Player & the Game (12 page)

She blinked in shock, momentarily knocked off guard by his offer. But she hastily recovered.

Play it cool,
she reminded herself.
Be charming.

“No, I'm good. Thanks though.”

He shrugged and smoked a bit more himself. “So what can I do for you? You're smokin' hot, but I hate to disappoint you. I don't shoot models.”

“So I've heard.” Dawn took a step toward him. “No, I'm not here to ask what you can do for me, Razor. I want to know what
I
can do for
you
.”

He lowered the blunt from his mouth again and licked his lips. He leaned toward her so that they were almost nose to nose. “Well, what exactly did you have in mind, babe?”

She opened her purse, pulled out one of her business cards, and handed it to him. “You already have the acclaim and the money, but I'd love to extend your reach. Let me help you, Razor.”

His shoulders slumped. Obviously, she wasn't offering what he had expected. He glanced down at her card and took it. “Oh, you work for a gallery?”

“Indeed, I do.”

He shoved his fingers through his dark, shoulder-length hair. “Look, babe, I'm not really into that business stuff. I couldn't give a shit about ‘extending my reach.' I just wanna make art, make love, and chill. You know?”

“And who says you can't do all that and more?”

“Yeah, but I—”

He was stopped midsentence by a finger she placed on his lips. He stared at her in shock.

Dawn shook her head. “Don't say no yet,” she ordered seductively. “OK? Just think about it. Keep my card and think it over. Take your time and then get back to me.” She lowered her finger. “Enjoy your party,” she whispered against his lips.

She then turned and began to walk away, but halted when he grabbed her arm and tugged her back toward him, catching her by surprise. She landed hard against his chest. He linked an arm around her waist while his other hand cupped her bottom.

“Hey, where you going?” he asked, licking his lips again. “You don't want to stay? Have a drink with me?”

Her seduction plan was working. A lot of lust lingered in those green eyes. But she wanted his work in her gallery, not to end up in his bed. She obviously had underestimated the twenty-something libido.

Time to put on the brakes,
Dawn thought.

She slowly peeled his arm from around her and his hand from her ass. “I'm afraid not, Razor. I've got to get back to DC early tomorrow.”

“But it's not even midnight!” He grimaced. “Come on! Let's—”

“You've got my business card. You know where to find me.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but she lightly kissed his cheek, turned again, and walked off.

Dawn grinned as she made her way through the crowded studio.

She could be wrong, but she suspected she would hear from Razor again and maybe she'd hear from him soon.

K
eith jotted down on a piece of notepaper the address of the woman in South Carolina whom he was supposed to track down. He then gave a quick good-bye to Mike before grabbing his duffel bag and heading to the office door.

“Give me an update once you get there?” Mike called out.

Keith nodded. “Will do. And lay off the bear claws while I'm gone, OK?”

Mike waved his hand dismissively. “Go! You're worse than an old lady with all your naggin'!”

Keith laughed and let the door fall shut behind him.

It would be a long car ride, but he hoped it would also be a fruitful one. He wasn't crazy about leaving the state. His PI license was limited to the state of Virginia, but he felt like he had royally screwed up this investigation. He had let Isaac slip out of his hands because he had allowed himself to be distracted. Keith took a foul-up like that personally, and the only way to rectify it was to find Isaac again. He would be operating like an average citizen now though, and not a PI during his search. But Mike was right, it could still be done. He just had to tread carefully.

He walked down the flight of stairs to the street below. He pushed open the door and looked up at the sky. It was a sunny day. Not a hint of a cloud was on the horizon, meaning he stood a chance of making good time at least during the first part of his journey if the rain held back and the traffic was good. He threw on his sunglasses as he strolled to his Ford Explorer. He loaded in his gear then slammed his hatchback closed. He walked toward the driver's-side door and was just about to climb behind the steering wheel, when he paused. He caught sight of something in the corner of his eye that made him stop and look more closely. He then did a double-take.

Miss Pain-in-the-Ass also known as Stephanie Gibbons was standing by her BMW on the opposite side of the street. She had her python purse draped over one arm and a Louis Vuitton luggage bag in her other hand. She wore a tight-fitting, low-cut red dress and red stilettos. She smiled and waved at him.

He didn't wave back, but only glared in return.

“So I guess we're finally leaving now?” she called.

His eyebrows rose in surprise as she crossed the street and walked toward him. “
We?
”

“Yes,
we
, Keith.”

She stopped in front of him and once again, he was overwhelmed by her scent. He wondered what perfume she wore because every time he smelled it, it made his mouth water.

