Prologue – One Perfect Night
Blake
2 years ago
“Come on, don’t be a pussy,” my little brother, Luke, says as he slides the little glass in front of me with that shit-eating grin plastered across his smug face.
“Don’t be a dick. I’ve already had four shots tonight, and I don’t want to show up for my first day tomorrow hungover,” I defend weakly before taking my fifth shot of Jose Cuervo of the night. The burning liquor sliding down my throat isn’t quite as harsh as it was earlier in the evening. Maybe that’s because the tequila has already warmed me all the way down to my steel-toed boots.
“Shit, you’d be expected to show up hungover. They’d probably think something was wrong with you if you didn’t look like hell,” he says before mirroring my actions and taking the shot of golden liquid.
Tomorrow is my first day on my new job. Or should I more accurately say that it’s my first day on our new assignment. Tomorrow starts the day I become someone else. I will no longer be Blake Thomas, special agent with the FBI. No, tomorrow I become Blake Crisp, mechanic at First Class Auto Repair. After months of hard work, intel, and setting this job in motion, I’ll finally be going undercover to help rid the world of one more scumbag. One more crook. One more dirty businessman; if you can even call him that. First Class Auto Repair is anything but a reputable repair shop; at least not behind the scenes.
The FBI has been building a case against Roman Hernandez for the last decade. The auto repair is a front for something much deeper and darker, but how deep and dark, we have yet to truly reveal. The last two agents to go underground in the company both disappeared, never to be heard or seen from again. Oh, we have our speculation as to what happened to the agents, but no trace of their bodies have ever been found. Their intel just stopped, their handlers unable to contact them, their trail gone cold.
“I’d really like to be able to think clearly, though,” I tell Luke as my attention is pulled towards the front door.
My mind is always busy; it’s a result of the job. My eyes continually scan the crowd, watching hands and body language, observing the exits. I absorb everything around me, taking it all in with an eagle eye, filing it away in my expansive memory. It’s one of the things that makes me damn good at my job. Reading people: it’s the thing I excel at.
When a minor rotator cuff injury my senior year of UNLV killed any future at a pro football career, I packed up my shit and moved to Quantico, Virginia. My mom cried the entire time, but there I found a place I felt like I truly belonged. A purpose. Over eight hundred grueling hours of training that tested and pushed me to the breaking point, both physically and mentally. I graduated in a small ceremony where my family stood and cheered, was selected as recipient of the Director’s Leadership Award by my peers and superiors, and finally handed my brand new credentials and a shiny Glock 22 .40 Smith & Wesson.
Before I can throw a smartass comment back at the man sitting across the table from me, my attention is drawn back to the front entrance; or more precisely, to the woman who just walked through the door. With long, black hair and the darkest brown eyes I’ve ever seen, she’s a goddess, and I’m completely enamored by her. The tight black tank top accentuates my favorite female feature, that’s for sure, but the short little black skirt is what has my attention right now. It fits snug around her beautiful heart-shaped ass and hits mid-thigh, with lean legs, a mile long, enticing me with each step she takes. All I can picture now is how they’d look wrapped around my neck. Her entire outfit leaves little to the imagination, and if the lustful looks on half the jackasses in this bar are any indication, she’s fulfilling many fantasies all over the fucking room with her mere presence.
And all I want right now is to throw her over my shoulder and walk straight out that front door.
“She’s hot,” my brother says, noticing the direction of my gaze while taking a handful of peanuts from the bowl in the middle of the table.
“Who?” I ask casually, returning my gaze back to the man who resembles me so closely.
“Really? Is that the best you’ve got? The hottie in the black, that’s who. You were watching her so closely that you had no clue what I was saying a few moments ago,” Luke says with another of those arrogant smiles. Cocksucker.
“She’s good lookin’, but so are half the girls in this place,” I finally retort, taking another long pull from my beer bottle.
“So you won’t mind if I go say hello?” Luke asks as he stands up from the stool across from me at our small pub table.
