It had been a long, arduous assignment, and the final bust led to the takedown of one of the biggest gun dealers in the west. Unfortunately, Josiah had been slightly wounded in the firefight, but was resting easy at the local hospital with Nathan attending to his every need. He insisted that they go ahead with their plans for a night out at ‘The Saloon’, and, knowing he was in good hands, the rest of the team headed back to the office to complete their paper work, a task none of them enjoyed. JD was the first done, announcing it to the others with a loud ‘yehaw, I’m out of here’ before heading out the door with Buck just minutes behind him. Chris and Vin soon finished up and headed out after checking to be sure Ezra was coming over as soon as he finished. Chris couldn’t resist a dig at the southern, pointing out that if he just would use fewer words with fewer letters he would get the report in on time. Ezra good-naturedly took the ribbing and assured the team leader that he would conclude his report in good time and be over shortly.
Once the office was quiet, however, Ezra continued to have trouble concentrating on his report. His thoughts kept turning to ‘The Saloon’ and a certain young lady he knew he would undoubtedly see there that evening. He was determined that tonight was the night that the teasing and innuendos would finally end and they would consummate their relationship, taking it to the next level. Now all he had to do was persuade her to be of the same mind. Ezra had no doubts what-so-ever in his ability to talk anyone into doing anything he wanted. But first he had to finish this darn report…+ + + + + + +
When Trish arrived at 'The Saloon' that evening, the place was already jumping, even though it was barely 6 pm. The din of the crowd competed with the blast of music from the jukebox and the shouting of drink orders at the bar.
Trish scanned the crowd for familiar faces, one in particular, and called out several greetings before she arrived at the bar and greeted Inez…. owner of the place and her former boss.
Seeing her, the frazzled bartender called out to her,
"Hey Cowgirl, you want a job? Just for a little while?"
"Maybe," she teased, "what does it pay"
"Only my undying gratitude," came back the reply.
"I'm all yours then."
Trish laughed as she headed behind the bar. It had been a long time, but she was sure she could still mix a mean Sex on the Beach!+ + + + + + +
Trish wasn't sure how long she had been on the tap when finally the member of the ATF Team Seven she had been waiting for walked in. Team 7 was legendary in Denver, indeed the whole country to hear JD Dunne tell it. They stuck together and, many times, played together with ‘The Saloon’ being one of their favorite places to unwind. Most nights you could find some, if not all, of the team there. Buck Wilmington, a handsome rouge used to women falling at his feet, had been trying for months to get Trish to go out with him. However, it was the undercover agent who had caught her attention. She just knew that if she got him 'under the covers' his gentle manner would disappear. Though she despaired of ever finding out, as he seemed content to just flirt with her. They had been 'dancing around' each other for weeks now. At least she thought she might be making some headway as Ezra's polite demeanor had been left by the wayside and they were now up to heavy flirting. She was determined that tonight she would break though the wall Ezra always had up and bring out the ‘real man’ that he was.
Catching Inez's eye, she nodded her head in the team's direction. Then she sauntered over to where they sat, bringing them a round of drinks on the house. Smiling, she served Chris Larabee, the team captain first, and then gave the rest their drinks, serving Ezra last, his favorite wine. The two exchanged long looks, but before she could say anything to him, one of the regulars called out, "Hey Trish, how about giving an old man a drink"
Sighing, Trish went back behind the bar and got him his beer then started to serve the other patrons. Inez's 'little while' turned into a couple hours and, instead of the crowd thinning out, as time went on it expanded as more and more people arrived. However, Trish was having fun, the light banter, mild flirting and raunchy jokes were all things she realized she missed from when she waited bar during her college days. Still, she thought wistfully, she would enjoy herself more if a certain ATF agent would come find her.
Trish had just served up a couple of pitchers of beer when the first stands of 'Call Me The Breeze' played out of the jukebox. Of all the people in the room, she could think of only one who suited that song. She searched the crowd for him, but couldn't find those mercurial green eyes and gorgeous full lips anywhere. He wasn't far, she knew, she could feel him….she just couldn't find him.
