Authors: Carolyn McCray,Elena Gray
“Do tell …” Callie urged.
Alexis knew some gold badges who weren’t this tenacious.
“Dekker asked me to a street match tonight.”
As Callie gasped, Alexis turned back to her closet. It turned out that she had no idea what someone would actually wear to an illegal fight.
“Oh my God!” Callie exclaimed, clapping. “This is too cool!” Her friend tossed the script aside. “Come on! We’ve got to get you suited up!”
Alexis pulled out a plain beige sweater, two sizes too big. Holding it in front of her, she turned to Callie.
“What do you think?”
“Boring!” Callie scrunched her nose in disgust. “You need something hot.”
As Alexis dug deeper in her closet, she found a gray, short-sleeved dress. The only dress she owned besides her dress blues.
“Like this?”
Callie made the sign of the cross. “Definitely not. We need to go shopping.”
“But …” Alexis protested. There had to be something in her closet that would work. The thought of going to a mall seemed far more arduous than her earlier workout. And to go with Callie?
“You want Dekker to open up to you?”
Of course she did. Duh.
“There is only one way to soften a guy up, and that is to make one part of his body a little harder, if you know what I mean.”
Ugh. Alexis did. Which was exactly why she did
not
want to go shopping with Miss Free Love.
“Then you need to dress the part,” Callie stated, hands on hips, and looking so very serious.
“I’m doing fine, thank you very much,” Alexis snapped.
But of course that only encouraged Callie, who pointed to Alexis’ current workout clothes.
“Darlin’, you are not in much more than a bra and Spanx. You don’t have much more on than a prostitute in
Moulin Rouge
.” Callie grabbed Alexis’ hand. “How are you going to fare in nun attire, hmmm?”
Damn, but Callie was right. Plus, she could remember how Dekker’s rough hands had felt coursing over her skin. She wouldn’t mind feeling that again. Which was the problem. She needed to stay focused. And not on his biceps.
She pulled away from her friend. “I think I’m doing just fine on my own.”
“Please!” Callie exclaimed. “You practically threw yourself at him yesterday, and well, he kind of threw you back.”
Yesterday, maybe. But today? Today, he threw himself at her. Pinning her to the ground. His hard-muscled thighs straddling hers. With his lips so close …
But the less Callie knew, the better.
So Alexis answered, “I got him to invite me along tonight.”
“Only because you hit him! Can’t you see it?” Callie threw her hands up in frustration. “He only takes an interest in you when you are in his face! If you want to get close, you have got to show him you are every bit as dark and dangerous as he is.”
Dark and dangerous she could do.
It was the sexy part that Alexis was worried about.
* * *
The buildings whizzed by in a blur through the darkened streets. Rock music blared from the speakers. Dekker never did anything slow—especially drive. About the only thing that came close to the adrenaline rush he got from fighting was pushing his car to the limit. Hearing the engine rev when he accelerated and the squeal of the tires when he made a sharp turn. Never letting up on the gas.
Dekker still hadn’t heard back from Agnes. At this speed he would be at Lexie’s in a few minutes, and he really would prefer to know if he was walking into a trap or not. He had enough enemies inside and outside the law that he couldn’t just take her at her word.
Then why was he taking her? Why expose himself to such a risk? It was the equivalent of lowering his right arm, opening up his blind side. But he knew the answer. It was the way her breath hitched when he pulled her close.
He grabbed his cell phone off the seat and dialed the studio.
“Agnes, got that yet?” he asked, knowing that Agnes would have called if she did.
“No, sorry.”
“Well text me when you do.” He was about to disconnect the call when Agnes’ words came in a rush.
“Grant called. He was agitated, and you know how he gets when he is agitated.”
Shit. He forgot about Grant. Damn Lexie and her wildly off-the-mark kick. His lip still throbbed where it landed. If only he could chalk up his lack of focus to the pain. Hell, he hadn’t even threatened a single one of his students with a slow and painful death tonight. He was definitely off his game.
