"You are so beautiful." Holy crap! Where had that come from, Joe? She's half your age. Just 'cause she has on that black dress that was cut way too low doesn't give you permission to let your thoughts run wild. Oh great, now she was looking at him like he was some kind of perv.

Lily wondered why Joe was looking at her like that, with his eyes all dark, but then she also wondered why he had asked her to work this case. Joe himself was working undercover as a mafia hit man, Rene. Word had it the Serione family wanted to take out the police commissioner. An informant inside the family had come forward and the FBI wanted something good on Andre Serione so they wanted Joe to go himself and perhaps nail the guy on other charges too. Lily had it easy. She was to be Tracy, the eye candy, the trophy on Rene's arm. Not that she was the eye candy type. Lily thought that Heather would've been better for this than her. She was just so much more beautiful and exotic. Lily had bought that little black dress hoping it might grow her up about five years, but she had looked in the mirror a few minutes ago, and she still looked like a college student. Oh well, at least Joe seemed to appreciate it. Lily liked the way his eyes moved over her body when she had opened the door. The attention he paid to her curves made her warm all over and now he was telling her she was beautiful.

"Um……..thanks." Geez Lily is that all you can think of to say? You really are a dumb college girl. " You're….uh…you are too……not beautiful……handsome I…uh mean." Lily stammered. She was such an idiot and she could feel her face getting redder by the second.

   But Joe only flashed her one of his 100 wat smiles and said, "Thanks, my mother always said I was a looker." Lily smiled and Joe was glad. It broke the tension that seemed to creep up everytime they were near each other.

In the car Lily seemed quite 

 "Are you ok?" asked Joe.

 "Sure………..I'm fine." Joe wasn't convinced.

"Lily if you're uncomfortable with this I can get Heather to do it tomorrow and tonight I can just go alone."

 "No way Joe I can do this with my eyes closed. Besides…you told Andre you had a girl and……I'm your girl." Lily smiled and then looked away. If he hadn't just pulled into the hotel where they were headed he was sure he would've pulled the car over and stripped her of that little black dress then and there. Thank god they were here and he wouldn't be charged with indecent exposure this time.  But with Lily around he feared it was only a matter of time.

Inside the hotel 'Rene and Tracy' were led to a private ballroom where Andre Serione was holding a party with about 100 of his cronies. Joe's hand was around Lily's waist and for the first time that night she felt totally at ease. Once arriving in the ballroom they were taken to a VIP room where only Andre and three other men were waiting.

"Ah Rene, nice of you to join us and I see you've brought along that beautiful woman you've been telling me about." As Andre spoke she noticed the younger man in the room looking at her like she was some kind of dessert. It made her uneasy and Joe must have noticed this because her rubbed her back to reassure her that he was there or at least that's what she liked to think. In reality Lily knew he was only playing the part.

"This is my girl Tracy. Tracy, this is Andre Serione and his son Martin."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both"

"Likewise," said Andre. "Now, shall we get down to business?"

Joe didn't like the way Martin was eyeing Lily. Martin Serione had been suspected several times of committing rape but the police had never gotten much cooperation from the victims. They would always come forward and then retreat saying that they were mistaken or the sex was consenual. The FBI suspected money had changed hands, but so far no one could prove it.

"I'm sure Tracy doesn't want to be bothered with all this business talk." interjected Martin. "Let me take her to the ballroom and mingle while you and my father set it up the details of our mutual plan."

No way was Joe gonna  let this guy have even two seconds alone with Lily.

"I don't thi……….."

"Sure. That sounds like fun." said Lily, taking hold of Martin's arm.

Joe was left standing with his mouth open. What was this crap Lily was pulling? This wasn't part of the plan.

"Don't worry Rene. Martin will take good care of her. Come sit, let's talk business." Andre motioned to a large round table in the corner.

Joe looked back at Lily, desperate to make up some excuse to get her away from that slimeball. "Andre I just can't talk business til I have at least one dance with my girl."

Andre's face tightened as he sighed, "Very well then. Do what you gotta do. But don't keep me waiting too long. I might get tired and I get grumpy when I'm tired."

Joe gave Lily an adoring look and led her out the door to the ballroom. They walked to the center of the dance floor amid the other dancing couples where Joe placed his arm to  around Lily's back and pulled her to him. She could feel his body on hers and for a second she thought she was going to lose herself in him. They were so close his lips were nearly touching her ear. She could feel his warm breath on her neck sending tiny shivers down her spine. She imagined what it would be like if they were really in love but Lily knew Joe was angry and it was only a matter of time before he would let it be known.

Joe was so mad as he walked Lily to the dance floor he could have bitten a nail in two. He thought he had taught her better than this. Never do anything without talking to your handler first, that was the rule and she knew it! He had told her that hundreds of times. Now here they were pressed up against each other and Joe suddenly couldn't speak. His body responded to hers in ways he never dreamed it would. He had always wanted her it seemed, from the time he first laid eyes on her over a year ago til now but only now as their bodies touched did he realize it wasn't just lust he felt for Lily……..

"Joe, don't be mad at me." Lily breathed into his neck.

He closed his eyes and tried to think of a response amid all his feelings of anger, frustration and, dare he say it………….love.

"Lily, what the hell are you doing? This guy is crazy, you know that."

His breath tickled her ear and she pulled him closer. "Joe please, this is part of the job. I can handle myself."

"Oh you mean like the night you got into a car with two drug dealers which I specifically told you never to do and then you were a half a second away from slitting my throat because you got into a mess you couldn't handle." Joe could feel his anger returning. "This wasn't the plan Lily."

"Look, the reason they wanted you on this instead of Darnell is so you could maybe fish around for more than just soliciting a hitman. We've got a chance to do just that."

"That's the thing Lily, there was never supposed to be any we in this, only me!"

Lily pulled back slightly to look in Joe's face. "Then why am I here Joe?"

Joe couldn't answer. How could he? What was he supposed to do, tell her the truth? Well you know Lily the only reason you're here is so I could spend time lusting after you under the guise of pretending.

The music had stopped and still they stood there looking at each other. Martin Serione approached them. ""Excuse me, Tracy. Remember Rene, my father is an impatient man. You don't want to keep him waiting."

Joe never took his eyes off Lily, but instead bowed his head and took her delicate lips in his. He kissed her so tenderly Lily practically trembled in his arms. Before she could respond he broke the kiss and walked across the ballroom and disappeared through the door and she was left with Martin.