“No. It’s complicated, but I want a full
report – where she lives, who she dates, how serious it is.”
“Ohhhhhhh,” Jake said. “You want that kind of
background check. That might take some legwork. It's already six
o'clock, your time.”
“I want the information tonight.”
Jake sighed. “I’m sure Luros can get someone
out there.”
“I don’t care what it costs. I want the
information before eight,” Dominic said.
“Oh, you’ll get it. There’s not much you
can’t get if you’re willing to pay the price.”
“You’d be surprised,” Dominic muttered and
hung up.
At seven forty-five, a fascinated Dominic
discovered that Abigail Dartley had a secret. The proof, which had
arrived just a few minutes before, was spread across Dominic’s desk
in typed and photographic form. Luros Systems was worth their high
fee. They’d used his description to discern that she wasn’t the
regularly scheduled housekeeper, Lillian Dartley, but she could be
the woman’s sister.
Shortly after his initial conversation with
the private investigator, Dominic had received Abby’s driver’s
license photo in a phone text requesting confirmation of her
identity.
The rest of information had come less than an
hour later via a courier. There were financial records, interviews
with neighbors and friends, and a fascinating description of Abby’s
last boyfriend: a bank manager, good looking, polite, reliable. His
initial assessment of Abby had been correct. She liked to play it
safe.
He held up a photo of the two sisters
together and was further impressed by Scott Luros’ security
company. The physical description of the two women had
similarities. Both had long, dark brown curls and light brown eyes
and Dominic guessed that many men would have also found Abby’s
sister attractive. However, Lillian was lean where Abby was lush,
sharp where Abby was soft. The major difference between the two was
in their body language. Abby held herself straight and tall like a
woman who proudly drove the speed limit. Her sister’s body was
stiff with a defiance which might have explained the awkward
physical distance between the two.
He scanned Abby’s life history with deepening
interest. The wholesome act might not have been an act at all. The
woman everyone simply called Abby had taken on the responsibility
of her sister after the death of her parents. She was a respected
member of her community, a friend to many, and a considerate
neighbor. In the three pages of recorded interviews, there wasn’t
an unkind word about her.
Nothing in her profile implied that she was
anything but a middle school teacher who had covered for her sister
for an evening; a teacher whose summer vacation had started a few
days ago.
Perfect.
A sweet little teacher who had innocently
told her neighbor how much trouble her sister would be in if the
switch were revealed.
Even better.
This was almost too easy.
With the reading of the will the next
afternoon, he would be free as early as –
A sudden thought struck him. Why not bring
her? Abby would make the perfect distraction. With her at his side,
he doubted he would care what stipulations his father had written
into his will or how volatile his sister became.
Just thinking about her now was enough to get
his blood rushing around. It also wouldn’t hurt to let her see that
he was so rich that being left out of his father’s will was merely
an annoyance. Yes, he’d bring her with him – make the unbearable
situation tolerable and then take her to some ridiculously
expensive penthouse in the city and show little Miss School Teacher
exactly what she’d been missing.
He dialed the home number attached to her
profile photo and waited, barely breathing, while it rang.
“Hello,” she answered on the fourth ring.
“This is Dominic Corisi. I’d like to speak to
Abby Dartley,” he said.
Silence was followed by muffled words spoken
to someone else as she apparently covered the phone with her hand.
A female voice answered her, mostly likely her sister. They didn’t
sound like they were in agreement on what to do and her ability to
muffle their conversation slipped as their exchange became more
heated.
He cut into their conversation. “Although
your suggestion sounds entertaining, it’s not necessary to have
your sister pretend to be you, Abby. I know all about your little
ruse.”
“Crap,” she said, “you heard that?”
Unexpectedly, he found himself chuckling
again. He dropped his feet to the floor and rested an elbow on his
desk. “Let’s just say that you made a good choice when you went
into education rather than espionage.”
