Fixing Justice Read online

  “Um, hi, Mister St. John. I’m, uh - Alex’s assistant?” Ah, fuck my life, she thought as her eyes momentarily squeezed shut at how absurdly lame she sounded.

  Smirking, the blond Adonis asked, “Is that an answer or a question?”

  Godammit. “Oh, um….sorry. Guess you took me by surprise. I hadn’t expected anyone else to be out here.” Extending her hand politely she tried for something sounding a bit less dumb. “Mister St. John, hello. My name is Victoria Bennett. We haven’t been formally introduced yet, but I am Alex’s new assistant. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

  He took hold of the hand she offered and held fast, making her heart skip a beat and then speed up at an alarmingly quickened pace. Wow. This guy was good. One touch and she was almost drooling. She knew all about his sexual history. The women in the Villa were quick to point out his man-whore reputation. Apparently there wasn’t a supermodel or actress he hadn’t bedded. Her initial impression that he wasn’t going to be good for her health lit up inside her head like a warning beacon.

  His voice had a distinctive, upper class drawl that rumbled up from his chest, adding to the raw, masculine appeal he had in spades. “Ah, Victoria.” The way he pronounced her formal name almost put her silly ass in a swoon. “Please call me Draegyn. I’ll have none of that Mister St. John nonsense. I’d heard Alex found a lifesaver to keep him in line and stop all of us from wanting to murder him in his sleep. Despite the lack of a formal introduction, I am pleased to make your acquaintance.”

  Shit. He was still holding her hand. It felt a little like he was taking her temperature through his touch. She doubted her reaction to his oozing sex appeal was going unnoticed.

  “Yes, well, uh, if you’ll excuse me,” she blathered while trying to extricate her trembling hand from his powerful grip. “I have a few loose ends to take care of. Nice meeting you, Mister…..um, I mean Draegyn.” Oh my God, she was an idiot! Could this possibly get any worse?

  With the precision and speed of a frightened mouse, which was just how she felt, Tori scurried away from the temptation that was Draegyn St. John and made a beeline for the safety of her apartment. He stayed put in the shadows as she ran away, but she felt his eyes on her the whole way. Just before she turned the corner, a quick glance over her shoulder revealed his startling blue-iced gaze following her every move. Oh my, my.

  Well, that had certainly been interesting, Drae thought as he watched the intriguing female with the God-awful dress sense bolt for safety. Searching his champagne-fuzzed brain, he recalled Alex telling him about the lucky find he’d stumbled on in his search for a right-hand, but not much else. Truth was, he hadn’t given a fuck about the details at the time. All he cared about was that things would return to normal now that their tech-guru had gotten some help. Alex might be brilliant, even scarily so, but without someone to keep him focused and on task, he had an easy time making a mess of things. All of it intentional, he admitted with a small grin.

  Jamming his hands into the pockets of his pants, Drae wandered to the front of the Villa where he’d left one of the many expensive and indulgent cars at his disposal. It was well past time for him to face plant in his own bed, which was a quick, five-minute ride further into the compound. There were still a couple of vehicles scattered around the wide circular driveway, left by anyone too drunk to drive safely or from those staying over.

  Folding his lean, muscular frame into the low, super charged beast that rumbled to life at the push of a button, Drae eased the red sports car onto the lane that wound behind the hacienda, past Cameron and Lacey’s homey log cabin, and down onto a low-lying stretch of flatland where his house sat.

  Each of their homes was unique. Alex, of course, lived in the main house. An enormous, sprawling Spanish hacienda that matched old-world elegance with modern style. From the wow factor standpoint, the Villa took the prize with its multiple courtyards, breathtaking interiors, and attention to classic Spanish architecture.

  Cameron’s impressive log homestead actually made light of the term cabin. Drae had been involved in the design and layout of Cam’s home base. If it came from a tree and was carved or cut, Drae was the man to go to. The woodworking hobby he’d begun as a boy had developed over time into an all-consuming passion.

