Authors: Diane Taylor
“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 Sean, 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 started 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.”