Mystique Rogue Page 5

  Khan simply put a massive paw on her foot and crawled over her legs, immobilizing her. Ears forward he yawned and laid his head down and closed his eyes, huffing softly. Sean laughed. “Give in. He’s not going to move until you give in.”

  “Okay, Okay I give.” She reached down to scratch Khan behind the ears. “I think we’d best get inside before we all freeze. I can’t believe this place can get so cold.” In reality, Carmen needed to get away from the comforting arms holding her prisoner. Gods help me. I’m going to have to watch myself around Sean. If I’m not careful, my promise to myself is going to go flying out the window.

  A new, but familiar voice called from off to one side. “Ye’d best be keepin’ a handle on the tiger, lad.”

  Khan came up with a snarl only to have Sean put a hand on him. “Khan.” Sean, returning to his role as TheRogue, glared at the new arrival. “And who are you?”

  Carmen smiled and elbowed Sean as she got to her feet. “Craig O’Halloran, as I live and breathe. How’d you find me?”

  Craig brushed his long black hair over his shoulder and stared at Carmen with sparkling green eyes. “Well now, that’d be the trick, aye? Our Lady of Protection, Miss Tarrington, put the call to me, draggin’ ma weary body awa’ from a Bardic challenge. I was winning, lass, until she said ye’d need mah help.” He shifted his balance on the big roan horse he rode so he could look at her better.

  “Carmen, who is this person?” Sean came to stand next to her.

  Smothering a smile at the slight possesive tone in his voice, Carmen made the introductions. “Craig O’Halloran, meet The Rogue. As a bard of some standing, you would know that name. The growling menace on the other side of him is Khan.” Giving both man and tiger a meaningful look. “Among other things, Craig is a security wizard and one of his speciality is subterfugue.”

  Both men nodded to each other and Craig looked at her. “Ye be given me too much credit, lass. Tis an ex-thief I am.” He dropped the accent and hopped off the horse and made a mock bow. “I’m also an employee of the Tarrington Security. When that dear lady calls, one does not refuse when she said Carmen needs help.”

  Sean looked at her and Carmen rolled her eyes. “Daria being a mother hen again. But Craig is the best at what he does. Installation and upgrades of home security.” When he opened his mouth, she held up a hand. “He’s the one I would have called in for it anyways. I don’t trust this situation to anyone outside the company.” She turned to Craig, “I take it you’ve been briefed on the situation? Is your team ready to get to work on the mansion and everything?”

  “Aye, lass. Just keep that monster off of everyone and ye’ll nae see hide nor hair of us once we get ta work.” The accent was back. Craig glanced at the cat one last time. “Oh, and Ian from the Red Aurochs wants you to call him.”

  Carmen nodded. “Will do. Since you’re riding, can you take the one I rode in on back to him? I need to get my stuff sent up.”

  Craig nodded. “Aye lass.” He looked between The Roge and her, arching an eyebrow. “Anything else ye need?”

  “No.” Carmen gave him a glare as heat stole up her cheeks. “Just get busy.” She turned and stomped her way to the back door before looking over her shoulder to see the two men having a staredown. “Khan? You want to come keep me warm by the fire so you don’t get testosterone poisoning?”

  Giving off a sound which reminded her suspiciously enough like laughter, Khan followed her into the house.

  Once away from Sean and Craig, she stopped inside the foyer to remove her boots and coat, hanging them where they could drip dry. “What is it with men, Khan? One looks like he wants to rip my clothes off, despite how horrible I look, and ravish me...” Khan gave her a look and Carmen sighed, “Okay Okay, I wouldn’t mind ravishing him as well, but Craig, not to mention my team and Daria have all suddenly banded together to become overprotective ninnies.” She made it through the to the den where the fire still burned and plopped herself down on the bearskin rug to warm up. “I bet Craig is out ther giving him the ‘Hurt my best friend and you will scream in agony for x amount of months before I kill you’ speech.”

  “You’re not far wrong, Carmen.” Sean walked into the den clad only in a bathrobe, slippers, and another mask, this one a soft rose color with silver decorations on it. “Basically it sounded like the castration tango.” He smiled. “As if you were his baby sister and I was truly a rogue out to ruin you by taking your virtue.”

