Catching the Bad Guy (Book Two) (Janet Maple Series) (34 page)

He opened the small fridge and reached for a bottle
of orange juice. The cool liquid soothed his parched throat. Holding the now
half-empty bottle, Alec walked over to the window to check out his new view.
All in all, he was happy with his new digs. The rent was reasonable, and the
view was not bad either. From the top floor he had an unobstructed view of
Second Avenue. Not exactly the poshest of locations, but it would do. In a
couple of days, once the paint smell aired out, he could move in.

For the past two years, he had been shacking up in
an old warehouse in the meatpacking district. Jason, his school buddy had let
him stay there rent free. The place was perfect: plenty of space for dance
practice and no neighbors to complain about Alec blasting his music too loud.
But now that Jason was “retiring” from his investment banking job and
reinventing himself as a bartender, he needed the space back in order to start
construction for his bar. Alec was not picky when it came to living quarters,
as long as he had plenty of open space, which was why when the real estate
agent had shown him the top floor, converted loft on Second Avenue and
Eightieth Street, he had signed the lease immediately.

One thing he had not counted on was fussy neighbors.
Alec smiled, thinking of the unexpected morning visitor. “Claire,” he mouthed
her name, remembering her tousled chestnut hair and hazel eyes. Even that bulky
bathrobe she had been wearing could not conceal the shapely outlines of her
body.

Of course, a girl like that was bound to be a
challenge. But he had always liked challenges, and the fact that he was a
professional tango dancer usually played in his favor. Usually, but it might
not be so this time. Alec flinched, remembering Claire’s reaction to his
innocent question about her music taste.
What was all that about
? he
wondered. As far as he was concerned, no one could resist tango. Well, he would
get to the bottom of Claire’s music idiosyncrasies in due time, but in the
meantime, he needed to think of a way to become more neighborly.

“Think of the devil,” Alec murmured, taking another
gulp of orange juice as he spotted the subject of his thoughts exiting the
lobby.
Someone must have a hot night planned
, he thought, his eyes
examining every detail of Claire’s outfit, which was far more flattering than
the bathrobe he remembered from this morning. Now, she was dressed in a little
black number that fitted her body to a T. His instincts had been right; from
long, shapely legs to a firm, flat stomach to wonderfully full breasts, her
body was downright perfect, and the way her chestnut mane bounced down her back
made Alec want to get to know his neighbor better.
Heading out for a night
on the town
, Alec mused. It was Saturday night after all, and he was glad
to remark the absence of a male companion by Claire’s side. Suddenly, his new
building looked even more appealing.

Chapter 2

As she exited the lobby of her building, Claire had
a funny feeling that she was being watched: the eerie, nagging sensation one
gets when being stared at. She looked around, but seeing that the street was
empty, she attributed her discomfort to the dress she was wearing. It was new,
and to her mind, way too revealing. She had bought it at her friend’s, Amber’s,
suggestion, and now she wished she had opted for a different outfit. Claire
pulled on the hem of her dress that barely covered her mid-thigh. Usually, she
never wore skirts above the knee, but Amber had insisted that she look
super-hot for the party. There would be fashion models and movie starlets, and
if Claire were not careful, David’s eyes just might wander, Amber had cautioned
her. Claire had laughed Amber off. It took more than flashy looks to impress
David, but she had bought the dress nonetheless, along with a set of Spanx,
which was now pinching her behind mercilessly.

Claire could hardly believe her eyes when she
spotted an empty cab heading her way. She waved her hand, instantly checking
for possible competition. The simple act of hailing a cab could easily turn
into a battle on the Upper East Side.

“Mercer and Houston,” Claire gave the cab driver the
directions and leaned back against the car seat. She opened her purse and
checked her reflection in the mirror for the umpteenth time. Normally, she was
not one to fuss about her looks, but when it came to David, she wanted to look
perfect.

