The Naughty Nine: Where Danger and Passion Collide

by Nina Bruhns

  His heart raced as he stared at the incredible amount of literary history contained in one suitcase, and he couldn’t help thinking about the combined value if these extraordinary volumes were sold.

  He closed the lid then sat down on the bed, unable to come up with a reasonable explanation other than the woman he’d fallen in love with was a book thief. He’d done enough research on the subject when his book was stolen to know that trafficking in cultural property, which included rare books, was a six-billion-dollar-a-year industry. Only arms and drugs brought in more cash.

  But Margot seemed so innocent, so small-town-girl. Could he really have been taken in by her to such a degree that he couldn’t see the truth?

  He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Jim Sutton, the private investigator, to tell him he’d located his book along with many others figuring that Jim might be able to learn who owned the other books.

  There had to be an explanation for all of this and before the night was over, one way or another, Antonio intended to learn the truth.

  * * *

  While the warm water slipped over her body she reminisced on how Antonio’s hands had felt almost exactly the same as the water, smooth and sensual, stimulating every inch of her. She wondered if wanting him like this made her somehow addicted to him and she’d never be able to return home. Never be able to leave his side.

  But she knew she couldn’t expect anything other than what they had right now. That would have to be enough. They both had lives on opposite coasts in the states and for her to think this was anything other than a vacation romance, even though he’d said he loved her, was wishful thinking on her part. Nothing but hurt could come from that kind of fantasy thinking. She shored up her emotions and told herself to simply take this time for what it was, a brief, tantalizing affair with a very bad boy.

  As she toweled off she felt almost reborn, as if she’d been living in a fog for the past fifteen or so years pretending she liked her life. Pretending she was happy. Pretending she didn’t want or need a man in her life. And she especially never wanted a man like Antonio, the confirmed bachelor type, the charmer, the consummate player.

  Yes, she had enjoyed raising her children, and yes she relished all that motherhood had to offer, but that part of her life was over.

  It was time she moved onto her second act.

  The dress she planned to wear that evening required a bra, so she glided on the lacy strapless black number she’d just bought, but when it came time to slip on the matching panties, she decided she didn’t need them. Instead, she would wait for the right moment to tell Antonio she had a bare bottom under her dress, a fact that would keep her turned on, and him interested all night long.

  She stepped into a strapless, wine colored, form fitting dress she’d bought the previous day while she’d been shopping with George. She hadn’t shown this dress to George. She’d purposely kept it to herself for a night out on the town with Jackie who dressed more like Samantha from the old TV show Sex and the City. Margot had always dreamt of breaking out of her traditional clothes one day with something a little more flamboyant like the Carrie character, and the dress she now wore looked exactly like Carrie’s taste, stylish and sexy in that slightly innocent sort of way. Even her shoes were high-end Carrie. She’d paid nearly three hundred pounds for them and didn’t even want to know how that translated into dollars. They were the sweetest black strappy heels she’d ever seen. As she slipped her manicured feet in each shoe, she felt like Cinderella the night of the ball.

  Of course, she hoped the evening didn’t end the same way. She always hated that part of the story.

  Margot fished through Jackie’s closet and borrowed one of her many dress coats. They would regularly exchange clothing when they were kids, so she figured Jackie wouldn’t mind now that they were all grown up, especially since she’d mistakenly taken her suitcase. Back then, Margot had the better wardrobe while Jackie’s was always a little tattered. All that reversed years ago. Not only was Margot’s clothing a little tattered, it lacked any real style. She thought maybe that Jackie taking her suitcase had been a blessing. She never would have bought any of the beautiful things she had if she still had her suitcase. Margot decided she needed to thank Jackie for taking it. She did her a huge favor.

  Jackie’s clothes and accessories were more than just stylish, they were works of art. The coat Margot picked out, a classic black number with red stitching sported a Desigual label. Margot knew nothing about the label other than she loved the fabric and the fit of the stunning coat.

  Margot meticulously applied the makeup she’d also bought the previous day, much heavier than normal, accentuating her eyes, then sprayed on Jackie’s best perfume, added the ruby earrings and the matching necklace her kids had bought her for her birthday, grabbed her new mini bag, walked out of the bedroom and headed up the short hallway, ready for a night of bliss.

  “Surprise!” Jackie said as soon as Margot stepped out into the living room.

  The sound of her voice was so shocking that Margot’s eyes instantly watered as a breath caught in her throat. She took a few steps back, trying to absorb the reality of Jackie, her best friend, standing in the living room.

  “Look who’s here,” Antonio said, as he walked into the living room from the kitchen carrying a bottle of red wine and three glasses. He looked like heaven dressed in a fitted black suit, a crisp white shirt, black dress shoes and a thin gray tie. Her body craved his affection, but reason told her the situation warranted subdued discretion.

  When he finally gazed in her direction, there was something in his eyes that told her he was upset about something. From his demeanor, she didn’t think it had anything to do with Jackie’s return. The look went deeper than a mere interruption by a past lover. It was more that something had ripped him apart and he couldn’t let go of the torment.

