Protecting His Interests

by Suzanne Rock

  Rubbing a hand over my face, I pushed the morose thoughts from my head and got out of bed. Things weren’t different, and no amount of wishing was going to put it right. I had made my choice, and now I had to live with it.

  Chapter Nine

  Gabe

  After listening to Scarlett sing for a few minutes, I decided it was time to call headquarters. It wasn’t time to check in, but I knew Sal would be worried after hearing about the murder last night. I needed to find out what was discovered at the Morales estate and get an update on Jake’s next steps. If I ran into him today while I was with Scarlett, it could blow my cover. I didn’t need any unnecessary complications.

  I fished my cell out from my jacket pocket and eased into the empty hallway to call Sal, carefully propping the door slightly open. A quick glance at the screen told me that he had tried to call me several times, but the phone had been on vibrate. Swearing under my breath, I punched the buttons to call the precinct and leaned my shoulder against the wall.

  “Gabe. Thank goodness. I was trying to call you all night. Where have you been?”

  “Sorry, Sal, I couldn’t get away.” I smiled, despite myself. Salvador was not only my mentor, but he was my best friend in Miami. Ever since I started undercover work, he looked out for me like a mother hen.

  I turned and leaned up against the wall by the door to the hotel room. Keeping my voice down, I added, “Besides, I’m not scheduled to check in until tonight.”

  “Yeah, that was before the killer struck again—or at least we think he did. There was a party over at the Rocco Morales estate. It has all of the hallmarks of the escort serial killer, but the victim wasn’t an escort.”

  “I know. I was there. While the victim wasn’t an escort, there were escorts present. It’s possible that he wasn’t the target.”

  “You were there?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What the hell happened, man?”

  I scratched my chin, suddenly embarrassed about my cover job. “Someone picked me out for a date. Turns out she was going to the Morales party.”

  “Someone from high society actually liked your scruffy mug, eh? I told you that description would work. Rich girls like a guy who doesn’t mind taking orders.”

  I chuckled. Sal had helped me put together the profile. Well, he tried to help me, but his ideas of what appealed to women were a little skewed. He had yet to reenter the dating scene after his marriage of ten years ended in a messy divorce, and his ideas of what women wanted were warped by his ex-wife’s manipulative behavior. I ended up changing most of it, but didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so I never told him.

  “So who is she?” Sal asked.

  “Her name’s Scarlett.”

  “Is she pretty?”

  I smiled, remembering how she looked while standing naked at the foot of the bed. “Gorgeous.”

  “Like Angelina Jolie gorgeous, or more Reese Whitherspoon?”

  “More Emma Watson.”

  “Smart chick, eh?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Probably outclassed your sorry ass.”

  I chuckled but said nothing. He wasn’t too far from the truth.

  “Well, what happened?” he asked.

  I told him the details of our date, carefully leaving out the erotic interlude we had in the library, or the fact that Scarlett and I knew each other in high school. Some things were better kept to myself.

  “Ah, so that’s how you learned about the murder,” Sal said when I was finished.

  “It turns out that the guy who died was Scarlett’s ex-boyfriend.”

  “No shit.” I heard Sal tapping on a keyboard in the background. “How long had they been dating?”

  “I’m not sure. He didn’t treat her well, though. They eventually broke up because she caught him with another woman.”

  “Jeez, I guess that makes her a suspect then.”

  My breath caught as his words sank into my head. “No, she didn’t do it.”

  “How do you know?”

  I thought about how right her legs felt around me in the library. “I just do.”

  “There was ample time—”

  “She didn’t do it.” My voice took on an icy edge, and I hoped that Sal took the hint. He didn’t.

  “Are you sure? I mean, if you got there when you said you did, she had ample time to—”

  “She was with me the whole time.”

  “Was she? Think about it, man. Did she ever leave to use the ladies room, or send you for drinks at the bar?”

  I shook my head as I went through the night. “No.”

  “Are you sure? Because there’s motive . . .”

  “Look, she didn’t do it. There were a lot of people at that party who didn’t like this guy. He made a lot of enemies.”

  “Okay, just checking. We can’t leave any stone unturned in this investigation. I have the top floor breathing down my neck on this. Then there’s Jake—”

  “Did he find anything?”

  “Nothing that you haven’t already told me. He’s going to be at the art show, too. His men should be wrapping up the crime scene later today.”

  “Does he know about me?”

  “No, not yet. There’s just too much at stake. You know how he likes to throw his weight around. I don’t want this to become some kind of pissing match over who has the bigger badge.”

  “Noted.” To be honest, I didn’t really want that, either. The last thing I needed was for Jake to accuse me of trying to steal his case in front of Scarlett. I let out a long breath and rubbed my eyes. “I’ll steer clear of Haussler.”

  “So what are your plans now?” Sal asked.

  I glanced down the hall to make sure I was still alone. “Scarlett invited me to be her date for the length of the show.”

  “How long is that?”

  “Until the end of the week. I took her up on it because it will give me access to everyone who was at the party without arousing suspicions.”

  “Are you sure that was the only reason?”

