Laura And The Lawman

Dismay filled her, and her heart thudded unevenly. Before her face could betray her thoughts, she returned her gaze to the cup in her hands.

It wasn’t just that everyone in the room believed she belonged to Joseph, although that was a major consideration. What was even more important was that she knew who Michael Corsi was and who he wasn’t. And who he wasn’t was one of the good guys.

To be attracted to any man seemed a betrayal of both her husband and her son. To be attracted to Michael Corsi was ten times worse. He wasn’t fit to shine the shoes Jacob had worn, which still lined the floor of her closet in her home back in Queens, let alone to try and take his place.

When she’d learned Michael Corsi would be working for Joseph, she’d had her contact officer investigate him. The information he’d relayed back to her had been extremely interesting. Michael Corsi had done time for dealing drugs. Was his acting as an auctioneer just a front for his real job, which was helping Joseph in his drug operations?

She didn’t know. Not yet, anyway. But she intended to find out.

This time, when her gaze traveled to him, she felt nothing but disdain. The past six weeks spent trying to win Joseph Merrill’s confidence had been more stressful than she’d expected. She was exhausted. As a result she’d misread simple appreciation for a handsome, albeit amoral, man as attraction. It was nothing, she told herself. Just another lapse proving how badly she needed a vacation.

Yet no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t forget the moment she had first gazed into his eyes. For a slice out of time she’d forgotten where she was. She’d even forgotten who she was.

It wasn’t Ruby who had returned his piercing regard, but Laura. Laura, who had let her guard down and allowed the emotions of the past four years to shine in her eyes plainly for him to see. For surely he would understand.

When she’d realized her folly, she’d done what she could to repair the damage. She’d banished Laura and had Ruby smile her empty, flirtatious smile at him. She hoped he didn’t puzzle too long over the seeming contradiction.

“Ruby?” Joseph said, sounding far away. “Ruby, did you hear me? I asked you a question.”

“What?” She blinked and shook her head. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m a little preoccupied.”

“I was wondering what you thought of my newest employee.” There was a trace of impatience in his voice, and Laura knew she’d made a mistake by letting Michael Corsi unnerve her to the point where she’d forgotten the role she was playing.

She pretended to assess Joseph’s new auctioneer the way she would a painting she was trying to value. “The crowd is involved, and he’s moving things along at a good pace,” she said carefully. “He’s also getting top dollar for almost every item. Overall, I’d say he’s doing an excellent job. I think he’ll be a good addition to the team.”

“He will, won’t he?” Joseph murmured.

“You seem surprised,” Laura said.

“Just intrigued.”

“About what?”

It was Joseph’s turn to seem distracted as he dropped his arms from around her shoulders and straightened to his full height.

“About whether Michael Corsi just might turn out to be far more valuable to me than he ever anticipated,” he murmured.

Laura wondered what he meant, but didn’t dare ask. Only six weeks had passed since she’d finagled their meeting and talked her way into the job as his art appraiser. She didn’t want to appear overly interested in his personal business, didn’t want to arouse his suspicions that she was anything more than a woman who did her job well. A woman who preened under male attention and who always kowtowed to a man’s acknowledged superiority. Joseph’s acknowledged superiority.

If the rumors were true, and she believed they were, Joseph was one of the biggest drug distributors in the eastern United States. He hadn’t acquired that status by trusting blindly. As Laura kept reminding her contact officer when she reported in to him, this was nothing like making a buy from a street dealer. If the department was serious about taking out the big guys, then they had to be willing to put in the necessary time.

She would have to earn Joseph’s trust. She’d made great strides in that arena, but he had yet to invite her into his inner circle. Laura had every expectation that the invitation was looming ever closer on the horizon. She just had to bide her time and play her part.

In the meantime every penny Joseph paid her, minus applicable expenses, was going straight into police coffers. They weren’t losing money on this deal. When it all ended, hopefully many lives would also be saved.

“When I asked what you thought of him,” Joseph said, “I wasn’t talking about his performance on the podium. I want to know what you think of Michael Corsi as a man. Do you find him attractive?”

