by Zara Chase
“Wonder how she got into catering,” Pascal said, almost to himself.
“I can answer that one, too,” Vadim replied. “Instead of going on to university, or the equivalent of our college, she went to a specialist catering college. She graduated top of her class and was taken on as a commis chef in a London restaurant run by a celebrity chef. She lasted two years, did well, and then quit for no apparent reason. She started up on her own three years ago and is steadily making a name for herself.”
“And her personal life?” Kai asked. “Any significant other for us to concern ourselves with?”
“She isn’t linked with any particular man.” Vadim frowned. “In fact, I couldn’t find her associated with any men at all.”
“She’s not famous, so why would her private life be splashed all over the Internet?” Kai asked defensively.
“Hey, I’m just telling you what I did and didn’t find out about her,” Vadim said easily. “She’s never been married and has no kids. I saw a few pictures of her online from her earlier days, at swim meetings, graduating catering college, stuff like that, and she certainly stood out in a crowd. Funny thing is, all the articles written about her since then, including those promoting her own business, don’t show any shots of her.”
“She’s camera shy, poor baby,” Kai said.
“Well, you’d know more about that than I do.”
“You never cease to amaze me, Vadim,” Pascal said.
Vadim laughed. “Sometimes I amaze myself. Talking of which, I took a peek around the lady’s room while she was swimming this afternoon.”
“Aw, that wasn’t nice,” Kai chided, his face breaking out into a broad grin. “What did you find?”
“Her taste in clothes needs some work. No, make that a lot of work.”
“We know!”
“She reads trashy romantic novels, her cup size is 34D—”
“A perfect handful,” Kai said, sighing. “Is her underwear as bad as the rest of her clothes?”
Vadim grinned. “I’ll let you be the judges of that.”
“Don’t hold out on us now, man,” Pascal entreated. “This is need-to-know stuff.”
“Okay then, your Nicole is a lady of two parts. The part she lets the world see in drab clothes, sensible shoes, and glasses she doesn’t need. They’re plain glass,” Vadim added when Pascal and Kai stared at him. “And then there’s what I assume is the real Nicole, whose romantic nature manifests itself in her reading material and sexy lingerie.”
“Amen!” Kai said, rolling his eyes.
“So, she keeps that side of her character under wraps,” Pascal said, rubbing his chin in thoughtful contemplation. “Which means it’s down to us to figure out why and to persuade her to release it.”
“Yep, I guess,” Vadim agreed. “And that’s all I can tell you about the lovely Nicole Fox.”
“Thanks, Vadim,” Pascal said. “You’ve given us something to work with.”
“Hell if I know what,” Kai groused when Vadim had left them. “And we’re no nearer to knowing why Charlie invested in our fund, or what his connection to Impulse might or might not be.”
“All in good time, buddy, all in good time.” Pascal slapped Kai’s shoulder. “We know a lot more about Nicole than we did an hour ago. Come on, we need to get dressed. We’ve got a hot date tonight.”
* * * *
Back in her room, Nicole spent a long time under the shower, washing the salt from her skin. Getting rid of the feel of Pascal’s strong arms lifting her from the ocean like she weighed nothing at all would take a lot longer. She’d objected to being touched automatically, but amazingly she hadn’t minded when Pascal and Kai touched her. One of Pascal’s hands had brushed against her breast and taken its own sweet time letting go. Nicole blamed her breathlessness for not protesting in the way she normally would.
Much as she hated to admit it, resting her head on his broad shoulder, being held against his lean torso, and feeling his well-defined muscles working as he bore her weight had felt comforting. They clearly believed she was in difficulties and had come to her rescue with the best of intentions. When had anyone other than her grandfather last put her welfare first?
It made her feel warm all over to think of the way the guys had tried to save her, and ashamed of the acerbic way in which she’d thanked them. But it was so long since Nicole had gone with her instincts that she no longer knew how to react naturally. That’s what came of playing a part. Of wrapping her feelings in a tight cocoon so no one could hurt her ever again.
