Damn it. There had to be other suspects with a motive to harm the paper. A disgruntled employee or ex-employee? A rival competitor? Or was the attack more personal? With the stories the paper printed, Grey could have pissed off innumerable people. His reporters might have offended any number of crackpots or criminals. However, the most pressing question on Zane’s mind was about Toni. Had it simply been a coincidence that tonight, as they’d danced, someone had harmed the paper? And if so, then she had another reason for seeking him out. But what?
The only reaction of hers that had seemed slightly off kilter was her lack of surprise at the photographers and her willingness to have their pictures taken together. Was that so she’d have an alibi? Or did she crave publicity?
Questioning but careful to hide his curiosity, he turned to Toni. “Sorry. This is not exactly the way I’d intended our evening to end. There’s a problem at the Herald. Would you like me to drop you off?”
“No need to apologize. It sounds as though they need you right away. Just drive straight to the Herald. I can always take a cab home.”
She sounded reasonable, practical and, damn her, not the least bit reluctant to end their night together. Was his suspicion too far-out that her offer to accompany him to the paper might be so she could find out how much damage her partner had done? Could a face that stunning bide a mind that devious?
It took a considerable amount of control to repress the powerful urge to stop the car, sweep her into his arms and kiss her senseless. A most un-Zanelike reaction. While he adored women, his reactions weren’t usually this intense. Trading places with his brother had caused some almost overpowering emotions to surface—emotions he had no time to coddle.
He turned right at the next corner. “Not every woman would be this understanding.”
“You’re forgetting I’m a businesswoman. I know what it’s like to put my capital, my time and effort and my dreams into a business. I’d be a wreck if anything happened to Feminine Touch—”
“Who?”
“Feminine Touch is my boutique.” She twisted in the seat and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You have insurance?”
Her question put his suspicions back on alert. Why would she ask about insurance when they did not yet know the problem? Criminal activity could be anything. Graffiti. A bomb scare. Perhaps the silent burglar alarm had signalled the police, and they’d arrived before anything could be stolen.
However, her statement as well as the hand on his shoulder could also be perfectly innocent. Theft and arson, even flooding, would be covered by insurance. But even if they had no insurance, he wouldn’t reveal a potential weakness to a woman who could be his enemy.
“Our policy is so complicated that it takes a lawyer to decipher the fine print,” he told her.
She accepted his answer with seemingly no suspicion. “What’s the distribution center?”
“Where we load the delivery trucks. The fenced parking lot is behind our offices and patrolled by a security guard and two German shepherds,” he revealed, knowing that information was easy to come by.
She didn’t say more, and five minutes later, he pulled around back to the gate. Trucks that should have been on their delivery routes half an hour ago remained in the area. The vehicles were silent, the engines off, their drivers speaking among themselves in low murmurs. And there was no sign of the dogs or the security guard.
Even in their damp clothes, the night air remained warm. Still, Zane noticed Toni shiver as they exited the car. He reached into the trunk, removed a sports jacket and slipped it over her shoulders.
“Thanks.”
Taking her hand, he approached the uniformed police officer who stood near the back fence, shining a light on an opening that shouldn’t exist. The chain-link fence with barbed wire strung across the top had a triangular slice cut out, large enough for a medium-size man to slip through, showing quite clearly that an intruder had broken in.
“Officer Fugate? I’m Grey Masterson. And this is Miss Maxwell. What’s happened?”
“It looks like someone broke in by cutting your fence, then vandalized your fleet.”
Zane frowned at the silent trucks. “What was done to them?”
“Your drivers believe someone poured sand in the gas tanks.”
“All of them?” Toni asked, her eyes widening as she gazed over row upon row of parked trucks.
“Your foreman told me that after several trucks’ engines went dead, he ordered the others turned off—to prevent more damage.”
“Where’s the security guard?” Zane asked the foreman who came up to join them.
“We haven’t seen him, Mr. Masterson.”