“Nope. Give it your best shot,” I say with a shrug of my shoulder as I give my attention to the group of girls across from us. Even wearing their Friday night best, none of them pull my attention like the beauty at the bar. The fact that I have this sudden, crazy urge to punch my brother in the face for even looking at the woman, leaves me unsettled. Maybe I need another shot of Jose.
Just as he starts to take a step towards her, I grab his arm, halting his progress. “That’s what I thought,” he says with a huge grin. Seriously, I’m gonna fuckin’ punch him.
“Just sit down and shut up,” I mumble, doing everything I can to not look back up at the bar. But since my eyes have a mind of their own, I can’t stop from turning my head and glancing her way again.
“Go talk to her,” he adds.
“I don’t think so.”
“Come on, man. When was the last time you dated? Hell, when was the last time you took some chick home from a bar and screwed her brains out?”
Longer than I care to admit. And since that’s a conversation I don’t want to get into with Luke, I change the subject back to the job. “So, I’m going to try to reach out to you tomorrow night and give a report, but I’m not sure when I’ll have the time.”
“Nice distraction,” he says, raising one corner of his mouth.
Luke resembles me so thoroughly that when we were younger, everyone thought we were twins. Despite the two year age difference, our features were the same: brown hair, strong jaw with an always present dusting of facial hair, green eyes, athletic build, and taller than most boys in class. At six foot four, we both sport hard, lean muscles from intense training and rigorous workouts.
“Just check in whenever you can. I know we’ve been over this, but the cell phone you have is self-cleaning. It’s designed to leave a basic trail in case someone checks it for contacts or call history. Any data that you send me will automatically be expunged from your phone following transfer with a master file stored at the bureau,” Luke says seriously.
My job on the inside is to gather information on the day-to-day operations of First Class Auto Repair, an auto repair shop in Las Vegas dealing with top of the line automobiles. That’s the front. What we know about them is that they use the business to scout out potential heist jobs. Of course, not every car that comes through the shop is stolen. That would throw too many red flags that even a kindergartener could figure out. But, that doesn’t mean that the shop isn’t dirty. The Las Vegas field office of the FBI has been watching them for ten long years, well before my time with the bureau, building their case piece by miniscule piece. Every time we think we’re close, our operative mysteriously disappears.
That’s where I come in.
“I’ll get you whatever you need. It may take me awhile to build their trust and infiltrate where needed, but I’m not doing this shit to fail. Roman Hernandez and his entire empire are going down. I’ll see to it,” I tell my brother, munching on a handful of peanuts.
“Just be careful. Mom will never forgive me if I get you killed. She barely leaves my side long enough to let me breathe as it is, but if you -” Luke stops abruptly, eyes smiling just over my shoulder.
I glance over my right shoulder and my eyes instantly clash with deep brown eyes the color of smooth, melted chocolate. Her rose colored lips are plump and perfect for kissing. God, what I wouldn’t give to kiss those lips. Desire tears through me like a tornado hell bent on taking down everything in its path. My pants are so damn tight right now, I’m afraid I might pop the button.
“Ladies, would you care to join us?” my asshole brother asks to the two attractive women just over my shoulder.
“Sure,” the blond says with a friendly smile.
I give her a quick once-over, but rapidly avert my eyes before someone sees me. She’s definitely hot with her short platinum blond hair and crystal blue eyes. Her outfit screams “sex” as she reveals plenty of soft, peachy flesh from head to toe. If I wasn’t so damn drawn to her friend, I could see myself taking this one home for a night to burn up the sheets. But my attention is definitely drawn elsewhere.
I feel another presence over my left shoulder moments before I feel her arm brush against mine. Contact. My entire body ignites into flames from that one little touch. My raging desire for this dark-haired beauty is so intense that it practically steals the very air I try to breathe. My instant attraction for her is all-consuming and beyond powerful. Yeah, I want to feel this woman naked underneath me more than I want my next breath of air.
“Hi,” she says shyly with a sweet smile filled with innocence. That one little smile does something deep inside me. It’s like my entire life has changed instantly and I don’t even realize it.
“Hey,” I say, trying to play it Johnny Cool. All the while praying to God or whoever that she can’t read the dirty thoughts parading through my damn mind.
