Thanks again, Lisa!

Moans and sobbing breaths echoed through the room, mixing with the crackling of the logs in the fireplace, and the faint howling of the wind outside. Rita moved beneath him, lost in the throes of passion, and then the glittering blackness of release. Chris collapsed on top of her, replete with satisfaction. His head pillowed on her breasts, her arms wrapped around his sweaty back, they lay for a long while, too caught up in their feelings to spoil the moment with mere words.

Rita lazily moved one hand up his back, savoring the feel of his skin beneath her fingertips. She tenderly wove her fingers through his hair and sighed.

At her touch, Chris groaned softly, " I love you, but you' re killing me, Rita."

She smiled, pleased with the power she held over him, "Is that so?" her voice was husky with desire. " Tell me more.

He turned to his side, bringing her with him. Nose to nose, he whispered, " Tell me you love me first,"he commanded.

" I love you," Rita breathed into his mouth, "Satisfied?" her hand wandered down his chest, to his stomach." Oh, yeah," he sighed, almost prayerfully. "I never-dreamed it could be- like this- for us," he punctuated his words with tender kisses.

" I thought you HAD dreamed about us making love," she teased, moving her hand lower." I know I have" she offered shyly.

" Really? See, I KNEW you were lying when you said you hadn't " Chris laughed indulgently.

His breath caught in his throat, as their kisses became lustier, her hand moved even lower. " Reality is better than any old dream," he gasped.

"Very true," Rita' s eyes darkened as she took control of the seduction. She pushed him onto his back, and straddled his thighs. Their hands were clasped; eyes locked together in the flickering light.

She was a goddess, an angel, Chris thought as he looked at her. Her chestnut curls fell loosely past her shoulders, hopelessly tangled. The body that rose above him was perfectly exquisite, and flushed with desire. He tried to free his hands, so he could touch her breasts, stroke her soft damp skin, but she shook her head.

"No" she whispered, pressing her lips to each of his fingertips, then nibbling slowly.

"You' ll get your chance." Rita looked down at Chris, realizing that this was no dream; he was real, their love was real. She touched him and kissed him and savored every part of him, learning all the secret things that made him crazy, whispering all the loving phrases that she'd never dared. Carried away by her exploration, she finally let Chris's hands roam over her, bringing them both to the brink of erotic madness.

Chris was begging, " Rita" Now!"

She moved just a little, and they were joined intimately, racing to a place that made dreams pale in comparison. Dawn was breaking when they fell into a deep, sated sleep, limbs and bodies tangled together.

The trill of a cellular phone was the first thing that intruded on Rita' s awareness. She buried her face in Chris chest, and murmured something unintelligible.

Chris merely grunted and tightened his arms around her. Still, the annoying sound continued." Make it stop" she sighed, pulling the covers over her ears. As if in response to her command, the phone stopped ringing. The lovers drifted back to sleep.

Fifteen minutes later, the phone next to their bed disturbed them. Rita, still in a fog, groped for the offending instrument. Voice raspy, she croaked, " This better be life or death," into the receiver.

" Is that how your mother taught you to answer the phone?"Harry' s voice boomed into her ear. " Do you KNOW what time it is?"

"Gee, Dad, nice to hear your voice, too," Rita tried to shake herself awake, and squinted at the bedside clock. " Um, it' s about 11:00 here" she yawned.

" Chris looked at her, puzzled. " Cap," she mouthed silently.

" Oh," he whispered, more alert now.

"Eleven o -what are you still doing in bed?" even Chris heard THAT.

He took the receiver from Rita, and teased, " Now, what do married people do in bed at eleven o' clock in the morning, ESPECIALLY when they' re celebrating their anniversary? We' re trying to make you a grandfather."

Rita gasped, partly in shock, and partly because Chris had dropped the phone, searching for that sensitive spot behind her ear.

Cap mentally counted to ten and thought, You' d better NOT be doing that, or you're finished as partners. What he said aloud was, "That' s terrific, really. But I thought this was a working vacation. You know, club-hopping by night, skiing by day, acquiring new suppliers for our " business"

Rita cleared her throat, and found the receiver. " The weather was awful last night, so we checked out the things the hotel had to offer," she tried to keep her voice steady, as Chris pulled back the covers, and started nibbling at her breasts, his hand roaming between her thighs.