“The dogs?”
“Gone, too.”
“I tried calling the security guard’s house. There’s no answer.”
“We sent an officer to the premises to question him,” the cop told Zane. “The house was empty.”
“You mean he wasn’t home?” Toni asked, looking as puzzled as Zane felt.
“No, ma’am. The house was vacant. A neighbor confirmed that he just moved out.”
“Who does the security guard report to?” Toni asked.
Zane didn’t have a clue and made up an answer. “Administration. It’s possible he called in sick, but it’s also possible the guard was in on the vandalism,” Zane muttered. “I’ll leave finding and questioning him to you, Officer. In the meantime, I have a paper to get out.”
He turned to the foreman. “Wake up every mechanic and get them in here. We’ll need to drain the tanks, clean the filters. In the meantime, I’ll see about renting us a fleet of vehicles. The papers might be late, but they are going out.”
Zane called a cab to take Toni home. He saw her settled safely inside with regret—more regret than he usually felt at the end of an evening with a beautiful and enticing woman. Her mix of bold femininity and practical business sense surprised him. Mystified him. While this night hadn’t ended as he’d planned, with Toni naked in his arms, there would be other nights for pleasure. He would see to it. Just like he now had to see to getting out the paper.
TONI WINCED AT THE bright morning sunlight pouring into her bedroom. Sleepy, attempting to hide despite the obviously late hour, she ducked her head under her pillow, but Bobby tugged the pillow away and squealed, “Oh, no, you don’t.”
It took a moment for coherent thoughts to run through her mind. Then last night came back. Striking up a conversation with Grey. Allowing her reckless streak a free rein. Dancing with Grey. Kissing Grey. Leaving Club Carnal. The photographers. The vandalism. She frowned. Grey apologetically sending her home in a cab and making no mention of their getting together again.
“Look!” Jude thrust a paper in her face.
Squinting, Toni peered at the rag without much interest in the headline, which read, Elvis Alive And Well In Key Largo. It was next to a picture of a two-headed whale that also failed to gain her attention.
Mickey shoved a cup of coffee into Toni’s hand. “Give her a moment to wake up.”
“You did it!” Bobby bounced on the bed, almost spilling Toni’s coffee. “The way you throw yourself into every project, I had no doubt you’d succeed. You’re right there with Grey Masterson on page seven.”
Toni gulped her coffee, desperate for a caffeine jolt. But what perked her up was the sight of her and Grey’s handsome face in full color, Club Carnal’s neon sign clear in the background, while up close and personal, Grey’s arm was wrapped around her shoulder. In the picture, her face was in profile, but clear enough for anyone who knew her to identify her.
Bobby pointed to the caption with the tip of a pink nail. “Grey Masterson parties at Club Carnal with Toni Maxwell, a lady with a Feminine Touch.”
“It’s perfect,” Jude crowed. “Senator Birdstrum has already left two messages on the answering machine. He’s got to ask for his ring back now. I didn’t want to wake you earlier but I think you’d better take his next call.”
Her stomac
h unsettled, Toni sipped her coffee and stared at the picture. She and Grey both looked startled, but happy. The free advertisement of Grey’s hot expression as he stared at her in that dress should start a new fashion craze. Just looking at that picture of him caused butterflies to swarm in her tummy. It had been so long since she’d been interested in a man that she’d forgotten how gratifying it could be.
She missed the on-the-edge, fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants feeling of not knowing what would come next. She believed deeply that relationships shouldn’t stand still or they would stagnate. Although she and Grey were not yet a couple, they could be. Especially since their evening had gone so well.
Satisfaction that the reporter had gone to the trouble to find out her name zinged through her, and the publicity about Feminine Touch would be terrific for business. Her plan appeared to have worked, but she felt off balance, slightly disappointed that Grey hadn’t called. However, it was only ten o’clock, and he might not have her phone number, although she imagined a resourceful newspaperman like him could get it.
