by Marie Astor
Tina shifted on her feet. Normally she went for comfortable rubber soles paired with slacks, but she’d wanted to look presentable for the FBI meeting, so she’d opted for black pumps, a white blouse, and a black pencil skirt. “I’m not going to argue with you there.”
Half an hour later, Daniel parked the golf cart at the front entrance of his house. “I hope you enjoyed the tour,” he said, as he jumped off the cart to offer Tina a hand.
“I did, very much,” she replied. She took Daniel’s hand and jumped off the cart. Her mind was still spinning from the vastness of it all—she’d never seen private land this big—ten acres of groomed grounds that included a tennis court, a swimming pool, and a greenhouse. “You have a beautiful estate.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed the tour. Now, let me show you around the house.” He offered her his arm as they walked toward the front stairs of a huge Colonial.
As if prompted by a silent cue, a butler opened the front door for them.
Tina followed Daniel inside the house through the vaulted archway and into the spacious center hall. She had to cock her head to get the full view of the sprawling, marble staircase that started in the center of the landing and led to the numerous rooms of the vast mansion Daniel Garrett called his home. The space was huge, which made the stakes that much higher. She needed to get a map of Daniel’s house in her head—every remote spot that could be used as a hiding place to potentially sabotage their mission or harm her client needed to be accounted for.
“Shall we?” Daniel asked.
“Please lead the way,” Tina replied, her eyes busy scanning the place.
During the next twenty minutes, Daniel guided Tina through the sweeping space of his house. They visited numerous ample bedrooms with marble bathrooms, saw a private movie theater, and stopped by Daniel’s private gym. Tina remained mostly quiet during the tour, as she was busy memorizing the layout of the house—if she were to portray Daniel’s fiancée, she would need to know her way around.
“So that comes to about ten rooms, not counting the ballroom, the gym, and the movie theater?” Tina asked once they were finished with the tour.
“Give or take.”
“I need to know the exact number,” Tina replied.
“In that case it’s twelve. I left out my study and the master bedroom.”
“Oh.” Tina could feel warmth creeping up her cheeks at the thought of setting her foot inside Daniel’s bedroom. Dammit, she thought, get a grip! “Could I take a look?” she did her best to sound casual. “Just so I know my way around in case somebody asks.”
Daniel nodded. “My bedroom is on the second floor. I don’t usually allow visitors in there, but I will make an exception for you, since it must be important for the case.”
“Thank you.” Tina smiled. “I’ll be quick.”
They went up the winding staircase again. And then Daniel guided her across the shining parquet floor.
“It’s the first door on the right.” He opened the door for her.
The first thing that Tina saw was a giant canopied bed that looked big enough to sleep four people. The wood of the bed was ornately cut and looked to be antique. The tapestry that made up the canopy was the same quality she had seen in museums.
“I got talked into buying this by my old decorator—it was shipped from Italy,” Daniel explained. “The bed came from the Sforza palace—it belonged to one of the Dukes of Milan, and the canopy was woven in a local monastery that’s famous for its tapestries—it’s a replica of the original.”
Tina took a deep breath, thinking that Daniel’s bedroom was a logistical nightmare. With its vast space, voluminous curtains, and endless dark corners and shadows, it provided too many places for a potential intruder to hide. “Do you mind if I take a look at the bathroom?” she asked matter-of-factly.
“By all means.” Daniel pointed at the bathroom door.
Tina stuck her head inside and nearly gasped at the sight of a huge bathtub in the sea of green marble—as if she needed her already challenging task to get even tougher. While the bedroom provided plenty of hiding spots for an intruder, the bathroom added to the variety—one could easily sprawl on the bottom of the ginormous bathtub and go unnoticed for hours. She threw one last look at the huge tub, which was almost the size of the entire bathroom of her tiny apartment. She could sure use a long and relaxing soak, but duty called.
“Very grand choice of décor.” Tina did her best not to sound too critical.
“Exactly—grand, but not very inviting or comfortable. I don’t dare sleep in here.”
“So where do you sleep?” Tina blurted out before she could catch herself.
“In one of the guestrooms.”
“You know—you could redecorate,” Tina suggested. “This is your house.”
Daniel shook his head. “I know, but first I need to find a home for this monstrosity.” He gestured at the bed.
“I wouldn’t call it that,” Tina countered. “It’s just very . . . imposing,” she finally managed to find the word she hoped wouldn’t offend her host.
“Precisely. Not exactly the kind of thing one wants in one’s bedroom. I have since changed decorators, but this thing stuck. I thought it might be an interesting piece for a museum, but none of them had the space for it. I need to find a home for it somewhere, or I’ll be perpetually sleeping in the guestroom.”
“Can I see it?” Tina asked, trying to sound as perfunctory a possible.
“It’s just down the hall.”
They walked over a few steps and he opened the door for her. Tina stepped inside to get a quick assessment—compared to the vast master bedroom, the room Daniel chose as his dwelling was modest both in size and in décor. A queen-size bed with a simple oak headboard stood against the center wall with a matching set of oak chests of drawers. The bathroom was much simpler also—no bathtub, just a clear glass shower stall.
