Chapter 4 Red Horses and Black Boots
Warning: Language, sex, violence
Thanks to EvilGrin for beta

I wake the next morning with Trevor touching my face. I blink up at him and wonder why he's there for a moment before it rushes back. I stretch and smile as I reach up and put my hand over top of his.

"I got to go and meet Boulet before Linus or Frank wake up and get moving. You gonna be alright?" he asks me quietly.

I run my tongue around my dry mouth and tell him yeah. "Gonna go grocery shopping, maybe hit the shoe store." He looks at my stack of shoe boxes and then back at me.

He makes a noise and shakes his head, "I don't think you need any more shoes."

I smile up at him, "That is only about a quarter of what I own, Trev. I got a fetish."

His eyes slide lower over my body, "You got any high heeled, thigh high boots?"

I chuckle and think, not yet, but I'll get some. "You got a fetish I need to know about, Trevor? Do I need to pick up a whip while I'm gone?"

He chuckles and grins before he kisses me and says, "I got some handcuffs."

My mind turns to mush as I think of him, spread eagle on the bed. His hands and feet cuffed to the pillars of the poster bed, leaving his body open to me to do as I wish. I feel my body heat, feel my nipples harden more and I glance at the clock.

It's early still, only 6:30 am and we just got to sleep after midnight. I'm tired and my limbs feel heavy, but that doesn't stop the want from surfacing again.

He showered, I can smell the soap on his skin, and see the dampness of his hair. I've always loved a man fresh from the shower. When you taste their skin, you get the faint sweetness of soap.

I swallow again and whisper, "What time you meeting Marlin?"

He glances at the clock then down at my naked body as he runs his large hand over my flat stomach, "Seven."

I smile and reach for him, "We got time,"

Shaking his head, he tells me that it'll take twenty minutes to get there with some of the roads still out.

He pulls his shirt over his head as I start to unbuckle his pants, "I got to go," he mumbles around my tongue and he moves me to the middle of the bed.

"I know," I sigh and push his jeans and boxers down to his knees and free his cock. I flip him over and straddle him. When I lean in to nibble at his ear I whisper, "Put it in."

He doesn't waste any time and I feel his penis glide over my wet lips, probe and then push its way slowly inside as his hands grip my hips and push me down onto him.

Damn, I love the feel of him inside of me. Filling me fully. So deep. When I begin to move, I set a quick, breathless rhythm that drives us both mad in a matter of minutes. Mouths crush, teeth nip and hands grip.

When I throw back my head and cum, my husky cry is joined by his as we fall over the edge together. Never in my life have I ever been so in tune with another person, sexually. Where we touch each other, how we touch, it's perfect, almost synchronized. It's too good to ever give up.

I look down at his slightly red, sweat covered face and grin. "That's a good way to start the day."

He chuckles and nods in agreement then looks at the clock and curses. "If I'm late, Boulet will know something's up. Knowing him, he's likely to send S.W.A.T here. Last thing we need is Glue Boy and Love Tap seeing us knockin' boots."

I giggle and watch him as he pulls up his pants and fastens them. He looks around for his shirt and I and glance at his feet. He still had his shoes on and that makes me snicker more.

"I don't have any boots on... yet. Maybe I'll go and buy some today?"

Trevor stops and looks at me, his saltwater blue eyes full of lust and interest. He doesn't say anything but from the heated look he gives me, seems like he approves of my possible future purchase of footwear.

I watch him in the weak light of the morning sun as he fixes his clothing and grabs his wallet where it fell out onto the floor. He stops at the bedroom door, "Go back to sleep, Lettie, it's still early. We have long nights in this business and they'll expect me to show up today after cutting out early yesterday."

I can only nod at him and wonder how I could ever fall asleep after the earth shattering climax he just gave me but when I lay my head on my pillow and catch his scent, I feel my eyes start to get heavy.

"I got to go see a man about a ring," he says quietly and winks at me before he turns and walks away. I hear the front door close softly, hear his key slide into the lock and it click before silence.

I'm tired and a bit sore, but damn I feel good. I grab his pillow and hug it tight as my mind tries to work and my body fights for sleep. See a man about a ring...if only that were real and not part of the illusion. Still, my heart flutters at the thought of wearing Trevor's ring. My finger brushes his ring I'm wearing on my thumb and I sigh. I don't want this part to be the lie.

