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“You saw that from across the nightclub?”
“Yes.” She turned around and hooked her leg over his hip. “The dance floor offers me a great vantage point before I make my move. My guess is that he has something to prove, but I can’t tell if he would go with a woman who—” She stopped in midsentence as her eyes widened.
Eric immediately went on alert. “What’s wrong?”
“I see Mercedes and Tiffany at the bar,” she said excitedly. Julie frowned and tilted her head as if she were listening to voices in her head. “No, Asia. They aren’t relevant to the case. Not this case, anyway.”
“Are they moving in on Zack?” Eric asked. The last thing they needed was to have to compete for their target’s attention.
“I doubt it.” She peered over his shoulder and tracked the women’s movements. “They go for computer geeks in pairs.”
“Then focus, Julie.”
“Oh, I’m focused.” Her eyes narrowed into slits.
Eric grasped her upper arms and looked directly into her eyes. “On our case,” he clarified. “The one we’re getting money for so we can pay the rent.”
“But…but…” Her eyes flashed with frustration. He knew she was conflicted. She wanted to redeem herself with the decoy assignment, but the other investigation was so much more enticing with a bigger payoff.
“I’m going to make it very simple for you,” Eric said. “Whatever you’re thinking, the answer is no.”
Her mouth set into a firm line. “You don’t even know what I’m considering.”
“Yes, I do. You want to do the decoy assignment and investigate at the same time.”
Her shoulders sagged in defeat. “How did you know that?”
“Finish this assignment first.” He saw the rebellious flare in her eyes. “That’s an order.”
“Fine. I will. Oh, and don’t take what I’m about to do personally. It’s part of my alias, I swear.” She flattened her hands against his chest and pushed him away. He staggered back a step and she flounced off the dance floor.
Eric watched her leave, enjoying the sight of her bare back. He couldn’t wait to take her back to his hotel and strip the dress from her body.
He frowned as he watched Julie stride past Zack. Was it his imagination or did her hips wiggle a little more? It caught Zack’s attention. The man watched Julie’s ass as she bent down to adjust her shoe before taking a bar stool several seats away from her target.
What was she doing? Eric walked off the dance floor ready to correct Julie’s mistake. He watched her request an apple martini. As she waited for her order, she gave Zack a quick once-over. When Zack raised his glass in a salute, she casually dismissed him.
Eric winced. This night was not going as planned. What was wrong with Julie? She could wrap this Zack around her finger if she wanted to. Was she trying to blow the assignment so she could pursue Mercedes and Tiffany? He wouldn’t put it past her.
He saw Zack get up from his bar stool. Great, the guy was probably going to leave and they had nothing for their client. No audio, no photos, no evidence. Nothing.
This was why he could never trust Julie as his partner. She wanted excitement and most investigations were mind-numbing work. She got distracted with whatever was new and shiny and wouldn’t have his back.
He should have known better than to give her a second chance. It had been a moment of weakness.
Eric’s mouth sagged open as Zack moved in on Julie. He couldn’t see what the guy said. Julie had a bored look on her face as she shrugged and gestured at the seat next to her. Zack gratefully sat down.
Wow. She knew exactly how to manipulate Zack. He had been wrong about Julie. Perhaps she didn’t need his constant supervision. Maybe he should give her a little leeway.
He saw her attention divert to Mercedes and Tiffany.
Or maybe not.
* * *
“SO?” ZACK DRAWLED, his mouth too close to her ear for comfort.
Julie jerked her head back and swatted his hand as he slid his fingers under her dress. The guy was getting bolder with every minute she stayed. “I’m sorry?”
She compulsively snuck another look at Mercedes and Tiffany. They definitely followed a procedure. She knew that in a few minutes they would visit the restroom to download information onto their phones.
She wondered if the two unsuspecting computer geeks they were with were employees of Z-Ray. Nothing on their T-shirts revealed where they worked. All she could tell is that the men looked as if they had won some cosmic jackpot.