“I’m Tara,” the blond says before taking a drink of something tall and fruity.
“Luke. This is my brother, Blake.”
“And this is my friend, Carly,” Tara says, as she extends her hand to shake mine.
I turn my attention to the goddess on my left and offer her my best smile. It’s a smile I’ve perfected over my twenty-seven years on this earth. The result has earned me phone numbers, bedmates, and plenty of short and long-term girlfriends. But it’s the smile that Carly gives me in return that sends what little blood I have left in my body straight to one concentrated area. I fear that my dick might actually explode at this point.
“Nice to meet you, Carly.” I hop up off my stool and offer it to her. It’s the gentlemanly thing to do, but it’s the bastard part in me who’s doing the thinking. That guy really wants to see that black skirt inch up her thighs when she sits down.
“Thank you,” she replies with a voice dripped in sweet honey.
“What brings you out tonight?” I ask, using the cover of the pub table to adjust my throbbing erection, and inadvertently ignoring the other two at our little table.
“We’re celebrating my promotion.”
“Well, congratulations,” Luke says with a blinding smile. “This calls for a celebratory shot. Another round of Jose,” Luke says to the waitress approaching our table.
“What’s the promotion?” I ask, trying my best to be heard over the growing Friday night crowd.
“I’m going to be the personal assistant to Reid Hunter at Hunter Enterprises,” she says, leaning in just slightly in an attempt to be heard.
“Nice.” I recognize instantly the name Reid Hunter. Shit, everyone in Vegas knows who Reid Hunter is. The man is a genius in the business world at the ripe old age of thirty.
“Yeah, well, it definitely beats filing papers all day long down in legal,” she says before taking another drink from her beer bottle. It was one of the first things I noticed about her when she sat down. She doesn’t have a fruity drink like half the female population in the bar, nor does she have her beer in a frosted mug like the other half. She drinks it straight out of the bottle. My kinda girl.
While Luke and Tara chat about who knows what, another round of tequila arrives. I throw a couple of bills down on the tray and hand out four shots. “Here’s to better jobs and new friends,” I toast with a quick clink of our glasses.
My sixth shot goes straight to my head. I feel the effects of the hard liquid combining with my beer, giving me the perfect buzz. I lean in closer so I can speak to Carly over the noise, and when I do, I’m assaulted by her sweet scent. She smells like wildflowers with a hint of something fruity. My nostrils flare to life as I inhale another lung-filling gulp of her alluring fragrance.
“What are you drinking to tonight?” she asks, leaning forward until her delicious pink mouth is mere inches away from my ear.
“New job for me, too,” I confess, taking another drink.
“Well, it looks like we have a lot of celebrating to do tonight. It’s pretty lucky we were invited to sit at your table. Like fate,” she says loudly. My body sings with different ways for continuing our little celebration.
After a few more rounds of drinks and one more round of shots, liquid courage has me firmly by the balls. I’ve been flirting like I haven’t in I don’t know how long, and have been touching Carly all night long. The feel of her sweet ass pressed firmly against me while we danced to the jukebox is something I won’t forget anytime soon, if ever. I couldn’t tell you what Luke and her friend, Tara, have been talking about. My focus has been solely on the exotic beauty that’s currently sitting on my lap.
“I have a place not too far from here,” I tell her bravely before I can talk myself out of it.
The look in her eyes confirms my suspicions. Carly wants me as much as I want her. Her brown eyes look charcoal with lust, her pulse beating wildly against the delicate skin of her throat. I can’t stop myself from indulging in just one little taste. I lick that rapidly beating point in her neck, causing her to shiver from head to toe. The goose bumps that break out on her exposed arms aren’t from the temperature in the room. No, it’s from the heat in my touch.
“My place is closer,” she whispers against my ear, sending fire through my veins as if I took another shot of tequila.
“Let’s go,” I say, not giving reason a chance to voice a single thought.