Daniel shrugged. “I like to keep things simple.”
“I can see that. This is the most modest room in the entire house.”
“It’s got everything I need.”
“So why not have the rest of the house match your taste?”
Daniel rubbed his chin. “I didn’t want to get into this, but I guess I have to tell you, since you’re going to be portraying my fiancée. My old decorator—she was also my girlfriend. At the time I was blindly in love and let her have the run of the place. I was going to marry her too—good thing I didn’t.”
“Let me guess—you didn’t like her taste in furniture and upholstery?”
“It’s the oldest story in the book—a rich man gets taken by a gold digger. As trite as it sounds, it still happens. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to change the subject.”
“Sure,” she conceded. “But I’ll need to know more when you’re up to talking about it. As your fiancée, I’d be expected to know something like that about your past—it might come up in a conversation.”
“I promise to provide you my complete dating history since high school.”
“That won’t be necessary. Just the highlights will suffice—like the ones you were going to propose marriage to.”
Daniel looked squarely at her. “How many do you think there were?”
Tina balked. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
Daniel’s eyes twinkled. “I was just messing with you, Tina. But I am being completely serious when I say that until now there was only woman I’ve ever thought of marrying,” he added.
“Thanks. Good to know. Can you show me the rest of the house now?” Tina tried to act nonchalant, aware of Daniel’s lingering gaze on her. His remark hadn’t been lost on her, and in spite of herself, she couldn’t help wondering if he’d been sincere.
He waited for her to exit the bedroom and closed the door behind her. “My study is on the top floor.”
They walked up a flight of stairs to Daniel’s study and he opened the door for Tina to take a look. Unlike his bedroom, Danie
l’s study was a paragon of modernism. A sleek, ergonomic computer desk with a matching chair occupied the center of the room, facing a row of windows overlooking Daniel’s estate. The walls were lined with bookcases, filled with books, top to bottom. Acting on impulse, Tina walked up to take a closer look at the shelves—she really didn’t need this information to assess the safety of Daniel’s study, but she was curious to see what he read. Her eyes widened slightly at rows of classics, ranging from Thomas Hardy to Jane Austin to William Faulkner to Oscar Wilde. Judging from the imposing book spines with embossed titles, these were rare editions.
“I see you have a very eclectic taste.” She pointed at Middlemarch, not daring to assault the impressive looking book with her touch.
“Do you find it surprising that I happen to enjoy George Eliot? I dare say I’m not alone in my opinion.”
She caught the teasing in his voice. “Of course not. I see that you are a man with a very wide range of interests.”
“That’s a very kind way of putting it. Another, might be to say that I’m a man with too much free time on his hands.”
“I doubt anyone would say that about you—your inventions are being used by millions of people every day.”
“Exactly.”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what you just said—my inventions—things I’ve done in the past. Resting on my laurels and becoming irrelevant scares me.”
“I don’t think you’ll ever be in danger of that.”
“I hope you’re right. That’s why I got involved in charity—to make some sort of contribution to society. I don’t need to make any money—I want to find a way to pay back.”
“You’ve done so much already. And now you can add apprehending art thieves to your resume,” she added with a wink.
He smiled. “With your help.”
She shook her head. “Mine is a very small part. I’m lucky to have been assigned to this case at all.”
“I think you’re not giving yourself enough credit. And as for being lucky—” He broke off and busied himself with checking his watch. “We’d better wrap up our tour or dinner is going to get cold.”
She smiled. “I won’t object—all this walking and looking around made me very hungry.”
Chapter 12
When she came in to work the next morning, Tina was relieved to hear that Laskin had taken a day off to accompany his wife to a doctor’s appointment. Not that she didn’t like Laskin—he’d been about the nicest person in the office to her—but her mind was all muddled and confused after last night and having the office to herself was a welcome surprise. She’d enjoyed her extravagant evening with Daniel Garrett much more than she dared to admit, and now she needed to get her thoughts in order.
Tina set her coffee on her desk and logged into her computer. She intended to delve into work and put Daniel Garrett out of her mind—not a very easy thing to do when committing his biography to memory was part of her assignment. Still, she was determined to confine her thoughts of Daniel to purely work-related matters. Never mind the extravagant helicopter ride to his mansion, the intimate tour of his estate, the romantic candlelit dinner, and the kiss that followed—it was all part of a job.
“How did it go with Garrett yesterday?”
At the sound of her colleague’s voice, Tina nearly spilled the entire contents of her coffee mug. “Janet, good morning! I didn’t see you in the doorway.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Can I come in?”
“Sure.” Tina smiled brightly and took a long gulp of her coffee. Her dinner with Daniel had run very late last night and she needed all the caffeine she could get.
“So, how did it go?” Janet asked, perching herself on the edge of Tina’s desk.
“Fine. Just fine.” Tina did her best to sound nonchalant. “Daniel gave me a tour of his house and then we had dinner—”
“Tour of his house and dinner? I thought you were just going out for coffee.”
