On the way back to Rebecca’s apartment, they’d cut through a park and stumbled upon a fresh pile of autumn leaves that had their names written all over it. Setting aside their purchases, they’d soon found themselves grabbing fistfuls of leaves and tossing them at each other like frolicking children.
At one point, Vince had stood beside the scattered pile of leaves and said, “Fall into me. I’ll catch you.”
Rebecca had hesitated only a moment before allowing herself to fall backward, into his waiting arms.
And now, as she absently watched the electronic panel above the elevator doors, she knew she wasn’t just playing a game anymore.
She was falling in love with Vince.
The elevator stopped on the fifth floor, and she was joined by a middle-aged black man she recognized as the night security guard, Larry Jackson, whom she’d met the day she moved into the building. He’d struck up a friendly conversation with her, volunteering that he received a discount on his rent because the building manager liked the idea of security personnel living on the premises.
After they exchanged warm greetings, Larry smiled easily at Rebecca. “How are you enjoying your new apartment?”
“I love it.” The company isn’t too bad either.
As if reading her mind, Larry grinned. “I see McCall wasted no time welcoming you to the neighborhood.”
Rebecca gave him a blank look. “McCall?”
He nodded. “Vince McCall. I saw the two of you returning from the market yesterday.”
“Oh, you mean Vince Gray?”
Larry frowned. “Gray? Don’t know anyone by that name. The fella you were with is Vince McCall.”
The blood was roaring in Rebecca’s ears. Maybe that’s why she hadn’t heard right. “You must be mistaken.”
“I don’t think so. He’s lived here for some time now, though he mostly keeps to himself. I guess it’s understandable why he keeps such a low-profile, being a cop and all.”
“A cop?”
“Why, yes.” Larry stared at her for a moment, then scratched his whiskered chin, looking sheepish. “I guess you didn’t know. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have opened my big mouth. If McCall didn’t tell you himself what he does for a living, I imagine he had a good reason.”
Just then the elevator doors slid open, and the security guard seemed relieved to part company with Rebecca, who made her way out of the building and to the parking lot as if in a trance.
He’s a cop, her mind echoed in shock. A cop. And he lied about it. Why?
A barrage of questions raced through her mind. Men lied all the time about their professions, usually to impress women. Maybe Vince thought she’d find him more attractive as a wealthy investment broker than a lowly police officer. But that explanation made no sense whatsoever. Vince was a sexy, virile man who could have any woman he wanted, regardless of how much money he had in the bank. He didn’t need to resort to telling fibs to get a woman into bed. She knew it, and no doubt he did too.
So why had he lied to her?
And if he’d lied about his profession, what else had he been untruthful about?
If the security guard was right, Vince had also lied about living in the same building. He’d left her apartment early in the morning, then snuck to his own place—which could very well be right down the hall from her.
Why?
Because he played you for a fool, an inner voice mocked.
Vince had seen something he liked and had gone after it. But his pursuit of her had been nothing more than a game to him, a challenge to see how quickly and easily he could get her on her back. And she’d put up very little resistance, not only falling into bed with him, but then falling in love with him.
Rebecca groaned as she headed uptown toward The Sultan’s, where she was scheduled to work that evening.
How could she have been such a damn fool? How could she have allowed herself to fall so hard and fast for a perfect stranger? While she’d shared personal details about herself—her career aspirations, the tragic loss of her parents, her hopes and dreams for her younger brother—everything Vince told her about himself had probably been a lie. Was he really from Chicago? Had he, too, lost his parents?
Was he, God forbid, married?
How could she trust a man willing to build their relationship on lies?
She couldn’t.
When Rebecca arrived at the club twenty minutes later, Stacey took one look at her and said, “Uh-oh. Must be a man.”
Rebecca ignored her and went about getting ready for her shift. Over the next two hours, she was so busy serving customers that she almost forgot about Vince—that is, until he showed up. Ironically, he was seated at the same table in the corner he’d occupied on Halloween night, where it all began.
Rebecca considered asking Stacey or one of the other waitresses to take his order, but she knew that would be the coward’s way out. Her only hope of getting over him was to look him straight in the eye and tell him she never wanted to see him again.
Schooling her features into an impassive mask, she made her way over to the table.
Vince looked up from the menu with that sexy, irreverent smile that had seduced her from the very first moment they met. Even now, knowing that he’d betrayed her trust, she wasn’t entirely immune to the potency of that smile.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said huskily. “What time do you get off tonight?”
Ignoring the question, she said sweetly, “Would you like to hear today’s specials? Or should I just make a recommendation? You might enjoy the swordfish—it’s very popular with all the cops who come here.”
