Courting Suspicion. Kimberly Dean

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СКАЧАТЬ around the corner.

      Sienna was hot on her heels. ‘Are you OK? What did he want?’

      ‘More importantly, what does he know?’ Rielle asked.

      Nina carefully mopped up her spill with a napkin from the holder on the table. ‘He suspects too much. He just has no proof.’

      ‘That’s good, isn’t it?’ Sienna asked.

      ‘Mmmm,’ Rielle hummed worriedly. She was involved with a man who worked in the shadows. She knew better than anyone that it wasn’t good to arouse that kind of person’s curiosity.

      Josh wasn’t that different from Darien, in a lot of ways. He was just more conscious of what was right and what was wrong. Did he even see the shades of grey between the two?

      Nina felt her coffee settling in her gut like a witch’s brew. She’d disappointed him; she knew she had. It had been a long time since she’d cared what anybody else thought, but this? It hurt.

      She brushed her hand across her cheek. He’d called her a knockout.

      Images from her dream returned. It seemed as if it had been ages ago rather than hours, but the ache was even more intense after seeing him … and feeling that snap in the air between them … She crossed her legs and bit her lip. He’d looked so tired. There had been dark circles beneath his eyes, and his five o’clock shadow had been rough and sexy. When she’d first seen him, her immediate impulse had been to take him home and take care of him. In every way possible …

      In every way a madam could …

      She closed her eyes. She couldn’t let him find out the worst, no matter how much guilt pulled at her. That would only seal his opinion of her and put her in an even worse spot. She needed to protect Genieve, Sienna, Rielle, Mr Howard and the rest of her staff. ‘It’s war room time.’

      They needed to develop a strategy. They needed to get on top of this early.

      Her cheeks heated. Pun strictly unintended.

      She gathered up the sopping napkin and threw it away in the trashcan under the sink. She rinsed her hands and patted them dry. ‘Rielle, please lock the door to the offices and have Security let us know if any visitors arrive.’

      There shouldn’t be any – at least none she wanted to see. She’d already cleared her schedule for the day.

      ‘Sienna, could you please turn on the television and check if the local channels are reporting anything yet?’ There had been nothing on the national morning news shows. She’d missed the early news because she’d been out, taking care of an important task.

      Sienna crossed the room and turned on the flatscreen TV that hung on the wall. The tall blonde flipped through channels and muted the sound when she found nothing pertinent to their situation. ‘I haven’t seen anything about the senator. I can’t believe they’re not reporting the hotel break-in yet.’

      Haynes had gotten on it early.

      ‘It’s inevitable,’ Nina said, her voice steady.

      They just needed to be ready to react when it did.

      With a sigh, Sienna took an orange from the fruit basket and a plate from the cupboard. She sat in the seat where Josh had just been and began to peel the fruit. ‘I’ve changed the pick-up and drop-off points to the back-up location tonight, as you requested. If anyone arrives here, Security will redirect them.’

      ‘Good.’ Nina glanced out the window at the DC skyline. The morning was bright and sunny, much too pretty for the ugly machinations they were going through. But that was DC now, wasn’t it? All the grit and grime of the city were hidden behind the pomp and circumstance. ‘Hopefully nobody will be followed.’

      Rielle returned and poured herself a glass of water from the filtered pitcher in the refrigerator. ‘Security says they haven’t seen any reporters.’

      The office manager’s expression turned rueful. ‘Your detective has been the only cop.’

      Her detective.

      She’d told him it couldn’t work between them.

      ‘Let’s keep it that way.’ Nina hooked her hair behind her ear. Her hand was steadier. She needed to keep busy. She needed to stay one step ahead. ‘Other than Morgan’s curiosity, Genieve’s place of work should be just a footnote to this whole story.’

      ‘Unless the reporters’ claims about her being a callgirl get out,’ Sienna warned.

      Nina’s back teeth ground. To call those two reporters was being generous. She’d looked into them. They were GWU dropouts trying to make a go of it as an Internet company. ‘She’s not a callgirl. She’s an escort. There’s a difference.’

      Rielle lifted an eyebrow. ‘In this case, there isn’t.’

      ‘Not any more.’ Despite what the detective had implied, it wasn’t illegal for people to pay others to spend time with them. It was only when sex entered the picture that things got murky. Things between Senator Gunderson and Genieve had definitely been murky, but that exclusive contract she’d had under lock and key was now a pile of ashes fertilising the fern in the lobby.

      It had taken all of her willpower not to destroy the rest of the company’s exclusive contracts along with it, but those contracts were the lifeblood of Luxxor. They provided money, power, and – most importantly – leverage. She’d built her business on them. She couldn’t throw it all away now.

      She looked at Rielle. ‘Have you contacted all our exclusive clients?’

      ‘There are only a few I haven’t been able to reach yet. I’ve reminded them all of the requirement to keep the agreements in a safe location.’

      ‘Any pushback?’

      ‘No.’

      ‘And Gunderson’s copy?’

      ‘Brody’s already gotten rid of it.’ Rielle swept her long hair over her shoulder. ‘It seemed like he and Genieve were fighting about that, though.’

      ‘Why?’ Nina’s antenna rose. They needed that contract to be gone, and they couldn’t jeopardise that relationship. Without Haynes, they would be in a much worse situation than they already were.

      ‘He wants to know where other exclusive contracts might be so he can take care of them, too. Genieve won’t tell him.’

      The escort only knew of a handful, but Brody wouldn’t know that.

      ‘Hm. Good girl,’ Nina murmured. She’d never seen the cheery redhead fight with anyone. She usually cajoled and charmed her way out of situations. If this had to happen, Genieve was probably the best escort she had to handle the situation. If the woman could keep Haynes in check, too, that would be ideal.

      Nina returned to her chair and stroked her finger along the coffee mug’s handle. ‘All right. I’m comfortable that we’ve done everything we can do for the company’s current needs. What we need to focus on is that tip that was phoned in to the pretend reporters.’

      She СКАЧАТЬ