For the Love of Chocolat Read online

  “And?”

  “I think we need to get into the Briscol Bank.”

  He sat back, choking. He reached for his napkin, wiping at his mouth. Michelle ate patiently while he struggled for a breath. “Say what?”

  “We have to get into Briscol Bank.”

  “A safe deposit box? At the Briscol? A federal bank? Are you insane? Pops wouldn’t dare. He couldn’t. Besides, we did a trace on everything he left behind. There is no safe deposit box.”

  “Yes, there is. Probably under an alias you know nothing about. He didn’t use safe deposit boxes the way you think. It’s complicated, and like I said, Lee, I’m working it out. If I’m on the right track then I’ll need your help getting inside. Kumar for security and Sasha to help me understand the locking system. Oh, and get me a complete layout of the bank. All of it.”

  Lee studied her. She ate under his pensive stare. It would take time for him to adjust to the truth. Hell, it took her time to accept it as well.

  “What in those vaults could be undiscovered by the bank after two years? Worthy of this risk?”

  “Nothing, or maybe everything. Either way, if you want me to find the Chalice it’s where we have to start.”

  “It’s too risky. Briscol’s wired from ceiling to floor. I don’t think there’s a way in or out that isn’t tripped to alert the Feds as soon as you do. Pops would never get in there to just play hide and seek.”

  Michelle didn’t deny or confirm his suspicion. She continued to eat.

  “You think he put the Chalice there to keep it out of our reach?”

  “It’s possible.”

  “That sneaky motherfucker.” Lee chuckled. “If he did, it’s genius. No one could get into Briscol but him.”

  “And me.” She winked.

  Lee laughed heartily. “That’s right, sweetheart, and you.”

  “Pops could get past their alarm system drunk. Sober, he could walk in and out of that bank any time he pleased. No one knows Pops’ secrets like me. If there’s anything in there, I’ll find it.”

  “It’s too risky, even for you. I’ll call in the team and we’ll put a plan together.”

  “No! No one knows where to look. How to look. You want the Chalice then I have to do it.”

  “And why would you risk your life?” Lee frowned. “Haven’t we covered this already? I don’t want you hurt.”

  “I’ll do it because I want something in return. The only way for you to give it to me is if I put a bigger carrot in front of you.”

  Lee smirked. “I knew it.”

  “I want you to let Sasha go.”

  “Done.”

  “That’s not all, Lee. I want you to allow me to leave the country to make sure she is set up okay.”

  “We will both go.”

  “No, Lee, just me and my sister, a commercial flight with fake identities to somewhere remote. And then Sasha gets a visa in her new name so she won’t ever have to return to the States. Send your people with us if you must, but you won’t go. If I’m to stay with you, I want this time with her, for us to say goodbye.”

  Lee studied her. “Is that all?”

  “That’s all. I’ll bring you the Chalice, and you give me a taste of freedom.”

  “You talk like you’re my prisoner.”

  “Aren’t I?” she asked.

  “This isn’t about me controlling you. This is about us, Michelle. I love you.”

  “Fine. Whatever. Will you do it?” she said in an exasperated tone.

  “Done. But let’s work through the details tomorrow. Tonight, I need you. All of you.”

  Michelle pushed back from the table. She walked around, stopping behind his chair. Her hands rested briefly on his broad, sexy shoulders, then she began to work on the knotted muscles. She whispered softly in his ear. “This dinner was so nice, so sweet of you, Lee. You surprise me sometimes.”

  A soft chuckle escaped him. “I did it for you. I’m glad you like it.”

  “I do, but I’m not hungry. Not for food. Come upstairs and let’s make up. It’s time.” She reached for his hand. He rose, allowing her to take the lead. The two Dobermans in the corner lifted their diamond-collared necks, watching them with interest. Michelle’s heart raced. She couldn’t believe the adrenaline pumping through her veins at the mere promise of being his again. After their big blow-up over the Sasha incident, she’d fought off his advances. She’d even gone as far as to lie next to him in his bed and allow him nothing. It was torture. Lee called it love. Michelle called it lust. Whatever it was, her body craved more.