I think I can deal with Trevor being a little crooked, a little bit... criminal, but I don't think I can deal with him not wanting me as his woman when this is all over.

I wake up feeling groggy and dazed. I glance at the clock and groan. It's nine am and my lazy ass is still in bed. I never sleep this long, can't remember the last time I slept past eight in years. Stretching, I squeak and yawn hugely. When I roll over, my back comes in contact with the slightly damp wet spot on the sheets.

I wince, shit, I hate laying in wet spots. Getting up, I pee and head straight to the shower and apply extra conditioner to my hair, but it still takes me five minutes to get all the tangles out of it. Some days it's a struggle not to hack it all off.

Apply cocoa butter moisturizer and look for something to eat wearing nothing but a towel. Nothing. Sighing, I dress in a pair of flair bottom jeans and a black tank top. Skipping anything more than a quick dusting of powder and lipgloss on my face, I brush my hair and leave it loose.

I slip my feet into a pair of sexy black sandals and strip the bed. While I'm heading out, I might as well do some laundry at the coin-op down the street. I search through the closet and come up empty when I try to find another set of sheets. Looks like come-fuck-me-boots and food isn't the only thing on my shopping list today.

Do a quick look over the house, see what else we might need. Add a couple extra towels to the list, some dish cloths, just your basic household things that men seem to think you only need one or two of to live.

I lock the door up tight then decided I better take a gun with me just in case. Back in, do another quick once over the room to make sure nothing that could blow our cover is left out and as my hand reaches for the door knob again, I think of my birth control pills.

Fuck, the name on them is Colette Baker. That won't do. I can't believe that I missed that, that Trevor missed it as well. I run to the bathroom and pull off the Rx label and turn in a circle wondering what to do with it. I can't put it in the trash, just in case Frank or Linus hires someone to look through it. The toilet, I think, and crumple it up and toss it in. I flush it away with a sigh and curse my stupidity.

Something that simple could have gotten us both killed. The thought is a sobering one. This isn't just about getting close to Trevor. It's about protecting him, not getting him killed because I'm so smitten that I make a stupid mistake.

Of course, no one that approved my belongings noticed the label either, but still, it's unacceptable that it was brought into the house this way.

This time, when I lock the door, my hand trembles a bit. I take a steadying breath and blow it out. I concentrate on lowering the top of my Z4 and let the fuck up slide off my shoulders. I'll tell Trevor about it when he gets home, though I don't want to. I don't want him thinking that I can't handle myself but he needs to know and it'll help him realize how easy it is to have a slip up.

I might lie to him when I try to pretend that I don't love him, but I won't lie to him about anything else that involves the mission. It's too dangerous, our lives depend on knowledge and truth. That's the real bitch isn't it? That we need to have truth, even while deeply immersed in a life of lies.

When I pull out of the short driveway, I notice a car pulling out two doors down. It's not a cop car, it's not any kind of government agency's ride, leaving me to believe that I got myself a tail courtesy of Trevor's trusting friends.

The make and model lead me to believe that it's Frank. Linus would drive something with more... style. Less blatant sex appeal. The flashy red color is about the worst you could choose for surveillance, unless you either A: don't care if you're seen, or B: think you're too good to get caught.

My bet is on option B and my money is on Frank, the stupid fuck. Tailing me in a red Mustang GT convertible, what a dumb fuck. Least I got to give him props for not putting the top down.

Ten minutes later, I pull into a small lot and hope to hell and back that no one tries to use my last name or mention that I'm a copper. I tend to keep that part quiet, for this reason alone. I don't flash my badge, or walk around in my SWAT uniform. To most people, I'm just Colette, it's safer that way.

New Orleans is a small town, smaller now after Katrina blew us to shit and back. I act casual as I get out of my car and make my way to a hot pink building. The lower floor is a sex shop with an apartment for the owner on top. Her name is Tabitha and she's really just not right in the head. She's convinced there are supernatural things that go bump in the night here in good ol' N.O. and I just smile and let her talk.

She starts telling me about this new man she's met and how buff and gorgeous he is. I laugh and she then tells me that he's the mortal enemy of her twin sister's husband. Only Tabitha would fall in love with someone that her brother-in-law hates.

"So, what are you looking for, Colette? Something to keep you hot and wet at night?" Tabitha asks me with a small wink.

I grin back at her, "Nope, I got one of those. I need something to make him get all hot. He's mentioned boots..." I trail off at the wicked light in Tabitha's eyes. I nod and smile bigger, "Yes, those kind of boots. Black leather, thigh high to be exact."

