Fallen Angels: Beguiled\Wanton\Uncovered (34 page)

Her hands fisted at his fickle attitude. “Then stop trying to drive me away. It's not even necessary. Believe me, Alec, I already figured out where I stand. And I'm not so naive that I have illusions of a lasting love.” Bitterness, heartache, threatened to choke her, but she added, “Not with you.”

That gave him pause. He pushed away from the wall and paced. Hands on hips, his head dropped forward, he stared at the floor for several moments in a pose of indecision and frustration. Celia could almost feel him thinking, an angry, fretful process, before he finally looked at her again. “Fair enough.” He searched her face silently, then shook his head. “Now sit. I really do need to talk to you.”

Damned pigheaded man. “Alec, that was only marginally nicer than a dog's command.”

He smiled. “I'm sorry. Would you please sit down so I can instruct you on the finer points of a wire, since you'll definitely be in possession of one before you go anywhere near Jacobs or his cronies again.”

“Is there time?” She glanced at the clock. “I have to be there in just a few hours.”

“Be where, exactly?” he asked, as she seated herself at the tiny, scarred table.

Celia winced. “I gather it's a studio of sorts. I'm supposed to do a…a photo shoot.”

Alec closed his eyes, a sure indication that he didn't exactly like what she'd just told him. “And you agreed to do this without even discussing it with me first?”

“Oh, right. What was I supposed to do, Alec? Tell Jacobs's friend, ‘Oh excuse me, please, but I have to ask my private eye pal if it's okay?' Get real.”

“I'm not your damn
pal,
Celia.”

“Don't I know it!”

He gave her a look that said she was pushing it, but kept his calm. “Okay, start over. Who is Jacobs's friend, where are you going, and who will be there?”

Well, shoot. This was going to be the tricky part. She hadn't expected Alec to be in such a rotten mood when she told him. “Jacobs has this friend, Blair Giles, who's supposedly a photographer, but Hannah told me while we were in the bathroom that he's a really nasty sort. She said Jacobs uses him to weed out the girls. If anyone balks at working with Giles, Jacobs drops them as being too risky and too much trouble. So you see, I
had
to do this, Alec. If I hadn't agreed, they'd have been on to me and I wouldn't even have the chance to talk to Hannah again.”

Alec leaned back and crossed his ankles. He was too rock steady for nervous movements, but his hands gripped the edge of the table, giving away his anxiety. “Sounds like you and little Hannah had quite a chat. If she wants to be saved, why didn't she just agree to it then?”

Celia measured her words carefully, unsure of how to convince him. “Yes, we did talk some. But she was too afraid to trust me beyond a few warnings.” Celia told him all about her close call with Jacobs and how he'd treated Hannah, how pale and afraid the girl had been afterward. “It was awful, Alec. When we got in the bathroom, she was too scared to listen to much I had to say, and definitely too afraid to linger long enough to give me a chance to convince her. All she wanted to do was warn me.”

“About Jacobs?”

Nodding, she said, “Yeah, and this Giles fellow. She told me the only way around him is to not act afraid. He…I guess he sort of likes it when he can scare a woman or make her nervous.”

Alec's entire countenance tightened until he was suddenly on his feet, standing over Celia. “Don't go.”

Her heart swelled. He could pretend what was between them was only sexual, but the heat in his eyes now told a very different story. Like a battered child, he was wary of caring too much for anyone, shying away from tenderness—or love. She didn't fool herself into thinking she could have his love, not when he guarded it so closely. But she still wanted to give him hers. Alec deserved that much, and more.

Touching his jaw with a gentle hand, she said, “I'm not her, Alec.”

He backed up, his gaze diamond hard, but also a bit panicked. “Besides being melodramatic, what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Celia stood and walked to him until she could wrap her arms around his waist. He was warm and hard and touching him made her feel more alive than she'd thought possible. “I didn't have a tragic childhood. I'm not naive or desperate. And I'm smart. I can take care of myself, Alec, and while I'm there, I'll have you to help me. It'll be okay.”

For the longest time Alec was stiff, his arms hanging at his sides. She knew he was struggling, but in the end, he wrapped her close and rocked her in his arms. “I know you're not dumb, Celia. Far from it. But you're out of your element here.”

“And that's why you're helping.” She leaned back and smiled at him. “For a price, as you so rudely reminded me.”

“Celia…”

“Which,” she added, interrupting him, “I'll expect to have to pay as soon as I get home tonight.”

His gaze softened and he looked down at her breasts in the clinging cotton. She jumped slightly when his warm palms slid to her barely clad fanny, cuddling her closer. “Is that right? Am I to understand that you'll willingly be at my mercy?”

“Very willingly,” she whispered.

His gaze shot to her face, suddenly fierce, and very possessive. Celia shivered, and cleared her throat. Teasing Alec was like tugging on the tiger's tail—exciting, but also a little nerve-wracking. “Where is this wire going to be?” she asked, quickly changing the subject and hoping to distract him. “I don't have to hide it anyplace…
risqué,
do I?”

