Free Ribbons by J R Evans Page A

they left Matt foundering in the foyer.
    Maybe Erica was still toying with her, too. Dani wasn’t sure, but there were times when she thought she was seeing the real Erica. When the flirting paid off and costumes were piled on the floor, the woman who remained was far more interesting than any of her personas. She was clever, challenging, and above all, honest. Dani had a feeling that Erica wouldn’t let that side of her show unless there was something real between them. She would see it as a weakness, and the Erica who worked here couldn’t afford to be weak.
    But today wasn’t about breaking down walls or sharing intimate secrets. Today was about forgetting the crappy week she’d had and reminding herself that sometimes people were actually happy to see her. Even if they just wanted to play.
    Erica led Dani to the VIP room. The red light was on, but that didn’t seem to concern Erica, who barely broke her stride to open the door. Before Dani could join her inside, a man covered in zippers and vinyl was shoved out of the room. She stepped aside to avoid him, and a hand grabbed her wrist to pull her in.
    The door closed, and Dani heard the gimp’s muffled voice on the other side. “So . . . we’re done?”
    Dani wrenched her hand free while using the other to push Erica up against a workbench. Mounted on the wall behind it was a pegboard covered with hooks and clamps, each holding a tool of the trade. Something medieval looking tumbled down from its place on the board as Dani spun Erica around and pressed her up against the edge of the table. She might have pushed a little too hard, and she heard Erica grunt as the table thumped into the wall. Erica didn’t seem to mind; she didn’t fight back at all. That would probably come later. She held Erica in place by jamming her hips against Erica’s ass, freeing up her hands to grab the handcuffs off her belt. There were cuffs on the pegboard, of course, but she like to go for authenticity.
    As the first cuff clicked into place around Erica’s wrist, she threw her head back to look at Dani. “Why don’t I ever get to be the cop?”
    Dani used the empty cuff as a handle to yank Erica’s arm behind her back. Then she secured her other wrist. “You make a better bad guy.”
    Erica started to stand, but Dani pulled the chain on the handcuffs straight up, forcing Erica to bend over again. Then her other hand reached out and held Erica’s head firmly down on the table. Her fingers threaded through Erica’s hair, and then she made a fist, pulling the hair tight. With Erica pinned in place, Dani turned her hip so the flashlight on her belt pressed against Erica’s tailbone. Then she rocked her hips, letting the bulge follow the natural lines of Erica’s body.
    “What did I do this time?” asked Erica with an exaggerated gasp.
    “Smuggling,” Dani said. Then she used one booted foot to kick Erica’s legs apart.
    Erica pushed back, grinding into Dani’s thighs. “Smuggling what?”
    Dani’s hand slowly slid along the small of Erica’s back down between her legs. The vinyl was warm and tight and hid nothing. She reached down to the snaps holding Erica’s bodysuit in place. There were two straining at her crotch. Dani hooked a finger between the snaps and pulled. The bodysuit sprung up toward Erica’s waist like a rubber band. Smooth black curves were replaced instantly by soft pink skin. Dani’s hand came away wet.
    “I’ll know it when I find it.”

 
     
     
    9
     
     
    There was yelling coming from Christy’s bedroom upstairs. It had started out as a loud, muffled conversation, but Matt missed most of that, thanks to the cop questioning Erica. He was pretty sure he was going to jail soon and didn’t know why he wasn’t heading out the door right now. He was working up the courage to leave when the muffles turned into shouts.
    “Look, I just need you to sit down and stay calm for a couple minutes!” It was a guy’s voice. Didn’t Christy call him