Swirling her drink against the melting ice in her glass, Lucy scanned the club. She hated the pretentious men and women crowding the main room. Overdressed and overbred, all of them. Except the hot brunette at the end of the bar. She'd definitely made no attempt to meet the dress code. Tight leather pants and vest with enough skin showing to make Lucy drool…if she wasn't working.
Still, she could make the effort for introductions. Lucy flagged down the bartender. "Another round?" he asked.
"For the only comfortable person in the room," Lucy answered with a discreet nod at her (hopefully) new best friend.
The bartender laughed. And then realized Lucy was serious. "Might have more luck with a different mark. That one's a challenge. She's been turning down drinks and invitation all night."
"I'm feeling lucky." Hopping off her bar stool, Lucy stalked her prey. The woman saw her coming. Lucy wasn't hiding her intent, after all. She paused for effect, letting the rest of the party-goers work to avoid her, daring the woman to run.
The room heated a few degrees when the woman's gaze caressed Lucy from head to toe. Lucy's gifted drink arrived with perfect timing. As the woman finished her perusal, she accepted the drink and saluted Lucy with the glass.
Lucy's night was looking up. She resumed her journey, climbing onto the stool next to the woman. "I wish I'd braved the bouncer's wrath and worn something less…country club."
One eyebrow shot up, and the woman eyed Lucy more closely for a second. She hadn't recognized Lucy apparently. "I'm not here to make friends," the woman replied with the correct code phrase.
Lucy relaxed a little, even though she kept up the charade. Maggie Sawyer was her contact with NCPD, but it had been a few years since they'd run in the same SuperFamily circle. Maggie's hair was cropped short and her trademark dimples had yet to make an appearance.
"From what I hear, you've got a reputation for being hard to work with." She waved at the drink but wasn't referring to the booze. Lucy was the DEO's Hail Mary in rebuilding a cordial working relationship with NCPD. "You sure you don't have room for one friend?" Lucy leaned in and watched Maggie's eyes drop to her cleavage. Her dress might lack the punch of Maggie's leather, but it did the trick. No one, man or woman, had managed to speak with her while looking into her eyes all night.
Proving her wrong, Maggie managed to recover. At least, she dragged her eyes back to her drink. "I'm not hard to work with. I simply have standards. What makes you think I need a friend like you?"
Lucy set on hand on Maggie's thigh. "Everyone needs a friend like me, handsome." She slid her hand higher until Maggie gripped her questing fingers tightly.
"My eyes are up here, babe." Maggie's grin would have seemed natural, if Lucy hadn't known what the real thing looked like. "You'll need to know me a whole lot better before you get to explore below the belt."
Lucy laughed. "Is that a challenge?"
"If that's what motivates you." Was that a hint of a dimple in Maggie's smile? Before Lucy could decide for sure, Maggie raised Lucy hand and kissed the back. "I don't think I caught your name."
"I could say the same." Lucy relented, though. She had been the instigator of their meeting. "Susan." Vasquez had threatened to lock Lucy in the alien containment cells when she'd heard the undercover alias.
Maggie's head tilted. "I knew a Susan once. You look much better in a dress." From the wicked gleam in her eyes, she was definitely referring to Vasquez, who Lucy had never seen out of DEO tactical gear.
"Good to know." Lucy sipped her drink and scanned the room. Nothing out of place.
"Am I losing your interest already?" Maggie scooted her stool closer. So close she pressed fully against Lucy. Holy shit. The scent of leather and Maggie's cologne. The silky heat of the hand she settled on Lucy's hip. "I thought you wanted to be…friends?"
Playing hard to get, Lucy shrugged instead of turning her head and getting the ball rolling with a kiss. This was an undercover op, not a chance to pick up a hot butch. "There are other friend options at the party."
"Ah, don't be like that, baby." Maggie leaned in, lips brushing Lucy's ear. Her whisper sent chills racing down Lucy's spine straight to her clit, and she shivered before Maggie's words registered. "Incoming. Three o'clock."
Lucy tilted her head back and pressed her lips to Maggie's neck.
"Jesus, you're lethal." Maggie's voice was a rumble of sound.
Casually playing with her earring, Lucy activated her comm. "The game is afoot," she announced into Maggie's skin. She slid her hand through a slit in her dress, detaching the gun from her thigh holster.
Susan's voice sounded in her ear. "Team One is at your location. Entry in three, two, one."
The doors to the club slammed open and black-clad DEO agents and NCPD Science Division SWAT poured into the main room.
Lucy kicked off her heels and hopped off the stool as the team converged on their fugitive. He and his five business associates were already cuffed and being dragged toward the door. Some days, life was good. "Hey, Vas?"
"Yes, Ma'am." Lucy would never break the agent of that habit of calling her that.
At least she'd get a little revenge. "Sawyer says I look better in a dress than you."
"Bitch!" Maggie commented. "I thought I was your friend!"
Laughter in a dozen voices echoed in the comm as everyone linked to the mission heard Lucy's (and Maggie's) comments. "I'm heartbroken, Ma'am."
"It's true, Lucy. She's crying over her keyboard," Winn added.
Lucy relayed the information. "You made Vas cry. I don't know if I can be your friend when you treat my team that way."
Maggie pressed against Lucy's back and she ran a finger around the shell of Lucy's ear, turning off the comm. "You sure about that, babe? We made a pretty good team tonight." Teeth raked over Lucy's bare shoulder. "Besides, I hear there's a rumor the DEO and NCPD have a relationship issue since I stopped banging your director."
"And you want me to help with that relationship?" Lucy asked, dropping her head to the side to give Maggie more room to work. "Or with the banging?"