Under Wraps

by Joanne Rock

  And while Lianna looked forward to reigniting a love life for herself, she wasn’t in a hurry to have her heart broken again. As fun as it might be to play sexy games with friends and strangers, she had new respect for protecting the deeper ties that bound a couple together.

  Tugging open a drawer marked Holiday, Lianna discovered a wealth of seamed stockings, each set bearing different embroidered or studded icons around the ankle. She pulled out a white pair with red poinsettias to wear for tonight’s entertainment.

  She wanted to look special for Alex if he finally showed up. He’d made excuses about getting caught in a snowstorm the past two days, but if he didn’t appear tonight, Lianna planned to keep an eye out for other entertainment. After all, Alex hadn’t made her any promises. What if he was a total player?

  He might be charming, but she wouldn’t wait around for him forever. Besides, the fact that he wanted her to keep an eye on any new visitors to the Marquis had made her wary of his intentions.

  Was he a swinger like her ex?

  The thought had her worried as she paid a trim little blonde dressed as a courtesan for the stockings. No way would Lianna tread down that path again. But why else would Alex be interested in new hotel guests unless he was on the lookout for potential playthings?

  She’d quizzed him about it on the phone the night before when he’d expressed such interest in the newcomers from Miami. He’d tried to reassure her, saying he was only curious because he used to live in Miami. As if he thought he’d know Jack and Marie Barnes—surely not their real names—from a city with half a million people? He’d asked her to find out more to feed his “curiosity.”

  Well, she could tell him quite honestly that the new couple only had eyes for each other. The sight of them together filled Lianna with envy since her ex had never looked at her that way. Perversely, she’d flirted lightly with the couple, half hoping they’d ignore her and prove that love and loyalty existed within a passionate romance.

  She’d been oddly gratified when they’d done just that.

  So if Alex McMahon didn’t bother to show tonight—and if he was only interested in having her scope out fresh prospects for him—Lianna would cut her losses. All the books she’d read on divorce counseled not to get involved with anyone before the one-year mark anyhow, and she’d only just reached that. Maybe she’d jumped into something too fast with Alex.

  If he wanted to spy on Jack and Marie, he’d have to come to the Marquis to do it himself because that wasn’t her style.

  For her part, she planned to keep her eyes open for the kind of chemistry that pinged between the couple. She’d settled for a relationship based on shared interests last time. That had resulted in a lukewarm marriage that sent her husband out looking for adventure.

  So when she got involved again, she wouldn’t settle for anything less than, hot, sexy, all-consuming passion.

  SETTLING INTO A LOVE SEAT across from a floor-to-ceiling window that looked out on the property’s grounds, Jake kept Marnie close to his side. They’d explored the hotel this morning after the incident in the dressing room, attempting to get acquainted with the place before it became crowded in the evening. Now, they watched out the window as a party of five braved the falling snow to enter a horse-drawn carriage complete with sleigh bells and fur blankets.

  A driver in his mid-twenties wore a top hat with a sprig of holly at the band, and he peered back into the sleigh full of women with open eagerness. Did the kid really stand a chance with five women?

  Jake was just damn glad to have a chance with this one. But he wanted to keep her under wraps here as much as possible, which meant he needed to get her back to their suite now that more guests were waking up.

  “We should get back to the room.” He checked his watch, thinking he should be able to get another update from his office regarding patrons of the Marquis over the past year.

  If the embezzler had targeted Marnie to take the fall for the crime purposely, chances were good he was keeping tabs on her. Would he—or she—know by now that the scheme to frame her hadn’t worked? Would the embezzler take enough interest in Marnie as to know she’d closed up her shop in Miami and had left town?

  “Don’t you think we should divide and conquer to cover more ground first?” Marnie kept her voice low and had gotten in the habit of leaning close to him to speak so that if they were observed, it looked as if she was whispering lusty suggestions in his ear.