“Don’t worry,” he answered. “I’ll take care of Grant’s problem right now.”
He ended the call and tossed the phone back on the seat. Flexing his fingers on the steering wheel, Dekker made an illegal U-turn. Drivers honked their car horns as he cut them off. It looked like his little Lexie was going to have to wait for
him
this time.
He had some business to take care of first.
* * *
Bags from various department stores and boutiques covered Alexis’ pale yellow comforter. Shopping with Callie was like Chinese water torture and bamboo shoots under your fingernails combined. Honestly, how many different styles of jeans could there freaking be? Let alone the sheer number of brands?
To make matters worse, everything that appealed to Alexis, Callie had laughed at and put firmly back on the rack. The terms “schoolmarm,” “frump,” and “virgin librarian” had been used multiple times. So in a moment of sheer frustration, Alexis had told Callie to pick whatever she wanted. Hence, the six bags of clothes.
“Remind me again. Why do I have to wear this?” Alexis asked. The lavender tissue paper crinkled as she unfolded it, revealing a red and black lace thong and matching bra.
“You’ve got to radiate confidence and sex appeal.”
“But he’s never going to see this,” Alexis said, dangling the thong and matching bra from her fingers.
As Callie pulled clothes out of the bags, laying the pieces side by side on the bed, she replied, “Ah, but
you
will know it is there.”
This was so not Alexis’ style. Cotton “grandma” panties and a good support bra worked fine for her. And where was the rest of the underwear? With the string up the back, she would definitely know it was there.
“With that satin and lace against your skin, you can’t help but move differently,” Callie said, running her hands up and down her body sensually.
She’d move differently, all right. Alexis could only imagine what Callie had on under her short, short skirt—if she was wearing anything at all. Callie was never at a loss for dates. Granted, lately most of the guys she brought home were from the theater, but she rarely brought the same one home twice.
“Any woman who has the guts to wear those,” Callie said, pointing to the lingerie, “has the guts to go to a street fight with a dangerous stranger.”
Unsure, Alexis stared at the lingerie.
“Just trust me on that,” Callie said, nudging Alexis into the bathroom. “Put them on.”
Once the door was
securely
shut, Alexis slipped on the bra and panties. Turning from side to side, she studied herself in the mirror. Wow. The thong was definitely going to take some getting used to, but the way the bra pushed her breasts up, she looked like she gained a full cup size.
Would Dekker notice? How would she stack up against the other women he dated? A sobering image of his dead ex-girlfriend flashed through her mind. That was what happened to the beautiful women in his life.
“Here,” Callie said, shoving a pair of jeans and a black top through the door. “Try these on.”
It took a lot of wiggling to get the jeans on. And buttoning them? Let’s just say there was some standing on tippy-toes, holding her breath. Low-slung, they didn’t cover the strap of her thong. And the square neckline on her sleeveless, silk black top showed just a hint of her bra strap. So much for Dekker not knowing that the red and black lingerie were there.
Feeling self-conscious, Alexis stepped out of the bathroom and smoothed her hands down her jeans. “I don’t know. This all looks too tight.”
“That’s the point,” Callie stated, nodding in approval.
The doorbell chimed. Panicked, Alexis glanced at the clock. It was only 7:30 p.m. Dekker was early? That so didn’t seem like his type. He seemed the beyond fashionably late type.
Callie raced out of the room. Alexis stood in the doorway, listening as the front door squeaked open. She waited for the husky timbre of Dekker’s voice. Instead, she heard Nick’s.
Crap. She totally forgot about their date.
She couldn’t let him see her in this outfit. One look at her low-slung jeans, and Nick would have Beck on speed dial. She lifted her white terry cloth robe off the hook and pulled it over her clothes, clutching it closed at the throat.
Stealing herself for what was to come, she walked down the stairs. Nick stood in the living room dressed in a navy polo shirt and khakis. He seemed more relaxed in his street clothes. When he caught sight of Alexis in her robe, his smile faded.
