“My God, Phil, you are so tight.”
She opened her mouth to respond, to say something quick and witty, but words failed her. When he began a slow rhythmic slide inside of her with his finger, she about came undone.
It occurred to her somewhere in the deepest, darkest recesses of her mind that she was cavorting with a man who had little, if any, respect for her. Hell, admittedly he didn’t have to like her to do what he was doing.
Phil pushed at Ty’s shoulders, her self-respect overriding the scintillating sensations Ty evoked from her body. With a Herculean effort, she stopped him cold. The sudden coolness of the air that now separated their bodies was both welcome and unwelcome. Her body screamed for her to finish what they’d started, her pride screamed louder for her to get away from him as fast and, far as she could.
“You have to like me first,” Phil gasped, catching her breath as she slipped away from him, tightening her robe around her trembling body. She hurried to the door and, despite her aroused state, she smiled as he rearranged the bulge in his pants. Ty’s gaze bored holes into her. She flushed and stood away from the open door. “Good night.”
Ty’s dark green eyes blazed, his lips twitched. In two long strides he met her at the open door. He raised his hand to her face and she flinched. He smiled slowly, the look of a wolf about to devour a rabbit. As he touched her cheek, the musky scent of her sex wafted to her nose. She gasped. His smile widened. He sniffed the air near her face. He smelled her, too. “Zorn, you know it’s just a matter of time.”
A chill raced across her warm skin, doing little to cool it.
“Yes, sir, just a matter of time before you realize I’m not available.”
Ty grinned and chuckled low. “Sure you’re not.” He gave her a short salute. “I’ll give you this round, but the next one will be mine.” He strode past her and as she closed the door, he turned, his face serious. “Eyes in the back of your head, Zorn, even while you sleep.”
Once again, the totality of the case hit home. Phil swallowed hard and nodded. This time when she double-bolted her front door, she made the rounds of her small house, making sure the only entry was by key or invasion. Her house locked tighter than most banks, Phil slid her loaded Glock under her pillow.
Warmth infiltrated her skin as she slipped between the smooth linen sheets. Yawning, she thought how much more comfortable she would be knowing Ty slept beside her.
Ty hopped into his truck and started it. His blood had not cooled. He grabbed the steering wheel, opening and closing his fingers around it. He was worse then a dog after a bitch in heat. Her scent lingered on his hand, it enveloped his senses, holding him hostage. He put the truck in gear and hit the gas pedal. He told himself she was just a female like any other. Not to be trusted, only indulged in. Twenty minutes later with Philamina Zorn still prominent on his mind, he realized he never brought up the matter of the napkin and the note written on it.
She was a damn distracting female. He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
As exhausted as she was, sleep eluded Phil most of the night. Sexy dreams of her and Ty wrapped up in the sheets, their sweaty bodies sliding in and out of the other, dominated her subconscious. Finally she realized she wasn’t going to get a decent sleep.
She brushed her teeth, washed her face, then set out for a long run. An hour later her body still craved what Ty started last night. Another cold shower proved to be as ineffective as the one last night. Instead of standing in front of the mirror and resuming her self-exploration, Phil dressed and decided to take the afternoon and hit a few boutiques Candi had mentioned the girls frequented. Her old “librarian” look, as Ty had called it, wouldn’t do. Until the kidnapper was arrested, she needed to be Kat on and off the clock.
As Phil slid one skimpy outfit after another across the rack, she had to continually remind herself she needed to get past her modesty. Kat didn’t possess a modest bone in her body and Phil had to live Kat’s brazen persona. She took a deep breath and told herself she would not leave the store until she had a wardrobe fit for a woman who was one hundred percent in touch with her sexuality.
“Hey, Kat!”
Phil turned around and blinked at the small blonde making her way through the racks of clothes, dragging a child behind her.
Recognition dawned. “Candi?” Surprise didn’t describe Phil’s reaction.
Stopping close to her, Candi said, “My real name is Julie.”
The petite blonde standing in front of her in tattered sweatpants and a worn Roxy T-shirt bore no resemblance to the overly made-up exotic dancer who ground and thrust her crotch in the faces of dozens of men last night. Her hair was pulled back in a lose ponytail and she didn’t wear a dab of makeup, not even lip gloss. Even more surprising to Phil was the little replica standing shyly beside her.