  Khan moved over to one side of the fireplace, letting Sean drop to the rug next to her and put a tray of snacks in between the two of them. A carafe’ of what smelled like hot chocolate and two mugs also sat in the middle of the food. Carmen laughed and shook her head. “Why is it that all my friends suddenly want to protect me, of all people, from the one person I’m supposed to be protecting?”

  Sean poured two mugs and handed her one. “Probably because they take one look at you, see past the tough armor you’ve built for yourself, and actually find the good hearted friend within.” He took a tentative sip from his mug. “Once people see it, they tend to get a little protective. You know what they say, don’t you?”

  Carmen took a grape from the selection and smiled, “Friends provide the alibi. Best friends help you hide the body parts.” The crisp, sweet flavor of the grape made her look down at the rest of the tray. “I used to have that t-shirt when I was younger.”

  “I use it as a tagline sometimes when I answer fan mail.” He winked, then reached over to brush a lock of hair out of her face. “So what do you do on your off hours?”

  Carmen turned her face into the warm hand, relishing the warmth, before answering. “I play online chess, and I’m kind of an adrenaline junkie.”

  “Kind of?” An eyebrow arched over the mask.

  “Well, I like snowboarding, skateboarding, and I do a little surfing when I’m out on the North Shore of Hawaii. Other than that, I prefer motorcycles to cars because they can go a lot more places.”

  “Online chess sounds fun. I’m in a game myself. As a matter of fact, I need to make a move soon or else my opponent will probably get a little upset.” Sean grinned.

  “Let me guess. Checkmate.com?” Carmen tilted her head.

  A nod. “You too? Who is your opponent?”

  “Some goober named, Scam.” She looked at the fire. “I made my move on the train. I don’t expect to hear back from...” Carmen looked at Sean as he sprayed hot chocolate on his bathrobe and coughed.

  “You’re TigerClaw??” He set his mug on the tray and resumed coughing.

  Carmen pounded on his back until he could breathe again. “Oh this is too funny.” She grinned. “For the past what, five years, we’ve been playing chess and Fate has suddenly decided to add more excitement into the mix?”

  Sean used a napkin to mop up the mess and smiled. “Well, it’s not every day you get to meet your opponent whose beat you half the time.”

  Carmen grinned. “Yeah, but why Scam?”

  He looked sheepish. “Would you believe it was the only handle I could come up with at the moment? I’d just dealt with a few people who looked legitimate on the surface, but turned out to be scams when you delved deeper.”

  “Well, you can guess where mine came from.” Carmen dabbed at a small spot on his collar where the chocolate had made a stain.

  Sean placed a hand over hers and leaned forward. “When I first saw it,” he whispered in her ears, “the first thought crossing my mind was if you used those claws in bed.” He chuckled deeply and nipped her ear.

  Shivering as heat pooled deep in her body. “Sean, we can’t do this.”

  He pulled back with a visible effort. “I know, but I just can’t seem to help myself.”

  Carmen glanced down, seeing the visible evidence of his arousal. “If we do this, I can’t be part of your security team. It will cloud my judgement and make me hesitate to do things I need to do.”

  Khan finally stood up, shook himself, then belly crawled between the Carmen and Se
an, looking completely innocent as he rolled over on his back and huffed. Laughing they both gave in to the moment and vigorously belly rubbed the tiger. “I told Craig to do the outside while we were here,” Sean looked at her intently, “Once we’re on tour, he can do the inside. I’ll give the cook and the servant time off with pay so they don’t have to deal with strangers.”

  Carmen nodded, “Plus you don’t want them suddenly seeing you without your mask on. I agree. The less people who know what you truly look like, the better.” Arching an eyebrow over a massive paw, she reached out to tap the mask, “But until you let me see behind this, you’re stuck with a cold shower. I want you, but until the masks come off, you aren’t getting anywhere.”

  “Agreed.” Sean captured the hand and placed a soft, chaste kiss, on her knuckles before standing. “And before we both forget ourselves, I’ll go take advantage of a cold shower.”