She had been dating David Lawson for almost a year.
Eleven glorious months to be precise, and at times, Claire still could not
believe that of all women David had chosen her. After all, David Lawson had not
been hailed New York’s most eligible bachelor by the tabloids for no reason. At
thirty-three, David had the world in the palm of his hand: blond, six three,
with rock hard abs and a smile that could melt the snows of Antarctica, he was
the sole heir to the Lawson real estate empire. His father, Allan Lawson, owned
half of Manhattan, and David was to follow in his father’s footsteps. He had
just recently been promoted to vice president of Lawson Enterprises, and
everyone knew that one day, sooner rather than later, David would run the
company. Sure, the fact that he was the owner’s son contributed to his
advancement in the firm, but David had proven himself fair and square by
learning the business from the bottom up, putting in long hours, and most
importantly, coming up with groundbreaking ideas. But all of these impressive
attributes were not the reason why Claire Chatfield was swept off her feet by
David Lawson. She was not impervious to good looks and money, but she looked
for much more in a man, and she had found it in David: he was kind, reliable,
and he took great pride in his profession.

But eleven months ago, all Claire knew about David
Lawson was that David was a handsome heir who charmed his way through life. His
womanizing reputation preceded him, so when David approached her at one of
Amber’s mixers, Claire had pretty much blown him off. She had been polite, but
that was where it ended, and when David tried to get her number, she feigned an
excuse and left the party.

Her surprise was too big for words when, upon coming
in to work the next morning, Claire found two dozen white roses on her desk
with a note from David. Her fingers trembling, she dialed Amber and shared the
mind-boggling news. Somehow, the idea of receiving flowers from David Lawson
did not quite fit into Claire’s mind. Who sent flowers these days? Of all the
men she had dated (granted, there had not been that many) this was a first for
her.

“That’s because David is a true gentleman,” Amber
had countered, “and it was really stupid of you to blow him off last night. He
really liked you, you know.”

“Somehow I doubt that David Lawson has a shortage of
dates,” Claire had retorted. “And I’m not about to become his next one-night
stand.”

“Well, I think you’ve made that perfectly clear.
Hence, the flowers. Just don’t overdo it, okay?”

“You mean there’s more to come?”

“I imagine he’s going to ask you out. That’s how men
usually act when they like a girl, not that you’d have any idea with the hermit
lifestyle that you’ve been practicing.”

“I’m very happy with my life, thank you very much.”

“Just go out with David already, okay? I’m a PR
agent, not a matchmaker. It’s bad enough he had to call me to get your phone
number. I don’t want to be the messenger between the two of you.”

“Fair enough. I’ll go out with him to get him off
your back, but that’s where it ends.”

“Aha. Let’s wait and see what you’ll be saying after
your date with him.”

At the time Claire had scoffed at Amber’s reply, but
her friend’s words turned out to be prophetic after all. It had only taken a
handful of dates for Claire to fall for David Lawson.

Lost in her reminiscences, Claire did not notice
that the cab driver had already reached the destination and was waiting to be
paid. She quickly handed him the fare, ran her hand over her hair one last
time, and opened the car door.

“Claire. I was looking forward to seeing you all
day.” David was by her side as soon as her feet had reached the curb.

“David.” Her heart surged as she wrapped her arms
around her boyfriend’s neck.

“I’m so sorry you had to trudge over here in a cab.
I was stuck at the office.”

“That’s all right.” She smiled dreamily at him,
thinking that as long as she wound up in David’s arms, she did not care how she
got there.

“Let’s go inside before it gets too crowded.” David
pulled her closer to him, and feeling secure with his arm on the small of her
back, Claire followed.

“Claire!” Amber air-kissed her on both cheeks.
“Isn’t this a great turnout?”

“As usual, you’ve outdone yourself.” Claire surveyed
the vast crowd, spotting familiar faces she remembered from ads and magazines.

“By the end of the evening, Club Metro is going to
be the hottest club in town.” Amber shook her platinum blond hair with
exuberance. “And, of course, I have to thank two of my closest friends for
supporting me.” Amber flashed David a playful smile. “Having David Lawson as a
guest at an event immediately raises the hotness status by two hundred
percent.”

“Well, you’re looking hot enough to light this place
up all on your own, Amber.” David pinched Amber’s cheek.

