Chapter 20

The hotel restaurant was closed when Beth and Cade arrived in the lobby, but the bar and lounge area was still open. Their menu at that hour was rather unimpressive, and Cade politely said so. "Well, sir," said the lone waiter, "There are still a few places open on Peachtree Street," and he named three. Cade thanked him and he and Beth headed for the doors. As they passed the big glass windows by the luggage check-in desk, Cade very deliberately allowed Beth to see his reflection eyeing her reflection's rump and legs. Pretending to have been caught in the act, he said, "Sorry. I wasn't kidding about your legs, you know." Beth gave him an aloof, arched-eyebrow look, but she said nothing and worked hard to conceal a grin as they continued out the doors to the street. At the same bar and grill where he'd shot pool with Mandi, they ordered burger baskets and beer. Beth was more than a little surprised when he ordered two baskets with extra fries. "Wow," she said, "And I thought I was hungry." "I was going to order three, but I didn't want you to think I was some kind of a pig." She thought he was joking, of course. Their conversation ranged over the events of the previous two days, then she asked questions about Mandi, none of which he could answer. With some incredulity, Beth said, "For someone who's bunking with her you don't know a helluva lot about her." "Nope. Guess not." "What do you know about her?" "Not much. Haven't needed to. Besides, she's just crashing with me to avoid being pestered. I'd rather know about you, Beth. How'd you get into this business?" Shrugging, Beth said, "I was a Delaware cop who never got out of the office. I was bored shitless and going nowhere. The NIA said they could use me, so I switched over." "Seems to me I first saw you in -- what? -- 1993?" She nodded. "Right after we busted that colonel at the Watergate in March." "You were impersonating an Air Force captain and I said something about being a sucker for a woman in uniform. If I recall correctly, you rolled your eyes and sighed at me." "I'd heard that line thirty times by then." Doing his best to look hurt, Cade said, "Hey, it wasn't a line. Put on a uniform sometime and try me. I'll fall all over you, ma'am. Putty in your hands, and all that." As their food arrived, she snickered and said, "Sure, I'll do that someday. Pass the salt and pepper." They chatted some more as they ate, and when her food was gone, she began filching his french fries as they talked. Cade pushed the burgerless basket toward her and reached for the second burger. "Mind if I order another one?" he asked. In some startlement, Beth asked, "You got a tapeworm or something?" "Nope. Just hungry tonight for some reason." Shrugging, she said, "Go for it." After the third burger and fries, Cade felt as if he'd make it through the night without quite starving. Beth had occasionally stared at him as he'd put away the third basket of food, but she'd only remarked that he might want to see a doctor sometime about his appetite. It occurred to Cade that he'd made no eliminations of solid or liquid waste since he'd nibbled on Mandi. That pretty much had to mean that anything he ate or drank was being used fairly completely by the conversion process. He wondered if he could take that to mean that any mass would do in a pinch. If so, a phone book would do as well as a steak dinner as a midnight snack. He put that thought on the shelf as he realized water would do, too, and nobody'd miss any amount of water he could possibly drink. "Beth," he said, "How come you were free to make me take you to dinner tonight?" "Make you? I didn't make you... Oh. You want to know why I don't have a boyfriend, huh?" "Yup. May I speak freely?" "Uh... Okay, I guess so." Nodding, Cade said, "Okay, then, I'll run with it. Regardless what you may think of yourself, most men see you as a fine looking woman..." "You've decided that based on your opinion and what Tony said upstairs?" "No, and don't run yourself down around me, okay? He was right and you know it. Men glance at every woman, but they only really eyeball the best ones. You've got great legs and a fine figure and you don't even come close to qualifying as plain or ugly. So, unless you're a closet lesbian, why is there no man in your life?" Before she could answer, he raised a hand and added, "And if you are a lesbian, that's something I don't need to know about while we're both working for the government." Giving him an amused look, Beth asked, "If I were a lesbian, would that bother you?" Shaking his head, Cade said, "Not even a little bit. A couple of my friends back in Florida are lesbians and we get along just fine. They make stuff for my online store and use