"And what did you find out?" Cap' s voice was impatient.

Rita tried in vain to push Chris away, and he laughed silently into her belly. She cleared her throat, " Really, we' re just getting started, but we have a few good leads, based on the background we had previously."

Well, hurry up and solve this," Harry said grumpily. " You two are needed back here. And tell your "husband" for me to stop fooling around. Work, GO! This is NOT just a paid vacation!"

"I\r' ll tell him that, Dad. Bye!" She nearly dropped the phone as Chris continued to seduce her. "No fair!" she moaned, swiping at him with a pillow. " Making him a grandfather?"

" Hey, I was just making it up as I went along," Chris was panting as he moved over her.

Rita arched to meet him, her protests forgotten, " Oh, Sam!"she called out\" They lay together, reluctant to get out of bed. Chris smiled and brushed his fingers through her hair, " I'm so glad you' re here."

Rita pressed a kiss into his palm, " Where else would I be?"she countered.

"I was afraid" Chris paused, embarrassed. " I was afraid you' d have regrets and leave.

" I see," Rita said softly. Her eyes were anxious, and he recognized that very fear of rejection immediately.

"So are YOU sorry?" Her eyes cast downward.

" No, God, no!" Chris pulled her close, her face within an inch of his. "I just-maybe I pushed you into something you weren' t ready for. I' ve been in love with you for so long, I just couldn' t wait anymore. Rita, no matter what, you' re my best friend first. I can't bear it if being lovers ruins us."

A tender smile curved her face, " Dear sweet Christopher," she whispered, tears gathering in her eyes. " As you said, I' m still here. And by the way, did you hear me scream in protest?" she teased.

" Well, you did scream once or twice," he laughed,"but I don ' t think you were protesting, were you, sweetheart?"

Not at all," she grinned, a blush staining her cheeks.

One hour, and a long, steamy shower later, the detectives focused on the business at hand. They lunched at one of the bistros in Vail Valley recommended by their ever-helpful concierge, David. Quite by accident, they ran into the Demmings, the couple they' d met the night before. This time, three small children and an older woman accompanied their new acquaintances.

Celia spotted Michael and Lisa and waved at them, " Come meet the tribe!"she invited.

The Bennetts' strolled over and were introduced to Jack, Jr., 6, Laura, 4, and Betsy, 2 "And this is our nanny, Marilyn," Celia added.

" This is our LIFESAVER, Marilyn," Jack laughed heartily.

The Demmings said they were taking the kids to Golden Peak that afternoon to ski. The weather had cleared up beautifully, and it was a perfect day to hit the slopes.

"Aren' t they a little young to be skiing?"Chris indicated the children, who were busily eating ice cream.

"Oh, no," Jack replied." They have a place especially for children, kind of like Disneyland on skis. There's lots of supervision for the kids, while the adults can have their own fun. Why don' t you come out with us?"

"Sweetheart?"Rita consulted her husband.

" Sure,"Chris agreed. " But let" s make sure we're back in time to party tonight."

"Sounds like a plan," a smile curved Rita' s face. " We' d love to go!"

The detectives didn' t know it, but they'd passed their first test. Jack and Celia excused themselves to go to the restroom, but actually, they were in a remote corner of the foyer, making a call on their cell phone. " Yeah, David, it 's all set up," Jack said quietly, pretending to smooth a strand of hair from Celia' s face. " What? Did you check them out? Any calls to their room? " There was a pause. " Palm Beach? Uh-huh. Will have to ask them about that. What else did you find out?"

There was a long pause as the concierge gave Jack the results of the background check on the Bennetts.

Celia was nervous, urging Jack to cut their call short. After he broke the connection, her eyes hardened, and she scarcely resembled the laughing young mother she was in the restaurant, " Well, do they look like good prospects?"

Jack pocketed his phone, and steered her back to the table, " The best-seem to have connections in Palm Beach, even," he said into her ear.

" Celia' s eyes widened, " Oh, that is definitely promising,"she commented, smiling at their newest " recruits".

The two couples spent the afternoon on the slopes, laughing and cutting up. For all of Celia's protestations that she' d missed her children, she scarcely mentioned them all afternoon; Marilyn and the ski instructors had been entrusted with the younger Demmings' care.