She had just released the tap and handed a waitress two brimming pitchers when she saw him leaning against the end of the bar like he had been sitting there the whole night. Her delight at finally seeing him made her forget her annoyance at the fact that he was just now coming to find her.
JD, who was standing next to Ezra, said something to her about peanuts, but she ignored him, barely noticing that the rest of the team had also come to the bar and was watching the exchange with interest.
"What can I get for you"? She asked Ezra.
"I highly doubt that what I desire is on the carte du jour ".
"You never know. I'm sure something could be arranged."
Ezra's eyes boldly raked over her as he asked, "So, what time do you get off?"
"Well," Trish replied, leaning back against the counter and licking her lips, "when I stop serving drinks is one thing. But getting off is something completely different."
His eyes followed the movement of her tongue over her lips. With an arrogant jerk of his head he motioned for her to come closer. "What will it require to get you off?"
She leaned in close enough for her breasts to rest a hair's breadth away from his forearm, "Hmmmmm….I'm not sure that the answer to that can be explained. I think it's something that has to be demonstrated"
The top three buttons on her shirt were undone, and, because of the way she had positioned herself on the counter, it didn't take much to see a good view of the flesh hidden beneath. A detail Ezra didn't miss. Not did the guy sitting on the stool next to him. Ezra turned and glared at him and the man suddenly discovered a group of friends he needed to go join.
Amused, Trish watched the interplay and waited for Ezra's attention to come back to her before continuing. "Would you like me to demonstrate for you?"
He moved his hand near her outstretched fingers, barely touching her, "you wouldn't vitiate me, would you?"
Unable to help herself, she lowered her mouth to his for a heated kiss. He tasted just as good as she had imagined - a bit tangy but sweet, with just a hint of mint from the gum he was chewing. When she released him, she ran her fingertip down the column of his throat. "Only if you asked me to."
"Whoa, you two" Buck yelled, covering JD's eyes, "don't make me hose you down, this is a family place you know!"
Before Ezra could say anything one of the waiters called out, "Hey Trish, how about a refill?"
Ezra reached out and snagged her wrist as she started to turn away. "Let them wait, I have not concluded yet. Hell…" the grin was back along with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes and his devastating dimple showing, "I haven't even begun..."
"Sorry" she licked her lips once again before slowly drawing her hand from his grasp, "but I have a job to do." Then she turned and walked away without a backward glance.
The one refill became fifteen, before she had time to look down to where he sat. Ezra was gone and though she searched for him, she couldn't see him.
That's OK, Trish thought, blowing a bubble with her new acquired gum, she knew just where to find him later on.
She brought a mug up to the tap and pulled on the handle, getting nothing but the hiss of compressed air and the sputter of an empty tank. Great, just great she muttered. She filled the mug from the second tab before calling down to Inez that she was going to replace the keg. Singing under her breath, she went down the stairs into the basement, switching on the light as she went. Only the drone of the freezer sitting in the corner broke the silence. A nice change from the noise upstairs.
Other then the freezer, the room held cases of pretzels, peanuts, napkins, crates of liquor and several kegs of beer. Trish crossed the room and unhooked the empty keg from the wall, rolling another into its place. Then she hooked up the valve that would pull the beer upstairs.
The door suddenly banged closed behind her and she whirled around, her heart in her throat.
"You scared the hell out of me," she told Ezra angrily.
"Serves you right, what you did upstairs was not very nice"
The lock clicked into place.
"What did I do?" she said innocently, turning to check the hookup.
"Teasing a man like that can be very dangerous."
"Teasing? What guy? What are you talking ---Oh, that." She turned back to him with a saucy grin curving her lips.
"Yes, that."
"Well, I never claimed to be a nice girl."
An ominous glitter shone in his green eyes as he began slowly closing the distance between them. "It could get you into a lot of trouble."
Trish could hear her heart pounding as the blood rushed though her veins,
"What kind of trouble?"
"It would be impossible to elaborate."
She moved backwards as he stalked her across the room.
"It's something I'll have to demonstrate to you."
The freezer blocked Trish from further retreat so she went on the defense.