me as an escort now and then." Beth blinked at him and asked, "An escort?" "Yeah. One works for a company that throws those damned 'one big happy family' employee parties. We go as a group and I pretend to be her boyfriend." With a chuckle, Beth said, "That must be interesting." Shrugging, Cade said, "We usually make an appearance, circulate a bit so she can say she attended, and leave unless there's a reason not to. We also babysit each others' cats." "You have cats?" "Yup. Three." "I thought men preferred dogs." "Not this one. Don't like sports, either, if that's where you're going next." She nodded and said, "Yeah. I was. No football, huh?" "Nope. No team sports. Boring. Remember how you said I could speak freely?" Beth's reply sounded rather cautious as she said, "Yes." "How freely?" Still sounding cautious, she said, "'Freely' means freely." Sipping his beer, Cade regarded her for a moment, then said, "I could pretend and play games, but it's getting late. I'd very much like to come back to your room with you, Beth. I'd very much like to make love with you." After a few moments of meeting his gaze, Beth asked, "What about Mandi?" "She moved to my room to avoid dealing with too many people after she went public." Another few moments passed before Beth nodded and quietly asked, "You aren't into anything kinky, are you?" With a small grin, Cade asked, "Would kissing my way up your legs be kinky? Would inhaling the scent of you while I kiss your shoulders be kinky?" Beth pinked a bit and bit her lip, then said, "No." "Would pleasuring you with my tongue be kinky?" Her pink deepened to a near-red, but she said, "No. Of course not." "How about..." Putting her beer down firmly, Beth said, "I get your point," then she picked up her beer again and nearly drained it. "Want another beer?" asked Cade. "Want to give things a little more thought?" "Are you trying to talk me out of it now?" Shaking his head, Cade poured some of his beer in her glass and said, "Oh, no, ma'am. Definitely not. I just thought another beer might be in order before you pounce on me." Her eyes got big in startlement. "Me pounce on you?" Nodding, Cade said, "Yeah. I was kind of hoping you would, you know. It's always nice to feel appreciated." Beth snickered and sipped her beer. The bartender had seen Cade share his beer and looked inquiringly toward their table. Cade nodded. Two fresh beers arrived shortly. "Another one of these," said Beth, "And I may do more than pounce on you, Cade." "Suits me, ma'am. Could you wait until after I've licked you senseless, though? I'd really enjoy making you..." "Cade!" she hissed, glancing at the bartender. Sharing her glance, he nodded knowingly and said, "Ah. Yes, of course, ma'am. Mustn't embarrass the natives." "Screw the natives! We mustn't embarrass me!" Leaning forward, she whispered sharply, "And you won't tell anybody, right? By God, if you do, I'll..." "No need for threats, ma'am. I don't kiss and tell. Or lick and tell. Or..." "Cade, dammit!" Raising a hand in polite protest, he said, "Yes'm. I'll shut up now. No need to get all fuzzed up and rowdy. Yet. I'll try to make it worth your while later, though." Beth looked at the ceiling and let out a soft, exasperated, "Ah, hell!" then grabbed her new beer and finished it. "Enough of this," she said, setting the glass firmly on the table. "Let's go now." Draining his own beer, Cade said, "Yes'm. As you say. By your command, milady." He stood up and went to pay the bill, then held the door for Beth and followed her to the sidewalk. Yup. She had real nice legs and it was going to be a true pleasure to... "You're doing it again," said Beth, without turning around. "What's that, milady?" "Staring at my legs." "Oh. Yup. Sure was. Just planning my route north." That made her turn to face him. "Your what?" "My route north. I intend to memorize you, Beth. I'm gonna taste you from your ankles up. Hope you don't mind." She came to stand a few inches from him and quietly said, "After all this talk, you'd better be worth it, mister." "Money back guarantee, ma'am. I'll be doing my best down there. And everywhere else, too, of course." "And you won't tell a soul? Not anybody? Ever?" "Nope. This is strictly between you and me." Beth held his gaze for a long moment, then nodded and started them walking back to the hotel. "Okay, then," she said, "I'll go in first and leave the door open for you. You'll follow me a few minutes later." "Better synchronize our watches, huh?" Her glance was narrow. "Just do what I tell you, okay?" "Yes'm. You got it. Going into sneaky mode now." She said something nasty and slapped his arm. "Ow! Okay! Sneaky mode later, then. No pain stuff, lady." Beth started giggling, then had to