Jingle of Coins

by C. D. Ledbetter

  “How did you get all this stuff in here?”

  “Calm down, Kate. This came out of three suitcases. My guys put the pieces together last night.”

  “Remind me to explain what the words ‘low profile’ mean.”

  The men returned to their work, and after a few moments, Kate got up and walked into the bathroom. She emerged a few minutes later, clad only in a towel wrapped sarong-style around her slender torso.

  One of the younger agents looked up as she approached, and the pliers in his left hand dropped to the worktable. He tapped Dozer’s arm and tipped his head toward Kate.

  Two pairs of eyes swiveled her way, and a shocked silence filled the room. Dozer recovered first. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  Kate rolled her eyes and sucked in a lungful of air. “I’m supposed to be working, remember? This is how I always answer the door when the kitchen sends up a tray. If I wasn’t dressed like this, the help would think it odd, which is what we don’t want to happen.”

  “Put your clothes back on.”

  She arched one eyebrow. “What’s the matter, Dozer? Haven’t you ever seen a naked woman before?” She moved closer and extended her hand. “Give me fifty bucks.”

  “What for?”

  “The tip.”

  “What tip?”

  Two quick raps sounded at the door, and all three men drew their weapons.

  “Take it easy, hot shots,” Kate said. “That’s our food. I have a standing order for caviar, champagne, and oysters whenever I’m here. The kitchen sends it up thirty minutes after I arrive. And, I always tip the waiter fifty bucks.” She glanced at her open palm, then at Dozer, and wiggled her fingers.

  He shoved his gun back into his shoulder holster and counted out the money.

  Kate moved to the door and opened it a few inches. “Hello, Garcia. How are you?”

  “Fine. And you, senora?”

  “I’m good.” She leaned forward. “I’ll take the cart,” she murmured in a voice tinged with laughter. “My guests are a little nervous. I think this is the first time they’ve done a triple.”

  He laughed. “Whatever you say, senora.”

  Kate tucked the money into his hand and rolled the cart inside. “Help yourselves, fellas,” she invited as she moved the cart into the center of the room. “You might as well enjoy it since you paid for it.”

  The three men crowded around the trays as she slipped into the bathroom. A few minutes later she returned, fully clothed. “Okay, guys,” she announced. “I’m ready when you are.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Emily’s nerves strained to the breaking point as she walked the short distance to the Golden Temple. The morning’s events in the flower shop hadn’t helped her composure, and she wasn’t sure if she still wanted to carry out the first phase of Glen’s plan.

  The task was easy enough. Go into the casino where he worked, make like the other gamblers, and try to become invisible to the security team. The only problem was, she wasn’t in the mood to talk to anybody and she didn’t feel invisible. She’d never felt less invisible in her life. Naked, vulnerable—yes. Invisible—no.

  She joined a group of tourists dressed in Hawaiian shirts and followed the crowd of rowdy gamblers as they entered the casino. There was no turning back now. The dice had been thrown. She could only hope the roll didn’t come up snake eyes.

  The bank of quarter machines Glen described wasn’t hard to find. She cruised the aisle to look for an open machine and slid onto the stool. The woman next to her fed three quarters into her machine’s coin slot, then leaned over. “I hope you have better luck on that damn machine than I did,” she whined. “I put in twenty-five dollars and didn’t even get a dollar back. All it did was suck my money. I think they’ve rigged these damn machines not to pay out.”

  Emily nodded in sympathy. “I hate it when they don’t pay out,” she said. “It takes all the fun out of playing.” She motioned for a change girl, purchased ten dollars in quarters, then dropped in a single coin. “Come on, mama,” she called as the reels spun around and around.

  The woman next to her gasped, then cursed as three jackpot symbols lined up on Emily’s pay line. “Damn. I knew I should’ve stayed on that machine,” she complained. She shook her head in disgust, scooped her few remaining quarters out of her tray, and left.