After meeting Grey last night, after enjoying his male magnetism and recognizing their mutual attraction, her feelings for him had become much more personal. She should have been satisfied that she’d gotten exactly what she wanted. Technically, that part of her plan had succeeded, but she didn’t feel as if her task was done. She wanted more. More time with Grey.
But he hadn’t called and she made excuses for him. He worked half the night. He’s probably still asleep. And she’d gone to bed hours before him and she’d just awakened. There was no reason for disappointment. Where was all her confidence from the night before?
Last night had been fun. Although she had acted so much bolder than her normal self, there was a part of her that had enjoyed her uninhibited behavior. If their evening hadn’t been interrupted, she wasn’t sure that she wouldn’t have ended up in Grey’s bed.
The portable phone in Mickey’s apron pocket rang. Toni’s hopes rose that Grey might be the caller. Mickey plucked the phone out and checked the caller ID. “It’s the senator.”
Resigned, Toni held out her hand for the phone, knowing that if she put off the unpleasant call with Senator Birdstrum, it would weigh on her all day. “Hello?”
She tried to shoo her sisters out of her room, but without success. Clearly, they intended to keep prying into her life.
And then the senator distracted her from all thoughts of privacy.
“Toni, darling.”
Darling?
She’d expected hurt, withdrawal, maybe an accusation—not an endearment. Maybe he hadn’t seen the picture and was calling about another matter. “Senator?”
“I don’t want you to be upset.”
Why would she be upset? “I’m not.”
“I’m a man of the world. I understand how these things happen. Don’t even worry your little head about that picture or how it looks.”
What?
Normally, she would have bristled at his condescending tone, but she was simply too flabbergasted to react to being patronized. She needed to set him straight. Immediately. Or all her planning would have been for nothing. “You—”
“I know just what happened,” he interrupted kindly. “No doubt, you and Grey Masterson left the club at the same time, and when those photographers accosted you, Mr. Masterson simply tried to protect you. I would have done the same thing for a pretty lady in distress.”
“I wasn’t in distress. Look—”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you from those paparazzi vultures. I’ll have to call Mr. Masterson later to thank him personally.”
“But—”
“I’ve got to go.”
“Wait—”
“Sorry, darling. They need me for a vote.”
The phone went dead. Sheesh! The senator hadn’t allowed her to get in a word of explanation and her frustration mounted. Had all her scheming last night been for nothing?
Her sisters must have read a look of distress on her face because Jude put an arm over her shoulder, Bobby patted her hand and Mickey sighed. “Tell us.”
“Did he see the picture?”
“Is he mad?”
“Did he ask for his ring back?”
“No, no and no. He forgives me.” Toni threw a hand up in the air in disgust. “He thinks the entire incident was a mistake.”
“So much for creating a sex scandal,” Mickey said.
Bobby frowned. “We’ll just have to think of another way to convince him he doesn’t want her.”
“How?” Toni looked at her sisters. “I’m sending that ring back today, but I suspect he’ll convince himself that it’s the ring I don’t like, not him.” Of the four of them, Toni was the one who always threw herself wholeheartedly into each project, and she expected to succeed. Usually hard work and persistence were enough to achieve her goals. Obviously, this time, more was required. Yet she fully intended to achieve her goal. And with her sisters’ help, she was sure they would come up with a solution.
Bobby smoothed her sheet. “You could eat like crazy and make yourself fat. A man like the senator, so conscience of image, would be embarrassed to be seen with an overweight woman.” Bobby must have seen their looks of doubt. “He never asked me out,” she added. Again Toni wondered about Bobby’s seeming infatuation with the senator, which her sister continued to deny.
“He never asked Jude out either,” Toni told Bobby gently. While Bobby had lost all those pounds, her psyche still remained sensitive to the prejudices against overweight people.
Mickey absently tapped her foot against the bed frame and drew their attention. “It’s unhealthy to put on weight that fast, you know that. Besides, gaining weight to repel a man is no healthier than losing weight to catch one.”
