Triple Threat

by Jan Coffey

  The frescoed ceiling, the ornate moldings, the beveled mirrors, the marble busts, the dazzling crystal and chandeliers…all beautiful. The impeccably attired service staff—mostly men, but a few women, too—gliding between the tables and welcoming guests in soft tones, even translating the French menu for the unprepared, was charming. The meal consisted of six courses, each a creative wonder. Ellie didn’t think she had ever been treated to such a dining experience. Le Bec-Fin was the best restaurant in town, and the recent renovations to the decor only enhanced the occasion. There was a time in Ellie’s life—not so long ago, either—when she would have been in awe of Donald for bringing her here to dine. But not tonight.

  Ellie hoped she was being successful at hiding her boredom as she sipped the Dom Pérignon that Donald had insisted on ordering. The attorney continued with his endless story regarding the bloodletting that had accompanied the merger of his Center City law firm with another. Meanwhile, her mind wandered. Today had been a day like dozens of others she’d lived through this past year. Days spent with important and influential people. Hours spent being noticed by the elite in the city. She was building her network of contacts, getting referrals and growing her business while extending her personal connections. And now even a date with one of the most prominent bachelors in the city. A successful day.

  Everything was going as she’d always hoped and planned for herself in life, except that Ellie wasn’t feeling any joy in it.

  Pretending to adjust the napkin on her lap, she glanced down at her watch. She’d lost count of how many times today she’d wanted to walk away from these people. Mrs. Harriman’s rambling account of her upcoming dinner party for Senator Santorum, all the while feeding broiled chicken livers to her spoiled little poodle, nearly turned Ellie’s stomach. In the discussion of finding a last-minute replacement for the celebrity host of the Children’s Hospital Auction next week, Augusta Biddle had been insistent on paying an exorbitant amount for a has-been television hunk to come in. It didn’t matter that his fee for appearing would cut deeply into the money Ellie hoped to raise for the hospital. It didn’t matter that this guy was not going to bring any added luster to the event. It didn’t even matter that Augusta had told Ellie months earlier that she’d had the hots for the former star for years. She wanted him here, they would pay his ridiculously expensive fee, and he’d stay at the Biddle’s Main Line mansion.

  Ellie took another sip of the champagne. Donald was still talking about his world. She was finding it more and more difficult to communicate with these people. They had a different concept of reality, and she was getting tired of trying to explain this. People just didn’t listen to one another, particularly in some elevated group. She’d worked so hard to be included in this exclusive circle. She’d worked hard to belong, but suddenly she couldn’t stand them. She’d met a number of wonderful people who were a part of that world, people who really cared about other people. But they were a rare commodity.

  Ellie was beginning to realize the Harriman-Biddle world would never be her world. She knew it when her fifty-dollar reflexology session at Pierre and Carlo’s had been a total failure; she couldn’t stop feeling guilty about the extravagance.

  Ellie looked up, surprised to find Donald quiet for the first time tonight. In fact, he was waiting.

  “I’m sorry, did you ask me something?”

  He leaned toward her. “You have this way of turning your left ear toward me when you ask a question—as if you can hear better from that side. I think it’s an absolutely charming habit.” He reached over, cupped her chin and angled her face a little more. His thumb caressed her cheek. “Everyone has a better side. I think your profile from the left is very cute—especially this tiny mole under your earlobe.”

  Ellie pulled out of his reach. “You had a question, Donald?”

  “Oh, yes. You haven’t touched the duck. Is it satisfactory?”

  She looked down at slices of duck breast fanned beneath a rich sauce and sprinkled with herbs and green peppercorns. The plate was a work of art. The smell was heavenly. But she had no appetite.

  “It’s delicious. I had some.” She moved the food on her plate with her fork, and then sat back.

  “I hope you saved some room for dessert.”

