Intent to Seduce & a Glimpse of Fire (3 page)

“I still don’t like it.” Turning, Sophie paced down the length of the lab and then whirled around. “Lucas could send the Shadow over. On a personal level, I can’t stand him, but he’s good at what he does.”

“Not necessary,” Mac said. “The university is going to install a high-tech security system. They’ve even given me a few days off while they work on it.”

“That’s wonderful. That means you can get started right away on your…” Sophie’s voice trailed off as she glanced at Gil.

He was frowning at her. “The university doesn’t have the funds to install a proper security system. And the research she’s doing is much too valuable. I was just trying to explain that to MacKenzie.”

Beaming a smile at him, Sophie moved toward him and placed a hand on his arm. “Would you mind terribly if Mac and I have some time alone? A little girl talk does wonders for the nerves.”

“No. Of course not.” A little uncertain, Gil glanced from one woman to the other. “I’ll be right next door if you need me, MacKenzie.”

Sophie waited until the door closed behind Gil Stafford. “
MacKenzie?
No one calls you that.”

“He means well.” Mac glanced at the bag of carrots again.

“You weren’t thinking of asking him to be your research…guinea pig, were you?”

Mac stared at Sophie. “Gil?”

“Good. Because I’ve come here on a mission—to convince you that Lucas is your man.”

Mac held up both hands. “Sophie, I just don’t—”

“I know you, Mac. You’ve been considering it, weighing the pros and cons. And the pros are winning. He’s the perfect man for the job. Why not admit it?”

Picking up another carrot, Mac began to grate. “It’s just that I’d planned on doing everything with a stranger.”

Sophie moved closer and took the grater away, then shoved it out of reach. “I’m going to be brutally honest
with you. That’s what best friends are for, right? You’re not going to hate me for saying this?”

Mac couldn’t prevent her lips from curving. They’d always been able to be honest with each other. It was what had made their friendship last for so long. “I’m not going to hate you.”

“Okay.” Sophie reached for Mac’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “I don’t think you’re going to be able to go through with your plan if you choose a stranger.”

“You think I’m a coward.”

“No!” Sophie’s reply was quick and vehement. “You are one of the bravest people I know. But I’ve known you for a long time, and you’re very…hesitant when it comes to relationships with the opposite sex.”

“
Resistant
might be a more accurate word,” Mac said.

Sophie grinned. “You know, one of the most endearing things about you is your ability to be brutally honest about yourself. Most of us sail through life telling ourselves whopping-big lies.”

Mac frowned in puzzlement. “What’s the point of doing that?”

“We think it helps. But to get back to you, this resistance you have to pursuing relationships with the opposite sex is the reason I think you might be much more successful with your plan if you choose someone you already know. I don’t think you’re going to be able to…let’s say,
implement
these fantasies with a complete stranger. Plus, your ultimate goal is to use them on your husband. And he won’t be a stranger. Isn’t it best in a scientific experiment to try and reproduce all the circumstances to the best of your ability?”

“You really do listen when I rattle on about my work.”

Sophie grinned at her. “Of course I do. And I’m right, aren’t I—on both counts?”

Mac was very much afraid that she was. One of her own biggest fears was the idea of using her newfound knowledge on a stranger. Still… “Lucas wouldn’t…I mean, he doesn’t think of me that way.”

Sophie’s eyebrows shot up. “Well, there you go. Lucas represents the kind of challenge I think you should be looking for. Someone who would put your research to a true test. These men that your…
contacts
in the sex industry will put you in touch with are bound to be easy marks, don’t you think? After all, they’re eager enough to be paying for sex. Some of them might even be married and have started to wander, so to speak. And if your plan is all geared toward keeping a husband from straying in spite of his genetic mapping, then surely you ought to be able to seduce my brother.”

Sophie had a point. Lucas Wainright would certainly offer her a challenge. And if she wasn’t up to it, then she might as well forget her whole plan.

“Mac—” Sophie took her hands “—do this for me. I don’t know if I can stand to think of you putting this research project into action with someone else. I know that Lucas, in spite of his many flaws, will be kind to you.”

One glance at the concern in her friend’s eyes, and Mac knew she was going to agree. She was about to, when Sophie continued, “And the truth is, you could do me a big favor at the same time.”

“What?” Mac asked.

“On Wednesday, Lucas has made arrangements for me to join him at his hideaway cabin on one of the Keys. You know what they say about timing being everything! I want you to go in my place. I’ve never been there, but it seems to me that an isolated island in the Keys would be
the perfect setting for you to put your plan into action. It will be just you and Lucas—hot, sunny days, palm trees, the ocean pounding on a sandy beach, warm, tropical nights. Just imagine it, Mac.”