Laura stilled. At the time she’d started the job, she’d been prepared to have Joseph direct his attentions her way. In fact, that had been essential if she was to earn his confidence. What she hadn’t been prepared for was the revelation that he was gay, that he wanted her to pose as his lover, and that he was willing to pay her a generous stipend, in addition to her regular salary, for her to do so.

His standing in the community was important to him, he’d told her. He didn’t want it jeopardized, and he was apprehensive about what might happen if the truth of his sexual orientation were to become common knowledge. If she took the job, he wouldn’t expect her to live a celibate lifestyle. She was free to take a lover, so long as she exercised extreme discretion.

Since his request had meant she would be working even more closely with him, and that he was growing to trust her, Laura had readily agreed. Was he toying with her now? she wondered. Testing her loyalty? At times Joseph Merrill was an extremely difficult man to read.

“Is he gay?” she asked.

Joseph leaned over her again. “Checking to see if I’m staking a claim?” he whispered into her ear.

“You are my boss,” she replied lightly. “I wouldn’t want to overstep my bounds. You pay me too well.”

Joseph chuckled his appreciation. “I do like a woman who knows on which side her bread is buttered. Alas, he’s not gay, more’s the pity. So, what do you think?”

Laura gazed at Michael Corsi and felt a flutter in her midsection. There it was again, that unwelcome awareness of him as a man. A starburst of anticipation radiated outward, leaving a tingling sensation in its wake. She fought it back, searching instead to retrieve her earlier feelings of disdain.

“He is a handsome devil, isn’t he?” she said, knowing Joseph would expect Ruby to make such a remark.

“Adorable,” Joseph replied. “Too bad they buried your heart with your fiancé.”

Rule number one of undercover work was to come up with a good cover story. Before she had known he was gay, she’d wanted Joseph to be attracted to her. But she hadn’t wanted their relationship to become intimate. To prevent that eventuality, while hopefully keeping his interest in her heightened, she had concocted the story that Ruby O’Toole’s fiancé had been killed in a car accident on the eve of their wedding. The loss was still too fresh, too painful for her to enter into a new relationship.

“Yeah,” she agreed, sighing theatrically. “Too bad.”

“Yet you still dress and act provocatively around men. You still flirt outrageously with them.” There was a speculative gleam in Joseph’s eyes that she didn’t like and needed to put to rest. Immediately.

“That’s because all the men around here know I belong to you. Flirting with them is safe.”

Reaching up a hand, she patted her hair. “Besides,” she cooed, “a girl needs to know she hasn’t lost her technique. I may not allow men to touch right now, but I definitely want them to look. I won’t be in mourning forever, you know.”

Joseph chuckled. “Spoken like a woman.”

“I am a woman, Joseph. I’ve never made that a secret.”

It was an unfortunate choice of words. She realized her mistake when Joseph said, “I wonder what secrets you are hiding from me.”

Hours of practice in front of a mirror had perfected the guileless look she aimed his way.

“Secrets?” she asked, an air of honest bewilderment in her voice, although her heart was thudding heavily. “I have no secrets.”

“Everyone has secrets, my dear. Everyone has something to hide. No one is exactly as he presents himself to others. I can’t help wondering what it is you’re keeping from me.”

Her laughter was light and airy, and pure Ruby. “I’ll never tell,” she said, batting her eyelashes at him. “That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

“Oh, I will, my dear, I will,” Joseph assured her, and she felt a chill.

His words reminded her of exactly how dangerous he was. The man Michael Corsi had replaced as head auctioneer had disappeared without a trace. He wasn’t the first person to suddenly leave Joseph’s employ, nor was he the first to drop out of sight, never to be seen again. Of course, without any bodies, and without any evidence whatsoever that Joseph had played a role in those disappearances, no charges could be brought.

The speculation in Joseph’s eyes faded and he said, “Have I told you lately how glad I am that I hired you? If not for you, I would have auctioned an extremely valuable painting for what would have amounted to peanuts.”