  Donald started on a long-winded explanation of the restaurant’s famous cheese cart, which would soon be making its appearance at their table, and Ellie felt her frustration beginning to boil up inside of her. She’d wanted this date to work. She’d convinced herself it was time to have a relationship with a man. And Donald Shore was a great candidate. He was rich, smart, very interested in her. And as far as looks…well, if he was on the short side, that suited her own height. He was in very good condition, muscular but not unnaturally developed. His hair did have that look of perfection that surgery had obviously restored, but there were many balding men who were going that route. He was even considered handsome by many in town.

  Handsome. Vic and Brian and everyone else seemed to believe Nate was handsome, too. Even Sister Helen sometimes looked at him in an odd way for a nun. As far as Ellie was concerned, though, he was too tall. He made her feel like a dwarf next to him. Another problem was that he was too muscular. He had a rawboned power in his body that made him…unmanageable. And he was obviously a flirt. What happened to the boring, ultra macho G-man image she always clung to? With Nate, she would never know if he was practicing one of his everyday lines on her or if he was really paying her a compliment.

  A vision of Nate’s devilish smile flashed in her mind. Those eyes that were too blue. Those hard planes that came together at curious angles, making a tough face irresistible when he came close enough to kiss her. Her stomach tightened and she felt the tingling of delicate places at the mere thought of him kissing her.

  She asked for her dinner to be boxed when the table was being cleared. She didn’t remember ever taking a duck dinner to Jack.

  She’d turned off her cell phone when Donald picked her up at the shop. Now she found herself worrying whether or not there were any important messages that she’d missed.

  “Will you please excuse me?” Ellie announced abruptly. “I’ll be back in a minute.” She grabbed her purse and escaped to the ladies’ room.

  Inside, Ellie felt that she could finally breathe. There were three messages that she’d missed. The first one was from Ray. Nothing urgent, but he wanted her to know that another collector who was interested in purchasing the same flag as Ellie’s client had come out of the woodwork. Ray was inviting the woman to his dinner party tomorrow night, so she could check out the competition.

  The second message was from her dealer friend John Dubin in Ticonderoga. She’d put the bug in his ear yesterday about finding the name of someone who’d be interested in making a duplicate of the old flag. John had connections in some unconventional circles, just as her father did, though John refused to buy or sell stolen or forged properties himself. And in his message, John said he had a name for her.

  The last message was from Nate, and Ellie unconsciously leaned against the wall at the sound of his voice. He had nothing new to report. He’d been at Sister Helen’s this afternoon, and Lou still had not been able to find anyone else who might be interested in the job. He wanted her to give him a call about tomorrow night.

  The victory of coming up with a name before her father was a minor one, but Ellie was thrilled. She was ready to dial Nate’s number when she realized the matronly attendant in the rest room was looking at her curiously. Suddenly, it dawned on Ellie that she’d been away from Donald for too long. She tucked the phone inside her purse and left the rest room.

  When Ellie sat down at the table, she told her dinner companion that she had to leave. Donald did a fairly good job of masking his annoyance with words of concern, though he could not seem to understand her need to leave before the cheese cart and the dessert cart made their appearance.

  “But I want you to stay. Finish your meal,” she pressed. Thoughts ran through h
er head of the complication of him driving her back to her place. He certainly would expect to be invited up to her apartment. In his voice she had heard an obvious anticipation of sex from the moment she had called him and accepted his invitation.

  “No, Ellie. Absolutely not. I’m taking you home.”

  “Please don’t.” She was fighting the urge to run. Suddenly the formality of the restaurant began to feel restrictive. “I already asked for a cab to be called.”

  “Then they can just send him on his way.”

  “Listen, Donald.” She took his hand when he was ready to wave at one of the waiters. “I’m sorry. I appreciate your effort and the expense of tonight. But I’m afraid I’m way too distracted with other things right now to be good company.”

  “The auction for the Children’s Hospital,” he said with a condescending nod. “It’s a lot of responsibility.”

