The Deviant Underground (Time Bandit) (5 page)

Chapter Five

There was a firm knock on the door, and she opened it. Sam stood there looking slightly agitated.

“I know,” Susan said. “She called me.”

Susan stepped aside, and Sam strode with an air of familiarity into the room. “Be her,” was all he said.

Susan closed the door behind him, leaned up against it, and smirked. “What, a cold shower wouldn’t be enough for you?”

“Quit playing around,” Sam growled. “Plant the suggestion. I need to see her.”

“Okay. Okay,” Susan cooed as she walked slowly and sensuously towards him. She ran her fingers up his muscular arms and whispered, “Close your eyes.”

Sam did. He took a deep breath.

“Now open them.”

Kathryn stood before him dressed in a similar outfit as the one she wore today. Of course, Susan had no way of knowing exactly what Kathryn had been wearing, so Sam helped her out. “It was white. The shirt was white with buttons.” Susan nodded. The shirt shimmered before taking a new form.

“Better?”

Susan sounded just like Kathryn as well, and that’s what set Sam off. He answered by grabbing her and kissing her forcefully. He didn’t have to restrain himself with Susan. Susan giggled, returned his hungry kisses, and then led him into the bedroom.

After their lust had been satisfied, they could talk business.

“So what happened?” Susan looked like Susan again. She had released the suggestion in Sam’s mind.

Sam sighed and got up from the bed. “You were right. She’s guarded. Very guarded.” He began to put his clothes back on. “I tried to bring it up to her, but she freaked out. This is going to be much harder than I thought.”

“Told you.” Susan, still naked, reached for him. “Hey, where are you going? Don’t you want to stay?”

“No.” Sam had his back to her as he put on his shirt. “I’m pretty tired, and we’re going out again tomorrow, early.”

Susan sounded disappointed. “Oh, okay.” She also got up and put on her robe. “Do you think that you’ll have better luck tomorrow?”

“I don’t know,” Sam said thoughtfully. “I think so. I have a plan.”

“What is it?”

“I’m not going to say. I’m still working on it.”

Susan put her hand on Sam’s shoulder and turned him to face her. “We don’t have much time. Jonathan wants this thing wrapped up quickly. There's a lot of work to be done, and we need her.”

“I know that,” Sam snapped. “But you had three months and couldn’t do it, how can you expect me to do it in one week?”

“Because you are a lot sexier than I am,” Susan teased.

Sam was not in the mood. “Give me a little more time. She has some serious issues. If we rush this thing, we could lose her.”

“I know. Okay. I’ll talk to Jonathan and tell him that we need more time. It's worth it. She has great power. She just has no idea.”

“I’ll keep you updated.” Sam grunted and headed out, slamming the door behind him.

Chapter Six

Sam was there at 11:00 sharp the next morning. He was wearing shorts, and Kathryn thought she was going to die. His legs were long and powerful; his quads strained against his caramel skin as he drove. Kathryn was dressed for serious basketball business in her workout shorts and sleeveless t-shirt. She had her hair pulled back in a high ponytail and was not wearing any makeup. In her gym bag she had everything she needed to make a transformation from queen of the court to breezy, spring lady who lunches. She was looking forward to the entire day.

Sam was a member of a very nice gym that had several basketball courts. When they arrived, there weren't too many people shooting, so they were able to get a hoop all to themselves. Kathryn sat down on the floor and began her stretching routine. Sam bounced the basketball around and looked at her with a bemused expression on his face.

“Oh, so you’re serious?”

Kathryn smiled as she stretched out her hamstrings. “Absolutely. Proper stretching is the best way to prevent injury.” She then joked, “Of course, no amount of stretching will keep you from injuring your pride when I wax the floor with yo ass!”

Sam laughed loudly. “Oh, so you wanna play like that, trash talker?”

Kathryn reveled in the banter. “It’s not trash talking when it’s the truth.”

“Okay, I see. So what are the stakes? Picking up the tab again?”

