Page 35 of Sly Like a Fox
The conversation continues for another few minutes with Anklor probing for information about my business while I deflect with meticulously prepared responses.Throughout the exchange, I’m aware of Jenna beside me, playing her role perfectly while providing the emotional support that keeps me from shifting and leaping on Anklor.Kane would probably tear me apart before I could reach his client, but her presence, not that common sense reminder, really keeps me playing my role.
When Anklor finally moves on to other guests, I feel like I’ve been holding my breath for hours.
“You okay?”Jenna murmurs as we move toward the bar.
“I wanted to kill him with my bare hands.”The admission slips out before I can stop it, raw and honest in a way that reveals how close I came to losing my composure.
“I know, but you didn’t, and that’s what matters.”She accepts a champagne flute from the bartender while maintaining her socialite persona.“We’re almost there, Fenton.Tonight we get the evidence we need.”
Her confidence helps steady my nerves, but the encounter with Anklor has shaken me.For three years, he’s been an abstract target, a name on files and a face in surveillance photos.Now he’s a real person who smiles and touches my fiancée in ways that make me want to commit violence.
The formal program proceeds as expected, with speeches about literacy initiatives and presentations about the charity’s impact.Throughout dinner, Jenna and I continue gathering intelligence while maintaining our cover as successful young professionals interested in philanthropic causes.
As the evening progresses, I become increasingly aware of the genuine chemistry between us.Every shared glance carries layers of meaning, and when she laughs at something I say, my chest constricts instinctively.When she places her hand on mine during Anklor’s speech, the contact feels like coming home.
Somewhere in the process of planning this elaborate deception, we’ve built something real.
After the formal program concludes, Caroline Anklor approaches with elegant grace and a warm smile.“We’ll be moving upstairs to our penthouse in just a few minutes.The elevator is just around the corner from the lobby.”
As the select group of guests begins migrating toward the private elevator, Jenna and I join the flow of people moving through the hotel corridors.The hallways are quieter now, with most of the gala attendees departing through the main exits while Anklor’s inner circle heads to the more exclusive gathering.
We’re walking behind Judge Vance and her husband when Jenna suddenly grabs my arm and pulls me toward an unmarked door set into an alcove between two decorative columns.
“In here,” she whispers urgently, testing the handle.The door opens to reveal what appears to be a storage room filled with extra linens and cleaning supplies.
“Jenna, what are you—”
She pulls me inside and closes the door behind us, leaving us in near darkness except for the thin line of light filtering under the door.The space is cramped, barely large enough for both of us, and the air smells of lavender fabric softener and industrial cleaning products.
“I couldn’t wait another second,” she whispers, already working at my bow tie.“Watching you keep yourself in check when you met Anklor, seeing how much strength it took not to tear him apart… It was the most incredible display of restraint I’ve ever witnessed.”
Her fingers shake as she loosens my tie, and my bobcat senses her fox adrenaline and emotions radiating from her in waves.“You were magnificent tonight.Professional, charming, and perfect.I just need you to know how much I admire your strength.”
The darkness makes every sensation more intense.She’s panting, and the warmth of her body in the confined space seeps into mine.I inhale her subtle perfume.
“Jenna...”I reach for her in the darkness, finding the smooth silk of her gown.“Are you sure about this?Here?”
“Absolutely.”Her voice carries desperate need.“Tonight could have gone wrong in a dozen different ways.We could have been discovered, arrested, or killed, and all I could think about was how much I needed to tell you that I love you.”
I’m about to remind her things could still go terribly wrong since the next phase is the most dangerous, but then her words filter through.“You love me?”
“Completely.Totally.More than I thought possible.”She cups my face in her hands.“I didn’t intend to fall in love with you, but here we are.”
I capture her mouth in a kiss that pours three years of suppressed emotion and celibacy so I could focus on the mission into the contact.She tastes like champagne and victory and the promise of everything I never dared to want.“I love you, too,” I whisper against her lips.“More than revenge, more than justice… More than anything I thought I wanted.”
She responds by pressing closer, molding her body against mine in the cramped space.I feel every curve through the thin silk of her gown, and every place where we connect sends electricity through my body.
“I need you,” she whispers, fumbling with my shirt buttons with urgent precision.“Right here and now.I need to feel alive and connected and real after everything we just survived.”
The desperation in her voice matches my own.The combination of operational stress, successfully infiltrating Anklor’s circle, and the adrenaline of being so close to achieving my three-year goal creates a need that overwhelms rational thought.Most of all, hearing her say she loves me obliterates any lingering whispers of common sense reminding me we’re about to have sex in the linen closet of a building owned by our mark.
Apparently, a faint trace remains because I think to ask, “Here?Anyone could find us.”
“Let them.”She slides my shirt from my shoulders before exploring my chest with reverent touches.“I don’t care about anything except this moment with you.”
She makes a compelling argument, and that voice in the back of my mind surrenders along with the rest of me.I find the zipper of her gown in the darkness, working it and the slip down slowly while I trail kisses along her throat.The expensive fabric pools around her waist, leaving her in black lace that emphasizes every curve.
“You’re so beautiful,” I whisper while skimming the edges of her lingerie.“So perfect.”