  His own home was quite different. Unlike Cam’s rustic log structure, he’d designed his home to be a statement in modern practicality with almost five thousand square feet of contemporary craftsmanship featuring a heavy-timbered soaring roof structure, and an open interior with stairways and a second floor overhang that resembled a wood bridge.

  He enjoyed pulling into the stone drive and seeing the massive two-story home with its unusual angles and corners punctuated with enormous windows and clever glass walls that captured the beautiful vistas and the changing light throughout the desert day. Sometimes, it was good to be him.

  Tomorrow would be here soon enough, he thought after closing the door behind him and taking a deep breath to clear some of the champagne buzz. For now, he needed to indulge in his high-tech wet room with its steam shower and multiple sprays. Maybe he’d follow-up with Alex in the morning and find out more about the odd creature he’d just met. She’d piqued his curiosity; that was for sure. If he were being honest, he’d have to admit that the way she had run off threw him just a bit. Usually, his well-practiced charm earned him more than a quick dismissal.

  Thinking of being thrown to the curb made Drae remember how he’d rather ruthlessly done just that not all that long ago, when it was time to end his most recent sexual interlude. He couldn’t help the sneer that lit up his brain or the nod that came along with acknowledging that he didn’t do relationships. It was sex and nothing more. Before his latest assignment in Washington, he’d been babysitting a high profile teenage heartthrob during a world tour that had stretched on for months. Drae hated having to take that obnoxious little fucker on, but the kid actually did need a serious security arrangement, and his record label had been willing to pay through the nose for the agency’s services.

  Surrounded by bodyguards with their own headshots and Hollywood aspirations, plus the endless wave of hangers-on and an entourage of sycophants that stretched his nerves to their limit, the appearance one night of a certain actress with a set of expensive tits and the randiness of a sex-addict had helped ease his annoyance. Jessamyn What’s-Her-Name had set her sights on Drae the moment she saw him. The kinky bitch got off on the fact that he wore a shoulder holster. Women, go figure.

  He’d seduced the skinny actress out of her thong, after a bottle of Ciroc and rather straightforwardly telling her, if you come any closer I’m going to have to fuck you. Apparently America’s latest manufactured sweetheart liked it nasty. She’d flitted in and out of his bed for months while the European leg of his assignment ground on.

  Jessamyn – who thought up these ridiculous names, he wondered – had been an energetic lover willing to do just about anything and then some. He’d sometimes found her enthusiasm tedious and questioned how many of the dramatic screaming orgasms she had were actually real or just performances in her repertoire of acting credits.

  Shedding his tuxedo, Draegyn stepped into the luxury en suite and headed for the shower. Catching sight of his naked body reflected in the glass enclosure, he paused and took stock. Except for a few new nicks and scars, he looked as he always did. Fit, lean, and rocking a seriously hard-core body. Years of martial arts and hand-to-hand defense training had given him a textbook perfect physique.

  Thinking about the sex-obsessed Jessamyn and how they’d more or less fucked their way across Europe had unfortunately triggered the start of an erection that wasn’t exactly welcome at this moment. Seeing his rising cock made him pause. He was too tired and, truth be told, disinterested in the idea of jerking off to take matters into his own hands.

  Remembering how he’d firmly informed Jess that their fun times had to end only turned her into stage-four clinger. She’d cried and begged, told him how much she loved him. Who
the fuck had brought love into the equation? He sure as hell hadn’t. Drae was very good at spelling out the limits of being involved with him right from the beginning. Since she’d obviously disregarded his warnings and turned hysterical, he’d quite literally thrown her out. When it was time to move on, well - it was time to move on.

  Setting the shower controls he flung himself into the steaming water and simply stood there letting the water pound away the champagne buzz and tension in his body. Hopefully, the hard-on would fade, and he could think about other things. Things like chocolate eyes and a pouty mouth.

