As they walked away, Deeks heard Kensi skillfully flirting with Bennett. He was pretty sure he wouldn't mind if the drinks never showed up.
It took a little longer than Deeks expected to ditch Lisa; she kept trying to get him out on one of the balconies, or to check out Bennett's ungodly car collection. He'd known she liked him, or at least his attention, but hadn't realized how deeply her crush went.
"Marty, we just got a new shipment of wine the other day. Maybe we could go down to the cellar and test some," Lisa suggested, staring up at him hopefully while she clung to his arm. It was amazing how much more animated she became in Bennett's absence.
"You know, I would love to, but I promised Thomas Walters I'd take a look at a contract for him," Deeks declined, softening any sting from his words by dipping his head close enough he could smell peaches and vodka. "Rain check?"
"You're always working. You need to relax." She smoothed her hand down his arm, a coaxing note entering her voice. "And I have the perfect remedy."
"Another time," Deeks offered, gently sliding out from under hand.
Fortunately, she didn't follow him, and he made a detour to the main reception room in case Lisa decided to watch him, before looping back around and taking a side door to the right wing of the house which led to Bennett's private office and den.
"Alright, it's show time, Eric," he muttered, holding back out of range of the cameras he knew lined the hallway.
"Hacking in right now," Eric responded, making a satisfied noise. "Oh look, the entire right wing has experienced an unfortunate disruption in service."
Deeks had some rudimentary lock picking skills, courtesy of Kensi's expertise, but fortunately they weren't needed. He slipped into the office, closing the door quietly behind him, and began searching through the mahogany desk in the center of the room.
He heard Kensi's intermittent responses to Bennett every so often. Right now, it sounded like he was giving her a private tour of the spa facilities and questioning Kensi about her last job.
She handled him masterfully; playing into his flirtations and innuendos without giving up too much control. Deeks was certain Bennett was thoroughly distracted for the moment.
"That's my girl."
"What was that?" Nell asked, voice rising significantly at the end.
"Uh, nothing." Deeks internally smacked himself for his slip up. Now was not the time for the team to start questioning his and Kensi's relationship.
He continued searching the office, taking longer than he liked as he made sure to leave it looking the same as when he arrived. With a growl of frustration, he ran his hand behind bookcase, shaking his head.
"It's not here," he sighed. "I'll have to search the master bedroom."
"Deeks, Kensi and Forthright, just headed that way to look at the private gallery," Nell warned. "What are you going to do if you run into them?"
"Do some fast talking and if all else fails, Kensi can incapacitate him, and we'll lock him in the master bath." A pointed silence followed and Deeks rolled his eyes. "I'm joking. Mostly."
"Go ahead, Deeks," Callen decided, speaking up for the first time. Deeks had to wonder what they'd been talking about off comms.
Deeks ran into a few waitstaff as he cut through the kitchen and took the back staircase to the second floor. Fortunately, most were too busy or accepted when he told them he was one of Forthright's security.
He was sweaty slightly, heart rate just a bit faster than normal as he finally reached the master bedroom.
He rolled his eyes at the giant bed centered against the far wall with black bedding and a thick slab of polished wood serving as the headboard. The rest of the furniture he'd bet Lisa had a hand in picking out based on their more subtle and attractive style.
While Deeks searched with increasing urgency, Kensi used all her skill to keep Bennett confined to the gallery. Right now, she'd gone into a monologue about Monet. Although he couldn't hear Bennett, he had the feeling he was looking to move the the tour onward.
When he reached a medium sized table across the room, he found the top drawer was locked. It took a minute for him to pick the lock, and he could picture Kensi standing over his shoulder, gently taunting him about his speed. He sighed when the mechanism finally released and slid the drawer open to reveal a slim, silver laptop.
"Ok, I'm plugging the flash drive in now," he whispered once the screen was fully loaded.
"Yup. It should be done in three minutes," Eric told him.
"Nice work, Deeks," Sam complimented him.
"Thanks." He exhaled heavily, bracing his hand on the desk as he closed his eyes.
"You gonna be ok, Deeks?" Callen asked, a note of laughter in his voice.
"Yep, definitely fine. Great in fact. Now can we get the hell—"
"Actually, I think Lisa and Marty are probably wondering where we are," Kensi said suddenly, and this time he heard her voice down the hall in addition to through his comm.
Deeks still, eye flicking to the laptop screen which still showed a loading green line.
"Eric?" he barely breathed.
"I need one more minute."
"Kensi, stall him," Callen urged her as Deeks looked around the room desperately.
"Oh, I think there's something you'd really enjoy seeing," Bennett said, voice traveling down the hallway and through the walls. "It will only take a minute."
"Mr. Forthright, I'm not sure what you've heard about me, but I'm not the type of woman to go into a man's bedroom for a couple of drinks," she teased, playful.
"I think you're exactly the type of woman I like." If it was any other time, Deeks would have gladly punched Bennett Forthright in his smug mouth, but for now, he was praying Kensi could guide him away long enough for Deeks to escape.
"We've got it!" Eric shouted, making Deeks jump slightly. He ejected the flash drive, tucking it into his pocket, shut down the laptop, and shoved it back into the drawer as quietly as he could.
"Now I won't take no for an answer," Bennett insisted, his voice right outside the door. Deeks stiffened for the briefest of seconds, before making a beeline for the walk-in closet.
A/N: Duh-duh-duh.
Thanks for sticking with this story. I hope it's still enjoyable.