Her ample cleavage was on full display today. When she tossed her long hair over her shoulder, her breasts jiggled, drawing Keith's attention despite his noble efforts to concentrate on what she was saying and why she was here.

You're going to fall out of that top, honey,
Keith thought with amusement. He hoped she used double-sided tape.

“Uh, Keith,” she said. She loudly cleared her throat. His eyes left her cleavage and snapped back to her face.

“I spoke with Mike and he said you're heading to South Carolina today to try to find Isaac,” she explained. “I made sure to clear my schedule for the next few days so that I could come with you.”

“You're . . . You're kidding, right?”

“I most certainly am not!” She dropped a hand to her hip. “You're working for me now, and I want to make sure my money . . . well, my brother-in-law's money . . . is being put to good use. So I'm coming with you.”

“No, you're not.”

“Oh, yes I am!”

“Lady, I said that you're not!”

“And
I
said that I am!”

Keith gritted his teeth. That was it. He had had enough of this! He ripped off his sunglasses and glared at her. “Do I look like I'm driving a school bus to you? This isn't a field trip! This is an investigation! I'm tracking down a con artist. You don't get to just tag along!”

“I'm well aware of who you're tracking down,” she said firmly, raising her button nose into the air. “I'm also aware that if it wasn't for the information that
I
gave you, your trail on Isaac would be dead as a doornail right now. Am I right?”

His eyes narrowed.

“Look,” she said, tilting her head. She placed her hand on his arm and leaned toward him. “Let's be reasonable about this,” she cooed, batting her eyes. “I'm not going to get in your way. I'll hang back and let you do your little detective thing. I just want to see what—”

Little detective thing?
“No!” he barked, swinging open the driver door. “Hell no!”

“But why can't I just—”

“I said no!” He climbed behind the wheel. “You're staying here and that's it! I'm driving to South Carolina. I'll send updates to Mike. Call him if you have any questions.”

He then slammed his door in her face, leaving her gaping and fuming on the sidewalk.

Keith plugged the address in South Carolina into his SUV's dashboard navigation system. He then put his key in the ignition and watched in his rearview mirror as Stephanie scampered back across the street to her BMW, almost getting hit by a Mazda Miata as she ran across the roadway. She hastily threw open her car door and tossed her luggage and handbag inside.

When he turned on the engine and pulled off, she pulled off after him. When he made a left onto a side street, she did the same. When he made a right at the stoplight, she also made a right. Ten minutes later, when he jumped onto another roadway, she was right at his bumper. He watched in amazement as her BMW took the exit onto I-95, then pulled in behind him in the center lane.

She's following me. This crazy chick is following me,
he thought.
Fan-damn-tastic!

He was going to strangle her. If his head didn't explode first, he was going to kill her. What in the world had he gotten himself into?

 

Keith rubbed his neck and yawned. He had been driving for hours and was finally drawing close to the North Carolina border. He had stopped at a rest stop to use the bathroom and grab a drink from a vending machine, but hadn't stopped for gas yet. He didn't need to. He would in another hour though. He glanced in his rearview mirror and wondered if Stephanie was faring as well.

She hadn't pulled over to get gas either. He assumed that she hadn't because she didn't want to lose him. She only had a vague idea of where he was headed, after all. If she put any distance between her and his Explorer, she may end up lost.

A half an hour later, Keith adjusted his rearview mirror and watched in the reflection as Stephanie's car dropped back.

What the hell is she doing now,
he thought in bewilderment.

She slowly steered her BMW to the highway shoulder. Smoke seeped from the sides of her car hood, creating a heavy, turbulent fog around the vehicle. The last thing he saw as he accelerated down the highway was her angrily throwing open her BMW's door and marching around her car to the hood. Stephanie's image became smaller and smaller and then disappeared.

So she stalled,
he thought, slowly shaking his head as he drove.
That didn't take long.

He had wondered if she had checked to see if her car was up to snuff for the long journey. Her BMW was immaculate. Even the tires didn't seem to have a speck of dust on them. She probably hadn't driven the thing more than forty miles at any given time since she purchased it.

Not my problem,
Keith thought as he signaled and moved to another lane on the highway. He had told her not to come. If she didn't bother to prepare herself for this trip, that was on her. At least now he wouldn't have to worry about her tailing him anymore. He could head to South Carolina and get some work done without having to worry about dragging her around.

“But what if she ends up stranded?” a voice inside his head asked him guiltily. “Shouldn't you go back and help her?”

Why did
he
have to go back to help her? That's what the AAA was for! And he had told her not to come!

