Late that same morning in the Renegade
Penthouse.
Keesha was seated at the table, still trying to focus on her
notes about
Lizzie Webber. For all practices and purposes, she seemed to be
thriving in her current environment: She and Emily were becoming
close
chums, she even seemed a bit more focused as 'focused' as one can
be at
16, Keesha chuckled. And most surprising of all, she was
attending
school on a regular basis; one of her teachers even said he'd
noticed an
improvement in her grades. Still, Keesha knew - from a
professional
point of view - Jason's "world" was not the ideal place
for a teenager.
And damn if Jason didn't have the strangest collection of women
in his
"world."
Instantly, Keesha thought of Dara. She'd been trying to corner
her to
get the REAL story on why she was under Jason's roof. That
lunatic
Brenda Barrett was going on about her being a "Secret Agent."
Yeah,
right! Like she was gonna believe ANYTHING that came out the
mouth of
the Penthouse Psycho. She was about to call out for Dara when she
remembered Dara mentioning
she'd be gone most of the day "on business." She knew
not to go across
the hall to "Carly's Domain." Keesha rolled her eyes
just thinking
about her past meeting with Carly. She wasn't home - Keesha had
seen her
leaving early in the morning with Emily and Lizzie - but just the
same,
Keesha kept her distance from the other Penthouse. Miss Fruit
Loops was
gone, too. Glancing at the clock, Keesha sighed as she realized
it
would be hours before Alexis returned. Although the place was
like a
fortress, she still found it creepy to be alone in the Penthouse.
Again she began writing, but once again, her thoughts drifted
this time,
back to her "conversation" with Jason in his Penthouse.
Shaking her
head, Keesha told herself to get over it. The man's a criminal.
He's
kills people for a living. He's far more dangerous than Sonny
Corinthos
ever was. When it comes to his "business," he's got ice
water flowing
through his veins. Well, not ALL his veins, Keesha smiled to
herself.
The smile grew wider as Keesha allowed herself to embrace the
truth:
He's bad. He's dangerous. And you want him so bad you can TASTE
it.
Throwing the pencil down, Keesha rose from the table. Music!
That's
what she needed. It always helped to take her mind off the
situation.
Then again, maybe it wouldn't. She began to chuckle as she
recognized
the song that was playing, a wicked dance jam by Next called,
"Too
Close." "This is the WRONG song for me to be listening
to right about
now," she
muttered. Closing her eyes, she smiled and turned up the volume.
As
she began sway and swivel her hips, she tried to ignore the
lyrics but
she couldn't, because she knew the words were a dead-on take on
the
situation when it came to Jason:
Baby, no more cryin'
I get so excited
You know how I like it
I try but I can't fight it
Oh, you're dancing real close
Plus real, real slow
You're making it hard for me!
Still lost in the music, Keesha was now doing moves that would
make the
kids down at the local dance club blush. She continued on with
her bump
and grind until .
"Do that thing where you smack your hips again. That's real
sexy."
"JASON!" Keesha shrieked as she turned around. If looks
could kill,
Jason would've been hanging with Elvis. Taking deep breaths,
Keesha
tried to regain her composure. "I know you own this
Penthouse, but do
you ever KNOCK?!" she snapped.
"The living room over here is like Grand Central Station,
Keesha. You
want privacy, that's what the bedrooms are for," he shrugged.
"And yes,
I DO knock before going in those."
"What business do you have in the bedrooms over here?"
Keesha backed up
as Jason made his way towards her.
" 'Business' that doesn't concern you," he replied
smoothly. "Where you
going? You're not gonna finish your dance?"
"How long were you standing there?" Keesha tried to
sound pissed, but
she wasn't any more convinced by her tone than Jason was.
"Long enough to know that my hunch was right." Jason's
eyes slowly
roamed Keesha's body as he spoke. "You only LOOK sweet and
innocent.
Deep down inside, baby? You're a true FREAK."
"Ha! You call ME a freak? You MUST be thinking of the one
who warms
your bed at night. I take that back. That's an insult to freaks
everywhere to put Carly in their company!" She continued to
back up
until she bumped against the kitchen counter.
"This ain't about Carly. This is about you and me."
Jason continued
towards Keesha, until their bodies were pressed against each
other's.
"We have some "unfinished business," if you'll
recall." He looked down
to see Keesha's chest heaving. He then began to undo the buttons
on her
sweater. When they wouldn't give way, he simply tore the sweater
open.
