Love & Compromise (Agents in Love Book 3) Read online

  Kole closed the remaining distance between them, plunging his hands into her long, curly hair to claim her entire being as he pressed his lips against hers. She was soft and feminine in his arms, and her strawberry scent once again filled him with a deep longing to claim her.

  Kole nipped at her lower lip and then sucked along it, a hunger that no food would satisfy consuming all his thoughts. Forget the room of people, forget the act they were doing. His hands ran down her back as though they had a life of their own, running across her tight ass beneath the deep purple dress she’d chosen to wear.

  She let out a soft moan and her lips parted. Kole knew he was a goner. He’d never want to come up for air again. Jenessa felt too good in his arms, too right.

  The sudden clearing of a throat next to them pulled Kole from his passion-induced stupor.

  “Maybe tone it down a bit,” Stanley whispered in a terse tone. “People are pulling out cell phones and videoing you two.”

  While Kole forced himself away from Jenessa’s mouth, he couldn’t release her entirely. Claiming her hand inside his and keeping her pulled close to his body, he smiled and flashed her a wink. “I guess here isn’t the place for this.”

  She batted her eyelashes. “Perhaps we could find somewhere more private.”

  Kole wasn’t certain if her face was so flushed because she felt the real heat between them or if she was merely embarrassed that people filmed her making out with him. It would probably end up on social media sites and gossip rags, which might make her uncomfortable. It was the impression they wanted to promote, but that didn’t mean Jenessa liked being stared at.

  He hoped she was okay. He should have controlled himself a bit better and just kissed her enough to convince the people watching that they were looking for privacy. Instead, he’d totally lost control and did what his libido urged. And he wanted to do it again.

  “I can’t leave yet, baby,” he said, though made sure his extreme regret showed on his face. “Dad couldn’t make this party and is counting on me to represent the family.”

  In actuality, his mom and dad had both intended to attend the party, but Kole explained to William how he and Jenessa needed access to the board members’ private computers and offices. William had invented a last-minute emergency so Kole and Jenessa could go in his place.

  Jenessa pouted her full lips. “I want you so bad,” she breathed, her chest heaving in a way that was impossible to ignore. “Are you sure we have to stay?”

  Next to them, Stanley cleared his throat again. “Kole brought me over here to introduce us, Jennifer.”

  She turned her attention to him, although to everyone watching it was obvious she still wanted to leave the party. “And you are?” she asked, flashing a smile.

  “Stanley Brighton,” he replied.

  “Oh!” She released Kole’s hand and stuck hers toward Stanley. “That’s Congressman Brighton, right?”

  Stanley grinned and shook her hand. “So, you’ve heard of me?”

  “I make it my business to know all the powerful politicians.” Jenessa giggled and glanced around the room as though to see if anyone still listened to their conversation. “I just know this fool they’re throwing the party for won’t beat you next year. You’ve done so much good for people. Besides, power oozes from your pores. You are a strong man, and I love that.”

  Stanley puffed up a bit more with each stroke of his ego. He would believe what he should, that Jenessa was nothing more than a social climber. A social climber who thought he was powerful, so she couldn’t be anything bad as far as Stanley was concerned. Even if he was the one reporting to S.A.T.O., he’d never think to mention her.

  Behind them, Victor made a scoffing sound in the back of his throat, drawing their attention. “I’m afraid you’re wrong, Ms. Fleming. My boss intends to see him unseated. Mark my words, Stanley’s days as a congressman are over.”

  Jenessa waved that away with a lazy swipe of her hand. “Just because your employer wants to own a politician and can’t sway Congressman Brighton to do their bidding doesn’t mean they can unseat him. Everyone knows about the company you work for, and they aren’t good for America. You must know people aren’t stupid sheep. They will remember what Congressman Brighton has done for them over the years when it comes time to vote.”

  Victor’s eyes narrowed, and Kole feared Jenessa might be overplaying her part. If Victor were the traitor, the last thing they needed was for him to hate Jenessa and possibly mention her to S.A.T.O.’s leader.