  Well shit. That thought came out of nowhere and certainly wasn’t helping things. The minute he envisioned Victoria Bennett, and her irritating dismissal of him, his cock rapidly stood at attention in the hot shower. She wasn’t his type, not by a long shot, so why she was appearing in his thoughts baffled him. Drae preferred his women sophisticated and experienced. He wasn’t looking for any sort of relationship or happily ever after bullshit. The bodies underneath him in bed were interchangeable and forgettable as a whole. Some mousey computer nerd was in no way his style. So why then did his thoughts circle around to her?

  Once he’d asked the question, his mind flooded with a montage of sex-fueled scenarios all featuring the plain little woman with the mouth of a goddess. He bet she gave a mean blowjob with those pouty lips of hers. It wasn’t a stretch to imagine her down on her knees with his thick cock sliding in and out of her lush mouth. When his staff pulsed, Drae groaned aloud at the irony of his situation. He didn’t want the anorexic actress with the insatiable sex drive. Instead he was fantasizing about some plain little nobody who in just a few short minutes had climbed inside his libido. So much for being disinterested in jerking off. His dick had other ideas as it throbbed and twitched in the pouring water.

  Alright. Fuck it, he thought as he grabbed hold of himself and gave a good squeeze. Sometimes a guy had to do, what a guy had to do. Unable to dismiss the picture of Victoria’s striking brown eyes from his mind, he thought about what having the small woman climbing all over his rock hard body would feel like and decided she’d be a definite turn-on in the sack. Hell, she was so petite, he could probably twirl her around on his dick without much effort.

  His hand stroked while his mind conjured up one sexy visual after the next, all starring the strange fey woman. He was surprised at his reaction to these thoughts as his excitement ramped up higher and higher with each slow caress of his engorged flesh. Before too long, his heart was beating with the force of a bass drum while his balls filled and tightened.

  Wondering what it would be like to sink into her body as those sinfully sweet eyes stared up at him had Drae moaning within seconds. Christ. He bet she’d be tight and wet. The idea of pounding away at her until she cried out while coming all over his dick made his impending orgasm build strength and speed. A few quick, efficient strokes of his big hand detonated an explosive climax that started in the bottoms of his feet and shot along his nervous system with astonishing force. Throwing back his head, his neck corded with tension from the release. He felt his cock jerk and pulse under his fingers. The sensation went on forever, something that didn’t normally happen in these hands-on situations. When it was finally over, he was hanging onto the wall for dear life as deep, gasping breaths filled his lungs.

  Holy mother of God. What the fuck just happened? Had he actually had one of the most intense orgasms of his life, alone in a shower, while fantasizing about a woman he’d spoken to for less than five minutes? To make matters worse, his dick wasn’t exactly settling down either. Goddammit. This wasn’t like him. Wasn’t like him at all. It was going to be a hell of a night.

  Breathe. Run. Breathe. Run. The sound made by Drae’s feet, thundering along the hard packed dirt, echoed in unison with his breathing as he mentally chanted the running mantra through the last leg of an early morning power-jog. It felt good to push his body to go harder, faster, longer. He hoped the intensity would clear the cobwebs from his brain after a short, sleepless night.

  The cadence of his pounding legs got inside his head, pushing him harder. Dressed in baggy sweats that had seen better days and a faded Corps t-shirt, he’d been running from the devil for the last hour. Up ahead his house came into view, where he stopped and grabbed some water before continuing up the lane. He kept running, only slowing for a cool down in the last stretch.

  Arriving at Cameron’s cabin just as the contractor began setting up a work zone with his crew, Drae channeled the restless energy he’d been trying to burn off into the building project. Looking around, he was satisfied that every attention was being paid to the details he specified, right down to the extensive desert landscaping that would be needed along the outside of the addition. A couple of minutes later, Alex rolled up in an ATV, waving to Drae.

  As soon as Alex eased off the seat and started walking toward him, Drae was struck with concern for his friend. Obviously, being on his feet most of yesterday and then dancing and partying well into the night had taken a toll on the man’s body. Reminders of the day when Alex had almost eaten it courtesy of a suicide bombing never really faded, not when old injuries reeled their ugly head. The dude was struggling to put one foot in front of the other.

  “Hey man,” Drae called out as Alex neared. “Some fucking party last night, huh?”

