Her Officer in Charge Read online

  Returning to her temporary makeup station, Bella applied a second layer of scarlet lipstick. Her foundation was pale with no blush on her cheeks, and since most people were under the mistaken impression that hypnotists used their eyes to spin their magic, her eyeliner was styled after Cleopatra. The result was striking. Thick red lips and an Egyptian cat’s eyes. Hearing the theme from the Twilight Zone, her intro music, she shot herself a confident smile, then, hurrying to open the door, she waited to hear Scott’s introduction.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourselves for a night of mysticism, hypnotism, and laughs. Please offer a warm welcome to Soraya, the Mistress of Mesmerism.”

  The applause started, and Bella strode from the bedroom, down the short hallway, through the foyer, and took center stage on the dance floor. She knew she looked striking in her long, glittering black gown emblazoned with stars and moons, and as she accepted the microphone from Scott, he gave her a wink and a nod. He always did; it was how he gave her a final boost. She began the banter, explained how the show would develop, and finished with the line that always brought a laugh.

  “If I can’t bring you out of your hypnotic state, which, yes, does happen quite often, I have a warehouse where you can join the others who are still wandering around in a daze. You’ll have plenty of company.”

  She waited for the laughter to die away, then asked for volunteers. There were twenty chairs in place, and there were more than enough people to fill them.

  As Soraya weaved her seductive web, Vince Valenti, standing at the side of the room, watched with growing admiration. She had the audience in the palm of her hand, and he found her captivating. After eliminating several people, she offered each of her remaining subjects a lemon, telling them it was the most delicious orange they’d ever eaten, and he watched, greatly amused, as the pretenders attempted to keep a straight face.

  You are something else, Bella Montgomery. I don’t believe you’re an operative, not for a minute, and I’m going to get to know you better. Someone like you doesn’t come along every day, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you drive away never to be seen again. I’ll have to wait till this breach of security is resolved, but then I’m going to pursue you, and if you reject me, so be it, but I have to try.

  The show continued, and she ended up with six excellent subjects. Among them was a man she guessed to be in his late twenties. He’d introduced himself as Bryce, and he had emerged as the star, so she chose him for one of her favorite scenes. All six subjects were slumped in their chairs, deep in their hypnotic sleep, and approaching him, she touched his shoulder.

  “Bryce, you are a famous director and I’m a reporter,” she began. “You’re going to tell me about your latest film, the name of it, and why you decided to direct it. One, two, three, open your eyes.”

  The audience was spellbound as they waited for him to respond, and behind her on the stage, standing at his sound board, Scott was ready to hit an effect or a music cue to highlight whatever Bryce might say.

  “Hi. Are you the reporter?” Bryce asked Bella the moment he opened his eyes.

  “I am, my name is Soraya. Tell me about your film.”

  “Oh, man, I’m so stoked about this movie,” he said, slapping his thigh with his hand. “I’m doing a sequel to Vixens of Venus.”

  A tittering rippled through the crowd, and Bella waited until it had died down before continuing.

  “I’m not sure I’ve heard of that film. What can you tell me about it, and why the sequel?”

  “It was the worst film ever made,” he groaned, the surprise comment adding to the chuckling from the crowd, “but it was filled with these gorgeous girls with huge tits. How can I not make a sequel?”

  Scott hit a rim-shot. It was the perfect exclamation mark, and the room fell into laughter.

  “It sounds like you’ll have your hands full,” she quipped, bringing a few smart comments from the audience.

  “Well, yeah, that’s what I’m hoping for,” he said with a wide grin, then unexpectedly began chortling and shaking his head.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “Actresses can be difficult, and there’s only one way to deal with difficult divas,” he exclaimed. “I was just wondering how many of them I’ll be lucky enough to spank.”

  Shocked at his comment, Bella hesitated, but only for a moment.

  “You could get into trouble for something like that,” she declared.

