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Lori nodded. “I’ll wait for you in the lobby.”
He walked back to the Range Rover, got in and headed back to his house. A murder to solve and a beautiful woman to escort to a black-tie cocktail party. Things were most definitely looking up.
CHAPTER 9
LORI
Lori thought she’d made it safely to the elevator when Jonathan Lockwood, the event organizer, called to her. Lockwood reminded her of how Ichabod Crane from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow had been described—not in a Johnny Depp sort of way—but in the words used by Washington Irving in the 1820 short story.
“Lori! Thank god, I found you,” he said, making long strides across the lobby. “I was looking for you earlier. Someone said you’d left the hotel.”
“No. Just met with a friend, who is coming to the cocktail party with me. That won’t be a problem, will it? I know I said I didn’t have a plus one, but I met with the newspaper publisher and invited him.”
“Ryker McKay? Oh, thank you. You know what they say, any publicity is good publicity. I did want to check in with you to make sure you were okay after finding poor Antony Cobain last night. That must have been simply dreadful for you.”
“It isn’t anything I’d care to repeat, but I must say the incident was far worse for Cobain than for me. But thank you for checking in with me.”
“I was afraid you might be so upset you’d want to leave. I just needed to make sure you wouldn’t be leaving the conference early.”
“Absolutely not. It takes more than a dead body to scare me away from anything, much less this conference.”
“Oh, that’s so good to hear,” Lockwood schmoozed.
Lori glanced at her cell phone to see the time. “Unless you need something from me, I need to get upstairs and change for the party. I’d hate to keep Mr. McKay waiting.” God, could I sound any more simpering?
“Of course. I completely understand. But do let me know if I can do anything to be of assistance.”
“My part in whatever happened is pretty much over, but I do appreciate your concern.”
“I’ll let you go and will look forward to seeing you and Mr. McKay at the party.”
Lori stepped into the elevator, pushed the button for her floor, and smiled as the elevator door closed between them. Once the door opened on her floor, she rushed down the hall and into her room. She pulled out the expensive dress she’d brought with her. She wanted to make a splash and wanted something that made her feel like a successful mystery author. She’d thought about splurging on a pair of killer stilettos, but had decided instead to wear a strappy, black patent kitten heel so she’d be comfortable all evening.
She grabbed a quick shower, letting the steam refresh her hair, making it a little damp and easier to pull into a chic chignon at the base of her neck. She touched up her makeup, brushed her teeth and went out to pull on the black asymmetrical hem satin lace dress with its plunging neckline and long sleeves that puffed at the bottom. The neckline flowed into a band that was gathered at the bottom of the plunge and then swept down to her natural waist. The bodice had a keyhole back that gave the dress the sexy, bohemian vibe she had wanted. She was glad it had a built-in foundation as she was quite certain anything other than a built-in would have shown.
As she put on a pair of delicate, crystal drop earrings, she wondered why she was bothering. She knew the answer—Ryker McKay. He was gorgeous, fascinating, and easy to be with. She found her usual awkwardness fading away in the face of his charm and the easy way he had.
He seemed to be set on the fact that they were heading for…what exactly? An attraction between them? And where would that lead? To dating him for the next few days? Sleeping with him? Something, but she really wasn’t sure. She preferred clear, direct communication. Resolving to have a conversation with him about that, she was startled by a knock on the door.
Peeking out the peephole, she took a step back and then looked again. Ryker was standing there, looking very dapper and handsome in a tux she was pretty sure hadn’t come from a rental shop. He probably had attended a lot of embassy parties in the past. She opened the door and showed him in, closing the door behind him. She needed to put a few things in her evening bag and put on her shoes. He passed by her and turned to take a long look at her before giving a deep, sensual wolf whistle.
“You look gorgeous. I suppose that was a given as you always look great, but that dress is a killer.”
She rolled her eyes and then grabbed the sides of her skirt to give him a mock curtsy. “Thank you, kind sir. I’ll be just a minute.”
“Don’t hurry on my account. I’d just as soon stay here in your room and order in.”
There it was again—an indication that he wanted something more. No time like the present.
“So, is there a reason you seem to keep flirting with me? You are flirting, right?”
“Oh god; if you have to ask, I’m really out of practice.” He held up his hand. “But to answer your very straightforward question, yes, I’ve been flirting with you.”
She sat down on the edge of the bed and transferred a few things from her big bag to the black, crystal-studded mesh bag with polished silver bangle handles that made it easy to carry or slide up over her wrist to go hands-free. When she reached for her shoe, Ryker took it from her, kneeled down, ran his other hand down the back of her calf, warming her flesh and making her shiver. Taking her foot in his hand, he slipped the shoe on before repeating the gesture with the other shoe. Lori could do nothing but watch as he stood and extended his hand and helped her off the bed.
“For the record, I’d much rather be helping you out of that gorgeous dress and into bed…”
“McKay, I don’t know what you’re thinking…”
