Prince Charming Undercover

by Debra Salonen

  He pocketed his remaining couple of chips and told his friends he’d see them later. When he turned to leave, Zeke did the same.

  Before Nick could ask Zeke to run background checks on his co-workers, the detective asked. “What’s happening with the princess’s plans?”

  Nick was embarrassed to admit he didn’t know. They hadn’t really talked since that night in the pool. Zeke wanted to know if she was still going through with her plan to open a nightclub with Charles, which meant Nick was going to have to swallow his pride. Because this was business. Just business.

  Grace hesitated before opening the door of her trailer. She’d put off talking with her mother about Too Romantique for a week, but Charles wouldn’t wait any longer. “You told me Kate would be done with the plans last night,” he’d said just minutes earlier on the phone. “So? Are we going to do this or not?”

  Grace had finally pinned down some design specifics from her sister by talking hypothetically. “If we opened a second place, what would you like to see—kitchen-wise?” she’d asked Kate and Jo. The two had bounced ideas off each other until they came up with a workable layout. Costly, Grace suspected, but one that even an Iron Chef would have drooled over.

  Now, Grace just needed her mother to release the funds. Not a problem.

  Grace took a deep breath for courage and stepped outside. The blue sky was dissected by contrails left from Nellis Air Force Base pilots. “Hi, Mom, what’s up?” Grace called when she spotted her mother kneeling beside a small patch of exposed dirt. From the tools at her side, she appeared ready to plant petunias, a flower Yetta said reminded her of her childhood.

  “Hello, dear. You’re here late today.”

  “Comp time. I helped Jo steam-clean the walls last night after Kate went home.”

  “This Jo person seems very nice and helpful. I’m glad your sister found her. You should invite her to dinner some Sunday.”

  Romantique was closed on Sundays and Mondays.

  “I could do that. You know she has a partner, right? Another woman,” Grace added, feeling a bit embarrassed. Sexuality of any kind wasn’t a subject she and her mother had discussed much. Growing up, that area of Grace’s education had fallen to her sisters.

  “Yes, I know. I’d like to meet her, too.” Yetta sat back on her heels and rolled her shoulders. “You’re not homophobic, are you?”

  Grace nearly dropped the water bottle she was carrying…until she spotted her mother’s playful wink. “No, Mother, I just didn’t want to spring any unnecessary surprises on you, the way you did when you invited Nikolai to move in.”

  “But he’s turned out to be such a delightful surprise. Don’t you think?”

  Delightful? Not the first word that popped up when she thought of him. Sexy. Worrisome. “I try not to think about him.” Tried…and failed. Their almost-kiss had been on her mind the whole week. “I’m too busy. And I need to talk to you about this new project I have in mind.”

  “The spin-off restaurant. I heard some murmuring about it.”

  “I want to call it Too Romantique.”

  “Very clever name. You’ve always had a way with words.”

  The praise was nice, but Grace rushed on now that the ice was broken. “Thanks. I think it will attract a lot of attention and we can play up our heritage in the press release. Two sisters of Romani descent opening a hip bar and grill. We’ll make back our investment in no time.”

  Yetta pushed the trowel into the powdery gray soil. “Speaking of which, where are you entrepreneurs getting this money?”

  Grace felt her cheeks heat up. “Um, well, I thought I might be able to use the money in my trust.”

  “No.”

  Grace scooted her chair a little closer. “Mom, you don’t understand. This is a great opportunity. Charles will be matching my investment, dollar for dollar. He’s even willing to sign something that reimburses me every penny if the restaurant goes belly-up.”

  “What if he goes belly-up?”

  “Charles? Bankrupt? Never happen.”

  Yetta smiled. “So now you can see into the future, huh?”

  “Mom.” Grace took a breath and tried to channel every ounce of patience she possessed. “I’m a college-educated businesswoman. I’ve crunched the numbers. I know a good opportunity when I see one.”

  “And what does Charles see when he looks at you?”