Hell, this was getting complicated. She was here to undercover her grandfather’s secrets, not resolve her personal neuroses.
She exited the shower stall, wondering whether or not to keep her dinner date with the guys. No, not a date, she reminded herself, but a business dinner. If she kept thinking of it in that light she’d get through it.
What to wear? The guys had seen her wearing not very much at all. She’d felt their eyes boring into her back as she’d walked up the beach. She’d have run if she could, anything to escape their intense scrutiny, but the air was too thin. She was tired after her long swim, she was out of practice, and it was all she could do to walk through what felt like a suffocating fog without slowing her pace.
For the first time in years, Nicole longed to wear the fashionable sort of clothes she’d once adored. The sort of thing that boosted her confidence and made her feel good about herself. She wasn’t prepared to take the risk, knowing she’d only live to regret it. Someone would get hurt. Someone always seemed to suffer when she strove to be herself. She, of all people, ought to know that. Besides, fashionable garments no longer formed part of her wardrobe.
Nicole pulled a long, shapeless caftan from the closet and slipped it over her head. It looked even worse on her than it did on the hanger. Never mind. At least her ruinously expensive underwear reminded her how it felt to be feminine. No one knew about it except her, so she felt safe about her guilty secret. The only person who could mock her for her vanity was herself. She pulled her hair into a bun so tight that it made her eyes water, didn’t even think about makeup, and slipped her hated glasses into place.
“There,” she said to herself, examining her reflection and wincing. “That ought to put paid to Pascal’s wandering hands.”
She waited in the hotel’s reception area, losing herself amongst a smattering of other guests clutching predinner drinks and exchanging exaggerated stories about their respective abilities to breathe the thin air. No one seemed to notice Nicole, which was just the way she liked it. Janine, the owner of the establishment, tried to strike up a conversation with her, but Nicole didn’t want to talk to anyone. Her monosyllabic answers eventually drove Janine back to the reception desk and Nicole was left alone with her thoughts.
Bang on seven o’clock, Pascal and Kai strode into the lobby, looking devastating in sculpted-on jeans that showcased impressive bulges in the crotch area. Their white dress shirts were open at the throat, sleeves rolled back to display strong, tanned forearms roped with muscles. Several female heads turned to follow their progress with open admiration. The guys didn’t seem to notice. Presumably they were used to the impression they made. Nicole actually heard a couple of women gasp when Pascal stopped in front of her and smiled.
“They must be related,” she heard one woman say to another. “Why else would they bother with such a frump?”
“Hey,” Pascal said with a lazy smile that lit his eyes and elevated his rugged features from merely handsome to knock-out status. “Hope your swim didn’t tire you out.”
“I don’t tire.”
“Of course you don’t.” Kai took her hand, brushed his lips over the back of it, and released it again before she could protest. She waited for revulsion to kick in. For once it didn’t happen. Instead her skin, where he’d made contact with it, sizzled and burned. So did the rest of her. This was not an auspicious start. Nicole always had to be in control and right now she felt more out of her d
epth than she had been during her long afternoon’s swim in the Mexican Gulf. “Hungry?”
“As it happens, I am.”
“Good. Then we know just the place.”
They each offered her an arm. She was about to refuse when she saw the spiteful woman glancing at her again, an amused smile playing about her lips, as though she was trying to decide whether or not to rescue Pascal and Kai. She probably looked upon it as an act of mercy, which made Nicole’s mind up. Something inside her rebelled. Whatever the guys’ reason for doing so, they were going out of their way to make her feel comfortable. It would be churlish to throw their efforts back in their handsome faces. It wouldn’t kill her to be sociable for once, just so long as she didn’t lose sight of her reason for being here. But that would never happen.
She could do this. She absolutely could.
