Good To Be Bad

He…was…gorgeous

Not too much hair on his chest. And he had to be into lifting weights to get rounded pecs like that. Such perfection couldn’t be achieved any other way.

The hard ground sloped to the edge of the river, though not as much as Karrie would’ve liked for privacy. Rob found a small boulder and drew her behind it, the surface hot with the desert’s broiling sun.

“You gonna take that off?” Rob asked, cocking one eyebrow, indicating her T-shirt.

“Silly me.” She returned his smile and pulled up the hem of her shirt, but then teasingly dropped it again.

Rob laughed. “So that’s how it is.” He caught her around the waist.

Giggling, Karrie twisted and wiggled, but couldn’t stop him from getting hold of her top and pulling it over her head. She stumbled backward but caught her balance, still chuckling.

But Rob wasn’t laughing anymore. His hungry gaze roamed her breasts, her bare midriff. By the time his eyes met hers, her nipples had tightened.

“Come here” was all he had to say….

Dear Reader,

Wow, has time flown by!

This is my sixth Blaze novel. Meanwhile, it feels like only last month that I first learned of the sexy, hot new series being introduced by Harlequin. It took me all of two seconds to say I wanted in. And I quickly put my imagination to work. What I’ve enjoyed most are the strong, confident, “bring-it-on” heroines I get to write about. In Good To Be Bad, which is set in my own backyard of Las Vegas, my heroine, Karrie Albright, knows what she wants—her former professor. Once she’s set her sights on him, he doesn’t stand a chance. Sheesh, if only I’d been that confident….

I hope you enjoy Karrie and Rob’s adventure!

Best,

Debbi Rawlins

Good To Be Bad

Debbi Rawlins

www.millsandboon.co.uk

This one’s for Vicky, Iona and Karl, my inherited family and the best stepchildren I could have. But just remember, y’all are too old to call me Mom.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Epilogue

Prologue

KARRIE ALBRIGHT LOOKED AROUND the crowded living room of the impeccably decorated SoHo brownstone and wondered again what the hell she was doing here. Another Friday night, another party with meaningless chitchat, vague passes from men who’d sell their own mothers for a decent day at the brokerage and scathing looks from women who wouldn’t be caught dead in anything less than designer labels.

The saving grace was, of course, that she was here with Madison. Karrie had never quite figured out why the two of them kept getting invited to these soirees, given that neither of them were terribly hip, they preferred jeans to Dolce & Gabbana, and they weren’t in the same hemisphere when it came to income, but about two years ago, they’d hooked up with marvelously witty book editor Nancy Kragen, and they’d been included ever since.

It was great to have a regular social outlet, and they’d met some terrific women and a few nice men, but lately, the parties had been, well, getting stale.

“You don’t believe in this nonsense, do you?” Madison asked, her gaze focused on the door to Sonya’s bedroom.

“Of course not.”

The door opened and Karrie ducked to get a look at the infamous Madam Zora. Last month, one of the girls had had a candle party, the month before that, Madison’s friend Elizabeth had thrown a roll-your-own-sushi night. But this had to be the weakest get-together of the year. A psychic? Please. “Are you going to sign up for a reading?”

Madison rolled her eyes. “I’m not wasting my time.”

“As if you have anything better to do.” Karrie cast a dismal gaze around the room. Women outnumbered the eligible men by three to one. She loved Manhattan but this was getting old. “Come on. We’re here. I can’t bear to go home yet. You know what night this is, right?”

“Ah, yes. The ever-popular Mr. Warzowski’s night for screaming at his wife as he goes through two cases of Rolling Rock beer.”

“You’ve gotta love three-floor walk-ups with paper-thin walls.”

“That are more expensive than most five-bedroom houses in any other state.”

“But at least the heat doesn’t work in the winter and there’s none of that noisy air-conditioning in the summer.”

Madison nodded and had another big sip of martini. “Girlfriend, it’s tough for us young, gorgeous career gals.”

