Against the Rules Read online

  * * * *

  With his family safely away, Agent Foster sat down at his computer and began his query on subject four-six-two. Anger and desperation roiled in his gut as he unconsciously stabbed each key as though they were to blame for his intolerable position. Instantly, anger gave way to cold, hard fear as ACCESS DENIED appeared on the screen. Fuck.

  Before he could clear the message and try again, the phone rang. “Foster, this is Chief Donley. What is your interest in subject four-six-two?”

  Oh shit. “Chief,” Foster stalled to consider his options. “How ya doing? How do you like your new posting? Is it true what they say about the desert heat?”

  “Heat is heat. What is your interest in four-six-two?” Donley replied.

  “I’ve been hearing some talk on the street about a possible hit on a snitch. The intel is sketchy, but reminiscent of the botch job on four-six-two. I wanted to make sure the handler in charge had him out of the area.” Foster listened to his racing heart as the seconds ticked by.

  “Send me what you’ve got,” the chief finally responded.

  Foster was still busy. “Yes, sir—” He realized he was groveling to a dial tone.

  Chapter Two

  Chantel felt like a saboteur as she stared down at the mammoth machine. There had to be a way to break it, but everything she had tried, Janet had been able to fix it. If she didn’t break it properly this time, Janet was bound to catch on. Who would have dreamed that a paperclip purposely deposited into the bowels of the machine would have no effect? If she had done it by accident, it surely would have discombobulated the entire copier in the blink of an eye. So far, Janet had unjammed three different, precisely placed, miniscule pieces of paper, a paper clip and a pencil. What was it going to take?

  Finally, she had it. After running to her room, ducking beneath windows like a rowboat on a turbulent sea, she then grabbed her fingernail polish and ran back. Slowing the instant she entered the office, she did her best to look calm and reserved as usual. After waiting for everyone to take their turn at the copier, she ran a multitude of useless copies until she was alone in the room. Then she opened the covers and painted every sensor she could find.

  Wilma, the battleaxe that worked the front desk, came up behind her and managed to scare her out of a few good years, but just made small talk while she put papers in the mailboxes.

  Chantel waited a few minutes more for the polish to dry, then tried the machine. It worked perfectly—or didn’t work, as the case may have been. Only one copy managed to find its way out. She almost strained a neck muscle concealing the shriek of joy that threatened to give her away.

  Feigning irritation, she told Janet that the fricking machine was broken again and that she desperately needed it. She left strict orders to call her the minute the copier guy got here—she wanted a word with him! Janet gave her an odd look, but agreed.

  As soon as she’d dropped her students off at gym, Chantel ran to the copier room only to be severely disappointed to find it empty. Bored, but unable to leave, she began cutting construction paper into small squares. Just to keep her hands busy, she removed the Ellison machine from the cabinet and began cutting out letters. It was childish, but she waited, hoping to catch a glimpse of the yummy copier guy.

  The door finally swung open and in he walked carrying two black cases and looking very official. In an attempt to look like she was there working, not pathetically waiting around in hopes of seeing him again, she continued to press the handle of the Ellison machine down. Only this time, instead of the red construction paper, her fingers were under the press. To make matters worse, she realized she had the words R-E-E-S-E—L-O-V-E-S—C-H-A-N-T laid out for the whole world to see. She tried to pull her fingers free of the press and move the letters into an unreadable pile, yet every ounce of pressure she used to pull her hand free her other hand used to hold it in place. By the time she was sure she would die from the embarrassment, she realized all she had to do was let go of the handle.

  Reese dropped his cases and went to her. He frowned at the deep red marks forming on her hand and pulled her palm to his mouth, kissing the pain away. “What happened?”

  As he made love to her hand, his eyes held her gaze. She’d never had trouble breathing before, but right then she wasn’t sure she was capable. Her heart beat wildly, her brain so full of mush she couldn’t figure out how to form words.

  “Are you okay?” he asked again.

  She nodded then swallowed several times trying to find her voice.

  “I’ve been thinking about you,” he whispered into her hand. “You haunted my dreams.”

  She giggled nervously. “I will admit to dreaming about you as well.”

  Praying to all that was holy that his eyes hadn’t yet wandered to the letters sprawled across the table, she pretended to fall and bumped into it with such force that everything went flying to the floor. Her tush would be black and blue by morning, but it kept him from seeing her pitiful message.

  “Are you all right? What happened?” His voice was edged with concern.

  “I’m a klutz! Surely you’ve noticed.” She laughed in what she hoped was a casual manner, when deep inside she was desperate. Today was Friday. If she didn’t get him to ask her out, it would be Monday before she could break the stupid copier and see him again.

  “Maybe you should sit down.” He moved a chair closer to the copier for her and began clicking a few keys. Dutifully, she took a seat.

  “I wanted to thank you again for dinner. I had a wonderful time.”

  “If you don’t already have plans, would you have dinner with me again tonight?” He kept his eyes on the screen in front of him.

  The invitation had sounded like an afterthought. She wondered if the offer was a matter of convenience or if he really wanted to see her again. “It does go against the single girls’ union to accept a date without at least twenty-four hours’ notice, but I won’t tell if you don’t.”

