by Marie Astor
Tina reached for her copy. “I’ll make sure to memorize every detail.”
“Good. I’ll be here to guide you through anything you might need help with,” said Agent Norris.
Garrett opened his folder. “Very thorough,” he said, as his eyes skimmed the pages. “But it still leaves open the matter of announcing our engagement to friends and family.”
“We already thought of that,” said Agent Norris. “The gala would be the perfect place to make the announcement, don’t you think?”
Garrett nodded. “Brilliant idea—this way I can speak about two diamonds in my collection,” he added, his glance lingering on Tina. “I would also venture that a better way to prepare for our task is for Tina and me to get to know each other in person. Wouldn’t you agree, Agent Norris?”
A shadow of hesitation flitted over Agent Norris’s face. “Yes, of course. That’s a big part of it as well. The file is just the initial step. I’ll be happy to meet with you both to walk you through the potential scenarios that could arise with Bassand.”
Garrett nodded. “That is most generous of you, and I’m sure Tina and I will avail ourselves of your kind offer. However, I think we’ll start with something a little bit more intimate.”
Agent Norris threw a quick glance at Garrett. “Fine, just please make sure to keep me informed.”
“Of course. I’m glad you agree.” Garrett smiled. “Tina, I was wondering if we might get a cup of coffee?” he asked.
“Now?” Tina asked.
“There’s no time like the present.” Garrett smiled easily. “If we’re to convince Bassand, we’ll need to get acquainted better and two weeks doesn’t leave us that much time.”
Tina threw a questioning glance at Agent Norris. “If Agent Norris approves, I’m all for it.”
“It might not be the orthodox way of doing things, but given the time constraints we’re under, I’ll sanction it. I trust Daniel will be a perfect gentleman,” Agent Norris added.
“Of course.” Garrett bowed his head in agreement.
“You’d better be,” Agent Norris chuckled, his tone becoming less formal. “From what I understand Tina doesn’t need a chaperone. With her credentials, she can hold her own in any situation.”
“I second that,” Dennis chimed in.
Tina blushed. “You’re too generous. If everyone is in agreement, I’m all yours, Dan.”
“Shall we?” Garrett offered his arm to Tina.
“By all means.” Tina slid her arm through the crook of Garrett’s arm and together they walked out of the room.
“Well, I believe this meeting is adjourned now,” said Agent Norris. “You have my number, should you need to reach me.”
“Of course.” Janet nodded. “Thank you.”
Janet and Dennis rose to leave.
“I’ll catch up with you at the office,” Ham said. “I just have a few things to wrap up here first.”
“See you in the office, boss,” said Dennis.
A few minutes later Janet and Dennis exited the FBI building and were standing on the sidewalk. Dennis was trying, unsuccessfully, to summon a cab.
“At this rate we’ll never get back to the office,” Dennis grumbled.
“Don’t you think it was funny the way Norris spoke to Garrett?” Janet asked.
“No, why?” Dennis asked, his eyes focused on the stream of cars passing them by. “Damn it, there isn’t a cab in sight.”
“It seemed like he might know him.”
“He does know him—he’s been in contact with Garrett ever since the Monet he donated got stolen,” Dennis pointed out.
“Not like that—it felt like he knew him way better than that. And it seemed to me, Norris wasn’t too crazy about Garrett going out with Tina. Neither am I, for that matter.”
“They’re not going out—they’re getting a cup of coffee, for crying out loud. They have to get to know each other somehow.”
“I don’t see why Agent Norris couldn’t be there in the meeting with them,” Janet pointed out. “I don’t like Garrett flirting with Tina. He’s too charming and suave, and Tina’s young and vulnerable. I don’t want her falling for him—it could jeopardize the case.”
“Vulnerable?” Dennis shook his head. “One thing that girl isn’t, is vulnerable. Trust me—Tina can hold her own in any situation. She’s played Garrett like a fiddle—less than an hour in the room with her, and she’s got him wrapped around her little finger.”
“That’s not true,” Janet protested. “He was ogling her the moment she walked in the room.”
“My point precisely—she had him eating out of the palm of her hand.”
“Or maybe Garrett is a womanizer who chases after every skirt?” Janet countered. “He was mighty suave in there, if you ask my opinion.”
“Well then they’ll make a nice pair and it’ll be that much easier to sell the whole thing to Bassand. I bet Ham’s pleased with his protégé’s performance.”
Janet sighed. “I thought you were over this.”
“I am. As much as it pains me to admit it, Tina is good at her job—if she can be that smooth with Garrett, she’ll be equally smooth with Bassand. I’m not worried anymore—it’s going to be a slam dunk.”
“I hope you’re right,” Janet said. “Because we can’t afford any mistakes.”
Dennis waved desperately for an approaching cab. “If this bugger doesn’t stop, I won’t be responsible for my actions,” Dennis muttered under his breath.
Mercifully, the cab pulled over.
“Finally!” Dennis exclaimed, swinging the door open. “Hop in.” He climbed in after Janet and closed the door. “Look, Janet, Tina’s a big girl and can take care of herself. I suggest we focus on keeping Bassand hooked.”