stop and lean on the wall as her giggles turned into laughter. A cop car slowed and looked as if it would stop near them, but Beth laughed even harder as she shook her head and waved them on. The passenger side cop looked at Cade and asked, "Have you people been drinkin'? What's so funny?" "She just realized something, I think." "What?" "Well, I'm not exactly sure. It's business related, I think." Nodding, the cop waved the driver on as he said, "Uh, huh. Well, it's late, so hold the noise down, okay?" "Sure. No problem." Beth suffered another spate of laughter as the cops drove away. Cade went to stand by her and waited for the laughter to abate, thinking she must have been strung pretty tight to be so thoroughly amused by so little. She levered herself off the wall and began walking again as she caught her breath. "You okay?" asked Cade. "Fine. You were right. I realized something." He waited as she took a breath and seemed to collect herself a bit. "Cade, were you trying to make me laugh?" "Nope. Not really. I was just trying to make you feel a little more comfortable about dragging me back to your cave." "I'm not dragging you anywhere. You conned me." Hand over his heart, Cade said, "Never. Not me. No way. Nuh-uh." "Bullshit." "If I don't agree with you, will I still get laid, ma'am?" "Of course you will. I want laid and you've got the duty." "Ah. Well, then, okay. I conned you. Just a little, though." "Just enough." "Oh. Yes. Of course. Just enough, then. Yes, ma'am." She smacked his arm and said, "Stop that." "Yes, ma'am." "That, too." "Yes, ma... Okay. You caught me. Now what?" "Now you'd better be the best lay I've ever had, that's all." "No problem. I'm very motivated, ma'am. Are you still worried about getting caught having a legal good time?" Beth stopped just outside the hotel doors and said, "No. Well, not like I was. I see no reason to advertise our business, but I also see no reason that I can't have you." Giving her a small salute, Cade said, "Roger that, milady. We're both adults and we're on separate teams." "Exactly right." "You betcha." Indicating the doors, he asked, "Ready?" Leading the way, Beth said, "Ready. Let's do it." Pointing at the bar, Cade asked, "Want a another couple of beers for later?" Beth looked toward the bar and said, "You get some beer. See if they have any white wine coolers." "Okay. Why don't you go on up and take a few minutes for yourself before I get there? I'll tap on the door when I come in. Good?" Nodding, Beth said, "Yeah. Good. Don't be all night," and turned to go. A few steps later, she turned and said, "Thanks," without explaining why before getting underway again. Thanks for the laughs? Thanks for setting her up to get laid? Thanks for allowing her some time to herself, or for letting her go on ahead so they wouldn't be seen entering her room together? Mix and match the answers? Whatever. Didn't matter. The idea was to make Beth happy while making himself happy. A sense of being watched caused Cade to rub the goosebumps off his arms. Someone from one of the teams? As likely as not; sometimes they were ordered to follow each other around just to keep skills sharp. Cade drank a beer at the bar and stalled ten minutes, then followed Beth upstairs. The fourth floor hallway looked clear, but that didn't mean anything. It was highly unlikely that Carter hadn't installed some security cams in their floor's hallway. Cade felt Mandi's presence in his room as he passed it, ambling along until he reached Beth's door, which he shouldered open on his way into the tiny hallway beyond. Closing the door, he tapped on it as he'd said he would and Beth answered, "In here, Ed." He found her sitting in the chair by the desk, flipping channels until she found an old movie. She turned the sound up a bit and turned to face him. "Your white wine, milady," he said as he set the bottles on the desk and opened one for her. "I'll get you a glass." Putting a hand on his arm, she said, "No. Don't bother," and stood up. After kissing him soundly, she turned around and said, "Unzip me, please." He did so, then helped her slither out of her dress. As she went to hang it up, he opened a beer and leaned on the desk to watch her. Eyeing her tall form from the ankles up, his eyes met hers and she smiled. Nice. Very nice, indeed. "Cade," said Beth with a short laugh, "You look like a kid on Christmas morning." "That's because you look like an unwrapped present." Going to her, he took Beth in his arms and said, "In fact, you look delicious. Mind if I have a taste now?" Kissing her, he let his fingers trail down the backs of her arms and finished the motion with a reach for her bra strap. Beth giggled when he licked her shoulder, then