Slowly, his hands roamed across Keesha's chest, then teasingly he
slipped his fingers beneath the sheer material of her bra,
causing her
to moan. "Of course, if you'd rather I stopped ."
Leaning in, he
allowed his tongue to lightly graze her earlobe, then bit down.
Not too
hard, but just enough to cause Keesha to whimper in delight.
"Just say
so, and I will." His hands still busy, Jason drew back, the
slightest
hint of a smile on his face, a challenge in his eyes.
Never taking her eyes off Jason, Keesha eased his hands out of
her bra,
then leaned back and swept the counter clear, sending pots,
plates, and
various other items crashing to the floor. What the hell? You
KNOW you
want this, girl. You want it BAD. "You know something,
Jason?" Slowly,
she slid out of her skirt, then hopped up on the counter. "The
more I
think about it, the more convinced I become that you have no idea
what a
TRUE freak is capable of." Grabbing Jason by the front of
his shirt,
Keesha drew him to her for a deep, lingering kiss. "But, I'm
gonna show
you, baby-- am I going to SHOW you!"
~*~
Early afternoon, PCPD Headquarters....
Garcia sat at his desk, growing more impatient by the minute. He
hadn't
heard from V. since last night, when he sent her to pick Jax's
brain
regarding his big brother Jerry. And the longer he waited the
tighter
the knots in his stomach grew...all of which convinced Garcia his
hunch
was right: Dara was still alive...and somehow tied to this WSB
Agent
Jerry Jacks. As he reached for the phone for the umpteenth time
to
leave a message on V.'s answering machine he stopped as he caught
sight
of an obviously sleep deprived V. trudging through the double
doors. As
she slumped into the nearby chair, V. said nothing. "Is it
too much to
hope your silence means what you found is so mind blowing it left
you
speechless?" Garcia inquired.
V. shook her head wearily. "Mr. Jax wouldn't give up any
info that we
couldn't get from the Agency itself. I could've called the
Personnel
department - which I did, this morning - and found out more than
what he
gave me. He wasn't giving up ANYTHING on his brother." V.
paused.
"It was kinda strange, almost like he EXPECTED someone to
come around
asking questions about his brother or something."
"Like he'd been coached on what answers to give?"
"Yes, Sir. You think this Jerry Jacks has been in touch with
Mr.
Jacks?"
"I'd stake my badge on it." Pounding his fist on the
desk, Garcia swore
under his breath in Spanish. "Is it too much to ask for just
a BIT of a
break when it comes to this investigation?"
V. was about to respond when her cell phone rang. After a few
minutes
she hung up, a triumphant smile on her face. "I think you
just got that
'break' you were hoping for. That was a friend of a friend of my
Dad.
Turns out he has a few connections with Interpol. He's gonna pull
a few
strings and get me some info on Mr. Jacks' brother."
"ALL RIGHT! Finally, we're getting somewhere." Garcia
was wheeling his
way to the fax machine, perched and ready to snatch the first
page.
"Uh, Detective Garcia...I mean, Alex? I wouldn't get too
comfortable in
front of that fax machine." V. stood and headed for the
doors. "My
Dad's friend said it'll be 48 hours before he can get the info to
us.
Until then, all we can do is wait. I don't know about you, but *I*
plan
to catch up on some much needed sleep."
Again, Garcia swore...this time in English. And this time, anyone
within listening distance could hear him.
~*~
An abandoned Warehouse .
"You sure sticking around near Port Charles is such a good
idea, Boss?"
Moreno tuned out his Lt. as he continued to scan the Classifieds.
"You
just let ME worry about what's a good idea and what's not,"
he growled.
His eyes continued to roam the page, a venomous smile easing its
way
across his face. "I think I just may be able to get next to
DaraLee
after all."
The Lt. was about to ask what Moreno meant, then thought better
of it.
He knew from experience when his boss was in a mood like this it
was
better to leave him be - just continue with business as usual.
"Everything's set for later this afternoon. You gonna come
along?"
Moreno shook his head, continuing to make notations along the
margins of
the Classifieds. "The less I'm seen out, the better."
He put the paper
away. "Besides," as he turned to face his Lt., "I'll
make my presence
known to that snot-nosed punk Morgan soon enough." The smile
returned
once again as Moreno's eyes came to rest upon the two photos on
his
desk: One was of Robin Scorpio. The other was of Emily.