“How do you find me?” she asked. “And how do
you know that I’m a teacher?”
“That’s not important. I am calling
about…”
She interrupted him. “Oh, my god, you paid
someone to ask questions about me! My neighbor said someone had
been asking about me tonight and she thought their questions were
rather odd.”
So much for Luros being discrete. He’d have
to mention that to them, but he supposed that they weren’t often
given such a short time frame to gather personal details on
someone.
“You left without even giving your name. Can
you blame a man for wanting to know who he had dinner with?” he
asked.
“So you grilled my neighbors? That’s not like
looking me up in the phonebook,” she countered.
“I think we both know we have some unfinished
business,” he said, running a finger over the lip of his still full
glass.
“You make it sound like more than it was. It
was nothing,” she argued.
“Because you ran,” he said.
“I did not run.”
“Oh, yes, you did. Did you really think I’d
care that you were a teacher and not the regular housekeeper?”
“Did you really think I’d have sex with you
for money?” she asked sharply.
“I wasn’t sure,” he said honestly and
realized his mistake when he heard her harsh intake of breath.
“After reading over your life story, I can see how that might have
offended you.”
“Might have? Reading over my life story?
There is nothing about this conversation that is changing my
original impression of you as an arrogant ass.”
“And yet you kissed me.” Just saying the
words sent his blood rushing downward in anticipation of a pleasure
he knew he’d enjoy again and soon.
“You kissed me,” she corrected.
“I don’t remember you exactly fighting me
off. In fact, I distinctly remember you making a soft moan when the
kiss ended. It made me wonder what other noises you’d make for
me.”
He wished he could see her expression. By her
labored breathing, he could tell his comment had hit the mark. She
was furious with him. Unrepentant, her anger just made him want her
more. He could barely focus on the conversation as he imagined how
he would redirect all that emotion if he were there.
Before she began to question his own heavy
breathing, he said, “A limo will pick you up at your house tomorrow
at 11 in the morning. Wear something nice.”
She gurgled with anger. “Are you insane? I’m
not going anywhere with you.”
“You know you want to see me again,” he
challenged.
In a wasted, desperate attempt to evade him,
she said, “What if I have a boyfriend?”
“You broke up with your last one months ago,”
he said smugly.
Another indignant gasp. She sounded
gloriously flustered. “You think you have all the answers, don’t
you?”
However amusing this was, he was beginning to
lose patience with her continued resistance. “The limo will come
for you at 11-”
“I don’t care if you send a fleet of limos.
I’m not going anywhere with you tomorrow. Have your investigator
bring a camera so you’ll have a nice photo of my door not
opening.”
Enough
. “You will get in the limo I
send.”
“Try me.”
Something in him snapped. The possibility of
her refusal hadn’t occurred to him, nor was it now an option. “You
will come -- or is your sister’s job now unimportant to you?”
“You’re not seriously suggesting that you
would blackmail me into going somewhere with you, are you? Is that
how rich men get dates? Isn’t that a bit over the top?”
Unlike almost everyone else he knew, she
wasn’t intimidated by him or his threats and that just added to his
attraction to her.
She paused and seemed to consider something.
“Or is this about your car?”
What the hell?
He stood to look out
the window at his vehicle. “What about my car?”
“Oh, nothing. Nothing. Forget I said that,”
she said with her first hint of nervousness.
Strike two for Luros. Their report had missed
an apparent bout of vandalism. Even in the dim illumination of the
street lights he could see the damage to his bumper. He shook his
head in amazement.
None of this conversation had gone the way
he’d planned it in his head. He’d meant to cordially request her
company and he’d expected her to readily accept.
She was delightfully, unexpectedly difficult
to predict or control. Her resistance would make the win that much
sweeter, but her guilt was just the edge he was looking for.
“Do you realize how expensive that car is?”
he asked, using her discomfort to his advantage.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,”
she hedged.
His Abby was a poor liar. Confident that
they’d reached a resolution he ordered, “Be ready for 11.”
