Chapter Six: Two Hitters & One Thief

"Parker, Hardison's got the key. The security in the lawyer's office will be down, but only for the next seven minutes." Nate voice resounded in the thief's ear. "Can you get away for a bit? Rose will distract him; let her know."

The thief gave an imperceptible nod of her head towards the slimy lawyer whose grimy hands were sliding up her knee. Parker was all too eager to get away from the pervy man with the hungry eyes. She hastily stood, acting embarrassed, playing up the shy girl act.

"I have to go! Uh, I have to go…powder my toes!" Then she hurried away from the uppity bar, Eliot waiting in the truck outside impatiently.

Rose took this time to make her way over to the put-out lawyer, a right temptress in the sexy little black dress and too-tall heels. The lawyer, Jamison looked up, a smirk on his lips. Rose took a seat two spaces down and ordered a drink, a Cosmopolitan.

Jamison, after downing his drink, made his way over to Rose with an over exaggerated swagger in his step. He seemed perfectly balanced even after all the shots he had downed; Rose grinned. So he was a drinker, interesting.

"I'll have two shots of what she's having." He turned to Rose who was appearing interested as he leaned towards her in a conspiratorial whisper. "I guess I didn't do my math. There's only one of me, not two! How 'bout you take the other one, doll?"

Rose refrained from rolling her eyes heavenward and just smiled before licking her lips and reaching for the drink that was in his hand instead of the one in front of her and sipped it, sending a playful smile his way and licking her lips, moaning lightly at the wonderful drink.

"So, uh what's your name, sweetheart?" Jamison asked, shifting slightly in his seat.

"Lola," she simpered and hid a smile when he sifted again in his seat.

"Well, Lola," he leered, leaning towards her and laying his clammy hand upon her bare knee, inching it up as he spoke. "The name's Jamison; you can call me James. You got a dress, dove?" She pretended to be more interested in his appearance, her eyes at half-mast as she pretended to rake her eyes over his form. He chuckled when he saw she wasn't even listening to him, enjoying the feeling of being so desirable. Jamison leaned toward her again, his hand on her thigh. "There's this thing I have to do tonight. I want you to be there. You're gonna need a dress, Lola. It's formal."

Rose blinked, as if finally becoming aware of him speaking; she even shook her head as if disoriented, pretending she didn't see the knowing smile tugging at his lips, which he tried to hide by taking a sip of his drink. "When and where, James?" Her gaze hooded as she glanced at his lips a moment too long, bringing her gaze back to his beady little eyes, which unabashedly devoured her form as though she were bare to him.

The lawyer grinned, catching the innuendo. Before he could reply, his phone rang. "What?" He snapped into the phone. "Wait, wait. Slow down…. Are you sure…. How long ago….I'm on my way now, don't move." He ended the call angrily before turning to Rose.

"It's at the Rice building, penthouse. Tell 'em Jamison sent cha. It's at eight. Be there thirty minutes after and wear something eye-catching." He threw a fifty on the bar and gave her thigh a squeeze before leaving.

Rose almost felt dirty from the conversation. Who does that? Anyway, she hoped that bought Parker enough time. No way of knowing since she didn't have one of those nifty little ear buds because Nathan Ford didn't trust her. She sighed before taking out her phone and dialing the number given. It rang twice before he answered.

"Yeah."

"Ford, he's on his way back to the office." She hung up before he could utter a reply. A text came in shortly after.

Head back to the hotel and wait for instructions.

Rose scoffed and ordered another drink, polishing it off before heading out. To go shopping; after all, she still needed a dress and shoes, something eye-catching. Her phone rang twenty minutes later after she had gotten her dress and were still searching for shoes.

"Yes?" she answered, a smile lilting her voice.

"Where are you? You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago!" It was Eliot that had called; she immediately sobered up, showing the sales woman the dress that then chose the perfect shoes, an expensive pair of killer heels that she hadn't known were there and they were gorgeous.

