She was stiff with her tense back against the wall. She should have yanked her hands away harder but she was enjoying it. She was close enough to smell him and leaned in slightly, not to be seen. He smelled almost sweet. Not like flowers, but powdery, like incense. Whatever he was wearing was sexy and had her turned on to the pointof clenching her knees together. It was absurd. And insane. Had she not learned anything in elementary school?Stranger danger, jackass.
The ride in the elevator lasted another five minutes with two more stops, all the while, he gripped her hands. When they made it to the main floor, he released her and she immediately pulled back, wiping her sweaty palms down her skirt. After helping Mrs. Duncan, they were the last two to exit through the doors. He stopped and turned to face her in the lobby.
“Hey, pretty girl.”
Pretty girl. Her face heated.
“Hey.” She gulped. This guy had an uncontrollable effect on her. The heat on her face was evident and his smirk confirmed it. “I see you made good on your promise to Ms. Bowers.”
He stepped forward. She should have retreated but she was frozen in her spot. His face was inches from her. So close she could feel his breath. “I always keep my promises.”
Being this close she got a glimpse of his hazel eyes. They were a yellowish brown. His words weren’t sexual but they may as well have been, “I always keep my promises, and I promise to make you come for six hours and fuck you ‘til you pass out.”
She could feel her heart pounding and her body tremble. She needed away from this man. “I have to go.”
He smirked staying close in her space. “Ya know, I’m still looking for the girl. You haven’t seen her, have you?”
All blush was gone. She had put the reason for this man in the back of her mind and now it was front and center. Taylor.
She shook her head. It was too dramatic. “No, I haven’t. Sorry.”
His eyes locked on her as if he was looking for deceit. If he looked closely, he’d find it. He moved away from her and brushed his hand against his jaw.
“Well, then I guess, I’ll get going, too.”
“Okay,” she mumbled. “Thanks for getting the elevator fixed.”
“You’re welcome.” He smiled and winked. “Guess that means you owe me, huh?”
“What do you want?” She blurted, surprising herself with the offer. She clamped her mouth closed, not trusting her own self, and what might pass through her lips next.
“Oh, pretty girl, that’s a loaded question.” He chuckled and walked to the door with her following. He opened the door and gestured her through, resting his hand on her back. Once outside, all she could think of was owing this man and the excitement pooling in her panties.
“How about this? I’ll take an IOU for now.” His smile was almost predatory and she caught the mischievous glint in his perusal of her body. Then he walked away. She stood staring at his back as he made his way between two parked cars and crossed the street. She was entranced until he glanced over his shoulder and the corner of his mouth curled. That got her out of her sex-filled daydream and spinning quickly. Too quickly. She stumbled on her heels but was able to catch herself from face planting on the concrete. This was crazy, she was crazy.
She started down the street, resisting the urge to look back. If he’d seen her almost fall, she didn’t want to know. She’d embarrassed herself enough for one day.
“It’s not you he wants,” she muttered, catching an awkward glance from the passing man next to her. Great, now she was talking to herself.
Silently this time, she reminded herself why he was there. He was obviously looking for Taylor. A thought popped in her head. Maybe this was Trent, the bail bondsman. Bogs had to be an alias, or nickname. She crossed the street, unlocking her door and climbing in the car. She slumped back in her seat unable to block her disappointment. He was obviouslyflirting with her to get what he wanted, and unfortunately, that wasn’t her.
****
Bogs made it back to the office by nine-thirty. All the while thinking about the beautiful little green-eyed liar. She gave off all the obvious signs, looking away when she answered, the nervous tremble of her bottom lip. The girl couldn’t lie to save her life, hopefully it would never come to that.
He could not get her off his mind. Usually Bogs was the one the ladies were infatuated with. He’d had plenty, but never had taken a strong interest to any, until Kenzie. Maybe it was partially pity for the situation the sweet innocent had gotten herself into. That’s what he was telling himself. From the research he’d done, she was as straight as an arrow, by the books, good girl. He had done a background check when Trent gave him her name. Never been arrested or in any trouble since becoming an adult. She graduated college with honors, worked for a communications company as an analyst in a downtown office. Rented a small apartment in the moderate-income section of the city. As per the usual twenty-something fresh out of college, she had incurred small debt that she paid on time each month, mostly credit cards and student loans. How the hell had she gotten tied up with Taylor?
A loud knock had him raising his head to see T wander in and take a seat in front of him.
“Trent called, wants us to back him up tonight.”
Bogs sat back in his seat surprised. “Got a lead on something.”
T shrugged. “Don’t know. He said she’s been making calls to some guy, he runs the money for the fights down on Union Ave. Been going back and forth on her cell.” T pursed his lips and shook his head.
“She didn’t use a burner phone?”
“No.” He sighed. “So, you can see the kind of dumbass were looking for.”