  He granted her a wide grin that made his eyes shimmer. He motioned that his lips were sealed. Damn, he was handsome.

  Reese seemed distracted. “These codes aren’t making any sense. It looks like I’m going to be here a while. Why don’t you stop back after school and we’ll firm up our plans?”

  * * * *

  Robert entered the security code and keyed the deadbolt with the mental alertness of a zombie. He was dog-tired. Last night he hadn’t slept. Instead, he’d paced his study wall to wall, developing a plan of action. Not even twenty-four hours later, his plan had been shot to hell and there was no plan B on the horizon.

  He dropped his briefcase in the hall. As he passed the fireplace, he slid his badge and pistol on the mantel then headed into the kitchen. Intent on a cold beer, he almost missed the typed note magneted to the door. Don’t worry about Trish and Bobby. They made it safely to Grandma’s. You need to concentrate on the target coordinates. Time is running out.

  Robert’s legs buckled, sending him to the ground as he scrambled for his cell phone. He hit the speed dial from memory and aged at least fifteen years before his wife picked up.

  “Hi, honey. Did you forget how to heat up the pot roast?”

  “Get out of there now. Take Bobby and your mom. There’s an agency office in El Paso. Go there and ask to speak to the chief. I’ll call ahead. Don’t go anywhere else and for heaven’s sake don’t leave there until I call you back.”

  “What’s wrong, honey? What’s going on?”

  “Don’t fucking ask questions. Go now! Do you hear me? Go now!” He was an agent used to making life and death decisions. Panic was unacceptable. Only the life and death decisions he’d made had never involved his loved ones. This time panic was alive and growing with every breath he took.

  * * * *

  Though the lasagna melted in Chantel’s mouth, she barely noticed it. Her full attention was centered on Reese. He seemed happy, less remote.

  Sitting across the booth from each other, they had stretched their arms across
the table and held hands like starry-eyed lovers. It was both endearing and very romantic. Yet, all she wanted was to finish the meal and get on to dessert—and spumoni was definitely not what she had in mind.

  As they walked out to his car, she hoped that he wouldn’t take her straight home or if he did, that he’d come in and stay a while. She knew it was a horrible idea. Everything about Reese ‘screamed single for life’, but he was intriguing too. His strength, of both body and personality, appealed to everything feminine in her. Granny panties might not save her this time.

  “It’s still early, wanna go over to my place and watch a movie?” he asked, sounding confident of her answer.

  “Sure. What’ve you got?” Her heart started pounding a frantic beat.

  “Oh, I’m sure I’ve got something you’ll enjoy,” he whispered into her ear seductively.

  * * * *

  Teague had barely put the car in park before he reached for her. He’d never wanted a bench seat so badly in his life. Why had he thought buckets and a console were better? Right now, he couldn’t remember a single reason. Refusing to let her out of his arms even for the time it would take to get out of the car, he reached over the blasted console and lifted her onto his lap. After tossing her shoes back onto the floorboard, he allowed his hands a slow exploration.

  “Reese.” Her breath came out in short pants. “You’re driving me crazy.”

  Just touching her was sexy as hell, but he wasn’t completely gone. His thorough exploration also assured him that she was unarmed. Never again would he be caught with his pants down—literally. As her hands tightened around his biceps, he noticed her nail polish and burst out laughing.

  Holding her hand up for a closer inspection, he demanded to know the truth. “You broke the copier on purpose, didn’t you?” His little vixen had painted those damned sensors! No wonder he’d had to use solvent to clean them.

  The adorable blush that spread across her face answered his question, but he refused to let her off the hook. It had taken him an hour to find all the areas she’d painted and another thirty minutes of racking his brain trying to find the source of the problem. He’d have been there still if she hadn’t come in and taken his mind off it.

  “Well, I might have spilled a little nail polish as I was making copies.”

  “Might have? Hmm, it found its way into some very unlikely spots.” Shaking his head at her foolishness, he told her, “Next time you want to see me, just call. I’ll sabotage the machine myself. Remind me to give you my number.” Still chuckling, he picked her up and carried her into his house then set her purse near the door well out of reach from the rest of the room.

  “Whatever can I do to make it up to you?” Chantel whispered in a seductive voice that sent his blood racing.

  He chuckled. “I’m sure I’ll come up with something.” Setting her down on the couch, he said, “I’ll be right back.”

  Teague spent a moment setting the atmosphere, knowing full well he was going straight to hell for what he had in mind for his little teacher. Leaning against the door frame, he watched Channy run her finger over the stones of his fireplace. It was one of his favorite features of the house and it looked as if she concurred.

  He came up behind her and took her into his arms. Almost immediately, she melted into him. He heard her soft whisper and his cock responded. Before they got in too deep, he needed to see where her interests lay.

  “I’ve been meaning to give this back to you. I found it after we met by accident yesterday.” He handed Channy her Kindle.

  Holy fucking shit! “Umm. You found this? How did you know it was mine?” Maybe she should have pretended it wasn’t. Maybe buying a new one would cost her less in the long run than admitting that every kinky, erotic book in there had been personally chosen and purchased by her.

