Flesh And Robber Barons

This is the third installment in the 'Flesh And' series. While it works as a stand alone story, I suggest you read 'Flesh and Thieves' and then 'Flesh and Cat Burglars' before this one, so you can see the progress of the relationship and get the stories in order. Your choice. The Flesh And series is a little more fast and furious than my usual romances, but still has the humor and snappy dialogue that, if you're a fan, you've probably come to expect.

Enjoy!

MJ

*

We take a ground tram two stops, and then a sky tram, suspended by cables. The view is breathtaking, with a 360-degree view of snow-capped mountains and distinctly European looking buildings.

Big nudges me at the last stop and we get off on a street named Zer Mitterland. The air is different, crisper. The sky is bluer. It hits me hard that I'm in Switzerland, with a lover I barely know, a guy who can steal, kill, and fuck.

Life is good.

Hell, I can probably get some really good chocolates here too.

I smile at Big. He smiles back.

He jerks his head slightly toward the left and we head that way. I assume we are heading toward a small motel, but not so. We stop in front of a fairy-tale looking, two-story brick house, with white columns, detailed wrought-iron work, a quaint blue door, and brass doorknocker.

Big takes out a key. He unlocks the door and holds it open for me. Deactivates an alarm.

Does he own a house here? I look around. It's decorated in European average. No. He rented a place. Smarter than a hotel.

Big takes my hand. Kisses my palm. It sends a zing to my core. I shake my head.

He kisses the back of my hand. Links our fingers together.

Big leads me up to the master bedroom. The first thing I notice is that the bed is huge. It's a four-poster bed. Which immediately makes me think of being tied up.

I smile.

Big smiles back at me. Maybe he can read minds. Or expressions. You learn to become very observant in our business.

But he bypasses the bed and leads me over to the big glass double doors. He unlocks them, guides me out on to the balcony.

Big hands me his $3,000 binoculars. I put them up to my face and he turns me slightly so I'm facing what he wants me to look at.

Very large house. A palace.

Ah.

Okay.

So this house was a strategic rental.

A

smart

guy who can steal, kill, and fuck. A really smart guy. And a really good fuck.

A girl could do worse.

I put down the binoculars for a minute to look at him and smile again. He smiles back.

I look through the binoculars again.

"I'm assuming you have a plan."

"Yup. It's open for improvement though," he says.

We go inside. I hand him back his binoculars.

He takes out a detailed blueprint. It's the first floor of the mansion.

Hhm.

Big takes out two photos. Both are of pretty brunettes in their twenties. First girl is wearing a pink top.

"Countess of Ranton," Big says.

I nod.

He points to the other picture. "Countess of Crentrell."

I nod again.

"First cousins."

"Ut-oh."

"Yeah-huh," he says. "Ranton will be wearing the necklace. Her aunt lent it to her mom, who never gave it back. Apparently this little items has been in contention, and hiding, for a number of years, and is going to make a debut on the young, lovely Ranton tonight."

He pauses while I take that in.

"Centrell," he says tapping the other photo.

"Whose mother owns the necklace," I say. Just to make sure that I'm clear on who the players are.

"Yes. Centrell," he says again, and taps the photo again, "is our mark to guard. Her father thinks there may be some kind of trouble at the ball. He is trying to push through a peace treaty and peace is not always popular. He's worried about everything from terrorism to kidnapping, but particularly kidnapping."

"Ah," I say. "Okay."

I take a few seconds to think on this. Neither of these jobs would be extremely hard. It's doing them both at once that makes it near impossible.

"Plan?"

He points down at the blueprints. "The party will be here." He has his finger on a part of the rendering showing a very large ballroom. He puts a small blue felt dot on the paper near his finger. "I will bump into the fine Ms. Ranton and charm her into a stupor."

I smile at his choice of words.

"While you switch the necklace with a fake."

"Me? You want me to steal the necklace of a live person in the middle of what? 300 guests? I have to be the one to get that part?"

"Yes."

Jeesh.

"Unless you think you can do a better job of charming the pants off her."

I got to admit, he was pretty good at that. My expression must have been priceless.

"I've discreetly checked into her proclivities; she doesn't lean that way. But if anyone could temp her, you could."

"Fine, fine. You be the distraction, I'll be the thief."

He smiles at me. He leans down and kisses me on the cheek. Then he puts his lips by my ear. His voice is low, sexy. "Thank you, baby. If you do a good job..." his voice gets lower, "I'll reward you."

