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“Hard as quartz,” she said. “Not delicate at all.”

“Okay, maybe not there, but I’ve got feelings.”

“That’s good to know. What, exactly, are you feeling at this moment?”

He pulled her down on top of him and caught her face between his hands. “I feel like making you come harder than you’ve ever come before.”

“That sounds... exciting.”

“Oh, it will be,” he vowed. “Fascinating.”

He moved his hands to her waist and then separated her thighs so that she straddled him. He found the wet heat between her legs and stroked her until he felt the small muscles clench around his fingers. The scent of her aroused body intoxicated him.

Her breathing tightened and then she tightened her legs, silently urging him to go deeper. Slowly he withdrew his fingers.

“No,” she gasped.

He eased her down onto his straining erection.

“Yes,” she said.“Yes.”

He began to move, forcing himself to go slow. At the same time he stroked the exquisitely sensitive place just above her core. He could sense her climbing higher and higher. She began to fight him for control. He resisted for a while, and then he was no longer interested in control.

Her climax overwhelmed him. She came long and hard. So did he.

Lightning sparked in the shadows.

Chapter Forty

“Unfortunately, the Illusion Town Project had to be shut down,” Melody Palantine said.

Taggert Spooner turned away from the spectacular view of the ruins of the Dead City at the heart of Cadence and looked at his administrative assistant. Melody Palantine was young, talented, and ambitious. All qualities that would probably cause problems in the future. But for now, she was extremely useful.

Palantine was not the most beautiful assistant he had ever had, but she could manipulate the rez-net with a skill unlike that of anyone he had ever met. Even more astonishing was her uncanny ability to track down and manipulate the kind of personnel he needed for his organization. She could convince almost anyone to do almost anything. If there was such a thing as a psychic talent for running a con, Palantine had it.

“All the loose ends have been handled, I assume?” Taggert said.

“Of course, sir.” Melody glanced at her notes and then looked up. “Westover and all of the Blue Amber mercenaries involved have been picked up by a task force composed of the Illusion Town police and the Guild, but none of them were aware of the identity of the client.”

“Cassandra Keele.”

“Yes. She was arrested when she attempted to poison the new Guild boss in Illusion Town. She suffered some sort of seizure at the scene and is now locked up in a para-psych hospital for the criminally insane. Dual talents are often unstable, as you know. She is apparently delusional.”

“And the nature of her delusions?”

“She is trying to convince anyone who will listen that there is a conspiracy afoot. Seems to believe she was attempting to buy her way into the inner circles of a clandestine organization by providing it with a weapon that could suppress amber-based technology.”

“You’re certain no one believes her?”

“Conspiracy theories always find an audience, sir, but in this case it doesn’t matter if anyone believes Keele. There is absolutely no way the Corporation can be linked to her.”

“I trust you are right, Ms. Palantine.” Taggert smiled a cold, thin smile. “Because this project was yours from start to finish. You were the one in charge.”

An ominous energy flickered briefly in Melody’s eyes. For a few seconds he wondered if she might be foolish enough to attempt to use her talent to manipulate him. That would be interesting. She had no idea of the true nature of his own talent. She would not discover that until he no longer needed her.

In the meantime, he could use her ambition to control her. They both understood that she needed him to achieve her goals. As far as he wasconcerned, she could be replaced. He would prefer not to have to look for a new administrative assistant, but if necessary, he would not hesitate to do so.

The dangerous light faded from Melody’s eyes. He was impressed with her control.