  He had the feeling she did it simply because she was a detail person who didn’t overlook the small stuff. But he liked to think she got a charge out of being next to him. God knew he enjoyed the soft huff of her breath on his skin, the brush of her shoulder against his as she moved in close. It was all he could do not to press her down to the bench and see how fast he could unfasten all those clothes she was wearing. No matter how many ties, bows and buttons between them, he knew he’d set a land speed record getting her naked and hot underneath him.

  “I don’t want anyone to recognize you,” he spoke softly in return, her neck within tempting reach of his mouth.

  Memories of what had happened in the dressing room had never been far from his mind this morning. Every now and then, he’d catch a hint of her exotic floral scent and he’d be transported right back to that moment behind the curtain, tugging off her gown with his teeth like a damn ravenous beast.

  “I bought a mask, remember?” From her drawstring purse, she withdrew the white scrap of satin. The fabric had been decorated with green sequins patterned to look like pine boughs.

  She wrapped the pliable satin about her eyes and tied the white ribbons behind her hair. And wow, she was a knockout with the red hair spilling onto her shoulders, her plump lips the only feature of her face that remained visible.

  “If I was looking for you,” he confided, letting his breath warm the skin around her collarbone, “I would know that mouth anywhere.”

  The lips in question parted slightly. She licked the top one.

  “Lucky for me, no one else is going to take such an interest.”

  “That’s lucky for them, actually, because if I caught anyone checking out your mouth, I’d have to hurt them.” He’d seen plenty of men notice her already, even though the resort was fairly quiet at this time of day. She had a natural confidence that drew the eye, a way of moving through the world that said she knew what she was doing. Maybe traveling the globe for her job had given her that ease.

  “Violence will attract far more attention than any facial feature, so let’s hope you can behave.” She nuzzled his cheek as another couple walked by them, effectively hiding from view while driving Jake out of his ever-loving mind.

  A lock of silky red hair slipped forward, teasing along his jaw. He struggled with the urge to plunge both hands into the auburn strands, to hold her still for a kiss that wouldn’t stop until tomorrow….

  Focus, damn it.

  He needed to think about his investigation and not personal pleasure. His first responsibility was to protect her from whoever had made her a target.

  “Maybe we can find some of the rooms with secret viewing.” He passed her the security card bearing a picture of a peephole. “As long as we don’t mingle, we can circulate a little while longer. I’d like to meet whoever runs the place on a day-to-day basis.”

  Something that had been tough to do with a resort run like a private club. Everyone he’d talked to so far—from a doorman to a waiter—was working in order to accumulate points that would help them to book rooms in the future. Marnie had explained that most of the guests volunteered for the jobs, but he’d thought they were just enjoying the fantasy of being a maid or a lusty waiter. But apparently the Marquis had a whole elaborate system in place to fill the gaps in the staff by offering guests incentives to work extra hours.

  Jake had to hand it to the operation. It was a clever piece of business.

  “That’s very admirable of you to work so hard. Doesn’t the atmosphere ever distract you?” Marnie nodded meaningf
ully to a white marble statue on a nearby end table.

  The piece hadn’t caught his eye before since the style was more impressionistic than realistic. But now that she’d pointed it out, the lines became clear. Like carvings he’d once seen in an historic Indian temple, the statue featured a woman lying on her back with knees parted to accommodate a man’s shoulders. Clearly, his mouth was aligned with her sex.

  And oh man, he’d like to think Marnie had pointed out that piece for a reason. He couldn’t imagine anywhere he’d rather be than in their suite re-creating that moment for her. A growl rumbled up the back of his throat, and he had to fist his hands to keep them off her.

  “Hell, yes, it’s a distraction.” But then, you couldn’t look anywhere in this place without seeing something erotic.

  And unlike some girlie magazine, this stuff was subtle. It crept up on you and settled into your consciousness before you could think about changing the mental channel.

  Taking her hand, he pulled Marnie to her feet. She stood willingly enough, but he noticed she spared a small, backward glance for the statue on the end table.