  That was Sal, as subtle as a sledgehammer. “I promise you I’m one hundred percent focused on this case.”

  “I hope so. Look, Gabe, take it from me. Don’t mix business with pleasure. You and I both know that the pencil pushers would just love to put our balls in a vise with this. Keep your nose clean and focus on this case. We have a real opportunity to find out who this killer is and bring him to justice. I don’t want anything standing in our way.”

  “She won’t get in our way. I promise.”

  “Good, because things are getting worse around here, Gabe. If this Henri guy wasn’t the target, then we need to find out who was. If he was the target, then we need to find a connection. This Henri guy might not have been liked, but he was well known. The local media is all over this like ants on a sugar cube. We need to make some headway in this case, and fast.”

  “We will, don’t worry.”

  “This is serious, Gabe.”

  “I know.” I pushed off the wall and stood in front of the hotel room door.

  “I mean it. If Haussler ends up ruining this, I’m never going to hear the end of it. Let’s close this before things get too messy.”

  “Got it.”

  We said our good-byes and I clicked off the phone. Sal was right. I needed to maintain focus. If Jake Haussler was on the case, then I knew my undercover days were numbered. It was only a matter of time before we crossed paths and the accusations began.

  Pressing my lips together in frustration, I pocketed my phone and stepped back inside of the hotel room.

  “There you are,” Scarlett said as I closed the door behind me. “Where did you go?”

  “Just had to make a phone call.” She looked gorgeous with her hair down and slightly damp, wearing nothing but a small bath towel. I walked up behind her and kissed her on her neck. “Work stuff.”

  “Work?” She tilted her head to the side, and I inched down and kissed her in that sensitive spot between her nec
k and shoulder.

  “Yeah.”

  “Escorts have to check in?”

  I hesitated, then remembered my cover. “They do if they’ve been out all night.” I slid my arms around her middle and rested my chin on her shoulder. “I told them about our deal.”

  “And?”

  “And everything’s cool.” I gave her shoulder another quick kiss and then eased her around to face me. “I’m yours for the rest of the week.”

  “Really?”

  I flicked the end of her nose with my finger. “Really.”

  She flashed me a seductive smile. “You know, it always has been a fantasy of mine to have a man be at my beck and call.”

  “Well, you’ve got it.” Scarlett had no idea just how sexy she was when she looked at me like that. The thought of her taking what she wanted from me, of being in control, made me hard all over. I couldn’t help myself, I kissed her.

  She immediately responded, sighing into my mouth and swaying into my chest. Despite our years apart, she felt comforting and familiar, and as desire rose through my body I slid my arms around her waist and pulled her up against my erection.

  “Not now.” She gave me a playful slap on the arm and eased out of my grip.

  “Why not?”

  “Because it’s the opening day of the art show. I have to be there in an hour.”

  “An hour is plenty of time.” I reached for her and she laughed as she sidestepped my embrace.

  “It really isn’t. There’s so much to do. I have to make sure my display is ready before they open to the public. Then there’s the panel I’ll be on around ten, and then—”

  “I get the picture.” I held up my hands and tried to think about something very unsexy, like Sal in a Speedo. Yup, that did it. “Let me just jump in the shower. I’ll be ready in five.”

  “Better make it three. I’ve already asked Raul to bring the car around and bring you fresh clothes. We can grab something for breakfast along the way.” She turned her back to me and fastened some earrings to her ears. God, she looked so beautiful standing there. I had no idea how I was going to maintain focus with such a gorgeous woman by my side all day. I wondered if those commercials were correct and there were health repercussions from having an erection for more than four hours. I should probably scout out a private place where Scarlett and I could go if things got too painful. For health reasons.

  “Oh, I almost forgot.”

  I instinctively turned to face her and regretted it. She was tempting completely naked, but now . . . Now she was downright torture. She had dropped her towel and started to dress. She wore nothing but lacy underclothes and had one foot up on the edge of the bureau, as she rolled up black thigh-highs and strapping them to a belt around her waist. It was hot, damn hot, and I steeled my jaw as my cock pressed painfully up against my tux.

  “That guy with Henri and Bridget yesterday. You knew him.”

  I mentally scrolled through the events of the party. “Edgar?”

  “Yes.”

  “He owns Cox Services.”

  “Right—he’s your boss.” She put down one leg and started putting the second thigh-high on the other.

  Despite the red flags going off in my head, I took a step closer. “So?”

  “So, don’t you find it odd that he was Rocco’s date?”

  “Not particularly.”

  “How would a high-end art collector end up dating the owner of an escort service?”

  I smirked. “You really want to know?”

  She shook her head. “I mean, Rocco is extremely territorial and possessive. I’ve seen it with his art collecting. I’m surprised that someone so possessive would be okay with a boyfriend who . . .” She hesitated and glanced at me.

  “Sleeps around? He owns the service, and it sex isn’t always part of the deal.”

  She blushed and turned away. “There was something not quite right about that guy, but I couldn’t put my finger on it, so I made a few phone calls myself while I was in the bathroom.”

  Dumbstruck, I watched her clasp her second thigh-high and stand. “And?”