“Such a tease!” Amber giggled, her lashes batting
playfully over her sky-blue eyes. “You two go upstairs, into the VIP lounge.
I’ve got to work the grind here.”

“We’ll see you later, Amber.” David flashed one of
his dazzling smiles, reaching for Claire’s hand.

“By the way, Claire, you look awesome in this
dress,” Amber whispered. “Aren’t you glad you let me talk you into buying it?”

“Thanks, Amber. You’re looking great yourself.” As
usual, Amber was not to be outdone. Dressed in a sequined mini-dress that clung
to her lanky, model-like body, she looked like she was wearing a gown of melted
silver.

Upstairs, they were immediately whisked into a VIP
booth, where a bottle of Dom Perignon awaited them in an ice bucket.

“Pretty swanky, huh?” David uncorked the champagne
without so much as a whisper of a sound. He poured the sparkling liquid into
Claire’s glass and filled his own. “Here’s to my girl.”

Claire smiled and lifted the glass to her lips. She
loved it when David called her his girl - there was something so sweetly
old-fashioned about it.

“So, how was your day?” she asked him.

“There was only one good thing about it: looking
forward to seeing you.” David squeezed her hand, and Claire thought she was
going to literally melt under his gaze. He had had this effect on her ever
since they met, and at times, she wondered if she would ever start taking David
for granted. At the moment, it seemed impossible. “And that’s all I care to say
about my day at the office on a Saturday. How was your day, baby?”

“I had the craziest morning.”

“Oh? What happened?”

“I got a new neighbor, and he was playing his music
really loud...” The image of Alec’s bare torso materialized in Claire’s mind as
she remembered him moving to the sensual tango music. Flustered, she halted
into silence. Here she was, sitting across from the most desirable man in all
of New York and most likely in the world, having ridiculous thoughts about her
impertinent neighbor.

“So the two of you thought you could slink away, did
you? I know all the hiding places.” Amber sidled into the seat next to David.

For once, Claire was glad of Amber’s interruption.

“Aren’t you two going to dance?” Amber asked.

As if on cue, a deafening blast of techno filled the
room.

Claire glanced at the empty dance floor and shook
her head. “Oh, you know us, Amber. David and I don’t dance.”

“That’s right.” David nodded. “I can think of far
better things to do with my girl than grinding on the dance floor.”

Even David Lawson had an imperfection. It was his
utter lack of rhythm and musical timing - a flaw that Claire had found most
endearing when she had overheard David singing in the shower. David took care
to stay off the dance floor, and Claire adored him all the more for it.

“Suit yourselves.” Amber rose from her seat. In her
usual devil-may-care fashion, she approached a Calvin Klein underwear model
whose picture Claire remembered from a billboard. In no time at all, the two
were in the center of the dance floor. Amber’s body slithered this way and that
as she pressed herself against the taut, muscular body of the underwear hunk,
undaunted by the fact that they were the only couple dancing. Of course, that
did not remain the case for long. Ever since her cheerleading days in high
school, Amber had possessed an uncanny ability to get people to do what she
wanted, and she did not fail now. In a handful of moments, the dance floor
became flooded as everyone in the room rushed in to follow Amber. Everyone but
David.

“What do you say we call it a night, baby?” David
glanced at Claire across the table.

Claire nodded with relief. That was another thing
she adored about David. Most people would have never suspected that despite all
the publicity and the flashy events he had to attend, deep down David Lawson
was a homebody.

Chapter 3

Upon waking up the next morning, Claire arched her
back, relishing the feel of the satin sheets against her skin. Beside her,
David lay breathing evenly, still asleep. It had only been a couple of months
since she had finally gotten comfortable enough to actually be able to sleep
with him in the same bed. Before, Claire would always find an excuse to go home
after they made love, but David had gotten onto her. One night, he insisted on
staying at her place, and ever since then, they had been taking turns between
his and her apartments. Granted, David’s split-level junior four apartment in a
full service luxury building in Battery Park was a lot more glamorous than
Claire’s place.