by Kaylea Cross
The sound of Dennis’s ringing cell phone jerked him out of his reverie. He looked at the caller ID and could not resist a grin of satisfaction when he saw Laskin’s number. “Yes,” was all Dennis said when he answered the phone, deciding to make Laskin squirm a little.
“Dennis, it’s me, Peter.”
“I know. I’ve got one of those caller ID things. What is it you want to tell me on a Friday night, Peter? Or are you calling to ask me out on a date?”
“I have the information you asked for, and I’d appreciate it if you’d put your sarcasm on ice for the duration of this conversation,” Laskin said, his voice cool as a cucumber.
“You sure took your time getting me the information I need, so let’s hear it before it becomes irrelevant.”
“Muller is going to meet with Finnegan tomorrow at eight p.m. at Keens steakhouse. They will be sitting in a private dining room on the second floor.”
“Excellent. Now why did you have to wait until Friday evening to tell me this valuable information?”
There was silence on the other end of the line, so Dennis furnished the answer to his own question. “Because you thought that if you waited this long I wouldn’t have enough time to get the evidence I need. But you’re wrong; I’ll still get it. Thank you for your help, Peter.” Dennis was about to hang up when Laskin’s pleading voice erupted on the other side of the receiver.
“Promise that you’ll leave Aileen out of this!”
“I promise, Peter. If everything goes as planned, after tomorrow we’ll have more than enough evidence for the case.”
Dennis hung up the phone. Then he pulled up Janet’s number and pressed the dial button. One, two, three rings—could it be that she was avoiding him? Of course Dennis could have called from a private phone line, but he was not going to use that option. If he was going to get Janet’s help, he was going to get it with full disclosure, as she had requested.
“Why are you calling me?” Janet’s ice-cold voice cut like a knife.
“Whoa, Janet. Good evening to you too.” Dennis managed not to lose his cool. He had never heard her with such a tone of voice before. “Can you talk?” Dennis listened to the background noise in the receiver. Was she out with her girlfriends, being flirted at by some guys at a bar, or worse, out on a date?
“The question is not whether I can, but rather why should I want to?”
Fine, have it your way, Dennis thought. “Because, your royal ice highness, I have some valuable information that will help us solve the case, and I need your help.”
“The amazing Dennis Walker needs someone’s help. I never thought I’d see the day.”
She was teasing him, and she was enjoying it. Dennis, on the other hand, was not enjoying this in the least; he hated it when people had fun at his expense. “Cut the crap, Janet. Do you want to put Muller away or what? Or perhaps you like the idea of working for Kingsley?”
“No, I don’t. But neither do I like your unprincipled evidence-obtaining techniques.”
“That’s a long-winded phrase. Now, listen up. Here’s the deal: Finnegan is going to meet Muller tomorrow at eight at Keens. We need to get our behinds over there tomorrow to set things up.”
“What is it you want me to do?”
“Nothing much; just wear a pretty dress and smile a lot. I’ll take care of the rest. Do you think you could do that?”
“I can do a lot more than that. But before I agree to do anything, you have to tell me your plan. Assuming you have one, of course.”
“Well, then, this should be a piece of cake. See you tomorrow in front of Keens at five p.m. sharp.” Dennis hung up before Janet had the chance to unleash another one of her nasty remarks, which had been peppering her speech lately.
Chapter Twenty-four
Janet surveyed her reflection in the mirror. She had on a red knit dress with a surplice neckline and a flared skirt. Her feet were clad in black high-heeled boots. She had spent close to an hour with a curling iron, cajoling her hair to fall down her shoulders in soft, voluminous curls; the process had been tedious but the result was definitely worth it. A coat of cherry gloss shone on her lips, and her eyelashes looked lush and long, courtesy of Estee Lauder mascara. She liked what she saw, even if she did say so herself.
