Surpassing Pleasures Read online

  An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

  www.ellorascave.com

  Surpassing Pleasures

  ISBN 9781419922213

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Surpassing Pleasures Copyright © 2009 Anny Cook

  Edited by Helen Woodall

  Cover art by Syneca

  Electronic book Publication July 2009

  The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

  With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  Surpassing Pleasures

  Anny Cook

  Dedication

  For every teacher who had a part in my life. Thank you from my heart.

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Fiesta: Ford Motor Company

  GPS: Thomas H. Calhoun

  McDonald’s: McDonald’s Corporation

  Chapter One

  Zip knew it was going to be a bad week when she found a body in the ladies restroom. Fortunately, it wasn’t her first discovery of a body so she didn’t scream or do any of the other stereotypical sissy stuff but it did piss her off. No woman should have to deal with a dead person when it was that time of the month—unless it was somebody the woman had finished off herself.

  The woman’s short blonde hair was mussed, sticking out in all directions. The knife protruding from her back was a pretty clear indicator that death wasn’t accidental. And the pool of blood surrounding her left little hope that she survived, so Zip elected to go for help.

  She backed out into the hall, bumping into Sebastian Spade, her brother’s coworker.

  “Zip?”

  “Body in the restroom,” she blurted out. “Dead body.”

  He tugged her out of the way, pressing her against the wall next to the door. “Don’t move.” He slipped his gun from his holster, opened the restroom door with his shoulder and peeked inside. Damn. It certainly looked like a body to him. Approaching the woman, he leaned down and checked for signs of life though experience told him the woman was gone. He blew out a quick breath, pulled his cell phone from his pocket and punched his partner’s number on speed dial.

  “Yeah?”

  “Me. Your sister just found a body in the restroom.” Before Quill could ask any questions, Seb turned off the phone and went back in the hallway to join Zipporah. “Quill’s on his way. Do you need to sit down?”

  She crossed her arms tightly over her chest to hide her trembling hands. “No. I’m okay until he gets here.” Her quick visit with her brother Quill at the local FBI office had turned out to be a bad idea. She thought about asking for her purse, still on the restroom floor where she’d dropped it, but decided that was a bad idea. Maybe Quill or Seb would be able to return it to her later.

  Seb crouched next to her while they waited. “How about telling me what happened?”

  She rubbed her arms with trembling hands. “I stopped in the restroom to brush my hair. It’s windy outside. A-and there she was on the floor.”

  “Did you recognize her?”

  Zip shook her head. “I didn’t see her face.”

  He just nodded and straightened up as Quill rushed down the hall toward them.

  After that, things went downhill fast. Zip spent the next few hours in the company of another of Quill’s team members while the crime scene was processed. Finally, her brother produced her bag and sprung her from the cold sterile office so he could take her to lunch. Ensconced in a back booth in a small restaurant not far from the office, Quill silently regarded his younger sister. Once their waitress brought them coffee, he asked, “What happened? I know you told everyone else your story but now I want you to tell me what you didn’t tell them.”

  “She was one of us.”

  Disturbed by her news, he dropped his head. “You’re sure?”

  “Aren’t you?”

  “Since you were the one who found her, I wasn’t permitted to enter the crime scene.” His wry answer almost disguised the chagrin he suffered at the slight. Almost. It had been a long two weeks for Quill and his exclusion from a crime scene was just one more item in a growing list of slights that threatened his job since the fiasco at Marshalwoods Tech.

  “I see. What are you not telling me?” she asked.

  “As of now, I’m on paid vacation until further notice. Someone up the line decided I would be less of an embarrassment if I wasn’t around for a while. Apparently it wasn’t very professional to allow myself to be drugged and bound to the very young woman I was investigating. Especially since we were half-naked.”

  “Going home, Quill?”

  “Seems that way.”

  “Maybe I’ll come with you. I’m ready to spend some time with Momma and Pa.” She sipped her coffee with a sad meditative expression. “I have enough vacation time to last me through New Years. And things are slow at work. It would be nice to be home for Christmas.”

  He nodded agreeably. “I thought you might feel that way. I cleared it with Seb for you to go home. If he needs to talk to you, he knows where to find you.”

  Her dark eyes speared him with a clear look. “I don’t need a matchmaker, Quill.”

  “No, you don’t. I imagine Seb can take care of his romancing on his own.”

  Scowling at him, she stuck out her tongue. “So he can, big brother. So he can.”

  “I figured. Do you want to ride with me or are you going to take your car?” Quill ripped a packet of sweetener open and dumped it in his coffee. “’Cause if you’re going with me, remember your bags have to go in the back of the truck.”

  “No, I won’t be ready until tomorrow. I’ll drive down on my own.”

  Quill watched her pour most of the little pitcher of cream in her coffee and shuddered. “Care for some coffee with your cream?”