It puzzled Rita, and she asked Chris about it as they got ready to go out that night. She was clad in a pale green and ivory silk robe, and tried to select an outfit to wear that evening. " Chris, do you suppose that' s how rich people parent their kids? Hire a nanny to raise them?"

He came up behind her, and fiddled with the tie on her robe. Nuzzling her ear, he murmured, "Not all of them. What brought this on?" He succeeded in unknotting the tie, and slid his hands over her belly.

She sighed, watching him in the full length mirror, " Stop that, or we won' t get anywhere tonight."But she tipped her head back and kissed him. She turned in his arms, and tugged at his short dark hair.

" Ouch!"he protested.

"Celia and Jack. All she talked about last night was how she couldn' t wait to see her kids. And today, they'd been here, what? A few hours? And they were dumped on the nanny and ski instructors. I think it' s weird." Rita dodged his grasp, and let the robe fall to the floor. " Don' t you think so?"

But Chris was more interested in the sight of Rita, clad in lace bra and panties, and sheer silk stockings, than the Demmings' parenting practices. He took a step towards her, eyes darkening with need. "All I think is that you are in terrible danger,"he said ominously.

She held him at arms' length, quickly pulling on a navy blue velvet dress. " Zip me up, please."

" Rita, you're no fun at all," he whined, giving her his best puppy-dog look, but complying with her request.

She put her arms around his neck and ran her tongue in his ear, "Funny, that' s not what you said last night.

He growled in dismay, but played along, ' So, you' re wondering if the Demmings are the married couple that distributes the uh-chemicals?"

"Very good, Sam," she purred."You ARE paying attention."

"Hey, my cop instincts are unflagging, just like you always said. Along with my OTHER instincts"he breathed against her lips.

"Down, boy," Rita panted, "Or we' ll never leave this room tonight." Tell me why this is a bad thing," he tugged at the zipper on her dress.

She playfully slapped his hands away, " Because we are here to WORK, remember? Bust some drug dealers. Catch some bad guys."

" Oh, yeah,"he sighed.

"But I make you a solemn promise," Rita gave him an erotic kiss. " I will make it worth your while later."

Chris held her body tight to his, and whispered, " What about right now?"

"Read my lips: LATER,"she laughed, enjoying this little game. " But what about the Demmings?" She asked, as Chris slid her coat over her shoulders.

" Look, Rita, just because they don' t pay much attention to their kids, doesn' t make them criminals. Anna and Benny raised me with nannies, and look how good I turned out!"

He teased, putting his own coat on.

" But they DO fit the profile," Rita insisted.

Chris sighed, "You know, you have a one-track mind sometimes."

She cast him a naughty look over her shoulder, as she swept out the door, " I could say the same about YOU, darlin" she drawled.

Their laughter carried down the hall, falling on some very interested ears. Eric Russell shook his head, as he observed Chris and Rita from behind a pillar. The two were locked in a passionate embrace, as they waited for the elevator, looking like lovers, to anyone watching. Well, why should he be surprised? Lorenzo always DID come first with Rita. It was that bastard's fault he never got to see Rita or talk to her after the bust in the warehouse. She had been rushed to the hospital, and Eric never found out why. Chris had blocked every attempt Eric made to see or talk to Rita, and the thought still burned him up. Ever the protective partner, Eric sneered, turning the other direction. He' d better go talk to the other party in this matter, the one who was gonna see to it that the detectives from Palm Beach were parted for good, this time.

Jillian looked up sharply from her laptop, as Eric strode into her suite. " Don' t you ever knock?"she asked acidly.

"No, I just pick the locks," Eric said, stretching out on the couch.

" Hey, don' t get too comfortable," she slammed the portable computer shut, and stood up. " You' re just the hired help here, and you' re supposed to be following them," her tone was haughty.

" Well, I already know where they' re going,"he smirked. "Beaver Creek, to that mountaintop restaurant. Doesn't THAT sound romantic?" he said sarcastically. " Then they' re going club-hopping, with their new best friends, the Demmings."

"Well, then that' s where WE' RE going,"she insisted.

"I still think it' s too risky-we don' t want to tip our hand just yet," Eric was troubled.

