Meghan waited while the bartender set drinks down then held hers up to Jordan. “To whatever comes next.”
Jordan clinked her glass and smiled as sincerely as she could muster. She knew exactly what came next. Sex. She could read between the smiles and the innocent touches. She could tell the interest was mutual, as was their desire for a quick and unencumbered night of passion. They hadn’t exchanged last names. There was no need to pretend that this night would continue tomorrow morning.
“So what do you do, Jordan?”
The question had been asked nonchalantly, as if they were acquaintances meeting for coffee. But she saw something underneath the inquisitive look. Meghan was searching for something. What it was she wasn’t sure, but Jordan felt the need for nondisclosure. “I’m an…investor.”
That was generic enough and held some truth. She did invest her life, so to speak, to bringing justice where there was injustice. “How about you?”
Meghan regarded her closely. She knew she had been lied to, or at least the real truth had been withheld. She knew the game. She’d had these encounters before, more often than she would like. Sometimes, she even imagined that she could commit to someone, but then her true nature came through, and she would go in search of another one nightstand. “Banking.”
It wasn’t entirely untrue. She was a banker of sorts. She was actually the managing director of the Helping Hands Fertilization Clinic. That wasn’t something she told her dates though. It wasn’t sexy, and more times than not, the conversation sparked an evening of delving questions, and she wasn’t up for that tonight. No, tonight she wanted to separate her mind from her body and just fuck. One look at Jordan and she was sure she would accomplish that tonight.
“Sounds interesting.” Jordan feigned interest in what she was sure wasn’t really Meghan’s profession. She downed her drink and waived two fingers at the bartender. When he had refilled them, she met Meghan’s interested gaze. She ran her knuckles over Meghan’s jaw. “Listen, let’s not pretend this is anything more than sex.”
“Fair enough.” Meghan sighed with relief. “I wasn’t sure if I would be able to keep up the conversation much longer.”
Jordan laughed wickedly. “Your place or mine then?”
Meghan dropped a twenty on the bar and slid off her stool. “Mine, it’s right around the corner.”
Jordan followed her out of the bar and in the darkness of the night, slipped her arm through Meghan’s. “Lead the way.”
Two minutes later, they were ensconced in the warmth of an elevator, the nine-floor trip flying by quickly. Meghan opened the door to her apartment and turned on a hall light. She shut the door behind them and held out her hand. “I’ll take your coat.”
Jordan shrugged out of her knee-length leather coat and draped it over Meghan’s arm. She let out a low whistle. “Nice place. The banking business must be pretty good.”
Meghan smiled. You have no idea. “Can I get you a drink?”
“I’ll take a beer if you have it.”
Meghan led them into the kitchen and pulled two bottles out of the fridge. She twisted the tops off and handed one to Jordan, who took an appreciative swig.
“It’s a local brewery. Goose Island.”
“I know it well. My mom is a waitress there. Has been since I was a kid.”
“Small world.” Meghan set her beer on the bar and stepped closer to Jordan, pressing her against the countertop. She looked down at her, her eyes twinkling. She ran a fingertip over the collar of Jordan’s shirt, dipping into the vee between her small breasts. She licked her jaw seductively, and Jordan felt her knees tremble. When Meghan’s tongue dipped into her ear and swirled around it, Jordan shivered. “I’m going to fuck you now.”
True to her word, Meghan slid a hand over her crotch. She let out a disappointed sigh. “You’re not packing. I figured a butch like you would come equipped.”
Jordan smiled ruefully. “Not tonight, darling. You didn’t give me much notice.”
Meghan shrugged. “No matter. Besides, I prefer to be the one with the cock.” She opened Jordan’s jeans and slipped her hand inside her briefs. Her finger dipped inside Jordan at the same time as her tongue teased its way inside her mouth. She was a skilled lover, and before long, Meghan had Jordan bracing the countertop, her fingers drawing out a fierce orgasm. When her breathing returned to normal, Jordan leaned against Meghan. “Fuck, your hands are dangerous.”
“You know what they say, practice makes perfect.” Meghan’s voice was oddly devoid of feeling, and Jordan wondered if she were present. She met her eyes, and they had turned decidedly remote.
Jordan wasn’t sure what prompted her next move other than the emotional distance making her even more turned on. “Then I guess I should get some more practice in.”
