“No, you are. You want to feel the earth move.”
Tracy pounded her fork on the table. “Exactly. I may not be looking for the love of my life—hell, right now I probably wouldn’t know him if I tripped over him. But I still want—”
“A fling. like we were talking about before.” Mel grinned. “A wild, hot, passionate,
throbbing
kind of fling.”
“Yes. Exactly,” Tracy said. “That’s precisely what I need.” She gnawed on her lower lip, feeling wanton and decadent. “I want to experience that sizzle, that passion. But...”
“But you’re not interested in commitment,” Mel put in.
“Not yet,” Tracy agreed.
Sometime, yes
. “Right now, I just want—”
“Fire.”
She nodded, liking the sound of that. “Enough fire to burn me down to my toes.” Smiling, she caught Mel’s eye. “A flaming fling. That’s what I’m looking for.”
“With Leon?” Mel’s voice rose, incredulous.
Tracy shrugged. “I guess he’s out of the running.” As nice as that fantasy might be, the realization of it didn’t look too likely. Tracy blinked, steering her thoughts back to her friend. “This is all just silly. For one thing, I’m too chicken to have a fling. For another, no male worth anything is going to want to have a fling with me.” She held up her hands. “I’m right back where I started. Boring, plain, and pretty damn close to invisible.”
“I don’t believe that,” Mel said. “But if you do, we’ll just figure out a way to show you off.” She tapped her lip, thinking. “We can find some way to add a little pizazz to your looks. You know. Give you a new image. A touch more sex appeal.”
“More? I don’t have any.”
Mel shot her a stern glance but basically ignored the comment. “A look to boost your confidence.”
“Well, I don’t know what could do that,” Tracy complained. Although it wasn’t exactly true. The one thing she did have was her grandmother’s belt. It had certainly made her feel better just holding it. Maybe it would help her land just the right guy to show her the passion she craved. Of course, maybe it wouldn’t.
But one thing Tracy knew for sure: wearing the belt certainly couldn’t make her any worse off than she already was.
Are you one lucky Protector, or what
? Elmer squeaked.
She wants a fling. Flings are your specialty. Zephron sure picked the right guy for this job
!
Still crouched outside the window, Hale nodded. “Exactly what I’m thinking,” he acknowledged.
On his shoulder Elmer swiveled, managing to get his face right in front of Hale’s.
Excuse me? What are you cooking up in that libidinized brain of yours
?
Hale stifled a laugh. “Just a little seduction. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
A seduction
? The ferret snorted.
Why am I not surprised
? His tail swished in front of Hale’s face as he shifted his perch.
I know Zephron wanted you to... uh .. . connect with this girl, but I don’t think
that’s
what he had in mind
.
Hale rolled his eyes. This was his lucky day, and he didn’t intend to let the ferret’s prudishness mar that. Only rarely did one of his assignments involve seducing a woman who so clearly wanted to be seduced.
A little wine. A few roses. Some well-placed sweet words.
A fire crackling in the hearth—well, it was summer, so maybe nix the fire. Perhaps a midnight swim instead. Their bodies slick and wet, pressed up together. Close. Tight.
He imagined her breath soft against his ear. Her skin smooth beneath his fingertips. Her breasts, ripe and ready as he bent low, peeling off her bathing suit to reveal—
He fought a shiver, his body reacting more than he’d anticipated to his little fantasy.
Oh, yeah. He was back in form and more than up for the job of seducing Tracy Tannin. In fact, he couldn’t wait to get down to business.
“Any nibbles yet on your roommate ad?” Mel asked.
“Not a thing. But it’s only run the one day.” Tracy pulled a rubber band out of her pocket and yanked her hair into a ponytail. Some days she considered whacking it all off— it really was a pain—but she’d never quite worked up the nerve.
The kitchen timer chirped, and she headed to the oven, slipping a baker’s mitt on as she walked.
“Something yummy, I hope.”
“You just had coffee cake.”
“So did you,” Mel countered. “And it’s not like the dessert police are going to come get us. So what is it?” She sniffed. “Chocolate chip?”
“Slice-and-bake special,” Tracy confirmed, opening the oven door.
“You’ve got milk, right?”
“Of course.” Tracy shot Mel a glance as she started sliding the cookies onto a serving tray. “What kind of establishment do you think I’m running here?”
