Only when she met his eyes again, sweet satisfaction simmering across her expression, did he continue stroking himself.
Ready to blow, he gestured her forward with a flick of his chin. “Get over here.”
A salacious smile filled her face as she took one step, then another. Water dripped from her hair, droplets running down along her breasts. Her breath rushed out when she stopped right in front of him. “Yes, Archer?”
He’d let her play. Even let her control him, to show her he wanted more of her and that he didn’t always need to win, but he had his limits. “Look at me.” He squeezed his hand around his cock, the water raining down on him. “Don’t take your fucking beautiful eyes off me.” He groaned into the pleasure, stroking himself, slow, tight.
Her chest heaved with her heavy breathing as he thrust his hand in her hair, staring right at her, and he didn’t pause. He stroked himself, none-too gently, swiftly bringing himself to orgasm. Locked onto her, he growled his release. His semen sputtered from his cock onto her stomach, and by the unadulterated passion on her face, she relished him marking her.
Chapter 7
An hour later, and full from a burrito they’d grabbed from a street vendor on the twenty-minute drive over to the Bay Ridge area, Elise’s body still hummed in pleasure. She looked at this thing with Archer from every angle. Having him—a retired Green Beret—sleep at the house tonight meant Hazel would stay safe in case this break-in turned into something far more dangerous. And while Elise sensed the draw to him was more than anything she’d felt before, when he looked at her like she was the only thing he wanted, there was no turning back. No game she wouldn’t play. Even now, sitting in the passenger side of his truck while he drove, one hand slung over the steering wheel, she sensed the building tension, the uncontrollable heat, to have him again.
The thought stayed with her as they approached the long, thin driveway that led back to an old red-bricked warehouse covered in graffiti. “Turn right here,” she instructed. “Park by that delivery door there.”
In minutes, she was directing him past the delivery door to the small wooden staircase that led to a steel door that needed a new paint job. She glanced up, waved, and smiled at the camera.
The door clicked open.
She had to give it to Archer; he had yet to ask a single question about why they were there, but as she led him through the dimly lit factory with old machinery scattered around, she could see his training kick in. Archer’s eyes scanned the area like he knew exactly where the exits were. He didn’t glance around a room. He surveyed it, looking for threats and for ways he could hold an advantage.
When they reached the big metal double doors, they slid open, and Elise entered the room where a blonde woman with a messy bun sat behind her big monitors atop her curved desk in the center of the room, classic rock playing through the speaker hanging on a metal pole. Elise noted the way Archer’s eyes narrowed as he studied her. “Archer Westbrook, this is Penny Larson. She’s my go-to tech wizard.”
Archer offered his hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Penny.”
Penny was a twenty-five-year-old who’d spent her youth playing video games and learning code instead of going to parties. She wore her typical attire of a T-shirt and jeans. Today her shirt read it’s too peopley outside. She returned Archer’s handshake and gave her cute smile that Elise had seen her use many times. Obviously, she thought Archer was hot. And well, he was hot. “So, this is the guy with the sex club, huh?” Penny asked Elise.
Archer glanced sideways with a frown, and Elise chuckled. Yeah, she’d purposely left this part out but figured he might not say yes to involving Penny in their business. It’s easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission, as the saying goes. “You can trust Penny. She does a lot of work for me.”
Archer’s frown deepened, and he shoved his hands into his pockets. Elise sent him a quick smile, but he didn’t smile back, clearly putting two and two together that Penny was Elise’s hacker. The same hacker Elise had used to hack Phoenix’s system to get Zoey inside.
“Oh, geez, you’re so intense,” Penny said with a soft laugh. “You can really trust me. Much more than you can trust that dipshit you use for intel.”
Archer lifted a single eyebrow. “That dipshit I use for intel?”
“I did tell you, your hacker was dirty,” Elise said, then moved to sit on the edge of Penny’s desk. It’s why she got her revenge with the magazine subscriptions. His dirty hacker went through her personal files. And it was why, after that hack, Elise had asked Penny if she wanted to meet Archer to do some possible work for Phoenix, and Penny had agreed. She’d been waiting for the right moment to gently introduce them. It just so happened that Archer showing up before her meeting with Penny had given her the perfect time to put her plan in motion.
Archer gave them both an incredulous look. “Aren’t all hackers a little dirty?”
Penny gasped, a hand on her chest. “Take that back right now!” she exclaimed, pointing to the door. “Or get your sexy ass outta here.”
Elise chuckled. She’d never seen Penny so insulted.
Both of Archer’s brows rose now, his mouth twitching. “I apologize and take it back. Why is Wayne dirty?”
The tightness in Penny’s eyes lessened. “Some of us do good work. We only hack to help people, not to hurt. I am one of those people.”
“And Wayne isn’t?”
Penny shrugged. “I mean, he’s not the worst, but I know for a fact he’s done a few things that wouldn’t get him on Santa’s nice list.”
“Then I suppose I should fire him,” Archer said.
Penny smiled again, her voice bubbly, “Yes, you should.” She spun in her chair, looking back at her monitors and clicking away on her keyboard. “I work for good people. Like my girl here.” She gestured to Elise. “Only the ones out there fighting the good fight.”
Elise felt the heat of Archer’s stare, but instead of getting caught up in it, she pushed ahead, “Today, my office was broken into,” she told Penny.
Penny turned to face her. “Shut up!”
“Yeah, I wasn’t happy either,” she grumbled. “I couldn’t find anything on the building’s surveillance except for a guy who picked my lock. Couldn’t see his face.”
“Did he take anything?”
Elise shook her head. “Nothing that I could see, but he also couldn’t get into my locked files.”
“Of course he couldn’t.” Penny grinned from ear to ear, always proud of her work. “Okay, I’ll see what I can find.”
“Thanks. I called the police to get it on record, and they came out to fingerprint the door and stuff. Might want to keep an eye on their files to see if they get a name.” Sure, she trusted law enforcement to do their jobs, but Penny moved faster, wasn’t tied up with so much red tape, and well, this was personal. Catching Archer studying their conversation, Elise moved along. “Why don’t you tell Archer about the mask I sent you.”
“Ah, the mask,” Penny said, focusing on Archer. “I found a camera on it.”