Tossing her head, she placed a hand on each of their arms and allowed herself to be swept from the lobby between two gorgeous specimens of male beauty. Janine smiled at them all and wished Nicole a pleasant evening. Nicole smiled right back and said she’d do her best.
The guys had a golf cart right outside the hotel and ushered her into it.
“An unusual mode of transportation,” she remarked.
“Not around these parts it isn’t,” Pascal replied, sliding behind the wheel. “Haven’t you noticed how light the traffic is?”
“Yes, actually I wondered about that.”
“We’re a small spit of land,” Kai said. “Those who can breathe the air walk. Those who can’t stick to air-conditioned hotels or get about in one of these.”
A cool breeze peppered her face as Pascal drove the cart the few hundred yards to the Cat’s Whiskers. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d taken a vacation and it was difficult not to slip into a holiday mood in this relaxed corner of paradise. She would have to make sure she didn’t relax too much and lose sight of the fact that this community possibly used dirty tricks to attract Gramps to their hedge fund.
With that sobering thought in mind, Nicole climbed out of the cart as soon as Pascal pulled up in the parking lot of the Cat’s Whiskers, the same place where Nicole had parked earlier in the day.
“This is the hub of Impulse society,” Kai explained, attempting to take her arm. She shook his hand off and he made out like it was no big deal. “Nothing goes on in this community that isn’t known about in here.”
“Which is Kai’s way of warning you that all the locals know you’re here, and why.”
“You told them?” she asked accusingly. “This is supposed to be a private matter between us. I don’t want the whole world knowing my business.”
“Nothing stays private for long in Impulse. Don’t you have small towns in England?”
“Yes, but—”
“You want to find out if your grandfather knew anyone here in Impulse who might have persuaded him to invest with us. We can’t answer that question, but some of the older residents might remember something.”
“Yes, I suppose they might.” She swallowed. “Sorry.”
“Apology accepted.”
Pascal pushed the door to the bar open, chuckling as if he understood how hard it was for her to ever apologize about anything, even when she was in the wrong. She’d been falsely accused in the past—accusations made through a combination of jealousy and spite—and had apologized, even though she was the wronged party. She’d vowed never to make that mistake again, even if it meant keeping the rest of the world at arm’s length.
The waterside bar with a spectacular view over the Intracoastal was packed. Conversations stalled and everyone turned toward them when they walked in. Nicole froze. They were all looking at her. Panic welled up as old memories flooded her mind. Memories she thought she’d managed to bury forever. People judging her by her appearance and planning to manipulate her because beautiful people ruled the world, regardless of their abilities. That couldn’t possibly be why these people were staring because she made sure there was nothing about her to attract attention anymore. So deep-seated was Nicole’s paranoia that it was sometimes hard for her to remember that.
She couldn’t do this after all. She had nothing to prove to anybody, and no one she needed to answer to. She’d go back to her hotel and meet with the guys at their offices in the morning. That would be a lot safer.
Pascal gently touched her elbow, as though he intuitively understood her anxiety, and the feeling passed. They weren’t looking at her, she decided, and even if they were, their expressions were curious rather than censorious, open and friendly. Pascal and Kai left her in their shadow and it would be them that interested the drinkers gathered around the square bar. Except that might not actually be the case. As she took in the clientele, she noticed how facially attractive all of them were, especially the men. She shrugged. Must be something in the water, or a case of interbreeding, she thought.
“Come on,” Kai said. “There’re some people you need to meet.”
She forced her feet to move and walked through the bar, still flanked protectively by the two guys. To her astonishment, they appeared proud rather than embarrassed by her appearance. People smiled at her without any of the searing contempt she’d become accustomed to. She relaxed just a little and concentrated upon putting one foot in front of the other. She stopped walking when her path was blocked by a large pair of bare feet pushed into deck shoes.
“Ah, Rafe,” Pascal said. “Meet Nicole Fox. Nicole, this is Rafe Landon, owner of this establishment.”
“Hey, Nicole, nice to meet you.”