“Go to hell,” she said and hung up.
Which was an apt description of what the
following day promised to be, but he had no intention of going
there alone. If she thought she’d won, she’d grossly underestimated
the lengths he’d go for something he wanted.
One call would get her in that limo. He said,
“Duhamel.” into his phone. It rang exactly twice before his
personal assistant picked up. Without waiting for a response, he
said, “I need you to do something for me. Consider it a personal
favor.”
Chapter Five
Abby turned from hanging up the phone to see
Lil, baby on one hip, shaking her head in amusement.
Lil said, “I don’t believe it! Abby Dartley
is engaging in reckless behavior.”
I deserve this, Abby thought. She’d lectured
her sister about the right and wrong type of man countless times
over the years. Before tonight, it had been easy to dismiss Lil’s
protests that a person couldn’t choose who to be attracted to.
But that was before Dominic.
Rude, bossy, blackmailing Dominic.
Just the thought of him sent a shiver of sexual anticipation down
her spine. Whatever illicit outing he had planned for her tomorrow,
she had no intention of going – but that didn’t mean that she
couldn’t indulge in a momentary fantasy.
Lil shifted Colby onto her other hip. “Was
that really Dominic Corisi?”
Abby walked past her sister and started to
remove some of the clutter from the room. Lil’s fever had finally
broken. Now perhaps the living room would stop looking like an
infirmary. “Yes, it was. I told you that I had met him.”
Lil followed her to the kitchen. “You did,
but I think you forgot to mention a few other things.”
Abby flushed.
Her sister leapt on the involuntary response.
“Well you obviously made a good impression on him if he wants to
send a limo for you and you can’t tell me you don’t want to go…you
look positively smitten.”
Abby rinsed several glasses in the sink
before putting them in the dishwasher. She hoped her silence would
discourage Lil, but her sister just waited patiently, not even
attempting to hide her amusement. “Go ahead. Laugh it up. I deserve
it. The guy is a complete ass, but…”
“But you like him,” her sister
interjected.
“Stupid, huh?”
Lil’s smile turned sympathetic. “No,
surprisingly human of you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that ever since mom and dad died
you’ve been so perfect.” Lil moved closer and cradled Colby against
her neck. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for how you’ve always
taken care of me, but it’s been hard living up to your
expectations. It’s just refreshing to see you like this.”
“I’m not going anywhere with him.” Abby
turned, folding her arms across her chest while resting back
against the counter.
“Because rich men come knocking on our door
every day?”
“I don’t care about his money.”
Lil nodded, “Ok, but look me in the eye and
tell me that you don’t want to go.”
Abby hopped up on the counter, something
she’d hadn’t done since childhood, leaned her head back against the
wooden cabinet and closed her eyes. She knew the stupid smile was
back on her face. “You should have seen him. He came in looking so
rough on the outside, but there was a real sadness in his eyes. I
just wanted to comfort him. Then he looked at me and – I was on
fire. I’ve never felt that way before. It doesn’t matter that I
don’t even know him.” She bit her lip and opened her eyes. “It
doesn’t make any sense.”
“Who said relationships are supposed to? I
mean, besides you. No matter how well you plan, you can’t dictate
who you are going to be attracted to. Why don’t you give this guy a
chance?” Lil wagged a finger as her sister was about to voice her
first reason. “Don’t even pretend this is about my job.”
Abby had the grace to look ashamed. “Sorry
about that, Lil. I’ll help you find a new job.”
Lil didn’t look as upset about the prospect
as she had earlier. “Don’t change the subject. What do you have
against this guy?”
“Outside of the background check he did on
me?”
Lil shrugged. “Rich people are weird. I was
reading one of those financial magazines and they listed him as one
of the top fifty most powerful men in the world. Cut the man some
slack. He’s probably just being careful.” Lil’s smile turned
knowing as their roles reversed.