  “That’s only part of it.”

  He entwined his fingers with hers. “I like you, Ellie. I like you very much. You’re so easy to talk to. So beautiful to look at. I don’t want to wait another two months before you call me back.” His tone softened. He caressed her palm. “I know I talked shop too much tonight. Probably just nerves on my part. Why don’t you let me take you home? If you give me a chance, I promise I’ll make it up to you in ways you’ve only dreamed of.”

  Ellie shook her head. “That’s quite an offer, but no. Maybe some other time.”

  She blew him a kiss and stood up, ignoring the curious glances around them. Their waiter, carrying the boxed dinner, caught up with her by the door, and Ellie quickly left the restaurant.

  On the sidewalk outside, she wanted nothing more than to disappear before Donald came after her. She had a feeling he would not give up, though the cheese and dessert carts had an obvious allure for him. A brisk power walk down Walnut Street would clear her head and get her away from the restaurant, but the tight, mid-thigh dress and high heels were not very well suited for that.

  A homeless woman pushing a grocery cart piled high with trash inched along the sidewalk. Ellie approached her and offered her the boxed dinner. The woman took it gladly, thanking her and glancing back at the name of the restaurant before moving on.

  Ellie stepped off the curb and raised her hand for a cab, but a motorcycle pulled up in front of her instead. She looked in disbelief into Nate Murtaugh’s face. Jeans, boots, T-shirt, powerful arms, blue eyes that set her body on fire with that once-over look.

  “I dare you to climb on.”

  Seventeen

  Without a moment’s hesitation, Ellie looped her purse around her neck and sat sidesaddle on the seat behind him.

  “I dare you to get some wind in my hair.”

  “Just hold on tight.”

  There were gaping stares as the Harley sped down the block. Nate could only imagine what a sight she presented. The black dress was too tight and too short. Her legs were strong and beautiful. Ellie was truly stunning in the sleeveless, open-neckline dress. He took the fastest route from the fifteen-hundred block of Walnut Street to her house on Pine.

  “Wait a minute,” she complained as soon as Nate shut off the engine in front of her building. “What happened to getting some wind in my hair?”

  “Not looking like that.” He turned and arched an eyebrow meaningfully at the skin showing below the rising hem of the dress. “You go and change into something loose and ugly, and I’ll take you for the ride of your life.”

  “Promises, promises.” She grumbled under her breath, climbing off and searching inside her purse for her keys.

  Her hair was windblown. The dress, twisted and hitched up from the ride, was slow to drop back into position, and Nate couldn’t help enjoying the view. The pleasure he’d felt when he’d seen her come out of that restaurant by herself was inexplicable.

  He still didn’t know why he’d gone there tonight, anyway. After talking to Vic, he’d done some serious thinking. What Ellie had been telling him all along was right. And in thinking about it, Nate had added a few of his own arguments that supported the conclusion that they didn’t belong together. As she said, they were different people. Their paths were crossing for a very short time. Work and play didn’t mix. It wouldn’t be fair or intelligent to muddle their lives with complications like this.

  And so Nate had been there, thinking maybe if he saw her go home with this lawyer, then he could put an end to whatever sexual fantasies he’d started having about her.

  She’d sure blown that idea to hell.

  “Coming up?” she asked from the open door.

  He was speechless for a second.

  “I have to return a call and get more information, but I think we might have the name of someone else who’s handy with a needle.”

  Nate breathed a sigh of relief, glad for the clarification. It would have been embarrassing as hell if he ripped that dress off her before they reached the staircase. He took the key out of the bike ignition and climbed off.

  The store downstairs was dark, and she didn’t bother to turn on any lights. Her perfume wafted in the air. Nate closed the door behind him, locked it and leaned against the glass for a few seconds. The light from the street cast shadows around the room and on her. Her white skin, contrasted against the black dress, was luminous. He watched Ellie take off her shoes and walk barefoot through the store—checking the messages on the phone and thumbing through the mail. Even the way she walked teased and seduced him.