  Her tone made Grace blush. Surely her mother didn’t think Grace was romantically inclined toward Charles, whose tepid hugs seemed almost fatherly when compared to a man like Nikolai who could start a fire in her veins with one brief touch.

  “He sees a potential business partner, of course.”

  “Or an untapped bank account.”

  The sour tone surprised Grace. “Mom, Charles is one of Dad’s oldest friends. Didn’t he help Dad set up our trusts?”

  Yetta looked away. “Don’t presume to know what Kingston was thinking back then. Your father came into some money and wanted to insure that it would be there for you girls if anything happened to him. He and Charles were not in agreement on how the money should be invested, which makes me wonder if Charles has an ulterior motive for supporting this idea of yours.”

  Grace frowned. Was that true? How come her father had never mentioned such a thing to her? “Mom, Charles has been good to you. He didn’t charge you a dime to recover your money after Ian was arrested, remember?”

  Yetta sighed. “I know you don’t put much faith in my visions anymore, but, dear, I don’t completely trust Charles. You, of all people, should understand.”

  Grace looked away. She could lie and say she still believed in her mother’s abilities, but even without extraordinary skills, Yetta would have sensed the truth.

  Her mother touched her hand. “I understand, honey. I don’t trust myself much anymore, either. But I can’t agree to let you use that money for this purpose.”

  Grace jumped to her feet. “Mom, if this is about Dad’s original intention for our trusts—as a dowry—I think that’s a bit archaic. I’m pushing thirty. My flower-strewn-wedding days are just about over. Prince Charming disappeared down the rapids with a different princess in his raft. Now, my focus is on making money, and that trust fund could do me a lot more good if I put it to work in a new restaurant.”

  Yetta rose, as well. “Darling girl, you joke about what Shawn did to you, but I know how much it hurt. You pretend your heart is healed but it isn’t. Not yet. It will be soon, though. I promise. You picked the wrong prince, sweetheart. That’s all.”

  That’s all? Like they grow on trees? “Mom, about the money. What if I borrowed against it? The way a person does with a life-insurance policy? I could slowly pay it back, and then when I’m forty or fifty, if my gray-haired prince shows up, we could throw a heckuva grand affair.”

  Yetta laughed, as Grace had intended. But her mother was right. Grace still felt betrayed by Shawn and fearful of putting her heart on the line. Maybe, subconsciously, she was using work and family to fill a void.

  “I will think about it…if you do something for me.”

  “What?”

  “Take Nikolai out on the town. He’s had a humdrum life. Very little glamour. That can make a person bitter. I want him to have fun, live it up a bit. Can you do that for me?”

  “You want me to show him a good time?” Grace barely managed to contain the shiver that raced through her body. She knew what kind of good time she’d like to show him.

  Her mother looked at her, eyes narrowing. “Would that be so hard?”

  Hard? She’d felt a certain hardness for a fleeting second in the pool. “No.” Her voice squeaked.

  “Are you well, dear? Your cheeks are flushed.”

  “I’m fine. Really. I just…well, I was thinking about where I’d take him. So many choices. A dozen great restaurants to pick from. All the sights, of course.”

  “Perhaps a show. His mother was a dancer, you know.”

  Grace nodded, but she recalled some of the
conversation she’d overheard the day Nikolai had arrived. He hadn’t seemed too happy about his mother’s career. “I’ll put something together, if you promise you’ll think about letting me use my trust for this project, deal?”

  Her mother put her arms around Grace and squeezed her warmly. Yetta nodded, but Grace knew that a hug was not the same as a handshake.

  Nick slowly made his way back to the employees’ break room after his plan to do a little private cleaning up in Charles’s office failed. The door had been locked and one of Charles’s regular security goons had been loitering in the hall. Neither Charles nor MaryAnn had been in the office.

  He was halfway down the escalator when he spotted Grace. She’d started through the lobby with a purposeful stride then stopped suddenly and veered toward the restaurant where she and Charles had conversed the day Nick had arrived. Instead of going in, she pivoted on one heel and marched toward the elevator, a look of grim determination on her face.