Karrie’s eyebrows rose. “Gorgeous?” It was true for Madison, of course, with her willowy figure and stunning blond hair. Karrie herself never considered her own looks to be anything more than passable. Her saving grace was that she didn’t have to fight the weight battle too much, and that her hair wasn’t a disaster, but her mouth was too big, her eyes not big enough, and of course, being around the professionally beautiful women in New York could bruise anyone’s ego.

“Hey,” Madison said, “if we can’t play pretend, I really am leaving.”

“Which is exactly why we’re going to see Madam Zora.”

“Oh, no.”

“Oh, yes. You and I. Together.”

Madison shook her head. “I don’t know what Sonya was thinking.”

“Probably trying to take our mind off the fact that we have a better chance of winning the lottery than we do of getting lucky tonight.” Karrie sipped her peach martini and watched a tall woman with dark waist-length hair and red lipstick emerge from the room. Her dramatically made-up eyes widened when Nancy, who looked ravishing, damn her, in a Prada wrap, asked her what happened with the psychic.

“She’s amazing. Totally awesome.” The woman, who’d never been to one of the regular shindigs, shook her head, her expression a haze of disbelief. “She knew everything about me. Even that I’m engaged.”

Madison poked Karrie in the ribs, then nodded at the rock on the woman’s finger.

Karrie hid a smile. “Come on, you chicken. What can it hurt?”

“Don’t make me do this. I hate this kind of stuff. You know I break out in hives when I’m exposed to too much schlock in one evening.”

Karrie laughed, but she wasn’t about to ease up on her friend. “Madison, don’t be such a wet blanket. Who knows, maybe she’s going to see a tall, handsome stranger in your future.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Okay, so she won’t. But do it anyway. Please?”

“Fine.”

“Okay, then.”

Madison caught a passing waiter and exchanged her empty glass for another martini.

“You’re really not nervous about this?”

“Of course not. It’s all nonsense.”

Karrie grinned. “Good. Because I put our names down an hour ago. We’re next.”

Madison glared at her at the same time the door opened and Camilla, of candle party fame, emerged, her face flushed, the sparkle in her eyes an odd mixture of fear and excitement. Which was strange, because Camilla wasn’t the type to be snowed by a con game.

Karrie suddenly had second thoughts. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea. What if Madam Zora predicted something bad about Karrie’s job? Like that she wouldn’t get promoted to Public Relations Director when her boss retired at the end of next year? Or that she’d lose the apartment on Sixth, even though she’d been on the waiting list for over a year.

Her thoughts suddenly turned to her brother, stationed in Germany. If Madam Zora…

No, it was all twaddle. Pure guff. Nothing but the science of watching people and playing the odds. Psychics kept things so general the facts could fit hundreds of people. Even if Madam Zora guessed Karrie had a brother, she wasn’t going to know anything real about him. Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t called him in too long, and that was her bad.

Regardless of psychic predictions, his job as an air force pilot wasn’t without risk. Like her, he’d been desperate to leave Searchlight where they’d grown up and he’d joined the service the day he was eligible.

Karrie had used a college scholarship to escape the small desert town, and since their mother had remarried and left five years ago, neither of them had returned to Nevada, or the shabby trailer that had provided no privacy, only a lot of shame.

She swallowed and turned back to Madison, who was busy nibbling a blini with a dollop of sour cream and a smidge of caviar. “You don’t think she’d predict anything bad, do you?”

Annoying amusement lifted Madison’s eyebrows. “Like what?”

“I don’t know. Like a death, or something.”

“And ruin Sonya’s party? Don’t be droll.” Madison frowned. “But if she says anything negative about my next photo shoot, I’ll kill myself.”

“Which one?”

Madison grinned slyly. “For Today’s Man.”

“No way. Which issue?”

Her smile broadened.

Karrie stepped back. “The sexiest man layout?”

“Yep.”

“Oh my God. That’s terrific! When were you going to tell me?”

“I got the call this afternoon. I still can’t believe it myself.”

Karrie raised her glass. “Congratulations, girlfriend.”

“Save the kudos until I get the man-of-the-year cover.”

