Secret Indiscretions (Sue Thomas FBEye)

Chapter Three

Sue leisurely stretched, and droplets of water fell over the side of the tub. With her eyes half-closed, she never saw the hand reaching for the light switch. Startled by the blinking light, Sue jerked momentarily, and watched in horror as a wave went crashing over the bathroom floor.

"Luce? Is that you?" The light flashed again. She pulled the curtain closed, only leaving an opening for her head. "You can come in, but be careful, the floor is wet."

"I washed the floor last week, you know," Lucy observed.

"Sorry, I will..."

"Just teasing," Lucy assured her. "It's Jack." She gave Sue her blackberry.

"Thank you." As anxious as she was to answer, she waited till Lucy was out. "Hello Jack."

"Hi. Am I catching you at the bad time?" she read, imagining that little frown on his forehead.

"Not at all," she assured him. "I'm taking a long relaxing bubble bath."

"I see..." He grinned at the image his overactive mind conjured up. "I see warm water gliding over your bare skin..." he said, sharing his fantasy with her with the only purpose of flustering her. "Soothing your tired muscles into..."

"Jack!" she exclaimed, the water instantly warming up by a few degrees.

"Yes?" he asked innocently, not that she could hear the amusement in his voice, or see his delighted expression.

She could almost picture the smirk on his face, but any worthy comeback eluded her.

"Sue? Are you drowning?" Had he been a bit too blunt? "Do you need me to go resuscitate you?" he asked, realising too late the double meaning of his latest offer.

She gaped at her screen. How could he make butterflies flutter in her stomach with a few selected words while he was miles away from her? What would his hand over her...

New words appeared chasing her wandering thoughts away.

"Have you made additional arrangement for our trip?" he inquired, thinking he should find a more neutral subject.

"Hum... still mapping the itinerary." She hoped he couldn't hear the quivering in her voice. "Did you know Ottawa is almost 600 miles from here, and it would take us ten hours to get there if we drive non-stop?"

"Not that precisely," he replied, leaving her off the hook for the time being. "I wouldn't mind leaving on Saturday morning, you know," he admitted honestly. "Unless you oppose?"

"I was thinking the same thing, Jack. But if you get back only Friday night, it doesn't give you much time to get ready," she said, trying to be practical.

"Don't worry about me." He smiled. "Just be ready to drive if I need to catch up on my sleep."

"I will. How was your day?"

"Frustrating." The word appeared immediately on her screen. "Getting a straight answer from them is even more difficult than getting one from you."

"Have you tried kissing them?" she asked impishly, blushing at her own boldness, but unable to resist. Two could play this little game, she reasoned.

"I'll give it a try tomorrow," he replied, not missing a beat.

"Make sure you do a better job than last night," she said, barely controlling her laughter.

She was getting back at him, not that he didn't deserve it, he thought, grinning widely. There was a wicked side to her that he couldn't wait to explore.