“You all right?” Robert asked.
“Yes, of course,” she said, getting to her feet. “I think I may have taken in that champagne way too fast. I’m just going to the ladies’ room.”
“The show’s about to start. You can’t wait until halftime?”
“You mean intermission?” Farrah corrected.
“Whatever...”
Farrah chuckled. “No, I can’t. Besides, I know these opening numbers like the back of my hand.”
Robert’s forehead creased with displeasure.
Farrah almost let go of another laugh, but said, “I’ll be right back.”
She couldn’t get away from Robert fast enough. Farrah made her way down the stairs to the area where the restrooms were. She walked into the ladies’ lounge, paused and stared in awe at what lay before her. The room screamed the same old-school glamour as the lobby.
“Wow!” After ensuring she was alone, Farrah did an exaggerated catwalk over to the chaise and flung herself across it. “I need a martini...extra dry,” she said, snapping her fingers in the air before bursting into laughter. “I so could have lived large back in the ’20s.”
The creak of the door echoed and she quickly righted herself.
“I thought you’d never come,” said a small, fair-skinned, dark-haired beauty wearing a simple black tea-length dress with silver-sequined tennis shoes.
Chapter 9
“Excuse me?” Farrah said.
The young woman’s hand flew to her throat, her mouth open slightly as she took a step back. “Sorry, I just assumed you’d be here at the start of the show like Alexia. She likes to get her business out of the way quickly. Alexia hates missing too much of the first act,” she quickly explained.
You’re Alexia’s associate? You’re what, twelve?
“I’m nothing like Alexia,” Farrah acknowledged, a little more forcefully than she intended.
“Yes, ma’am. Here you go,” she said, quickly offering Farrah a silver flash drive.
The young woman’s hand with neon-painted nails was shaking as she placed the drive in the palm of Farrah’s hand. Just go with it. “Is this everything?” Farrah asked, managing to keep her tone even.
“It’s the only thing Alexia gave me. I don’t know about anything else...I swear,” she said, raising her right hand.
“Have a seat,” Farrah said, directing her toward the chair across from her.
“No, thanks, I’m fine,” the young woman said, breaking eye contact.
“Do you know what’s on it?” Farrah asked.
“I have no idea,” she said, shaking her head.
“What’s your name?”
“Blige. Blige Summer,” she said proudly.
“Well, Blige, I’m Farrah Blake,” she said, offering her hand. Blige gave Farrah’s hand a quick shake before dropping her hand and taking a step back. “How long have you worked for Alexia?” Farrah asked, slipping the drive into her clutch. She tried to remain calm and nonchalant because she knew this could be a critical piece of evidence in finding out who was out to destroy Robert’s reputation, their business and why.
Blige frowned, her thin, glossed lips pursed. “Worked for...no, I’m her dependent. I mean, she’s my guardian. Alexia is like a sister to me,” she explained, shifting a quick look at the door.
Farrah tilted her head. “Her...dependent?”
“My parents died when I was eleven. Car accident. Alexia had done some kind of work for them—” Farrah parted her lips, but Blige quickly added, “Don’t ask me what, but lucky for me, she felt like she owed them, so she took me in. She’s the only family I have. I’d do anything for Alexia.”
“I didn’t realize,” Farrah whispered. “So are you telling me you know nothing about her business?”
“No, ma’am... I mean, yes, that’s what I’m saying. She made sure I stayed focused on school,” she said, nodding like a bobblehead doll.
“How old are you?”
“Nineteen, but I’ll be twenty next month,” she said, raising her chin as if that could make her claim seem more relevant.
Farrah crossed her legs and kept her gaze trained on the wispy teen. She liked the girl’s spunk. “Why did you have the drive?”
Blige folded her arms, suddenly a little more defensive than Farrah expected. “I didn’t steal it, if that’s what you think. Alexia gave it to me. She said if for some reason I didn’t hear from her in a while or couldn’t reach her, just sit tight and someone would contact me with instructions.”
Farrah mulled that over for a moment, then said, “When was the last time you talked to Alexia?”
“A few weeks ago, but I wasn’t worried,” she said shrugging. “She stays so busy. I knew I’d see her over the holidays like always.”
“What made you come here tonight? Did someone contact you, tell you to come?”
“Yes and no. Her friend Butch called me and said Alexia had a partner and that you were looking for something and that I needed to be careful.” She shifted her weight from one leg to the other. “I figured that was it,” she said, pointing at Farrah’s purse. “When I saw you sitting in her box, I knew you had to be her partner and that I should probably give you the drive.”
“Who’s Butch, and what’s his last name?”
“It’s Johnson. Butch Johnson.” Blige bit down on her lip and shifted her eyes downward. “Alexia said he’s like her assistant, but I’ve never met him in person.”
“Hmm. Do you...happen to know where he lives?”
“I think she said he lives in New Orleans.”
“So how’d you know I’d even be here tonight?”
“I didn’t. This is where Alexia always conducts her business. I’m not sure why, though. So I’ve been here every night since Butch called me a week ago.”
