Hot Pursuit by Lisette Ashton

lifestyles of those they were paid to serve. It had been a lot to take on board in one evening but Anne hadn’t doubted a word. However, now she was faced with brushing much closer to that underworld, she wondered if she should make an excuse and try to escape before things went too far.
    She clutched her blouse tight across her shoulders.
    â€˜What will I have to do for him?’
    Lucy picked up the binoculars again and was silent for a moment. Her brow furrowed with concentration and her full lips thinned. But, when she lowered the glasses from her eyes her smile was once again broad and inviting. She stepped closer to Anne’s side, placedan arm around her waist and whispered curt instructions against her earlobe. The warmth of her breath and the music of her voice were almost enough to make Anne swoon but she was still uneasy about the enormity of what she was being asked to do. The previous evening Lucy’s tawdry suggestions had made her pulse quicken and accelerated the heat between her legs. But now those responses were tempered by grim reservations.
    Uneasily, she pulled herself from Lucy’s embrace. Licking her lips – trying not to shrink from the prospect of what was being asked, or go the other way and embrace it too eagerly – Anne regarded her new friend coolly. ‘How do you know that will appeal to him?’
    Lucy puffed out her chest. ‘I told you yesterday: I have a gift. I have an ability. I only need to look at a person and I instinctively know how best they can be pleased.’
    The words made Anne shiver. With perfect recollection she remembered that Lucy had said the same thing in the motel room while brushing her nipple. Hearing the sentiment for a second time was enough to rekindle the fond memory of that intimate caress and she basked in the unbidden pleasure. It crossed her mind that she could put her faith in Lucy’s judgement and that confidence made the decision for her.
    â€˜It’s an ability that’s always served me well in the past,’ Lucy continued arrogantly. ‘And it won’t fail us this time.’
    Nodding agreement, Anne drew a deep breath to steady her nerves and started toward the guard. Lucy caught her wrist, pulled her back into her embrace and let their bodies rest briefly together. The pressure from her breasts beneath the jersey and the warmpenetration of her kiss rekindled Anne’s arousal. The sultry exploration of her tongue revealed a greedy appetite and made Anne hungry to experience more. Surprising herself, she returned the kiss with the same lust-fuelled fury. Her lower lip was caught between Lucy’s teeth, the brief spark of pain aroused an unexpected rush of pleasure, and then they pulled their faces apart. Lingering in the promise of her embrace Anne was suddenly sure she was doing the right thing.
    â€˜That was just for luck,’ Lucy said softly. Her fingers lingered against Anne’s cheek and the gentle caress of her touch was maddeningly exciting. ‘Do everything like I told you and we’ll carry on from that kiss when we’re together again.’
    Trembling with emotions she had never known before, Anne staggered reluctantly away from Lucy and began her short trek across the open front of the estate toward the hall’s main doors. She felt small and vulnerable as she made her approach and, once she was away from Lucy’s reassuring presence, her worries returned with fresh force. The skirt, which Lucy had insisted she wore, was way too short and far too revealing. The tight blouse, with a string of buttons undone to expose her cleavage, was unnecessarily obvious. When the guard glanced in her direction, his gaze narrowing shrewdly, she was stung by the fear that he could easily see that she was a mere diversion. Lucy’s plan to distract him seemed painfully transparent and she fretted that her help would be over before it could be properly begun.
    Queasy with dread, she