  He pushed off the wall and trotted across the foyer to catch her before the elevator door opened. Luckily for him, the elevators were as run-down as everything else in this place. He sidled up beside her and cleared his throat.

  Grace was staring at the brushed-chrome doors and didn’t look his way, so Nick nudged her. Her brows knotted and she turned as if to scold him.

  “Nikolai,” she exclaimed. “I was going to look for you next.”

  Nick couldn’t get over how strange it was to hear her say his birth name. It sounded sexy and exotic. And he liked it. “I’m only second on your list, huh?”

  Her cheeks colored slightly. “Better than last, isn’t it?”

  “Maybe. Who’s first?”

  “Charles. I have to tell him I need more time before we can close our deal on Too Romantique. My mother is being extra cautious about money these days. I shouldn’t complain after what happened with Kate’s ex-husband but still—” She made a sound that told him she was embarrassed about having shared that piece of personal information with him.

  She tried to escape his scrutiny by dashing into the elevator when it arrived but had to wait as five people, including Zeke, exited. Nick followed her in.

  “Don’t you have a job to do?”

  “Yes.” I’m doing it right now. The thought served as a reminder that he needed to keep his head on task—unlike the last time they were alone together. In the pool. He pushed the dangerous image away. “But I’m on break. I thought Charles was pretty generous with downtime until one of my co-workers pointed out that the frequent short breaks meant you had no time to go anywhere so would probably spend money in the casino. Clever, huh?”

  Grace nodded. “Oh, Charles knows how to work the system. The other day over breakfast Liz pointed out that while most people might construe Charles’s efforts on behalf of injured casino workers as a good thing, some could argue that he was taking advantage of a fear of litigation to settle minor grievances out of court. Since he used to work for one of the biggest casinos around, he knows firsthand what the threshold is for nuisance complaints.”

  A week ago, Nick would have been surprised to hear this coming from her mouth. That was before he understood that she truly was an innocent where Charles was concerned. His fear at the moment was that she was also being set up to become a victim. But he needed proof.

  “So much for Mr. Altruistic?”

  She looked at him with eyebrows scrunched. “You know, sometimes you’re not the person you’re trying to convince everyone you are.”

  A sick feeling swept through his belly. “What do you mean?”

  “You come off as blue-collar, tough, bitter and mad at the world. But other times, you’re kind, sensitive and well educated.”

  He laughed shortly. “My jail had a good library.”

  She crossed her arms and gave a snort that said she didn’t believe him. She wore a black business suit with dressy boots and a simple white wool sweater that lay sweetly against her neck. Her only jewelry was a heart-shaped gold locket. Her hair was piled in a twist atop her head.

  “You look nice.”

  “Thanks. It’s my professional look.”

  “You have an appointment with Charles?”

  The elevator doors opened to the floor that held the business offices. She stepped forward but didn’t exit. “Not exactly. But he’s usually here this time of day. Why?”

  Nick shrugged. “MaryAnn said something about a funeral. I guess I thought Charles was going, too. I could be wrong.”

  Grace let out a long sigh. “Darn. I forgot about that. Well, maybe I can catch him at his suite.” She pressed a different button. “Aren’t you going to be late for work?”

  When the elevator chugged upward, Nick took a step closer to Grace. Her eyes widened with alarm and she put out a hand. “Look. We haven’t talked about that night in the pool. I figure it’s no big deal.” Her smile looked forced. “No reason to feel awkward, right? You’re in a new environment. You’re lonely. I was handy.”

  Nick let out a low curse. “You think that’s why I tried to kiss you?”

  She readjusted the strap of her handbag and stiffened her shoulders. “More like you’re not the kind of guy to pass up an opportunity when it presents itself. I just—”

  He cut off her words with his mouth. It irked him to know she thought he was an opportunist who was looking for an easy piece.