  “Sweetheart,” Kole said, pressing a kiss against her cheek, “what do you know about politics? I’m sure both Victor and Stanley will do their best to make their side wins. It isn’t something we should become involved with.”

  Jenessa uttered a fluttery giggle. “Of course not. The only reason I’m here is to be with you, lover.” She turned a grin to Victor. “May the best man win. No matter what happens, this is a great party. You’re certainly good at your job. I couldn’t have thrown a better party myself. You have true talent.”

  Victor smiled, seeming mollified. “I’m glad you’re having fun. Maybe we can play another round of pool later?”

  Jenessa slipped her hand back into Kole’s. “I’m sure your other guests need you. Raincheck? Kole and I have plans tonight.”

  If Victor was surprised by how forward she was, he didn’t let on. Instead, he gave a nod and wandered away.

  Jenessa turned her attention to Stanley. “I’m a little surprised to see you here, considering it’s in support of your opponent.”

  The man let out a laugh. “That’s exactly what Kole said.”

  Jenessa shrugged. “It’s always good to check out the competition, I suppose.” She took a step closer to Kole, pressing her body against his. “Lucky for me, when it comes to this guy, I have no competition.”

  “Makes me miss my wife,” Stanley said. “Luckily, I’m headed home tomorrow and can spend a few days with her.”

  The party was in full swing around them, and Kole figured he and Jenessa needed to make their way to Victor’s office. First, they had to ditch Stanley. “Now that you’ve met my Jen, we should let you mingle with the other guests. You never know if some of the people here would be willing to support you instead. No sense wasting your time with Jen and I. You know we support you, even if we can’t vote in Pennsylvania. In fact, I’ll send a contribution to your campaign when the banks open tomorrow.”

  Stanley grinned. “Then being away from my wife tonight wasn’t a total loss. It was nice meeting you Jen. Kole, I’ll see you next week.”

  As he walked away, Kole felt more than heard Jenessa sigh against him.

  She leaned into his ear, kissing it and making a tremor of excitement race through him. “Do you think I overplayed it?” she breathed.

  To anyone watching, they were enjoying another loving moment. There was something to be said for pretending to be a couple. Too bad Kole’s body was unaware it was an act and he wasn’t about to get laid.

  He stroked his hand across Jenessa’s cheek, kissing her lightly. “You’re perfect.”

  She pulled slightly away and fluttered her lashes again. “Let’s find somewhere we can be alone, lover.”

  Kole kissed her one last time before leading her across the room toward the hallway that led to Victor’s home office.

  Sneaking away when people were already watching because of their make-out fest was a bit harder than Jenessa had anticipated. It felt like forever before they slipped down the shadowy hallway where guests weren’t allowed to roam.

  The memory stick she’d loaded her password hacking program onto was tucked safely into her bra, the only place she could keep it without being suspicious. Not having her purse checked at the door like all the other women would have brought attention to her for sure.

  Kole stopped at a door in the hallway and tried the handle. “Locked,” he whispered.

  Jenessa looked around, ensuring no one had wandered down the hall to follow them. “Can
you pick it? I’m guessing locked doors don’t stop you in your PI business.”

  Kole flashed a grin and extracted two slender pieces of metal from the inside of his jacket pocket. “I thought I would impress you with my skills. Looks like I would have been a complete failure in your eyes if I couldn’t do this.”

  She chuckled while Kole went to work.

  This wasn’t the first time she’d stood watch while someone picked a locked office so she could hack into a computer. If Victor was the traitor, Jenessa hoped he didn’t catch them sneaking around. The plan to pretend they came to his office to have sex would only work if Victor had nothing to hide. If he was the guilty party, Paul was sure to hear about Jenessa and Kole’s adventure in the office. No matter how good she’d done at pretending to be a social climber, Paul would put two and two together if he suspected they were investigating Victor.

  Within seconds, Kole had the door opened and pulled her into the room, shutting the door behind them.