  Margot saw it instantly.

  Jackie didn’t seem to notice.

  She was all smiles and sunshine, and looked as lovely as ever in her sinfully short white dress that hugged every curve of her perfect size two body, and thigh-high black boots. She walked over to Margot and gave her a warm hug. Margot returned the hug as reality came crashing in on her.

  “When did you get in?” Margot asked, trying like hell to appear happy at the turn of events.

  Jackie pulled away. “About two hours ago. Things worked out faster than I thought they would. Isn’t it wonderful? Now we can really catch up and I can show you my London. You’re going to adore it, luv.”

  “I already took her to a few sights,” Antonio said as he poured the wine.

  “I’m not talking about touristy stuff. I want to show you what really goes on in London, the food, the clubs, the art galleries . . . that’s my kind of London.”

  “You know I’m not really into clubs. Way too many people,” Margot told her, still trying to deal with the fact that Jackie had returned.

  “Oh, luv, I know. That’s why when Antonio told me about the theater tickets he had for tonight, and knowing how much you dislike that kind of thing, I instantly volunteered to be his guest. I know you can’t appreciate how difficult it is to get tickets to Winston. You almost have to be royalty to score two seats. And, they’re box seats. Sweetie, those are impossible. I don’t know how Antonio did it, but I certainly don’t want to miss out.” She took a step back and gave Margot the once over. “But you look so pretty. Were you two…? Oh wait. Were you and Antonio going to the theater tonight? Am I jumping in on your plans? I just assumed . . . ”

  Antonio took a deep breath and Margot caught the honesty on his face, could see it in his eyes, but she couldn’t bear to tell Jackie she had been looking forward to the play; that the new Margot Butler loved the whole idea of a play in an historic London theater.

  “Don’t be silly. You know I hate crowds,” Margot told her. “I was merely doing him a favor. But now that you’re here, I’m sure he would love to take you instead.”

  “But you’r
e all dressed up . . . looking amazing, by the way. That dress is delicious, and those shoes. You look like you’re dressed for sin, sweetie.” She turned to Antonio. “Doesn’t she look delicious, Antonio?”

  Margot wanted to die right there on the spot. She wanted to melt into the woodwork and slide away. Unfortunately, life moved on, and melting wasn’t an option. While Jackie waited for Margot to come up with some sort of articulate answer, Antonio handed her a glass of wine and Jackie gave him an air kiss. Then he handed one to Margot who immediately took two big gulps.

  Margot felt herself blush as Antonio gazed over at her, a beautiful grin lit up his lips. “Incredibly delicious.” Then he turned back to Jackie. “There’s something we need to discuss.”

  Margot had to stop him. She simply couldn’t break the news to Jackie this way. It was too soon, too abrupt. There was no telling how Jackie would respond. “Yes, what we want to tell you . . . is that, thanks to your divine intervention, and going completely behind my back, which I should be angry about but have forgiven you because . . . I signed with a literary agent yesterday and I’m meeting her for dinner in about thirty minutes.”

  Just saying those words out loud stirred up joy and Margot couldn’t help but feel giddy with excitement. She was genuinely thrilled about the dinner with her agent and she really was happy to see Jackie. It had been almost two years since they had officially caught up with each other’s lives. Any other time, and under normal circumstances Margot would be thrilled over the prospect of spending time with her best friend, over sharing her news, but now that they were in the same room together, after all that Margot had experienced in the last forty-eight hours, her emotions were like fingernails on a chalkboard.

  “That’s incredible news! So my little plan worked,” Jackie said.

  “About that plan . . .” Antonio said as if it needed clarification.

  “I’ll tell you everything later.” She reached out for Antonio’s hand and as soon as he took it, Margot felt her stomach clench.

  “I hope you don’t mind, Jackie, I borrowed one of your coats,” Margot confessed holding up Jackie’s coat as a sort of consolation prize to Antonio.

  “Sweetie, you know what’s mine is yours. We’ve always shared everything. Besides, I have plenty of coats. Please consider it a gift.”

  Antonio’s eyes went wide as he stared at Margot looking as if he was ready to explode with the truth or at least with something that seemed to be gnawing at him, but now that Jackie was standing in front of them, completely innocent of the facts, Margot couldn’t bring herself to tell her, couldn’t face causing her any pain. She was her very best friend. They’d been through everything together. How could she tell her she had slept with her lover?

  She couldn’t, at least not now. The timing had to be exactly right.

  Margot said, “Thanks, I just need to borrow it for the evening.”

  “Whatever you’d like.”

  Antonio cleared his throat. “Listen, Jackie, what I have to say is important.”

  Margot looked at him and shook her head no, and he seemed to finally understand.

  His whole demeanor changed, as if he was shutting down his soul.

  Jackie glanced down at the diamond encrusted watch on her left wrist. “Sure, but let’s do it in the car. Right now we have to leave or we’ll be late for our dinner reservations.” Then she slipped on a gorgeous soft pink colored coat that had been draped across the sofa. “Can we give you a lift anywhere, sweetie? Antonio hired a limo for the night.”

