Chapter 8

Cierra

I think he's toying with me. It's the only explanation I could come up with. But why? There's no way he can know my true purpose and yet I can't quite put my finger on it but I know he's playing me. It would be really embarrassing to go back to my superiors with my ass handed to me so soon. I see now how he's always outmaneuvered the others that came before me; he's a smooth one Hank Mancini, his trick; never want what the other guy was selling.

Okay, I made my play and got rebuffed but this is just the beginning and though I prefer to go a different route, it looks like I'll have to use the old clichéd strategy though he didn't exactly bite. I felt my face heat up at the thought and refused to let myself go down that road of self- castigation again. I'd always been more focused on my career choice than my social life so I had never really had time to notice what men thought of me. My one short lived affair had been pretty tame according to some of the stories I'd heard around campus, or maybe it was just me, maybe I'd been so focused on my goal of vengeance all my life that I hadn't taken time to notice anything else, like what kind of effect I had on the opposite sex. I know one thing it was so not a good feeling getting shot down by a known player.

"Well I guess that's that then Mr. Mancini thanks for your time."

I got up to return to my table, it felt like the walk of shame for some reason but I kept my head up and my shoulders squared thinking all the while what my next move should be. I had no intention on giving up but the elusive Mr. Mancini had no way of knowing that.

"Ms. Stone!"

Gotcha!

I erased the sudden smile from my face before turning around to face him again.

"Yes?"

"Why don't you join me for the rest of the evening since it appears we're both flying solo? Sit, relax what are you drinking? Let me get you a new glass."

I returned to my seat across from him and sat gingerly; my heart started racing now when it hadn't before at least not like this. That other felt like work, it was easy, simple; somehow this felt more personal like I was meeting him on a more intimate level. He'd shot down my offer but now had opened up the playing field again and somehow it felt different with him being the one to instigate my return, more personal.

"So what's your poison Cierra?"

"Riesling please."

He raised his hand and beckoned someone behind me; the same waitress from before came over to take our orders and she wasn't smirking this time. It looked more like she'd swallowed a lemon.

"What can I get you sir?"

"Get the lady her Riesling and bring us the Mediterranean platter please."

How very cordial and professional I wonder if he knew she wanted to jump his bones? And why should that thought bother you? You aren't interested in the slightest remember?

Mancini

"So Cierra Stone tell me about yourself."

"What would you like to know Mr. Mancini?"

Did she have any idea of the danger she was in right now with that flirty look she was throwing my way? I wondered how much of that was real and how much was her job because I had no doubt that she was attracted as I was but she was a cool one; not by so much as a twinge did she give away any sign of discomfort at this new turn of events, in fact other than the slight color in her cheeks there was nothing to give her away; well done agent Stone.

I'd read her profile from front to back so I knew this was her first real field operation; so far she'd been tested in controlled situations but this little gander was her first foray into the real world; too bad she was going to fail.

"What would you like to tell me Cierra?" Like a cat with a trapped mouse; the imagined visual almost made me smile.

"That's a weird way to put it what if I wished to remain a mystery? After all there's an allure in that isn't there?"

"For some yes but I prefer my relationships to be upfront and open I'm not so big on secrets." Make of that little tidbit what you will special agent; she made a slight shift on her seat before settling herself again, had I not been watching so closely I would've missed it. Good to know she wasn't exactly comfortable with the deception. I'm still going to make her pay for it though before I fuck her to within an inch of her life.

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable discussing myself with you on such short acquaintance after all what do I really know about you?"

"This is true; so what would you like to know? Ask me anything."

"Well I didn't exactly come prepared with a list of personal questions this might take some thought."

Liar! You know down to the last question mark what you want to ask me; I bet you've dreamt about it every night since my name and file came across your desk. I didn't utter a word of my inner thoughts just smiled innocently and watched her, it was hard not to; she had this one lock of hair that kept falling forward into her face every time she moved and my fingers itched to touch. Her lips were wide and sexy as fuck conjuring up all manner of illicit activities in my mind. They were painted a natural shade that did not distract from their sensuality but enhanced. I wonder what she'd do if she knew just what I was thinking of doing to her? What I absolutely planned on doing to her in the not too distant future. I brought my thoughts back to the conversation at hand putting aside my more lascivious thoughts for later.