I wiggle away. "All right, all right. I said I'd do it."

He puts a red dot next to the blue dot. I'm assuming that's the mark. He puts a blue dot behind the red dot. That's me. Miss Invisible. Sneaking up behind Ranton, and, oh, no problem, taking the necklace off her neck while she makes googly eyes at Big. Hopefully.

"Let me see the necklace," I say.

Big takes a necklace out of his pack.

"Phew-eeeee."

It's stunning. Seven large triangular ruby-looking stones set in gold. I take it from him. It's heavy.

"Fuck."

"What?"

"I hate clasps like this," I say. "They're a pain in the ass. Tough to manipulate. Hard to get on." I pause. "And hard to get off."

He shrugs.

"I'm serious. They're pernickety. They're made so they won't fall off accidentally."

He shrugs again.

"We needed an exact duplicate. If I'd known I could have maybe engineered a fake that looked the same but was easier to use. It's too late now."

I sigh. Very loudly. A pained, exaggerated, put-upon sound.

He smiles.

"More risk. It'll make it interesting."

I roll my eyes.

His voice goes smoky again. "The greater the reward."

Okay. Helllllo motivation. I can do this.

I nod.

"Put the necklace on." The way he says it is commanding. The way I picture he'd say it if he threw me a pair of cuffs and said, "Put these handcuffs on."

I shiver.

"Cold?"

"No."

I place the necklace around my neck and begin working the clasp. Because my hands are behind me and I can't see it, it's difficult to get. I sigh, turn the necklace around so the clasp is in front, but then it's too close under my chin for me to get a good look at it. I go to the mirror, and I close the two pieces of the clasp without much problem, but it takes a good forty to forty-five seconds. I fix the necklace so it sits correctly, with the rubies in front.

I put my hands on my hips and turn around and face Big. Not happy.

He looks to the side and I automatically follow his gaze. I have a second to hear his footsteps and try to process before he walks into me, full body contact. He literally knocks me over, catching me just before I reach the floor, so he's got me almost horizontal. His arms are around me. It's like we're dancing and he has me suspended in a low dip.

I look at him. He looks amazed.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't see you. Although how I could have missed you..."

He very slowly raises me up to standing but doesn't let me go. He steps in a little closer so that there is only an inch between us, and bends down a little. He gives me fierce eye contact, looking at me like I'm the only woman in the world. My body heats up. I can feel his breath.

His hands are hot on my low back and on my waist. The one on my waist takes a short glide up and down my side and then retreats and I feel its loss. I don't see it, because I'm lost in his gaze, drowning in his eyes, seeing only him. The hand appears again, his knuckles grazing the side of my cheek ever so softly before tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

His voice is an exotic whisper hinting of safety, danger, whiskey, and promises. "I was sorry I bumped into you. I'm not now."

He leans down as if to kiss me, but doesn't. His lips hover a hair's breath away from mine. "Again, my apologies."

He backs up a half step, flashes me a killer smile, and walks around me and away.

I fan myself. And as I do my fingertips touch the top of my chest.

I'm not wearing the necklace.

That lucky bastard. Damn he's good.

I turn to face him.

He pulls the necklace out of his pants pocket. "Missing something?"

"My breath, you stole it away."

He smiles. Again. We're smiling a lot today.

"If you're so good at that, Big, what do you need me for?"

"I need someone to get the new necklace back on."

"Ah."

"I can be the distraction, but if I'm really paying all my attention to being the distraction then I can't be sure I can also be the acquisitioner. You were easy to work with, it didn't take any effort to turn up the heat. All I had to do was think of that motel, or the limo..." he pauses and looks over at the bed, then back at me. He cocks one eyebrow high. "Or how close that bed is, and it wasn't hard to turn up the heat. I don't know how much chemistry I'll have with Ranton or how easily she'll fall for my animal magnetism."

"Anyone would fall for your magnetism."

He yanks me to him. "There's only one girl I'm interested in."

Big kisses me. Hard and passionate, then softly, slow and passionate.

He lets me go and I'm breathing heavy.

I sigh. This time it's quiet, contented sound.

I shake my head trying to clear it. "Okay, okay," I say when I feel reasonably sure that some circulation is back in my brain instead of all pooling down in my underwear. "That takes care of Ranton," I say. "How are we going to watch the other princess at the same time? Are we just going to let that gap of time we're getting the necklace go uncovered?"