Janet nodded. “You’re right. And let’s not forget Leonard—we don’t want him to freak out and have a nervous breakdown.”
Chapter 11
Tina Sloan took a deep breath as she walked next to Daniel Garrett, her arm nestled snugly in the crook of his elbow. She had tried to wiggle it out, but Daniel ignored her efforts, only to pull her slightly closer to him. Breathe, Tina told herself, just breathe. At least she had managed to make it through the FBI meeting without embarrassment—it had taken a humongous effort of will to remain nonchalant under Daniel’s searing gaze. She could feel everybody’s eyes on her in the meeting and she’d done her best to be professional, but she wasn’t sure how much longer she could last. Her heart was beating like crazy and she could hardly keep her breath even. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had an effect like that on her—probably never.
This was a job and she knew it. It wasn’t like she didn’t know how to act around attractive guys—she’d met plenty of them while frequenting the martial arts tournament circuit and she knew how to keep her cool, at least until now. Daniel was a client—her job was to protect him. If she ever stood a chance of running her own bodyguard agency she needed to keep this fact prominently in mind. Still, it was difficult to ignore the mesmerizing gaze of his blue eyes—blue wasn’t vibrant enough a color to describe them. She’d never seen eyes like this before. A shade of blue so vivid, it left you defenseless as their owner met you with a direct, yet warm gaze. Cornflower blue, she thought. And then there were his lips and the decisive line of his jaw, not to mention his toned, lean body. From his gait and the seamless way he moved, Tina could tell that Daniel was in excellent shape. In fact, she was pretty sure he practiced some form of martial arts training. Good, she thought, trying to direct her thoughts back to work. If the going got tough, Daniel would be able to hold his own in a fight. Not that it should—it was her job to make sure it wouldn’t come to that.
“My chauffeur should be waiting for us,” said Daniel as he held the door open for her while they exited the building. “Oh, good. He’s right there.” Daniel gestured at a black Mercedes parked by the curb right in front of the building. “Shall we?”
Daniel’s words brought Tina back to reali
ty. “Your chauffeur? But I thought we were just going for a cup of coffee.”
“We are. May I suggest that we have it in my residence? We’ll have more privacy that way. I could also give you a tour—you’ll need to know your way around the place to play the part of my fiancée, so I thought we might as well get a head start. But if you don’t feel comfortable—” He let go of her arm, stepping aside respectfully.
She shook her head. “No, of course not. I didn’t mean it like that—I was just surprised, that’s all. I imagine your schedule must be very busy, so I didn’t think you’d want to spend that much time with me.”
His lips parted in a warm smile. “I’m happy to dedicate as much time as you need for this case. My schedule is never too busy for a beautiful woman.”
Tina could feel her face growing warm from Daniel’s last remark. Don’t blush, she thought, don’t you dare blush!
“I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable with my awkward compliment,” Daniel continued. “I just figured I’d try one on for size—to get into the role and such.”
“Not at all,” Tina did her best to sound convincing. “It’s an excellent way for us to start preparing for the case. Shall we, darling?”
“By all means.” He offered his arm to her and they walked to the car together.
His chauffeur was already waiting for them on the sidewalk when they reached Daniel’s Mercedes. The chauffeur opened the door for Tina and then went around the car to open the door for Daniel.
Tina did her best to look relaxed as Daniel slid into the seat next to her. She was relieved to see that there was plenty of room in the back, as she wasn’t sure she could handle the excitement of her knee accidentally brushing against Daniel’s.
“We’re going to my Bedford residence,” Daniel instructed the chauffeur and the car glided into motion.
“Do you like classical music?” Daniel asked.
Tina wrinkled her forehead. “I’m afraid I don’t know much about it. I mostly listen to music only when I work out, and that’s a very different type of music—mostly dance and electronic.”
He smiled. “I gather—I like dance and electronic music for my workouts also.”
She laughed. “Of course you do. I didn’t mean it like that—”
“I know. I was just teasing you. I think you’ll like this one.” Daniel reached for his phone and scrolled through his playlist. “Here it goes.”
A second later, a beautiful sound of violins filled the air. Surprised, Tina found herself recognizing the melody. “I think I know this one!” she exclaimed, filled with excitement like a schoolgirl. “It’s Four Seasons, Vivaldi.”
Daniel nodded. “Exactly right.”
“I remember it from middle school—the music teacher used to play it all the time during class—it was one of his favorites. Come to think of it, I used to like it a lot too. Wait, let me guess what season.” Tina closed her eyes, trying to concentrate. “It’s Spring, isn’t it?”
Daniel nodded, the corners of his lips lifting in a smile. “Right again. And you told me you don’t listen to classical music.”
Tina waved her hand in dismissal. “Everyone knows this one.”
“You’d be surprised. I think you’re not giving yourself enough credit.” Daniel’s eyes twinkled, as they lingered on Tina’s.
She allowed herself a smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Please do. Tell me more about that music teacher of yours—he sounds like a fascinating character—”
Tina rubbed her forehead. “Middle school? You want me to talk about my middle school years? It’s not exactly the most exciting of subjects.”