Farrah pushed out a breath. “Sit down, Blige...please.”
Blige bit the side of her lip and remained still for a few moments longer before dropping her shoulders and finally taking the seat across from Farrah. She crossed her feet at the ankles and gripped her hands in her lap.
“Alexia’s been arrested, and I’m not sure she’s getting out anytime soon.”
Blige’s fair complexion lost all color.
“Did she leave you with any money? Are you going to be able to take care of yourself?”
Blige sat up slightly in the chair and raised her chin again. “Yeah, I’m fine. I have plenty of cash. Alexia even paid for my school in advance.”
Farrah checked her watch and realized that Robert was probably wondering about her. “All right, one last thing then, we could be interrupted soon—”
“We won’t be,” Blige answered. “I paid the attendant to put up the out-of-order sign,” she explained. “A little trick Alexia taught me for when I needed privacy.”
“Nice trick,” Farrah agreed. “Do you have a contact number for Butch?”
“I think I have it in my phone. I’m kinda surprised you don’t know him.” Blige pulled out a cell, scrolled for a few seconds, and rattled off the information.
Farrah entered the number into her contacts. “We don’t have the same circle of friends. Okay, I need you to make me a promise. You can’t tell anyone about me or this meeting. It could be very dangerous for you...understand?”
“Okay.” Blige lowered her head and sighed. “Do you know how she’s doing? Alexia’s going to be fine, right?”
Farrah waited for Blige to raise her head and meet her gaze. “You’ve been very helpful to me tonight, so I’m not going to lie to you.”
Blige nodded, though her teary eyes filled with a sudden flash of anxiety. Farrah got up and took the seat next to Blige.
“Alexia’s business required her to do some pretty bad things. She’s going to prison for a
while. I’m sure she’ll contact you when she can. It just may be a little while,” Farrah explained, giving her hand a quick squeeze. “But I think she’d want you to go on and make something of your life.”
Blige wiped away the tears flowing down her cheeks with shaky hands.
Farrah reached into her purse, pulled out a tissue and handed it to a clearly heartbroken Blige. “We all make choices. You just be sure to make good choices for yourself, Blige,” Farrah offered.
Obviously too emotional to speak, the girl simply offered a tight smile.
“You should go,” Farrah said, uncrossing her legs and coming to stand in front of Blige.
Blige remained seated, still trying to get her tears under control. “Will you be talking to Alexia soon?”
“I’m sure I will. Why?”
“Do you know if she needs a lawyer? I can help find her one.” Blige’s voice shook as she spoke.
“I’m sure she has one.”
Blige sighed and stood. “Then can you tell her I said...thanks for everything...and that I’m here if she needs me. And that I love her?”
Oh, man.
“I’ll make sure she gets the message. I’m sure she’ll appreciate it. You just be sure to take care of yourself.”
Blige opened her mouth only to close it quickly. She sighed, turned and walked out the door.
“Poor kid. Who would have thought Alexia actually cared about someone other than herself?” Farrah said to her reflection, checking her appearance.
Satisfied, Farrah made her way back to Robert. He had the type of equipment necessary to bypass any security Alexia might have put in place and she couldn’t wait to see if they’d struck gold.
Chapter 10
“Looks like we’ll soon be headed to New Orleans,” Robert said as they entered their hotel suite. “First things first. I’ll get Dan’s team to try and find out everything they can about this Butch Johnson. They can track him down and sit on him until we decide how we want to approach him.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Farrah said, removing her earrings. “And I’m not telling you how to do your job, but you should think twice about sending Dell or Cam. They’re both young and still pretty green.”
Robert raised an eyebrow.
“We are talking about New Orleans,” she replied to his obvious confusion. “New Orleans can be a little wilder than Vegas.”
“They’ve been with us for over a year. They know how to handle themselves,” Robert assured.
“If you say so. We sure didn’t.” Farrah dropped her clutch on the end table, kicked off her shoes and released her hair from its binding. She closed her eyes and combed her fingers through her long locks.
Robert felt a charge whip through his body as he stood in the center of the living room staring at Farrah. His blood raced south and he had to fist his hands at his sides in order to stop himself from taking her into his arms and kissing her senseless—again. “We have to find out what’s on that drive before we do anything else,” he said in a tone he hardly recognized himself.
“We need to get back and bring everyone up to speed on things. Not to mention I’m dying to find out what’s on that flash drive, too. So, are you going to call the pilot about flying us out tonight?” Farrah inquired as she watched Robert flip the drive over in his hand.
“It’s nearly midnight, let the man sleep. We’ll leave tomorrow as planned.” Needing to put a little more distance between them, he walked over to the desk and lifted a room service menu from the tray placed in the center of the desk. “I’m going to order something to eat, you want anything?”
“Sure, anything’s fine,” she said, heading to her bedroom. “I’m going to go get out of this dress and put on something a little more casual.”
