Friction (Red Hot Private Eye, Novella, Vol. 2) Read Online Free PDF

right under the surface of her steel containment, brimmed a passion unlike any he had ever encountered.
    His cell rang and he saw that it was Raiza who was calling.
    “Yellow,” he answered in a chipper voice, knowing full well it would irritate the crap out of her. She needed help lightening up, and Mateo had designated himself as 'just the guy for the job.
    Silence greeted him on the other end of the call. He waited her out, not saying anything else.
    Finally she spoke, her voice sounded tight as a wire, “You need to turn down Figueroa and take First. No one can see you following me.”
    “This isn’t my first rodeo, Sweetheart.” Mateo knew that she wasn’t really insulting him, she was just a control freak. Even armed with that knowledge, he had no intention of letting her get away with it—in fact, he decided to give her a taste of her own medicine. “Remember, you need to put your earpiece in before you head into the hotel. Don't want anyone to see you slip it in.”
    His comment was met with silence, and he knew that she was probably furious. Oh, well. She’d get over it.
    The call disconnected. He dialed her back immediately. After one ring she picked up.
    “What?” her carefully modulated tone gave nothing away.
    “I think our call dropped, because I know you would never be so rude as to just hang up on me without saying goodbye,” he said faux-innocently, keeping his tone light and playful.
    Nothing but silence. He knew she was probably calculating how far she planned to take this. He waited patiently for her to decide on a plan of action.
    As he made a left onto Figueroa, she finally spoke, her voice sounding superiorly sweet, “Good boy! See, I knew you could follow directions. Goodbye.”
    She once again disconnected the call and a large smile spread across Mateo’s face. Well played Miss Diaz, well played. Damn, he liked her.
    As he circled the block once to find the most advantageous parking spot, he heard Raiza’s voice come over the receiver that was transmitting her earpiece. The earpiece would fill both the roles of speaker and mic. “Are you in position?”
    “About to be,” he answered.
    As he parked the van between a green SUV and a metallic gray sedan he felt his chest tighten. An odd feeling of dread welled up like a storm brewing. He usually only had this anxiety-induced feeling when there was something off on a mission or assignment. He considered it his body’s innate red flag system.
    Logically, he knew there was no reason it should be waving today. This wasn’t even a borderline dangerous assignment. They were merely getting eyes and ears planted in a hotel to catch a cheating husband. No danger involved.
    Unfortunately, Mateo’s inner alert system was overriding his logic. His body was strung tight. He tried to ignore it as he moved to the back of the van and turned on the monitors that were feeding a signal from the small cameras on the dash and tires. He had a perfect view of the plaza in front of the entrance of the hotel.
    The second Raiza came into view he felt his muscles relax a little. She walked with purposeful strides into the upscale hotel. As the sliding doors closed behind her, the last thing he saw was her sculpted calves, accentuated by her ‘fuck me’ heels. The vision had Mateo’s blood pumping fast and it was all headed to the same area, his head, and not the one that he needed to be using right now, the one located below his belt.
    He continued setting up his equipment as he tried to clear his mind of the seductive snapshot it was stuck on. The loud click of Raiza’s heels as she walked across the tile floor, making her way through the lobby, came over the monitor. The sound was definitely not helping him erase the image that now seemed to be emblazoned in his mind’s eye.
    A vision flashed through his brain—him standing behind Raiza who wore only panties, a bra...and those heels. His eyes drifted down the mental image he had concocted. First,