Karrie sighed. “Would you chill out long enough to enjoy the moment? This is major. World class. How many photographers vie for that shoot each month? And you got it.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Nope.” She held up a hand. “I’m not listening to any ‘yeah buts.’ You’re too hard on yourself. You’re a damn good photographer, and you deserve the assignment. Period. Which state are you covering?”

“New York. I’m shooting right here in Manhattan.”

“Cool. Who’s the guy?”

“I don’t know for sure yet but I think—”

“Hey, Karrie, Madison.” Sonya waved them toward the bedroom. “Madam Zora is waiting for you.”

“Great,” Madison muttered as she finished off her drink.

Chuckling, Karrie led the way, although she wasn’t quite as enthusiastic about the reading as she had been a few minutes ago. Her heart started to race as soon as she stepped into the dimly lit room. Sonya had put up some curtains to hide her bed, and made the area for the reading intimate and exotic, especially given that the only light came from the soft glow of twin candles. At the far end of the room sat Madam Zora. She wasn’t quite the perfect stereotype of a parlor psychic, but she came close.

Her eyes and short hair were so black that she seemed to blend into the draped walls. Even the caftan she wore was black but still couldn’t hide her large, languorous form as she lounged on a burgundy velvet love seat. Giant gold hoops glinted from her ears, tugging at the misshapen lobes with their weight.

Behind them, Sonya closed the door making Karrie jump.

“Do not be nervous, child. Come. Sit.” Madam Zora motioned them to the two chairs opposite her, her smile displaying the flash of a gold tooth.

Karrie sat first, and then gave Madison the eye when it looked as if her friend might bolt.

Madison didn’t even try to hide her reluctance as she finally sank into the other chair. She slid Karrie a look of barely disguised repugnance.

Madam Zora laughed softly. Hard to tell her age. Her skin was smooth but she had old eyes. Kind eyes that immediately put Karrie at ease.

“Tell me why you’ve come to see Madam Zora,” the woman said, looking at Karrie.

She shrugged, and said bluntly, “This isn’t something I’d normally do. I don’t really believe in this stuff, but I figured that since you’re here and I’m not paying for it…”

Madam Zora laughed again. It was a surprisingly soothing sound. “You needn’t fear me. You have a very bright future.” She leaned forward and reached for Karrie’s hand.

Karrie jumped just a little at the first touch, but Madam Zora’s fingers calmed her as no words could.

“Work is going well for you,” the psychic said with her low, slightly accented voice. “A promotion is in your future. I see—” She stopped, briefly closing her eyes.

Karrie slid a peek at Madison, who still looked as if she was at a tent revival and Madam Zora was the snake.

“B.A.” Madam Zora’s lids lifted. “You know someone with these initials, yes?”

Karrie nodded slowly.

“Brian?”

“Yes.” Her heart somersaulted. How could this woman know her brother’s name? Sonya couldn’t have told her. She didn’t know. “What about him?”

Madam Zora squeezed her hand. “Not to worry. He’s fine, and happy to soar like a bird.”

Karrie coughed, her gaze flying to her friend. Madison knew Brian was a pilot and she looked a little taken aback, too.

“Why do you bring him up?” Karrie asked.

“He is someone close to you and he’s on your mind.” She shrugged her thick shoulders. “Just as your job is.” She stopped, frowning. “Who is R.P.? Your boyfriend?”

Karrie shook her head. “Me? Boyfriend? Uh, no.” Madam Zora looked surprised, and then she closed her eyes. “You know this man. From long ago. But you will soon cross paths again.”

Not likely. Karrie sighed. She rarely met eligible men in Manhattan, much less someone from her past.

Madam Zora, her eyes still closed, started fanning herself. Perspiration beaded above her upper lip. Yet it wasn’t hot. In fact, cool April air slipped in through an open window.

“Oh, my, child. It will be hot when you meet again. Very hot. But you are used to the desert heat, yes?” Her eyes opened, her gaze spearing Karrie with a knowing look.

She straightened. This was very bizarre. Someone had to have told the woman Karrie was from Nevada. She rubbed a palm over her jeans, suddenly feeling too warm in her blazer. The thing was, she had no intention of ever returning to the Southwest.

