janet maple 05 - it doesnt pay to be bad (22 page)

Tina measured her with a long stare. “If you’re lying, you must be really good at it. And you don’t strike me as someone that good at it.”

“Gee, thanks,” Janet said dryly.

“I’ll take your word for it. It’s not like I have a choice anyway. We’re stuck working together until this case is over.” Tina raked her fingers through her hair. “Ugh, I wish it were over already. I don’t even know why I’m so upset. I wanted Daniel to leave me alone and now that he has, I feel slighted, pushed to the side. That man has a way of getting under my skin.”

“So don’t let him.” Janet squeezed her arm. “You can’t let your personal feelings get in the way.”

“You’re married to Dennis,” Tina said testily. “Doesn’t that get in the way?”

“There are times when it makes our jobs extremely difficult. But we get through it and we never let our personal feelings get in the way of our work. One of the reasons I didn’t change my last name was to keep things more professional at work.”

“Makes sense,” Tina muttered. “I guess not everyone is as good at it as you are. Not that Daniel and I are involved in any way,” she added hurriedly.

“I tell you what, if Daniel really likes you, he can wait until the case is over to ask you out. And then the two of you can have as many dates as you’d like.”

“I don’t want to date him. I want to forget him.”

“Right now that would be the most sensible thing to do,” Janet said. “But in the future, everything could change.”

Just then the door opened and a woman walked in to use the bathroom.

“Ready to head back to the office?” Janet asked. The last thing they needed was an FBI employee overhearing them.

Tina nodded. “I’m ready. Ready to put that good for nothing womanizing schmuck out of my mind once and for all.”

Chapter 17—the Day of the Gala

Her eyes still half-closed, Tina stretched out her arms over her head, as she always did whenever she got to sleep late. It took her a moment to realize that she wasn’t in her own bed, and she plopped down her arms abruptly and pulled the covers up to her chin. She looked around, conscious of Daniel Garrett’s imposing bed canopy hanging over her head. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Daniel on the loveseat, still asleep. This wasn’t her idea, nor was it Daniel’s. To her dismay, Agent Norris had insisted on the arrangement, saying that it would look more convincing this way.

Today was the day of Daniel Garrett’s much anticipated gala, and it wouldn’t do for his fiancée to arrive to his mansion on the day of the festivities. No, it would be only natural for her to stay overnight and help Daniel with the arrangements, or so Agent Norris maintained, oblivious to any scruples Tina might have on the subject. But then she wasn’t supposed to have any because this was a job. At least Daniel had been the perfect gentleman, opting to sleep on the loveseat. The two of them staying in the same room, despite the numerous spare bedrooms in the grand house, was again Agent Norris’s idea, lest the household staff should get suspicious.

Tina was about to tiptoe out of the bed—underneath the blanket she was fully dressed in sweats and a sweatshirt—when she heard Daniel stir.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked.

“Surprisingly so,” she admitted. Despite her anxiety about sharing the bedroom with Daniel, she had slept like a baby.

“I’m glad to hear it. At least this monstrosity of a bed is good for something.” He groaned, getting up to his feet and rubbed his back.

“Are you okay?” Tina asked.

“I’m fine. Despite its name, the loveseat isn’t exactly ‘loving’ of one’s backside.”

“That’s because loveseats aren’t meant for sleeping, but for lovers to sit on,” she blurted out before she could stop herself.

“Noted. I’ll be sure to take that under advisement.” He cracked a smile, mischief glinting in his eyes.

She blushed in spite of herself. “Should we go downstairs and check on the preparations?”

“Good idea. I’ll leave you to shower and get dressed. See you downstairs in twenty minutes?”

“Sounds great.”

She waited for him to leave the room and headed for the shower.

“Don’t mess up,” she chanted to herself as she stood under the pulsating hot stream of water.

The big day was finally here and they all had to play their part without a hitch. For Tina it meant that she had to go on pretending to be in love with Daniel Garrett without actually being in love with him. She couldn’t deny that her assignment was getting more and more challenging with each day, and the worst part was that it wasn’t even Daniel’s fault, at least not anymore.