Callie rushed to explain. “It’s completely my fault, Nick. I swept her away before she could call you.”
Ignoring Callie, Nick looked at Alexis for an explanation. “I thought we had a date?”
“We do. We did,” Alexis corrected, giving Nick an apologetic smile. “I … look, Dekker invited me to a street match tonight.”
Anger washed over Nick’s face. “And you said yes?”
“I figured it was the best way …”
Nick’s glare matched his tone. “Were you even going to tell anyone about this rendezvous?”
“It’s not a rendezvous,” Alexis retorted. But was she trying to convince Nick, or herself? Because it was beginning to feel more and more like a date. A secret date at that. Well, not secret anymore.
“It’s undercover work. You know what it’s like.”
An awkward silence stretched between them.
Alexis cleared her throat, realizing that the time for her date, um, her assignment, was fast approaching. Having Nick hanging out with his cop DNA was not an option.
“Dekker is going to be here any minute, so if you don’t mind?” Alexis gestured toward the door.
She didn’t mean to be rude, but if Nick blew her cover, she just might have to shoot him.
Nick paused on the threshold. He placed a hand on her arm. “Just promise to call me once you are home safe, okay?”
“Yes, of course,” Alexis answered as she shut the door on his overly concerned expression.
Callie peered out the window, watching Nick drive away. The curtain fell as she turned to Alexis. “He is
way
too nice and understanding.”
“Exactly,” Alexis responded. There wasn’t a lot of heat in too nice. Not like Dekker.
Okay, she seriously needed to stop thinking like that. But before she could regroup and reread Dekker’s file, filled with violence and very little remorse, Callie took her hand and tugged her up the stairs.
“Time to get you gussied up, my little ass-kicking girl.”
Why did Alexis feel like the lamb being led to the slaughter?
CHAPTER 8
Alexis squirmed in her chair like it was seventh grade science class. Only the experiment wasn’t in a test tube. It was on her face.
“Unless you want me to poke out your eye,” Callie said, “I would seriously look straight ahead.”
Sighing, Alexis pointed her eyes forward. Callie’s room couldn’t have been more different than hers. This one was all frills and lace. A floral overstuffed chair took up one corner, while a four-poster bed took up the bulk of the room. Covered in a hot pink comforter and more pillows than Alexis could count, it was a conversation piece, that was for sure.
Alexis glanced down at her watch. Eight forty-five. “Callie,” she warned.
A light tap to the chin is the response she got. “Eyes up.”
“He’s going to be here any second.”
Callie rolled her eyes as she swirled a brush over a compact. “That is what you’ve been saying for the last fifteen minutes. Now, suck in those cheeks. Perfection cannot be hurried.”
Her friend blew excess powder off the makeup brush before grazing it across Alexis’ forehead. “Besides, a guy like that? You’ll be lucky if he gets here by nine.”
Unfortunately for Callie, a horn honked out front. Twice.
Alexis tried to bolt out of the chair, but Callie shoved her back down. “Let him stew.”
“Clearly, you don’t know Dekker,” Alexis said as she tried to rise again, but Callie held her down. For a skinny theater girl, Callie had a steely grip.
“Right,” her friend snorted. “I eat bad boys for breakfast. I’m telling you the secret is to look hot, and then make them beg.”
Alexis doubted if Dekker ever begged for anything. And the bad boys that Callie was used to? They could only hope to someday grow up to be as bad as Dekker. Alexis was about to argue again when Callie announced, “Ta-da!”
Afraid to look in the mirror, Alexis slowly turned around. A stranger stared back at her. Alexis’ hair hung loose. Large curls bounced when she turned her head. She leaned in closer to the mirror, examining her eyes. Callie had penciled eyeliner in at the corners, giving them a feline appearance.
“Callie! This is …”
“Fabulous,” Callie finished.
The horn honked again. Each burst dragged out to emphasize Dekker’s annoyance. Alexis couldn’t help but rub her lips back and forth, smoothing out the deep red lipstick.