Jillian was cold, "The longer we wait, the less my chances of getting Chris back. It has been MONTHS-I am sick of waiting. You promised me results-and I want them now!"She took a hard look at her co-conspirator. " Is there something you're not telling me?"

Eric sat up and carefully considered his next words, "We may have a development we didn' t plan on. I think this husband-and-wife cover may not be an act."

Jillian ridiculed him, " They' re not married, I already checked that out."

"I slipped the maid a monetary incentive this afternoon, and she let me in their suite. Trust me on this, they do more than sleep in that bed" Eric' s words hit Jillian like a slap.

Speechless with anger, she grabbed her coat, and practically ran from the suite, Eric at her heels. He tried to calm his mercurial benefactor down, and finally succeeded. Jillian agreed to wait for Chris and Rita to exit the Centennial Express after dinner, and then tail them as they night-clubbed in the Valley.

Chris and Rita enjoyed their dinner immensely, but much of their conversation focused on the work ahead of them tonight. Their primary goal was to identify, with some certainty, the main movers in the " chemical distribution."The concierge, David, was high on their list of suspects. The Demmings were next, and they hoped to meet other couples on the list Shelby had sent in the case file. What they were blissfully unaware of, was that Eric had managed to obtain and copy said file, and so had all the info as well. His motives for obtaining the data were less than honorable.

Jillian nudged Eric as "the Bennetts"got into their Lexus, and wound their way down the snowy highway. Darkness covered the conspirators as they followed, and parked near the first club.

Rita spotted Celia almost immediately, and waved in recognition. She tugged at Chris's arm, and pointed out their new friends across the dance floor.

But Chris was distracted for just a moment, as he glimpsed a familiar profile. Over the din of the band, Chris urged her to join the other couple, " I' ll be back in a minute. Going to the little boys' room.

She smiled, " Sure, just don' t be too long!"

He smiled back, trying to ignore the sudden worry that pricked at him, " I promise" he gave her an intense kiss, then found his way to the mens room.

Rita shook her head, and joined the Demmings. An unexpected guest at their table was their friendly neighborhood concierge, David. "Lisa" tried to cover her surprise, and offered him a cool look. " Do you always mingle with the guests at your establishment?"

Jack laughed, " Boy, Mike was right-you CAN be a snob sometimes."

Rita managed to smile, " Blame my parents. Sorry.

"It' s okay" David smiled back, but inwardly resented kissing up to these spoiled trust fund babies. " So, where did your parents raise such a snobby little girl?"

"New York, London, and then a Swiss finishing school,\" Rita replied, sensing her answers were a test. " They retired to Palm Beach about five years ago, from the oil business."

"So, how did you meet Michael?" Celia asked.

"In Charleston,"Rita laughed. " I was working for my father, and Michael was working for his father' s chemical company. Anyhow, there was hot competition for a takeover, and both our dads wanted this little company in South Carolina."

"Who won the takeover?" Jack was curious.

Rita shook her head, " Neither one. Michael and I took one look at each other, and eloped the next night." She grinned at the "memory", " Our poor families were so shocked, they abandoned the takeover."

Laughter rang out at their table, but Rita was beginning to worry where Chris was.

Chris was, at the moment, glaring at Jillian in the parking lot outside. "What the hell are you doing here?" His tone was colder than the wind that whipped through the valley.

I'm on vacation," she smiled charmingly. " I' m certainly surprised to see you here-always thought this wasn' t your scene."

" Rita and I are here WORKING, undercover," He grabbed her arm, and hissed into her ear, angry.

Jillian glanced over Chris' shoulder, and saw Eric, a short distance away, watching the two warily. Her eyes flashed, and the sweet expression was gone, "Oh, really, I wouldn' t have GUESSED," she spat out the words. "How is DEAR Rita?"

Something in her expression startled Chris. Her contempt seemed to go beyond simple jealousy, and she bore no resemblance to the kind, dignified woman he once cared for so much. Chris also knew that his first priority was to protect their cover. He couldn' t let this complication blow it, and possibly cost them their lives. He opted for a pleading tone, " Rita is fine, but this is a pretty involved case. We' re working with the Feds on this, and we' re just learning all the players. I would love to get together with you and tell you all about it, when the case is wrapped up." He gave her his best puppy-dog look, praying that no one was seeing or hearing this conversation.