~*~
Late afternoon, outside the shooting range .
Carly shook her head, stifling the urge to laugh as she watched
Johnny
guide Brenda towards the limo. What she wouldn't have given to be
the
one who punched her in the nose! She glanced over at Lizzie, who
looked
as if she was about to burst; she knew she was dying to get Em
alone so
they could dish. Emily hadn't said much during their "break,"
but Carly
felt she'd been able to get through to her and that hopefully,
she'd cut
Dara a little slack. Dara hadn't said much after the scene with
Brenda. She spent the remaining hours making sure everyone was
familiar
with the guns and knew the proper form for loading, drawing, and
firing
them.
To her surprise, Carly discovered she was quite a shot, as was
Lizzie.
Em was still a bit skittish, but she knew enough to be able to
shoot if
necessary. And Brenda? When she wasn't busy fretting over whether
or
not she'd need surgery to reset her nose (which it turned out
WASN'T
broken), it turned out she was a pretty decent shot, too. All in
all,
the day had gone well. As she neared the limo, Carly looked
across the
way. Emily and Rinaldo were still in front of the kiddie store.
Emily
mentioned she wanted to window shop for a few things for Michael
before
heading back to the Penthouse.
"You want me to call for her, Miss Roberts?"
"That's okay, Johnny. Let's give her a few more minutes."
Across the street, Emily and Rinaldo were making their way back .
"You okay, Em?" Rinaldo asked softly.
"Yeah," she sighed. "I guess I'm just having a
hard time with Dara
suddenly being on Jason's side, after trying to put him away for
so
long."
Rinaldo was about to remind her that things were different now
when he
heard something that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand
up:
The sound of new tires - riding low to the ground, as if the car
had
armor plating - rolling along at no more than 25 or 30 mph when
all the
other cars - few that there were - were doing AT LEAST 55 as they
whizzed by. He turned in time to see a black Eldorado, its window
slowly being lowered a sawed-off shotgun aimed in his and Emily's
direction.
Spinning around, Rinaldo pushed Emily to the ground. With his
right
hand he drew his piece and fired off a burst of rounds. He was
almost
positive he'd hit the bastard in the back with the gun, but he
couldn't
be sure. For suddenly, he was lifted off the ground, being flung
backwards feeling as if he'd been hit in the chest by a wrecking
ball.
As he crashed through the plate glass window, the darkness
enveloping
him, the last thing Rinaldo remembered was hoping that Emily
could make
it to the car in time.
~*~
Across the street, Carly was about to turn and call for Emily
when she
saw Dara narrow her eyes, then slowly turn her head as if she was
trying
to listen for something.
>From that moment on, everything else seemed to happen in
slow, dizzying
blur .
Next thing she knew, both Dara and Johnny had their guns drawn,
and she,
Brenda, and Lizzie were being shoved into the limo. Johnny
proceeded to
fly across the hood of the car with amazing speed and agility. He
had
the engine started before they were all inside. As the door
slammed shut
behind her, out of the corner of her eye, Carly saw Dara take off
across
the street. Inside the limo, pandemonium was slowly beginning to
reign
.
"What in the HELL is going on?!" Brenda yelled.
"STAY DOWN!" Johnny roared from the front seat. No
longer the
sweet-tempered bodyguard, he was as serious as a heart attack now.
"Where's Em? WHERE'S EM???" Lizzie cried out as she
buried her face in
Carly's chest.
"She's with Rinaldo; she's safe, Lizzie." The words
rolled off Carly's
tongue with the greatest of ease. But inside, she was as scared
as
everyone else. Sliding down in the seat as far as she could go,
Carly
held on to Liz with one hand, while trying to use the other to
dial the
cell phone. This isn't good, she told herself. As the car spun
around,
Carly and Lizzie were thrown to the floor.
This is NOT good.
Dara made it across the street just as the
driver's side back door of
the Eldorado was swinging open. The car was still going along at
a
snail's pace, as if the driver were waiting for someone. Deciding
to
take out the figure emerging from the back first and worry about
the
driver later, without even stopping, she fired off a burst of
shots and
dropped her would-be assailant to the ground. Out of the corner
of her
eye, she noticed the passenger's side door was open. Not good.
Just as
she was about to ponder where the party who'd exited the limo had
gone,
the answer came from around the corner.