“Speaking of that”—Mel motioned around the kitchen— “I meant to ask earlier. What are you doing in here?” She ran her finger along the edge of one of the photos of Tracy’s grandmother. “Is this the stuff for the museum?”
Tracy plopped a plate of warm, gooey cookies in front of her.
“I think I love you,” Mel said.
“Of course. I feed you.”
“Seriously, what’s all this stuff for?”
“Well, I thought I’d donate it all to the museum ... but now I’m thinking I might keep some of the clothes.”
Mel leaned over the back of the chair and grabbed the white scarf Tracy had tried on earlier. “So you’ve decided your new image is vintage?”
“Maybe.”
“I was expecting you to go more for
Vogue
or
Cosmo
. You know—something hip for the Los Angeles dating scene.”
“That’s still a possibility,” Tracy said, taking the scarf back.
“Speaking of dating, you didn’t do something stupid and advertise for only a
female
roomie, did you?”
“Are you nuts?” Tracy took a bite of cookie, slid down her chair in a moment of pure ecstasy, then sighed. “I’m a natural man-repellant. Why on earth would I bother going to the trouble of limiting my roommates to girls?”
“Dunno. False sense of modesty maybe.”
“Oh, please. This house is huge. And I’m trying to rent out an entire suite with a private entrance. A family of twelve could move in and I’d never even notice.”
Okay. So maybe that was an exaggeration. But the house did have more space than she needed. The second floor was home to three bedroom suites, one with an outside entrance off the balcony. The lower level had the kitchen, ballroom, study, formal living room, dining room, and maid’s quarters. It also had Tracy’s favorite—a private screening room with comfy chairs and a lounge area where Tahlula used to entertain. Tracy had never had a party there, but she did love to watch television in style.
Tracy shook her head and gave her boss a questioning look. “Hey. Now that I think about it, what are you doing here? I mean other than eating and gossiping. I thought you had to work with Penelope tonight.”
“That was my plan, but then I had to get ready for some meetings tomorrow. Not that it matters. Penelope’s having problems.”
“Penelope always has problems. That’s why we’re having problems with Penelope.”
“Yeah,” Mel agreed. “Well, this time Penelope’s having about eight little problems.”
Tracy shook her head slowly. “You’re not saying—”
“Yup. Preggers.”
“Well, heck. Guess that means she’s off the show.”
“And we have to find a replacement. Pronto.” Mel turned to face the big window at the far end of the kitchen. After a second, she frowned. “Or maybe I just found a replacement.” She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes.
“Excuse me?”
Mel pointed. “There’s a ferret in your window.” She squinted. “Or there was.”
Tracy whipped around, but didn’t see a thing. “A ferret? What? Just hanging out on my windowsill?”
“More like hovering in midair, actually.” Mel’s brow furrowed as she shrugged. “You don’t see that every day.”
“I don’t think you see that at all.”
Mel held up her hands. “Hey, I didn’t put him there. It’s your house.”
“Well, it’s not my ferret. I think you’re imagining things. You’ve just got ferrets on the brain.”
“Probably. Either that or not enough caffeine. Or maybe too much sugar.” She didn’t look convinced, but Mel shook her head and turned back to Tracy. “Anyway, as I was saying, we’ve got big problems. I’ve already called all our competitors. Los Angeles is severely lacking in trained ferrets at the moment.” A pensive expression crossed her face. “Maybe they could rewrite the script for a great big rat. Or a potbellied pig. We’ve got a great trained pig.”
“Maybe we could find a ferret in San Diego.”
“Or Ventura,” Mel said. “But I doubt it.”
“I don’t know,” Tracy said. “I guess we just play it by ear and hope we find one. If not, Leon can co-star with a pig. And that,” she added, “would be very appropriate.”
A television show
! Elmer squeaked, his little squeals cutting into Hale’s eardrums.
My heroine, my darling
. He gazed up from their hiding place under Tracy’s window, an expression of longing on his little face.
I want to marry that woman
.
“Would you be quiet?” Hale asked. “I’m trying to think.” They’d cut it too close a minute ago, and Tracy’s friend had almost discovered them. Now they were well below the window level, so anyone peering out wouldn’t see the ferret floating on Hale’s invisible shoulder.
What’s there to think about
? Elmer asked.
It’s perfect. It’s wonderful. You talk to her. She trains me. You’ll be around her all the time. What could be better
?
“Just about anything, I imagine.”
