Chapter 54

"No! I will not allow your sister to participate," Rock shouted while he hit his fist on the table with a loud resounding bang with each word. There were so many reasons to argue against her participation that it was impossible to count them all. Foremost among them was Ling. She'd kill them if anything happened to Betsy.

With a definite chill in her voice, Ling asked, "What is wrong with Betsy?"

"Nothing is wrong with Betsy," Rock answered backpedaling. The second reason to object to her participation was that she was even more difficult to control than William. Of course, he wasn't brave enough to tell her mother that. He said, "I just don't feel that we can provide the kind of coverage that would assure her safety."

"Who else do you suggest?" William asked watching the reactions of Natalie and Nicole. He was sure that they had a candidate in mind.

The pair of bodyguards looked at each other with a smile. Ling noticed the exchange and asked, "Who?"

"Marissa," Nicole answered.

Both Rock and Colt groaned at the suggestion. Slumping down in his chair, Colt said, "Not Marissa."

Sitting up with increased interest in the direction the conversation was going, Ling asked, "The Marissa?"

"Yes, the one and only Marissa," Natalie answered with a smile.

Lucy looked around the room confused by the reactions. Curious, she asked, "Who is Marissa?"

Shaking his head, Rock said, "I can't think when she's around."

"Do you think you can get Marissa?" Ling asked.

"She's here," Nicole answered with a smile.

Impressed, Ling said, "Get her."

Nicole went to the door and opened it. Calling out, she said, "Marissa. Come on in."

Marissa flowed into the room and looked around the room with the expression of a Queen meeting her subjects. She posed like a racehorse in the winner's circle fully aware of the effect she had on those who looked at her.

She wore high heels that shaped her calves and a short skirt that showed off her perfect legs. Her blouse was tight enough to show off her well proportioned waist. It was cut low enough to show off significant cleavage. Her perfume filled the air without being overpowering. Her makeup was perfectly applied.

Everything had been selected to impress her client. Her eyes fell upon William and she thought to herself, 'He's nice looking, but young. I'll get his attention by visiting the older men. Then I'll turn up the heat.'

She smiled upon seeing Rock and moved over to him. Hugging him and kissing him on the cheek, she said, "It's so nice to see you again, Rock."

"Um," the man answered aware of nothing other than her soft breasts rubbing suggestively across his chest.

"You're still the strong silent type, I see," she teased while running a hand over the side of his face.

"Um."

Natalie rolled her eyes on seeing how Rock reacted to Marissa. She could understand it since the woman looked like a sex goddess. Every movement the woman made was the result of years of careful study for its effect on the opposite sex. Poor Rock didn't stand a chance and Natalie knew it.

Marissa stepped back and turned to look at Colt. Giving him a very sexy look, she flowed across the room to where he stood. He was unaware that he had risen from his seat. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. Somehow, she managed to rub her leg against his crotch without it looking intentional. She said, "Hello, Colt."

Colt didn't even try to respond. He just stood in place breathing heavily. Nicole nudged him in the side, but it didn't have any effect. His hand reached up to where she had kissed him.

Marissa turned from him and looked around at the others in the room. Her eyes widened a little at seeing the small oriental woman seated next to Colt. Leaning over, she kissed Ling on the lips. It was not a chaste kiss. Standing up, she said, "Ling, it is such a pleasure to finally meet you."

Licking her lips, Ling was impressed by the greeting. The woman had pushed the kiss to the point of leaving her breathless without crossing over that line where she would be insulted. Breathless, she said, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Seeing the kiss, both Colt and Rock groaned and sat down in their chairs. Natalie and Nicole looked at each other in surprise. They had not expected Marissa to do that to Ling. Ling had a reputation for being dangerous and giving her a kiss without invitation was like kissing a cobra. Natalie, under her breath, said, "She's good."

Marissa turned to William and licked her lips in a very suggestive manner. She flowed over to him fully expecting him to stay in his chair. William stood and held out his hand to her. Seeing his hand, she lifted hers for him to take. She knew how to turn a simple handshake into a lot more than just a business greeting.

Taking her hand, he said, "So you're Marissa. I'm William and this lady next to me is Lucy, my wife."