  And didn’t that just torch his focus in a heartbeat? Bad enough to conduct an investigation while being tormented with carnal temptation on all sides. But it was even worse trying to think about the case knowing the woman beside him was every bit as turned-on.

  “I’m losing my mind here.” He had to touch her soon or he’d jump out of his skin. “Go back to the room and I’ll meet you there in an hour. I need to check around for any accessible hotel computers where the embezzlement could have originated, but after that…”

  He couldn’t begin to articulate what he needed. The urge was deep and primal. He didn’t just want to touch her. He wanted to possess her.

  Thankfully, she spared him the effort of translating his need into words fit for her ears.

  Nodding, she gripped her key to her chest. “Hurry.”

  BACK IN THE SUITE, Marnie fought off the sexual edginess by flipping through a few electronic documents that Jake had sent to her phone after receiving an update from his office. They hadn’t been apart for long—forty-nine minutes, according to the clock on the nightstand—but every moment away from him only stirred a hunger she couldn’t deny any longer.

  She’d never felt sexual chemistry like this. It was so strong, so palpable, she didn’t know what to do about it. Did other people feel like this about sex? Whoa, had she been missing out for her whole adult life?

  Fanning herself, she tried to concentrate on the notes from Jake. He’d sent her a list of visitors to the Marquis in the past year, even though they’d already established that most of the names would be fake. Still, Jake had asked her to look at it since most people didn’t vary the names much. Just like Jake and Marnie became Jack and Marie, apparently most people using an alias chose something close to their real names.

  She tucked her toes beneath a blanket as she lounged in an oversize club chair. The moment Jake had left, she’d ditched the restrictive gown she’d been wearing along with the underskirts that made the train puff up. She’d kept the corset on, unwilling to have to wrestle with it again before dinner. But at least this way, her dress would remain wrinkle-free. She didn’t know exactly how things would go with Jake when he returned, but she had the feeling clothes would only get in the way.

  Fifty minutes.

  With her finger hovering on the wheel to advance the screen, Marnie surreptitiously listened for footsteps in the hall. Her heartbeat danced a crazy rhythm in her chest. Odd how even the blood in her veins wanted Jake. It was elemental. Undeniable. The kiss he’d given her in the dressing room that morning had ripped away any illusion she had of keeping him at arm’s length during their stay here.

  In a space of time, Jake had become more than a hot contractor who’d flirted with her or an intrusive P.I. who filmed her without her knowledge. She could easily be in jail right now if it hadn’t been for his determination to find out the truth of Premiere’s missing money. Her ex-boss had assured her of as much in their brief phone conversation before she left Miami.

  His fierce intelligence and sense of justice had made him invaluable to Vince Galway—a man Marnie respected. And his smoldering sensuality—well, that flat out left her breathless.

  Forcing herself to finish combing through the documents now saved on her phone, Marnie clicked to the next screen, where her eyes alighted on a surprise name.

  Alex McMahon.

  She read it twice, knowing it wasn’t her ex’s name, but seeing a similarity between that and Alec Mason.

  Double-checking the date of his visit, she saw that it had been a year ago during the time that they’d been dating. And that Alex McMahon had checked in with a woman who’d shared his last name. Of course, it was entirely possible that Alex McMahon hadn’t been married to Tracy McMahon. Plenty of dating couples signed hotel registers as married just for kicks.

  Besides, Alec had been a crappy manager of money but that didn’t necessarily make him a cheater, did it?

  Her mind racing, she clicked out of that screen and opened the calendar function on her phone. As a true type A, Marnie could call up her activities electronically for every day of her life going back five years.

  More if she consulted a paper file back home.

  And while yes, that made her nerdy as all hell, it had proven useful a few times. Like now. When the calendar for last December showed that she’d been on the road during the time in question. Specifically, she’d been evaluating promo angles for a restored villa in Tuscany. Which meant that—while she’d assumed Alec had been back in Miami—he could have been anywhere in the world and as long as he’d called from his cell phone, she wouldn’t have known the difference.