  “You made dinner reservations?” Antonio asked Jackie, looking somewhat befuddled.

  “Of course I did, while you were busy opening the bottle of wine . . . at that restaurant I told you about when I was in New York. Don’t you remember? It’s Gordon Ramsey’s latest and it’s almost as hard to get in there as it is to get those theater tickets. We have to leave this very second or we’ll be late and they won’t hold the table.”

  And with that she headed for the door, with Margot trailing behind. Jackie opened her front door and made her way to the awaiting limo. Margot stopped just outside the doorway. When Antonio came up next to her she whispered, “Promise me you won’t tell her. I can’t bear it. Please, promise me.”

  “Margot, there’s something else. Something I need to talk to you about. Something I found tonight. Something that I don’t know how to handle.”

  His eyes pierced right through her. “Whatever it is, it will have to wait until later.”

  “There might not be a later.”

  His hand brushed hers and a spark of heat rushed through her as she jerked her hand away from his.

  “I don’t understand. What’s wrong?”

  Antonio hesitated for a moment then moved up close to her, pinning her against the door jam. “You’re ripping me apart. I don’t know what to do. Where to turn. You want me to pretend I’m not in love with you?”

  Margot’s body shook. “Yes.”

  “I can’t.”

  “You have to.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I can’t do this to Jackie.”

  “Do what?”

  “Take her man.”

  “I was never her man. I don’t know what kind of game the two of you are playing but it’s dangerous, Margot. You have to tell me right now. What the hell is going on?”

  “I’m trying to shield my best friend.”

  “She’s not worth it.”

  Margot’s eyes watered as dread tore at her insides. “Maybe you’re not worth it.”

  “Come on you two. We’re going to be late,” Jackie shouted from inside the back of the sleek limo.

  “We’ll be right there,” Margot yelled back. Then she turned to Antonio. “I thought I could handle this, but I can’t.”

  He reached for her hand, but she pulled away from his touch. If she even brushed his skin her conviction would waiver. This time the tears were gone and she forced all emotion from her face as she gazed into his dark eyes.

  “Then get out now,” he said and walked off to the waiting limo.

  Margot could barely move, could barely think as tears rolled down her face. The one man she had given herself to had turned on her. Jackie called out to her again and Margot waved back holding up an index finger, asking for one more minute. She hustled back to the bedroom, grabbed a tissue, wiped the tears from her face and slipped on her panties thinking how much the night had changed.

  Everything He Never Wanted: Chapter Nine

  Beth Corina was a tall woman in her mid-thirties with dark red short hair, green piercing eyes and a shapely body in a comfortable black dress. She wore no makeup to speak of and spoke with an English accent, but then everyone around Margot spoke with an English accent. Beth shared that she had moved to New York when she was in her teens, but never quite lost the accent. It grew thicker the longer she remained in England.

  “My mum says it’s because of who I am. Where I was born. Says it’s part of my DNA. She still lives here. Wouldn’t leave London if trolls took over the city. Still lives in the same flat I grew up in not too far from here. What about your parents?”

  They were making small talk. Getting to know one another, something Margot wasn’t very good at, especially since she couldn’t stop thinking about Antonio and how he sat right up against Jackie in the limo, and how the two of them drove away laughing over a shared joke after dropping Margot off . . . as if Antonio had already moved on.

  Margot figured it was just as well. Men like Antonio were never meant for one woman. Deep inside, she’d known that. And she’d known the price she’d pay for letting down her guard.

  “My parents live in Phoenix, Arizona but I grew up in rural Indiana.” Margot had a difficult time focusing in on Beth even though she knew this was an important moment in her life.

  “I had a feeling you were from the Midwest. Your writing has that small town earthiness to it. Where do you live now?”

  They were sitting at a table for four at a busy It
alian restaurant in Earls Court, walking distance from the exhibition hall where the book fair was still going on for one more day. The tables were wooden, the floor tiled, and the ambiance international. The pasta was perhaps some of the best Margot had ever tasted, and the salad was made from fresh spinach, gorgonzola, pine nuts and dried currants. It tasted heavenly. Regrettably, Margot didn’t have much of an appetite. Her mind seemed fixated on Jackie and Antonio and there could be no tearing her away from imagining them kissing or . . . worse.

  Every time she thought of them together it poked another hole in her heart.

  “Margot, are you all right?” Beth asked, concern bruising her voice.

  “Hmm? Me? Yes. No. I don’t know. A little tired from all the excitement.”

  “Of course you are.”

  Margot sat back in her chair, took a deep breath then let it out hoping to clear Antonio from her thoughts. “Now, what was your question?”

  She watched as Beth prepared to take another bite of her pasta, twirling it on her fork as she held it against the provided spoon. Very European. She also used her fork and knife like a true Brit, guiding bits of food on the back of her fork with the help of her knife, while Margot used a chunk of bread to move things around on her plate.