  Jenessa stood still a few moments to let her eyes adjust to the deepened darkness. “Lock that back up,” she whispered. “It’ll give us warning if someone comes in.”

  The distinct click of Kole pressing the lock into place seemed to echo around the small room. Without warning, a lamp flared to life from the edge of an oversized mahogany desk.

  “There’s a couch,” Kole said, a smile playing around his lips. “Maybe we should take some of our clothes off before searching, just in case.”

  Jenessa did her best to controlled the renewed blushes that blossomed onto her cheeks. Shelley’s advice had been to forget about the job whenever Kole kissed her and to listen to what Kole’s body said. Shelley claimed a man could easily fake kissing a woman, but if he was really into her, he wouldn’t be able to hide the reaction.

  When they’d made out in front of Victor and Stanley, Jenessa was certain Kole wasn’t playing. His breathing had quickened every bit as much as hers had, and the possessive way he grabbed her ass, the demands of his lips and tongue, it all told her he hadn’t been upset that they went forward with the ruse.

  Now, he wanted her to take her clothes off?

  “How many clothes?” she asked, not sure whether to be suspicious or excited.

  Kole loosened his tie and pulled it over his head, popping the top few buttons on his dress shirt. He removed his jacket and laid it out across the edge of the couch. “Take your shoes off,” he said. “If someone walks in, I want there to be no question about what we’re getting ready to do.”

  She nodded and slipped out of her heels, leaving them by the couch as she padded across the floor to the desk. “Let’s get to work.”

  “I still don’t understand how you’re going to get into his computer if it’s password protected.”

  Jenessa sat at the desk and opened the laptop’s lid, unsurprised to see the screen jump to life with a box asking for the password. She dug inside her bra, fishing for the memory stick.

  Kole chuckled. “Want some help?”

  “Didn’t you get your fill earlier when you grabbed my ass?” She stuck her tongue out at him, letting him know she wasn’t really upset.

  “I’d like to grab more.” He winked, then crossed the room to loom over her shoulder.

  Jenessa couldn’t help but be aware of the heat radiating from his body. In his position over her, his waistline was at the perfect height for her to reach over and give him an intimate caress—if she only dared.

  Cheeks burning, Jenessa knew she needed to get her mind on the mission. No matter what her body longed for, they couldn’t really tear each other’s clothes off and have sex on the office couch. They were here to do a job. Maybe later when they were alone...

  Brushing aside that naughty thought, she plugged the memory stick into the nearest USB port. The screen blazed to life as numbers whizzed across the screen. “It’s my own special hack code,” she said, unable to keep the pride from creeping into her voice. “I’m not one of the best hackers the government employs for no reason. This little program can hack into almost any password-protected device within seconds to minutes.”

  Letting out a low whistle, Kole leaned over, his arm brushing against her while he got a better look at the screen. “That could be dangerous.”

  “In the wrong hands, yes,” she agreed. “That’s why I don’t tell people about it. My boss doesn’t know exactly how I do what I do. Can you imagine if S.A.T.O. learned something like this existed? Paul would stop at nothing to obtain it. Even your father doesn’t know. He says he doesn’t want to know about any of my special programs.”

  Kole turned to look at her, his eyes wide. “And you’re trusting me with the information?”

  She chewed on her lip, suddenly nervous about how close he was. Her heart pounded so rapidly that she wondered if he could hear it. All she wanted was for him to lean in and kiss her again.

  She blinked several times, mouth dried out and body aching for his touch. “I trust you with my very life, Kole. Maybe we got off to a rough start, but this past week has shown me that you’re the most honorable man I’ve ever known.”

  His eyes went wide. “You really mean that, don’t you?”

  Knowing she shouldn’t tempt fate but not caring, Jenessa moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. “Yes. You’d never hurt me.”

  “No, of course not. I trust you too.” Kole closed the distance between their mouths, sucking hungrily at her lips. His hot hands roved across her stomach, moving upward to rub against her breasts.