Tabitha just sighs and I think she might melt in a puddle on the floor any moment. She leads me over to a dark corner of the store and picks up a huge box. After she opens it up and holds one against my leg, she grins again, "I have other accessories that go along with them,"

I can't help myself, "Oh yeah, like what?"

"Leather cuffs, chains, collar."

Cuffs we got.. collar? Now that is something that sparks my interest but I'm not sure Trevor or me are willing to go there.. yet?

"I think I'll just take the boots," I say and turn to leave but a leather bra and panties catch my attention and I grin, "And those."

I stash my purchases in my trunk and try not to think about the money I just put down to please Trevor. I'm not sure if he was teasing me about them or if he was serious. I paid cash for them out of my own pocket, because, well, it's hard to justify sex shop purchases as an expense when you're undercover to bust bank robbers.

Truth be told, I'm pretty sure me and Trevor fucking breaks almost every rule there is, but what do you expect when you put two people that are attracted to each other in the same house? It's bound to happen, maybe not this fast, but things have been brewing between Trevor and me for a long time. Well, at least on my side and from the lingering looks he's given me and how fast he's taking to the idea of being intimate with me, I would imagine that he's been tossing the idea around his head for a while also.

I'm not at all shocked to see the red little horse outside when I leave the store. I pretend to not notice as I hop in my car and make a left turn out of the lot. Next stop is a linen store. I look for a high thread count and I find a pair that's perfect in saltwater blue. They match Trevor's eyes and I love the color so much, I buy the matching quilt and shams. For the bathroom, I choose the tan, bronze and chocolate towels to go with the color scheme and for the kitchen, white; that way, they can be bleached without the color fading and turning a funky color.

When I leave and attempt to stuff my bags in the trunk, I spot the same red car and this time, Frank doesn't make too much of an attempt to hide himself from me. Is that a camera in his hand? I glance his way to let him know I'm on to him and get back in my car.

I know my stay at the laundromat is going to be a long one and I'm lucky when there is only one other person there. I stuff three washes full and settle in with a book. Forty minutes later, I get up to switch out my wash and put it in the dryer. When I turn to sit back down, I find Frank sitting in the seat next to mine.

I smile politely and settle beside him. I don't want him to think I'm afraid of him, because, well, I am. There are not many people that set my warning bells off but he's one of them. I'm a trained officer of the law. I've worked undercover on and off for years and still, my palms get sweaty as I try and act casual, cool and collected next to him. I do not trust this man.

"Hello, Colette," he says and tries to make it sound sexy like when Trevor does it. The drawl, coming from his mouth just sounds creepy and I can't fully suppress a shiver. I'm sure he thinks it's me going all melty for him. Not on your life, bud.

"Afternoon, Frank," I say dryly, not wanting him to think that I'm interested in him in the least. "Does Linus know you're following me around?"

He stiffens slightly but smiles, "Yes, he told me to find out more about you."

Sure he did, but I bet he told Frank to hang back, unseen. If I were something other than what I want them to think I am, I could easily hide that when I know I got a tail. Just trying to wrap my own brain around that one hurts. Let just say, if I know I'm being followed, why would I incriminate myself? Stupid asshole.

"And have you? Found anything about me other than what kind of fabric softener I use?" I ask him sweetly and turn to grin at him.

His smile turns predatory and he licks his lips, "From the look of that box you carried out of that little sex shop, you have a kinky side." Frank then has the fucking stones to run his finger down my arm. If he keeps that shit up, I might have to snap it off.

Licking his lips again, he leans in, "What's wrong? Isn't Trevor man enough for you? You need to get some extra... reinforcements?"

I snort at him, like he could give me better than Trevor. Nothing could be better than Trevor in my book so I just ignore the comment. He settles deeper into the chair and then flips up the back of my book I'm reading.

"Babylon Babies? What that hell you reading something like that for? Don't women usually read romance novels and shit? You know big strong man saves woman from sure death." He laughs at himself and I grit my teeth.

I grin at him and wink, "Who needs to read about the perfect man when I got my own at home? Excuse me," I say and get up to pull my dry sheets out. I still got another ten minutes or so on the quilt but by the time I'm done folding, that will be ready. I can see Frank giving me hot, sexual look as he gets up and then leaves me alone to stand next to his car smoking a cigarette.

