Lucas was waiting at the end of hallway for Candy. “I wondered where you’d gone.”
“Sorry.” She leaned up to kiss his cheek. He moved his head at the last minute and captured her mouth instead in a torrid kiss.
Missy felt like a voyeur and quickly glanced around the room. She wasn’t looking for one person in particular, she assured herself. But her stomach dropped when she couldn’t find T.S. anywhere. He must have left while she’d been with Candy.
She felt deflated and hated her reaction. She’d been enjoying the sexual banter and byplay more than she’d wanted to admit. For the first time in months she’d felt alive with anticipation.
Screw it. She didn’t need T.S. or any man for that matter. She was a happy, healthy, successful, independent woman.
Pasting a smile on her face, she turned to the happy couple. “I should get going.” Amid protests and hugs, she gathered her coat and purse and left. The party was still in full swing, but Missy figured it wouldn’t be too much longer before Lucas moved the other guests along.
She laughed as he pictured Candy’s new husband all but tossing his friends out so he could be alone with her. Her high heels tapped against the hardwood stairs that led down to a private side entrance. She stopped at the bottom and tugged her coat on. Fall had a grip on the city, leaving the air with a slight nip, and the dress she was wearing was thin.
But she looked mighty fine in it.
Still smiling, she pushed open the door and stepped out into the night. It closed behind her, the lock clicking into place. The sounds of the city surrounded her. Car horns blew, streetlights hummed and buses rumbled down the road.
Missy strode to the end of the well-lit alleyway and headed down the sidewalk. She was parked on the road a few blocks down. She avoided the parking garage, knowing it would be late when she left the party. It was safer on the road where there were more people and traffic around.
Except tonight it was quiet. Almost eerily so.
“Don’t be silly. You’ve lived in Chicago for years. This is a busy street and your car is only a few minutes away. You’ll be fine.” The pep talk helped. But she pulled herself up to her full height and yanked her keys from her coat pocket, holding them tight in her right hand with one of the keys poking out from between her fingers. A precaution only. No need to be stupid.
She started to relax when her reliable Honda Civic finally came into sight. Nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.
“Hey, pretty lady. What’s your hurry?” The male voice came from the alleyway on her left.
“Look at those legs,” another one said.
A quick glance told her there were two of them. They were both a little shorter than her but not by much. Probably in their early twenties. She turned away and picked up her pace. If she could get to her car she’d be okay.
“Hey, don’t hurry off. We want to party with you.” A heavy hand came down on her shoulder. She spun around and automatically struck out with her right hand. The man jerked back just in time to keep the key clenched in her fist from raking down his face.
“You bitch. You tried to cut me.” Anger filled his dark eyes. Oh shit. She was in big trouble now.
His friend circled around to her other side, cutting off the path to her car. She frantically searched for somewhere to run. But all the businesses were closed for the day. A car went down the road, but when Missy waved at the driver he sped away.
“Ain’t no one going to help you, bitch.” The bigger of the two spat. His skin was dark, his teeth white. Two gold hoops hung from his ear.
His silent friend was lighter-skinned with close-cropped brown hair and blue eyes. He appeared almost friendly, until you looked closely at his eyes. They were dead.
Missy’s heart was pounding so hard her chest hurt. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she watched both men as best she could. Her senses were heightened. She could feel the cool air on her face, the sweat rolling down her spine. The keys in her hands cut into her skin she held them so tight. It was her only weapon.
Go for the eyes. That’s what her self-defense instructor had told her. Scream for help was one of the other things he’d taught them.
Easier to say and hard to do when she could barely get a breath. “Leave me alone.” She’d try to reason with them first.
“Why?” This from the quieter of the two. The one with the dead eyes. “You’re alone. We’re alone. We should have some fun.”
It was as simple as that to him, she realized. Like a rabid dog, he’d seen what he wanted and could find no reason why he shouldn’t have it.
Perspiration dotted her skin in spite of the cool evening air. She licked her dry lips and took a deep breath. As the larger man leapt toward her, one hand catching her hand with the key and his other one ripping at her dress, groping her breast, Missy opened her mouth and screamed.
Chapter Three
T.S. felt like an idiot. He rubbed his hands together against the cold air that was seeping in through the window of his truck. He’d rolled it down to keep the windows from steaming up. He could run the engine for a while, but he didn’t want to waste the gas. Plus it wasn’t good for the environment to keep the vehicle idling indefinitely. He also didn’t want to attract attention. Or worse, have her see him and think he was stalking her. Which he wasn’t.
Missy had come alone and he was worried about her getting to her car okay. “If you were that worried, you should have waited.” He could have enjoyed a few more snacks from the buffet—there had been some killer shrimp and some excellent cheese puff thingies—maybe even had a cup of coffee. But no. He’d left the party before the worry had kicked in so now he was stuck in his rapidly chilling truck.
He tilted his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes. He should just go home and call it a night. But he knew he wouldn’t rest unless he knew Missy was okay. This wasn’t the worst part of town but it wasn’t the best either, not at this time of day with all the businesses closed up tight for the night.
He’d followed her here from the church so he knew her car was just up the road. He’d wait until she drove away and then he’d go home. No one needed to be the wiser.
It was no more than any decent man would do. And if he told himself that enough times he might actually start to believe it.
As he relaxed, he pictured Missy in his mind again. Mmmm, she was certainly as beautiful as an angel and as tempting as a sin. Her legs went on forever. It was easy to imagine those legs wrapped around his waist as he pumped into her. Her breasts weren’t overly large but they looked perfect, at least through her clothing. A handful, but no more.
Her curves were more subtle, her torso lean and slender. He wanted to run his hands over her soft skin, trace her curves with his tongue before finding his way to her nipples.
Oh yeah. He wasn’t cold any longer. Now he was hot. So hot it was a wonder his clothing wasn’t smoldering. His cock stirred and he shifted in his seat to get more comfortable.
Then there was her mouth. Missy had beautiful lips, full and inviting. He really wanted to taste them, before delving inward to explore her moist mouth. He groaned. He should stop. And he would. Any second now.
It was all too easy to imagine her head thrown back against his pillows, her dark brown eyes overflowing with passion, her lips parted on a throaty scream of passion.
The scream that ripped through the night brought him straight up in his seat, driving all sexual fantasies aside. He was out of his truck before he’d even realized he’d moved.
He heard the scuffle just down the way, on the other side of the road. He squinted against the darkness. Two men and one woman. Shit, he was going to have to get involved.