“Sounds good to me. I could use another free meal.” Kathryn stood up and stretched her triceps.

“Oh, no. Not this time.” Sam let sail a beautiful jumper that was nothing but net. He winked at her. “I’m going to order the biggest, most expensive thing on the menu, so I hope you brought your credit card.”

Kathryn retrieved the ball, dribbled to the outside, and let fly a perfect jumper of her own. “Actually, I left my wallet at home because I knew I wouldn’t need it.”

With that, the game was on. Kathryn knew that she couldn't beat him, but she did want to give him a run for his money. At first, she managed to catch him off guard with a few head-fakes and some quick jumpers. It was clear that he had underestimated her. After she got ahead of him 12 to 8 in the first game, he began using his 6’4” frame to his advantage.

“Oh, so now you want to play?” Kathryn taunted as he smacked down one of her jumpers.

“Don’t get mad,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes. Sam retrieved the ball and dribbled to the top of the key. He used his considerable height and weight advantage to barrel past her and make a beautiful layup. As Sam upped his physical game, Kathryn had a hard time concentrating. When he body-checked her, she felt every muscle as she bounced off his immobile frame. Occasionally, he would wrap his massive arms around her to prevent her from dribbling. Kathryn found it impossible to escape his firm grasp, and she really didn’t want to. Once, he caught her off guard and effortlessly lifted her up off her feet as though she were a twig. She squirmed and called foul, but inside her heart was racing with desire. He let her take her two shots from the free-throw line, which she made.

The final score of the first game was 15 to 21. Under Kathryn’s insistence that she could, indeed, beat Sam, they played a second one. She lost that one 8 to 21. She did manage, however, to get off two beautiful three pointers. After the second game, they sat courtside and rested. They were both sweating, and Kathryn longed to touch his glistening body. The very physical basketball game had only enflamed her need for him. He had such control over his physical presence; she had to see how that would translate to more horizontal games where body checks were most definitely allowed.

“I have to say,” Sam took a long drink from his water bottle, “that you are actually pretty good.”

“See, I told you. I wasn’t trash talking for nothin'. I got skillz.” Kathryn wiped the sweat off of her forehead with a towel.

Sam laughed. “Yeah, okay. You still lost. In fact . . .” he smirked, “I kicked your ass.”

“Yeah well, you’ve also got seven inches and about 100 more pounds over me, so I wouldn’t be too quick to brag.”

“Whatever. I know that I’ll be having the steak and lobster combo for lunch.”

Kathryn punched him in his solid shoulder. It was like punching a rock.

Sam feigned injury. “Ow! Violent.” He raised one eyebrow. “I kind of like it.”

Kathryn was at a loss for words. She was overwhelmed by his sexy flirtation, so she just winked. Sam smiled and stood up. He offered his hand to her. “Ready to go? I’m starving.”

Kathryn took his hand, and he helped her off the floor, pulling her into him. “Yeah, I’m ready,” she said softly.
Ready for quite a few things other than food.
Sam gave her a swift pat on the butt, smiled, and picked up his stuff. “I’ll meet you out front.” He headed for the men’s locker room.

Kathryn stood speechless, watching his beautiful form stride across the court.
Cold shower. Definitely a cold shower.
She went to get ready for a lunch she did not mind paying for.

***

They ended up going to a deli in Kathryn’s neighborhood, so she didn’t have to pay for lobster and steak. Instead, Sam had a roast beef sandwich, and she had turkey. Kathryn's appetite for sex had so dominated her senses that she didn’t realize until the first bite that she was actually hungry for food as well.

Like the previous night, the conversation was fun, sexy, and natural. They didn’t run out of things to talk about, shifting easily from work to politics to favorite movies and music. Then, the conversation turned personal.

“So, tell me about your family.”

Kathryn shrugged. “Not much to tell. My parents died when I was 13.”

A look of genuine concern crossed Sam’s face. “What happened?”

“Car accident,” Kathryn said nonchalantly.

“Were you in the car?”