  “Oh be quiet. Just because you’re all manly and drink your coffee black, don’t mess with me. Why would one of us be in the Federal Building?” Her forehead wrinkled above her dark brows as she puzzled over the conundrum.

  His eyebrows shot up. “Why were you in the building? She could have been visiting someone, the same as you. Or meeting with an agent. A better question would be what did she know that led someone to kill her?”

  “Did the killer know what she was?”

  “There’s a thought. Maybe. The other side certainly has more agents than our side. If Seb breaks down and gives me a name, I’ll ask Pa to check with his sources.”

  She glanced up and smiled when she saw the man walking in the door. “Speaking of Seb…”

  Quill looked back over his shoulder before sipping his coffee. A tall, bald black man stood
at the cashier’s counter, gesturing toward their booth. “Good. He can sit with you. These booths aren’t big enough for two men our size to sit together.”

  Sending him a look that promised retribution, she moved over next to the wall and dumped her purse on the table top. “Uh-huh. Here. You get to take care of my bag.”

  Seb slid in next to her with a deep, relieved sigh. “I was hoping I picked the right restaurant. Do either of you know a woman named Mercedes MacLeish?”

  “Mickey Mack?” Zip blurted out.

  “Well, I guess that answers that question.” Seb was quiet while the waitress served their food. He ordered coffee and a burger and she went off to place his order. While Zip and Quill started on their lunch, he filled them in on what he knew. “Apparently she was supposed to meet with Greg Petrov. Greg told us she claimed to have information about the white slavery ring he’s working on.”

  Quill grunted in acknowledgement. “If Mickey said she had information, then she had it. I wonder who knew that she was going to meet with Greg?”

  Seb leaned back in the booth and stared at his odd partner as he brooded. “Is she another one of your strange little group who knows things but can’t explain how they know them?” he asked with a longsuffering expression. “You know, she just has a hunch that turns out to be correct?”

  “Yep.” Quill chewed a mouthful of burger while he tried to remember who Mickey’s group manager was. He swallowed and pulled out his phone. After punching in a series of numbers he waited. “Pa? Who is Mickey Mack’s next of kin?” He sipped his coffee while he listened. “Uh-huh. Okay. Thanks, Pa.”

  Their waitress delivered Seb’s lunch and refilled their coffee before slapping their check on the table. She stomped off, leaving the men to stare after her, mystified at her odd behavior.

  With a snort, Zip laughed. “She made a pass at Quill and he ignored her.”

  “She did?” Quill frowned at his sister, certain that she was teasing him.

  “She did. You’re oblivious since you met that woman at Marshalwoods Tech. What was her name? Oh yeah. Unity.”

  “Drop it.” Seb caught her eye as he sipped his coffee and shook his head before turning back to Quill. “What did your father say?”

  Quill shrugged. “Pa’s listed as next of kin. I thought she was with another group. He says no. She transferred here from California about six years ago when her family died.”

  Zip dipped a steak fry in the puddle of catsup on her plate and took a hearty bite. “If Mickey was watching someone, it was most likely someone at that halfway house she works for.”

  Seb nodded. “I’ll pass that on to Greg. When are you going down to the country, Quill?”

  “This afternoon. I need to talk to Greg before I go. Harry assigned me to follow up on a tip we received about young women disappearing down in our neck of the woods. No reason to hang around here. I’ll work on my house while I check things out, though Momma will no doubt have me hauling stuff out for Christmas. Why?”

  “I was hoping for a ride. I need to talk to your father and my car’s in the shop. But I can’t leave until tomorrow. I have appointments this afternoon.”

  Quill pointed at Zip. “She’ll be happy to bring you down. She’s not leaving until tomorrow anyway.”

  Zip stuck her tongue out again at Quill. “Thanks for volunteering me, brother. Just remember that what goes around comes around.”

  Sliding her a dark glance, Seb asked, “Is it a problem?”

  “How are you going to get back home?”

  “I’m sure I’ll work something out.” He leaned closer and muttered in her ear, “You might want to escape after a couple of days at home.”

  “You can always dream,” she assured him. “In the meantime, when shall I show up at your place?”

  Seb reluctantly took his PDA from his pocket and checked his schedule. “Is two o’clock too late?”

  “No. I’ll be able to fit in my manicure. That will work just fine.” She pointed a thick steak fry at him. “Just be sure that you’re ready then. If we leave on time, we’ll be home for supper.”

  “I’ll warn Momma,” Quill said as he picked up their check. When Seb would have protested, Quill merely met his eyes with a quirk of his brow and Seb subsided. Quill slid from the booth. “I’m going to take off. Seb, you’ll see that Zip gets back to her car?”

  “Of course.” Seb’s smooth reply didn’t fool Zip or Quill. There was never any chance of her getting away without discussing her discovery of the woman in the bathroom.