  “I asked a few friends who deal art in this area. None of them had heard of a guy named Edgar Cox buying any paintings.” She slid her dress over her head. “And I think that Bridget might be up to something. I don’t know what yet, but I’m determined to find out.”

  Smart girl. This information was more valuable than she knew. “He said he dealt exclusively with Ms. Simpson,” I hedged.

  “If he has any collection at all, then he didn’t buy the pieces through the standard venues, at least not in the past year.” She fluffed her hair and turned to face me.

  “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that I think Bridget is up to something, but I can’t figure out what. Or why.” She sighed and grabbed her purse. “None of this makes any sense.”

  No, it didn’t make sense, not yet. It would come together soon, however, just as soon as I could get inside that art show.

  “Perhaps there’s a simple explanation,” I offered.

  “Nothing is ever simple with Bridget. She was close friends with Henri, I’m quite sure his death will impact her business as well as mine. I wouldn’t be surprised if she pulled some kind of crazy stunt at this show to draw attention to herself.” She picked up a brush and ran it through her hair. “Just be careful and keep your ears open. I don’t have a good feeling about this.” She put down her brush and frowned. “Any of it.”

  Chapter Ten

  Scarlett

  As soon as Gabe and I walked into the exhibition hall, Violet rushed forward to see me.

  “Thank God you’re here,” she said. “We have a crisis.”

  “What happened?”

  Violet glanced over my shoulder at Gabe. “Perhaps we should . . .”

  “It’s okay, he’s with me.”

  Violet looked as if she wanted to say something, but then decided against it. “They put us next to Bridget.”

  “They what?” I no longer suspected that Bridget was up to something, I knew it. Ever since I left her apprenticeship to break out on my own, she has been looking for a way to tear me down. I suspect she thought that I would just work for her gallery forever. Henri had made me realize that giving her part of my commission when she did nothing to earn the sale wasn’t in my best interest. Leaving her was the best business decision I had made in my career. Unfortunately, as soon as I left, her gallery started struggling. Her jealousy over my success was starting to become a problem.

  Everyone in the business knew that Bridget used a lot of gimmicks and flash when promoting her gallery. She also used her connections in the industry. Over the past year, she has been known to do wild stunts to get people to notice her, stunts that could draw the attention of potential buyers and leave her competitors out in the cold.

  “Why is this a problem?” Gabe asked.

  “Because she’ll steal all of our clients,” I said.

  “Isn’t that unethical?”

  “Not exactly.” It skirted the line, however. When confronted, she used to say that it wasn’t her fault that potential buyers preferred little extras. Personally, I preferred to let the art speak for itself. The art would be in their home long after the art show was over. I wanted to make them happy with their purchase, not filled with regret.

  Happiness was never a concern for Bridget, however. All she was concerned with was making the sale.

  “That’s not all,” Violet said.

  “What else happened?” I asked.

  She glanced up at Gabe, then hooked her arm with mine. “Joaquim forgot our sign,” she whispered as she steered me down the hall.

  “Our gallery sign?”

  Violet nodded. “It’s still in storage back in Boston.”

  “You’re kidding.” I stopped and turned to face her. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”

  “I wish I was. Now we’re stuck in a corner with Bridget, and we have no sign. We’ll be lucky if we a
ttract a handful of potential buyers, rather than the thousands we need to keep the doors open.”

  “Shh, keep your voice down.” I didn’t want it to be common knowledge that this art show was the equivalent of a Hail Mary pass. I had been depleting our savings for months, and this was supposed to put us in the black once more. Not only was I going to sell some of our most expensive pieces, but I was scouting for new talent. It was my hope that the new talent would carry us into the following year.

  There was no way we were going to attract new artists if we were positioned next to Bridget. Pressing my lips together, I glanced around the room. “Did you see any free spaces?” I asked my assistant.

  Violet shook her head. “None here. But they might have some space in the other wing. I kept everything packaged up in case we moved.” She pulled me a short distance away from Gabe. “There’s something else.”

  “There’s more?”

  She nodded. “I’ve gotten several phone calls from the press, wanting to talk to you about that murder at the mansion last night. The local police would also like a word—”

  “I’ll deal with it after the show. Right now, this is more important.”

  Violet nodded. “Okay, but I can’t hold these people off forever. The longer we’re silent, the more rumors will spread. Rumors won’t be good for business, if you know what I mean. You’ll need to talk to these people sooner rather than later.”

  “Understood.” I glanced up at Gabe. “It seems as if we have run into a little snag.”

  “Anything I can do to help?”

  I considered him for a moment, then turned to Violet. “You said Patrick came down with you and would be visiting family while you were at the art show?”

  “Yeah, we’re staying with his parents.” Violet wrinkled her nose in disgust. “There’s no privacy, Scarlett. None.”

  While I felt bad for my friend, that wasn’t what was important right now. Patrick was Violet’s boyfriend, and a graphic designer. Perhaps he could work something up quickly that didn’t look like a total eyesore. “Call him and see if he can work something up in the next few hours.”

  “What if he’s busy?”

  I flexed my fingers. “I don’t know. Bat your eyes and flip your hair. Offer him a blow job.”