“Yeah?” Dar asked, surprised. “Thought it was pretty straightforward.” Impulsively she scooped Kerry up, getting a startled squawk from her lover, then dropped them both onto the bed. “But that’s all right. I had a pretty lousy day myself.”
Kerry sprawled lazily over her and rested her chin on Dar’s collarbone. “Somehow, it’s really hard for me to give a raccoon’s butt about that stuff right now.”
Hmm.
Dar had been having the same thought, as the aggravation of the day evaporated effortlessly. “You can fill me in tomorrow. And I booked myself back to Miami on the same flight as you have.”
“Awesome.” Kerry chuckled. “They all wanted to meet my boss. Just goes to show you, be careful what you ask for in life, huh?” She spared a moment to indulge in the guilty pleasure of imagining walking into Allison Consulting tomorrow with the ultimate in attitude with her. “Heh.”
She studied Dar. “Do you have any luggage with you, or did you just...”
“I just.” Dar grinned. “So I’ve gotta wash this stuff out tonight and wear it again. Guess I’ll have to buff it tonight.” They grinned and chuckled.
Kerry plucked at her jeans button. “You went to HQ in this?”
“Yup. I woke up late this morning and I didn’t have time for anything else. Figured Alastair would rather me there in this, than not there.”
“Were you right?”
“Oh yeah. We managed to get the pinhead to back down, but it’s gonna get ugly.” Dar sighed. “He’s gonna tour Miami.” She combed her fingers through Kerry’s pale hair. “Alastair warned me he likes to get personal.” She hesitated, worried about her lover’s reaction. “And that he’d make us an issue.”
A blonde eyebrow lifted. “My job performance stands for itself,”
Kerry answered proudly. “As for anything else, he can kiss my butt.”
Dar grinned. “That’s my girl.” She half sat up, leaning closer to whisper. “And if he comes within a foot of your butt, I’m going to remove his testicles.” She paused. “Got me?”
Kerry held it in for a moment, then she laughed helplessly. Dar joined in, then they let that wind down. Kerry sighed. “Is Alastair really worried?”
Dar nodded. “Yeah. But I had time to think about it on the flight up
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here. Unless he can prove it’s affecting the company in a negative way, there’s not much he can do.” She paused. “I mean, yeah, we broke the rules. But it’s not like it’s the first time it’s happened at ILS. He can make it pretty public, though, and damned uncomfortable for us.”
“Everyone knows anyway, Dar. We get invitations addressed to both of us all the time,” Kerry reminded her, with a smile. “And being publicly linked with you doesn’t bother me.” She paused. “I’ve had a lot of time to myself to think about that the last couple of weeks.”
Dar studied the determined look on her lover’s face and a sense of relief flooded through her. “Guess we’ll take it as it comes, then.” She traced Kerry’s jaw-line with a finger. “I told Alastair if I had to choose, there wasn’t any contest.”
“He knew that,” Kerry replied quietly. “He’s not stupid.”
Dar laughed. “Funny. That’s exactly what he said.” She lifted her body up and leaned over, finding Kerry waiting for her. Their lips touched and a shudder of pure reaction swept through her body. Fingers started exploring her, then Kerry paused and nudged her with her head.
“Mmm?”
“Let’s get your clothes taken care of. ’Cause you certainly can’t borrow mine.”
Obligingly, Dar rolled up off the bed and pulled Kerry up with her.
The smaller woman immediately unbuckled her belt, then slid fingers under Dar’s waistband and unbuttoned them.
Dar reciprocated by tugging Kerry’s shirt free and unfastening it, unable to prevent her hands from slipping beneath the fabric and starting a teasing exploration of the familiar body pressed lightly against hers.
The cool air of the room hit her shoulders as Kerry pulled her shirt off and she reluctantly relinquished first one hand, then the other to remove it entirely, managing to do the same for her without totally tangling them both up in fabric.
“Sometimes,” Kerry breathed against her skin, as she nibbled a path up her breastbone and reached around to unhook her bra, “it’s very nice being shorter than you.”
“Oh really?” Dar purred, working on her lover’s jeans, then running light fingers over her back as Kerry kicked her pants free. “Mmm. Red hearts, huh?” she teased gently, pulling at the waistband of Kerry’s underwear.
“Look who’s taking.” Kerry moved down and kissed her navel, then bit at the sedate, white briefs covered with a plethora of Dogberts.