It sounded just a little bit too good to be true. She studied Sophie. “Why don’t you want to go with him?”

“Because—” Sophie began to pace again “—every time I look at Lucas right now, I think of Bradley. My feelings are very raw, and having Lucas lecture me for a week on my abominable taste in men is the last thing I need. But he’s adamant that I join him. I think he feels guilty and he wants to
bond
with me.”

“What will you be doing while I’m down in the Keys seducing Lucas?” There. She’d actually said it aloud. Putting your fear into words was supposed to be half the battle.

Pacing back from the window, Sophie leaned against the counter. “I need to be by myself for a while. And I’ve found this great spa in North Carolina where I can hike in the mountains and ride and meditate. It’s run entirely by women for women. When I read the brochure, it sounded like heaven to me. It’s exactly what I need. Lucas is right about one thing. I do seem to attract men who are only interested in using me. An all-women retreat ought to at least protect me for a while.”

“Lucas won’t be happy about the switch,” Mac pointed out.

Sophie patted Mac’s hand. “If your research is as good as you say it is, he’ll adjust. And I’ll call him from the spa so that he’ll know that I’m perfectly safe. Believe me, Lucas and I could both use a break from each other.”

Mac drew in a deep breath. She’d never been able to refuse Sophie anything.

“Do this for me. Please.”

“Okay.”

“Great!” Sophie beamed a smile at her. “C’mon, the first thing I want to see is the wardrobe that Madame Gervais helped you select. Then we’re going to shop for some additional pieces that will be appropriate for a holiday in the Keys. Have you ever worn a wig?”

“No. Why would I?”

“The better to create fantasies with, my dear. I’ll explain everything while we shop.”

“I
S THERE ANYTHING
I can get you before we take off, Ms. Wainright?”

Mac smiled at the young brunette, Captain Jill Roberts, who would fly her to Key West. “No thanks, I’m fine.”

She hated that she had to lie to the woman, but Sophie’s instructions were very explicit. Lucas’s pilot had never met Sophie Wainright, and Mac was to keep up her impersonation until they had landed in the Keys. The blond wig was helping, and so were the clothes that Sophie had lent her.

No one could know that she was taking Sophie’s place until she stepped off the plane in Key West. Sophie had been adamant about that because she was sure that Lucas was having her followed.

“The flight will take about two hours, and the galley is fully stocked.”

“And Lucas is going to meet the plane?” Mac asked.

Captain Roberts smiled. “That’s what he said. I spoke with him just as you were crossing the tarmac to come aboard, and I gave him the time I thought we would be touching down. That means I’d better get us airborne. If you want anything, the intercom button is right there on the armrest.”

It was only as the captain disappeared into the cockpit that Mac allowed herself to relax a little. She felt as if she’d been caught up in a whirlwind ever since Sophie
had breezed into her lab on Monday, but she had to admit that the plan was really working. It had been at Sophie’s insistence that they’d switched identities.

The initial step had gone like clockwork thanks to a sudden summer storm that still held D.C. in its grip. Sophie had worn her red rain poncho, hood up, when she’d opened the antique shop at nine, and Mac had worn a bright yellow one, hood down, when she’d arrived fifteen minutes later. Once inside, they’d gone into the back room and changed clothes. As a final touch to their disguises, Sophie had donned a reddish-blond wig tied back into a bun, and Mac had put on a blond one.

They’d gotten the wigs and had them cut and styled on Monday when they’d gone shopping. The fact that they were almost identical in size and shape had helped. Friends in college had always remarked that they could have passed for sisters. Still, Mac had been amazed at just how much she resembled Sophie once she was wearing the blond wig. When they’d emerged from the shop, their hoods up and umbrellas open to hail separate cabs, she was sure that anyone watching “Sophie” would have been bound to follow “Mac,” and vice versa.

Mac prayed that the rest of their plan would go as smoothly. Just the thought of facing Lucas Wainright and admitting that she’d purposely switched places with his sister had the butterflies dive-bombing around in her stomach. But it was much easier to concentrate on that first hurdle than the one that would come after, when she told him why she’d really taken Sophie’s place.

“We’ve been cleared for takeoff, Ms. Wainright.”

Mac jumped at the sound of Jill Roberts’s voice pouring out of a nearby speaker.

“I’ll let you know when you can move around the cabin,
but if you have any concerns or questions, don’t hesitate to use the intercom button.”

Mac found her gaze riveted to the button for several moments after the plane’s engine roared to life. All she had to do was press it and she could call the whole thing off.

The plane vibrated, then moved forward.

Mac gripped her hands together. Whatever second thoughts she was having, she couldn’t let Sophie down. Things had gone too far.