Looking him over from head to toe, she let her gaze linger at the bulge in his pants before lifting her eyes to his in a bold challenge.
"Forget explaining, just show me the hard part."
Ezra stopped in front of her, the corner of his mouth tilting into a slight grin.
"You are trouble, aren't you?"
She threaded her fingers into his hair. "You wouldn't want me any other way"
"That is correct," he whispered against her mouth.
But instead of kissing her as she expected, he instead reached up and pulled her arms down from his neck. Before she had time to react, he flipped her around and pressed her up against the cool chest freezer. Gripping her wrists he held her pinned down as he slipped his thigh between hers, forcing them apart. She gasped when, for an instance, his knee lifted to warm the already hot spot at the apex of her thighs.
Ezra's hands glided slowly down over hers, and then slid up over the bare skin of her arms, stroking, but barely touching.
Although their bodies weren't connected except for his light touch on her arms, Trish could still feel him with every fiber of her being, the heat from his body enveloping her in a cocoon of warmth. Faint traces of his woodsy cologne mixed with the heavier musk that was his alone, tantalizing her nostrils. She was becoming light-headed…intoxicated....dizzy.
Dazed, she jumped when his hands closed over her shoulders, kneading the muscles while the pads of his thumbs lightly grazed over her nape. Then he moved over her back, over her waist, exploring every curve. As he round her hips he suddenly grasped her buttocks, his touch much more aggressive now. He kneaded, he shaped before he knelt down, his fingers gliding over the smooth skin along the back and outside of her thighs and calves. Then he worked his way back up along the inside of her legs. The hand that cupped her though her shorts were bold and firm. He stroked and teased her until she began to tremble, holding on to the freezer for support until he moved on.
Working his hands back up her body, he finally reached her shoulders. Then, suddenly, his hands dropped away, leaving her feeling bereft.
"Did you find what you were searching for?"
She asked when minutes went by and he did nothing. She feared that he was going to retreat again.
"No" he answered in a hoarse whisper that tantalized the delicate skin of her ear.
He took a step forward suddenly, pushing her up against the freezer once again.
Pressing his hips to her, he made sure she was very aware of his aroused state.
"I am not finished by all means."
"'Well then," she challenged, as he whipped her around to face him, "get on with it then."
Trish stared up at the emerald eyes that bore into hers before they dropped to linger on her mouth. Her eyes tracked down to his incredible mouth. She loved that mouth with its sensuous lower lip made to be suckled. She could imagine it pressed against hers, taste it on her tongue. She licked her lips. Ezra smiled.
Pulling the clip from her hair, he caused it to cascade in thick auburn waves around her shoulders. As his sensitive hands massaged her scalp, that mouth kissed her eyes, nose, forehead, cheeks, chin….but not her lips, which were begging for their touch. Next he nipped and licked a path down along the side of her neck and across her shoulder, pushing her top out of his way as he went.
She could feel his arousal pressing into her belly and rocked her body against it, wanting to increase the pace. Not willing to give up his power, his hands grasped her hips, stilling her motion as he continued his exploration of her skin. She tangled her hands into his hair, trying to force his mouth back to hers but he resisted.
"Ezra" she begged.
Drawing back, his hands closed briefly around her throat before, using the flats of his palms, he moved them down her chest. The harden tips of her breasts begged for his touch. Her eyes fluttered closed and her head dropped back as he obliged, rolling the taut peaks between his thumb and finger.
Wetly kissing each inch of skin as he exposed it, he unbuttoned her top, one by one. Pushing it from her shoulders, his tongue next laved the flesh that spilled over the edge of her bra. Then he gently sucked on first one nipple and then the other though the soft fabric; bringing a moan from her lips.
Dropping to his knees in front of her, Ezra kissed a path down her flat stomach as he unfastened the button and zipper on her shorts, again licking and nipping at each bit of flesh as it became visible. He pulled the material down from her hips and she felt his lips against the inside on first one knee, and then the other. As the compressor of the freezer vibrated to life beneath her, Ezra's mouth closed over her. There was no time to breath or cry out as she came hard and fast. The scream of release was locked in her throat with her breath and she shook as wave after wave of sensation flowed over her with Ezra holding her steady.