  She tried to twist away, but he took her jaw in his hand and held her still. Her skin smelled liked warm peaches, her breath was sweet and shaky. He closed his eyes and kissed her. She let out a small sound that he swallowed. A whimper? A sigh? He wasn’t sure but he felt the moment she gave in to the spark between them. She looped her arms around his shoulders—for a heartbeat, then suddenly she pushed him back.

  “Oh, no, not again.” She smacked him solidly on the chest with the palm of her hand. “What is wrong with you? With me? I’ve never in my life kissed a man in an elevator.” She pointed to the upper corner of the small box. “That’s a camera, you idiot. There are probably half a dozen security people hooting and howling right this minute.”

  Nick cursed silently. The last thing he needed was for Charles to see him kissing Grace. Fortunately Charles’s in-house security system left a great deal to be desired. Only occasionally monitored, the small screens were cloudy and often offline. “So you’re here to see Charles on business, but you said I was also on your list?”

  The door started to open but Nick hit Close, then waited for her to answer him. Her blush had spread to her neck.

  “Um, well…this probably isn’t the best timing, but my mother wants me to take you out on the town. Show you the fun side of Vegas. She says you deserve to live it up a little. Are you free tonight?”

  Nick knew he should say no. He had no reason to spend time with her. She wasn’t a suspect, but she did have Charles’s ear. And she could give him inside information on Gregor and MaryAnn, both employees of Charles’s.

  “I get off at five.”

  “I’ll pick you up at six.”

  He released the elevator door and she fled without a backward glance.

  Nick dropped back to lean against the wall and watched her walk away. He wanted to believe that he was doing this for the sake of the job, but he’d never had to lie to himself in the past when it came to women. He liked sex. He liked Grace. He would have liked to make love with her, but that wasn’t going to happen.

  Not tonight, anyway.

  Chapter 11

  Nick was used to being in control. At the moment, he was anything but.

  Grace had picked him up at six-fifteen. “Fashionably late,” she’d claimed with a wink when he sat down in the passenger seat of her car. No excuses. No apologies.

  “I’ve made reservations for dinner at my favorite seafood restaurant, but if that doesn’t appeal to you, Delmonico’s, which is renowned for its steaks, is right next door.”

  “I like fish.”

  “Cool. Since the real action doesn’t start until later
, we might as well take advantage of what’s left of the sunlight. In fact, I thought you might enjoy a view from the top.”

  Nick had consented, more or less, to put himself in her hands for the evening which was why he was now following her to an observation platform atop the Stratosphere, some thousand-plus feet above the city. Belatedly, he wished he’d exercised some free will.

  “You’re not afraid of heights, are you? ’Cause I think we have time to ride the Big Shot, if you’re up for a cheap thrill.”

  “What’s the Big Shot?”

  “If you have to ask, you’ve got to try it. At least once. There are a couple of other choices but this one is my favorite. The coaster is kinda tame by ride standards. X-Scream and Insanity—The Ride are fun, but they’re the newest, and the lines are usually longer.”

  Nick had seen photos of the amusement-park rides that dangled over the edge of the tower. Fun wasn’t the first word that came to mind, but he kept his opinion to himself. He didn’t want to come off as a wuss, especially when Grace’s eyes were alight with excitement. She obviously loved flirting with danger. She was flirting with him, wasn’t she? Even though she didn’t know he was a cop investigating members of her family, she had to sense he was no boy-next-door.

  Nick bought the tickets—over Grace’s suggestion they go dutch—and dutifully handed them to the man who strapped them into the molded seats that were equipped with well-padded shoulder harnesses. At his side, Grace, who’d volunteered to take the outside position, looked at him and said, “You’re a bit green. I hope that’s just from the colored lights.”

  “I’m not a huge fan of thrill rides.”

  She laughed. “But you were too macho to admit it when I gave you the chance to back out. That’s delicious.” She gave him a look that attempted to convey sympathy, but the mirth in her eyes ruined it. “At least, I haven’t fed you yet.”