“Nerd.”
Dar slid her arms around Kerry and picked her up, then fell sideways onto the bed, rolled over and settled her lover’s bare body on top of her, welcoming the explosion in her senses as Kerry’s touch claimed her.
Guess I’m wearing wet clothes tomorrow
, she remembered thinking, just before a low, breathy growl in her ear made tomorrow, and clothing, and everything else...
Irrelevant.
34
Melissa Good
WAKING UP NAKED in bed with Dar Roberts was about the nicest thing Kerry could readily conceive of, she decided, having done just that.
She stretched a little under the soft quilt and snuggled closer, feeling really rested for the first time in two weeks.
They had managed to get Dar’s clothes washed and hung up in the bathroom, but it had been pretty late before that happened, and she wondered if the darn things would even be half dry by now.
The sun peeked in and Kerry peeked back, then put her head down on Dar’s shoulder, using her lover’s body to block out the intrusive rays.
A soft chime made her look up again to see her mail icon blinking.
She made a face at it. Dar had done a very quick review of her initial findings last night and, with a grim look and a shake of her head, immediately sent the files off to Duk’s auditors.
Not good.
Though, watching Dar browse Allison’s data files in the nude certainly had lent a piquant note to the proceedings. Or maybe surreal was the word she was looking for. At any rate, her instincts had been confirmed by her lover’s experience and now that bleeping blinking icon was probably Duks having a multiple coronary over the prelims.
But she didn’t want to check it. She didn’t want to move one inch from where she was, or tear her ear away from the soothing sound of Dar’s heartbeat, slow and steady under her.
Dear Lord, I’ve missed this.
She hadn’t really acknowledged just how much until now, after becoming used to it for the several months of their intimate relationship. She wondered if Dar felt the same way.
The laptop chimed again, this time causing Dar to stir, and Kerry looked up to see her lover open one clear blue eye to stare at the PC in irritation. “Probably from our notes.”
“Grumph.” Dar sighed, then rolled over and wrapped Kerry up in her arms. “To hell with them. I want a longer night.”
Mmm. Guess she did feel the same way.
Kerry smiled. “Me too.”
The phone rang, and they both groaned, then Kerry reached over and pulled it from the cradle. “Hello?”
“Morning, Kerry.”
“Hey, Mark.” Kerry stifled a yawn. “What’re you doing up this early?”
“The usual. Can I talk to the boss, please?”
Kerry snorted. “Excuse me? You call me at
my
hotel room in Vermont, when Dar is supposed to be in Houston, and you expect her to be here?”
“Yup.”
She covered the receiver. “How does he do that?”
Dar just held out a hand. “Don’t ask. You’ll be a happier person for it.” She took the phone and cradled it between her ear and shoulder.
“Yeah?”
“Good morning, Boss.”
Dar considered that. “Yeah, it is. Thanks.” She gave Kerry a squeeze
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35
and smiled.
There was a momentary silence, then Mark cleared his throat. “Ah, right. Anyway. Listen, those circuit diagrams of yours finally came in over the CAD server.”
“Mmm, ’bout time.”
“Yeah, and the Cisco rep is busting my ass to try and convince you to upgrade the regional hubs to 7000’s.”
“Now?”
“Uh huh. He’s one of those granola and sunshine nerds. Gets up at dawn and goes to commune with the squirrels or something.”
“Good for him.” Dar rested her forearm over her eyes. “All right.
Have the print shop mount those diagrams on foam and get them up in my office…and tell Mr. Granola I’ll think about it.”
“Cool.” The sound of a keyboard came through the phone. “Oh yeah.
María’s looking for you.”
“Put me through.” Dar made a face and covered the mouthpiece. “I forgot to tell her I wasn’t going to be in today.” She waited through a moment of the company’s incredibly annoying hold music, then heard María’s voice. “Morning, María.”
“Ay. Dar. Where are you?” The secretary sounded worried.
“Vermont.”
“Ah, good.” María came right back. “This is good. Very good. Is Kerrisita there?”
Dar eyed the disheveled blonde head resting on her stomach. “Yes, in fact, she is.” Kerry looked up in question. “What’s up?”
“Is a policeman here. He has some papers. He says she must sign for them,” María responded.
“Police?” Blue and green eyes met. “A regular policeman?”
