by Marie Astor
***
Dennis Walker looked aimlessly at his desk. There were things he could be doing instead: things he had to get done, like preparing memos for his boss or scouring for any suspicious events on Bostoff’s trading floor, but he found it impossible to concentrate on any of his tasks. His mind was occupied by thoughts of Janet Maple. The sight of her leaving the party last night with that dog Wyman hung before Dennis’s eyes: what could she have possibly seen in that creep? But then Dennis was not blind to his opposition. There were plenty of things that made Tom Wyman, Esq. attractive to women. His lucratively paying job for one, his polished manner and sharp clothes ─ all of those were the advantages that Tom Wyman had over the persona of Dean Snider.
God, Dennis was sick and tired of this charade! For the first time since he had begun his career as investigator of financial crimes, Dennis found himself on the brink of quitting a case because of a woman. It was immature, he knew, but his desire for Janet and his competitive spirit towards Wyman were getting the better of him. Dennis adjusted his tie, loosening the collar of the cheap shirt that was making his neck chafe. Once the Bostoff case would be over with, he would burn all of Dean Snider’s clothes in a celebratory bonfire.
He had to think calmly. Quitting was not an option. He owed it to his boss to finish the case. Ham Kirk could be a pain in the ass, but the man did put considerable trust in Dennis. Successful completion of the Bostoff Securities investigation would finally bring Ham the promotion the old man had been coveting all these years, and Dennis, sure as hell, was not going to backstab Kirk by ruining his chances. Besides, there was no proof that Janet had actually fallen for Wyman’s charms. Yes, the two had left the party together last night, but for all Dennis knew, their subsequent rendezvous could have ended with Janet throwing a drink in Wyman’s face. He should go and see her to explain his missing her at the party last night. After all, he had promised to meet her there, but thanks to Ham Kirk, Wyman had beaten Dennis to the punch.
Dennis was about to get up from his desk when he noticed Janet walking in his direction. His pride swelled at the thought that she was coming to see him. He had been right. That pig Wyman had nothing on him. Quickly, Dennis opened a random program on his computer and started typing away feverishly, doing his best to appear intensely busy.
“Hello, there.” Dressed in a wrap dress that hugged every single one of her tantalizing curves, Janet smiled at him.
Dennis looked up from his screen. “How is it going?” His voice came out terser than he intended. He could not help it: he was still mad at her.
“Good.” She looked slightly perplexed. “It’s Friday,” she announced the obvious, no doubt hoping for him to save the conversation.
“Yes, it is,” Dennis confirmed.
“I missed you at the party last night. I thought you were going to be my date.”
“I got held up at work. But it looked like you did not have any shortage of dates,” he added dryly. Shut up, you moron! Just shut up, his reason screamed, but it was too late – he was beyond common sense.
“You were at the party? Why didn’t you say hello?”
“Because you were busy flirting with Tom Wyman. I didn’t want to interrupt you.” What are you doing? Dennis thought frantically. You’re ruining it!
“We were just having a friendly conversation.”
“I saw you leave with him.” Might as well add oil to the fire, Dennis thought. It was as though a flood gate had broken inside him.
Janet reddened. “Well, I never... Clearly, you’re having a bad day; we’ll talk some other time.” Janet swung around and started walking away from his desk.
“Janet!” Dennis kicked his chair back as he rushed after her. “I’m sorry.” He touched her arm. “I don’t know what came over me. I’m under a tight deadline. That’s why I was late to the party last night…” Dennis broke off, wondering if he could still salvage the situation.
“That’s all right, I understand.”
“Could I make it up to you? Let me buy you dinner tonight.”
She paused momentarily, weighing his offer.
“Purely as a peace offering,” Dennis added.
“All right, but we’re going to split it. How does six o’clock sound?”
“Sounds great. Do you like Indian food?”
“I love Indian food.” The tone of her voice made it clear that his transgressions were forgiven.
“Great. I’ll make a reservation at Tamarind restaurant for six o’clock. I’ll meet you in the lobby at five thirty?”
“I’ll see you there.”
“See you there,” Dennis mouthed as he watched Janet walk away.
Once he saw Janet leave the floor, Dennis grabbed his cell phone and rushed downstairs. He needed to secure his boss’s permission to recruit an inside source.
Chapter 21