“That’s what I thought. But after the helicopter ride to his house, I couldn’t exactly turn him down when he suggested dinner. It was getting late and I was hungry—”
Janet’s eyebrows arched. “Garrett took you on a helicopter?”
“Yes—he said we would avoid traffic that way. I must say it was a very impressive date—” Tina broke off. “I meant that if it were a date, it would’ve been impressive. I bet he does it with all the girls— Not that I’m one of his girls—I told him as much, very professionally of course.”
Janet raised her palm in a soothing gesture. “Tina, Daniel Garrett is a very handsome and, from what I could tell, charming man. It’s only natural to feel attracted to him—”
Tina shook her head vehemently. “But I’m not— I’m not attracted to him in the least.”
“What I was going to say,” Janet continued, “is that it’s okay to be attracted to him. Just don’t let it get in the way of your job.”
“I won’t,” Tina said firmly. “Nothing will get in the way of my assignment because there isn’t anything between me and Daniel. This job is my chance to show Ham that I’ve got what it takes to be a part of this agency, and I’m not going to jeopardize that.”
“Good girl.” Janet smiled. “You know, Dennis and I fell for each other on the job—that’s how we met.”
“Really?” Tina’s eyes widened.
“Yep.” Janet nodded. “He was working an undercover case and I was working for a company he was investigating. It was a difficult situation and, at the time, I didn’t know where it would lead to. But in the end everything worked out.”
“That must be some story.”
“Someday I’ll tell you about it.”
“I’d love to hear it. From the way Dennis acts, you’d think he always does everything by the book.”
“Dennis going by the book? That’ll be the day.” Janet laughed, getting up to her feet. “I’ll leave you to it. Call me if you need help or just want to talk.”
Tina nodded. “I will.”
The moment the door closed behind Janet, Tina leaned back in her chair and sighed. She was a mess—she needed to get her act together if she was going to keep this job. And she was determined to keep this job, no matter how handsome or charming Daniel Garrett was. Tina closed her eyes, the details of last night’s dinner with Daniel vivid in her memory—the man sure was a charmer.
After they had finished the tour of his estate, Daniel led her to one of the guestrooms.
“There’s an evening gown laid out for you on the bed. Would you do me the honor of wearing it?” he asked.
Tina balked, feeling embarrassed. “I thought it was going to be just the two of us. Am I not dressed appropriately?”
“You look amazing,” Daniel assured her. “Forgive me—that’s not at all the impression I had meant to make. You could wear a burlap sack and still look like a million bucks. But since the gala is going to be a black tie affair, I thought it would be a good idea to get used to seeing each other in formal attire. But if you don’t feel comfortable—”
“It’s fine,” Tina assured him. “Good thinking.”
“I’m glad you agree. Everything you need is in there.” He opened the door for her. “I’ll be waiting for you downstairs.”
“Thank you.” Tina slid inside. “I won’t be long.”
“Take as much time as you need.”
Tina walked inside the room and closed the door behind her. Her eyes flew wide open at the sight of the evening gown laid out for her on the bed. She was far from being a fashion guru, but even without taking a look at the label, she could tell it was a high-end designer gown. The cut and the fabric looked exquisite. A part of her couldn’t wait to try on the dress, while a part of her wondered if this was appropriate. So far, Daniel had given perfectly good reasons to justify all of his actions, but she’d be a liar if she said that she didn’t notice the way he looked at her. The keen interest in his eyes went beyond the call of duty. And she couldn’t
deny the attraction she felt toward him—the attraction that seemed to grow stronger with each moment she spent in his company.
Tina reached for the dress, the expensive silk fabric caressing her fingers. She slid out of her clothes and slipped into the dress. It fit her perfectly. Then she turned her attention to the box that had been placed on the bed next to the dress and found a pair of evening shoes inside it. Although shoes was too simple a word to describe these intricate creations of the softest patent leather she’d ever touched. Oh my, she wondered as she sat down on the bed and slid her feet into the shoes, how am I going to walk down the stairs in these heels? But as she stood up, she was surprised by how comfortable the shoes felt. As with the dress, the size fit her perfectly. She guessed her bio file the FBI had given Garrett must’ve included her dress and shoe size. And she didn’t even want to begin to think about how Garrett managed to get the outfit on such a short notice. Probably his personal assistant had to perform nothing short of a miracle, or perhaps
Garrett kept a closet full of evening gowns in his mansion should he need to sweep a woman off her feet. Tina shook her head in an attempt to get these ridiculous thoughts out of her mind. She needed to focus on her job instead.
She walked up to the floor-length mirror and took a look. She could hardly recognize her reflection. The sleek gown of midnight silk showed off her toned arms and the high slit on the side showcased her long legs. The shoes added a good four inches of height to her, which might be a problem with some men, but not with Daniel. He would still be taller than her. Stop it. This is not a date, Tina reminded herself.
She wished she had more time to do her hair and makeup, but she didn’t want to take too much time primping, thinking it might send the wrong message. She reached for her purse and took out her small makeup bag. Then she freed her hair from the ponytail she normally wore it in and ran a comb through. She quickly dusted a powder puff over her face, refreshed her mascara, and applied a coat of lip gloss to her lips.
