Page 16 of Pucker Factor

I beamed at his approval. It was strange. I probably shouldn’t be happy that this man that terrified me just moments ago while holding a knife to my face was siding with me, but it somehow put me at ease.

“So, anyway, last night was my first night back on the horse, so to speak.”

“Was he good?”

I grinned at him. “Amazing. But, we didn’t exactly exchange numbers, so it’s very unlikely I’ll ever see him again.”

“He didn’t give you his number?” the guy said angrily. “Does he have any idea what he’s missing?”

“Actually, I snuck out after we…” I cleared my throat and shrugged. “I couldn’t miss my flight.”

“And when you got back to your hotel, what happened?”

“Nothing,” I shrugged.

“You’re probably going to want to stop moving. Remember, you have a bomb on you.”

“Oh,” I grinned sheepishly. “Sorry.”

He nodded. “Did it look like anyone had broken in? Gone through your stuff?”

“No, but then again, I was in a sex haze, so it’s possible I missed something. I literally grabbed my stuff and headed for the airport.”

“Nobody followed you?” I shook my head. “Did you ever set down the briefcase?”

“Possibly, but it was by my side the whole time. I don’t think it’s possible that someone rifled through it without me noticing.”

“So, it most likely was taken while you were with the guy from the bar.”

“That would be my guess.” And then I thought of something. “Hey! I bet you could get security footage from the hotel and see if anyone was in the hallway outside my room!”

“That’s not a bad idea,” he said, his brows pulling together. “I’ll be on my own, though. When the boss finds out I failed, I’m as good as dead.”

I snorted, pointing to myself. “Yep, I know how that feels.”

He turned and glared at my boss. “You’re an asshole.”

“You’re the one that put the bomb on her!” my boss shouted.

The man stalked over to my boss and cold-cocked him, knocking him and the chair to the ground. I smiled gleefully, grateful the man sided with me.

He walked back over with a frown. “I’m really sorry about this. If I could, I would take the vest off you and put it on that asshole, but I don’t know how to reverse it. You have about twenty minutes.”

“That’s okay,” I said with understanding. “You were just doing your job.”

“Yeah, but still…”

A siren sounded from outside and he spun around, looking out into the main office area where men were swarming. “My boss must have sent in a secondary party when I didn’t check in.” He faced me again. “Well, that sucks.”

“You can get away. That door leads out the back of the office,” I said, jerking my head to the door at the back.

“You’re helping him?” my boss spat. “He put a bomb on you!”

“Because of you,” I glared at him. “He’s just doing his job.” I faced the man again. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you anymore. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

“Simon,” he said as if I was waiting for the name.

“Simon,” I grinned. “You know, it doesn’t really suit you.”

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