Laura had barely believed it herself when she’d discovered the old master mixed in with a pile of worthless canvases. It was a once-in-a-lifetime find. She’d gone immediately to Joseph with the news, hoping to raise her value in his eyes. She knew he would think that Ruby easily could have arranged for someone to buy it at a pittance, then turned around and sold it for its true value, pocketing the profit for herself. That she hadn’t went a long way toward proving her loyalty to him. It was after that discovery that Joseph had asked her to pose as his love interest.

Over the past six weeks she had learned a lot about Joseph Merrill. One of the most important things she’d uncovered was that he wasn’t exactly a wizard where the items he auctioned off were concerned. He could barely tell an oak chair from a pine one, let alone discern the difference between a valuable master and a starving-artist watercolor. His success as an auctioneer was due solely to the talents of the people he hired to work for him. Joseph hired only the best. Which indicated to Laura, at least, that his business was a front for something else.

“You may have expressed your gratitude a time or two,” she replied in a breathy voice, “but don’t let that stop you. A lady never gets tired of having her ego stroked.”

Though he had a smile on his face, the eyes Joseph turned her way were cold. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. I have a favor to ask, my dear. A favor that you are uniquely qualified to grant. Of course, it goes without saying that I’m counting on your discretion. I don’t want any tongues wagging, nor do I want you to feel you have to violate your self-imposed vow of celibacy. But it would be nice if you somehow got past our Mr. Corsi’s barriers and encouraged his confidence. I would be extremely interested in finding out if he has any secrets I should know.”

The words were an order, not a request. So much for his concern about Ruby’s love life. Laura should have known better than to believe that Joseph had an altruistic bone in his body, or that he was bothered by Ruby’s monastic lifestyle. Everything he did, he did with a what-was-in-it-for-him attitude. She’d be foolish to forget that.

“My break is almost over,” she said, swinging her feet off the chair. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll go to the ladies’ room and put my face back together.”

“Not at all. I hope you’ll take into consideration what we were just speaking about.”

“Of course.”

Flashing him a brilliant smile, Laura walked away. Once safely in the ladies’ room, she sank back against a stall door and groaned out loud. There was nothing for it. She would have to flirt with Michael Corsi. She would have to find out something about the man to report to Joseph. If she didn’t, he would grow suspicious.

Her stomach clenched as a more disturbing thought occurred to her. What if Michael took her flirtation seriously? What if he wanted more than flirting from her? What would she do then? Joseph would surely encourage any such liaison.

She was Joseph Merrill’s lover, she reminded herself. At least, that’s what everyone believed. Michael Corsi, if he valued his job, would be careful about crossing that line. The thought reassured her.

She had to look at this as an opportunity. An opportunity to win Joseph’s confidence. Flirting with Michael Corsi—discreetly, of course—meant she was one step closer to ending the case, one step closer to going home. One step closer to her vacation.

And if, when that time came, she found herself slapping handcuffs on Joseph’s newest employee, she would do so gladly.

Chapter 2

She arrived on a gentle cloud of perfume that made his head spin. Antonio didn’t have to glance up from the figures he was tallying to know who stood at his side. Only she could smell this good.

Patiently she waited for him to acknowledge her presence. When he finally did raise his gaze to her, he saw that, up close and personal, Ruby O’Toole looked even better than she did from a distance. And she smelled heavenly.

Damn. He was going to have a hell of a time maintaining his objectivity around her. Not to mention keeping his hands to himself.

“You did a nice job today,” she said. “Joseph is pleased.”

Her smile, though warm, didn’t quite reach her eyes. Because her face was so enchanting, he doubted most people even noticed. He probably wouldn’t have noticed himself, if he hadn’t been trained to do so, and if he hadn’t already been on guard against her.

On the other hand, her voice was like liquid smoke. It did things to his insides that should have been illegal.

“Thank you.” His voice came out raspy, and he cleared his throat. “Need a drink,” he lied, quickly raising the glass of water to his mouth.

When he replaced the drained receptacle on the podium, she extended her hand. “I’m Ruby O’Toole.”

The fingers she slid into his palm were soft and supple, her nails perfectly manicured and coated by a pale-pink polish the color of her suit. It was obvious that Ruby O’Toole had never toiled in the trenches like other mere mortals.

“I know who you are,” he said.

Her eyebrows arched delicately. “You do?”

“Your reputation precedes you.”