Leaning back in her seat, she took a deep breath and held it for the length of time that it took the plane to make its mad rush down the runway.

There was no need to panic. Years of experience in the lab had taught her that any project became simpler and much less inhibiting if she could just break it down into steps and take them one at a time. All she had to do was view her coming fieldwork in that light. Flying down to Key West to meet Lucas was just the first step. Telling Lucas about her plan would be the next—and a big one it would be.

The moment she felt the plane leave the ground, she let out the breath she was holding and took in another one. In her mind, she tried to picture herself taking the third step—making love to Lucas Wainright.

Every time she let herself think about that, a very vivid image of Lucas, totally naked, filled her mind. She could almost feel what it would be like to run her hands over the smooth tanned skin on his shoulders, down his chest to his waist and below. Of course, she’d fantasized about touching a man before. And that all-day seminar had certainly given her fantasies a lot of fuel. But never before had her hands tingled with anticipation. As she glanced down at them, grasped tightly in her lap, the realization streamed
through her. She wanted to touch Lucas. Not just any man. She wanted to press her fingers against his hardness, to test his strength.

She could still recall how lean, how hard those muscles had felt through the thin cotton of his polo shirt. His whole body had been so hard. Even his hands. When she concentrated, she could still feel the pressure of each finger—on her back and, lower, on her hip. And there was that incredible stab of heat, the melting of muscle and bone.

She was still searching for a word to describe what she’d felt.
Hunger
was too mild a word for that needy, restless ache that had threatened to consume her. More than anything, she’d wanted him to—

“Ms. Wainright?”

Mac started as the voice flowed out of the speaker. Then, unclenching her hands, she pressed the button on the armrest. “Yes?”

“We’ve reached our cruising altitude. You can wander around the cabin or use your cell phone. Make yourself at home.”

“Thanks.”

Reaching into her bag, Mac took out her phone. She was about to press a button to speed-dial Sophie when she realized that it wasn’t her phone. It was the color of white mother-of-pearl. Hers was black. A quick search of her bag confirmed her suspicion. When they’d switched outfits in the back of Sophie’s shop, they’d switched the identical purses they’d bought too. After punching in her own number, she listened to it ring.

“Mac?” Sophie asked. “Where are you?”

“I’m in the air.”

“Lucky you. I’m still on the ground, but we should be moving away from the gate soon. I take it everything went smoothly.”

“Everything except that I have your purse.”

“Yeah. I figured that out when I grabbed the phone. But it shouldn’t be a problem. You have my permission to use my credit cards. I doubt that I’ll need yours at the spa.”

“Go ahead and use them if you have to.”

“We’re lucky that’s the only thing that’s gone wrong. I can’t believe we’ve pulled this off.”

“I hate to rain on your parade, but there’s still the possibility that Lucas will send me packing and show up at your spa.”

“They don’t allow men on the premises. Besides, he’s going to be much too busy engaging in those sexual fantasies you’re going to create for him.”

What if he doesn’t? What if he refuses to—

“You’re having second thoughts, aren’t you?”

“No…well, maybe a few.” Mac sighed.

“Stick to your first answer. And don’t let my brother intimidate you. He’s a man. And in spite of his numerous and infuriating faults, he’s fair. The moment he realizes we’ve made a switch, he’ll get me on my cell phone and lecture me. I’ll make sure he knows this was all my idea—and then I’ll suggest he have one of his hotshot security people check out the spa. Uh-oh. We’re starting to pull away from the gate. Just remember that when Lucas finds out I’m perfectly safe, he’ll calm right down. The rest is up to you.”

For a few minutes after Sophie broke the connection, Mac stared straight in front of her. It
was
up to her. She was used to that kind of pressure in her lab. She could handle it there.

And she would handle it once she got to Key West. In the meantime, she was going to find something else to think about. An idea bloomed in her mind and she pushed the button on her armrest.

“What can I do for you, Ms. Wainright?”

“First, you can call me Sophie.”

“Only if you agree to call me Jill.”

“Do you ever fly with a copilot?”

Jill’s laugh flowed into the cabin. “Frequently. In fact, when I fly with Mr. Wainright, I usually sit in the copilot’s seat. He prefers to be in charge.”

“A top gun?”

“You got it.”

“Could I come up there with you? I’d love to learn about flying.”

“Sure thing. I’d love the company.”

“W
HERE’S
S
OPHIE?”
Lucas bit out the words as he glanced from MacKenzie Lloyd to the pilot of his private jet. Somehow he’d managed to keep his voice low and controlled—a sharp contrast to the feelings coursing through him. The first thing he’d felt when Mac had walked down the short flight of steps from the plane was pleasure. It had sprung to life so quickly that he’d barely had time to recognize it before he’d discovered that his sister was not with her. Then the fear had struck.