“No, no. In the plain clothing.”
Dar muffled the receiver. “You’re being served papers.”
“Shit.” Kerry mouthed, tightening her lips. “Only one thing that could be.”
“María, is he a federal policeman?”
“
Sí
.”
“Ah. Okay. It’s all right. Have Penny notarize your signature on them and take ’em from him.” Dar sighed.
“Is not trouble?” María’s voice lowered. “I could tell him she went to Cuba. He will not be back then.”
Dar chuckled wanly. “No. It’s…more complicated than that, María.
Kerry’s not in trouble, but they need to ask her some questions. She’s got to testify. That kind of thing.”
“Ay. Is for her
familia
?”
“Yes.”
“I will take them, Dar. You will be gone all day, no?” María now sounded briskly businesslike. “I have canceled your two meetings and Mr. Draefus is pacing in little circles here waiting to talk to you.”
Kerry felt a weight settle on her, as she considered the newest devel-36
Melissa Good
opments. Not that she hadn’t been expecting the summons. She had. But she’d hoped the matter would take the usual government forever.
Guess not.
She wondered briefly what the investigators would get into, remembering the last few she’d seen on CNN. Fortunately she’d been on her own for the last several years, without her father’s support.
That, at least, they couldn’t dispute.
College. Well, they’d all gone, though she’d taken at least a three quarter scholastic scholarship the whole four years. Michael, though…
Kerry winced. Angie had, at least, been only the Bachelors degree.
Well, she could honestly go in there and say she’d never had any idea her father was involved in the illegal acts—legally she was in the clear, and she actually couldn’t give any evidence against him, as a matter of fact.
Should be a short ordeal.
Might even be a little...satisfying?...to see her father squirm.
“Okay, Dukky. Lemme know what they find. I figure they won’t get anything before I’ve got to get out of here tonight.” Dar sighed. “We’ll keep them in a holding pattern. But tell Mari to push on those security checks.” She paused. “Right.” She pause again and looked down. “I’ll tell her. Thanks. Bye.”
Dar hung up the phone and exhaled. “Ho boy.”
Kerry traced a bare rib. “Had to come sooner or later,” she remarked.
“I can’t tell them much. It won’t take long. Did María say when it was for?”
“Three weeks from now,” Dar replied. “Duks pulled the auditing team off T and T and reassigned them to us. He says it’s gonna take time to figure everything out, though.” She considered. “And, it may be that some of those numbers just cross check strangely. Though I doubt it.” She tapped her nose. “Something stinks.”
Both blonde brows shot up. “I should be insulted.”
“Not here.” Dar slid her hands under Kerry’s arms and pulled her up until they were chin to chin. “Do you have a local lawyer to go up there with you?”
“No. Do I need one? I’m not being investigated, Dar.”
“Tch. Someone as politically savvy as you saying that, Ker? You know how out of hand those things get.”
“Mmm.” She sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Dar rubbed noses with her. “Okay. I guess a shower is in order. And let’s see how we can play your friends at Allison.” She tilted her head. “I could just go in there and kick them around a little.”
Kerry thought about that, then smiled. “Nah. I’ve got a better idea.”
KERRY DUSTED THE sleeve on her silk shirt off and twitched her gray linen jacket straight before she entered the conference room, aware of the tall, silent figure that followed her. She motioned to a chair then proceeded across the room and circled it, giving the other occupants a
Eye of the Storm
37
brief smile as she did so. “Good morning.”
Eyes had flicked to the casually dressed woman sprawled in the chair near the door, but now they focused back on her. The attitude was wary, but lacked the nervousness of the day before, and even held a hint of complacence.
“All right. Thank you for getting me those reports. I’ve reviewed them and referred the findings to our main office. Our personnel department is processing the security checks, so things are in a holding pattern until those two items are completed.”
Kerry paused. “However, since the interconnectivity takes a while, we’re going to get started with that. We borrowed one of our local field technicians and asked her to come in to give your IS people a hand in the network migration. I’d like to get that started as soon as possible.” She stared pensively down at her briefcase, trying to ignore the mischievous face Dar was making at her. “I’m sure…um…Bunny here will get you up and rolling in short order.”
Paybacks.
Kerry peeked up at her lover, who was giving her one of those “I’m gonna get you later” looks. She returned it with a charming smile. “Right, Bun?”