The car light went off. A few seconds later the engine stopped, and Rick heard the sound of the car door opening and closing. One door. One occupant.
“Put me down, Rick,” Nikki whispered.
“Not yet,” he said as he turned to face the intruder.
He was trained to always notice the smallest things, and the sound of the footsteps was familiar. He cursed softly. He watched with narrowed eyes as the person approached, then stopped a few feet away from them. There was a pause.
“Nice to see you again, Rick.”
“I can’t say the same, Denise.” Rick returned coolly. He felt Nikki’s fingers digging into his neck as she too turned her head.
Whatever Denise was planning, Nikki was off limits. If she hurt a single hair on Nikki’s head, he was going to kill her.
D
enise Lorens was alone, dressed in seductive red, her blond hair piled in a sophisticated style on top of her head. The building lights silhouetted her svelte figure against the evening shadows as she posed with lazy indolence. She couldn’t deceive Rick, though. He sensed her tension and the growing anger behind it. He saw the flicker of fury in her eyes as she took in the scene of Nikki in his arms.
“I don’t like being used.”
Ahhh. He hadn’t returned her calls. She had come to salvage her pride. “And of course I was just there for your convenience,” Rick said, keeping his voice bored. He calculated the minutes this was going to waste, thought of which direction to take from here.
“You knew who I was and still took me to your bed. Was it the challenge?” Denise stepped closer, her eyes glittering. She wasn’t paying Nikki any attention. “And you kept me with you all weekend, even though you knew why I was there. You wanted me to stay despite the danger of having me there. It was very good, wasn’t it?”
Denise didn’t hide the need in her voice, but Rick didn’t want to have this conversation with Nikki there. First, it was in bad taste. Second, he didn’t need to explain himself to anyone. He held Nikki closer against him and eyed the other woman coldly. “It was no challenge, Denise.” She flinched at his words. “Let it go.”
“No, you owe me an explanation.”
“I don’t owe you anything.”
“Perhaps you will, after you hear what I have to tell you.”
Denise looked at Nikki with such malice that Rick suddenly came to a decision. This would end right here. If he sent the scorned woman away without knowing what she was up to, she was bound to cause more trouble than it was worth. “And that is?” he asked.
“Send her away, Rick,” Denise ordered. She lowered her voice seductively. “She’s also using you, can’t you see that? Sex with her would just give her an advantage. At least with me, you know where you stand, and I can help you get out of the mess you’re in. And it would be just as good as that weekend.”
Nikki had stiffened in his arms as she listened to the exchange in silence. Rick didn’t know what she was thinking, probably nothing good. Denise’s obvious threats to expose Nikki meant nothing, he had already figured out for himself what she was. But perhaps she could enlighten him about Nikki’s role in this trap Internal Investigations was setting up.
He felt a soft touch at the nape of his neck, a gentle nudge. He understood. Nikki was reminding him of what she had said some nights ago, that she wasn’t Denise Lorens. After what had happened in the car, he knew she was telling the truth. Nikki wouldn’t use sex as a weapon the way the woman standing in front of them would.
But he could also tell that Denise Lorens, in spite of that sexy outfit, was here on business. Clearly she had taken a dislike to Nikki and was out to get her. This was very unprofessional for an operative, of course, which revealed the instability of the woman’s mind right now.
The hunter in him surfaced. She was unhinged. Perfect for the picking. He could get some answers tonight and make some moves ahead.
Since the death of his wife, Rick had never allowed emotions, especially sexual desire, to overwhelm his logic. But now his whole body protested at the calculated thought that had just surfaced. To send Nikki Taylor away was tanta
mount to being insane. To put off going to bed with her was serious bodily harm.
“If you don’t want the information, I’m sure tomorrow will be as good a day as any to say bye-bye to your career.” Denise’s smile was overbright, confident of her victory. The yellow of the outside lights made the red of her lips strangely garish. She nodded toward Nikki. “Also, she might as well pack and leave town. She won’t be needed for her assignment anymore since you would be going down, Rick. You need me tonight. Better decide soon.”
Nikki’s soft caress behind his neck didn’t stop. Her voice was steady when she broke her silence. “Put me down, Rick.”
Rick did so reluctantly. Part of him recognized Nikki’s pride in not wanting to conduct an argument while ensconced in a man’s arms, but the big part of him just wanted to ignore the bitch interrupting his night and throw caution to the wind. It was tempting to turn around, punch the code in, and leave Denise out here. He could deal with it all tomorrow, his body urged. His common sense, he acknowledged with rueful amazement, had finally deserted him.