nibbled. As her bra came loose, she bit her lip and waited for his reaction. Inhaling the scent of her hair, he whispered, "Ohhh, yes. You taste great, ma'am. You smell great. You look great and you feel great. I'm really going to enjoy nibbling on you." Stepping back, Cade used a finger to pull the bra free of her and hung it on one of the hangers as he leaned to kiss her shoulder again. Leading her back to the desk, Cade handed Beth her open wine and openly admired her as she took a long sip of it. She started to snicker again and choked a little on the wine. Some few drops of it trickled down her chest. "Hm," said Cade, "Guess we'd better wash that off, huh?" Smilingly nodding, Beth took another sip as Cade stripped off his clothes and set them on the desk chair. The hackles on the back of his neck were up and a light coating of goose bumps formed on his arms as a response to a strong sense of being watched, and not just by Beth. As he draped his pants so that nothing would fall out of the pockets, he glanced around the room and wondered whether his instincts were being triggered by a hidden camera. If so, screw 'em. He'd order eight by ten glossies unless Beth had any objections. Should he mention anything to Beth? No point. They were both naked. They'd been drinking and smooching. If they were being filmed, it was too late to give a damn about it. Then he realized that the watcher might be Mandi. After all, she'd watched him deal with Nassir. And she was watching? Same answer. Too late to matter. He looked toward his room as he sipped his beer. On general principles, he nodded slightly as an acknowledgement and tipped the bottle to her, then sipped again and rubbed his forearms to quell the goosebumps. Setting his beer down, he rubbed his neck, as well, then moved to accompany Beth to the shower. A few moments later, his sense of being watched winked off abruptly.

Mandi had returned to the room after an hour or so of unsettled boredom aloft. She'd heard the door to Beth's room open and had glanced that way through the walls. Seeing Beth alone had puzzled her, and she'd scanned the hotel for Cade. Finding him standing at the bar drinking a beer puzzled her further. Had something gone wrong? Mandi glanced toward Beth's room to see if she appeared upset at all and saw Beth hurrying about, tidying up the room. A few moments later, Beth swilled some mouthwash and checked her face and hair in the bathroom mirror. Hmm. Not the actions of a despondent woman. Looking back down at Cade, Mandi saw the bartender put some bottles in a bag and hand the bag to him, then saw Cade head for the elevators. Uh, huh. As far as Mandi knew, Cade wasn't that fond of booze. Unless she was mistaken and he was bringing the drinks to her, he and Beth were going to party. A few minutes later, Mandi heard Cade's almost inaudible footsteps approaching in the corridor. He wasn't sneaking; the sounds of his striding steps were no different than usual. She watched him glide past their door and on to Beth's door, then open it and enter, after which he used a knuckle to tap softly on the door. Beth answered, "In here, Ed." The way Beth kissed Cade after he delivered the wine let Mandi know that there were definitely no difficulties between them. She watched a few moments longer, mostly just to see how Cade would proceed. In a rather gentlemanly manner he soon had Beth down to her panties and was removing his own clothes by the desk when something about his demeanor changed in some barely perceptible manner. Cade straightened up, turned slightly to face Mandi's direction and sipped his beer, then he nodded slightly and tipped his bottle toward her. Sipping again, he rubbed his forearms before rubbing the back of his neck as he set the bottle on the desk and walked with Beth to the shower. Mandi sat down in her desk chair in openmouthed amazement. Cade knew! He actually knew she was watching him! But how? And did he really know, or was he just assuming..? But he'd looked right at her. Not toward the bed area or anywhere else. Straight at her. Just a lucky guess? Somehow Mandi didn't think so. Switching her vision to normal, she lay back on the bed to think and fell asleep sometime before Cade let himself into the room. Although he moved as quietly as ever, Mandi came awake and watched him through the darkness. Almost as if he, too, could see in the dark, he went to the desk, stripped, and headed for the bathroom, where he didn't turn on the light until he'd closed the door. Hm. Considerate of him, anyway. After a quick shower and the use of his toothbrush, Cade padded across the room to the bed, slipped under the sheets, and went to sleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.