At least the spell had been broken, and she could see the psychic for the fraud she was.

Karrie forced a polite smile, wishing the woman would turn her attention to Madison.

No such luck. If anything, Madam Zora’s interest intensified. After staring at Karrie for another minute, she closed her eyes, amusement lifting her lips as if enjoying a scene playing out in her head.

“What?” Karrie asked in spite of herself.

The woman took her time, making Karrie squirm. When she finally opened her eyes, her wary look had Karrie swallowing hard.

“It will not be an ordinary affair you will be having with this man.”

Madison chuckled and Karrie fought the urge to laugh herself. Madam Zora was so off base. Going back to the desert to have a hot and heavy affair? She thought of her work calendar and how booked she was clear into next year. Not a chance in hell.

“No, my dear. It’s not a joke. I see this quite clearly. Your relationship will be very physical at first,” the psychic continued, her eyes sparkling. “Very sexual, very raw. Primitive,” she whispered in a husky voice.

Karrie shivered and her smile died on her lips. Something about the woman’s voice, the way dark eyes flashed made her words almost plausible.

“You won’t be able to keep your hands off each other, even though you will both try hard to stay apart. But the chemistry between you won’t allow it. Even the desert heat will not diminish your passion.”

“I’m sorry,” Karrie said, ready to turn the focus of the session to her friend. “This is all very fanciful, but there’s definitely no desert heat in my future.”

“So you believe today.”

“I do.”

Madam Zora’s smile made Karrie’s heart beat a little faster. “It will happen sooner than you could possibly know. You will go back to the desert. You will meet this man once more. And you will try very hard to disbelieve your heart.”

“My heart?”

“That, my dear girl, will be the only thing you can truly count on. Remember these words.”

“I will.”

Madam Zora chuckled softly. “Yes, I know. Although you’ll try to deny it, but there are strong forces at work here.”

Karrie nodded as if she were serious, then decided to move things along. “I don’t mean to change the subject, but do you happen to see anything in my future about a new apartment?” Not that she’d believe her.

The psychic sighed, shook her head, making the gold hoops dance in the candlelight. “I’m sorry, there will be no new apartment.”

Karrie glanced quickly at Madison, then her gaze went back to the charlatan in front of her. “No?”

“But it will not matter.”

“Okay then,” Karrie said. “Thank you for the wonderful session. I know Madison is anxious to hear what you see in her future.”

Madison made a small choking sound, but Karrie paid it no heed. She’d had enough, and all she wanted now was to have another martini and see if there were any of those hors d’oeuvres left.

1

“YOU ASKED TO SEE ME?” Karrie stood tentatively at Malcolm Sandhill’s office door, waiting for him to look up at her with his ridiculously bushy graying eyebrows.

He frowned briefly at her before returning to leaf through the stack of papers in front of him. “Karrie Albright, from our PR department, right?”

“Yes,” she murmured, annoyed that the vice president of operations didn’t recognize her immediately. Although he really shouldn’t. After all, she was still a peon at Sanax, even though she’d been working there for two years. But the multinational corporation was so huge, and had its finger in so many pies, it was easy to get lost. At least after her boss retired next year and she became manager of the PR department, she’d be one more big rung up the ladder.

“Come in, Ms. Albright. Sit down.” He barely looked up from the piece of paper he studied.

She walked into the room, her gaze immediately drawn to the expansive windows and the awesome view of Central Park. She’d never so much as peeked into the plush corner office before, and she certainly hadn’t been summoned by Mr. Sandhill before today.

A little nervous, she sat on the edge of the brown leather chair and waited for him to say something. There was a scent to the room, despite its size and the immaculate neatness. It reminded her of her favorite bookstore where she often had coffee and read for hours on her days off.

The sound of papers shuffling brought her attention back to the senior vice president across the desk. His gaze narrowed on what she recognized as a company memo and she wondered why his wife didn’t get him to trim his eyebrows. “I understand you’re from Nevada. A town called Searchlight.”

