Chapter Three

By Heartfire

~*~

Slowly, Jessie turned around, hands still high above his head to show that he was going to go through this ordeal peacefully… Not that he was being given a choice… She was the one with a gun pointed to his head.

“Good evening.” Jessie nodded, waved his hand in the air, then grinned as if they were just two people, meeting under normal circumstances.

Dorothy’s right eyebrow shot up along with her anger. “That was not the answer I was looking for. Explain what you were doing to the system, Mr. Matthew… if that’s even your name.”

Jessie gave an innocent shrug… What could he say? “I’m… what you may call an… efficiency expert…”

“Sent by Morley, if I’m correct.” Dorothy could only imagine what kind of ‘efficiency’ Morley had in mind.

Jessie grinned as his eyes focused on the curves set against the dim lighting inside the room. “So… somebody had been doing her homework.” He winked at her, he couldn’t help it. “Glad to see that you’re curious enough about me to check me out.”

Her cold blue eyes narrowed. “If you think that I’m buying that, Matthew, you must have thought I was stupid.”

He saw that she knew more than he gave her credit for. “I was hoping for that option.”

“I’m glad to disappoint you.”

A sarcastic grunt escaped Jessie’s mouth at her answer. “Yeah… I can see that.” He checked the unwavering gun. “Aren’t you going to put that away yet?”

“No.”

Her singular answer made him look up at the ceiling, as if praying. “Now why can’t we establish trust here?”

“Probably because you have guns on both your legs and another inserted in your belt behind you.” Dorothy’s eyes challenged him.

Jessie’s grin widened, appreciating her quick to detail eyes. “How about if I give you my word?”

“Why should I trust a word from someone who crawls around like a worm and messes around security cameras with guns plastered all over his body? And… should I mention, using a bad disguise?”

Jessie closed his eyes… okay, she’s got him pinned… then again… he’s used to taking chances. His arms moved.

“I told you not to move!”

He let her threat pass him by like a night breeze and very slowly began to bring his hands to cross over his chest in a cocky pose. “You wouldn’t dare to shoot, Ms. Catalonia… Your gun will wake up the whole center and they will question why you are wearing that outfit with a gun in your hands, standing in the middle of the control room.”

Dorothy’s fingers itched to pull the trigger but he spoke the truth… ‘I should have brought my silencer.’ She dropped her hand to her side just as his hands met over his chest and crossed.

“I knew you wouldn’t.” Jessie’s confident smile cajoled Dorothy to laugh along. Instead, he only got a look that would have probably made a hardened criminal quiver in his shoes.

“Lucky guess.”

Their hard gazes met over the telecommunications table, challenging and taunting.

“How could you be sure? You don’t know me, Ms. Catalonia.”

Their eyes didn’t falter through their silent battle.

“I don’t plan to.”

A slow, breath taking smile appeared on his lips… The funny thing was, she’d seen him smile before but this time… it was so different… it was utterly… shatteringly… masculine.

“Then, how would you know why I’m truly here?” He started to move, to walk back where he came from because what use was it to just stand around, talking to an arctic woman? Although… She does look hot in that outfit, and she does pull strings of interests…

Dorothy stayed her ground, gun still gripped in her hand. He was walking towards her. He was going to leave but she wanted answers… “I was hoping that you wouldn’t have to make it difficult and just answer.”

He reached her, just a step away, and he was planning to just walk around her but… he stopped. Damn but he stopped! Why? Her blasted perfume! Her blasted subtle, sweet, sexy, mind numbing perfume that he couldn’t help but breathe! Already, he could feel the inevitable meltdown through his system. “Tell me, Ms. Catalonia…” He must get a grip on himself!

She never looked away from his eyes but at the same time, she became aware of how broad his shoulders were against the dimness of the room… how his eyes pierced through her. He stepped nearer, eliminating that small distance between them… and then… she was suddenly aware of his full masculinity. She willed herself not to falter, not to waver… It would just never do! But when he leaned down and then stopped just inches away from her face, his nose so near her neck that she could feel his every breath, she couldn’t help but mentally gulp.