Her world began to slow, but Ezra wasn't done showing her what happened to 'bad girls who teased.'
His tongue continued to coax and tease and that ball of sensation formed again quickly in her belly and spread. Fingers clutched in his hair, she arched repeatedly against him as a series of soft whimpers, the only sound she could articulate, forced themselves from her throat as he brought her closer and closer to release. She was sure she would go mad if he didn't end it soon. He pressed two fingers inside of her and she shattered into what felt like a million pieces.
She was only dimly aware of his standing up. Grasping her hips, he lifted her up onto the freezer. She helped him yank his shirt over his head before grabbing his face and covering his mouth in a hungry, demanding kiss. She sucked at his tongue as her fingers unzipped his pants and forced them, along with his briefs, over his hips. Like steel in a velvet sheath, he throbbed in her hand. As Ezra pulled her nearer the edge of the freezer, she guided him into her body. Finally, the fullness was glorious.
She locked her thighs high around his waist as he forced her back down against the freezer. His lips deserted hers for a moment to leave a trail of moisture across her chest, kissing and nibbling, before moving back to her mouth where his tongue mimicked the movements of his hips.
Trish rose to meet every forward thrust. His moves slowed, becoming long, slow and easy, urging her to catch up and meet him at the edge of the precipice.
He tore his mouth from hers and buried his face in her hair, his pants competing with the thunder of her heart to roar in her ears. Gripping her buttocks in his hands, he raised her hips and his movements quickened, coming faster, harder, sharper. She raked her nails up the sweat-slicked surface of his back to dig into his shoulders.
Every muscle in her body seized and she lifted in an arch as both her body and mind burst like a dam beneath the onslaught of a raging river. She tightened her legs around him until, not long after, he reached his release. With a groan and shudder, he jerked repeatedly against her before finally dropping his head to her chest, supporting his weight against the freezer.
After a few minutes, he lifted his head and their mouths met in a long, hard kiss, before it softened. He kissed her lips, then her cheek before, once again, following a path along the column of her neck.
Suddenly he jerked her upright and threw his shirt at her. Dazed, she stared at it, then at over at where he was frantically pulling up his pants. Then she heard what it was that had alerted him…the jangle of keys in the lock. Faster then she would have thought possible, Ezra had his shirt over her head and down over her body. Then he hopped up onto the freezer with her and, forcing her back against the wall, shielded her from view with his body.
JD pushed the door open and strode into the cellar. He stopped short when he noticed Ezra sitting on the freezer half clothed. He thought there was someone behind Ezra, but couldn't see because they were in the shadows. But he had a good idea of what he had just interrupted. His boyish face turned a deep shade of crimson.
"Uh…uh…." He stuttered, "Inez sent me down here to get some more peanuts."
'They're over there" Trish said as she peeked around Ezra's head and pointed.
"Oh yeah, there they are", JD said as he walked over and grabbed a couple bags from the box. And then made his way back upstairs. At the doorway, JD turned around back to face them. The flush was gone and he was wearing a big grin. Apparently he had figured out that he finally had something over the conman.
Smirking he commented, "You know, you two just might want to think about getting a room. I hear that Virginia's Hotel has those vibrating beds.
Threatening, Ezra jumped down from the freezer and JD slammed out the door, but they could hear his laughter all the way down the hall.
Ezra turned back to Trish who was hunched over with her head on her knees. He kissed her bowed head and she looked up at the man she had admired from afar for so long, never imagining he would ever be hers.
As he handed her clothes and helped her down from the freezer she asked him, "He's going to tell everyone, isn't he?"
Ezra eyed her as he tucked his shirt into his pants. Finally he nodded, " Keeping a confidence is not one of Mr. Dunne’s strong points."
His voice was solemn, but there was a definite cockiness in his eyes.
As they reentered the bar, Ezra and Trish were met with a round of catcalls and applause. Unable to think of anything else to do, Trish and Ezra exchanged glances and then, holding onto each other's hand, took a bow.
End
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