Fair Game Inc (2010) (8 page)

oMaybe because men tend to keep their pain to themselves.o

oPerhaps.o Amber took another sip of coffee. oI thought we were trying to forget about work tonight.o

oGuilty.o Grayson rose from his seat. oIAEll walk you back to your car.o

****

Even in the dark, Amber could tell there was something wrong with the lopsided way the Honda sat on the pavement.

oOh no.o She rushed forward, confirming her suspicions.

oWhat is it?o

oFlat tire.o Amber leaned against the car that was at least five years past its prime. oThatAEs a new tire, too. I must have run over something in the industrial park.o

oIsnAEt that always the way?o Grayson offered sympathetically. oMy car always breaks down on a full tank of gas.o

oI didnAEt think Mercedes broke down.o The barb came out more nasty than she intended and she winced.

Grayson ignored her sarcasm. oOnce in a while they do. And theyAEre expensive to fix. Can I offer you a lift?o

oThanks, but IAEm going to need it first thing in the morning. I better call the motor league.o

oGot a spare?o

oSure, but itAEs a snow tire.o

oIt would get you home.o

oIAEm perfectly capable of changing a tire.o

oTake less time if there were two of us....o

oI didnAEt think lawyers did tires.o

oConsider it a job for legal aid.o

Amber smiled, even though it was past midnight and they were standing in the middle of a deserted street. Opening the trunk, she took out the jack and wrench. oAll right, Counselor, itAEs all yours.o

Positioning the jack, he went to work with the wrench. oGot a flashlight?o

oHang on.o Amber opened the passenger side door and reached into the glove compartment.

Glancing up, she caught a glimpse of a strange pattern stenciled across the windows in the dim glow of the streetlight.

Her gasp brought GraysonAEs head up sharply. oWhat is it?o

oLook!o

Leaving the tire, he followed her around the front of the car.

Scrawled in the dust on her windshield were the words: Stay Away.

Chapter
FIVE

oThe worm!o

The petite brunette stared at the black and white photos spread across AmberAEs desk.

oYou know her?o

oHer name is Mandy,o her client launched the name across the desk like a flame thrower. oSheAEs his boss, can you believe that?o

oActually,o Amber said. oI can. IAEve seen it all.o

Jennifer rummaged in her purse, coming up at last with a well-worn check book. oWell, thatAEs it then. Will you take a personal check?o

oCheck or credit card, which ever is more convenient,o Amber said congenially. The deluxe package was hers, regardless of GraysonAEs demands on her time.

oI want the deluxe package. The extra-deluxe package if you have one.o

oWe can arrange a custom package if you wish.o

oI want lights, camera, videotape. A framed sixteen by twenty to hang on my living room wall!o

oThe photograph will be extra.o Amber reached for her calculator. oIAEll have to hire a photographer and a videographer.o

oNo problem. Just give me the grand total.o

Amber named a sum sure to send Jennifer fleeing her office.

Jennifer swallowed, thought about it for a second, then asked quickly, oCan I borrow that calculator?o

Amber watched breathlessly as she balanced her checkbook.

oAnd how much would you like as a deposit?o

oThirty percent,o Amber said, certain even that much would be beyond JenniferAEs budget.

To her amazement Jennifer scribbled her name on one of her embossed checks and handed it calmly to Amber.

Amber tucked the check in her top drawer. Folding her hands neatly in front of her, she leaned forward.

oNow all we need to discuss is what type of revenge we should exact upon Mister--o

oJames. Aidan James.o

oMr. James. Please remember in your zeal, Ms. Roberts, the revenge must be physically harmless in nature, that is one of stipulations of my contract.o

oI donAEt care if itAEs harmless,o Jennifer growled. oAs long as he never forgets it. As long as he never forgets me.o

oOh, I donAEt think heAEll be forgetting either of us by the time IAEm finished,o Amber said with confidence. None of them ever did. That was the point. Separating men from the sheer arrogance that the world was theirs to shape at will.

oHeAEll be difficult to catch by himself,o Jennifer said. oShe sticks to him like glue.o oDonAEt worry, o Amber began. Her words trailed off into silence. She offered Jennifer a feral smile. oGlue, you say?o ****

Two hours later, the photographer and the videographer were booked. All Amber needed now was to arrange time off in the evening from Barlow & Charles to carry out the terms of her contract.

She should have been elated at the sudden improvement in business, but she couldnAEt get the image of the angry words scrawled across her windshield.

Grayson had insisted it was a prank gone wrong. oStay away from what?o heAEd demanded.

oI donAEt know?o If it was a prank, its purpose eluded her. oFrom Barlow & Charles, maybe.o

oYou werenAEt parked any where near the office,o heAEd said, trying to inject some reason into the situation. oWho would have known it was your car?o

oI donAEt know--o

oIt was probably some wacko who doesnAEt like people parking in front of their house.o

oYou could be right,o sheAEd finally agreed. And hoped he was.

Thrusting the episode from her mind, Amber put the Roberts file back into the cabinet and headed for the offices of Barlow & Charles.