“My daughter, Lola.”
The little girl smiled bashfully. Phil’s heartstrings tugged. She knelt down and smiled. “Hi, Lola, I’m Katherine. How are you?”
The child, no more than two, turned away, burying her face in her mother’s legs. “She’s shy. But we’re working on it.”
Phil stood and stepped back. Never one for idle conversation, she had to force herself to begin dialogue. While Candi didn’t strike her as a kidnapper, she might be able to inadvertently lead them to one. There was no better way to glean information than lull the object of your interrogation into a false sense of security. She’d learned that tactic well in IA.
“I took you up on your advice. I’m springing for some new threads. Would you mind helping me pick a few things out?”
“Sure. I love spending other people’s money.”
Candi quickly warmed to the chore, pulling several pieces from different racks and putting together a formidable assortment of outfits. “Try these on for size.”
Phil blushed as she zipped up the hot-pink micromini skirt and then tied the sheer white halter top around her neck.
“Let me see,” Candi called. Grateful the store was empty, Phil slipped out of the dressing room. She realized her shoulders where slightly humped. Immediately she straightened them. Be Kat, she repeated over and over in her head.
“Oh, Kitty, that looks great with your skin tone.” Candi looked down at Lola. “What do you think, Lola, isn’t Kitty pretty?”
The little girl sucked on two fingers and nodded, looking at the floor.
Candi hugged her close and looked up at Phil, who stared at the little girl. For some reason she felt sorry for the child.
“It’s because of her that I do what I do.”
Phil smiled in genuine understanding. “You don’t need to justify what you do to me, Candi, er, Julie. I’m not here to judge.”
“I’m working real hard to make a family for me and Lola. Her dad is—well, he’s not a nice man, and I’ve been real careful who I bring home to meet my baby.”
Phil nodded and stepped back toward the dressing room. “I can understand that. You don’t want to bring a jackass around your kid.”
Candi smiled. “I found the perfect man for Lola and me. I’ll do anything to make sure it doesn’t get messed up.”
Phil backed into the dressing room and pulled the saloon-style door closed. “That’s great, Candi,” she said with as much false enthusiasm as she could muster. She knew damn well Ty was Candi’s Mr. Perfect.
Candi cleared her throat. Phil felt what was coming and was glad for the door separating them. “Look, since we’re going to be working together, we might as well be straight about Ty.”
Phil peeked over the door and looked directly at Candi. “What’s to get straight?”
“We’re a couple. And Lola needs a daddy.”
Phil’s chest constricted and for a minute she couldn’t breathe. Then anger welled. What a son of a bitch! He was making daddy noises with Candi and her kid while less than eight hours ago he was sniffing around her.
Besides that, what about compromising the case by getting involved with bystanders? What if Candi knew something? Did Candi read into the attraction between her and Ty? An attraction Phil would drown at the first possible opportunity.
Phil decided to find out now. She slipped off the skirt and halter and tugged on a pair of distressed jeans, then pulled on a midriff tee. While more skin was covered, the lines of the pants and the tee hugged her curves, not leaving much to the imagination. She pushed the bat wings open and stepped out, looking in the mirror over her shoulder to check her ass. Casually she said, “Ty seems like the steady sort. I hope it works out for you three.”
Candi’s eyes softened. “He’s great with Lola. She cries when he leaves.”
“How long have you been at the Kashmir?”
“About six months. I had to get away from Lola’s father. I needed to make good money and the Kashmir was hiring.”
“I bet, especially the way the club goes through dancers. Were you close to any of the girls who were kidnapped?”
“No, not really. I’d only been cocktailing a few weeks when Star left. I didn’t bother to get to know the other two.”
“You don’t sound concerned; you don’t think they were kidnapped?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I think the job can get to some girls and they feel like they have to vanish to shake the life.”
“You don’t think it’s odd that the other two disappeared under the same circumstances?”
Candi reached down and picked up her daughter. “How do you know so much about them?”
“I read the newspapers, and I asked Bud a few questions. A girl can’t be too careful. Aren’t you afraid?”
Candi laughed. “If there is a kidnapper, what would anyone want with me? I have a kid. Too much baggage.”
“Do you think the kidnapper knows that?”