Surprised at the fact that he was still talking, Marissa went to caress his hand with her other hand. Marissa cranked up her sex appeal. In a husky voice, she said, "My, you have such a firm handshake."

William looked at her with a puzzled expression. No one had ever commented on his handshake before and he didn't know how to respond. He said, "Thank you. You have a firm handshake too."

Surprised by his reaction, Marissa closed the distance between the two of them. Before she made contact, William turned away so that he was sideways to both Lucy and Marissa. In a cheerful voice, he said, "Lucy, this is Marissa."

From the moment Marissa had entered the room, Lucy had been nearly breathless from the grace and beauty of the woman. If there was ever a woman who could tempt her into bed, Marissa was the one. She had watched her approach William and felt helpless to act against her. She was confident that he would end up tongue tied just like Rock and Colt. When he treated her just like every other woman, the spell the woman was casting over Lucy was broken. She smiled and said, "Hello Marissa."

Confused, Marissa looked at William wondering if he was gay. He turned back to her and looked her in the eye. Getting down to business, he said, "Natalie and Nicole said that you might help us stop a sexual predator. Do you think you're up to the challenge?"

Incredulous at even having the question asked, Marissa looked over at Natalie open mouthed. She asked, "Is he for real?"

"Yes," Nicole answered with a grin. Turning to look at Natalie, she said, "You owe me a hundred bucks."

Amused at the side bet, Ling shook her head and said, "He's just like his fathers."

"What?" William asked looking at his mother. At the amused expression on her face, he said, "I didn't do anything."

"Don't worry about it, William. You'd never understand," Lucy said rolling her eyes.

Based on Lucy's reaction, William figured out what was going on. He turned to Marissa and said, "Please excuse my wife. She thinks every woman I meet is hitting on me."

The comment caused every woman in the room to laugh with the exception of Marissa. Looking at him as if he was an idiot, Marissa said, "I was doing my best to seduce you."

"Oh," William said. He looked down at the floor for a moment while he replayed her actions once entering the room. Still not sure, he asked, "Why?"

"Because that is what I do," she answered shaking her head. She decided that he wasn't quite right in the head. It was hard to believe that Natalie had described him as some sort of child prodigy and whiz with money. The pimpliest faced kid would figure that her attention was because he was irresistible.

"You go around seducing men?" William asked. He looked over at Lucy and asked, "How does one make a living doing that? Besides the obvious way, of course."

Lucy looked down at the table and giggled. Looking up, she noticed Natalie hitting Rock to get his attention. Nicole was doing the same thing with Colt. Ling was looking over at William and shaking her head. Marissa was staring at William with an open mouth.

Not for the first time, Ling wondered how it was that the Carter men were so blind to women's advances. She said, "Marissa is a private investigator. Seduction is a good method for investigating."

"It's an advantage in getting the information my clients want from men who are helpless when faced with an attractive woman," Marissa answered.

"Okay. I assume she's good," William said after a glance at his mother. He recalled that she had recognized the name and had been impressed that she was being brought into the operation.

Marissa leaned over the table exposing an impressive cleavage and said, "I'm the best there is."

"I imagine that you'll need some details about the man we are after," William said looking her in the eye.

Two evenings later, Professor McDonald sat in his van parked near the rear of an apartment complex watching the activity around the place. He was waiting for a woman to show up. He had seen her the day before in the student center on campus, but that was as close as he had gotten to her. She was absolutely stunning in appearance. Every thing about her appearance screamed sex. Her dress had a slit up the side that showed off perfect legs. Her blouse was loose so that one could catch glimpses of the treasures beneath it. Her long hair came down to the middle of her back. After watching her for an hour, he had followed her to this apartment complex.

A car pulled up in the parking lot by the mailboxes and the woman got out. He used a pair of binoculars to check her out. His mouth fell open as he watched her adjust her hair and then, after parting her long coat, lift her skirt to adjust her stockings. His mouth watered at the fact that she wore real stockings rather than panty hose. He had to adjust his cock inside his pants. Speaking to himself, he said, "Damn, she's hot."

The woman walked over to the mailbox and checked her mail. When she didn't find anything in it, she actually pouted. Even her pout was sexy. He watched as she made her way back to her car. He knew that she would return to her car and drive to the rear of the complex where her apartment was located. It was time for him to get ready.