Big puts another blue dot on the ballroom, this time on the very side of the room, which I see in the drawing actually represents a balcony. "That's why we have some extra help."

A third man. Smart.

"I don't like working with someone I don't know. Do you trust this guy?"

"Absolutely."

Well alrighty then.

We discuss the job plans for another few minutes. We're coming as guests, so we don't have to break in our out. Big tells me everything he knows about the palace, the family, the security, and I take it all in.

I nod.

I'm not crazy about jobs with so many people around, but he's done his homework. It seems like he's covered all his bases, so it should be fairly straightforward.

I hope.

I keep studying the blueprint looking for flaws. I don't see any. I have to admit, if he does even one-tenth a good a job on her as he does on me, making the necklace switch will be pretty doable. If the third guy is even mildly passable at his job, he should be able to watch one twenty-year-old for the time it takes us to make a necklace swap.

The back of my neck is prickling, and not in a good way.

"I don't like it," I say firmly.

"Suggestions?"

I stare at the blueprint harder. Nothing pops out at me.

I'm silent for a long time.

"I've done everything I can think of to prepare," he says softly. "What else do you want me to do?" I immediately flush hot, because even though he obviously didn't mean it with any double entendre, I suddenly have a vision of him licking me.

He must have noticed my dramatic rise in body heat, because he presses in close.

I remember what I said on the phone, how I hadn't had a chance to lick him yet. It's still true. I glance toward the bed.

"We have nothing to do until the ball tonight," he says, his voice low and husky. "Nothing left to prepare, no demands on our time."

I look down, stare blatantly at his bulge.

"There's only one thing I love more than a good heist," I say.

He cocks one eyebrow up high. "Oh?"

"But I'm not telling," I drawl. I open my mouth and lick my lips. "If you want to know, you'll have to find out."

He grips me hard and drags me to the bed. He practically throws me on it and pounces on top of me. He's amazingly fast and graceful for a man his size.

"What." His voice is demanding.

"No," I say, my voice still teasing. "You'll have to find out."

"Show me," he says.

I shake my head, my eyes playful.

Fast, super fast, he unbuckles his pants, pushes his pants and underwear down to his thighs and climbs up my body so his cock is almost in my face.

"This? This what you want? This what you like?"

"Yeah," I say, breathy. "That's it."

He grabs the back of my head, fisting my hair. My pulse jerks wildly, like dice shaken hard in a velvet-lined cup.

"Do it."

I do.

The angle's not great. He's too big to get much in my mouth. But I work the head a little and the heat is wonderful between us, and he groans.

I push him off me. It's not easy; it takes both hands, and a huge push on his hips. But he acquiesces with no fight and lands on his back with a soft thump.

I pull his pants all the way off, and run my hands up his big thighs. His cock is full and hard now, resting on his belly. I feel the urge to hurry, but I stop myself. I stare at him.

"What?" he asks.

I'm not sure what to say. I crawl and wiggle my much smaller body over his, until I'm lying on top of him with my face aligned perfectly over his and give him a soft kiss.

"You're wonderful. You're perfect. You're the most amazing man I've ever met. You can run, you can jump, you can steal. You can take a necklace off me, a bra off me, wipe a smile off me or put it back on me, so fast. You're...super. And you. Are. Sexy. As. Fuck."

He smiles at me and it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

"I want to rush," I say. "I can't wait to have you in my mouth. I love giving blow jobs. LOVE it. And you. You. God, I can't wait. But I also don't want to rush. Because..."

I put my cheek against his for a minute.

Big runs his hand through my hair and it that moment everything changes. The world tilts because what we're doing goes from great fucking sex to love. Shit.

"It's okay," he says softly.

I wiggle and push his shirt up a little, kiss my way down his body, and lick the top of his cock.

He groans again and it's a great fucking sound.

I take the top of his cock in my mouth, and the main part of the shaft in my hand. I go up and down, at a medium speed, enjoying that 'this is so, so, totally right feel' that I get sometimes when sucking.

With him, it's even better.

I'm not surprised.

I keep going, varying the speed.

His skin is very warm. It's soft over hard. Silky over steel. Magic over layers of more magic. It's feeding me; on the deepest level humanly possible. Waves and waves of goodness.

I don't want him to come yet. Not yet.

I slow down.