“Right now there’s nothing I’d like to hear more.”
“Have it your way, but don’t blame me if you fall asleep.”
“I trust you’ll wake me up.” He winked at her.
“I’ll do my best,” she joked back.
Tina relaxed as she and Daniel slipped into an easy conversation. He had a quick wit and she found herself laughing at his jokes and even flirting back a little bit. Pretending to be his fiancée might not be that hard after all.
Tina had been so engrossed in her conversation with Daniel that she wasn’t paying attention to the drive. Still, she was fairly certain that they had been driving for no more than twenty minutes and she was surprised to see the car slowing down. She looked through the window and saw that they were somewhere in the vicinity of Thirty Fourth Street, on the East Side, approaching a heliport.
“What are we doing here?” she asked. “I thought we were going to your house in Bedford.”
“We are.” He nodded. “But this time of day we could get stuck in traffic for over two hours. I didn’t want to take that chance—a helicopter ride will be much quicker.”
Tina sucked in her breath—this was turning out to be a very eventful trip. “I’ve never had to get on a helicopter for a cup of coffee before.”
“There’s a first time for everything.” He shot her a smile. “Christopher, could you make sure we’re all set for takeoff?” Daniel instructed his chauffeur.
While the chauffeur went over to speak with the pilot, Daniel jumped out of the car and opened the door for Tina. She took his hand and stepped out on the pavement.
She could hear the roaring sound of the helicopter propeller and felt herself get giddy with excitement. For the umpteenth time she reminded herself that this wasn’t a date, but would it be so bad if she pretended that it was? After all, playing the part of Daniel’s fiancée was part of her job.
“Keep your head down,” Daniel instructed her as they were about to approach the helicopter.
Tina did as she was told, as she clung to Daniel, clutching his arm without any further qualms. She could see ‘Garrett’ painted in bold navy letters on the impressive-looking helicopter that was waiting for them.
Daniel’s chauffeur was waiting for them by the boarding area. “All set to go, sir,” the chauffeur informed Daniel. “I’ll take the car back.”
Daniel nodded. “Thank you, Christopher.” He turned his attention back to Tina. “This way.” He gestured at the boarding stairs.
Tina climbed up the stairs and inside the passenger cabin. Daniel followed after her.
“It’s very roomy in here,” Tina remarked, surprised to see how spacious the cabin was—it had enough seats for six people.
“It’s just big enough without being too bulky,” Daniel said matter-of-factly. “I’d like you to meet my pilot, Mike.”
A middle-aged man turned around in the pilot seat to shake Tina’s hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mike. I’m Tina.”
Mike nodded. “Great to meet you, Tina. Hope you’ll enjoy the ride. We should be there in about fifteen minutes.”
“This way.” Daniel guided Tina to the passenger seat. “Please, buckle in.” He reached for the belts and secured them around her, his hands brushing ever so lightly against her waist. “There, all good to go,” he added, completely serious.
“I feel very secure,” she teased him.
“I never joke about safety,” he said, as he sat down next to her and buckled in, looking all serious.
“I agree with you, but I know how to fasten my own seatbelt,” she said lightly.
“Sorry. It’s just that I take the safety of my passengers very seriously. I didn’t mean to be overbearing.”
“You weren’t. It’s nice when a gentleman cares.”
“Thank you.” He smiled at her, his mood light again. “It’s a short flight, but there’ll be some nice scenery.”
As the pilot had promised, exactly fifteen minutes later the helicopter landed on Daniel’s private helipad.
Once the engine stopped running, Daniel unbuckled his seatbelt. “We’re finally here.”
Tina undid her seatbelt and got up. “Do I get a tour of the grounds?”
“Follow me.” Daniel led the way to the exit.
The pilot was already waiting for them on the ground.
“Hope the flight wasn’t too bumpy. We hit a bit of wind right before landing.”
“I thought it was very smooth,” Tina assured him. “And the views were fantastic.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I hope to fly with you again.” Mike smiled. “See you tomorrow, sir.”
“Thanks, Mike.” Daniel offered his arm to Tina. “About that cup of coffee—”
“Don’t tell me that after all this trouble your coffee maker is broken?” Tina quipped, sensing a catch.
He smiled. “Nothing of the kind. But I thought, given the amount of time it took us to get here, the coffee might be better enjoyed after dinner?”
“Let me get this straight—are you asking me to have dinner with you?”
He nodded. “I am. Will you agree?”
“I was feeling a little peckish—must be from all that flying. So yes, I’d love to.”
“Great. I’ll tell the cook to set everything up. And in the meantime we’ll take a tour of the grounds. We can take a golf cart.”
“A golf cart?”
“We could take a car if you prefer, but I thought a golf cart would be quieter.”
“I thought we could just walk.”
“We could, but since it’s about ten acres, it’ll take a while, and I don’t want our dinner to get cold. Plus, I don’t think the shoes you have on would be good for walking. They’re very pretty—don’t get me wrong, but they don’t look like walking shoes.”
