do as he says.” They listened to him. “I’m Edward Patey, the owner here. Can you tell me what’s going on?”

Mitch ignored him and turned back to Igor. He fished a plastic tie from his pocket and used it to bind the burly Russian’s wrists behind his back. When the was sure the suspect wouldn’t escape, Mitch turned back to the older man.

Mr. Patey looked past Mitch and his mouth dropped at the sight of the women. “Who are these women?” he asked, shocked. “Are they okay?”

Mitch reached for his cell phone and remembered that it had been collected at the front desk. “You need to call an ambulance right now,” he told the older man’s security guards. He turned back to Mr. Patey. “How much do you know about what goes on down here? The things that Mr. Ivanov was doing here?”

The older man shook his head, bewildered. “Admittedly, not much. I’m rarely here, but when I am, I stay in my office or the main room. I have people to look after the day-to-day affairs.”

“People like Igor Ivanov?”

“Yes.”

“I think you need you need have a chat with your H.R. manager. There are things you need to know.”

Chapter 8

Mitch’s sunglasses protected against the barrage of light from the sun as he left his car and made his way into Brewed Moon. He didn’t think he’d ever needed a coffee so bad. The combination of staying up all night, the after-effects of the MDMA he’d been slipped, and his vigorous, erotic work-out with his mystery woman that night all led to one exhausted police detective.

After leaving the club, Mitch had ended up at the police station where they’d processed Igor, and, through the help of a Russian translator, received statements from the women confirming that they’d been kidnapped and brought from Russia to be forced into sex work at the club. Edward Patey seemed shocked and appalled that that sort of thing had been going on at the club and he promised to clean the place up. Mitch hoped that he was telling the truth. With that mountain of evidence, and knowing there was no way out, Igor confessed to trafficking the women and giving them the drugs that killed them, saying that he’d done so without the club’s owner knowing. He then offered them some more interesting information, he’d done everything under the direction of Yuri Petrova. A name that Mitch knew he would hear again.

Shortly after dawn, Mitch had gone back to his apartment to change his clothes and shower. And knowing that he would get no sleep at all, he’d decided to head back to the precinct. He walked into the café and the potent smell of coffee invaded his nostrils, he inhaled deeply, and tried his damnedest not to yawn.

He walked up the counter where Juliana stood. He noticed that she looked a little worse for wear as well, with red, tired eyes, rimmed with what was probably last night’s eyeliner.

Juliana cocked her head to the side, noticing that he was staring at her. “What’s up, Mitch?”

“I’m in desperate need of caffeine,” he told her.

“Aren’t we all?” she bit back a yawn.

“Yeah, I had a bit of a late night last night,” he looked at her. “It looks like you did too.”

“Yeah, something like that,” she said, and went about pouring him a coffee. She poured it and passed it over the counter.

Without moving away from the counter, Mitch raised the cup to his lips, while Juliana retrieved her own cup and did the same. They locked eyes over their coffee mugs. “I never realized that you have green eyes.” They weren’t just green, but such a vivid colour that he had never seen before.

Well, maybe he’d seen it once before.

“Yeah, and I always have,” she laughed. She put down her cup. “Oh, while you’re here, would you mind giving me a hand with something?”

“Yeah, of course.”

She walked out from behind the counter and crooked a finger, beckoning him to follow her. “My filing cabinet is completely ancient,” she said over her shoulder, as he followed her to her office. “And one of the drawers is out of alignment or something, I can’t get it open.”

“And you need a big, strong man?” he asked her, joking.

“Oh, I’m plenty strong,” she laughed, flexing a lean, tight bicep. “But this needs a little extra brute force. And I don’t want to pull anything,” she laughed, pointing to the top drawer. “This is the one.”

Mitch grasped the handle, and gave it a hard, quick pull. It was well stuck, but under his strength, it gave way with a loud clang.

Juliana smiled gratefully. “Thanks so much, Mitch. My payroll files were in there. My staff thanks you.”

“It was nothing,” he said with a shrug. “Glad I could help.” He took a quick look around her office. It was neat, orderly, but something shiny on his desk caught his eye. He froze for a moment, and didn’t say anything when saw the gold cat mask sitting on her desk.

She caught him staring and picked it up, and put it in her bag. “I was at a masquerade party last night,” she said, by way of explanation. “I was a cat.”

He put it together in his head. Juliana was the woman he was with the night before. He hadn’t been able to tell then, he’d been drugged, she was wearing the mask, it was dark, and the music was loud, and he couldn’t clearly hear her voice. Being with her had been incredible. And standing in front of her in the light of day, in her office, was just as stimulating. He didn’t know what to do. He knew he should tell her. But he had no idea how to even start that conversation?

Mitch was about to speak when Juliana spoke. “Thanks again, tough guy,” she smiled over her shoulder. “Now let’s get back to the caffeine, I’m in need of a pick-me-up.”

Mitch stood for a second, alone in the office watching her walk back to the front counter. Remembering the feeling of her shapely ass in his hands. The words he was thinking dying on this tongue. A conversation for another time.

Mitch grabbed his coffee cup and paid for it, leaving Brewed Moon before he said or did something stupid. He got back in his car and took a deep breath. He wondered if he should tell her; reveal himself as the fox from the party? She deserved to know that they’d had amazing sex the night before, but she
had
wanted it to be anonymous. He wondered just how would she react if she knew what had happened between them?