****

oEarth to Amber Shaw.o

Amber jumped, sending the ream of paper in her hand into a miniature hurricane. They settled in an unruly mess on the desktop. Angrily she looked up at the culprit whoAEd startled her from her contemplation of glue and its many properties.

oLooked like you were a million miles away.o Grayson winced at her expression. oDonAEt tell me, a case, right?o

Amber forced her expression into a more congenial one. oGuilty as charged.o

oNot Sandy and Roger--o

oNo, Counselor, you can rest easy. I gave Sandy a refund. Your twin is off the hook. For the moment.o

oThatAEs a relief.o

oTell Roger not to be smug about it. I might consider remedial action.o

oIAEll relay the message.o Grayson smiled ruefully. oIf the expression on your face is any indication, I pity the recipient.o

oDonAEt pity him, too much,o she barked, then grimaced at her tone. oHeAEs in the process of breaking someoneAEs heart.o

oAnd broken hearts are notoriously hard to heal. Too bad there isnAEt a pill you can take.o As though heAEd revealed far more than he intended, Grayson fell suddenly silent.

Had someone broken GraysonAEs heart? Amber filed that piece of information in the growing file in her mind and offered him an easy out.

oThere is a pill, Grayson. And IAEm it.o

It sounded mercenary, even to her own ears. Amber laced her fingers together and looked innocently up at him. oSo, what were you trying to tell me while I was ... absent?o

He followed the change in their topic of conversation gratefully. oI asked you if you were hungry.o

oFamished.o

A slow smile crept across GraysonAEs face. oThen allow me to take you away from all this.o

oAre you sure? You seem to be amassing quite an expense account for your free help.o

oSheAEs worth it.o

Amber pushed the papers aside. Contemplation of the properties of glue and the paperwork could wait until later. oIAEm glad you think so. Where should we go?o

oHow about The Terrace Restaurant? After all, itAEs where we met.o

She took him up on the challenge. oAll right, Counselor, youAEre on.o

****

Somehow he had to keep Amber in the offices of Barlow & Charles. In a few short days sheAEd become a necessity to the smooth running of the firm. And though he was reluctant to admit it even to himself, she was rapidly becoming a necessity to the harmonious existence of Grayson Charles.

Roger, if he knew, would die laughing at the irony of it all.

But as he maneuvered the Mercedes through the busy evening traffic, Grayson found business to be the last thing on his mind. His traitorous thoughts kept straying into other possibilities.

What was she like away from the office? He couldnAEt help wondering. Did the consummate professional Ms. Shaw own anything that wasnAEt a power suit? Did the contents of her closet include a pair of beat up blue jeans? Was there a frayed old teddy bear hiding in a box in her storage locker like an ugly secret?

oWhat are you smiling about?o

Grayson jerked back to the present. No, stuffed toys certainly werenAEt Amber ShawAEs style.

oI was just thinking about the last time we were here,o he said, turning the car into the parking lot.

She glanced over at him, her expression guarded. oAnd youAEre laughing?o

oIn retrospect it was funny.o

oI donAEt recall you thinking so at the time.o

oI seem to have rediscovered my sense of humor.o He held the door open for her, wondering if sheAEd glare in return for his chivalrous gesture. She offered him a smile of thanks.

oMaybe Roger was right about you working too hard. ItAEs not good for you.o

oIAEm sure Roger will be delighted to hear you thought well of him,o Grayson said as they followed the hostess to their table.

Right or wrong, he was determined to forget about work tonight. As soon as he got that one detail out of the way, the rest of the night was his. He intended to spend it on pleasure.

A warm breeze stirred the candles in spite of the lateness of the season. Piano music drifted across the terrace. Only the crimson leaves drifting down onto the terra-cotta tile from neighboring maples betrayed the truth. Another few weeks and the trees would be bare, but if she closed her eyes, Amber could believe it was still July and the incident last time she visited The Terrace had never happened.

Candlelight added golden highlights to GraysonAEs dark curls. Tips of flames reflected in the dark depths of his eyes. A woman could get lost in the intensity of his gaze. A woman could be lured into a false sense of security by his attentiveness, his quiet humor. Why this man? Had the circumstances been different, she might laugh at the irony of it all.

oWhen is John Barlow coming back to work?o Amber asked as the busboy cleared away the last of their dinner dishes.

oWithin the next few days.o Grayson dumped a lump of sugar into his coffee and stirred it. oWhy do you ask?o

oI got the feeling he didnAEt like me.o Amber stopped short of revealing sheAEd eavesdropped on their entire conversation.

oHe didnAEt even meet you, Amber. What makes you so sure?o

She shrugged and contemplated the menu of fattening deserts. oA hunch. IAEm good at reading people.o She decided to pass up a slice of the sinfully chocolate layer cake.

oI suppose it comes with the territory.o

oLawyers must develop a sixth sense for people as well. You know, who really did it, and whoAEs innocent.o

oIt isnAEt my job to judge their souls, Amber.o

oThe ones with tarnished souls are obvious to me.o

Grayson tipped back his head and laughed heartily. oAnd what about me? Is my soul tarnished?o

AmberAEs eyes narrowed across the flame between them. oIAEm reserving judgment about you.o

oReally? IAEm not guilty as charged?o

oSentence hasnAEt yet been passed.o

oLucky me. I guess IAEd better be on my best behavior.o

He reached between them, taking the glass of ice water the waitress had just refilled and moved it to his side of the table. oI think IAEll keep this over here, just in case.o

oRelax, IAEve changed my modus operandi.o

Grayson shook his head. oI do have to hand it to you, Amber. No one I know could have made a business of such a strange specialty.o

Amber felt herself blushing and hoped the darkness covered it. oActually, I was a dismal success as a private investigator.o Now, why did I tell him that?

In good grace, he let the comment drop.

But the words kept coming, as if the one glass of wine sheAEd had with dinner had loosened her lips. And her hold on good sense.

oMy business was practically in bankruptcy court, until my friend Maureen asked me to track down her boyfriend.o

oAnd you found him.o

oOf course,o Amber said a little indignantly. oI am a good researcher.o