With the amount of care she had put into her looks, one would think she was primping for a date. Instead, she was preparing for a work assignment, or at least she thought that she was going on a work-related assignment. Dennis had said that he had a plan, and Janet hoped that her efforts would pay off. The possibility of success seemed slim, but she had said yes nonetheless. To be more specific, she did not get a chance to say yes or no, as Dennis had hung up on her before she could reply. She had considered standing him up, which she was fairly certain would be a new experience for Dennis and would serve him right, but then decided against it. Her opinion of Dennis’s tactics had not changed, but she worried that if left on his own, the man would ruin the investigation. At least this way, Janet would be there to contain him.
What a load of crap, Janet thought. The real reason she had spent close to two hours primping herself for her meeting with Dennis was because she wanted to see him, and she hated herself for it. Despite his questionable ethics—or to be precise, lack of such—she still turned to jelly every time she heard the man’s voice or saw his unbearably handsome face. Janet puffed her cheeks with air and blew it loudly out of her mouth. Dennis Walker was the bane of her existence. Not only was the man endangering the investigation with his reckless attitude, he was clouding Janet’s judgment with his good looks and smug yet somehow charming and irresistible demeanor. The man was a bona fide hazard.
Janet checked her reflection one last time. She could not remember the last time she had looked this decked out, which was another disquieting example of the power that Dennis Walker held over her. “This is for a work assignment. Our meeting will be purely professional,” Janet assured herself. “Work assignment, my ass,” she muttered, admitting the futility of her words. Sure, Dennis had asked her to look pretty, but there were many levels of pretty, and she had pulled out all the stops. Her heart was beating wildly, and her cheeks were flushed with anticipation. The truth of the matter was that, at the moment, she did not give a rat’s behind about both Muller and Finnegan combined. All she could think of was that it was Saturday, and she was about to see Dennis Walker.
It was five minutes past five when Janet approached the entrance to Keens steakhouse. She eyed the dark, old fashioned façade, failing to find any signs of Dennis Walker. She looked around, unsure what to do. Dennis had said five p.m., and she had been purposely late by five minutes to ensure that he would be the first one to arrive.
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“You’re late,” a familiar voice whispered into her ear.
The jolt that Janet felt pulsating down her spine was anything but work-related. “You’re late yourself,” she snapped at Dennis. “I got here first.”
“I was waiting for you behind the corner. Being conspicuous is not my style.”
Janet’s cheeks grew warm. She was still a novice when it came to this whole undercover thing, and Dennis never missed an opportunity to remind her of the fact. Here was his chance to show her his skills. “So, are you going to tell me your plan?”
“Just follow my lead.”
“Follow your lead? Dennis, you’ve got to tell me more than that!”
By way of an answer, Dennis grabbed Janet’s hand and pushed the door open. “After you, my darling.”
Bewildered, Janet almost slipped down the stairs that led into the dimly lit foyer. She felt Dennis’s grip tightening to steady her, the effect of which was the opposite of the intended. It was bad enough that she was literally walking into another one of Dennis’s questionable schemes blindfolded, his proximity was making it very difficult for her already unnerved brain to function.
“Let me help you with your coat, dear.” Dennis placed his hands on Jan
et’s shoulders while she shrugged out of her coat. “Stunning.” Dennis eyed her dress as he took her coat from her.
“Thank you.” Janet hoped that the surge of satisfaction Dennis’s reaction had elicited in her was not written all over her face.
“Shall we?” Dennis nodded in the direction of the host’s desk.
“Lead the way.”
“Good afternoon,” Dennis nonchalantly addressed the restaurant host. “My girlfriend and I would like to enquire about private dining.”
The middle-aged, bespectacled host smiled at them benevolently. “Certainly, sir. We offer a number of banquet rooms ranging in size. May I ask the size of your party?”
Dennis glanced at Janet. “Oh, I’d say about twenty people.”
The host nodded. “We have just the perfect room for you, sir. The Lilly Langtry Room. It seats twenty-five people comfortably, so you’ll have some room to spare.”
“Sounds wonderful,” Dennis approved. “Would it be possible to see it today?”
