Chapter 88

On the night that closed our second week at our new home, Charles and I sat around the table while Agents Tang and Woolworth watched us.

Charles slapped his hands down on the table. “I can’t take this anymore.” He looked between Agents Tang and Woolworth. “Is there any way that we can go back to Lustrum just for the day so that I can take care of business in person for a change? It would be nice to see my employees.”

The two agents shook their heads as if tied to a string, moving the two of them as one. “The last-minute logistics are too complex,” Agent Woolworth said.

“Find,” Charles gritted through his teeth. Suddenly, his expression shifted, and he focused on me.

“You know what?” he said. “I think we should go out, and we should have a date.”

He pointed directly at Woolworth and Tang. “You’ve got two choices. Either you guys stay far enough back, like in another vehicle following us, so that Elena and I can have a real day together. ‘Cause we’ve been living like a sad, creepy little family ever since we moved into this apartment. Or the city is paying for whatever we decide to do for the day.”

Agent Tang shrugged his shoulders. “I can submit a requisition for the day’s activities. Whether or not they pick up the tab remains to be seen.”

He walked past the table, and I got a whiff of his scent of oranges. Charles stood and took my hand, kissing the back of it.

“Well then, my dear, shall we go out and spend some money for the city?”

Agent Tang turned and scowled at us. “I told you that you’d have to requisition the city. We’re not just automatically picking up the tab.”

Charles grinned and handed the man back his wallet. Agent Tang gaped at him, snatched the wallet, and stuffed it back in his pocket. “How did you?”

“I have your city-authorized credit card.” Charles made a show of sticking the piece of plastic down the front of his pants.

I might have found that childish in any other situation, but after the two weeks that we’d had, I found it delightfully funny.

“You have two choices again,” Charles said. “You can let me use this card for the day, and at the end of the day, I’ll wash it and give it back to you. Or you can go down the front of an alpha’s pants, try to get it back, and see what happens to you.”

Tang scowled at him and stomped over to the door.

Charles nodded. “That’s what I thought. When Elena and I are done with our date, you can requisition the city and see if they pay you back. If they don’t, then when they call you in to inquire why you have the charges on your card, blame them on me and see where it gets you.”

“That won’t work,” Agent Tang snarled. “The city’s got some of the best lawyers in the country.”

“And the alphas employ the rest,” Charles slapped back. “We’ll just see how long a court battle for these charges goes on. But I am sick and tired of being babysat 24/7. I am going to go live my life, and the city is either going to pay while I have to take you along, or you can back off and let us have our day out.”

“We can’t back off,” Agent Woolworth threw in for Agent Tang.“Then I guess the city’s banking our date.” Charles handed me my jacket and marched out the front door without waiting for the security officers.

Outside our little apartment jail, a beautiful sunny day dawned on Lupinton. Charles took my hand, and we climbed into the back of a waiting car.

“Where to?” Agent Woolworth asked.

“Let’s start with the easy stuff,” Charles said. “Is there a municipal park or a central plaza we can visit? We can go from there.”

“Yes, sir,” Agent Woolworth said, climbing in behind the steering wheel.

He took off in silence, Agent Tang sitting equally silent in the front seat beside him. Charles leaned over and nibbled on my ear lobe, pressing little kisses all along my neck. I giggled and flinched, smashing his face between my cheek and my shoulder.

It seemed like that was just where he wanted to be, though, because he quickly whispered, “When we get to the park, we’re going to ditch the guards.”

I giggled again. This time from sheer joy. Charles went back to his own side of the back seat, and I took in the city as we drove through it. Lupinton was extremely clean, and people hurried along the sidewalks. It certainly looked like they didn’t want to be caught out in the open. And I swear they were casting furtive glances at our car as we drove by.

Then again, Agent Woolworth and Agent Tang were sitting in the front seat in their uniforms. If the people didn’t know the truth, it might look like an undercover police car. No one liked being surprised by the police, even if you weren’t doing anything wrong.

When we got out at the immaculately clean expanse of grass, which constituted the central park, I swear I could almost taste the tension in the air. Charles drew a deep breath of the morning air and then leaned over and drew a deep breath of me.

“Fresh air can’t compare with you,” he said quietly, kissing the top of my head.

I looked at him with a question in my eyes. What was the plan? He gave his head a tiny shake and took my hand in his.“I guess now’s as good a time as any for a stroll in the park,” he said. And stroll, we did, up-and-down paths that, if we weren’t being shadowed by those stiff agents…

Stiff. I internalized a giggle.

My nipples hardened at the thought. Not at the agents being stiff. Nobody would ever want to sleep with them. But I was still aroused and unsatisfied from our interrupted interlude this morning.

I squeezed Charles’s hand. Did he feel the same desperation?

He ran his thumb along my palm between our hands. Yes, I was sure he hadn’t been satisfied either. He had to be hurting as much as I was for some sort of release. But unless we were successful in ditching our agents back at the house this evening, I didn’t see how we were going to get a moment’s peace. I was tired of meaningless quickies, trying to keep silent, yet knowing you were being overheard anyway.

After traversing the paths around the huge park and coming full circle back to where we started, the agents looked seriously bored, and my stomach gave a growl. Charles chuckled, giving me an indulgent look.

“It seems my lady is hungry.” He glanced between the two guards. “Seems like it’s time to put that credit card to work. Don’t you think?”

Agent Tang scowled at him.

“What would you like to eat, my fair lady?” he asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders. “How’s the seafood in Lupinton?” I asked.

Charles’ eyes gleamed as he caught on. “Expensive, I’m sure,” he said with a chuckle. “At least if we go find the right place. Is there a good place on the waterfront?” he asked the agents.

While they were talking it over, Charles leaned and whispered in my ear, “Say you have to go to the bathroom.”

He straightened up just as they turned back around.

“We know a place that we think we can guard you properly and will be somewhat affordable with excellent food,” Agent Woolworth said.

“Before we leave the park,” I said, “I have to use the little girl’s room.”

Agent Woolworth frowned. “That’s halfway back to the other side of the park. You saw it when we passed. Why didn’t you say something?”

I decided to play the childish innocent. “I didn’t have to go then.”

He huffed. “I’m going to ask for an exercise bonus on this assignment.” He growled and turned, heading back down the path that we’d just come up.

Agent Tang waited until Charles and I were walking, then fell in behind us. More and more, it seemed like we were being guarded from running away rather than being guarded against outside threats. Charles beamed a smile down on me, and I could tell that I had done well. I didn’t know what else he had planned. But I’d follow along, fully trusting him.