leading the way.
I'd never been patient with a woman before. Probably because I'd never had to be patient with a woman before. A few had tried playing hard to get, but it was only ever token resistance, and they generally gave in as soon as I started showing signs of losing interest. I always thought pursuing girls was for losers - blokes who couldn't get laid. But that wasn’t how I felt about Lily. I wanted to pursue her, to conquer her. And she wanted to be conquered, I could feel it.
Chapter 8: Lily
I should have just taken care of myself that night, after Callum and I spent two hours winding each other up so tight I wasn't sure which one of us was more on the verge of exploding right there in the pub. Instead, I went to bed with a warm, insistent need in my belly on purpose, knowing that nothing my fingers could do was going to help in any meaningful way. I didn't want to come. Well, I did. But more than that, it was him I needed. Callum. His hands on my body, his mouth all over me, his cock - a thought so sweet I could barely face it - inside me. I could still feel it the next morning when I woke up, an emptiness inside me, an acute lack.
It was almost five in the evening when I finally made it into the station to meet with Akin and the other officers about our next moves. It was DI Larkin who suggested surveillance of a more direct kind at the Streatham Club. A listening device. Superintendent Akin looked at me.
"Morgan?"
"Yeah?" I said, suddenly realizing I hadn't really been listening to the conversation."Yeah, uh, can we do that? To be perfectly honest with you, I'm not sure how much - if anything - Callum Cross knows. It's Gazza we need to be on top of, and he doesn't seem to be someone I'm going to be able to make friends with."
I told them about the previous night with Callum, relayed our conversations, told them about his trip to Paris. What I didn't tell them was how badly I'd wanted to see him, or how even then, in the meeting, I couldn't get his image out of my mind.
"And do you know what's happening in Paris?" Akin asked.
"No, he didn't say much about it. I'm sure it's nothing - we need to focus more on Gazza Wilson. Has the listening device been cleared?"
"Yes, it's been cleared. You think you can set it up yourself?"
I thought about it. "I'm not sure. Maybe. I don't think I can get it into Gazza's office but I could probably get it - I don't know, under the bar?"
"Why not his office?"
"Because I can't be at the Club when it's quiet or empty and the office is right there, the door is in the main room of the bar. I'm not even sure if I can get it under the bar - it's busy in there, I can't just start rummaging around."
"Mmm. Right."
After the meeting, just as I was about to leave the room, Superintendent Akin called my name.
"Morgan!"
"Yes?" I poked my head back through the doorway.
"Stay here for a minute."
I walked back in and sat down at the conference table. Akin looked me in the eye for a few seconds, searching my face for something. It immediately made me feel slightly defensive, although I couldn't put my finger on why.
"How are you doing, Morgan? Alright?"
"Yes," I responded, slowly. "Why? Is there something I should know?"
"No, it's just my job to take care of my officers and I know the loss of Linda Trout - and seeing the video - affected you. How are you feeling? We have resources available here if you ever feel the need to talk to anyone."
What the hell? I swallowed my urge to respond to Akin with that exact phrase and forced a small, tight smile onto my face.
"Thank you for letting me know. I think the thing that's going to help me feel better about this is arresting the motherfucker who did it."
Ah, a little too blunt. As ever. Akin smiled widely at my response.
"You're good, Morgan. You're good at your job. It's the reason I made you a DCI. I just want to make sure you can continue being good at your job."
"Sir, I'm sorry for being blunt. I guess I just don't