  At Alex’s snort of amused agreement, Drae eased off a bit. Thank God his friend wasn’t snarling and acting like a king-sized control freak. “They’re getting started early,” Alex murmured, taking in the bustle of activity unfolding around Cameron’s house. “Oh, by the way - there’s a message for you in the office. The company doing the video install has some questions. Sounded important, too. Whatever you chose six weeks ago is apparently obsolete today!”

  “Of course,” Drae chuckled with a half smile. “Why the fuck not? Do you have any idea what they’re talking about? All that technology shit is your area of expertise. I only picked the flashiest system with the most bells and whistles because it was top of the line. Beyond that, I have no goddamn idea!”

  Alex laughed along with him. “If you want, I’ll take a look at that end of things so you can concentrate on being the Wood Whisperer.”

  Booming with laughter, Drae asked, “Wood Whisperer? What the hell is that? Sounds kind of depraved!”

  Alex grinned broadly. “Dude. Didn’t you know? That’s what some of the workers call you. Hilarious, really. I think Gus overheard one of your long-winded rants about a piece of lumber in the shop. He came up with the tag and it stuck. You really do sound like a chick picking out a prom dress sometimes, Drae.”

  “Suck my balls!” Drae laughed good-naturedly at the friendly taunt. Yeah, he did sometimes get way into his woodworking. It was, after all, its own form of meditation for him.

  Turning to him with palms placed in blessing position at his chest, Alex bowed slightly in mocking supplication and said, “No thanks. Your balls are of no interest to me!”

  Slapping his old commanding officer and good friend on the back, Drae gestured to the ATV and suggested they ride back to the main house for a swim. The idea of diving into the cool water, after the sweat he’d worked up on his run, sounded like heaven.

  After they’d climbed into the double-seated vehicle and began the drive back to the main house, Drae suddenly blurted out the question he had about the mystery woman from last night before he realized he was doing it. “So, I ran into your new assistant last night, Victoria.”

  Alex flashed a quick smile. “You mean Tori? Yeah, she’s great. Totally lucked out finding her. She tell you to call her Victoria? That’s odd.” The unspoken question and surprise in Alex’s response didn’t sail over his head.

  He wanted to come back with a snappy retort. Maybe an off-hand slap on his own back about her having been addled by being in his presence, but he didn’t. He wanted to find out exactly who the small, plain woman was without piquing too much of anyone else’s interest to why he was so curious. “Yeah, yeah. Sh
e introduced herself with her full name. NBD, man. Must have been the tuxedo and the way I barked at her.” Good way to cover, he thought.

  “Well, watch yourself around her. She’s one smart cookie. Having her around is going to be great for everyone, not just me. Tori has an extraordinary ability to interpret complex systems and patterns…..”

  Drae chuckled at his friend’s description. “Alex, I have no fucking idea what that’s supposed to mean! It’s enough that you do, though. Where’d you find this brainiac treasure? I don’t recall you actually doing a search. She turn up out of thin air?”

  “Jesus, Drae. That’s a bit cynical even for you. No, I didn’t interview anyone else but yes, she’s been carefully vetted so you can relax!”

  They’d arrived at their destination behind the main house next to a short walkway that led to the pool and cabana area. Alex slightly struggled when getting out of the ATV. Drae had to pull back from offering assistance. He knew the help would not be appreciated. Alex hated feeling like he was debilitated in any way.

  Covering for his wobbly posture, Alex suggested that Drae grab some swim trunks from the cabaña and join him in the pool. “I’ll give you the four-one-one on Tori. That way you can save the trouble of an investigation. She’s good people so ease up.”

  With Alex’s words hanging in his thoughts, Drae slipped into one of the changing rooms, pulling on a pair of swim trunks in supersonic time. Finding Alex already in the pool, he dove into the deep end in a smooth arc. There really wasn’t anything quite like being fully submerged as your body sliced through the clear, cool water. Dolphin kicking leisurely to the side of the pool, he came up for air and waited for Alex to fill in the blanks in Victoria’s story.