Vince’s smile instantly disappeared, and regret filled his dark eyes. “Rebecca—”
“Yeah, that’s my real name,” she said coldly. “What about yours?”
He reached for her arm, but she snatched herself away. “Sweetheart—” he tried again.
“I’m not your sweetheart,” Rebecca hissed in a voice that vibrated with fury above the pulsing music. “From now on, you’re nothing more to me than a customer. If you’re not interested in ordering anything, please stop wasting my time.”
Vince stared at her for a moment, a muscle clenching in his jaw. “Give me a few minutes.”
“Fine.” Rebecca spun on her heel and started toward the kitchen, tears burning her eyes and blurring everything around her—the flashing strobe lights, the writhing dancers onstage, the flurry of passing waitresses balancing drink trays.
Knowing she couldn’t face her coworkers or other customers in her current condition, Rebecca made a quick detour and headed to the employee restroom.
She’d never been more relieved to find the bathroom empty. She hurried into the nearest stall and slammed the door shut behind her, then leaned against it and closed her eyes as the tears fell, fast and bitter.
She should have known that Vince Gray—or whatever he called himself—was too good to be true.
When she emerged from the bathroom fifteen minutes later, she saw no signs of Vince. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed that he’d given up so easily and left.
On her way down the hall toward the kitchen, she was detained by Bruno. “There’s someone waiting to see you in the Platinum Suite,” he said quietly.
Rebecca’s heart lurched. This was how it had all started. If Vince hadn’t summoned her to the Platinum Suite in the first place, they would have remained strangers.
And your heart would still be in one piece.
“Rebecca?”
She took a step back from Bruno, shaking her head emphatically. “I have customers waiting on me.”
“I’ve already asked Stacey to cover your tables.”
“That won’t be necessary. I—”
“I think you should hear what he has to say, Rebecca. He really seems like he needs to unburden himself.”
“That’s not my problem.”
“I think it is.” Bruno’s smile was gentle. “Go hear him out. After that, if you still
want nothing to do with him, I’ll have him thrown out on his ass.”
Rebecca hesitated, imagining herself doing the honors. “Promise?”
Bruno grinned. “Something tells me I’d enjoy throwing him out almost as much as you would.”
“Don’t count on it,” Rebecca muttered as she walked away.
When she reached the Platinum Suite on the second floor, Vince stood in front of the large glass aquarium, his hands thrust casually into his pockets. She couldn’t help the way her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him there, in that spot.
It was like déjà vu.
He turned slowly as she stepped into the room and stood near the door, letting him know he didn’t have much time.
“Thank you for coming, Rebecca.” His husky voice caressed her name, and she hated the way her body reacted.
She folded her arms across her chest to hide her distended nipples. “You should know that Bruno plans to throw you out of his establishment the moment we’re done here.”
Vince gave a humorless chuckle. “Can’t say I’d blame him, not if he finds out what I’m about to tell you.”
Rebecca felt a sliver of unease.
“What’s going on, Vince?” She paused, her eyes narrowed suspiciously on his handsome face. “Is that even your real name?”
“Yes, it is,” he said quietly. “My name is Vince McCall, and I’m a detective with the Baltimore Police Department.”
“Why did you lie about that?”
He hesitated, his gaze flicking past her to the open doorway. “Would you mind if we closed the door?”
She started to say yes, then changed her mind, deciding he couldn’t pose too much of a threat to her, being a member of Baltimore’s finest.
She turned and closed the door, but remained right where she was. The look in her eyes dared him to come anywhere near her.
His mouth twitched wryly. “I guess I brought that upon myself.”
“Damn right you did.”
He hesitated, then turned and crossed to the plush white sectional that dominated the seating area. He sat down and leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his muscled thighs as he began speaking. “The reason I didn’t tell you my real name is because I’m working undercover. Or at least I was until four o’clock this afternoon.”
Rebecca frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“For the past two months, Bruno Rossi has been under investigation by the BPD and FBI. He is—was—suspected of money laundering. I’ve been working undercover as an investment broker to gather incriminating evidence on him.”
Rebecca felt lightheaded. “And have you?” she whispered.
Vince gave her a grim smile of apology. “I’m not at liberty to discuss the specifics of the case. However, I can tell you that as of today, the government has dropped the investigation, and no charges will be brought against Bruno, now or in the future.”
“What happened?”
“Rebecca—”
“I think you owe me at least that much, don’t you think?” Of course he didn’t, but she wasn’t above pulling the guilt card.