When I pull out, I stop by his car and say, "I'm going to the grocery store, in case you're wondering if I like Hellmann's or Miracle Whip." I can't stop the laugh that escapes me when his eyes flash. That pissed him off good.

I grin at him, put my sunglasses on and give him a small wave as I drive off and leave him stewing. If he followed me to the store, he hid better than he had all day. By the time I made it home, I was hot, tired and just a little bit cranky.

Trevor opens the door as I shut the engine off and scowls at me. My car is loaded down with bags and he grumbles something about me buying out the whole store. I scowl at him and tell him there was more in the trunk and go inside to wash my hands and face.

I always hate going food shopping. I just feel so dirty after, my hands. All those people touching their money and their snot nosed kids and raw chicken and then touching the cart. Ick. I'm not a germaphobe, but I wash as soon as I get in the door.

Trevor shuts the door a little smartly after he's hauled in everything from the car and looks at me. "What the hell is all of this?"

"Food, sheets, towels. There's two of us, in case you failed to notice, and towels get musty fast in this heat and I sure as hell don't plan on going to the laundromat every damn day and have Frank keep me company as I wash out my panties."

Trevor's eyes flash at me and he takes a step closer, "Wait? Frank was there?"

I blink up at him, realizing this wasn't the way I wanted to tell him and exhale. I can see the unabashed anger growing in his eyes and it makes me a little bit nervous.

"Yes," I say and swallow, "He followed me all day, from the time I left the house. He said that Linus told him too, but have a feeling that he was supposed to do it on the downlow, not in my face and not making conversation in the laundromat."

Trevor curses a blue streak and then asked me if he hurt me. "No, Trev, I'm fine, just creeped out."

Trevor pulls out a chair and sits down in it. "Where all did you go? Tell me step by step."

Step by step, I turn away so he can't see my face flame. I start to unload the groceries before the frozen stuff melts and the cold stuff gets warm. He watches me, I can feel his eyes on the back of my head. When I reach for a bag on the table, he grabs my wrist and says my name.

I got no defense against that. My thoughts scatter and I can't maintain the embarrassment that was gnawing at me moments ago. Why should I feel embarrassed anyway? He's seen me naked, heard me scream his name as I came. He's tasted me, though I haven't had the pleasure to return the favor. It's on the top of my list though. I look at him and think about dropping down on my knees right now, unfastening his pants and taking him into my mouth.

He cocks his head to the side, raises both brows at me like he knows what I'm thinking and just waits out my wicked thoughts.

I lick my lips and force my eyes away from his groin, "Well, I stopped by Tabitha's shop,"

"The sex shop?" he asked me with a shocked look on his face, "Why would you stop there when you knew he was following you?"

I shrug, turn away from him and go back to putting the dry and canned food away. "I wanted to pick up something and besides," I turn and look at him suspiciously, "how do you know Tabitha and that she owns a sex shop?" I raise my brow at him and he just grins and looks kind of sheepish. "Uhmm hummm... right, Trev. Someday, I'm gonna get you to spill all of those wicked little secrets you got locked inside."

He just chuckles and tries to turn the conversation back on me. He's charming, I'll give him that, but that doesn't change anything. It doesn't change the fact that he's holding a lot of stuff back from me and if we're gonna be partners, I just might need to know it.

After I got everything where it goes, I put my hands on the counter and drop my head with a sigh, "Trevor," I say and while he's still waiting for more info on Frank, I know he senses the tone of my voice.

I hear the chair scrape as he gets up and walks toward me. "What happened?" he asks, his voice tight.

"Before I left today, I did a quick search of the house, for clues about who we really are,"

I can not only hear his sigh, but I feel it on the back of my neck, "What did we miss?"

"My pills," I tell him softly and he's silent for a minute.

"Did you bring them in or did they?"

They, are the department higher ups. They, are the ones running the show.

"They did, I was being debriefed when my personal stuff was moved here. Whoever set this little thing up, fucked up, big time." I turn and look at him, "Something like that could get us killed, Trevor, and we both missed it. If I didn't think to check them before I left, Linus or anyone that works for him could have come in here and saw that. Shit, they could have placed a bug while I was gone."

Trevor shakes his head, "Naw, I checked when I got home. The house is clean, but the pills, I don't like that. That's a rookie mistake, or an intentional one."

"Shit, never thought of that." My stomach clenches at the thought. A set up? Why? Why us? Me? "You think someone's trying to set us up here?"