Again that arch. “My reputation?”

“For beauty. And charm.”

She looked pleased. “I thought it was time we met, since we’re going to be working closely together.”

Despite the recent drink, his mouth went dry. “We are?”

“Very closely. You have my word, Mr. Corsi, that before the week is over, you and I will be on exceedingly intimate terms.”

Antonio nearly did a double take. He stared at her, not quite ready to believe what his gut, and the uncontrollable pounding of his heart, were telling him. Was she coming on to him?

“What kind of intimate terms are those?” he asked carefully, ignoring the exceedingly intimate visions of entwined limbs and naked body parts dancing across the viewing screen of his mind. He wasn’t a man who jumped to conclusions. If time permitted, which sometimes it didn’t, he always made sure to weigh the necessary evidence before taking action.

Her eyes widened in mock innocence. “Why, business terms, of course. What other terms could they be? After all, I hardly know you, Mr. Corsi. We haven’t even been properly introduced.”

The woman was good. Damn good. He would give her that much.

“Call me Michael. After all, we are going to be on intimate business terms.”

“Michael,” she said slowly, as if savoring the feel of his name on her tongue. “And you must call me Ruby.”

“Very well, Ruby. Tell me, what exactly are these business terms we will be sharing so intimately?”

“Assessing the estates Joseph purchases. I valuate all the artwork and jewelry. Joseph plans on using you to valuate the furniture and glassware. We’ll be working side by side. I’m looking forward to it. Peter, the man you replaced, could be such a dull boy. I’m counting on you to liven things up.”

He glanced over to where Joseph stood, talking into his cell phone. A new thought occurred to him. Had his boss put Ruby up to this? An initial test of his loyalty, perhaps?

Antonio decided it was time to learn what this woman was really up to. And just how far she would go with Joseph standing so close by. Since she was eyeing him as if he was the main course on her menu, he decided he would return the favor.

She didn’t flinch. In fact, the longer and the harder he looked, the more she seemed to preen. And the faster his heart thundered.

“See enough?” she finally asked coyly.

“You wanted me to look,” he replied, glancing again at his boss, who was still deep in conversation with whomever he was speaking to on the phone.

Ruby had obviously seen him eyeing Joseph, because she said, “If you’re worried about him, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. I promise. If you want to look again, at a later time, I won’t tell.”

Disgust washed through him. He couldn’t believe it. Her lover stood not ten feet away, and she’d all but invited Antonio to jump her bones. Was it just hours ago that he’d anticipated such a welcome from her? He didn’t need this. Not here. Not now. Not ever. He had more important things to occupy his mind than the unwanted advances of his boss’s mistress.

His own relationships might be fleeting. They might never have the altar as their ultimate goal. The nature of his work—erratic hours, multiple disguises and false identities—all but demanded it be that way. Still, he did practice fidelity when he was with a woman, and he expected the same respect from her.

Did Ruby O’Toole have no moral backbone? How had he ever thought he was attracted to her? Right now it was all he could do not to let his feelings show on his face.

He was behaving out of character—Michael Corsi could handle women like Ruby in his sleep—and that had to stop right now. Besides, he should be glad his personal feelings were no longer going to be a problem where she was concerned. He could concentrate solely on the job he was sent here to do, without the bother of unnecessary complications.

It was obvious he hadn’t hidden his feelings as well as he’d thought, because she said, “Perhaps, Michael, I’ve given you the wrong impression. Regardless of what you might be thinking right now about my dubious moral character, I’m not easy. What I am is an incorrigible flirt. Ask anyone, and they’ll tell you. Ask Joseph. I don’t mean anything by it. And I never follow through, except with the man in my life.”

While it didn’t surprise him that she had resorted to damage control, especially if Joseph had ordered her actions, it did amaze him that she’d admitted so readily what she was. Despite that, he felt an uncontrollable urge to shake her up a bit. Turnabout was fair play, after all.

“Where I come from, we have another word for what you’re doing,” he murmured.

“What word is that?”

“Teasing. Didn’t anyone ever teach you what happens to teases?”

A defiant light lit her eyes. “No. What happens to them?”