  She looked up and their gazes locked. “How did you know where I was tonight?”

  “I can’t betray my sources.”

  “Vic will be happy to hear that.”

  “What did your friend—your dinner date—do to make you leave without him?”

  “Nothing,” she said casually, heading for the stairs.

  Nate followed her, admiring the fit of the dress on her body and the slim, silky legs.

  “You didn’t meet John Dubin,” she said. “He’s an antique dealer in Ticonderoga and a good friend. He’s the one who left a message on my cell phone tonight about a possible contact.”

  “Are you sure you want me to cross this threshold?” Nate paused with one foot on the top step.

  Ellie looked over her shoulder at him. “You’ve been in my apartment before.”

  “True, but the last time I was there you weren’t wearing a dress designed to drive me crazy.”

  A smile touched the corner of her lips. “And I always thought they took you FBI guys apart and rebuilt you as million-dollar machines during your training.”

  “They do. In my case, though, they ran out of money, and I was left with a few human parts.”

  Ellie’s once-over look made Nate’s clothes go tight in certain places.

  “I can see I’m sailing in dangerous waters.” Her dark eyes were full of mischief. “Even so, you can come in.”

  In her apartment, Ellie tried to eliminate the tension between them by turning on every light and opening the windows and the doors onto the balcony. She started some coffee and then told him about what she’d heard from Ray about another potential buyer. Though he was concerned, Ellie told him that it was to be expected, and it actually gave more credibility to the rumor that there would soon be an auction for the flag.

  Nate walked around her apartment when Ellie got on the phone with John Dubin. It had been a surprise to see that the decor of the place where she lived was so different from her shop. He guessed it was different from the stylish apartments of the people she socialized with, too. Though individual furnishings were tastefully arranged and obviously comfortable, the chairs and tables in the living room did not match one another. Nor were they antiques. They looked more like the hand-me-downs that people keep to make a place feel like home.

  Nate remembered what Vic had told him the first time he’d brought him up here to wait for Ellie. This was sacred ground. She didn’t allow customers, boyfriends or even casual friends to cross the threshold. This was the place where Ellie could drop the mask
of who she should be. This was the place where she could be herself.

  Nate thought of his own apartment in New York. For all his time with the Bureau, years that amounted to a whirlwind of assignments and travel, he’d never given more thought to the place he lived than he’d give to a hotel room. Comfortable. Impersonal. Definitely not a home.

  Until a year ago. The impersonality of the arrangement, though, had hit him when he’d been pushed behind a desk after his injury. With more time on his hands than he’d ever cared for, Nate had walked into his place every night wondering what the hell he was doing there. And why he wasn’t getting out.

  Bookcases covered one wall, and Nate moved closer to look at the dozens of framed photos that shared the shelves with the books. Ellie as a leggy preteen, cuddled against Lou on the steps of the art museum. Another picture of a young Lou on a beach with a beautiful woman with long dark hair flying in the wind. The woman had a strong resemblance to Ellie. On the shelf below, there was one of Sister Helen and the nuns. And another of Ellie, Ted Hardy and three other people. Most of the others were people he didn’t know with the exception of a glimpse of Ellie here and there among other families. He heard her hang up the phone.

  “His name is Hank Teasdale, and he lives near Saratoga Springs.” He looked over his shoulder and saw Ellie disappearing into her bedroom. “John said I should call Mr. Teasdale in the morning and square away the details of when we can meet with him. He’s an odd duck, apparently, kind of a recluse. He restores old tapestries and reupholsters furniture with antique fabrics. He’s one of the best, apparently. Works out of his house.”

  From this angle, Nate had a partial view of her bed through the double French doors. “That’s my neck of the woods.”

  “What do you mean? I thought you worked in New York City.”

  “The Saratoga area is where I was raised. My family still lives there.”