Vince knew it, too. “This is what I’ll tell you,” he said evenly. “The order to cease and desist came from the top of the food chain, both within the BPD and FBI. I was called into my boss’s office this afternoon and given the official rundown, then reassigned a new case and sent on my merry way. End of story.”
Rebecca knew it wasn’t that cut and dried, but she realized he wasn’t going to provide any more information, no matter how much she pried.
“I had no choice but to lie to you, Rebecca,” Vince said. “You work for Bruno Rossi, the man I was supposed to be investigating. I couldn’t take a chance on you blowing my cover.”
Rebecca said nothing. He was only doing his job, one side of her rationalized. Whether or not she agreed with his reasons for going undercover, she couldn’t fault the man for doing his job. On the other hand…
“You lied to me,” she accused. “You entered my life under false pretenses.”
Vince shook his head. “There was nothing false about the way I felt when I saw you for the first time.” His gaze roamed across her body clad in a soft white blouse and a short black skirt—the regular waitress uniform now that Halloween was over.
“You were wearing less than you are now,” Vince said huskily, “and I wanted you. Wanted you so damn bad it was all I thought about for days. Believe me, Rebecca, there was nothing ‘false’ about that.”
Her belly quivered traitorously. “I never disputed the fact that you wanted me, Vince. You made that very clear from the beginning.”
“And you wanted me, too, Rebecca.”
“We’re not talking about me!”
“Yes, we are. We’re talking about the fact that you now question everything we’ve shared over the past four days.”
“ ‘Everything we shared’ was based on a lie,” she said angrily. “Nothing you told me about yourself was true!”
“That’s not true,” Vince insisted, rising from the sectional and starting toward her. “I’ll admit that there were some details, some embellishments, that had to remain consistent with my undercover identity. But those intimate things I shared with you, like the way my parents died and what it did to me and my sister. Those things came from my heart, Rebecca.”
Without realizing it, she found herself drifting toward him like a moth to a flame. “How can you talk about speaking from your heart when you looked me in the eye every day and lied to me?”
“I had no choice! Believe me, Rebecca, if I’d met you anywhere else, I would have told you my real name, where I worked and where I lived. Hell, yesterday when we returned from the park, I would have carried you to my apartment on the third floor because I wanted to make love to you so bad it was pure torture having to wait and ride the elevator all the way up to the damn ninth floor!”
By now they were standing toe to toe, and both were fuming. “Is that all I am to you?” Rebecca challenged. “A warm, readily available body to sleep with?”
Vince scowled. “No—”
“Because if that’s all you’re looking for—”
“No, damn it!” His chest rose and fell rapidly as he stared down at her, his nostrils slightly flared. And then, without warning, he cupped her face between his large hands and crushed his mouth to hers.
Rebecca resisted for only a moment before melting against him, wrapping her arms around his neck and reaching on tiptoe to press herself tightly against his body.
“I love you,” they whispered at the same time.
Drawing back, they gazed at each other in quiet wonder for several moments.
“I know we haven’t known each other very long….” Rebecca began.
Vince didn’t let her finish, slanting his lips over hers for another deep, intoxicating kiss that fanned the flames of desire licking through her.
“Vince,” Rebecca panted into his mouth. “I want you.”
“I want you, too, baby. And I intend to have you.”
“But…right here?”
“Hell, yeah,” he growled, lifting her into his arms and striding purposefully toward the sectional. “I paid for this suite out of my own pocket tonight. You’d better believe I’m gonna make full use of it.”
Rebecca watched through heavy-lidded eyes as he sat down and settled her astride his hard, muscular thighs. His thick cock pressed against the damp crotch of her thong.
“Maybe one of these days we’ll try out the Champagne Suite,” she breathed as he nudged aside the thin band of silk and stroked her swollen clit. She ground herself against him in mindless need, then, impatient for the feel of him inside her, she went for his zipper.
“The Champagne Suite?” Vince murmured distractedly.
“Mmm hmm. There’s a vibrating massage chair in there that’s supposed to be really stimulating.”
“Sweetheart,” Vince groaned as she reached inside his pants and freed his throbbing shaft, then rose up and im
paled herself on him, “you’re all the stimulation I’ll ever need.”
*****
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maureen Smith is the author of twenty-three novels and three novellas. She received a B.A. in English with a minor in creative writing from the University of Maryland. She is a former freelance writer whose articles were featured in various print and online publications. Since the release of her debut novel in 2002, Maureen has won or been nominated for seven RT BOOKreviews Reviewers’ Choice Awards and numerous Emma Awards.
She lives in Texas with her husband, two children, and two adorable miniature schnauzers. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached at [email protected]. Please visit her website at www.maureen-smith.com for news about her upcoming releases.
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