  Together, they climbed stair after stair. Michelle cast her gaze once more over her shoulder. He was ruthlessly attached to her, and the hard look of desire on his face made it clear he’d not release her tonight until every denied passion from the past few weeks was fully satisfied. Michelle smiled, shaking her head. This had better work. Turning her viper into a lovesick puppy might make him even more dangerous, possessive. Lee’s heart, sadly, was the only weapon she had left.

  Inside the bedroom, she dropped his hand and stepped away into the darkness. “Don’t turn on the light. We don’t need it,” Michelle said, sensing his next move. There was a faint cast of soft blue moon glow pouring in through the bare windows. However, most of that luminance bathed his bed. The shadows lingered in every corner. So she stepped closer to the window in order to be seen.

  Nerves made her fumble with the tab of her zipper at first. Lee sometimes made her nervous, especially when all his attention was focused on her. She didn’t turn. The clingy material loosened away from her skin, allowing her to work the straps off. Soon the dress drifted to her feet. Her back to him, she posed in her G-string and a pair of four-inch high, platform stiletto heels. She’d chosen the shoes because she knew how the arch of her foot in them helped sculpt her legs. Michelle stood with her legs parted and hands to her hips, letting him admire her backside. Lee had a thing about her ass and high heels.

  “Watching you walk around in that dress tonight has been torture, but seeing you come out of it and those shoes makes it all worthwhile.”

  Michelle turned. Lee undid his cuffs.

  “Let me do that, baby,” she offered.

  Crossing the room, she took his wrist gently and fingered the diamond cufflink at the sleeve of his starched black shirt. Removing one then the other, she placed them in the palm of his hand before closing it into a fist. He dropped them into his pants pockets. Her focus remained trained on him as she rubbed up and down his chest. One by one, she undid the buttons.

  “Am I forgiven?” he asked.

  “Does it matter?”

  He stopped her. “Yes, it does, Michelle. I hate that I hurt you. I want your forgiveness, too.”

  Michelle stared at him for a long moment, then nodded. She kissed his chin. “Of course, baby, you’re forgiven. Better?”

  She peeled his shirt off and felt a surge of desire at the unveiling. Hooking her finger into his belt, she backed her way to his bed, bringing him along and stopping only when the back of her legs hit the footboard. She sat, never taking her eyes off his. Under the command of his silent stare, she lay back and lifted her left leg to press her stiletto heel into his chest; the point pierced his skin. He didn’t flinch, but his eyes glistened darkly. She welcomed his darkness. It had been a hell of a day, a terrible month, a disastrous year. In his arms, none of it mattered.

  Without looking away, Lee stroked the sculpted length of her leg, down her calf to the back of her thigh, then he began to undo his belt. Michelle stretched her arms above her head, causing her breasts to jiggle. Her nipples remained painfully erect. She tapped her foot impatiently on his chest, smirking at his fumbling. He seemed a bit anxious to be done with his pants. To be inside her. And soon, he won the battle with the stubborn buckle, dropping his pants and underwear, first stepping out of his shoes before kicking the rest away. His cock curved upward and sprang out, thick and meaty, its head an angry purple, the tip already weeping pre-cum. She lick
ed her lips in anticipation.

  “I need to hear what you want.” He stroked his length.

  Michelle couldn’t tear her eyes away from it.

  “Tell me what you want. How you need me to love you,” he whispered.

  The things Lee would expect her to do and say in his bed weren’t foreign to her. Tonight, however, she struggled with the words. Part of her needed to punish him still. She lowered her leg. Instead of telling him, she rolled over and got on all fours, with her ass up on display so the message was clear. She heard him groan at the sight of her exposed, wet pussy, and moved her hips, teasing him. Glancing back over her shoulder, she watched the excitement cross his face. He’s so weak. Men usually were when it came to pleasure offered easily; she wasn’t surprised when he abandoned the seduction and came up behind her. She gripped the sheets as he beat his cock down the center crease of her ass, then under to rub her slit. She bit down on her lip when he finally pressed its engorged tip into her tight hole and pushed in deeply.

  “Oh yes,” he moaned, as each inch of him slowly slipped inside. “So tight, so good, so good.” He grunted and shot his hips forward, gripping her hips.