Since the night of their exuberant dinner at the French restaurant, he’d been surprisingly reserved and business-like, and she’d be a liar to say that she wasn’t disappointed by the change. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she missed Daniel’s flirting, and she couldn’t help wondering what had caused the change in his behavior. Yes, there had been that meeting with Agent Norris very sternly telling everyone to behave, but she doubted that was the sole reason for the change. Daniel Garrett didn’t seem like the kind of man who took orders on how to behave, even if the orders came from the FBI. Perhaps he had simply gotten bored with her—after all he was an exuberant billionaire and his whims changed as frequently as the weather. Whatever the reason, Tina wished she could stop thinking about him, but it was hard to do when she had to constantly face Daniel in meetings and briefings. To his credit, Daniel had been true to his word and had included Agent Norris in every single meeting he had with Tina—so much so that she wished he hadn’t. Thankfully, this assignment was almost over. All she had to do was make it through tonight and after that she’d never have to see Daniel Garrett again.

“Get this nonsense out of your mind,” Tina muttered to herself as she meticulously blow-dried her hair. Normally she would simply rake her fingers through her mane under the stream of hot air, but today she meticulously wrapped a round brush over each strand, pulling and tugging them into perfect locks to give herself time to collect her thoughts.

With her hair perfectly coiffed, Tina pulled on her jeans and top, shoved her feet into comfortable rubber-soled shoes and headed downstairs. The fancy outfit and makeup would come later—she still had to surveil Garrett’s estate to make sure preparations for the gala were on track. Last minute vanity made her pause for a quick dusting of powder on her face and a dash of lip gloss. Moments later she was racing down the stairs, expecting to find Garrett waiting for her.

When she reached the ground floor, Tina was surprised to see Garrett’s butler. The butler bowed differentially.

“My apologies, Miss Sloan, but Mr. Garrett had an urgent phone call. He asked that you have breakfast without him.”

“Very well.” Tina smiled brightly. “I’m starving.”

“Please follow me.”

Tina followed the butler to the dining room where she saw a breakfast table set up. After she sat down, the butler lifted the covers off the dishes, revealing pancakes, bacon, eggs, and toast.

“The cook followed Mr. Garrett’s instructions for the breakfast selection,” said the butler. “Of course if you’d prefer a fruit salad or smoothie—”

“Nope, this is perfect. Mmm, smells delicious.” Tina was about to dig in when she noticed the confused expression on the butler’s face. She guessed the amount of food on her plate probably comprised a weekly ration for the kind of girl Garrett typically dated. But she was no stick-thin model and she could use comfort food this morning. “Could I get a cup of coffee?” Tina asked, shoving a forkful of pancake into her mouth, as the butler stood there, looking shocked.

“Of course, Miss Sloan. I was just about to ask if you prefer coffee or tea.” Embarrassed, the butler shuffled about and hurried to fill her cup. “Will there be anything else?”

“Not at the moment. Once I’m finished with breakfast, I’d like to take a look in the kitchen to see how the preparations are going.”

“Of course.” The butler bowed slightly. “I’ll inform the cook.” With that he left the room, leaving Tina to finish her breakfast in solitude.

Tina wondered about the phone call that had kept Daniel from joining her for breakfast. Of all the times he’d sought her company unnecessarily, today was the day the two of them should stay in close contact. There was still a lot of ground they needed to cover before the gala tonight. She munched on her pancakes, wondering if she should seek out Daniel after breakfast or proceed to check on the gala preparations without him. She was about to pop the last piece of her pancake into her mouth when the door opened and Daniel walked inside.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting.” His glance fell on her plate. “I wasn’t sure what you’d like for breakfast, so I told the cook to do a full spread.”

“I’m glad you did.” She grinned approvingly. “Won’t you join me?”

“I just had a blueberry and spinach smoothie.”

She scrunched up her nose. “Sounds gross.”

“It’s supposed to be very nutritious and help with mental clarity. I read it in an article by a very reputable nutritionist whose name escapes me right now.”

“I see the mental clarity thing is working,” she teased him. “But seriously speaking, you never mentioned the smoothie thing before and it wasn’t in your bio. As your fiancée I’m supposed to know things like that.”

“Don’t worry—I was just trying it out today, with it being a big day and all. Plus I don’t plan on discussing my diet with Bassand.”