  Emily covered her mouth with her fingertips, then pulled them away. Glen was probably having a coronary right now. He’d specifically told her not to play a winning machine. How the heck was she going to explain this one? She hadn’t known the machine was going to pay out. She hadn’t heard a thing, hadn’t even tried to listen for a change in pitch. Her win had been a fluke. Yeah, right. Like he’d ever believe that one.

  At least she hadn’t played the maximum number of coins. That would’ve made her win even more damning. Her watch beeped, and she frowned. She’s set the alarm to go off when she’d used up half her lunch hour so she’d have enough time to walk back to work. Damn, damn, damn. She signaled a slot tech, explained her dilemma, and asked if he could hurry the payout. He returned with a supervisor a few moments later.

  Pocketing the two hundred dollars she won, Emily resisted the urge to mouth “I’m sorry” to the security cameras. No sense making a bad situation worse. There’d be hell to pay later. Of that, she had no doubt.

  She tried to imagine the look on Glen’s face when her machine hit the jackpot. He must have been furious! The irony of her win struck her as she walked back to the shop, and the resulting smile was still plastered on her face when she strode through the door.

  “No. No. No!”

  Emily bit back her angry retort and turned to stare at the man who made the last hour a living hell. From the moment he’d entered her apartment, Glen had found exception with everything she’d done, from the crook of her head when she viewed the tapes to the way she closed her eyes while listening to explanations of security techniques. Hell, he even complained about her shorts and tank top! “What did I do wrong this time?” she asked.

  Glen sucked in a lungful of air and glowered at her. “Everything. Do you know what the word ‘listen’ means?”

  “That’s it. Get out,” Emily snapped. “I don’t have to put up with this kind of abuse.” She pointed to the door. “You’re just mad because I hit the jackpot. You’ve been snippy ever since you walked in.”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets and stared. “Maybe you’re right,” he apologized after a long silence. “I’m sorry. I was pissed about your hitting the jackpot.”

  “I told you it was an accident,” she said. “Nobody was playing that machine when I walked up. There’s no way I could’ve known it was going to pay out. It was a fluke.”

  “Probably, but you have to admit the timing was bad.” He scratched his head and paced the length of the room. “Look. For whatever reason, we seem to be at cross-purposes. Why don’t we take a five minute break and start over?”

  “All right.” She moved into the kitchen to grab a couple of aspirin. When she returned, she held a beer in front of him and wiggled it. “Peace offering?”

  He smiled. “Thanks. Sorry if I was rough.”

  “Well, it did look pretty bad. I almost had a stroke when that jackpot hit. The one time I don’t try to find a winning machine, look what happens. I hit the jackpot on my first spin!” She shook her head in amazement. “What are the odds on that one?”

  “Pretty remote.” He chugged the last of his drink and set the empty bottle on the coffee table. “You ready to start again?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. But I’m warning you. I’ve had enough of your horse’s ass attitude. The minute you start acting like that again, we’re through. Finished. Finito.”

  Glen laughed self-consciously. “Fair enough. Let’s give it another try.” He reached for the small tape recorder he’d brought and switched it on. Emily’s living room echoed with the sound of multiple slot machines being played amid the background casino noises. “
I think you’ve watched the video tapes long enough. This time I’ve brought a recording of casino sounds. Close your eyes and imagine you’re inside a casino. Try not to tilt your head to one side as you listen.”

  Emily closed her eyes and visualized herself inside a casino, standing in front of a quarter slot machine.

  “What’s the first thing you do?” he asked.

  “Blend in with other gamblers.”

  “Good. Then what?”

  She rotated her body to the left. “I turn to the man or woman next to me and ask if they’re having any luck.”

  “Continue.”

  She swung back to her original position. “Then I put a few coins in the machine and grumble when it doesn’t pay off. The next thing I do is grab a five or ten dollar bill from my wallet and stick it in the machine or motion for the change girl and buy another roll of quarters.” Emily slowly opened one eye. “What if I still have money in the machine?”

  “Doesn’t matter. Put in more, even if you have credits showing.”