"Oh, Effie. God."

I slow down even further. I stop and look up at him.

He groans.

"What?" he asks.

"I'm not sure what to do next," I say.

"Because you've never done it before?" he teases.

"Because I want to do everything," I say.

I whip off my shirt. I straddle him, with my pants still on, and ride his cock, the shaft pressed tightly against my underside as I ground into him. I'm working us into a frenzy and we're not even completely undressed.

He rolls me over, hard and fast.

"God damn, Effie."

"I want you. I want you. I want you. I want you inside me."

He's gets my clothes off so fast, his moves are like a blur. His clothes too. He sheathes himself in a condom and then he stills, poised.

That devil smile.

Then he slides in, inch by excruciating inch, super slow.

Fully seated.

Ahhhhh.

You wouldn't think I'd be able to take all of him in. But everything fits just fine.

He doesn't move. Just stays there. He's supported on his arms.

"Everything feels perfect," I whisper.

"I aim to please," he says.

I close my eyes and just take it all in. Savor. For that moment, there's no job, no princesses, no Switzerland. It's just us. Him inside me. Me soaking wet around him.

He starts to move. It's like an undulation, different than anything I've ever felt before. Better.

I bend my knees a little more, open my legs a little more.

"Nothing should feel this good," I say.

"Yes, it should. It does. I feel the same way."

Then he increases his speed, and words leave me. He goes faster, harder. I'm spiraling up. There's a bright light connecting us. A spark of sameness, and heat, a ferocious chain linking us together.

Then he brings his face close to mine and I think he's going to kiss my cheek but he doesn't.

He bites my ear.

And I come.

He pounds harder.

I come again, bucking up against him. He yells, loud and primal.

He rolls us. I'm on top again.

Good thing, because his body sort of collapses and I'm glad it didn't collapse on top of me.

"Well," he says.

I chuckle.

I detangle myself and go to the bathroom. It takes a minute to calm my racing heart. I actually talk to it in my mind, like a prized racehorse that deserves to be talked down after a victory.

Big looks amazing, sprawled over the bed. I snuggle into his chest, and he flips the edge of the blanket around my butt, providing just the right amount of coverage.

"I guess I should learn your name now," I say.

"The anonymity has been pretty damn sexy, you have to admit."

"I thought the same. I'm sure, like me, you've gone by many names."

"The Mr. Big thing floated my ego."

"I bet."

We're silent for a minute.

"I guess a nickname would help," he says.

"Or an initial," I say. "Like in James Bond, with Q and M."

"T," he says.

"That works, as we're already F and T."

"It really is T," he says.

Which makes me wonder. Teddy? Theo? Tomas? Ty? None of these seem to fit. It doesn't matter. A rose is a rose. An assassin is an assassin. Besides, T fits him.

"You hungry?"

"Starving," I say.

"Let's get some food."

We get up. I grab his shirt and put it on. It goes down to my knees.

"Nice," he says.

We go to the kitchen and T takes out a bunch of to go containers and two plates. I don't exactly recognize some of the food. It's all similar, but a little different. There's potato and meat pastries. There's fancy cheese, and fancy chocolate. There's some Italian-looking pasta sort of thing. There's a bread and butter sandwich-like round thing. It's all good.

"I worked up an appetite."

"When the job's over, I'll give you your reward and you can work up an appetite again."

"Something to look forward to."

I'm still a little uneasy about the job. Maybe it's because I haven't met the third man.

"Where's the third man now?" I ask.

"There was another job. It's a tight schedule."

But he nods like it's someone he known a long time and he's not worried about them not showing up. If he's not worried, I'm not worried. So maybe it's something else.

I frown.

But then I have a piece of chocolate and it's SO good it's hard to think about anything else.

"We still have time before the party," T says to me. "Do you want to sightsee, or do you want to nap?"

"Nap," I say.

"Nap it is." He cleans up the table, washes our two dishes. He takes my hand and leads me upstairs.

"This is a great bed," I say.

"It's the reason I chose this house instead of the other one that had a similar sight line. I was hoping you'd agree to come."

"Like I'd turn you down for anything."

"Reallllllly?" he says. In that one word is a world of devious sexual actions implied.

I laughed.

"Well," I say. I'll leave it at that. There's a good possibility he knows things I've never heard off.

He pulls back the blankets and we crawl in. I settle myself so my head is on his chest and one leg is resting over his massive thigh.