"GET YOUR HANDS *OFF* ME!" Emily screamed.
The man literally had his hands full, as Emily was wailing away
on his
face and kicking at every available limb in sight. Having had
enough of
being slapped and scratched in the face, the man reared back to
slap
Emily. Dara was about to drop him right where he stood when Emily
saved
her the trouble: When he drew back his left hand to strike her,
he
released Emily's right hand; the instant it was free, she reared
back
and put all of her weigh behind a punch aimed right at the man's
Adam's
Apple. And just like Dara told her would happen, the man was
instantly
brought to his knees gasping for breath. By now, Emily was on her
feet
running towards Dara. She saw Dara raise her gun and knew enough
to not
look back, but rather drop to the ground. Just as Dara prepared
to fire
a shot at Emily's would-be abductor, a tall muscular figure
emerged from
the sunroof of the limo and pumped five rounds in the man. Just
as Dara
turned her gun on him, the man pounded twice on the hood of the
limo
then ducked back in as it sped away.
As Johnny pulled up to the curb, his door swung open and he
snatched
Emily inside. "You get a look at the plates?" His words
tumbled out in
a rush. Dara shook her head.
"Rinaldo! Where's Rinaldo?" Lizzie and Brenda yelled in
unison.
Johnny was about to ask Dara the same, when he heard Emily tell
the
others he'd been shot. As he began to emerge from the limo to see
what
- if anything - could be done for his fallen friend, Dara held up
her
hand to stop him.
"I'm already out here. May as well be me."
Tuning out the terrified voices from within the limo, her feet
like
lead, she turned and trudged back towards the storefront. She was
NOT
looking forward to what was inside. As the glass crackled
underfoot, her
mind instantly flashed back to the carnage outside of the
Courthouse the
day of the explosion.
When she finally reached Rinaldo's body, she saw that the front
of his
suit was peppered with holes, but no blood. Closing her eyes as
she
knelt beside his body, she silently gave thanks. Death had been
instantaneous. She leaned over his body and gingerly began to pry
the
gun from his hand.
"Nice ass."
"JEEZUS!" Dara screeched as she fell backwards. She
looked over to find
Rinaldo, a thin smile plastered on his face, trying not to laugh,
but
looking like it hurt too bad to even try. "You jackass! Are
you
wearing?"
"No, Jensen," he wheezed. "I'm a flippin' alien;
gimme about 10 seconds
and I'll be totally healed."
Dara ripped open the double-breasted suit jacket to find good ol'
Kevlar
beneath the expensive designer shirt. She'd never been so happy
to see
a slab of steel reinforced plastic in all her life. "I don't
know
whether to kick your ass or kiss you!" as she smacked the
vest.
Immediately, Rinaldo rolled over, wincing. "Sorry," she
replied.
Extending her hand, she slowly helped him to his feet.
"The shape I'm in right now," as she clutched his side,
"you probably
COULD kick my ass." Leaning on Dara for support, he looked
down at her,
a wicked smile on his face. "But you wouldn't enjoy it HALF
as much as
you would a kiss."
"Get your bulletproof, teasin' self into the car, Rinaldo!"
Dara
laughed.
~*~
Miles ahead, the black Eldorado sped towards its destination .
"Speak!" Moreno barked.
The Lt. hesitated as he clutched the cell phone. "Mission
unsuccessful." The Lt. jerked the phone away as Moreno began
to let
lose with a litany of expletives, all the while throwing any and
everything in sight. "Are you finished?" the Lt. asked
evenly.
"Do you know who the f .?" Moreno paused. His Lt. knew
better than to
take that tone with him. There was only one reason he'd have the
balls
to come like that . "Wait a minute. You got something, don't
you?"
"Sure do," the Lt. smiled. "We may have lost out
on lil' Ms. Moneybags,
but Morgan's got something you want even MORE."
Moreno was practically salivating as he clutched the cell phone.
"DaraLee?"
"Bingo."
~*~
The Harem limo .
Carly and Em were in the front with Johnny. Emily hadn't uttered
a word
since she spoke to Jason.
"Is she okay, Miss Roberts?" Johnny was doing about 85,
but every now
and then, he'd steal a peek over in Emily's direction.
Carly glanced over at Emily. True, she'd just escaped being
kidnapped,
but she'd have thought Em would say or do SOMETHING. Cry, scream,
get
angry. Anything. Silently, she prayed the kid wasn't going into
shock. "Em, honey?"