  “Okay.” She closed her eye and mimicked the action of dropping quarters into the coin slot. The tape continued, and a few moments later she detected the sound of a machine changing pitch.

  Glen grabbed her arm. “Stop.”

  She opened her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  “You’re tilting your head.”

  “Am not.”

  “Yes, you are. I’ll prove it.” He moved closer and placed a hand on either side of her neck.

  Bolts of excitement careened through her body, and she shivered.

  “Sorry. Are my hands cold?”

  “Yeah,” she lied. “It’s okay.”

  He reached over and started the tape.

  Emily steeled herself to remain calm as she tried to concentrate on the sounds and not the warmth of fingers pressed against her skin. Glen was so close she could smell the faint scent of his bath soap. Snippets of erotic images flashed across her brain. Glen standing in the shower, soaping his shoulders, his arms, his torso, his…

  Her knees threatened to buckle when his thumbs moved across her chin to caress her lips. His touch was no longer impersonal. It was…sublimely erotic. Her skin felt on fire everywhere he touched, and her lips parted involuntarily as his thumb pressed against the inside of her bottom lip. She tipped her head back as the incredibly sensual tracing continued, moving past her lips, down her chin, and onto the hollow in her throat.

  Suddenly the fiery touch disappeared. Startled, she opened her eyes. His face was inches from hers, and the warmth of his breath fanned her cheeks. “Yes?” she asked, her voice a husky croak.

  “Shhhh.” He leaned forward, and his lips brushed hers in a kiss so gentle she thought she’d imagined it. The fire in her belly, however, testified that she hadn’t.

  Their eyes locked. Warmth that had nothing to do with the desert heat flickered into a roaring blaze and rocketed throughout her. God, she wanted him! She opened her mouth and ran the tip of her tongue along her bottom lip.

  He pressed her body against his. She snuggled closer, eager, wanting…

  A persistent knock snapped the spell. “You better answer it,” Glen advised, his voice thick with emotion. He shut off the tape and walked into the bathroom.

  It took a moment for Emily to regain her composure. She wasn’t used to switching her emotions on and off. By the time she approached the door, she’d mentally depleted her entire cache of cuss words. Of all the rotten interruptions she’d had in her life, this had to be the worst. She twisted her fingers around the knob and flung open the door.

  Kate stood in the doorway. “Sorry to bother you,” she said. “I came over to ask if I could borrow your corkscrew. Mine broke in…” Her voice trailed off as if she sensed Emily’s frustration. “Uh oh. I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” she asked, peering into the living room.

  Emily swallowed the sarcastic retort that sprang to her lips. “No. Glen and I were just talking. Come on in.”

  Kate stepped inside and stood next to the CD tower as Emily disappeared into the kitchen.

  Drawers banged shut before Emily let out a triumphant cry. “Found it.”

  Kate put back the classical CDs she’d been examining. “You have quite a selection of Chopin tapes,” she remarked, gesturing to the storage unit. “One of these days we’ll have to get together and compare CDs.”

  “Sure,” Emily replied. “Just let me know when.” She passed the corkscrew to Kate.

  “Thanks.”

  “Keep it. I have another one.” Emily ignored Kate’s inquisitive glance and hustled her out the door before she had the chance to start another conversation.

  “Everything okay?” Glen asked as he stepped back into the living room.

  “Yeah. Kate needed to borrow a corkscrew,” Emily explained in a neutral voice. She searched his face for some sign of emotion, but his deadpan expression gave away nothing. Damn. She was going to have to do this the hard way. “Do you want me to listen to the tape again?” she asked, after a lengthy pause.

  “Nah, we’ve done enough for tonight.” He picked up the tape recorder and wound the cord around the unit.

  She dropped her gaze to her watch while she regrouped. “It’s only 9:30. You sure you don’t want to work a little longer? I don’t usually go to bed until eleven.”