She spun Meghan around and hoisted her body up on the bar. They were at eye level now, and she ran her tongue over Meghan’s lips, darting inside her mouth. She undid her shirt and pulled her bra away. Leaning over, she captured Meghan’s nipple in her mouth and swirled her tongue over it roughly. She heard Meghan moan, and when she spread her legs, Jordan stepped between them.
Jordan had questioned Meghan’s skirt, given the temperatures, but it did allow her easier access, and she quickly slid the material up, exposing Meghan’s naked sex. She licked her thighs, her nose taking in her heady arousal. She pushed Meghan back roughly and slid her tongue inside her wet creaminess. She pulled her hips towards her face, burying her tongue even deeper.
Meghan could feel her muscles contracting and her arousal building deep inside until her clit was a painful peak. She pulled Jordan’s face into her body roughly and started to ride her tongue. “Fuck, Jordan. Eat my pussy. That’s right, eat my fucking pussy.”
Jordan’s own arousal though already sated came back with a painful ferocity. She felt her jeans rubbing against her clit painfully. She lifted her leg over Meghan’s foot and started to rub against it, trying to assuage her own need. She slid two fingers into Meghan’s aroused center and captured her clit in her mouth.
She stilled until Meghan moved against her, begging to come. She pulled her fingers out then slammed them into her body making her cry out. “Yeah, like that. Fuck me!”
Meghan was not shy when it came to sex, and that turned Jordan on even more. She increased the pressure on her clit and soon, Meghan’s body began to tremble around her. She could feel her own orgasm coming close behind. She pushed Meghan to the edge then over as her own orgasm crashed through her body.
When she stopped coming, she fell against Meghan’s body and smiled into her naked breasts. “Now that’s my kind of sparring.”
Meghan chuckled softly. “And that round goes to you. I’d say you don’t need any more practice.”
Jordan could sense the dismissal, and it didn’t bother her at all. Yes, sex with Meghan had been great, but by prearrangement, they had both already decided this was all they wanted. She pushed herself away from Meghan and smirked. “Thanks, darling. I’ll show myself out.”
Jordan pulled the door closed behind her and smiled again. She ran a finger under her nose and inhaled deeply. Very immature and too much like a man, but she did it anyway. She wouldn’t apologize for it either. She liked the way a woman smelled and tasted, and she lingered on the scent a moment longer before punching the button to call the elevator.
When she stepped outside, the cold hit her immediately, and she pulled her coat around her tightly. She shoved her hands in her pockets, wishing she had thought to bring her gloves. Despite the cold and the late hour, the city was still alive, and she decided she wanted another drink. She was about to pull her phone out to call Matty when it rang. She hit the accept button and held it against her ear with a shaky hand, unable to control her shivering. “Hello?”
“Special Agent Gray?” The voice on the other end was slightly familiar, and it only took Jordan a second to remember it.
“Detective Foxx. What brings you to my phone at this hour?” Jordan tried to ignore the slight flutter in her stomach when she said her name. She thought that Foxx was certainly a fitting moniker, but she suddenly wished that she was at liberty to call her Rebecca.
“We’ve got another victim.” Rebecca’s voice didn’t waver, but Jordan imagined she detected a hint of anger. And why not? Anyone surrounding this case couldn’t help but be angry.
“Where? I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
Jordan was surprised to hear that the body had been found in the same alley that Julie had been attacked in. She punched in Matty’s number and told him to be ready in five minutes. They had another hit in the case.
Fourteen minutes later, she screeched to a halt behind an already active crime scene. She flashed her badge to the patrolman who was holding the press back from the crime scene. She and Matt stooped under the crime tape, and she spotted Detective Foxx’s red hair. They stepped around officers and the medical examiner’s van.
Rebecca looked up as they approached and smiled warily. “Come on. I’ll show you the body.”
She led them into the alley, and Jordan was surprised to see what she surmised was a homeless man lying face down. A chilling thought hit her square in the stomach. “Tell me this isn’t the guy?”
Rebecca nodded. “We think so.”
Jordan stepped closer and studied the pool of blood around his body. She crinkled her forehead. “Looks dry. This guy has been dead awhile.”
“Witness says maybe since last night.” Rebecca said somberly. She met Jordan’s eyes, and a mutual understanding flashed between them. “Guy’s homeless, most people don’t notice them. Buddy of his says he didn’t show up at the shelter last night and then tonight either. Figured something was wrong, maybe died of hypothermia, so he called 911. Apparently, he likes this alley. Bread store around the corner throws out the day-old bread. So we looked here first.”
