Canton.”
“Oh, please don’t tell me he’s the one. You’d be wasting all those beautiful oils.”
She moved towards the door. “I told you. It’s just for my own use. I wouldn’t have the nerve.”
“This from a woman who just came back from a vacation in a place where clothing is optional,” Ariel called after her.
* * * *
Victoria exited the building. Erik pulled the baseball cap lower on his head and slouched down in the car seat. Damn, he hated working surveillance on the college campus. He thought the town center was hard? Without proper security cards, he couldn’t get near the lab facilities, so he and his partner parked outside the building like two serial stalkers. This case left him feeling more like the criminal than the good guy. At least Becker couldn’t get to her inside either.
When she got into her car, he straightened again. Dr. Jansen was one strange woman. Beautiful, but strange. She was on vacation from her job as a physics professor, so what did she do for fun? She hung out at the chemistry lab.
“What do you think that was about?” Daniels asked.
“Haven’t got a clue.” He accepted the fact that he might never understand her genius mind. She didn’t fit any type of profile. Nothing in her background made her an ideal candidate for recruitment in a spy ring. Of course, he wasn’t privy to all of her file. Why? The question haunted him. Not just that she’d once held top-level national security clearance, but that her case was still highly classified six years later. What the hell were they making in that research center where she used to work?
Daniels took a swig of his cold coffee and let out a grunt. “I understand they can make powerful drugs in those labs. You don’t suppose….”
“She’s not into drugs,” Erik said with absolute certainly.
Tori didn’t need them. She spaced out often enough on her own. One glass of wine put her out for the night. Even if she was involved in Becker’s ring, his activities never included drug trafficking. He focused strictly on industrial espionage.
Erik turned his attention to Victoria. Something in her body chemistry acted like a powerful drug that gave his body a rush of adrenaline whenever she came near. The more he got the more he wanted.
* * * *
Victoria arrived at her office a few minutes early. The campus was nearly deserted except for a couple of industrious students remaining in Vermont for the holiday. She used the time to catch up on her paperwork. The mindless task allowed her thoughts to dwell on more interesting topics. Specifically Erik Sanders.
Once he left, she’d been unable to sleep. A healthy case of desire and frustration kept her pacing the halls for hours. The memory of her lack of control caused her cheeks to grow warm. Would she be any better tonight? She wrapped her fingers around the bottle in her pocket. Probably not. Ten seconds in the man’s presence and her hormones obliterated the collective ability of her gray cells. Now she understood how Elaine got so carried away with her passions in Club Med.
Her phone rang. With a shake of her head, she picked up the receiver. “Science Department,” she said.
“Hey, Vikki. What’s shaking?”
Victoria recognized the bubbly voice immediately. “Elaine? How strange. I was just thinking about you.”
“I must have sensed it. They say there’s a little psychic in all of us,” Elaine said with a delightful giggle.
“So I’ve heard.” Although Victoria usually scoffed at the notion of paranormal phenomenon, this time she kept an open mind. Sometimes, a person had to let go of the science and take a leap of faith.
“I called to see that you got home all right. It was a real bitch finding a taxi the other night.”
“It took a while but I managed.”
“How’s life?”
“Couldn’t be better.” In fact, it was downright thrilling for the first time in a long time. “And yours?”
“Same shit, different
“Oh, please don’t tell me he’s the one. You’d be wasting all those beautiful oils.”
She moved towards the door. “I told you. It’s just for my own use. I wouldn’t have the nerve.”
“This from a woman who just came back from a vacation in a place where clothing is optional,” Ariel called after her.
* * * *
Victoria exited the building. Erik pulled the baseball cap lower on his head and slouched down in the car seat. Damn, he hated working surveillance on the college campus. He thought the town center was hard? Without proper security cards, he couldn’t get near the lab facilities, so he and his partner parked outside the building like two serial stalkers. This case left him feeling more like the criminal than the good guy. At least Becker couldn’t get to her inside either.
When she got into her car, he straightened again. Dr. Jansen was one strange woman. Beautiful, but strange. She was on vacation from her job as a physics professor, so what did she do for fun? She hung out at the chemistry lab.
“What do you think that was about?” Daniels asked.
“Haven’t got a clue.” He accepted the fact that he might never understand her genius mind. She didn’t fit any type of profile. Nothing in her background made her an ideal candidate for recruitment in a spy ring. Of course, he wasn’t privy to all of her file. Why? The question haunted him. Not just that she’d once held top-level national security clearance, but that her case was still highly classified six years later. What the hell were they making in that research center where she used to work?
Daniels took a swig of his cold coffee and let out a grunt. “I understand they can make powerful drugs in those labs. You don’t suppose….”
“She’s not into drugs,” Erik said with absolute certainly.
Tori didn’t need them. She spaced out often enough on her own. One glass of wine put her out for the night. Even if she was involved in Becker’s ring, his activities never included drug trafficking. He focused strictly on industrial espionage.
Erik turned his attention to Victoria. Something in her body chemistry acted like a powerful drug that gave his body a rush of adrenaline whenever she came near. The more he got the more he wanted.
* * * *
Victoria arrived at her office a few minutes early. The campus was nearly deserted except for a couple of industrious students remaining in Vermont for the holiday. She used the time to catch up on her paperwork. The mindless task allowed her thoughts to dwell on more interesting topics. Specifically Erik Sanders.
Once he left, she’d been unable to sleep. A healthy case of desire and frustration kept her pacing the halls for hours. The memory of her lack of control caused her cheeks to grow warm. Would she be any better tonight? She wrapped her fingers around the bottle in her pocket. Probably not. Ten seconds in the man’s presence and her hormones obliterated the collective ability of her gray cells. Now she understood how Elaine got so carried away with her passions in Club Med.
Her phone rang. With a shake of her head, she picked up the receiver. “Science Department,” she said.
“Hey, Vikki. What’s shaking?”
Victoria recognized the bubbly voice immediately. “Elaine? How strange. I was just thinking about you.”
“I must have sensed it. They say there’s a little psychic in all of us,” Elaine said with a delightful giggle.
“So I’ve heard.” Although Victoria usually scoffed at the notion of paranormal phenomenon, this time she kept an open mind. Sometimes, a person had to let go of the science and take a leap of faith.
“I called to see that you got home all right. It was a real bitch finding a taxi the other night.”
“It took a while but I managed.”
“How’s life?”
“Couldn’t be better.” In fact, it was downright thrilling for the first time in a long time. “And yours?”
“Same shit, different
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