  Jenessa let out an involuntary moan as she sucked at his lower lip. He smelled so damn good and the taste of him excited her in ways she thought would never happen again. Her entire body tingled with expectation and want. She ran her hands through his hair, rubbing his head and neck, wondering if she dared rub him lower.

  A loud pinging sound came from the computer, making them both jump. Kole whipped his head around, searching the room, and Jenessa let out a shaky laugh.

  “The program worked,” she told him. “We’re in the computer. I just need a few minutes to plant the virus that will allow me to access it remotely, and I can get out of here.”

  He stood upright and backed up a single step. “And no one will be able to tell you’ve been in there?”

  She snorted. “I’m not an amateur. I know how to cover my tracks. No one will ever see what I’ve done or what I search for later.”

  “Good. I’ll search the desk drawers, see if I can find anything that might link Victor to S.A.T.O.”

  Jenessa set to work with the keyboard while Kole rummaged around the desk, picking a locked drawer open and taking pictures of everything inside.

  As quickly as she could, Jenessa installed the virus and then backtracked her steps, erasing any sign that she’d logged into the laptop. Just as she shut it down and put the memory stick back into her bra, the door handle to the office jiggled.

  Angry voices whispered outside the door, but Jenessa couldn’t make out what they were saying.

  Kole quietly closed the drawer he was searching and placed his finger against his lips, signaling her to be quiet. Walking swiftly to the couch, he grabbed their clothing, waving her toward him.

  Perplexed, Jenessa followed, ducking behind the full-length curtain where Kole had disappeared just as the door creaked open behind her.

  Kole’s arm went around her body and he placed his hand against her mouth. “I recognize the voice. It’s my brother.”

  He barely breathed the words and Jenessa wasn’t certain she’d heard him right. Hiding behind the curtains wasn’t the plan. They were supposed to be on the couch making out. If Victor found them, he would certainly know something was up.

  However, Carter hadn’t attended the party. Why would Kole’s brother be in Victor’s house?

  “Why haven’t you got the damn necklace?” Victor asked, sounding angry.

  “It’s not as simple as walking out of her house with it. The thing is under lock and key at all times. I can’t do it.�
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  Jenessa startled slightly. Even though Kole had warned her it was Carter, she was still surprised. What could he be doing here? It didn’t make any sense.

  “This doesn’t make me happy,” Victor snarled.

  “I’m done playing your games,” Carter said. “Give me the video, or I’ll take care of you. We both know I can do that.”

  “Now, Carter, let’s think about this. If I end up dead, where do you think that video will turn up?” Victor obviously enjoyed taunting Carter. “I’m not stupid, you know.”

  “Give it to me!” Carter’s footsteps marched heavily across the room toward the desk. “I killed him for you. I did what you demanded, but I can’t get the fucking necklace. I’m tired of you blackmailing me! Hand it over, or I won’t care about the consequences.”

  Killed him? Who did Carter kill? If Victor made him do it, did that mean Victor was the man working for S.A.T.O.?

  Jenessa’s heart pounded and her knees quivered. They were in the room with a murderer. If he found them hiding behind the curtain, their story about a lover’s tryst wasn’t going to help.

  “There’s no video of you killing him. Never has been. You’re so gullible and easy to manipulate,” Victor said. “I gave you the only video I had after you finished the job. No reason to hurt me. Let’s go back to being friends.”

  “What the hell do you mean there’s no video?” The sound of a fist punching into wood echoed through the room.

  Jenessa let out an involuntary gasp, and Kole’s hand tightened against her mouth.

  “Shhhh...” His warning was merely air passing over her ear.

  “I lied,” Victor said. “I told you I filmed it so you’d get the necklace. I see now that testing your patience was a bad idea. Let’s call an end to this, okay?”

  “An end to it after weeks of you threatening me?” Carter sounded extremely pissed, and Jenessa feared Victor was about to get his ass beat. Or maybe Carter would kill the man while she and Kole hid in the curtains.