The host scratched his head hesitantly. “There’s an event taking place there tonight. I wish you would have called us to schedule an appointment.”
“Oh, but couldn’t we possibly see it tonight?” Janet managed in response to Dennis’s hand squeezing hers. “You see, we drove all the way from Long Island. We are joining my aunt and uncle for a Broadway play later in the evening, so we thought we’d come into the City extra early to stop by here on the way. That’s what the room is for—for my aunt and uncle’s thirtieth wedding anniversary. They don’t have any children, and we’ve always been so close. I so much want to make this a special occasion for them.” Janet clasped her hands in a gesture of appeal, stunned by her ability to improvise. She was just as good as Dennis Walker.
The host shot them a sympathizing glance. “Very well. I suppose we could arrange for a quick walk through.” He waved to one of the waiters standing nearby. “Fred here will give you the tour.”
“Good evening. Please follow me.” Fred smiled at them politely.
“Well done,” Dennis whispered into Janet’s ear as they followed Fred into the oak-clad interior of the restaurant. “Now, when we get inside the room, I want you to stick this into the wall paneling.” Dennis shoved a metal object the size of a watch battery into Janet’s hand.
Janet’s earlier bravado evaporated. With the last bit of self-control, she placed her arm around Dennis’s shoulder as though reaching to nuzzle his ear with her lips. “You want me to bug the room?” she hissed. “Are you insane?”
“Trust me, with that hot number you’ve got on, no one is going to notice. Besides, I’ll distract them with questions.”
“Distract them with questions? Are you out of your mind? Where did you get the bug in the first place? Is this even legal?”
“From Feds friends. We’ll deal with the legal issues later.”
Just then Fred turned around, and Dennis wrapped his arm around Janet’s waist, pressing his lips against Janet’s.
“Excuse me, but here we are,” Fred announced, embarrassed.
“Thank you,” Janet managed after Dennis’s lips finally lifted away from hers.
The nerve of the man! What did he think this was, a James Bond movie? Oh, she was going to give him a piece of her mind the moment they were alone. The adamant, cocky, bastard who also turned out to be such a good kisser … Her head was spinning with a mixture of vexing indignation and the intense pleasure that Dennis’s kiss had sent ringing like bells throughout her entire body.
“After you, my dear.” Dennis motioned at the room entrance with the ease of an experienced imposter.
“Thank you,” Janet nodded, clenching the tiny metal bug in her fingers.
She had to get her head together. She’d be damned if she would let Dennis think that he had gotten to her. She was far from being a fan of Dennis’s investigative techniques, but at the moment it did not matter. If she failed to do what he had asked her to do, he might think that she did so because of his kiss, and that was a much more mortifying possibility than the prospect of being fired or possibly even arrested for illegally planting a bug in a public place.
Janet stepped into the room. It was medium in size, with a large round table set up in the middle of the room.
“Do you like it, honey?” Dennis asked.
“It’s lovely!” Janet exclaimed as she twirled her way around the room, fully aware of the skirt of her dress spinning around her legs.
“Excellent! She likes it!” Dennis repeated Janet’s verdict as though it were an honor of great distinction. “And what is your earliest availability?” he asked Fred.
“Oh, I’m afraid you’ll have to check downstairs regarding that,” Fred answered. “They keep the schedule.”
“Very well. And is there access for the handicapped? You see, my grandmother, she can only get around with a walker …”
While Dennis peppered poor Fred with questions, Janet traced her hand against the wooden paneling. Then, ever so casually, she pressed the bug that she had been holding between her fingers into a tiny crack between the panels.
Mission accomplished, she thought as an intense torrent of emotions rushed through her. It was a mixture of excitement, fear, and triumph. She had just planted a bug in a restaurant, and she was as cool as a cucumber. Now she understood why Dennis did things the way he did. This was so much more fun than being stuck behind the desk in the office. Not that that made this kind of blatant disregard for the rules permissible, especially when their job was to uphold the rules, but she decided that she would think about that later. Right now she just wanted to enjoy the rush. Ever so discreetly she continued the languid motion of her hand to conceal her heart thumping with triumph.