  Michelle winced at the thick invasion but her pussy quickly adapted. Her inner walls drew him deeper, and his shaft slipped in easily as she moved to accommodate his length. He smacked her ass and it sent a stinging ripple through her, causing her to cry out in pleasure.

  She held on to the sheets. Lee pumped in and out of her with such force her teeth chattered. “Harder! Do me harder!” she demanded, wanting to bypass intimacy. If he introduced tenderness now, she’d lose all control. She had to be in control. This was her ruling him, not the other way around.

  Lee obliged with wet smacking sounds as he drove himself in and out of her. She could stand it no longer; her knees went out and she came down on the mattress. But Lee didn’t release her. He lowered on top of her and worked his hips while buried balls-deep.

  “Mmm, baby, the things you do to me,” he groaned. “I can never let you go, Michelle, never. I want to see you when I make love to you.”

  He withdrew, then rolled her over and under him once more. The entire time he’d been drilling her with her G-string on. In his hurry, he yanked on the material and ripped it from her hip, then plunged in again. Michelle arched at his re-entry, and Lee ran his tongue over her sweaty chest, stopping to lick her diamond-hard nipples. She hooked her legs around his waist, digging her heels into his skin. His hands went beneath to squeeze and separate the halves of her buttocks as he continued his mission to make her submit, but from the way he wheezed, it was evident he had fallen headlong into the sticky, tangled web of her desire.

  Michelle held him. She thrust her hips upward under each downward strike, forcing their pelvises to slam into each other repeatedly. He was so deep she didn’t know how much more she could stand, but she wanted more, and she held on for its delivery.

  Lee sought out her mouth. He nibbled her full bottom lip before inserting his tongue. Soon his lips crushed hers as he pounded into her and released his long-awaited orgasm. His entire body shuddered through it. Michelle joined him, having already climaxed twice before. They met each other’s passion flesh to flesh, thrust to thrust, until they both collapsed with exhaustion. Once spent, neither could speak nor move a muscle. They lay breathless, tangled in each other’s arms and legs, each of them refusing to be the first to let go.

  ***

  “I don’t want you to do this job.” Lee spooned her. His semi-erect cock pressed against the crease of her ass.

  “Why?” she asked, her eyes trained on the patterns the moonlight spilled over the floor as it slipped in through the blinds.

  “I don’t want to lose you to this madness, that’s why. I finally have you. After all these years, this thing between us feels right. You were so young when we first met. I never could envision myself…it’s different now.”

  Was he serious? She rolled and he moved to give room. She looked at him incredulously. Rising on her elbow, she smoothed back her tangles from her eyes. “Since when do you mix business with pleasure?”

  “This isn’t just pleasure, Michelle. I love you and the Briscol is too risky. Why do you think none of us have hit that bank? Fuck this, we’ll find another way to get the Chalice. Just let me think on it. I won’t take the risk of losing you.”

  He was serious, and she was stunned. “Lee, I can do this with your help. Pops died over that Chalice. I want it. I just want you to keep your part of the bargain. Trust me, okay?”

  He made to object. She kissed him.

  “Trust me.”

  She rolled over on him and straddled his lap. Lee folded his arms and put them behind his head. He gazed up at her. Michelle smirked. “For the love of the business, we got to make a go for it.”

  “For the love of my Chocolat, I won’t risk it,” he huffed stubbornly.

  She reached behind for the sheet and covered him. Lee brought it up to protect her from the chill of the room. Michelle sat up, straddling his lap. She ground down on his cock until his body responded the way she desired. She leaned in, bringing her face close so he could hear her clearly. He licked his bottom lip as she batted her thick lashes at him.

  “It’s too late, Lee. You don’t have a choice.”

  Chapter Three

  “Briscol Bank? Do you really believe Pops Dixon used it as his pipe? To stash jewels?” Abahti asked. Seated behind his black lacquer desk in a large leather office chair, Lee stared at his chief enforcer. The side of his face rested between his thumb and trigger-finger, propped up by his elbow. Lee could understand the question. He, too, had spent all night and now this morning turning it over and over in his head.