  “Only if I got caught, and I know a place where I can take them. A secret place that—”

  “Okay, Bryce,” she interrupted, “stare at your finger. Touch it to your nose and it will put you to sleep.”

  Bryce brought his finger in front of his face, touched his nose, and instantly slumped in his chair, sending the audience into hysterics. Bella had rescued the potentially embarrassing, even incriminating moment, but as her eyes scanned the room she spied Captain Valenti; he wasn’t laughing, he wasn’t even smiling.

  As the act progressed, she stole glances in his direction, and to her relief his grim expression slowly transformed into one of amusement. Ending the show with the six participants performing the Rolling Stones hit from the sixties, “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction,” the music playing in the background, the short tantalizing scene with Bryce had simply become one of the many entertaining moments of the evening.

  Leaving the room to a standing ovation, she hurried back to the dressing room, pulled off her high heels, and flopped on the couch. As usual she was exhausted, but she started giggling when she thought back to Bryce’s remark.

  “Oh, Bryce, you can spank me, I would love you to spank me. I’m starving for a spanking,” she muttered. “Who am I kidding? I wish I could indulge in casual spanking. I’m just not sure I can, but if I don’t get some attention from someone soon, I’ll lose my frickin’ mind.”

  Though the show had flowed smoothly, it had taken a great deal of effort and the room had been inordinately warm. Stumbling from the sofa, she cracked open the window, let the cool night air flow over her for a few minutes, then returned to the couch, hoping to summon the energy to take a shower. She stretched, rubbed her neck, removed her dangling rhinestone earrings and matching necklace, and was about to make a move to the bathroom when a man’s voice floated through the open window.

  “The girl was so fuckin’ hot. I’d let her hypnotize me any day.”

  “Yeah, totally. I wonder if Soraya is her real name.”

  Staying still and silent, delighted to be overhearing a conversation about herself and the show, Bella continued to listen, praying that Scott wouldn’t knock on the door.

  “Who cares? Bryce scared the crap out of me though.”

  “No shit. Did you see Vince’s face?”

  “It’s a good thing she shut him down.”

  “Yeah, if he’d said anything about our special party here tonight…”

  “Thank God, he didn’t.”

  “Bryce likes to spank girls, no biggie. Half the guys in that room feel just like we do.”

  “More than half.”

  “I’ll bet you’re right. Are you ready to go back in?”

  “Yeah, I guess. It sure got warm in there.”

  She didn’t hear them leave, but she waited a moment before walking into the bathroom and starting the shower.

  A secret society of spanking marines? Is that what they were talking about? They’re meeting here tonight? I think my prayers are being answered, and then some.

  Chapter Five

  Bella had washed off the thick makeup and shampooed the gel out of her hair, and, pulling her hairdryer from her bag, she blew out the excess water, crunched the ends, and left it at that. Dressing in jeans and a long-sleeved gray sweater, she bore no resemblance to the vamp named Soraya. As she gathered up the last of her things and zipped her gown into its garment bag, her mind began to spin.

  I have to find a way to stay here, or at least sneak back and peer through the windows. What am I saying? If I wan
t to watch, I have to be here, inside the house. I’ll bet I could creep in through the kitchen, and there’s that screen against that back wall. That’s it, that’s exactly it. Come in through the kitchen, then duck behind the screen.

  A knock on the door broke into her thoughts; opening it, she was shocked to find herself staring into the bright blue eyes of Captain Vince Valenti.

  “If you would come to my office, I need you to sign something.”

  “Uh, captain, about, uh, before,” she stammered.

  “What about it?”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. I sometimes get a bit rattled before a show. That wasn’t like me, not at all. Please accept my apology.”

  “Of course I will,” he said. Then with a grin, he added, “This time.”

  The quip took her by surprise, and, tired from the show, she didn’t have a comeback.

  “Can you come with me now?” he pressed.

  “Oh, yes,” she said hastily, wishing she didn’t feel so flustered.