Not something she necessarily liked to think about, but slowly she nodded, her curiosity skyrocketing.

“Our Nevada office has received a request from the University of Nevada Las Vegas to use some Sanax land located about two hours outside of the city near a place called Laughlin. Are you familiar with that area?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.” He slid the memo across the desk toward her. “The archeology department wants to establish a dig on our property, and I want to examine the ramifications. I want all the specs on the land—possible uses, value, demographics. Make certain that if anything of significance is uncovered, it won’t hamper any potential revenue.”

It took her a moment to wrap her head around the direction of the conversation. It was so out of left field, but she wasn’t about to show Sandhill she wasn’t quick on the uptake. “I assume the dig is focusing on Paiute artifacts?”

She caught a hint of a smile, which disappeared so fast she might have imagined it. “That’s correct.”

“I see.” Her thoughts turned to her days at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. She’d majored in business but studied archeology for one semester during her junior year because of the hunky teacher.

Although it had been five years since she graduated, she wasn’t likely to forget Dr. Philips…try as she might. She’d made such an ass out of herself. But so did half the other girls in his class, which had been predominately female. He hadn’t so much as flinched at any of the attention. The general consensus was that he had to be gay.

“Ms. Albright?” The sharpness in Sandhill’s tone startled her and she realized she’d drifted.

“I was just wondering,” she said quickly, “what makes them think there are any artifacts of significance left? The area has been pretty well scoured in the past few decades.”

“They admit as much but apparently it’s the digging experience they want for the students. Be that as it may, I don’t want them finding anything that would preclude us from using the land.”

“Which is slated for…?”

This time he did smile, albeit briefly. “Nothing at the moment. I assume you know the history of the corporation?”

Karrie nodded. She’d written tomes on the very subject. Sanax was bought from the heirs of a private owner about seven years ago, and had gone public under the new management. The previous owner had had more money than financial sense. He’d used company profits to buy up all kinds of land on speculation. A small percentage of it had paid off but the rest was just sitting there while branch managers all over the world investigated the profit potential. “So this land is still in limbo.”

“That’s correct, although the preliminary findings haven’t been encouraging. It is in the middle of the desert.”

“So was Laughlin once,” she said.

“Which is one of the reasons I want this land assessed.”

Her gaze strayed out the window as she enjoyed a brief daydream about having her own corner office with this awesome view. If she played her cards right, this could be her chance to shine. She looked back at him and found annoyance in his eyes. “I have a few questions,” she said. “First, may I ask why the Nevada office isn’t handling this?”

“I have them busy on another matter.”

“Fine,” she said, knowing from his tone that the subject was closed. “My understanding is that the office there is having problems with Clark County over water rights.”

He nodded, frowning. “Very touchy.”

“If we do decide to let the University have their dig, we could parlay that into an excellent PR opportunity. If played well, those water-rights issues may take a sudden turn.”

Sandhill’s eyes lit up. “I can see that we made a wise choice having you head up the project. Look into it and report back directly to me.”

“Yes, sir.” She rose when she realized his attention had already shifted to something else on his desk.

“Ms. Albright?”

She paused halfway to the door and looked at him. It dawned on her that his perpetual frown didn’t mean he was unhappy, just that he was deep in thought. She filed that tidbit away for further study.

“My secretary will make your travel arrangements. Tell her you’ll be leaving tomorrow.”

Karrie lost the smile. “Pardon me, sir, you want me to physically go to Las Vegas?”

This time his frown wasn’t pensive. “Is that a problem?”

“I believe I can handle the entire investigation from here. I’ll simply coordinate with the Nevada branch, and have the report for you in—”

Impatience drew his bushy eyebrows together.

“Sir, I’m in the middle of a project for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and—”

“That can wait,” Sandhill said. “This matter can’t. We have to get back to the University with our answer as soon as possible.”

She took a deep breath and swallowed several arguments that were on the tip of her tongue.

“Ms. Albright, I’m giving you the chance to put your best foot forward. If we do support the dig, I don’t simply want a press release. I want you in front of the news cameras extolling our generosity.”