Jordan shook her head. “Fuck!” She rubbed the back of her neck in frustration. “You check out the body yet?’
Rebecca shook her head. “We are getting ready to. I wanted to wait until you guys showed up.”
“Thanks.” Jordan nodded her head in appreciation. “You got extra gloves?”
Rebecca handed her a pair of blue latex gloves, and she pulled them over her hands. Strangely, she wasn’t cold anymore. Her heart was racing now, and it chased the cold away. She knelt over the body and began a slow study of the body and the area surrounding it. She knelt over to look at his neck. “Shit.”
Rebecca jumped forward. “What?”
“Can we roll him over?”
Rebecca signaled for the rest of her CDD team and the M.E. “You guys okay if we roll him?”
The general consensus was yes, and Jordan and Rebecca eased him over onto his back. Rebecca jumped backward, her hand over her mouth. Matt, who came closer to help, stepped back quickly and swallowed, forcing the bile back down.
The man’s face was a mess. His eyes had been carved out, and his lips had been sliced off. Jordan had seen a lot of shit in her life, but nothing like this. She looked up and saw Rebecca’s eyes. She was angry and obviously trying to calm down before she looked closer.
“Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Jordan stood up and pulled her gloves off. “I don’t think it’s a stretch to say this is the same guy. Matty said he would strike again, and he’s definitely pissed.”
“He’s getting messy.” Rebecca suggested. “He’s an emotional killer. It’s only a matter of time before he slips up and when he does, I’ll be there.”
“We’ll be there.” Jordan leveled her gaze on Rebecca. “This guy’s out for revenge. He’s not going to accept that Julie didn’t die, and he won’t give up until he gets her. From here on out, I’m going to be up your ass.”
Rebecca glared at her, anger evident in her features. The M.E. stepped around them, and Jordan was thankful for the space. She wasn’t sure, which was worse, her mother’s angry glare when she was younger or Detective Foxx’s angry gaze. “I don’t mean to step on toes, Detective. I just meant we have resources that, quite frankly, the CDD doesn’t have the budget for. We can help…if you let us.”
Rebecca’s anger dissipated somewhat, and Jordan swallowed nervously. Why on earth, it mattered that she got her approval was beyond Jordan’s imagination. “I think you need to pick your words more carefully. I already told you I would assist in whatever way possible, but you threatening to be up my ass is a surefire way to push me away.”
Jordan smiled ruefully. “Perhaps you’re right, Detective Foxx. I have a way of putting my foot in my mouth.”
“Detective?” The M.E. was leaning over the body, and she waived them over quickly. “You’re gonna want to see this.”
She gripped his chin and pulled his mouth open.
“Holy shit.” Jordan winced, unable to remain calm given the latest cruelty.
His eyes had been cut out and shoved in his mouth, a clear message that his unfortunate sighting and subsequent telling of Julie’s attack had gotten him brutally murdered. He would end up just another person with no name or story that would be forgotten by tomorrow.
Rebecca spun on her heel and marched away quickly. She waited for Jordan to catch up. “Whatever the FBI can do to help, do it.”
Jordan nodded. She knew from the two brief encounters with Detective Foxx that she was a proud woman, fiercely protective of her territory. To ask for help, even that which had been previously offered, required a quiet strength that few possessed. Jordan imagined that doing so had knocked her down a few notches, and her admiration for this woman grew exponentially.
“Come see me tomorrow. Bring the autopsy results. We’ll see what we can put together on this guy.” Jordan offered quietly.
Rebecca smiled and thanked her reluctantly. She didn’t want to need help, especially Jordan’s help. She couldn’t decide which was worse, Jordan’s overt attempt at seduction in an attempt to get her way, or Matt’s subtle way of playing good cop to Jordan’s bad cop. What irritated her more was that she found herself actually tempted to take Jordan up on her offer.
She didn’t have much time outside work for relationships. She wasn’t sure she even wanted one. If she guessed correctly, sex was all Jordan was offering, and that was really all Rebecca had or wanted to give. Truth be told, she missed it. It had been months since she had touched another woman, and she was hungry to taste someone’s arousal, to have a woman’s touch bring her to orgasm.
Shaking her head, she dismissed the thought of her and Jordan as quickly as it had surfaced, trying to ignore the nagging tug in her chest or the pulsating ache in her clit. That was just what she needed, something else to cloud her judgment and keep her from devoting her time to the real problem. This case.