Elmer snorted.
Oh, sure. Guess you’re the only one allowed to be famous. Not little old Elmer. No, sir. No fame for the ferret
.
Hale rolled his eyes. When he had first accepted his alter-ego role, no one had expected how popular his face—or thighs, pecs, and biceps—would turn out to be. But Zephron had insisted that Hale could hide in plain view. The very conspicuousness of being a cover model would lend him an inconspicuousness as a superhero. While he’d complained at first, in truth Hale didn’t mind. Not that he’d ever admit it to Elmer—who gave him plenty of grief about dressing up like a pirate or a medieval lord—but Hale thoroughly enjoyed the job.
But the thought of Elmer in front of a camera ...
Well, frankly, that was more than a little scary. Elmer being Elmer was often too much to handle. Elmer being a television star... he’d have sunglasses, an entourage, his very own limo driver. Hale shook her head. That might be a little much to take.
Still, he had to admit this did seem perfect. And he knew from experience he’d never hear the end of it if he didn’t at least let the little guy have a shot.
“Fine,” he said, giving in. “I’ll call my agent in the morning and see if he can line up an audition for you.” He rubbed his temples. Marty was an excellent agent, but also an opportunist. Hale couldn’t even begin to imagine how the man would twist this rather bizarre scenario to his advantage.
Serious television
, Elmer said, his squeaky voice practically a sigh.
I wonder if I’ll get a credit at the beginning. Maybe I’ll even get my own trailer
!
Hale stifled a sigh, wondering what exactly he’d gotten himself into.
“Here.” In his Manhattan apartment, Hieronymous pointed to the bank of monitors, all displaying various areas of Los Angeles. “Right in the middle of Beverly Hills.” He drummed his fingers on his desktop and looked up at Clyde, his Chief of Guards.
“Surely Tahlula didn’t die with the girdle still in her possession?”
Hieronymous frowned, hating the idea that all these years it had been right there for the picking. “I wouldn’t have thought so. Tahlula Tannin knew full well the power of the belt, and yet she ceased wearing it. What mortal could resist the lure of Aphrodite’s girdle?”
“You can’t resist, Master. And if you can’t, surely no mortal can.”
With a growl, Hieronymous rounded on Clyde, his black robe flying out from behind him. “It is not a question of
resistance
, fool,” he hissed. Gathering himself, he stood up straighter, then spoke slowly, as if to an idiot. Which, in his opinion, was often an accurate description of Clyde. “The girdle is a tool—a tool I intend to use for the greater good of our race.”
“Of course, Sire.” Clyde bowed his head.
Fools
. He was surrounded by fools. His staff, his son. How was a supreme being like himself supposed to reach his destiny if he didn’t have quality help? Really, would his problems never end?
With a sigh, he looked back at the monitors and dismissed the question. “Perhaps Tahlula misplaced it. Perhaps she gave it to charity or to a relative, who has only just put it on. The cause of its disappearance is immaterial at this point.” He lifted his head, his jaw firm as he looked into Clyde’s eyes. “We do not even know that the signal came from Tahlula’s house. It wasn’t strong enough to pinpoint anything more than Beverly Hills.”
“Has Mordichai checked in?”
“Ah, yes, my son. My secret weapon. The one who will bring the belt to me.”
“So he’s got a bead on it, huh?”
Hieronymous stifled a sigh. Apparently Clyde was immune to sarcasm. “My son is alone in Los Angeles searching for a missing artifact. Unless he stumbled onto something in the”—he glanced at his Rolex—“two hours since he arrived, I don’t think that he has a bead on anything.” A pity, too. He needed that girdle. And he needed Mordichai to get it for him.
“Did you get your message to him?” Clyde asked.
Hieronymous fought the urge to sneer. “Of course. Do you think I would sit on such a crucial bit of information?” Just that afternoon, his key spy within the Council had delivered a message—Hieronymous’s niece and nephew, Zoë and Hale, had been assigned to locate the girdle and return it to the Council. Pesky little interfering brats.
“Mordichai knows what is at stake. And he knows that in order to win the prize—and to win my approval—he will have to thwart his cousins’ efforts.”
“Sire ...” Clyde’s voice trailed off, his eyes lowered.
“What is it now?”
“Are you sure using your son is a good idea? I mean, Zoë barely has her skills under control. But Hale ... well, he’s one of the best the Council has.”