Jude sighed. “You could develop, on purpose, a case of bromidrosis.”
“Bromidrosis?” Bobby asked.
“It’s stink foot.” Toni rolled her eyes at the ceiling. “Thanks, but no thanks.”
Jude took a seat at the foot of the bed, unwilling to give up her idea easily. “All you’d have to do is wear the same sneakers without any socks for a week. My ex-boyfriend had the stink down to a science.”
“Think again.” Toni appreciated the help, she did, but going around with stink foot was no solution. However, she didn’t want to rein in their enthusiasm. Maybe they’d come up with an outrageous plan that could work.
Bobby grinned impishly. “What about another date with the eminently handsome and very charming Grey Masterson?”
“She’s been there, done that,” Jude argued. “Besides, Grey Masterson might not be so amenable to being stalked again.”
Toni recalled dancing in bubbles and the delicious heat in Grey’s eyes. “Grey Masterson will cooperate.” She liked this idea already.
Mickey’s practical eyebrows rose with skepticism. “Toni, are you willing to go further? No holds barred?”
“What do you mean?” Jude asked.
“She means,” Toni answered with a blend of rising excitement and heart-pummeling trepidation, “am I willing to create a real scandal?”
ZANE ARRIVED AT Muriel’s on Chartres Street in the French Quarter with barely a minute to spare to make the 7:00 p.m. appointment. After working half the night, grabbing two hours of sleep and a shower, he’d been back at the office by seven. The paper had successfully gone out in a fleet of rental cars, and mechanics had worked through the day to drain the fuel tanks and to repair the damaged trucks. Zane had hired new guards to prevent a repetition of last night’s vandalism, but he kept wondering what he might have forgotten or left vulnerable to sabotage.
All during his busy day, memories of his evening with Toni Maxwell had stayed with him, but prevented him from phoning her. She could very well be his saboteur, so he wanted every security precaution in place before inviting her back into his life—which he most definitely intended to do. The puzzle she represented bedeviled him to the point that even a short two hours of s
leep had been filled with dreams of her smiling at him. Whether she’d been laughing with him or at him, he’d never determined.
While Muriel’s served terrific food in an elegant atmosphere that did New Orleans proud, Zane would have much preferred to be elsewhere. He tugged at the tie at his neck, wanting to beg out of this dinner with the mayor and chief of police, but if he insulted Grey’s prominent friends, his brother wouldn’t forgive him. His own newspaper had written articles about tonight’s event, where New Orleans’s business leaders would discuss options for bidding for the summer Olympic Games, so he couldn’t claim he’d forgotten.
Just as he walked through the front door, Toni strode around the corner toward him. Dressed for dinner in a sleek black dress, a silk scarf sparkling with glass beads and high spiked heels, she spoke softly. “Hi, Grey.”
He supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised that she was stalking him again, but he was. And he was pleased. “Let me guess. You were waiting for me?”
“Not for very long.” She slipped her arm through his, and he noted that she also had silver glitter in her hair and dusted over her shoulders. “You’re right on time.”
Over the years he’d had a few persistent women hound him with phone calls. But never one who’d inserted herself into his life with such bravura as his present dinner companion had. “How did you know—”
“I read your newspaper.”
“Suppose I’d brought a date?”
“You didn’t.” As the maître d’ came up to seat them, she winked at him and lowered her tone to a provocative murmur. “I thought we could take up where we left off last night.”
Oh, she did, did she? Did she intend to get personal? While that notion both intrigued him and filled him with anticipation, he had to wonder whether she intended to prevent him from returning to the paper after dinner, so her partner could wreak havoc on the business again. If this was her scheme, the plans would fail. He’d made more than adequate preparation for such an eventuality.
So he had no qualms about whispering into her ear, “What exactly do you have in mind?”
She grinned. “A few kisses.”
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