  “Follow me, please.”

  “Sure.” I’ll follow you anywhere.

  As she moved down the hallway and past the room where she’d performed, she saw Scott had almost finished packing up the equipment, and the crowd was thinning.

  “This way,” Captain Valenti said, walking into a room on the opposite side of the foyer.

  Bella stared around the small study as he closed the door behind her. It was decidedly masculine, with a small brown leather couch, a few military photographs on the walls, and a dark desk with a red leather inlay taking center stage.

  “Please, sit down,” he said, pointing to the seats in front of the desk. “Thank you for putting on such an entertaining show.”

  “You’re welcome. It was fun. I had excellent subjects. I can’t do a good show without good subjects.”

  He opened a manila folder, and was retrieving a document when he paused, lifted his eyes, and stared directly at her.

  “I have to ask, how do you do it?”

  “You mean, hypnotize people?”

  “Yes, to such an extent. I’ve heard about shows like yours, but I’ve never seen one. It was… well… it was extraordinary.”

  “Thank you, I’m happy you enjoyed it. Hypnosis is just a process.”

  “What do you mean, a process?”

  “It’s a method that closes the subject’s conscious mind, leaving the subconscious mind open to suggestion. It’s not difficult. I don’t possess any kind of special power or anything. You could do it; in fact, you could do it very well.”

  “Me? Why?”

  “Because you have a natural authority, and I suspect people instinctively trust you.”

  “I noticed you were very self-possessed on that stage. Extremely confident. Is that a part of it?”

  “A very big part,” she nodded. “The subjects have to feel a degree of trust in the hypnotist, and the hypnotist has to project authority.”

  “I was impressed. I’d like to learn more about it. Perhaps there are other ways it can be used. Productive ways.”

  “There’s no perhaps about it,” she said firmly. “Hypnosis can be a powerful tool. I’m a hypnotherapist, and I’ve seen some remarkable results. The power of the mind should never be underestimated.”

  “I was truly entertained, Bella. You held my attention from the beginning to the end, and that’s not easy to do,” he said, raising his eyebrows.

  “Really? Thank you,” she smiled. “I’m delighted to hear that, and I’m also delighted to see you really are human.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Just what I said. It’s nice to finally meet the real you.”

  He stared at her, and for a moment she thought she’d crossed a line, but to her relief he smiled back and ran his hand around his neck.

  “Yeah, well, I’m a captain, I was the officer in charge of tonight’s event, and I have to keep up a certain, uh, demeanor, but, uh, if you like, you can call me Vince.”

  “Thank you,” she beamed. “I would like that. So, Vince, what do you do around here for fun?” Besides spanking naughty women?

  “This and that,” he said vaguely.

  “I noticed almost everyone is leaving. I didn’t realize I was the only attraction. Don’t they want to stick around and have a few drinks?”

  “Some close friends will stay a while longer, and speaking of everyone leaving, I have still have some folks to bid goodnight. They’ll be wondering where I am.”

  “Of course. I didn’t mean to keep you. I’ll just nip back to the room and get my things, then Scott and I will be out of your hair.”

  “Are you and he…?”

  “Scott? No, Scott is my right-hand man and a friend, nothing more.” Did you ask me that because you’re interested? Oh. My. Gosh.

  “I’d like to book you next time I plan something. We celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, all kinds of things.”

  “Yes, definitely. Just call the event planner and ask for me.”

  “What about, uh, can I call you?” he ventured, shocked that he had.

  “Sure,” she nodded. “I’d like that, and I just realized, I didn’t sign that piece of paper.”

  “Oh, goodness, what was I thinking?” he said, shaking his head and pushing the piece of paper toward her. “There, just on that dotted line, and if you want, you can jot your number on this,” he added, ripping a blank piece of paper from a lined pad he had sitting in front of him.