We stand up, Carly’s hand tucked securely in my own as if to keep her from running away, and I turn to my brother. I don’t even have to speak. He knows. “I’ll see you later,” he says, unable to fight the cocky grin on his face. But this time, I couldn’t give a shit about his smug smile. I’ve got Carly, and we’re heading back to her place for the night.
“I’ll be fine,” I overhear Tara tell Carly with their exchange.
“Ready?” Carly’s only reply is a firm nod of her head.
We head out the front door of the bar, and hail the first cab I can flag down. Carly gives her address to the cabbie as I pull her flush against me. Her leg snakes over mine as my lips finally land on hers for the first time tonight. The fact that we’re in the back of a cab leaves me a little unsettled, but when I feel her tongue slide hesitantly against mine, all thought evaporates from my brain. The only head doing any thinking at this point is the one begging to be released from my pants.
I grip ahold of her thin hips and lift her up on my lap, never breaking the connection of our mouths. When she wiggles her ass against my rock hard erection, I almost lose it. The friction is enough to drive a sane man out of his fucking mind with delirium.
“Your destination.” It takes me a few seconds to process his words, but when I do, I realize we’re stopped in front of a large apartment building. I don’t even read the meter on the dash. I pull a handful of bills out of my wallet and practically throw them through the window.
I let Carly lead us into her building and towards the elevator. Once inside, I push her against the wall because the thought of not feeling her pressed between the wall and my overheated body isn’t an option. I have a good eight or nine inches on her in height, so I lift her gently into my arms, lining up our mouths perfectly. Carly wraps her legs around my waist, her tight black skirt pushed up around her hips until I can feel the heat of her core through our clothes. My entire body is this close to having a Hulk moment right now as I fight the intense urge to rip my clothes clear from my skin with one tear.
The elevator makes the world’s slowest ascent upward before eventually depositing us onto her floor. She points without breaking our kiss, and I walk with purpose in that direction, unable to set her down. Carly fumbles with the small bag tied around her wrist, dropping her keys on the floor at my feet. A deep sigh against my lips makes me smile uncontrollably.
“I’ll get ‘em,” I whisper as I bend down, Carly still clamped firmly around my body. I slide the key in the knob and give it a turn.
Inside, my entire focus is on the woman wrapped around me. I barely remember locking the door as we shed clothes and shoes on our way down the hallway. When we finally make it to her bedroom, I let her delicious body slide down my own. Not because I want to, but because it’s the only way to rid us of the rest of the clothes we’re wearing. The friction drives me crazy with lust.
Before I make a grab for her skirt, I gaze deeply into those intoxicating brown eyes and ask, “Are you sure?” I already know that I am, but I have to make sure she’s one hundred percent on board with what I have planned.
“More sure than anything,” she whispers, eyes all full of licentious innocence.
I step forward and run my hands from her waist up her naked torso. Carly is wearing a black satin bra with white lace trim. It’s a beautiful contradiction of purity and naughty all rolled into this perfect little woman. And as she starts to unzip the zipper on the side of that skirt, I realize with a happy heart that she’s all mine.
For tonight.
Because all I can give her is this one perfect night.
“I’m leaving in the morning, Carly, and I don’t know when I’ll be back. Could be a few months, could be a few years. I want you to know that before we go any further,” I tell her honestly.
“So, you’re saying that tonight is just that? Only tonight?”
“Yeah, I can only give you tonight.”
She doesn’t even hesitate. “Then I’ll take tonight.”
As my fingers reach for the front clasp of her bra, they have a slight tremble to them. My heart is wild in my chest and my head is swimming from the alcohol, the woman before me, and all the possibilities that lie ahead. I’m acting like this is my first time with a girl.
I unsnap the little clasp, sending the material fluttering down her arms. Her olive skin is glowing in the moonlight as I take in the vision before me. My mouth waters reflexively as I let my eyes look their fill at her perfectly, naked tits.
“God, you’re beautiful,” I tell her moments before my mouth descends on her chest. Her only reply is the loud moan that fills my ears like sweet music.
I lick and suck at one taut nipple, sending shivers through her body. My other hand squeezes the other firm tit, filling my large hand perfectly, as if she was made for me. When I’ve had my fill of the first one, I turn to the other and shower it with the same attention.