  Once he was gone, Carmen looked at Khan. “Gods. I’m going to be taking my fair share of those or we’re both going to wind up in trouble.”

  Khan simply rolled over, put his head in his paws, and went to sleep, leaving Carmen to finish off the hot chocolate and the snacks.

  Chapter Four

  “Now, for your enjoyment and total amazement. The man who has no fear. A man who mystifies and transforms the imagination. Please, San Francisco, help us welcome, at the very start of the Mystique Tour, The Rogue!” The announcer’s voice was pitched so the excitement sounded loud and clear through the speakers.

  The thunderous applause heralded The Rogue’s miraculous appearance on the stage. Seconds later, the rest of the dancers gyrated their way onto the stage. One, in particular, caught Carmen’s eye. He wore a white and black tiger stripped skin suit and danced in the middle of the entertainers. The dancer’s lithe body moved in and out of the patterns, stalking The Rogue in the well-choreographed moves she'd seen him practicing earlier in the week. The rest of the group peeled off to their respective stations to help set up the illusion, almost fading into the background.

  Sean had introduced him as his best friend and assistant, Duncan. They were as close as brothers, but the where Sean had green eyes, Duncan had ice blue ones which frequently sparkled with mischief. Sean had told her Duncan was a better assistant than a woman because he didn’t like the seductive clingy factor. The last female assistant they had thought she was going to get the honor of sleeping with the boss instead of doing her job. What she found out in a hurry that there is a difference between stage seduction for the audience and real seduction in the real world. Carmen had been there for the screaming match and had the pleasure of hauling her out of the office. Just the thought made her smile as she watched the performance, and the audience.

  Realizing she'd been staring at Duncan's tight ass for several minutes, Carmen shook her head and told her libido to knock it off before going back to work. She activated her sub vocal transmitter and started talking low so as not to disturb anything going on. “Everyone, this is Carmen. I want everyone’s attention, eyes open. You’ve all seen what I have, so let’s nip this one in the butt before something really does happen. Understood? In sequence. Michelle?”

  “Opposite you at the wings of the stage. I can see the catwalks, the prep areas and half the front three rows of the audience if I squint really hard.”

  “Logan?”

  “Video surveillance is up and running, boss. I’m in the security room with the extra videos. I’ve got eyes on every aspect of this building, inside and out. Even the women’s restroom.”

  “Logan, I trust you’re being discreet in, pal, or I’ll have Michelle and Carla braid your hair for you. And I don’t mean the hair on your head.” She moved around a couple props which were on their way out to the show. “Twins?”

  There was a moment of silence before Carla answered, her voice tight with suppressed anger. “We’re in the sound room with a good view of everything else, but if Rogue’s manager doesn’t get out of my face, I’m going to rack his prissy ass up so he’ll be singing soprano.”

  “Put him on the radio.”

  “Miss Marshall?” The sneer in Sam Lodina’s voice made Carmen want to go up there and rip him a new one.

  “Mr. Lodina. We’ve been over this how many times since we made our first meeting with your boss?” Carmen’s eyes continued to scan the entire area, moving slightly to inspect any odd movements. The rest of the stage team appreciated her and helped out whenever they could, showing her where things were. “Allow me to clear the air one last time before I come up there and send the Twins down here. You will work with my crew and you will do it with a civil tongue in your mouth or else Carla and Louis will both make sure you’re mummified in duct tape and shoved in a closet for the duration of this performance. Do I make myself perfectly clear? If my presence is required, my hands will be full of hot titty pink duct tape. Now shut up and quit annoying my people!”

  A spluttering of unintelligible words over her earphones made Carmen smile as she moved back to her post in time to see Duncan enter one of the crates to be suspended in mid-air by wires. The illusion was to change man to tiger and from tiger to Rogue, all in one illusion.

  She heard Louis say, “She means it, Mr. Lodina.” Seconds before the radio went silent, letting her know someone had gotten his attention and made sure the point was made.

