Like a Fox on the Run, стр. 114

“So, we wait … and hope he doesn’t die before we can peek into his noggin.” She took the ashtray from the nightstand and placed it on her stomach, just above her sensuous navel.

“Unfortunately, yes.” He took a deep, satisfying drag from his smoke. Holding it up in front of him, he studied the cigarette intently. “Mmmm. The Marvins have really gotten the hang of these little beauties,” he observed as he savored the real tobacco flavor, exhaling the smoke out lazily. “Impressive. I think they’re even better than the ones they used to make here.”

“So, what do you make of this whole situation?” Her voice brought him back from his ponderings. Drawing her right knee up, she put her foot on his upper thigh. The bright, red polish on her nails immediately caught his attention. When they’d first started seeing each other on the sly, it’d been a pleasant shock to discover such an intimate delight. Always determined to exude an air of professionalism, she never wore polish on her fingernails, nor did she wear any earrings. She kept her makeup minimal and her hair simple. She was a good cop, as good as any man he had on the force. She carried her own shield. He’d always liked that about her. She reminded him of one of those lollipops he’d enjoyed so much growing up. Hard shell on the outside, soft, creamy and sweet on the inside. It just took patience and many licks to get through. And the sweet center that awaited was worth the effort.

He rubbed her toes between his thumb and forefinger, marveling at how dainty and petite her feet were. The feet of a woman. The feet of a cop. So many things to appreciate and enjoy, and yet, he now had to ponder less pleasant thoughts.

“I think the answer lies with this mysterious creature … this woman with a bushy tail and little modesty,” he finally answered. “I can’t see a big-game hunter like Frost gunning after some tramp rocket wrangler. This Thomas … he’s never been on our radar for anything.”

“I ran his file.” She thumped ash from the end of her cigarette into the ashtray sitting atop her belly. “He’s been under some suspicion from the Space Authority for smuggling, possibly working for Cutter Hawkins. But nothing more than that.”

Matt shrugged. “If every spacer suspected of smuggling was rounded up, there’d be a lot of empty sky.”

“So, you think this badass Frost was sent here to retrieve some furry freak and Thomas got in his way just a bit?”

“One thing’s for certain, Frost may be the best in his business, but our boy Thomas … sounds like he’s capable of holding his own.”

Stella smiled at him knowingly, “If I didn’t know better, Special Inspector Burlington … I would almost believe you’ve taken a side in this one.”

He took a long, final drag off his smoke and picked up the ashtray. He crushed out his cigarette and sighed. “There’s a difference between enforcing the law and delivering justice. We only do one and hope somewhere down the line, the other gets done. Men like Frost, he lives above the law, protected by money and powerful men. He’s a ruthless, cold-blooded bastard. I remember when he was Guard. A real cold fucker. He’d kill anybody who stood between him and a target. Men … women … even children. Smile the whole time he’s doing it too.”

“Sounds like a real swell dude,” she replied as she moved her foot up his ribcage and onto his left pectoral muscle. She gave him a shy grin as she began to rub her sole up and around his shoulder.

“People like Frost … sometimes the only justice available to them … is what they find out on the streets or in the spaceways.” His eyes had glazed over slightly, as he’d become distracted now, thinking about it all. “Those places have their own brand of justice. And Frost might’ve got a taste of it tonight.”

“You sound a bit jaded, Inspector.” Stella continued working her foot, but her smile faded slightly. She hated to hear him talk like that. He was a good cop. A damned good cop! He could go so far if he just stayed the course. He could be Chief of the entire Zone one day if he played his cards right. And he could take her right up the ladder with him. But he was a cop who lived on the edge and she worried about him getting burnt out, becoming callous.

She needed him to keep that fire … that ambition. Ambition was like sex. You had to keep it fresh, a fire burning. Or it would peter out and grow cold. More and more, Burlington was becoming less a man concerned with career advancement and more a man determined to stand in the gap. She didn’t want a trooper on the thin, blue line. She wanted a star on the rise.

Slowly, the light touch of her foot moving across his skin began to bring him back.

His face broke into a sly grin. “Someone’s still feeling a bit frisky, I see.” He took her less-than subtle hint, grasping her delicate foot in his hand. Pulling it to his face, she squirmed with ticklish joy as his lips encircled her big toe.

“God, I love that!” She writhed dreamily below him as he sucked her toe. He took his time, tantalizing her with a talented tongue and teasing lips. She put her cigarette out and returned the ashtray to the nightstand. Hands now free, they made their way to her breasts. Fingers pinched and pulled at hardening nipples as she assisted him in arousing her body back into action.

“If you like that, you’re gonna love where my mouth goes next.” He guided her foot