  “No. The next step will be to film you listening to the machines. The tapes from the casino aren’t clear enough for you to see the nuances I’m talking about.” He leaned back on his heels. “Why don’t we meet outside the Sandbox casino at six tomorrow? It just opened, so they won’t know you. You’re going to practice becoming invisible.” His eyes twinkled and a dimple bobbed in and out of one cheek. “If you do a good job, I’ll spring for dinner at your favorite fast food restaurant,” he teased. “After that, we’ll come back here to work.”

  She nodded. “Okay. I don’t get off until six tomorrow. How about we make it six thirty?”

  “Sure. You going swimming in the morning?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good. I’ll see you there.” He dropped a swift, hard kiss on her mouth and left.

  Emily lifted a hand to lips that still tingled. Her whole body quivered with excitement when she remembered the way his green eyes had smoldered with passion. Thoroughly confused, she leaned back into the oversized couch cushion, then bolted upright as a thought struck her. It had been so long since she’d had sex that she hadn’t even thought about birth control, much less safe sex.

  She grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, looked up the number of the doctor she’d been seeing for follow-up visits on her head injury, and left both the number and the portable phone on the coffee table. She’d ring the office first thing in the morning and see if there was any way he could squeeze her in for a quick discussion on birth control. If he couldn’t see her, she’d find a walk-in clinic that could. By this time tomorrow, she’d have a birth control prescription in hand, preferably for something that took effect immediately. If nothing else, she’d buy a box of condoms. This time, if Glen wanted to dance the horizontal mambo, she was going to make damn sure nothing could interrupt them.

  The scenario of her working relationship with Glen had taken an unusual, but welcome, turn. Maybe he was finally giving in to his attraction to her. God, she hoped so. She was tired of taking cold showers to cool off her libido. Tonight had been a fiasco, but tomorrow night would be a different story. If by some miracle Glen wanted to have sex, then by God, she’d be prepared. And willing. Oh yeah, she thought, licking her lips. Very willing.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The clock chimed six as Emily paused to take one last look at the fit of her new bathing suit in the mirror. Damn, she looked good, even if she had to say so herself. This suit made her look like a Vegas showgirl—long legged and busty.

  She slung her towel over her shoulder and started for the pool, deep in thought. Last night Glen broke his cardinal rule about not mixing business and pleasure. Something had prompte
d him to change the dynamics of their working relationship, and she wasn’t sure she liked either of the explanations she attributed to his change of heart.

  He either changed his mind about mixing business with pleasure or decided that adding sex to their relationship would make them work more cohesively. The second reason left a nasty taste in her mouth, and she frowned. She wanted him, but not on those terms. This was not a chess game, and she wasn’t a pawn he could sacrifice or manipulate at whim.

  She swung her gaze to the far side of the pool. Glen was already there, swimming laps. She paused for a few moments to watch his muscular body cut through the water. He looked like a sleek bronze seal, with his honeyed tan and brown hair. He finished his lap and waited for her at the deep end.

  To make sure she had his full attention, she slowed her stride as she approached the ladder. Okay suit, she thought, do your magic. She dipped one toe in the water and thrust out her chest as she lowered her body into the pool. Glen’s gaze locked with hers, and Emily felt the blood sizzle in her veins.

  “Morning, sleepyhead. I was beginning to wonder if you’d overslept.”

  If you only knew, she thought. After his parting kiss, she spent most of the night tossing and turning. “I got busy and didn’t notice the time.”

  “Ready to swim some laps?”

  “Yep.” She let go of the ladder and allowed her head and shoulders to sink beneath the surface. The warm water enveloped her like a liquid embrace, and she surfaced a few inches to his left. Glen’s glance focused on the swell of her breasts. Gotch ya, she thought, smiling inwardly. That’s right, little fishy. Come on, nibble the sexy bait I’ve dipped in the water.

  A hand on her arm broke her reverie. “Earth to Emily.” He tapped her temple. “You in there?”

  She felt the heat rise to her cheeks. “Sorry. I was thinking.”

  “So I noticed. I called your name twice. Must have been something important for you to disconnect like that.”

  “It was.” She placed her feet against the edge of the pool and pushed hard, propelling her body forward. “Race you to the other end,” she challenged.