“Hah hah. Finished?”
“For now.”
Kim turned and sashayed back to the changing room.
The back view was as good as the front. Jake watched her go, unable to pull his eyes from the sway of her ass clearly defined under the tight, clingy material and powerless to prevent his body’s response.
He sat a moment longer waiting for the fierce burn of desire to subside, then rose from his seat and approached the changing room.
“The black will do, Kim,” he called out.
Kim’s head appeared around the curtain. “You don’t want to see the other three?”
“No. The first one was fine.”
“Oh dear, and I was having so much fun,” she mocked. “Sure I can’t tempt you into one more? The red perhaps? I’ve always considered red to be my color.”
He ignored the sarcasm. “Another day.”
Jake reckoned he was one sexy outfit away from letting everyone know his intentions. And that probably wouldn’t go down too well in a busy department store.
But yeah, it was time to reveal his motives, and he was guessing that his not-so-little Kimberly was in for a shock with what was about to come next.
Chapter Two
Music played in the ballroom, mingling with the clink of glasses and the murmur of voices as Kim circulated the periphery of the room, forcing herself to relax, to stop feeling so self-conscious in her new dress and three-inch heels. It didn’t help that she could feel Jake’s eyes boring into her wherever she went, as if, after all this time, he still didn’t trust her skills. Or was there some other reason? Whatever—he was making her twitch.
She needed to make a good impression tonight. Prove to Jake she was up to the more dangerous work. Though sadly, she didn’t think there’d be anything more hazardous to this assignment than tripping over her heels. Probably why Jake had assigned her the job.
The fashion designer hosting the party had received threats from an animal-rights group who reckoned he’d used too much fur in this year’s collection. He’d panicked and called Jake. But Kim had read the files on the group and to date, they’d never done anything more violent than hand out fliers, which likely meant she was in for an exciting evening of blisters and boredom.
She completed her first circuit and headed over to report in to Dave. Like many of Jake’s employees, Dave was ex-army and looked it. He was big and bulky, but all muscle.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. Nothing to report.”
He grinned. “You sound disappointed.”
“A little. It would be nice to justify my existence.” She half smiled at the half joke and glanced across the crowded dance floor only to make eye contact with Jake again. He stood at the edge of the room, Nadia clinging possessively to his arm, and he was following Kim’s every move with hooded, dark eyes. A shiver ran through her.
Jake was acting strange lately. She didn’t like it. He’d told her he had motives for being nice to her. What were they? Did he still feel sorry for her? Was that the only reason he employed her, and the real reason he wouldn’t give her that promotion?
She turned back to Dave. “Dave?”
“Hmm?”
“Does Jake think I can do the job?” There. She’d asked it out loud. “Or is he just being nice? And is it only me he’s nice to?”
Dave made a sound like a snort. “He’s the man who pays my wages. That makes him nice to me, too.”
“Seriously, you’ve known him longer than I have. You were in the army together. Is he ‘nice’ to other people?”
“Jake’s nice when he wants to be nice. When he doesn’t…” He shrugged. “Come on. Quit scowling, Kim. You wouldn’t be here if Jake didn’t think you were capable.”
She sighed. “Okay. You’re right. I’m off to mingle with the rich and famous and look for bad guys.”
An hour later, she’d completed her second circuit and was about to call in an all clear when she spotted Nadia heading straight for her. Kim searched for an escape route but she was trapped.
Nadia came to a halt in front of her. She looked wired, as though she’d had too much champagne or snorted something even stronger in one of the bathrooms. Jake wouldn’t like that, Kim reflected cheerfully. He hardly touched alcohol and was opposed to drugs of any kind.
“He’s very good,” Nadia said.
“Good? What and who are we talking about here?” Kim asked, a sense of unease coiling in her belly.
“Jake, of course. He’s very…well-endowed.”
“What?” Kim squeaked.
“And he knows exactly what to do with it.”
Definitely more information than she needed to know. Kim did not want to think about her boss’s attributes. Ever. Of course, now, thanks to Nadia’s ridiculous statement, that’s all she was going to think about.
She glanced around to check that no one else was listening to this conversation. “Why are you telling me this, Nadia? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m absolutely fascinated.” She injected as much boredom into her voice as possible, stopping barely short of a yawn. “I’m just interested to know why you’re sharing.”
Nadia smiled. Just the slightest tilt of her lips while her eyes remained cold; she’d obviously taken lessons from Jake. “I wanted to see if you would agree with me. I wanted to find out if you already knew how good he was.”
“Why should I?” This whole conversation was surreal. She reckoned the crazy bus was leaving the station and Kim was afraid she might have hopped a ride with Nadia.
“I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”
Nadia took a step closer, invading her personal space, and Kim poked a finger into the other woman’s bony chest.
“Back off,” she growled. “And no you haven’t, because he doesn’t. Look at me, I mean.” She shook her head in confusion. “Well, he does sometimes, I suppose. I mean he looks at everybody sometimes.” She waved a hand as if to encompass “everybody” and almost backhanded Nadia in the face—would Jake believe it was an accident? “What’s odd about that?” She clasped her hands in front of her to keep from gesticulating further.
“Normally, it’s not so noticeable,” Nadia continued. “But tonight you look different, and he can’t keep his eyes off you. He’s possessive. Why should he be possessive if he doesn’t already own you?”