Denise looked down at Nikki, her lips thinning in dislike. “Tough to be on the other side, isn’t it?” A corner of her mouth lifted into a sneer. “You thought it amusing to show me up in front of my superior, telling him I’m wasting time. How does it feel to have your own time wasted? What will your superior think, I wonder, when your report is just as flawed as mine? Because after tonight, he is going to know exactly what you’re after.”
Rick ran a hand down Nikki’s back, hoping that was enough to reassure her. She reached back with her hand and he grasped it. “I never meant to show you up, Denise,” Nikki said quietly. “You did what you were assigned to do. All I pointed out was why you didn’t need to continue. It was unnecessary because Rick had always known who you are. That is my job, to point out holes.”
“Oh, shut up,” Denise said sharply. “You sit there pointing
out little unimportant flaws in the system and pat yourself on the back for it. Do you think I don’t know your kind? You want the accolades more than I do. And I see you aren’t averse to using sex to get what you want either. So the shoe’s on the other foot, little Miss Independent Contract. When Rick hears what I have to say, he’ll dump you too.”
Rick listened, mulling over the information the two women were giving him. Denise wasn’t being as careful as Nikki and he was beginning to see more pieces of the puzzle.
“And you’ll get accolades for his dumping me?” Nikki countered calmly, still holding his hand.
Denise shrugged. “I don’t like being informed by my superiors that I’m losing my touch. You and your so-called expertise put me in a bad light and they took me off my assignment before I was ready. Well, I’ve made up my mind to let Rick in on some information. He is—” She glanced up mockingly at him. “So sorry to talk about you like this, darling—he’s something special in bed, and I want him. What I have will hold him to me for a while. My plans don’t include you, Nikki, so you might as well go write your little report and leave. The review board tomorrow is going to be disappointed with what you have to say so far. As for Rick, don’t worry, I’ll take care of him tonight, and tomorrow.”
“So sure of that, Denise?” Rick spoke up, his voice still bored.
Denise arched a brow. “You don’t want to be accused of being a traitor along with Gorman, do you, sweetie? I know their plans. You need me to help you out of this.”
“In exchange for sex,” Rick flatly pointed out.
Denise moued. “You’ve done it before,” she retorted, and smiled coldly. “Why, I believe your whole file said you did so regularly enough, and of course, there is the matter of your wife.”
Rick had had enough. “Do you think you can threaten me?”
Denise stepped closer. “It doesn’t have to be that way,” she said, her eyes sweeping the length of him intimately. “With a little persuasion, I can offer you so much more…than she can. What does she know about you, anyway? There
is no danger or excitement to her at all. With me, you will gain more power, more control of your destiny. You can get Gorman out of your life, finally.”
“Really?” Rick had to admit that Denise was good. She knew what would tempt him most. He turned to look down at Nikki, who didn’t seem as weak as she had looked in his arms. Fierce need coursed through him, and he had to tamp down the urge to go with primitive desire. He couldn’t just take Nikki upstairs and forget about what was happening down here. He had to deal with Denise Lorens now. “Nikki?”
She looked up, a wealth of understanding in her eyes. “You owe me,” she said, referring to the interview. She had given him access to an intimate part of her and was reminding him that he, too, had a price to pay. Her smile was slow and gentle. She looked so beautiful, she seemed to glow from the inside. Rick almost—almost—changed his mind again.
“I know I do,” he said, and ignoring Denise, added, “Let me walk you back to your car.”
“Okay. Good night, Denise.”
“Oh, I intend to have one,” Denise mocked and leaned against the lit wall. The dislike in her eyes was even more palpable as she noted Rick’s tender exchange with Nikki. Her lips straightened disdainfully. “That’s the difference between you and me, Nikki. You’re all words, with nothing to back you up. Don’t keep me waiting too long if you want to save his career.”
Nikki paused, studying Denise for a long moment until the other woman shifted defiantly. She nodded. “I’m glad you finally got it right about the difference between us, Denise. You see, I do still intend to save the department, and perhaps a career or two, but you’re bent on destroying everything, including yourself. And know this. I can’t save you.”