  “There, all signed,” she smiled, “and this is my number. Call whenever,” she said, lifting her eyes, silently begging him to waste no time.

  “I will,” he replied, standing up and moving around the desk.

  As they walked toward the door, his hand touched her back. She could feel his fingers through her sweater, and she felt an unexpected swath of goosebumps.

  “You about ready?” Scott asked as she entered the foyer.

  Having already loaded the equipment and props, he had been loitering by the office door waiting.

  “Yes, yes, I am. I just have to get my bag and gown,” she replied, starting down the hallway.

  “Before you leave,” Vince interjected, “tomorrow night we’re having some war games, and I’d like to invite you both back here to watch them.”

  “Cool,” Scott immediately exclaimed.

  “Bella? What about you?”

  “Definitely,” she nodded. Yay, I get to see you again!

  “Excellent. I’ll make sure your pass is at the gate. We should meet here around seven. It’s a far distance away.”

  “That sounds super,” Bella exclaimed. “Thanks. I’ll just go and get my things.”

  “I’ll help you,” Scott offered. “Good to meet you, Captain Valenti, and thanks again.”

  Scott hurried after Bella, who was already entering the dressing room, but as he followed her in, she didn’t pick up her bag; she sat down on the sofa.

  “Scott, close the door, would you?”

  “Yeah, sure, what’s up?”

  “I overheard a conversation earlier, two guys, outside that window,” she began.

  “What did they say? Why are you looking upset?”

  “I’m not upset,” she said hastily. “I’m just not sure how to go about this.”

  “Bella, what’s going on?” he pressed, sitting next to her.

  “Apparently there’s some kind of secret party about to start, and I want to stick around and see what it’s about,” she said slowly.

  “A secret party? Aren’t you being a bit dramatic? Besides, how can you stick around if it’s secret?” he said pointedly. “They won’t let you.”

  “Obviously, so I want you to drive me down the street and drop me off. I’ll sneak back and hang out.”

  Scott stared at her, completely incredulous at her suggestion.

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “I’m totally serious. Just drop me off. I’ll be fine.”

  “You can’t wander around the base in the middl
e of the night. What if you’re seen? You could get into all kinds of trouble, and how will you get out? The front gate is at least a mile from here, maybe more.”

  “It’s not the middle of the night and I won’t be wandering around,” she retorted. “Getting out will be easy. I’ll call you, and you can come back. Just tell the guards at the gate you left something behind.”

  “Bella, this is craziness. No, I won’t do it.”

  “Then I guess I’ll just have to walk to the gate and try to get a taxi somehow. Do you really want me to do that?”

  “Of course not,” he said, standing up and stuffing his hands in his pockets.

  “Then are you going to help me or not?”

  “This is foolish. It’s reckless, it’s nuts, you know that, right?”

  “No arguments from me, but I still want to do it.”

  “Come on, let’s go,” he said brusquely.

  She picked up her garment bag and large purse, Scott grabbed her small suitcase, and they headed down the hallway. As they passed the main room, she glanced in and saw the sexy captain chatting with two other officers, one of whom was Bryce. Slowing her step, she noticed several couples still sitting on the couches, and it appeared they weren’t going anywhere.

  Huh. They must be part of the secret group. Maybe I won’t have to hang around too long after all. I wish I could just hide out in that dressing room, but I can’t. Someone might come in to use it.

  “Bella, what are you doing?” Scott asked impatiently, holding the front door open.

  “Sorry, Scott, nothing. I’m coming,” she replied, moving quickly to join him.

  “This really is a very bad idea,” he grumbled as they climbed into the car.

  “Stop fussing,” she retorted.

  “You are one stubborn girl, you know that?”

  “Yeah, well, it’s how God made me.”

  Pushing a button to raise the convertible top, he pulled away from the curb, and had driven only a short distance when Bella insisted he stop. He did, but he power-locked the doors.

  “What are you doing?” she demanded. “Scott, unlock the door!”