She offered him her hand but reclaimed it as soon as she reasonably could. If Rafe noticed her determination not to get involved in a prolonged handshake, he gave no sign.
“Nice to meet you, too.”
“Come on upstairs, guys. Pascal and Kai told me a bit about your problem this afternoon, Nicole, so my buddy Vilas and I have been going back through some old records. We have a few names to show you. You might recognize one of them.”
“Wow, that was quick work.”
“Anything to help,” Rafe said easily.
Nicole was feeling a little light-headed. All these beautiful people gathered in one small place was overwhelming. And Rafe was head and shoulders above the lot of them. Yet he seemed to have a genuinely laid-back personality and hadn’t let his looks swell his head. Pascal and Kai were like that, too, she realized. They didn’t take themselves too seriously and didn’t preen or give themselves airs like she’d seen other good-looking guys back in England doing.
They stepped into a large living room and another guy gracefully uncoiled himself from a large chair. In order to do so he first had to tip a beautiful young woman off his lap.
“This is Vilas,” Rafe said. “Vilas, meet Nicole Fox. And this is Chantal.”
Nicole shook both their hands, wondering what the relationship between them was. No one bothered to explain and she didn’t ask. Still it was interesting to note that having just been cuddled up to Vilas, Chantal now stood beside Rafe, who slid a proprietary arm around her waist. Everyone else seemed perfectly relaxed about her behavior, so who was Nicole to question it?
“It’s lovely to meet you, Nicole,” Chantal said, sounding as though she actually meant it. “What do you make of Impulse so far?”
“I haven’t had much time to look around,” she replied diplomatically.
“I guess not. And, of course, the air will be a challenge.”
“Actually, I’m not finding it too bad.”
“Nicole’s a strong swimmer,” Pascal said. “I reckon all that breath control and lung capacity makes it easier for her.”
Rafe made prolonged eye contact with Pascal, as though considering that explanation, and then nodded. “That’s an interesting theory which just might explain it.”
“Come and sit down, Nicole, and cast your eye over this list of names,” Vilas said. “These are people who lived in Impulse about the time we started the hedge fund and have subsequently left. Do any
of them look familiar to you?”
Nicole’s heart rate accelerated. Could it really be that simple? She examined the list closely, but absolutely nothing stood out.
“No.” She shook her head. “Sorry, but none of them mean anything to me at all.”
“Well, it was a longshot,” Vilas said. “And we have a lot more digging to do yet. Go on down to the restaurant and enjoy your dinner. We’ll keep ferreting away.”
“You’re very kind,” she said, feeling cherished in a way she’d only ever known before with her grandfather. “Thank you.”
“Our pleasure,” Rafe and Vilas said together.
Chapter Six
Pascal walked Nicole into the restaurant, acknowledging acquaintances as he went. Kai was detained by Rafe and caught up with them a moment or two later. They were greeted by Rochelle, the lynx who ran the restaurant.
“I’ve been looking forward to meeting you,” she said to Nicole. “Although I’m a bit nervous about it as well.”
Nicole appeared genuinely surprised. “Good heavens, why ever would you say that?”
“I hear tell that you’re a famous caterer.”
Nicole laughed. “Hardly that.”
“Well, I hope my offerings live up to your high standards,” Rochelle said, leading them to a table in a quiet corner of the otherwise busy restaurant.
“Everything smells wonderful,” Nicole told her.
“That’s something, I guess.”
To gain Nicole’s trust, they needed to make her feel comfortable and unthreatened. For that reason Pascal had asked Rochelle not to put them in one of the more intimate booths at the back of the restaurant. The round table they were assigned was large enough for there to be no physical contact between them, accidental or otherwise. He could see that Nicole was relieved about that. She went out of her way not to appear attractive to men, presumably because she’d had some horrifying experiences. She could change a lot of things about herself, but there was nothing she could do about her lovely features or the sensual aspect of her character that she probably didn’t know existed.