“Just making sure.” Tina lifted her coffee cup and took a long swallow. “This coffee is heavenly, as was the rest of the breakfast. My compliments to your cook.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” He picked up a stick of bacon from her plate. “Mmm, maybe I ought to rethink the whole smoothie situation.”

“I think so. If I knew about your Spartan regimen, I would’ve saved you a pancake.”

“Thanks for the offer,” he said visibly stiffening, and she wondered if she had overdone it by inadvertently flirting with him. “Shall we take the tour of the grounds to make sure everything is ready?” he asked, all business.

“By all means.” Tina got up from her seat. “Lead the way.”

He nodded and pulled the door open for her. But he didn’t offer her his arm, as he used to—a gesture that had made her so nervous before and that she so longed for now.

***

“Have you heard from Tina? Are we all set for tonight?” asked Dennis, as he fastened his bowtie.

“For the umpteenth time, yes,” Janet replied.

“No need to get touchy,” Dennis shot back. “I’m just making sure everything is in order.”

“You’ve only asked me this like sixty times already.”

“You can never be over prepared,” he countered.

“Weren’t you the one telling me that Tina didn’t need any hand holding?”

“Agreed. It’s not her I’m worried about, it’s us because if she or Garrett mess up, our necks will be on the line.”

“Great. You’ve just made me feel fantastic.” Janet exhaled. “Can you please just cut the crap and let me get ready in peace? We’re supposed to pick up Bassand and Nicole in less than an hour.”

Dennis drew a line over his lips with his fingers. “I promise to be as mute as a monk that has taken a vow of silence.”

Janet cocked an eyebrow. “It’ll either have to be a very brief vow or a very undisciplined monk.”

“We’ll see about that.” Dennis proceeded to fumble with his tie, looking self-righteous. “Dammit, this tie just won’t tie,” he grumbled.

“That vow of silence lasted a whole five seconds,” Janet observed.

“Fine, I agree—I wouldn’t make a very good monk after all, not that I would ever want to become one and give up my very hot wife,” he added with a wink.

“Good point. Here, let me help you with this tie.”

“Lenny and his ideas. I don’t see what was wrong with my clip-on,” Dennis complained.

“It’s a clip-on,” Janet pointed out as she attempted to tie Dennis’s tie into a perfect bow. “Hold still.”

“It’s from Brooks Brothers,” Dennis countered, holding very still.

“It’s still a clip on. This’ll be a very fancy affair—a clip on won’t do.”

“Oh yeah? How’s it going Mrs. Fashion Police?”

“All done,” Janet said proudly, stepping back to examine her results. “A perfect bow.”

“Let me have a look.” Dennis glanced in the mirror. “Huh, it does look better than a clip-on.”

“See? And you look very dapper in this tuxedo of yours,” she added.

“It’s not mine—Lenny picked it out, hence the skin-tight fit. But if my wife likes it, I guess I can put up with it for one night.”

“Nicole better keep her hands off of you.” Janet checked her lipstick in the mirror.

“What are you talking about?” Dennis asked.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t notice the way she flirts with you.”

“I didn’t. Okay, maybe a little,” Dennis admitted under Janet’s penetrating stare. “But she only does it to annoy you. I doubt she’s really interested in me. And even if she were,” he added hurriedly, “I couldn’t care less.”

“You’d better not.” She nudged him lightly with her elbow. “I’m not going to share my man with anyone, job assignment or not.”

“You’ll never have to worry about that,” Dennis said solemnly. “And I might add that you look dashing in this dress Lenny picked out for you.”

“I do, don’t I?” Janet exclaimed giddily, checking her reflection in their full size bedroom mirror. Somehow Leonard had convinced Agent Norris to give him carte blanche on the wardrobe. For the gala, he’d selected a strapless floor-length gown of dark blue silk taffeta that hugged Janet’s body perfectly. When Janet saw the designer label she nearly gasped—the dress had to have cost a fortune. She wondered how the bureau was going to fit that into their budget, but then decided to leave it to Agent Norris to deal with. It wasn’t every day that she got to wear a designer gown. “Lenny may have many faults, but he’s got a great taste in clothes.”

“Women’s clothes—yes,” Dennis clarified. “You look ravishing,” he murmured, leaning in for a kiss.

“Careful—you’ll get my lipstick all over you. We’d better get going or we’re going to be late.”