  “It wasn’t there before you fell and it was there after you left.” He shrugged. “It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out.”

  “I suppose it’s too much to hope you didn’t take a look at the books on there?”

  “Curiosity is a character trait I haven’t been able to overcome, though Lord knows I’ve tried.” He rested his forearm on the mantel above her, crowding her personal space.

  She hung her head, a flush heating her face. In her dreams, Reese had been a strict, demanding Dom. She’d never have brought the subject up on her own. Could it be that he was interested in BDSM too? He must not be too opposed, since he’d taken her out again. “I don’t know what to say.”

  Time seemed to slow as he melded his lips to hers. His hand, strong and sensual on her neck, locked her to him. “Say you’d like to explore some of those things you’ve been reading about.”

  Her breath froze in her lungs. Fire raced all the way to her toes. She was both scared and excited. “I’ve never done that kind of thing before, Reese. Yeah, I’ll admit, I enjoy reading about it. Still, reading about it and doing it aren’t the same thing.” She knew her face wasn’t an innocent shade of pink. It was a full-blown fire truck red and she’d need a fire hose to cool off the heat pooling between her legs. “The idea is a bit scary.”

  “You’re right to be nervous. Submission shouldn’t be given lightly. You need to trust your Top. Could you trust me, Channy?”

  The first night she’d met Reese, while on that horrible date with Rodney, she’d felt drawn to him. Even being closed in a six-by-six bathroom with him hadn’t set her warning alarms off. She hadn’t known him long. She knew nothing about his past or his plans for the future, but she knew she did trust him. Stupid, but that was the way of it. “Yes.”

  “I’ve been in the lifestyle for a few years now. When I was in college, my buddies and I wandered into a club not really knowing what it was all about.” He sent her a toe-curling smile.

  “After college, I got a job out of state. It was difficult to find like-minded people and, honestly, I was too busy to date much. I sought out a club and started taking classes on how to be a proper Dom.”

  Holy crap! There really are classes? Somehow that made the idea of experimenting with him a little easier. “Were you a good student?” she asked, winking at him.

  “I was a very good student.” He cupped her chin and studied her face. “How did you discover BDSM?”

  She hadn’t done anything to be embarrassed about. “I downloaded a book without realizing what the genre was. At first, I was pretty shocked. Once I finished it, I bought another, then another. I’m fascinated by the stories, but I wonder how much of it is fantasy and how much of it crosses over into reality.” If she had enough guts, she might find out…

  “What parts of the lifestyle interest you?”

  Suddenly, she felt so shy. Talking about sex seemed more taboo than engaging in it. “Um, I read murder mysteries too, but I haven’t participated in any of those either.”

  Reese tipped his head back and laughed.

  A moment later, his dark gaze fell on her. Heat from embarrassment and arousal was swamping her. Like the chicken she was, she stepped away from him and discreetly fanned her face. “This is a lovely place you have here.”

  He shook his head. “Sorry, little teacher, you’re not getting off the hook that easily.” He stalked her to the couch.

  She sat near the arm and he crowded her again. She took a deep breath and tried to relax. “I only know what I’ve read. My life has been, as the books call it, vanilla.” How had she got into this mess? Seriously? She was a rule follower, a total good girl.

  And maybe that was the problem. Maybe that’s why her life could be used as a cure for insomnia.

  “So, no hands-on experience?” he asked with his fingers under her chin, maintaining their eye contact.

  “No. I mean… I’ve had sex before, if that’s what you’re asking. Just nothing kinky.” Why did that sound so lame?

  “But you’re intrigued?” He was watching her closely. “You’re curious what the hype is all about?”

  Her face flamed. “Yes.”
/>   Reese smiled and released her. “Sit on my lap. I think it makes talking about sex so much easier.”

  “Or we could stop talking.” She wiggled her eyebrows, surprised at her forthright behavior.

  “Nice try, and here I thought women liked a man who was willing to communicate.” He dragged her onto his lap and pushed her head against his shoulder.

  “Relax, Channy. I want to get to know you better.” His hands roamed down her arms and along the outside of her leg.

  As soon as she had calmed, he started asking questions.

  “Let’s play a word association game. I’ll say a term and you describe it using only one word.”

  “Okay.” That sounded easy enough.

  “Sex.”

  The first word to pop into her head was ‘disappointing’. No way was she admitting to that. “Good.” He was right about one thing. It was slightly easier to talk about it when she didn’t have to look him in the eye.

  “Bound.”

  Her stomach knotted and her heart skipped a beat. ‘Exciting’ was in the forefront of her brain, but she feared where that might lead. After all, she didn’t know Reese. She trusted her instincts, but she wasn’t stupid either. “Scary.”

  “You’re overthinking. I want an answer within two seconds.” His voice took on a deeper tone.

  She shivered, feeling as though she’d just gotten caught with her hand in the candy jar. “Okay.”

  “I would have preferred to hear ‘Yes, Sir’.”

  Again her stomach clenched. “Okay.” She shook her head. “I… I mean, yes, Sir.”

  “Thank you, little teacher.” He ran his fingers through her hair.