  With a sigh, she settled back against the booth wall and waited for him to begin the questioning. To her surprise, he calmly finished his lunch, placed some worn bills from his wallet under the edge of his plate and stood up. While she was sliding across the booth, he snagged her bag from Quill’s side of the booth and handed it to her when she was standing. “Ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be,” she conceded.

  “Then I’ll walk you to your car.”

  Since her car was in the lot near his office, it was a fairly long walk but neither of them minded. There was no conversation other than the silent one that raged between their bodies. The cold wind that whipped at their heavy coats did nothing to cool down the heat that flared up every time his body brushed against hers.

  The gathering darkness of late afternoon threw her parking spot at the far edge of the deserted lot into cool icy shadows. Seb walked around her car, carefully checking for anything out of place. Then taking her key from her, he started the car, switching on the heat. When she would have brushed past him to slide behind the steering wheel, he stopped her, blocking her way with his body as he bent his head to kiss her.

  “Seb…”

  “Shhh. I have to hold you.” He unbuttoned their coats, jerking the heavy fabric out of the way until they were plastered breast to chest, belly to belly as he pressed her back against her car. “I’ve waited long enough. Don’t even try to tell me that you don’t want me.”

  Her protest faded to a whimper as the hard ridge of his cock rubbed against her soft mound, massaging her clit through the layers of warm fabric separating them. His mouth covered hers, smothering that whimper, stealing her cries as their lips and tongues dueled in the cold air.

  Her fingers brushed his shirt buttons aside so that she could touch the smooth, dark skin that covered the rippling muscles beneath the soft fabric. She found his tiny, tight nipples and plucked at them as she desperately sucked at his tongue.

  Their lips parted as they struggled for breath. He burrowed beneath the collar of her coat, searching for that tight, tender spot where her neck met her shoulder. Something drove him to cover it with his lips, baring his teeth against the soft skin. Abruptly, he bit down, not enough to break the skin but enough to stake his claim.

  She cried out as he thrust against her, his rigid cock nudging her over the edge. She shuddered in his arms as he held her close, so close that she could count the heavy heartbeats in his chest.

  Soothing the bite with his tongue, he lifted his head and looked in her troubled dark eyes. Then he kissed her lips gently, tenderly before tilting his face back to meet her eyes once more. “You are mine, Zipporah Jericho. I’m tired of dancing around. Before this night is over, I will make sure that you’re convinced of that.” He leaned back far enough to re-button her coat while she silently shivered in the cold. “Get in the car. Go home. I’ll be there in a little while.”

  When she was seated with her seat belt firmly fastened, he slammed the door shut and watched her back up and drive away. He wasn’t fooled into believing that the war was over. No, the battle was just beginning but he was through with waiting. Tonight he would launch his campaign to win Zip Jericho.

  Zip drove home in a blur of exhaustion and shock. When she reached her apartment, she collected her mail, climbed the stairs to her landing, unlocked her door and entered without having the vaguest recollection of how she’d arrived there. Wearily she went into her bathroom, stripped off eve
rything including her coat, climbed into the shower and turned on the water as hot as she could bear it. Even then, she couldn’t seem to get warm.

  Abruptly, she began to cry. The day filled with such highs and lows dragged at her soul. Eventually, she ran out of tears. Drearily, she scrubbed her body until she felt clean. Turning off the water, she took a deep breath and climbed from the tub. It didn’t take long to finish her evening routine. Wrapped in her heavy terry robe, with a towel wound around her wet hair, she stumbled into the bedroom, fell across the bed and crashed.

  It was there that Seb found her hours later when he let himself into her apartment with the emergency key she’d given him the year before when she had the flu. To his way of thinking, this definitely qualified as an emergency. He left her undisturbed as he straightened up the bathroom and put away her coat. Silently, he contemplated the box of tampons sitting on the back of the toilet before making his way back into the bedroom. Stripping down to his boxers, he climbed into bed with Zip, cuddled her against his warm chest and jerked the comforter over them.

  “Seb?” she muttered drowsily.

  “Shhh. Go to sleep.”

  “’Kay.” She snuggled closer and dropped back into the deep well of night.

  The red numbers on the clock glared in the suffocating darkness when Seb woke with a start. Zip was fighting with the covers, muttering in her sleep. Abruptly, she shouted, “No!” and sat straight up. Seb glanced quickly at the clock before he reached out to touch her. Four a.m.

  “Wake up, Zip.”

  His deep voice was a steady anchor in the black terror. “Seb?”

  “I’m here.” He tugged her down against his chest, wrapping his arms around her. “Right here. Want to talk about it?”

  She rubbed her head over the smooth muscles. “Not yet. Why are you here?”

  “I could lie and say that I figured you would have nightmares.”