Hearing her soft groans and heavy breathing fill the room, I slowly kiss down her flat stomach and towards the hem of the skirt. I find that little black zipper already halfway down, so I give it one final tug, causing the skirt to fall open. A hint of black lace peeks at me over the opening of her skirt, enticing me to reveal whatever treasure is hidden from within. Carly shimmies as I push the skirt until it’s floating down her long legs, pooling at her ankles.
I can’t even say words. The only sound that comes from my throat is a growl. It’s primal and completely foreign to me. Left in the wake of the skirt is this itty-bitty scrap of black lace. Black lace so small that there’s no hiding what’s underneath. And that thought blows my damn mind.
“Lie down,” I demand from my squatting position on the floor.
Carly wastes no time stepping back and sitting down on the edge of her bed. When she lies back, her black hair fanning out around her, I realize that every fucking fantasy I’ve ever had as a teenager, as a man, is lying right before me. She’s a vision. A goddess. And I’m about to have her.
I start at her ankle as I run my tongue upward. When I reach the tender skin on the inside of her knee, she giggles, making me smile. I continue my route north heading to the Promised Land. As my tongue reaches the inside of her thigh, my senses are assaulted with the scent of her arousal. If I weren’t half drunk before, I’d be completely fucking plastered now. On Carly. Her scent is better than a shot. Better than the bottle.
I run my fingers over the wet lace at the apex of her legs. Carly wiggles underneath me, giving me a glimpse at what’s to come. I use one hand to push the material to the side and use the other to explore her smooth center. Her skin feels like velvet as I slide my fingers along her wet pussy. Her entire body is on fire as I touch and caress her most intimate area. The sounds she makes only serve as an elixir to the burning need surging through my body.
When my first finger slides within her tight body, she almost comes up off the bed. I feel her gripping my finger and I slowly slide it in and out, caressing her unhurriedly and tenderly. When I know she’s ready, I add a second. My hands are big which makes two fingers more than satisfactory for the woman I’m pleasuring.
I pick up the pace a bit as I let her body, her moans of pleasure, guide me. Using my other hand, I spread it open wide on her lower stomach, holding her hostage against the oncoming storm. When I have her firmly in place, I lower my mouth and suck her clit within my lips. The sensations cause her to come with force against my mouth and on my hand. Her wetness surrounds me, the sounds of her release filling the room, driving me wilder than ever before.
As she slowly starts to come down from the clouds, I stand up before her. My eyes holding her captive, and I make quick work of removing my boots, socks, pants, and boxers, until I’m standing before her in nothing but a smile. My large erection jets out of my body, impatiently waiting for his chance to explore her pussy. Grabbing my wallet, I pull a foil package out from inside and toss it up on the pillow above her head.
Carly’s eyes widen as her eyes fall down to my dick. She subconsciously licks her lips as I slowly crawl over her waiting body. Her legs open even further as I line myself up with her body. My lips find hers once more. The kiss is fierce and bruising as I attack her lush lips. Those same lips that I’ve been fantasizing about doing dirty things to all night.
I finally tear my mouth from hers as she grinds against me. My dick is pulsating and throbbing against her soft core, completely ready for action. Reaching for the protection, I make quick work at sheathing myself before lining up at her entrance. Remembering how tight she was when I made her come with my fingers, I know I need to take this slow. I’m not exactly a little guy and the last thing I want to do is hurt her.
We lock eyes once more as I slowly start to push forward, entering her inch by glorious inch. Her tightness surrounds me, clawing at me and pulling me deeper. I pause for a few moments to allow Carly to adjust to my size. Her beautiful eyes flutter closed as she exhales deeply, her warm breath fanning across my face. When her eyes open a few moments later, I see nothing by lust. Need. Unadulterated desire.
Without hesitation, my body pulls out slightly and then surges forward, filling her so completely that I don’t know where she starts and I end. I want to close my eyes and revel in this amazing moment, the feel of her tightness and heat surrounding me, but I fear that I’ll miss a single eye flutter, moan, or breath that she takes. My body starts to quicken the pace completely on its own. I can’t slow this freight train down even if I tried. And I sure as hell don’t want to.