“No. I was at school at the time. They got rear-ended by a semi. Died immediately.” Kathryn took another bite of her sandwich.

Sam studied her face for a moment. “I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t seem very . . . um . . .”

“Sad about it?” Kathryn interrupted. Sam nodded. She shrugged. “It was a long, long time ago.”

Sam was silent for moment. Then he asked, “Do you have any siblings?”

“Nope. Only child.”

“So what happened after your parents died?”

“I went to live with my grandmother. She died when I was in college.” Kathryn never had a reason to tell anyone about her background because she didn’t really have any friends, and questions about whether or not your parents are alive or dead never come up in casual conversation. After speaking it out loud, Kathryn could see that her story may sound somewhat sad to others. She had suffered so much loss so long ago that it seemed like another lifetime. She so rarely thought about it that she had almost forgotten about it. She decided to shift the conversation.

“So what about you? Mom? Dad? Siblings?”

“Um, a mother, yes. An older brother, yes. Both live in Dallas.”

“And your father?”

Sam shook his head. “Left when we were young. I don’t know where he is.”

“What does your brother do?”

Sam finished the last bit of his sandwich and wiped his hands before responding. “He’s a mechanic.”

Kathryn wanted to keep the conversation light. “Cool. Free car repair.”

“I guess, except I haven’t been back to Dallas for years.” Kathryn was about to ask why when Sam got up with the empty basket his sandwich was in. “Do you want me to throw yours out for you?”

It was clear that he was trying to change the subject, and Kathryn respected it. She ate the last bit of her sandwich. “Sure. Thanks.” They gathered the rest of their items and headed out the door.

Kathryn knew that she couldn't play the good girl role any longer. It was killing her. So when Sam drove up in front of her apartment, she invited him in. He cheerfully accepted.

The bright, yellow spring sunlight shone in through the windows Kathryn had left open, and the soft breeze made the blinds rattle rhythmically. Before leaving for the day, she had made sure that her apartment looked as close to
Architectural Digest
as she could make it on a professor’s salary. She was hoping that for the first time, Sam would see more of it. She had vacuumed the floor and killed the dust bunnies collecting in the corners. She had dusted the tops of every surface, including the tv screen. She had made sure that everything was in its place, and she had even purchased a bouquet of daffodils. They were sitting sunnily in a vase on the table in front of the couch. She had, of course, changed the sheets on the bed so that they were crisp, fresh, and inviting. She had also scrubbed the bathroom and the kitchen. She had been up since 7:00 in the morning trying to get everything ready, so when they walked in the front door, everything was perfect.

“Would you like something to drink?” She asked Sam after closing the door. “A beer maybe?”

“Sure, that would be nice.” Kathryn gestured to the couch, and Sam sat down as she headed into the kitchen. She grabbed two ice cold Heinekens from the refrigerator, opening them on the way back into the living room.

“Cheers.” They clicked bottles, and both took long drinks.

Sam put the beer down on the table in front of the couch. He looked at her thoughtfully. “I really had a great time playing basketball with you. You’re quite a surprising woman.”

Kathryn’s face grew warm at the intensity of his compliment. “That’s me. Full of surprises.”

“Hmm. I’m sure,” Sam said softly. He then plucked the bottle out of Kathryn’s hand and set it down on the table. She watched him in anticipation of what he was going to do next. He stretched his arm over the back of the couch and drew her close to him. “Come here,” he murmured. With that, he kissed her—first slowly, his tongue teasing hers, then more aggressively, his delicious lips devouring her own.

Kathryn had been planning for this moment all day, so she knew that she was not going to hold back. Her hands went directly to his lap, and the warm feeling between her own legs grew as she felt him stiffening. Sam groaned softly at her touch. It was a powerful, sensual sound, and Kathryn wanted to hear more. He deftly slipped his hands up the back of her shirt and unhooked her bra with one quick snap. Kathryn put her own hands up his shirt to read what was written there. When Sam’s large, warm hands cupped her small, firm breasts, she let out a groan of her own. She then knew that the couch just would not do.