“They often find themselves in sticky situations. The kind where they could easily get hurt.”

She gave a nonchalant shrug. “I’ve survived so far.”

He gritted his teeth. “I can see that you have. So tell me, Ruby, why are you an incorrigible flirt?”

“It’s simple, really.” She gave a delicate shrug. “I like having men look at me, and I like looking back.”

Antonio recalled the way her smile hadn’t quite reached her eyes. “Really?”

Her gaze grew watchful. “Yes, really. What other reason could there be?”

This time, he was the one who shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe you flirt so blatantly with men because you want to keep them at arm’s length. Is there a reason you don’t want a man close?”

She looked taken aback. When she spoke, however, her voice was calm.

“You’re forgetting one thing. I’m very close to Joseph. And he’s very possessive of his belongings.”

How close was she, really? Close enough to possess the secrets Antonio needed to learn?

“So I’ve heard. Never fear, Ruby. You may be on display, but I have no intention of sampling the merchandise.”

Before she could comment, Joseph joined them. Behind him, standing at a respectful distance, was his shadow, Matthew Rogers. Antonio wondered if Ruby had to send the man out on made-up errands, just to get some time alone with Joseph. The irreverent thought cheered him.

Clasping Antonio’s hand, Joseph gave it an effusive shake. “Nice job, Michael. Very nice job.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Joseph turned to Ruby. “I just got off the phone with Howard Cabot. We got the Bickham estate.”

“That’s wonderful, darling,” she exclaimed, rushing into his arms. “You’ve been negotiating with the heirs for months now. All your hard work has finally paid off.”

“Yes, it has.” Joseph broke the embrace and stood back to survey the two of them. “I’m sure you’ll both understand that in this case, time is of the essence. I want the whole place catalogued, valued and auctioned off before the heirs have a chance to change their minds. Pack your bags, you two. You leave first thing Tuesday morning.”

A shout from the other side of the room claimed Joseph’s attention, which was a good thing, since it prevented him from seeing the look of dismay that crossed Antonio’s face.

“We’re having dinner together later?” he asked Ruby when he turned back.

“Of course.”

“I’ll see you then.” He nodded to Antonio. “I’ll leave it to the two of you to work out the fine details of the trip. Sorry to run, but as you can see, I’m needed elsewhere.”

Antonio stared after Joseph’s departing figure. He’d just started his job, and already Joseph was sending him out of town. Was something big going to happen while he was gone? Was that why Joseph was sending him away?

“Where’s the Bickham estate?” he asked.

“A tiny town in the extreme southeastern tip of West Virginia,” Ruby replied.

“How big is it?”

“In the ten-million-dollar range. Excluding the house and grounds, of course.” She sounded as disheartened by the whole thing as he was.

“So it’s not something we can value in a day and be home in time for dinner.”

“We’ll be lucky if we’ll be done in three days, and that’s working overtime.”

Great. Just great. Still, it gave him a chance to prove himself to Joseph, and early on in the game, too. It also gave him a chance to get to know Ruby better. Much as he found her character lacking, it was an opportunity he’d be foolish to ignore.

“What kind of car do you drive?” he asked, turning his attention to her.

“Corvette. A two-seater. Why?”

“I gather you don’t pack light.” His voice was dry.

“You gather right.” She looked amused.

“Then we’d better take my truck. It’ll give us more room.”

Her look of amusement fled. “Your truck?”

“Yes. That a problem?”

“It’s a long drive to the Bickham estate, a lot of it through mountainous terrain. It’ll probably take us six hours, not counting rest stops, to get there.”

Just his luck to be trapped in a vehicle with her for six hours. At least it wouldn’t be a cramped Corvette.

“I assure you, the ride will be quite comfortable. I also have a cap over the bed. You could bring along ten suitcases, and there would still be room. Can’t say that about your Corvette, can you?”

“Hardly,” she replied.

“You weren’t thinking I’d make you ride in the back, were you?” he couldn’t help chiding.

Her chin went up. “A gentleman would never do that.”

Now was as good a time as any to let her know that he might be more than he presented himself to be. That, if given the right incentive, he might be willing to cross the line from lawfulness into illegality.