“Yeah, just needed a few minutes in the sun. Here’s a t-shirt for you. Hope that’s good enough.”
“Thank you.”
Her small voice was surprising considering her brazen actions earlier with both him and the manager. Was she suspicious of him? Helping her was hardly a big deal. His army buddies loved to kid him about his hero complex. He’d admit he had a weakness for the underdog. Unfortunately it sometimes got him in trouble. Would she be trouble?
“I used one of the new hotel toothbrushes,” she confessed. “I hope you don’t mind.” She reached for the two garments and moved back inside the bathroom door.
“Whatever you need.”
As the door shut, he grabbed a pair of khaki pants, boxer briefs, and a button-down shirt to slide into while she was busy. It didn’t take her long, and she exited the bathroom, the skirt and knotted t-shirt looking like a regular outfit. Her golden-streaked, chestnut hair slid like silk down her back almost to her waist, even in its upswept position.
“Thank you, again.” She nodded shyly at him, moving to the door to leave. He quickly followed, stopping her, curious about her ping pong attitude; cheeky one minute, sweet the next?
“Wait. If we’relivingtogether, the least you can do is tell me your name,” he teased.
She paused, appearing nervous. Did she have a reason to hide her name? Like he did.
Her answer took a moment. “Kate. Kate Harrington.”
He stuck out his hand, enclosing hers inside. “Christopher Martin,” he said using his alias. “You can call me Chris.”
He opened the door catching her surprised look as he followed her into the hallway. “Thought I’d walk you to work. Make sure you don’t get into any more trouble.”
Her mouth opened and she shook her head. He cut her off before the words could come. “If we leave together, it’ll seem like we’re just going out for the night. The manager will buy it and you can get a few more free days in the pool.”
“Okay.” Her words were slow and drawn out. She’d been happy to use him earlier for her own needs but now couldn’t wait to get rid of him. Really?
They took the elevator down, and as the doors opened, he slid his arm around her waist. She stiffened, her eyes shooting daggers at him. “Showtime,” he whispered and her body relaxed.
The manager, strolling through the expansive lobby, paused and stared as they walked by. They kept their heads together, as if they were only interested in each other. Once outside, Chris was reluctant to let go. Her soft body fit nicely next to his. It had been a while since he’d held something this sweet.
He still wasn’t sure if shewassweet. Her behavior had been perplexing and controversial in the past hour. Good judgment about people was one of his better qualities. There was more to this one than the outer package showed. The scattering of freckles across her nose gave her an innocent look, but her flashing blue eyes contradicted that.
They walked a few blocks then she stopped mid-stride. “I work across the street. You don’t have to walk me any farther. This damsel is fine.” Her sassy, confident tone returned. “You havedoneyour knightly duties. You’re absolved of all obligations.”
Standing on her toes, she touched her lips to his cheek with another whispered, “Thanks.”
Her hips swayed as she walked away not looking back. Where did she work? She headed into a club and he smiled. Surf.
Surf was one of the high-end clubs Moreno used as a front. The place was a hot spot and the crowds helped hide any shady activities that happened there. Supposedly Moreno set up deals with business men for his top dollar escorts from this club. Was Kate one of them? She’d actually blushed at one point but that didn’t necessarily mean she wasn’t. Her kiss had been more than nice, and she also had the innocent look Moreno was famous for providing. The idea made him queasy, though he wasn’t sure why.
Surf was high on his list to check out. It had a small room in the back for gambling and there were rumors it was used by Moreno to set up deals. The fact his little damsel worked there moved it a bit higher.
He walked back to his hotel room to get ready for the night. The first thing he’d do is run her fingerprints. She’d touched enough items in the suite there’d be no problem finding some. His curiosity was piqued at the thought of seeing her again. She could come in handy if she had knowledge of Moreno’s dealings, but how loyal was she to him? Could he take a chance with this wild card? Using her could be dangerous to the task at hand. He couldn’t allow that to happen.
Chapter 2
“If dough boy grabs my ass one more time, I swear I’ll dump his drink on him,” Meg threatened, picking up her newest order from the tall, dark-skinned bartender, Dave Johnston.
“Katie.”
Meg stopped herself from cringing at the name she’d adopted since she’d been living here. It had been over a year and a half. She should be used to it by now. And she was, but she still hated the reminder of why she’d given a fake name in the first place.
“Take a deep breath, honey,” Dave continued, “and smile like you mean it. You can’t afford to be pissing off customers. Dough boy lays down a load of cash in that back room. The boss wouldn’t appreciate you throwing a drink at him.”
She inhaled deeply, then let it out slowly, glancing at the pale, rotund man who’d been trying to pinch her butt for the past two hours. Heck, the past year or more. The man was a pig in every sense of the word. Bile rose in her throat just thinking of doing to him what he’d hinted at all night, every night.
Shivers went through her remembering Mr. Moreno’s insinuations that she could pay off more of her tab by beingreallynice to his business associates. She was desperate to get out of this mess, but she wasn’tthatdesperate. Would sheeverbe? If she had nothing else, she had her pride.