  A knock at the door interrupted that troubling realization.

  “Room service,” a masculine voice announced, reminding her she’d ordered hot tea to help shake off the cold of December in upstate New York.

  “Coming!” she called, dropping the phone and blanket to slide into a white spa robe provided by the Marquis.

  Hurrying across the hardwood floor covered with a smattering of rich Oriental carpets, she unlocked the door to admit a waiter with a silver tea cart followed by a sexy brunette in a maid’s costume complete with little apron.

  Lianna.

  Did the woman work at every conceivable job on the property? Marnie stood back to admit them, and as they passed her with the tea, she realized that Lianna had found a new man to capture her attention since all her focus was on the young waiter. Not just any waiter, either. The guy setting up the tea tray by the fireplace was one half of the tawny-eyed twins who’d brushed past her in the corridor downstairs the night before. Instead of his dress attire, he wore tight breeches with—wow—everything readily displayed. His tunic was half-buttoned as if he’d just rolled out of bed or as if he were inviting the touch of every stray woman who passed.

  “Would you like me to pour it for you?” the behemoth asked, his muscles testing the strength of those close-fitting pants and his voice taking on the tone of bedroom confidences.

  Lianna all but drooled as she posed invitingly against the cart, her eyes glued to her cohort’s bicep, visible through the thin linen tunic.

  “Yes, please.” Marnie waved him along to expedite the process. She wanted the pair of them out of her room before they got busy on her love seat.

  Still, the guy took his time arranging the china teacup, lighting a single white taper and adjusting a pink poinsettia bloom in a pewter holder on the tray. Lianna watched every move in rapt fascination, it seemed, until she suddenly turned to catch Marnie staring at her.

  The other woman smiled warmly, making Marnie feel small inside for thinking cranky thoughts about her. Beautiful women couldn’t help being beautiful.

  “Do you come here often?” Marnie kicked herself as soon as she brought out the well-worn barroom conversation staple. But it had occurred to her that if Lianna volunteered for so many jobs at the Ma
rquis she must have seen a lot around the resort. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to cultivate her goodwill.

  “It’s my third time here,” Lianna admitted. “It’s fun to play dress-up, isn’t it? Although I notice you seem to have lost your dress.”

  Lianna winked and the tawny-eyed waiter grinned. Marnie reminded herself that they weren’t trying to be obnoxious because most people visited this hotel for just this kind of thing.

  Hence the trundle bed.

  Clearing her throat, she took a step back from the odd dynamics of the moment.

  “The bustle and I weren’t getting along,” she confided. Then, forging ahead to firm up the new contact, she continued, “It’s my first time here, actually. If you have time tomorrow, I’d be interested to find out all the inside scoop on the best things to do here.”

  It was another loaded comment, and both Lianna and Golden Eyes laughed.

  “Um.” Marnie tried again. “Beyond the obvious.”

  “Sure,” Lianna agreed easily, crooking her finger toward her friend and leading him toward the door. “I’m up early. Meet you at noon for breakfast?”

  That was early? Apparently that was the prevailing sentiment around the resort since it had been so quiet today before midafternoon.

  “Sure. Sounds good.” Marnie didn’t know what she’d ask the woman, but while Jake conducted the supersleuthing, Marnie could at least offer up one skill to the mix. She knew how to listen. And sometimes women observed things that men never noticed.

  As the two of them opened the door to leave, Jake stood in the entrance, key in hand as if he’d been about to enter. He took one look at who’d been visiting and Marnie was pretty sure he flexed his muscles in predatory display. There was some silent message passed between the men, of that much she was certain. Lianna had to haul her friend away by the undone laces on his tunic to break the staring contest.

  As the door closed behind them, leaving Jake facing Marnie in a robe and corset and nothing more, she could feel the awareness in the room simmer.