Emily opened her eyes. "I'm fine, Carly. Thanks for asking,
Johnny.
Really. I'm fine." Snuggling next to Carly, Emily tightened
her arms
around Carly's waist. She looked up at Carly and smiled. "Boy,
I'll
bet you're glad KEESHA didn't come along today, huh?"
Carly didn't even want to THINK about the implications had Keesha
been
present. Kissing Emily on the cheek, all Carly could do was nod
her
head and laugh.
~*~
In the back, Dara, with a little help from Lizzie, was
administering as
much medical attention to Rinaldo as was possible, given the
limited
supply of First Aid items available. Rinaldo was stretched out in
the
seat, his head resting on Brenda's lap as he talked to Jason.
"The
Cleaner should be there before you guys leave the city limits,"
Jason
replied.
"You talk to the owner of the range?"
"Yeah. He's clean. It wasn't him. I've dealt with him for
too long.
He KNOWS what I do to those who cross me."
"If it wasn't him, then who?"
"An employee. Actually, a FORMER employee." Rinaldo
understood
implicitly. "When you get back to the Penthouse and we get
you checked
out, I'll brief you on what our next move will be. You up to it?"
"Yeah. I'm okay." Rinaldo winced as Dara tightened the
gauze wrap about
his waist. "I'll be a little sore for a few days, but I'll
live. You
know, you must be doing a good job of wiping out Moreno's
connections,
'cause he's getting sloppy. Those guys he used weren't local.
More
like some thugs for hire. He's running scared, Boss."
"Yep. And now he knows Dara's thrown in with me." Jason
shook his head
as he stood and began pacing his office. "That's not good.
The man's a
maniac; when it comes to evening the score, he'll take
unbelievable
risks. I got a feeling it's gonna get really nasty from here on
out."
Jason paused, his voice turning grim. "REALLY nasty."
~*~
Later that evening, back at the Penthouse .
The gang was preparing to gather for dinner when an out of breath
Keesha
burst into the room.
"I thought I made it clear you were NOT to set foot in THIS
penthouse!"
Carly snarled.
Waving Carly away, Keesha made a beeline for Jason. "You had
those
teenagers handling GUNS?!"
Seconds later, Emily and Lizzie rushed into the room. "Don't
look at
ME!" they replied in unison, as Carly's heated gaze fell
upon them.
"How did you find out?" Jason asked in a bored voice.
"I overheard Liz and Em talking on the roof." She cut
her eyes at
Carly. "And NO, I wasn't spying on them. I went up there to
clear my
head. Since it's the only place I seem to be welcome in this damn
fortress!"
Jason continued to stare at Keesha, his expression unchanged.
"What
happened today doesn't concern you, Keesha."
"Do you HEAR yourself, Jason?! You had not one, but TWO
minors in
possession of firearms."
"They need to learn to defend themselves," Jason
replied flatly. "You
make it sound like they were smuggling AK47s into the country."
"Is that all you have to say?" Keesha was incredulous.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jason saw Carly rise from the
table, her
eyes blazing. As he stood, a wave of his hand told her he'd take
care
of the situation. "I'll say it again, Keesha," Jason's
voice even, his
tone menacing. "This does NOT concern you. If you have a
problem with
what happened today, that's too bad. You've still got a week left.
If
you wanna stay, fine. You wanna leave?" He shrugged. "That's
fine,
too. But either way, understand this: Don't make what goes on
outside
this Penthouse your business. It will prove hazardous to your
health."
"If you think your threats..." The sound of Alexis'
cell phone cut her
words off.
"It's not a threat, Keisha," Alexis replied matter-of-factly
as she
flipped open the phone.
"It's a FACT," Brenda finished.
"So that's how it is?" Keisha asked looking around her
at the resolute
faces of the women.
As Keisha stared again at Jason, she tried desperately to
convince
herself that the man before her was not the same man she'd been
with
hours earlier. The man she'd done things to that would send A.J.
running from the bedroom. The man who'd made her feel . Pushing
those
memories of ecstasy aside, she realized she'd made the mistake of
not
being able to separate pleasure from business. As she looked into
Jason
s icy blue eyes, she realized that was NOT a problem for him.
Never had
been.
Never would be.
"That's how it is," Jason replied, his voice as cold as
his stare.
"If you can't deal," Carly smirked. "There's the
door!"