His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a message from Peter, saying that he had to get to a crime scene in the east end of the city. His problem with Juliana could wait, his day job wouldn’t.

It was late when Mitch got home that night. He was tired and there was no amount of coffee that could keep him awake. Fishing his keys from his pocket, he walked up the stairs to his front door. He turned the lock and when he lifted his foot to walk inside, it collided with a small box that was sitting on his front porch.

He stooped to pick it up and narrowed his gaze at the small rectangle box, secured with a gold ribbon. Dropping his jacked and sidearm on the counter he inspected the box before tugging it open. Inside was a gold slip of paper, inscribed with only his name, and a neatly hand-written note.

Detective Swanson,

Thank you for cleaning up our club. Use your pass to visit us any time you choose. We would love your company.

Edward

Mitch put the box on his kitchen table. He almost threw the entire thing in the garbage. But he stopped himself, and put the gold paper securely in his wallet. He smiled. Maybe some day, he might just use it.

Some day. Probably soon.

The End

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In addition to self-publishing, J. Margot Critch writes steamy contemporary romance for HARLEQUIN® BLAZE®. She graduated from Memorial University with a BA in Religious Studies and Folklore, and currently lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland, with her husband, Brian, and their two little buddies, Simon and Chibs. She spends equal amounts of time writing, and listening to Jimmy Buffett music, all the while trying to decide if she should have coffee or margaritas.

ALSO BY J. MARGOT CRITCH:

HARLEQUIN® BLAZE®:

In the Boss’s Bed

Hot for the boss…

Maya Connor was already embarrassed after a dare—and a shot of vodka—resulted in one seriously sexy kiss with an even sexier stranger. She had no idea that the man she made out with was hotel magnate and reputed playboy Jamie Sellers. Or that she would soon be working for him…

Maya won't let anything get in the way of her ambition. And she's determined to be taken seriously as she begins her career—and not give in to the heat that's constantly driving her to distraction. Lust, that's all it is. The more Maya and Jamie ignore it, the stronger it gets. But ending up in the boss's bed won't just be Maya's wickedest fantasies come to life…it'll be the end of her dreams.

In Her Best Friend’s Bed
(coming February 2017; available for pre-order now)

She wants him so much!

Abby Shaw has had
enough.
She's done with relationships (why are guys always so needy?) and wants to focus on getting her career off the ground. The fact that Trevor Jones—her new best bud
and
her boss—is seriously hot shouldn't complicate things at all. But that deliciously hard, tattooed body? A kiss that suggests hours—and nights—of wicked pleasure? Yep, Trevor is trouble…

Abby and Trevor can't resist turning "just friends" into "friends with sexy benefits." Which means lots of hot sex, no messy emotions. It's the perfect arrangement—at first. But their searing sexual chemistry verges on becoming dangerously intimate…and Abby will do just about anything to keep herself from falling in love with Trevor Jones.

Brewed Moon:

Bump & Grind

By day, Erica Hardin is a barista at Brewed Moon, a trendy downtown St. John’s café, but by night, she is one of the city’s most sought after burlesque dancers. She craves more adventure and excitement in her somewhat dull, coffee-pouring life, and she gets all that and more when Peter Swanson walks into Brewed Moon. Unknown to Erica, Peter is a detective, part of a special team trained to fight the scourge of organized crime. When he and his team have suspicions of mobsters associating in the Brewed Moon, they spring into action, investigating the café and everyone who works there.

In Peter and his sinfully-good looks, Erica sees the element of danger she’s been craving. Peter however, can’t look past her luscious curves and wily red-lipped smile, and he’s willing to sacrifice everything he holds dear to get close to her. Despite the circumstances, neither Erica nor Peter can escape the instant attraction they feel, and before they know it, their steamy, forbidden affair is embroiled in a sinister plot perpetrated by Irish mob kingpin, Dylan O’Connell. Soon Erica finds herself in more danger than she anticipated, and she must rely on her own wits to survive, while Peter has to stop O’Connell before he makes his evil plans a reality.

Power Brothers
:

Power to Love

Cash Power needs to get away. His job as a conflict photographer has left him with some memories he’d rather forget, and when he learns that he and his brothers have inherited a home in Key West, he jumps at the opportunity to get away and recuperate. He soon forgets his troubles when he boards the plane and meets his beautiful seatmate, Karen.

Karen Gallagher is an over-worked and under-appreciated environmental lawyer who decides to get out of town when her bosses push her to a breaking point. On a whim, she jumps on a plane headed to Key West; where she meets Cash. After a mile-high sexy encounter, Karen is sure she has started her vacation on the right foot … if only she’d remembered to book a hotel room.

Not wanting to see Karen stranded, Cash invites her to stay in his inherited house. Despite the initial awkwardness, the two quickly find themselves in the middle of a steamy vacation fling surrounded by the beautiful, sultry Florida Keys and each other. But as the time to part ways draws ever closer, the depth of their feelings for each other become clear. Will Karen and Cash make a clean break, or will they each leave a part of their heart in the Keys?

Connect with J. Margot Critch online!

Website:
jmargotcritch.com

Twitter:
@juanitamcritch

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/jmargotcritch

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