My hands roam over her body, committing every curve to memory. If I only get one night with this woman, I want to be able to remember it for the rest of my life. My lips descend upon hers once more as we duel with our tongues, nip with our teeth, and suck with our lips.
Just when I feel that all too familiar tightening at the base of my spine, Carly’s internal muscles clamp down around me like a vise and pull. The sensation practically sucks all existing air completely from the confines of the bedroom. How I’m able to breathe is completely beyond me. Her moans echoing off of the moonlit walls are the last thing I hear before flying entirely off the ledge of sanity and straight into mind-numbing oblivion. I don’t think I’ve ever come so hard in my life. I’m practically floating as I slow my pace and prolong that sweet, sweet friction we create with our bodies.
I rest my sweaty forehead against hers, gulping in huge breaths of fresh air. “Holy shit,” I finally manage to say, aftershocks still coursing through my body.
“Yeah,” she whispers hoarsely from underneath me. Her legs are still firmly clamped around my waist, her arms gripping tightly at my back. Our chests are stuck together, covered in a fine sheen of perspiration. It’s erotic as hell, and suddenly my body is already thinking about round two.
Fearing that I’ll crush her, I slowly disconnect myself from within her warmth and slip on my side, pulling her with me. I cradle her securely in my arms as we both absorb the sounds of our mixed breath mixing with the faint sounds of passing cars in the fairly quiet night.
I slowly start to pull away–not because I want to, but because I need to get rid of the rubber. Quickly, I find a small en suite bathroom and lose the suit. After splashing a little cold water on my overheated face, I hesitantly look up at myself in the mirror. Why tonight? Why did I have to meet someone that I actually want to get to know? I can already feel that it could be more than just sex with her. Why couldn’t I have found her a few weeks ago, a few months ago, hell even a few years ago? Why the night before I leave and become someone else?
I can stare at myself all I want, but the answer sure as hell isn’t going to be in my reflection. There is no answer, at least not one that I like. Tomorrow I have to go, plain and simple.
I flip off the light and step back into the bedroom. Carly is lying on her side facing me with her eyes closed. She looks peaceful. Content. Stunning.
“Are you staying?” she whispers without opening her eyes as if she fears what she might see.
“Do you want me to?” I ask, walking over to the bed.
“Yes,” she whispers without hesitation. “One night, right?”
“Yeah, one night,” I confirm, sliding down into the warm, soft bed and pull her snugly against me. Her heartbeat is strong against my solid chest as she places her small hand over my heart. I’m sure she feels how wildly my heart is beating. I start to feel her relaxing against me and I know that sleep is coming shortly.
“Carly?” I whisper.
“Yeah?”
“I need you to know that tonight might have been the best night of my life. I won’t ever forget it.”
She raises her head and looks up at me, eyes full of so much emotion. “I won’t ever forget it either,” she says before placing another soft kiss on my lips. I want to always remember what these lips feel like, taste like. After I’m long gone, I want to always remember how she felt against me.
“I won’t forget you,” I confess softly before my tongue dives into her mouth.
“Me neither. I promise,” she pants after I’ve left her breathless and thoroughly kissed.
That night, Carly and I kissed passionately, laughed joyfully, and came together beautifully. It was the perfect end to the night. The perfect way to end Blake Thomas.
In the morning, with lead filled legs, I slowly pull myself from her bed. I watch her sleep as I dress on autopilot. When my boots are laced and I’m ready to go, I place a gentle kiss on her slightly parted lips. The same lips that I kissed so thoroughly throughout the night. I take a few extra minutes to memorize her face, her features. I watch as she continues to slowly breathe in and out. I gaze at the way her lips flutter as if she’s talking in her sleep. I commit to memory every moment I’ve shared with this woman since she walked into the bar not even ten hours ago.
With one last glance and one last, lingering kiss, I head out of the room, out of her apartment, and out of her life.
Today, I become Blake Crisp.