"Fine." Keisha turned and made her way to the phone.
"But Lizzie's
coming with me!"
"WHAT?! Jason, she can't do that can she?!" Emily
yelled.
Bolting from the table, Lizzie snatched the phone out of Keesha's
hand
with such force, the cord was dislodged from the outlet. "You
take me
back to Gram's, and so help me, before you even set foot in your
HOUSE
I'll be outta Gram's!" Lizzie spat.
Carly looked over at Jason who the entire time had not so much as
blinked. "Are you gonna DO something?" she whispered.
"Don't need to." Jason nodded his head towards Alexis.
After her call, Alexis had excused herself from the gathering and
went
next door. Carly was about to ask what ALEXIS would be able to do
when
she took in the triumphant smile which was slowly easing its way
across
Alexis' face.
"You're just making this harder on yourself, Lizzie."
"Excuse me, Keesha," Alexis replied coolly. "I
have something for you,
Lizabeth," as she handed her the facsimile.
Lizzie s eye scanned the document, her mouth agape. She looked to
Alexis. "Is this for real?!" Smiling, Alexis nodded.
Keisha was rapidly losing her patience. "Look, with our
WITHOUT your
cooperation, you re leaving this Penthouse!"
"I don't THINK so!" Lizzie taunted.
"Lizzie, I don't want to have to call the police."
"Call the police, call the POPE for all I care you can t
make me go
ANYWHERE!" Lizzie flung the document at Keisha. "Say
hello to Lizabeth
Webber Emancipated Freakin Minor!"
"Th-th-that can't be!" Keisha stammered.
"It can. It is," Alexis replied.
"Okay, Everyone. Now that that's out of the way, do you
think we can
sit down and EAT?" Carly inquired. Looking over at Jason,
she couldn't
help but smile. As usual, he always took care of everything. As
the
girls and Alexis made their way to the table, Graciella began to
bring
out the main dish, chicken and rice, one of her best. Jason cast
a
glance back at Keesha, who was still slumped against the table,
clutching the fax. "What about her?"
"When she gets tired of staring at that piece of paper, I
imagine she'll
sit down and eat," Carly shrugged.
"YOU are gonna eat at the same table as Keesha?!"
Lizzie was
incredulous.
"Hell yeah! You gotta be outta your mind if you think I'm
gonna pass up
the chance to watch her eat crow TWICE in one day."
"It's chicken, Carly," Jason replied flatly.
"You WOULD point that out, Jason," Carly snickered.
"Still, it's the
THOUGHT that counts!"
"Anybody seen Dara?" Emily asked. "I wanted to say
thanks."
"She said she'd be late for dinner," Alexis volunteered.
"I ran into
her across the hall. She said she wanted to go check on Rinaldo."
"Oh, DID she?" Brenda inquired as she proceeded to
forcifully impale her
chicken with her fork.
Taking it all in, Jason merely raised his glass, smiling into his
drink.
~*~
Rinaldo s Penthouse .
"Hold still," Dara replied. "Almost done. THERE,"
as she finished
re-wrapping the gauze around Rinaldo's torso.
"Thanks." Rinaldo grimmaced slightly as Dara helped
lower him onto his
bed.
"Don't mention it." Dara took a seat on the edge of the
bed. "What
made you wear a vest today? Do you usually?"
"Nope. Every now and then I do. But I just had a real weird
feeling
about today. I don't know like a hunch something was gonna go
down."
Rinaldo winced as he raised himself up on his elbows.
"Hey, hey!" Dara scolded. "You're supposed to REST.
Doctor's Orders!"
she smiled. Gently wrapping her arms around his waist, Dara
slowly
eased Rinaldo into a sitting position. "Is that better?"
He nodded.
She leaned over and began fluffing his pillows. "Well, let
this be a
lesson: when you have a hunch-- follow it."
"Thanks. I will." Cupping the back of Dara's head,
Rinaldo drew her to
him for a slow, deep kiss.
Drawing back, nearly out of breath Dara replied, "And what
was THAT?"
"Just a hunch," Rinaldo smirked.
"Well, by all means...." Slowly, gently, Dara straddled
Rinaldo.
"Follow through on your... hunch," she smiled.
Returning her smile, Rinaldo winced ever so slightly as he eased
Dara's
shirt over her head. "Oh, don't worry," he murmured as
he drew her to
him for antoher kiss. "I plan to."