“Not that it’s any ofyourbusiness…” Lowering the taser, she peeled the satin glove from her hand and stuffed it into her purse. “I needed some privacy. For the phone call.”
“The one you still haven’t answered.”
“I wasgoingto, but then you interrupted.”
“By all means.” He nodded toward the phone, still blinking in her hand like a bomb about to go off.
Right.Because getting reamed out in front of the hot stranger who’d busted her sneaking into the study at a fancy-ass auction sounded like theperfectway to wrap up her Friday night.
She sent the call to voicemail and shoved the phone and Beyoncé back into her purse.
“Does this mean my ass is safe?” he asked.
“For now.”
“Perfect.” His grin fell, his gaze turning cold and calculating. “Now tell me what you’rereallydoing in here.”
“I… I needed…” Charley shook her head, thoughts and words crashing together in her brain, her heart hammering.
“No alibi, love?” He took a step closer, his crisp, delicious scent invading her senses. “You’d better think ofsomething. Security is right down the hall.” He cocked his head as he pretended to listen for the guard’s footsteps. “Getting close, I’ll bet. Maybe I should let him know we’re—”
“Wait! I can explain.”
The man took another step closer. Lowering his voice to a raspy whisper, he said, “I’m on pins and needles.”
Charley forced herself to stand strong, but inside, she was quaking like a prom-night virgin. Hundreds of jobs, hundreds of scenes, and she’dneverbeen so damn reckless, never come so close to blowing her cover. Yet something about his intensity, his persistence, his veryexistencemade her want to push past every boundary, to unlatch every safety mechanism, to risk it all.
What the hell is wrong with me?
“I don’t like to be kept waiting,” the man said.
Charley wondered how much longer he’d play along—how much longer she could string him along until he finally turned her over to the security guard.
Or worse—the police.
God, she hated herself in this moment, but if she didn’t make a move—the only move she had left—this could become a bona fide, five-alarm emergency worse than any punishment Rudy could ever dish out.
She cringed to think what Sasha’s feminist theory textbooks would say about this scenario—about her whole life, really—but fuck it, survival instinct was a hell of a drug. And right now, Charley was hooked.
Use what you’ve got, girl.
Hoping she’d read his earlier signals right, Charley placed her hand against his broad, firm chest, letting her fingertips brush the exposed skin beneath his collarbone, grateful he’d left the top button undone.
His breath hitched, pupils dilating a fraction.
They were tiny tells, almost imperceptible behind the facade of his teasing, but all the confirmation she needed.
This man wastotallyturned on.
A seductive smile slid across her face, and she stretched up on her toes, bringing her lips close to his ear. “Can you keep another secret?”
Chapter Seven
“I’ll keepallyour secrets, love.” Dorian covered the woman’s delicate fingers, holding her hand firmly against his chest. “Though I strongly caution you against deceiving me.”
She gazed up at him through dark, feathery lashes and bit her lower lip, likely buying more time to invent her excuse. The woman was no louse in the fine art of seduction, and she was clearly up to no good. But whatkindof no good, Dorian could only speculate. Robbery was top of mind, but if that were the case, she had very few options for hiding her treasure; that hot little dress was definitelynotmade for smuggling.
“I have reason to believe the family is on the verge of bankruptcy,” she finally said. “I heard they might consider offers for pieces not officially on the block.”