“Yes, she didn't listen. Yes, she's pigheaded. So what?” the voice chided. “That doesn't mean she deserves to be stuck on the side of the road, waiting for a tow truck. Did you see what she was wearing? Do you really want her alone out there?”

Keith let out a deflating breath. He glanced at the sign over the roadway. If he was going to turn around and go back to get Stephanie, the exit ramp was coming up soon. He would have to make a decision pretty quickly.

So much for reaching South Carolina by the end of today,
he thought as he threw on his turn signal and took the exit.

 

“Oh, don't do this to me now!” Stephanie shouted as she popped the hood of her BMW and threw it open.

She jumped back as soon as the smoke came billowing out, burning her eyes and nose. She waved her hand in front of her face frantically and coughed.

What on earth was wrong with her car?
Her baby?
When the smoke finally cleared a little she stared at the engine in confusion. The only thing she knew about her BMW was how to a) fill it with gas, and b) take it to a mechanic whenever she had any problems. She didn't even put in her own windshield wiper fluid! And now Keith was gone! He had deserted her. How in the world was she supposed to fix this herself?

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!” she yelled, stomping her high-heeled feet on the asphalt.

She looked up at the sound of a revving car engine. Stephanie whipped her head around, only to find a beat-up, blue pickup truck pulling off to the shoulder in front of her. When the driver killed the engine and opened his car door and hopped to the ground, she got a better look at him. What she saw didn't exactly make her feel like the cavalry had arrived to rescue her.

He was a large guy with huge muscles and a pot belly. He had a receding hairline but the rest of his dirty blond, stringy hair was pulled back into a ponytail. He slowly walked toward her and tucked his sunglasses into the front of his stained, black T-shirt. He smiled, revealing crooked and missing teeth.

“You need some help, honey?” he asked.

Yes, she needed help, but she didn't know if a guy like him was likely to provide it. She looked around her, watching as cars streamed up and down the busy roadway. Well, she doubted that he would try anything with all these people around. There were plenty of witnesses. Maybe she would be OK.

“Something's . . . Something's wrong with my car,” she muttered hesitantly, tucking her hair behind her ear. She waved her hand toward the open hood. “I don't know what it is though.”

He nodded. “Well, let's have a looksie.”

He walked toward her car. As he drew closer she got the heavy smell of sweat, dirt, and gasoline. He braced his hands on the open hood and peered inside the engine.

“Could be a crack in your radiator or an oil leak,” he said. “Could be anything.”

She took a step toward him and gazed over his shoulder. “Well, what do you think it is? My BMW is only a couple of years old. I haven't had any problems with it before.”

He turned to her. “Some cars can go to shit whenever they take a notion,” he muttered with a chuckle. “Especially if you push 'em too hard.”

“I don't think I pushed it
that
hard. I've only been driving for a few hours.”

“
Few hours?
” He squinted. “You goin' on a trip somewhere?”

“Sort of.” She gazed back at the engine, hoping to return the conversation back to her car. “So do you think it's the—”

“Where you headed?”

She hesitated. “To South Carolina.” She pointed at her car again. “So can you—”

“South Carolina, huh? That's quite a ways.” He was still smiling but the smile didn't reach his eyes. Instead, they were analyzing her shrewdly like a hawk would his potential prey. “What's a pretty lady like you doing driving all the way to South Carolina by herself?”

She hesitated, not liking the look on his face or his questions. “I'm not . . . I'm not by myself,” she answered shakily.

“You aren't?” He peered around the hood at her car's windshield. Her purse was in the front seat. Some of her luggage was in the back. He then gazed at her again. “Your car looks empty to me. Where's your friend?”

“He . . . He walked farther up the road to see if he could find a gas station.”

“He left you alone with the car to find a gas station? Well,”—he laughed softly—“that don't sound very gentlemanly. Why didn't he just call a tow?”

“His legs were . . . were tired and he wanted to go for a . . . a w-w-walk.”

“Uh-huh.” His gaze dropped to her cleavage and lingered there.

“He should . . . He should be back soon,” she said quietly. Her voice cracked. She took a step back.

And he's a really, really big guy, so don't try anything,
she wanted to add.

“Well, why don't I give you a drive to the gas station where he walked to and we can meet him there?” the man asked.

Stephanie shook her head. “No, that's quite all right. I can just . . . I can just wait for him to come back.”

“You sure?” He then jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. “My truck is right there.” He hooked his thumbs in the front of his jeans. “It wouldn't be a problem.”

“No, we've got it covered. Thanks,” Keith said.

Stephanie suddenly turned to find Keith striding toward them. He had parked his SUV several feet away, farther down the shoulder.