“Honey, I think this is it.” She linked her arm through Dennis’s. “We’ll be calling you shortly,” she smiled at Fred.
“Wonderful.”
Janet could barely contain her urge to jump up and down as she followed Dennis to the host’s desk. I did it, I did it, I did it! Dennis Walker might have many faults, but there was no denying that he drove her to do things that she normally would never dare to do. Most of the time he drove her crazy but sometimes, like right now, he made her feel really, really good.
“Did you like the room?” asked the host.
“Very much so,” Janet replied.
“Would you like to place a deposit then?”
Her composure was about to abandon her but Dennis came to the rescue. “We’d love to, but we have to be off or we’ll be late, and my girlfriend’s aunt and uncle are very punctual. We’ll call you to finalize all the details.”
The host nodded approvingly. “It’s so nice to see close family ties. Whenever you’re ready, but please be sure to give yourself plenty of time in advance. This place books up quickly.”
Once outside of the restaurant, Dennis shot Janet a congratulatory glance. Her entire being wanted to shout hurray, but she knew better, and followed Dennis silently along the street.
“That was really great work in there, Janet.” Dennis patted Janet’s shoulder once they were several blocks away from the restaurant.
“Thanks.” Janet had to exercise all her self-control to keep the disappointment she felt out of her voice. Was that all it was to him? Work? The intensity of his kiss still lingered on her lips and in her thoughts. A kiss like that could not have been just work, but then maybe to a man like Dennis Walker it was precisely that.
“You were pretty good in there yourself. So what do we do next?”
“We wait and listen.”
“Wait for what?”
“Wait to see if our plan has worked. And if it has, we listen to what we’re going to be able to hear through the bug that you planted. I have to say, when you made your skirt spin around you back there, I thought that poor Fred fella’s eyes were going to pop out. Excellent move. I think you’re a natural.”
What about your eyes? Janet wanted to ask, but instead she remained silent and merely n
odded in agreement.
“So, your place or mine?”
“What do you mean?” Janet blurted out before she could catch herself. Of course she knew what he meant. Your place or mine to listen to the stupid bug she had planted. Suddenly, she did not give a hoot about Muller, Finnegan, or even Kingsley. As far as she was concerned, the whole case could go down the drain; but she could not very well say that to Dennis, so instead she said, “Mine. This way I won’t have to worry about finding a dog sitter for Baxter.”
“Sounds good. I’ll bring snacks.”
Janet finally remembered the question she had been dying to ask Dennis all along. “How can you be sure that we got the right room?”
“I can’t be sure, but it was our safest bet with the amount of time we had to get it done. Laskin had mentioned that Finnegan usually books a private dining room, and this was the smallest room at the restaurant. Granted, if you or I tried to book a room that seats twenty-five people for a dinner of three, we’d be told to get lost, but Finnegan holds far great clout than we do. Still, there’s a chance that I was wrong, and he’ll end up sitting in the general area, in which case we’re screwed. But we could not very well go running all over the restaurant planting bugs. Besides, I only had one bug. The Feds are real stingy when it comes to sharing unauthorized resources.”
“I hope you picked the right room. Otherwise, I’ve just put on the greatest performance of my lifetime planting that bug for nothing.”
“It wasn’t for nothing, Janet.” The tone of Dennis’s voice made Janet look up, but he quickly switched topics. “I’ll see you tonight, partner.”
“See you later.”
Partner. The word made Janet want to seal her ears shut. To be fair, there is nothing offensive about the word partner in general, but when a man a woman likes a lot more than just a work partner uses it to address her, it is downright infuriating.
* * *
As he watched Janet walk away from him, Dennis Walker was a knot of conflicting emotions. Part of him wanted to rejoice in the successful operation Janet and he had just pulled off, while another part of him wanted to kick himself for being such an idiot. Partner? Why on earth did he call her that when partner was the last thing he wanted her to be, especially after that kiss.
