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, only wearing different clothing. She went into his arms and he held her close, their feet barely moving, his head bent down to hers in the classic pose of a man who is totally absorbed in the woman in his arms.
“I had to leave the things in my room,” she said in a low voice, the words muffled against his shoulder. “I couldn’t carry them in this.” She indicated the tiny evening bag.
“What? You couldn’t put everything in your bodice with the SIG?” He glanced down at the fabric clinging to her breasts and the deep V of the neckline.
“Careful,” she warned. “I’ve got a knife in there and I’ll use it.” She felt the movement of his lips against her temple as he smiled. “What kind of distraction did you arrange?”
“I didn’t. I was afraid you’d scalp me. We’ll take our chances.”
“I’m good at taking chances.” No sooner had the words left her mouth than she almost recoiled in shock. No, she wasn’t good at all at taking chances. She used to be, but not now. Not any more.
He felt her stiffening in his arms and reacted by bringing her closer. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said automatically.
“Nothing you’re going to tell me,” he corrected.
“Right.”
Again there was that movement against her temple. After a moment he commented, “You’re shorter than you were last night.”
Trust him to notice something like that. “I’m not wearing heels. I doctored a pair of sandals so they match the gown.” She stuck her foot out so he could see the pearls adorning the narrow straps.
He looked a little pained. “You butchered a Dior to decorate your shoes?”
“It’s okay,” she soothed. “Wearing sensible shoes was more important than the gown. Besides, black ops is off-budget; you don’t have to account for what’s spent, do you?”
“No, thank God.”
“So, what time do we do it?”
“No set time. We keep an eye on Ronsard, and make our move when it looks as if he’s occupied.”
“What about Cara?”
“Taken care of.”
“I hate to tell you this, but she’s standing just over there.”
“She won’t be for long.”
Cara was wearing a dazzling white tube gown, with her long blonde hair hanging straight down her back and rhinestones dangling from her ears. She knew she looked Hollywood flashy, but there was no way she could compete with these people in terms of jewelry and couture gowns, so she didn’t try. California sexy was the style she tried for and achieved.
She flirted with several men, but the sexy Frenchman with whom she had played tennis that morning was safely anchored by his wife. Deciding to troll, she began moving around the room, stopping only to talk to likely prospects. She wasn’t going to worry about Hossam’s feelings one minute longer; he had no claim on her.
She didn’t see it coming. Someone turned too abruptly, and a glass of red wine sloshed all over her white gown. She looked down at the awful stain in dismay, knowing she would probably have to throw the garment away. “I’m so sorry,” the woman who had splashed her apologized, her face contorted with dismay. “I don’t know how this happened; someone jostled me.”
“It’s perfectly all right,” Cara soothed, even though it wasn’t. She didn’t want to upset any of Louis’s guests. “I’m sure the stain will come right out. I’ll just run to my room to change.” She brushed away the woman’s offer to pay for the dress and kept a smile on her face as she left the ballroom. She seldom used the elevator, preferring the stairs in order to get in some exercise, but tonight she chose the fastest route to her room.
The smile was gone and irritation in its place when she got off the elevator on the third floor. The long hallways were deserted, with only indirect lighting from the sconces, but she was glad no one was there to see what a mess she was. Taking the key from her tiny evening bag, she jammed it into the lock and pushed her door open, her hand unerringly finding the light switch and flipping it on.
Light flooded the room at the same time a large hand clamped over her mouth and an arm around her waist lifted her off her feet. The door was kicked shut.
Panic screamed through her, making everything around her go dim for a moment. She heard her own muffled screams and knew the sound wouldn’t carry beyond the room. She clawed at the hand over her mouth, kicking and squirming in an effort to escape.
“Hush, my love. There’s no need to be frightened.”
Hossam! Panic turned to rage in the space of a split second. She slammed her head backward in an effort to smash his mouth, but he only chuckled and tossed her onto the bed, then landed on top of her before she could control herself enough to scramble off the bed.