“Sophie’s perfectly safe,” Mac said. “She’s at a spa in North Carolina. I…we switched places.”

Lucas shifted his gaze to Jill Roberts who had descended the short flight of steps directly behind Mac. “Are you involved in this deception?”

Mac stepped in front of his pilot. “No. I told her the truth just as we landed. Before that, I was wearing a blond wig, and she believed I was Sophie. Please don’t blame Captain Roberts. Sophie said you’d be fair.”

Ruthlessly shoving his hands into the pockets of his shorts, Lucas narrowed his eyes. It was a look he’d honed to perfection when dealing with employees who’d displeased
him. He kept Mac pinned with it while he considered what she’d said.

It would have been easy enough to fool his pilot. She hadn’t worked for Wainright Enterprises that long, and he seldom used his private jet to transport family. He’d done it this time to ensure that Sophie arrived safely. And he was also blaming Mac for something he was almost certain his sister was behind. “I want to talk to Sophie.”

“Of course.” Instead of withering under his glance, Mac efficiently punched numbers into her cell phone, then handed it to him.

He listened to two rings.

“Lucas?”

His sister’s voice had some of his fear fading. “Where in hell are you?”

“Didn’t Mac tell you? I’m on my way to the Serenity Spa in Serenity, North Carolina.”

“Hold on.” Lucas cut her off, then directed his gaze at Mac and his pilot. “You two wait right here. We’re not finished.” Turning, he strode to the privacy and shade offered by a nearby hangar.

“Where exactly is this spa?”

“I told you, Serenity, North Carolina—about an hour’s drive from Charlotte. I’ll be quite safe. The place is run by women for women. No chance of any fortune hunters here—although you might argue the prices they charge puts them in that category. I’ll give you their phone number and their Web site address. You can have one of your security men check it out.”

“I intend to. They can do it in person when they pick you up and bring you here.”

“Not a good idea, bro. I told you before, I won’t have you running my life. You promised you’d back off for a while.”

“And in return you agreed to spend some time with me down here in the Keys.”

“You had me followed. That isn’t backing off. And it’s something I won’t put up with.”

Lucas sighed. “Soph, there’s something I haven’t told you. It’s why I wanted you to come down here for a while. We need to talk.”

“Talk is the last thing I need right now. I’m sorry. I know I agreed to come there, but I…just couldn’t.”

The quick change in her tone from anger to contrition pulled at him.

“I love you, Lucas. And I know that you did what you thought was best for the family. But being with you right now is only going to make me think of how lousy I am at choosing men. I really need to be alone.”

It was the catch in her voice that had the pain shooting through him. He couldn’t help recalling the scene in his office when he’d forced her to look at the evidence Tracker had gathered on Bradley Davis. It would be a long time before he could forget the words she’d hurled at him. They’d hurt much more than the right cross she’d managed to land on his chin. She’d accused him of having ice water in his veins, of being a ruthless dictator, of caring only about Wainright Enterprises.

What else could he expect her to say? He was prepared to go to almost any length to protect the company his grandfather had built and his father had almost destroyed. He stared past the low-slung buildings that formed the small private airport. The air was stifling, not even a hint of a breeze stirred the palms. If Sophie had a built-in homing device that seemed to attract fortune hunters, she’d inherited that gene directly from their father. His last and fifth divorce had come close to destroying Wainright Enterprises.

He’d tried to tell himself that Sophie would have been hurt even more if she’d gone ahead and married Bradley Davis. But that certainty hadn’t helped a bit when she’d broken down and sobbed in his office.

“Please let me do this, Lucas. The spa has excellent security, and you can call the desk each day to check on me. You can even send one of your security people up here—as long as he’s willing to camp in the woods. No males are allowed on the grounds.”

For a moment Lucas said nothing as he ran the risks through his mind. A spa that was off-limits to men sounded secure, especially if he had Tracker assign one of his people to keep an eye on the place. While she was there, Sophie should be safe from any plot that Vincent Falcone might be hatching. Lucas drew in a deep breath. “As long as what you’re telling me about this Serenity Spa is the truth.”

“Check it out. I’m at the Charlotte airport now. Their van will be picking me up any minute. And whatever you do, don’t blame Mac for this. I talked her into it. I can be very persuasive when I set my mind to it.”

Lucas’s lips curved in a smile. “Tell me about it. Don’t worry, I’ll have your friend back in D.C. by mid-afternoon.”

“Oh, I don’t think you should do that. She has a little problem she’s depending on you to help her with, and I assured her that you were the perfect man for the job.”