She didn’t wait for Denise’s reply, turning away and walking off. Not taking any chances, Rick put himself between the women as he followed Nikki closely. He had been listening with increasing interest and admiration for Nikki. She handled herself so calmly, totally unaffected by Denise’s venom. Very few women would walk away without a cat-
fight. He wanted to know Nikki’s strength, understand where it came from. He also wanted to ask her about what she meant by saving the department. He cursed Denise silently again. If it were any information other than Gorman that was dangled in front of him…
He unlocked the car door for her, then handed Nikki the keys. “Drive carefully.” She smiled, sending a jolt of desire where he was already hurting, and bent down to get into her car. Unwilling to let her go, he stopped her, pulled her into his arms. “Save me, huh?”
Her eyes were secretive. “Yes, and if you give Denise what she wants, I’m sure you’ll find out everything after tonight, won’t you?”
Rick gently tilted her chin up. “Do you think I can,” he asked, “when I still taste you in my mouth, when your scent still lingers all over me?”
She looked away, the darkness probably covering a blush, and he pinched her chin so that she returned her gaze to him. “Nikki, I want you. Now. But I can’t just let her play this game with me, or with you. There’s too much at stake.”
“She isn’t going to tell you the truth,” Nikki told him. “She has the same aura the building has.”
“What building? You mean my office?”
She nodded. “The whole building. She isn’t healthy, Rick, and no, I won’t bore you with my strange notions right now, but please be careful.”
He had to smile at her. She should be angry with him, instead of trying to keep him safe. “I will, little bird. And I know I owe you the interview next.” He leaned forward and kissed her. She opened her mouth willingly, and her warmth seeped into him again. He was going to regret letting her go tonight. Straightening up, he dropped his hands, watched her climb into the car. To put her at ease, he mocked, “Be ready for rule number five tomorrow.”
She blinked. “There’s more?” she asked, eyes widening a little.
His smile was totally masculine. “So much more,” he promised. “Now put on the seat belt like I taught you.”
He grinned wickedly at her, knowing without actually seeing the heat on her cheeks. To prove he was right, he leaned in and caressed her face with the back of his hand. She wouldn’t look at him as she buckled up. He watched with regret as she drove away. Then he turned around to deal with Denise Lorens.
Nikki drove down the stretch of road, turned the corner, timed the red light to change twice, then made a U-turn. She parked her car in a spot close to the apartment building. She sat staring across the street into the parking lot. The image of Rick with Denise Lorens twisted her gut. This, she thought with wonder, was jealousy. She didn’t want another woman touching Rick Harden, especially that one.
She looked up at the building. She had cased the place, knew where the lights were coming from. She saw Rick’s bedroom lights come on, and took a deep breath.
Rick leaned against the small bar at the side of the room, watching Denise Lorens taking off her clothes in a seductive striptease a few yards away. Her eyes met his boldly, her lips half open, red and wet. She had all this planned out. Her dress had front buttons, and she undid those slowly, revealing her body inch by inch. She knew how to do it just right, shimmying out of her dress in one fluid motion, bending forward to show her ample bosom to advantage.
He kept his eyes on her like a man watching a cobra sway back and forth, just in case venom came spewing in his direction. After touching and tasting Nikki, he wasn’t moved at all by the blatant sexual display in front of him. He still smelled Nikki’s scent; he still tasted her on his lips. He was still hard from needing her.
Denise came toward him in red lace underwear, wearing only her heels. The strong scent of her perfume reached him first. She was a beautiful woman, one who knew what pleased a man, but he didn’t want her. He looked at her body from top to toe, looking for wires. She wasn’t here just for entertainment.
She smiled at his perusal. “I have been thinking of you, Rick,” she breathed, stepping in between the vee of his legs. “You have this extraordinary effect on me in bed. No one had ever done me like you did.”
“And you want more,” Rick mocked.
Her eyes were hot and hungry. “Oh yes,” she said, licking her lips.
Rick thought about Nikki doing that whenever she was nervous. He doubted Denise was nervous at the moment. In fact, she would probably fly into a rage if she knew he was sitting there comparing her unfavorably to Nikki. He wanted Nikki here, with her soft sensuality and quivering need. Not this.
He sat still when Denise leaned forward and touched him. She purred at his semiarousal, licking her lips again. “Oh yes,” she said again, looking up triumphantly, “and I can feel how I turn you on. I knew you couldn’t resist what we had together. You were unstoppable for a whole weekend, Rick. That was how much you wanted me.”