What he was about to say flew from his mind. He should never had leaned down and took in the impact, but he did… Now what? What was he going to say? “You smell good enough to eat…”

That was uncalled for… She was ready for anything but that innuendo! She opened her lips for a retort that would make his ears turn red but… his lips suddenly got in the way. He rubbed his lips over hers. Slowly, he made tormenting nibbles then the languid strokes of his tongue came and those lazy nips on her lower lip…

She hadn’t expected any reaction at all… There had never been a male specimen that was able to bring forth even an ounce of feelings from her, and she thought that she would not get any from this play-acting man… but she did- a good, hard, kick in the butt jolt that suddenly sent her mind reeling. Did she tilt her head upwards, or was it his doing?

He was only supposed to ask her something… only supposed to leave after he gave his sadistic commento but… he got side tracked and met his untimely accident. He must stop… stop or else this woman would just get in his way… bad… With a moan, he ripped his lips away from hers, took a few seconds to look at her face to see if she was as shaken as he was- possibly because of his big ego- and found that her face was as schooled as before.

Reality check.

Ego blasted to bits.

This was the arctic he just tried to melt, and it was his sun that got frozen!

Trying to appear nonplussed, he stepped away. “Well… excuse that little display. I don’t know where it came from… but take it from me, Ms. Catalonia…” He lazily looked over her body and found himself burning as he stared at those luscious curves that his hands were suddenly itching to touch. “You wouldn’t want Mr. Blake to find you in that outfit, inside the control tower, and with a gun in your hand… now, would you?”

Enough said… He turned away too quickly to notice the sudden blue fire that erupted in Dorothy’s eyes.

She glared at him… was that a threat? To her? With a purpose, she silently walked towards him and before he could open the door, her hand snaked to his shoulder and pulled him around. His body collided against the wall and she pinned him with her hands on his shoulders and knee against his stomach. Then, because his dark chocolate eyes were suddenly so wide and surprised that it was so… cute, and because his lips was suddenly there… She kissed him. Not slow and haunting like the way he did, but hard and furious.

Heat singed and sizzled in the air and their eyes closed. Jessie suddenly wanted to put his arms around her waist just as she felt the urge to push her fingers through his thick mop of hair…

That thought made her eyes open wide and reflexively pushed him away. Her breathing was haggard and her heartbeat was wild, just as Jessie’s were, if she took time enough to listen to how he was trying to breathe… but she was too preoccupied with what she’d done to notice. “Don’t ever threaten me again…” With her head held high, she moved away.

The next thing he saw was a wave of golden strands then she was gone. A hand went up to his pounding head and he swallowed consecutively to get his suddenly dried throat working once again… Then his eyes widened as he stared at the door… She left before he did… there’s a camera facing him… what if she just-

“Shit.” He pulled out his handkerchief and grimaced at the idea of putting it on his nose and mouth but there was no other way… He couldn’t let the camera catch his face! He’d just have to make a run for it. “Damn you Catalonia.” How could he let his guard down?!

He opened the door and saw, to his surprise, the camera, still frozen in place… and the red light… still safe! His eyes batted, frowned, and made sure that- yep.

A slow smile appeared on his lips once again as he started to walk back the way he came from, covering his tracks…

She didn’t… hadn’t left him to the dogs! ‘Why?’

He reached his bunk and went inside, then instantly dropped on his bed while he positioned his hands behind his head. ‘Why?’

He breathed in deeply, his senses still tingly from that encounter and his nostrils took in her scent. Jessie frowned, grabbed his shirtfront and pulled it up to his nose while he leaned down.

A groan erupted from his lips as he plopped back on his pillow. Her damn perfume had seeped into his clothes! Better get it off before he gets a sleepless night from this… although…

“A woman wouldn’t kiss a man back and save his ass for nothing… right?”

A gleam appeared in those sinfully dark chocolate eyes of his as he contemplated all possible terms… Maybe it was time he reassessed his files on Ms. Dorothy Catalonia… and seal it with a kiss…