"I'm on my way, dammit!" She purchased the shoes quickly, forgoing accessories until the woman came back with the best pair of earrings along with a matching necklace. Rose smiled gratefully at the woman as she rung the items up; she handed…Jane—if her nametag was anything to go by—her black card.

Rose clutched her things to her chest as she sprinted towards her car and speeded towards the hotel. She made it in record time and rushed up to the room with the day's spoils.

The door was ajar with Eliot standing in front, his arms folded and a smirk on his face that instantly put Rose on edge. She and Spencer didn't have the greatest of memories with each other. He was always so…marauding. He made her feel like prey and it was not a happy feeling and gods that smirk! It sent shivers down her spine and she didn't know if it was due to his hooded eyes trained on her or that goddamned smirk.

He strode over to her quickly after watching her squirm, shutting the door and then suddenly she found herself pinned to it. How the hell did that happen? His arms trapped her and she was just left to stare at him and his bedroom eyes and gods if she didn't feel what she felt when they darkened. Why was he doing this to her; he knew what was at stake. She could lose everything and just as she found her everything.

"Damn you, Eliot Spencer." She almost cringed at how shaky and breathy her voice sounded. He grinned rakishly down at her, his eyes taking in her attire.

"I can think of a similar situation when you said that to me, Rose." She shut her eyes at the memory.

Rose's hands shook in her excitement as she ran; he was chasing her and it felt good. What would he do when he caught her? She shook at the thought, nearly tripping over a large root. She heard a growl and ran that much faster, a squeal escaping her. Rose ducked behind a tree, almost wishing that she hadn't worn the flimsy mini dress and the infamous too-tall heels. She breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't hear anymore footsteps then squeaked in surprise when arms snaked around her waist then turned and slammed her against the tree. It was him.

"I win," he said, a smirk on his face. She reached up and kissed him, wiping his smirk away as their tongues danced. He groaned and let his hands resting around her waist move to her hips and lifted her up, she, wrapping her long legs around him obligingly, her hands tangling in his hair.

"You cheated," she said against his mouth. In retaliation his grip on her buttocks tightened as he ground himself into her. She moaned deeply, her head lolling back as he kissed along her neck. He sucked along her pulse point, eliciting a delicious noise from her, grounding into her as he did so then did it again, and again, and again until she was clutching his hair so tightly it was near painful, heightening his pleasure.

"Eliot," she pleaded in a desperate voice. "I need…I need…"

His lips quirked into a smirk on her breasts, Eliot's tongue doing wonderfully sinful things to her. "What do you need?"

Rose let out a growl of her own, her red hair tossing back. "Damn you, Eliot Spencer." She slid down his erection and back up, loving the hiss he let out and the way his arms tightened around her. "I need you."

He smirked and she shivered at the way his eyes darkened to near black. "You got me."

"Eliot…" she shook herself out of the memory, knowing she couldn't do this now, not without risking everything. The hitter snarled; his hand coming up to hit the door then thought better and she found herself again slammed into a surface, the wall.

"Don't." She almost jumped when he spoke. He sounded so angry, maybe even hurt. "Just don't." Without another word, Eliot turned and went inside the hotel room.

Rose was then aware that she was being watched. She looked up to find wide brown eyes staring at her. Parker.

"Shit." The blonde continued to stare, almost unseeing.

"Lana, what…Eliot and you…I don't…." The thief muttered, unable to string together a coherent sentence. She took a deep breath. "I was worried. You didn't show up at the room when everybody else did and I thought that maybe you had…." She swallowed hard, her wide eyes wider and fearful.

Rose winced. Gods, Parker was worried and the last thing the redhead wanted was for the thief to worry. She should've just listened to Ford and maybe all of this could have been avoided.

"Parker, I didn't mean to…. I'm sorry you…. I uh, I was," the assassin ran a hand through her vibrant curls. The blonde just stared, and stared, and stared then blinked and turned just as Eliot did and went inside the hotel room.

Rose was left standing alone in an empty hallway with nondescript walls wearing a flimsy mini dress and her infamous too-tall heels, wishing for a life she could never get back.