Jillian seemed to relax a bit, "You mean you' d come visit me in Boston?"

"Absolutely! I' m so rude, I never asked you. Do you like it there?" Chris cast a furtive look around the dark parking lot.

"I do, I just miss you," her voice was plaintive.

" I miss you, too," but the words were perfunctory, and Jillian knew it. Chris kissed her cheek, and said quickly, " Thanks for being such a good sport about this. See ya!" and he ducked back into the club.

" You certainly will," she smiled cruelly, beckoning Eric from his hiding place.

Chris hurried to their table, and pressed a cold kiss into Rita' s shoulder, " Miss me?"

She shivered and laughed," Jeez, Michael, did you go back to the men's s room at the hotel? I was getting ready to send a search party!" But her eyes locked with his, anxious.

"Sorry, sweetheart,"he sat next to her, and ordered a beer. "I remembered I had to call Dad about a chemical shipment. I used the phone in the car."

Celia picked up on that, " Yeah, Lisa was just telling us that' s how you met.

Chris exchanged a glance with Rita, and grinned, " Yeah, she couldn\' t wait to get her hands on me."

Rita ran her hand up his thigh, "Oh that' s not how I remember it! You see, he promised me he' d show me the world, the moon and the stars,but nothing was said about a commitment. I told him all that sounded wonderful, but I wasn' t that kind of girl. So, he proposed. We found a minister before Mike could change his mind, and we were married in Battery Park the next evening!"

Jack had another question as the merriment died down, "What kind of chemicals does your company manufacture?"

"Uh, mostly industrial cleaners and solvents, but we do have a pharmaceutical division in Canada. Dad expanded into that just after Lisa and I married. As a wedding present, he made me head of the division in Toronto."Chris grinned at Rita, " The most profitable by far of our wedding presents, wasn' t it, darling?"

"Yes, it was," she beamed at him."Hey, enough talk about us. Let' s hit the dance floor!" She pulled Chris from his chair.

The Demmings, the Bennetts, and David were joined at the second club by David' s girlfriend, Marisa, and by the Johnsons' , a couple in their late forties, with distinctly Texas drawls. As they danced to a slow, jazzy version of " When A Man Loves a Woman," Chris breathed into Rita's ear, 'You were right, this is our " in"!

She grasped his butt with one hand, while massaging his neck with the other, I' m ALWAYS right, sweetheart. What was that phone call business? We just checked in with Shelby before we left the hotel," she murmured against his lips, nibbling at them.

"Just a little problem, but I solved it," Chris groaned. " Will you stop that? I' m about ready to drag you out to the car and ravish you."

" Uh-uh-not yet,' she whispered in his ear." What kind of problem?" Rita' s forehead creased with concern.

"I'll tell you later, but it' s no big deal, I swear," he rubbed his nose against hers.

"You' d BETTER tell me," she sighed, as they moved slowly around the dance floor.

By the fourth club, Rita and Chris were wondering if they were on the right track. They quietly debated whether they should call it a night, when Jack and Celia came up to them and suggested they return to the hotel for a nightcap.

Disguising their excitement, " the Bennetts" agreed. In a private dining room off the lobby, Celia pulled a vial out of her purse.

"We're in the chemical business, too, and we were wondering if you had any interest in this?"

Jack was watching their reactions carefully, while keeping one eye on the door," Did we misunderstand you?"

Chris cleared his throat, and took the vial from Celia's hand, "Not at all. We have a great interest. Our company is always looking for new suppliers and opportunities to expand production. What do you think, Lisa?"

Rita smiled, " I think we can work with them," extending her hand to Celia, while Jack shook Chris's hand, sealing the deal.

"Keep the sample, free of charge. Try it out, see what you think,"Celia offered a spoon, a syringe, and lighter."We stand by our products' she added proudly.

Chris and Rita looked at each other, wondering how they were going to handle THIS.

So ends Part 3! How WILL our detectives handle this little situation? And, what of those pesky troublemakers, Eric and Jillian? What do you suppose they' re up to? For these answers and more, keep watching Lisa' s site for " Friends, Lovers, and Liars, part 4!"

Lorry