  A prop worker smiled as he went past with the next part of the illusion. Having heard the conversation, he winked and held up a rather large roll of duct tape in the exact color she’d threatened Sam with. Then pointed to a box off to one side. “You should do him in rainbow colors, Miss Marshall. I know someone who has a digital camera and I know the whole crew would enjoy the event immensely.”

  Carmen chuckled. “It’s all right, Phil, I think he’ll be okay now. He’s just determined to annoy me enough to where I’ll quit and he can claim victory over the hated females.” She winked.

  He nodded, then turned to look at the illusion.

  Carmen followed his gaze just in time to see Khan emerge from behind the curtains at center stage while the suspended box dropped to the floor with a crash, revealing it to be empty. Looking up, she saw The Rogue, apparently hovering in mid-air. In reality it was a special monofilament wire harness which held him with invisible bonds so he appeared to be levitating. She’d checked those lines several times with the crew and watched him be lifted several times over. Still, the thought of one of those wires breaking caused her stomach to shudder.

  Slowly, The Rogue descended to the stage in the exact same place he started. “In the world of illusion, my friends, nothing is what it seems. What is real? What is a figment of your imagination? Enter my world and journey through the Mysteries. Even the most mortal of people can be shown the way, but only if they are brave enough...” He reached out and let Khan nibble his hand, then swat at it with a paw, “To face your own fears.”

  He turned towards where the stagehand and Carmen were standing, and nodded. “For this, I have need of a special assistant. Someone who has faced her fears and entered the realm of mystery and illusion, yet has chosen to stay in the mists and darkness.”

  Carmen had a sinking feeling he was talking about her. “Guys, don’t laugh, but be on alert. Rogue’s got something up his sleeve he didn’t tell me about. No responses.”

  Paul helped her off with the mike. “Sorry Carmen, he’s done this with each new member as sort of an initiation thing.” He handed her a fabric mask made of black silk with silver sequins outlining the eyes. “For you, The Rogue creates the illusion of anonymity to protect your job.” He tied it around the back of her head so the upper half of her face would be completely covered. Not tight enough to hurt, but not loose enough to fall off. “Don’t worry, I’ll watch this side of the stage while you spend your time in the limelight.”

  “Come, my lady of the night.” His voice purred with sensual darkness as he held out his hand to her. “Join me, and together we will bring light to those who watch in awe.” The music s
tarted a slow, seductive beat. Just the sound had been enough to bring up images of hot Savannah nights, silken sheets, and a sweet wine chilling in ice, making her hormones sit up and pant for more.

  Two can play his game. Popping open the top two buttons of her blouse, Carmen let her eyes speak for themselves as she stepped slowly out onto the stage. The heat of the lights caused sweat to form on her body as she let herself seductively sway in time to the music, never taking her gaze off of him. He’s damned lucky I chose sexy but sensible clothes tonight. A green silk blouse with black pants e loose enough to have a sway to them but not interfere with her job. Her black shoes were built for running, yet Carmen thought they complimented the outfit.

  When she got close enough, she put her hand in his and he turned her in a slow circle while the look in his eyes told her the performance had the expected effect. Suddenly, The Rogue spun her around in a perfect dancing move, then dipped her low so their heads were together in a parody of a kiss. When his lips were within centimeters from hers, Carmen reached up and placed a hand over the hidden mike and glared at him. “I’m going to get you for this.”

  “I know.” The Rogue grinned, then nibbled her lower lip. “C’mon, at least you’ll have a good view of the audience, just in case something happens.” He lifted her up to set her on her feet. “Outstretch your arms, and you’ll feel the harness.”

  Carmen allowed him to step behind her, running his hands up her ribs to lift her arms in the position he wanted. The touch of his fingers left a firestorm molten heat in their wake. Finally, he left off the torment and teasing, nipping her earlobe before stepping back. Now she could feel the cables as they took up the slack so her arms were supported. Telling her hormones to stand down, she held a seductive smile while her mind began to sort through and watch the audience.

  “Rise to the darkness, My Lady. Soar to the stars as they become your guiding influence.” He made the dramatic hand motions while he mouthed the words, “Trust me.”