FANTASIES
“Are you okay?” Carl’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little under the weather,” I replied.
Griffin chimed in, “Isabel, you don’t have to push yourself if you’re not feeling well. Sir, we can always assign someone else.”
“No,” Carl said firmly. “She’s fit to work.”
“With Cash? That’s a death sentence. Why not pick someone with actual police experience for this mission?” Griffin chuckled. We all turned to look at Cash flirting with the newest female recruit.
“It’s the perfect collaboration. Isabel can’t stand him, which means she won’t want to get too close. Cash is desperate to fix this mess , it’ll speed things up. Start preparing the visas,” Carl instructed.
He turned to me with a soft tone. “I’m sorry you have to go through this, baby.” He kissed my forehead.
“It’s okay.” I forced a smile. “I need to finish serving the tea.” I gestured toward the tray before he let me go.
I moved behind them, quietly pouring the tea when I heard it:
“Chief, I have concerns. Cash isn’t qualified for this, though I believe Isabel is up to task. What if he ruins this, we have agents waiting…”
“No!” Carl cut Griffin off quickly “I don’t want foreign bodies in this case. It’s better we use someone close to home, someone who won’t sell us out, before the FBI takes over the case”
Someone he could control and manipulate he meant to say.
“But sir… “ Griffin pressed “your wife is drop-dead gorgeous. I don’t think any man can resist her, regardless of age. Putting her with a man-whore like Cash is asking for trouble. Hell, I wouldn’t mind…”
Carl’s hand struck Griffin across the face. A sharp slap echoed through the room.
“How many fucking times do I have to tell you to watch your mouth, Griffin?”
“Forgive me, sir…”
“Keep my wife’s name out of your mouth. Am I clear?”
“Crystal clear, sir.”
“Perfect. Get back to work.”
I turned and walked away.
Halfway through the meeting, the room bustled with officers. But my eyes were on Cash.
He laughed, that low, sinful laugh , as he helped a female officer carry a stack of files. My gut twisted.
When he reached up to grab something, his shirt lifted, revealing a sliver of lean, toned waist and a soft trail of brown hair.
My lips parted.
I imagined my hands sliding around him…
My fingers tangled in his hair as I pulled hard enough to make him moan…
His voice, that velvet rumble, screaming my name.
“Isabel!”
I jolted back to reality.
“What? Yes?”
A crash sounded behind me. “Shit!” Someone muttered.
Everyone turned to the commotion.
“What happened?” Carl barked.
“Nothing, Chief,” an officer groaned. “I just spilled hot tea on myself. I’m okay.”
“Don’t cry, you’ll only make it worse,” Carl taunted with a smirk and the whole room erupted in laughter.
Those words.
I turned to the intern who’d called my name. “How can I help you?”
“Carl’s asking for your prints and…” he started, and we walked away to tend to the injured man.
After handling it what needed my attention, I glanced back at Cash and our eyes locked. The air between us crackled.
My clit throbbed and I clenched my thighs together.I was embarrassingly turned on.
Ever since the new killings started, Carl had been obsessed with catching the “Man-Eater.” He hadn’t touched me in months. I was frustrated, tight with tension, overworked and sex starved.
The moment Carl was distracted, I raced upstairs and opened my drawer, fishing out my rose toy.
I stripped down to my panties, but as I moved toward the bed, I froze.
If Carl walked in and found me pleasuring myself, it would spark a fight.
Not worth the risk.
I grabbed a robe, slipped it on, and quietly searched for an empty room.
The house was still busy below. I had time.
I found a room, slipped inside, and shut the door behind me. Removed the robe and climbed onto the bed.
I slipped off my panties and spread my legs, fingertips trailing between my thighs.
One touch to my clit and I gasped.
I turned on the vibrator.
But my mind…
My mind kept going back to him.
Cash.
His lean waist. That damn smirk. The way he looked at me like he already knew every dirty thought I’d ever had.
“Fuck…” I whispered, sliding two fingers inside.
Yeah, I fucked her senseless. She called my name while fucking her husband.
“Ah…” My fingers pumped slowly. In, then out. Controlled and hungry for more pleasure.
I moaned softly and pressed the vibrator to my clit.
Cash’s voice echoed in my head.
I love to hear the fantasies people have about me.
My orgasm hit me like a wave. I arched, trying to stifle my moans. Eyes rolled back…. Breathing ragged….
“Oh fuck…”
The door burst open.
I scrambled, yanking the sheets over my body.
Cash.
He stood in the doorway, jaw slack, eyes gleaming with heat and mischief.
I had forgotten to lock the damn door!
“I… I was asleep,” I stammered, chest rising and falling, still trembling from the high.
Cash grinned, dimples flashing. “I believe you.”
I turned my face away in humiliation. “What do you want?”
“Carl’s asking for you.”
“I’ll be right down,” I snapped, wishing the earth would swallow me whole.
But he lingered.
“What now, Cash? You’re invading my privacy.”
“How so?” He tilted his head, still smiling. “This is my room.”
“What?”
I looked around the unfamiliar space. Since moving in with Carl, I hadn’t explored much of the house.
“I thought you stayed in the other…”
“That used to be my old room,” Cash explained. “I moved out because I didn’t want to be here anymore. This was my mother’s room, Carl’s late wife. Didn’t he tell you?”
My heart stopped. “No…”
“He never talks about her. After she went missing, it was like her name just disappeared.”
I wanted to die in shame.
I had just masturbated in the bed of a dead woman. Worse, it was Cash’s mother.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, mortified.
“You’ve got nothing to apologize for. She would’ve loved you.” He winked and walked out.
I buried my face in my hands.
Later, as the officer dispersed, I joined the others downstairs. I sat beside Cash and kept my expression neutral, though I could feel the tension pulsing between us.
When the room cleared, Carl and I sat with his sons. Cage had joined us, the reason for Cash’s sudden coldness.
“You’re Lara Moore. He’s Justin Steele,” Carl said, slapping documents in front of us. “Lara, you’re a forensic science professor. Justin, you’re her student. The houses we picked aren’t far from each other. There’s a shortcut through the woods where you can get to each other incase of an emergency”
We were briefed on everything, handed burner phones, trackers, files. A full rundown on the 15-year-long “Man-Eater” investigation.
“How long do you think this will take?” Cash asked.
“Six months minimum. Longer if you don’t get me something useful,” Carl replied.
Cash toyed with his piercing, avoiding Cage’s gaze.
“I’ll miss you, Cash,” Cage said suddenly.
We all turned.
Cash didn’t answer. They hadn’t spoken since yesterday and now, they sat on opposite ends of the room.
“Is the jet ready?” Cash asked Carl instead.
“Yes, I…”
“Cash, can I please have a word?” Cage interrupted.
Cash glared. “Go ahead, I’m listening.”
“In private,” Cage said.
“No.” Cash crossed his arms. “Not unless Carl is there.”
“Please, Cash. It’ll just be for a few minutes. I got you something. You need to see it.”
“I don’t want to be alone with you.”
Carl exhaled harshly. “Let’s go. I’ll be present… for Cash.”
He kissed me quickly, then walked upstairs. Cage followed and Cash stood slowly.
As he passed behind me, he leaned down.
“You left this in a hurry,” he whispered in my ear, dropping something into my lap.
Then he disappeared after the others.
I looked down.
My red thong.
My breath caught. My cheeks burned.
And when I looked up… Carl was standing at the stairs.
Staring at and smiling at me.