  “She believes it. And she wants to go for it.”

  “Not possible,” Abahti scoffed. “Security is tighter than anything I’ve seen. We don’t have any inside contacts. It would take years to get the layout precise, and even longer to plot a perfect job. It’s a suicide run.”

  “Maybe. But if Pops did it, then Chocolat can, too.” Lee could hear himself. His voice came across worn, thin, and hollow. It served as proof of his mood. Since she’d come to him with the crazy idea, he’d been chewing over the paths to failure. Prison or worse, he could lose her and nothing, not even the Chalice, was worth that to him. Fuck. When did he become that guy?

  A soft rapping at the door drew Lee’s gaze upward. He sat taller. Michelle stuck her pretty head in. She gave the men a sweet smile and emerged. She had dressed in jeans and a V-neck sweater under a dark leather jacket. Her hair hung in long curls around her face.

  “Leave us,” Lee ordered.

  She approached, holding her lover’s stare. Abahti rose. He turned on his heel and walked out without speaking.

  Her nose wrinkled. She cast a sideways parting glance toward Abahti, then looked back to Lee. “What’s wrong with him?”

  “He thinks I’m going soft. Losing my edge.”

  “Ah, and I suppose that’s my fault?” She gave an amused smile.

  “Have a seat.”

  “So what did Abahti find out?”

  “I haven’t agreed to this job, Michelle.” Lee leaned forward. His eyes sharp and assessing, his jaw tight. “That bank is impenetrable. Your source is wrong. Pops could not walk in and out of their security system. No one is that good.”

  “We’re back to this?” Michelle asked.

  “Back to what?”

  “You doubting me, doubting him again. It was Pops who found the damn thing in the first place, while the rest of you believed it to be nothing more than a myth. Pops was good! And for the record, Lee—so am I.”

  ***

  Lee rose. He wore dark slacks, a matching turtleneck. His dark, curling hair was cut short, but tapered neatly to his collar. Michelle found his well-groomed appearance incongruous with his Scotsman’s tan. She felt the power coiled within him as he walked around his desk. Yes, by all standards he was attractive, but unscrupulous enough to take
any woman for what he wanted. She kept reminding herself of the facts.

  “There are rules to what we do.” He stopped before her. “And there are also consequences. You haven’t learned enough for this kind of job. Sweetheart, you haven’t seen all the things I’ve seen. How greed and arrogance have taken many thieves like us down. And there is something else you haven’t considered. The reputation you’re building. First the Jesus Stones, and now this. You get in and out of a system like Briscol, it doesn’t free you; it makes you just as wanted as Pops was. Maybe even more. A target of every government agency on the planet, and any hotshot thief wanting to take your fame.”

  “Maybe Pops planned this, which makes it even more genius, if you think about it. The great Leith Sullivan is unwilling to take the risk. Pops put it there to keep it from them. Not us. He trained me all my life for this, Lee. We get the Chalice and we write our own ticket.”

  “I’m not willing to risk you! There’s a difference.” Angered, he stormed back around his desk and sat down as if to dismiss her. The fear he guarded behind his scowl wasn’t for him; it was for her. Michelle softened. She understood.

  “Kumar and I swiped those Jesus Stones, and they still can’t name us. Prior to that, I hit seven of the top twelve diamond vaults in the world with Pops. What are you really afraid of, Lee? Losing me, or me finally being your equal? Put Kumar back on the job. At the very least, we need to see what can be done before you decide on what can’t. The Chalice is worth more than your feelings for me, and you and I both know it.”

  She rose and walked around his desk. Lee leaned back in his chair. Her hand went to his shoulder. She drew in closer, pressing the side of her face to his. The corner of her mouth brushed his and their lips touched when she spoke. “Besides, baby, what’s the fun if there’s no risk?”

  He took her wrists to slowly pull her around. Michelle complied. She sat on his lap and slipped her arm around his neck, putting her fingers through his hair and running the pads of each digit against his scalp. Lee’s hand caressed the outer curve of her thigh as she kicked both her legs over the arm of his chair, making sure to center her rump against the semi-erectness trapped in his pants.