"Okay then I'll start I'll tell you something personal about myself then you tell me something about you, sounds good?"

She shrugged her shoulders and fiddled with her glass; I'm sure she knew it wouldn't be that easy to garner information from me and I had no intentions of making her job anything less than difficult but I did plan on having lots of fun with her in the meantime.

"I'm extremely attracted to you." There it goes again that little telltale sign that I was getting to her, it showed in the quick inhalation of breath and the pulse in her neck that went suddenly into overdrive.

"That's rather blunt don't you think?"

"Like I said I treasure honesty and straightforwardness in others so how can I give less of myself? That blush is very becoming by the way and very rare if not refreshing." It's going to be a joy to explore just how deep that innocence ran; I can't wait to feel the heat of that blush under my tongue.

"Well thank you for the compliment but I'm sure you've said that to plenty of women before."

"Not those exact words no, may I speak frankly?"

"I thought you already were." She smiled a little uneasily at me.

"I like women, some more than others; I like the way they look, smell, taste but I don't fuck every woman I like and I don't necessarily like everywoman I fuck, you I'd love to fuck."

"Are you trying to shock me or is this your usual style? And if it is let me just say it leaves much to be desired."

There's that fire; you want to spit in my eye don't you beauty? No worries by the time we're through with each other you'll be begging me to mount you. I guarantee it.

"So you don't like the direct approach; I take it you prefer the game playing, beating around the bush, doing the dance?"

"I prefer not to be treated like an object…"

"I would think being told you're highly desirable would be taken as a complement."

"But that's not quite what you said now is it?"

"I thought it was I just said it in a more upfront way, my intentions are on the table so there's no guessing involved you know exactly where I want this little encounter to go it's up to you if you bite or not." Hopefully the day will come when she'd forgive me for treating her so crassly but I have to admit to being just a little pissed that she was sitting across from me dreaming up ways to trap me. Cat and mouse games aside, what she was doing was deceitful job or not; at least that's how I see it, these people were mad as fuck that they couldn't catch me by using legal channels so they've resorted to immoral tactics like entrapment. I find their dealings sometimes no better than the criminals I fought so hard to bring down. That's why I refuse to work with certain organizations, why I shunned them, because of their unethical practices. Like this young woman they'd sent into my lair, the lion's den if you will with only her body and her wiles; they can spout all that bullshit about her mind but the bottom line is they're using her body, the whole package to lure me in like I'm some green boy. As if I'm some incompetent fuck to be led by my dick. I wouldn't be surprised if they expected her to fuck me if it came to that to achieve their goals, the question is was she willing to sacrifice herself for them?

She wants to play the game let her deal with the embarrassing questions; she already thinks I'm the lowest form of life there is, preying on innocent children so why should my less than stellar approach be such a surprise?

Now I've placed her in a dilemma; if she got up and stormed off that would end our acquaintance and she wouldn't gain anything; game, set, match; but if she stayed she ran the risk of giving me the impression that she was interested. I do have to give her points for keeping a cool head though, there were a few moments there when I was sure she wanted to throw her drink in my face.

Denise came back with the appetizer platter and a new glass for Cierra, it hadn't escaped my notice that she seemed a little out of sorts I'll have to have a word with her about her attitude around the customers. Cierra didn't seem too impressed by her either as I noticed a slight change in her body language.

"So what's it going to be?" I questioned as soon as we were alone again.

She took a deep swallow before lifting her eyes to mine; my gut clenched, there was definitely something going on behind those eyes of hers but even more than that was the pull I'd felt from the first moment I laid eyes on her photograph. She had something in her that pulled at the heart of me and regardless of the reasons for her being here I'm not going to stop until I'd explored all the possibilities. Let's hope we both made it out unscathed.

"I'm not sure how to answer your question I don't think I've ever been put in such a position before."

"What you're not accustomed to dealing with straightforward people? I find that hard to believe in this day and age with the way the world is moving."

"Straightforward is one thing Mr. Mancini I'm not sure that that's the word I'd use to describe what you are."

"Fair enough, you can of course choose to get up and walk away but then we'd never know what might've been would we?" She made me smile, all that banked fire just screaming to be released. Once the facade has been dropped and the pretense out of the way I'm going to revel in that fire in fact I'm looking forward to being singed by it.