Robert felt another charge go through his body. He knew whatever Farrah considered casual would make him very uncomfortable, since her choice of that type of clothing usually consisted of something loose and without a bra. Robert gave Farrah a tight smile and perused the in-room menu; he needed a distraction and also wanted to hide how his body was responding to her. Robert turned at the sound of Farrah’s door closing. You have got to keep it together, man, Robert admonished himself as he left the menu on the desk and pulled a beer from the mini-refrigerator. The moment he put the bottle to his lips, his phone vibrated. Robert checked the number and smiled. “Hello, beautiful.”
“How’s my blue-eyed wonder doing?” Momma Penny asked.
“I’m fine. How are you? You’re taking your medicine like you’re supposed to, right?”
“Yes, sir,” she drawled. “You can stop checking up on me. I’m the mother, remember?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Robert replied, whipping out the flash drive and placing it inside the briefcase he’d put on the living room table.
“I’m calling to see if I can expect you for lunch tomorrow.”
“I’ll be there...in fact, can I bring a friend?” Robert asked, bracing for the response.
Even after mentally preparing, Robert still flinched at the sound of Momma Penny’s scream.
“Yes, I’m making a pot roast. I know that’s a bit heavy for lunch but it’s your favorite. I’ll just pair it with a nice garden salad and it’ll be fine. Please tell me she doesn’t have anything against meat. It is a she...right?” Momma Penny inquired and the perplexity in her tone caused him to break out in laughter.
“Yes, Momma Penny...it’s a woman. Definitely a woman. And I’m sure whatever you make will be fine,” he said, still unable to believe she would even ask such a question.
Momma Penny’s sigh of relief was paramount. “All right, Pat and the girls are here. Time for our swim aerobics class.”
“Swim aerobics? You sure—”
“Thanks to that heated and covered pool you put in, I can swim year-round,” she said, her voice full of excitement. “I’ll see you two tomorrow. Love you.”
“Love you, too,” Robert said, ending the call before reaching for the hotel phone to place an order.
* * *
Farrah walked into her bedroom, slipped off her clothes and dashed to the shower. The lukewarm water that pelted her skin helped to release the tension. Robert was only doing as she’d asked, but the idea that he’d already moved on—according to part of the call she overheard when she came back to retrieve her purse—bothered her more than it should.
She dried herself off, dressed in black leggings and a red oversize shirt that hung off one shoulder. She perched on her bed and wrapped a towel around her damp hair to absorb the moisture, when her iPad signaled an incoming video call.
Farrah hit the connect button and within seconds she was greeted with an image of a fuller, green-eyed version of herself. “Hi, sis, how you feeling?”
“Like a beached whale,” Francine grumbled, rubbing her extended belly. “These two refuse to let me get more than a couple of hours’ sleep at a time.”
“Where’s Meeks? Can’t he help you with that?” she asked, laughing.
Francine rolled her eyes. “Usually, but I sent him out for dinner.”
“Dinner? It’s almost eight there, and you usually have your first meal by six. Why are you eating so late, or is this your second helping? You haven’t been overdoing it at work, have you?” she asked, glaring at her sister through the screen.
Francine adjusted herself in her chair. “I thought Felicia was the only doctor in the family. Anyway, have you forgotten who my husband is? I’m pregnant with twins, so I’m always hungry. I sent him for tacos,” she explained.
Farrah shook her head. “You and those taco cravings.”
“It’s just another part of our heritage coming through,” she proudly proclaimed.
“I guess.”
“Never mind my eating habits.” Farrah reached for a small p
illow and put it behind her back. “So what did you guys find out?”
Farrah spent the next fifteen minutes catching Francine up on everything she’d learned about Alexia, including the flash drive she’d gotten from Blige, and about Blige herself. “So you’re telling me Alexia actually cared about someone other than herself?”
“Apparently. You know...we could use Blige to make Alexia talk. We finally found her Achilles’ heel.”
Francine grimaced. “You want to use an innocent nineteen-year-old girl?”
“No, I want to use Alexia’s feelings for that nineteen-year-old innocent girl,” she clarified, unwrapping the towel to pull her hair up into a high ponytail. Then she zeroed in on something amazing. “Did...did your stomach just move?”
“Yes, it does that,” she said, rubbing her abdomen with the palms of her hands. “So—”
“Why?” Farrah asked.
“There are two babies in here trying to get comfortable,” she explained. “Just like I am.”
“Is that weird...? Does it hurt?”
Francine laughed. “It’s uncomfortable at times, but it’s wonderful, too.”
“If you say so,” Farrah mumbled, clearly not sure she would agree with her sister.
“So what’s next?”
“We’ll be home sometime tomorrow afternoon,” Farrah replied, reaching for her lotion and hairbrush. “Robert wants to use his system to open the drive. He thinks there will be encryption software that he’ll have to break.”
“All right, I hear Meeks coming,” Francine said, giving her belly a few gentle pats. “Time to feed these babies, not to mention their mother.”
“Enjoy.” Farrah leaned closer to the screen, crooning, “Bye, babies, Auntie loves you so much. Seriously, sis, you two really need to give those kids some names.”
“We’re working on it,” Francine quipped before blowing a kiss and signing off.
Seducing the Heiress Page 7