Candi shrugged. “I heard all three girls were loners. No family. I have my mom and my kid. Everybody knows that. Besides—not that I really buy the kidnapper thing—
if
the kidnapper hangs out, he knows Ty’ll have something to say about taking me.”
“Have you seen anyone who looks like they might be the kidnapper?”
“Honey, the only thing I look at in that club is the size of a man’s wallet.”
“If there is a kidnapper, I want to steer clear of the guy. I’m a prime candidate to get nabbed.”
As Candi rocked her little girl, her brows crinkled. “I don’t get what you mean.”
“I’m twenty-seven, no parents, no boyfriend, no girlfriends. Hell, not even a damn goldfish to feed. I’m the perfect target.”
“You don’t have anyone who would miss you?”
“Maybe my landlord if I didn’t pay rent.”
Emptiness filled Phil’s heart. It was true. No one gave a damn about her. If she packed up and moved, there wouldn’t be a soul who’d notice enough to call the cops for a welfare check.
“Trust me, Candi, no one would give a crap if I disappeared.”
“That’s sad.” Candi reached out and squeezed Phil’s hand. “I’d care, Kat.”
Phil smiled. “Thanks.” She went back into the dressing room and tried on several more outfits, her yearning for conversation gone. Her solitary nature didn’t seem to hold the same luster as it had before.
She’d never been the kind of girl to do slumber parties and giggle over boys and gossip. She’d always found ways to amuse herself. She’d been conditioned early by her parents, who felt the other children and their families’ lifestyles were not conducive to theirs.
As Phil came out sporting a sexy black velvet workout suit, Candi whistled, startling her sleeping daughter into wakefulness. “You look hot,” she whispered loud enough for the cashier at the front of the store to look back and smile.
Lola started to whine, and Candi hiked her up and shushed her to be quiet. “I’m going to have to go, it’s past her naptime.”
Phil nodded. “Thanks for the help.”
“Anytime. Just follow my lead and I’ll have you up on that stage before you know it.”
Phil laughed. ”I don’t know about that. One thing at a time.”
“Did you watch my tape?”
Phil’s head snapped back. “The tape? Oh yes, the
tape
!” Her skin warmed as she remembered the reason she hadn’t gotten around to it last night. “I started to watch it, but got interrupted.”
“You have to watch it. It’s easy as pie.”
Lola started to whimper again and Candi gave Phil an apologetic look. “I have to go. I’ll see you at the club tonight.”
As the tiny dancer hurried out with a now screaming Lola, Phil called out “thanks” after her.
She grabbed up the pile of clothes she’d picked out and went up front to pay for them. Despite her apprehension when she entered the store, she felt comfortable with her choices and actually looked forward to slipping into her new skin and wearing a few of the sexy outfits.
Maybe Kat was taking over after all.
CHAPTER NINE
P
hil checked her rearview mirror diligently as she worked her way through the narrow streets of her quiet neighborhood. Ty’s warnings had made the necessary impression. So did Candi’s confession regarding her dog of a supervisor.
Ty. No sooner had her temper subsided than it flared again. He was a dog of the highest order. Making all daddy-daddy with little Lola, and then hitting on Phil.
She gnashed her teeth. What was it about male cops not being able to keep it in their pants? With the exception of her father, she couldn’t name one faithful man.
Your old man had a beat wife!
Ty’s words rang in her ears. “No!” she shouted, pounding the steering wheel. Her father would never do such a thing. He was devoted to her mother and their church. He was one of the proud few who held his marriage vows close to heart. Daddy had the morals of a saint.
Frustration and dislike mushroomed inside her for Ty Jamerson. Not only was he a philandering dog, he was a liar, too. She’d be sure to alert his captain to his behavior once this case was wrapped up. Cavorting with a potential witness, victim, or suspect was bad business, no matter what the cost of survival.
Phil gunned the Taurus. Her eyes flickered at her rearview mirror. Just another dark-colored truck. The streets were full of them tonight. She pulled into the club’s parking lot.
Emotionally armed against the likes of Ty Jamerson, Phil smiled and grabbed her duffel bag. She was grateful for her anger. Grateful Candi told her how it was with Ty. It made it so much easier to resist him. Her smile waned. She refused to think of what almost happened with him, and refused even more vehemently to relive the sensations he elicited from her with a mere touch of his finger.