He laughed, as she had known he would, but it was more a concession to her, an effort to lighten the mood, than in any real humor. “No, if we put it anyplace that muffled it too much, I wouldn't be able to hear a damn thing.” Then he smacked her bottom. “Not to mention how uncomfortable it might be for you.”

His wicked grin had her smiling too. “Well, thank goodness for that.”

Alec released her. “It's lucky for you I went shopping today, though I was thinking more about the night to come at the bar than anything going on this afternoon. I hated not being able to hear what Jacobs said to you, especially when you started dancing around him.”

“He'd just asked me to pose.”

“And of course you jumped to obey.”

“Of course.” Then she added, “Actually I was afraid he'd ask me into the back room to do it or something, so instead I jumped the gun and did it right there, in front of everyone. It was horribly embarrassing.”

“But you're right, it was better than being alone with him.”

She shrugged. “I thought so.”

Alec shook his head. “Well, along with food, I picked up a small detecting device that no one will notice as long as you don't advertise it. But I won't even put it directly on you. That's too risky. I was thinking maybe your purse, if you think you can keep it with you all the time.”

“Of course.”

Alec reached for a bag and dumped out the contents. Besides some things she didn't recognize, he had a fresh box of condoms—which made her cheeks bloom with renewed color—and a very ordinary-looking pen. He held it out to her. “Here you go.”

Celia blinked. “What am I supposed to do with that?”

“Keep it close. It's your bug.”

“You're kidding?” She touched the ballpoint tip and got a speck of ink on her finger. “It's just a regular pen.”

“No, it just looks like a regular pen, but it has a hidden transmitter. That little baby will pick up a whisper forty feet away and it transmits up to five hundred meters with respectable quality, which means I won't have to be too damn close, but I sure as hell intend to be close enough to get you out of there if any trouble starts.”

Alec took it from her when she started to inspect it too closely. “Let's not break it, okay? They don't come cheap.” He shook his head at her, then reached for her small bag. “If you clip it high on the inside like this, and leave your purse open, we shouldn't have any problems.”

She was really impressed. “Wherever did you find it?”

He snorted. “In a town this size? There must be at least a hundred commercial outlets, though I got that one from an underground source.”

“Just like that?”

“Celia, I couldn't drive down the block without picking up a couple dozen eavesdropping devices on a scanner. The world is not as pretty, or as secure, as you like to think.”

She ignored his continued references to her naiveté. “So how do we know Jacobs doesn't have a bug in here somewhere?”

“Because no one's been in here or I'd know about it. Believe it or not, I do pay attention.”

Celia shrugged. “Okay, so you're Super Sleuth. Forgive my doubting tendencies.”

“Smart-ass.”

“Sorry.” She grinned, showing she really wasn't the least bit contrite.

“Celia, you do have to be careful what you say around Hannah. I doubt Jacobs spends the money to bug the girls, because he strikes me as the type to be overly confident in his domination. But be careful all the same, all right?”

Celia nodded, a little overwhelmed by the possibility that any conversation she had might be listened to. With a definite edge of sarcasm, she said, “This is just great, Alec. I feel better about the whole thing already.”

A slight smile tugged at his sensual mouth. “Yeah, well don't get too cocky on me. I still don't like this setup worth a damn, and from now on, don't even think about accepting any dates without running it past me first.” When she started to object again, he shushed her with a finger pressing on her lips. “I mean it, Celia. Make up any damn excuse you want, tell him you'll have to call him after you free up some time, but no more without me approving it first. Got that?”

She nodded grudgingly. Now that she understood him a little better, she didn't mind his autocratic attitude nearly as much.

Not that she'd let him boss her around, but…

“Now,” he said, pulling her into his arms once again. “I've held off as long as I can. You prancing around here like that is making me crazy.” His voice dropped and he nuzzled her ear. “I need you, Celia.”

Already her skin tingled and her stomach did flips. The way he'd said that had sounded like so much more than just sex. She glanced at the clock. It'd be a rush, but…

“I want you, too, Alec. So much.”

The words were no sooner out of her mouth than she found herself in his arms, on her way to the bed. Some things were worth making time for.

H
E'D SCREWED UP
royally and he knew it.

Alec, crouched around a corner at the back of the warehouse “studio” where Celia was presently posing, chewed on the inside of his jaw and called himself three kinds of a fool. He'd distracted her, ruining her focus, and then sent her to her destination running late, which had made her frazzled. Whether or not she'd absorbed his last few warnings of caution and discretion, he couldn't say. After he'd kept her in bed for an hour, exorcising his own private demons on her very willing body, she'd had to fly through her shower, and fixing her hair and makeup. She'd thought the result majorly disappointing.

Alec knew any man looking at her would go nuts.

With her slightly tousled hair, her glowing eyes and cheeks and her kiss-swollen lips, she looked like sensuality incarnate, like a woman made to take a man, and there wasn't a male alive who wouldn't recognize and appreciate the picture she presented.

It was one more thing to put him on edge. The whole setup stunk to high heaven. The “studio” was definitely a facade, more an abandoned warehouse in a not-so-great area where law enforcement didn't make the time to visit with any regularity. The building was old, the brick facing a little rough and dirty in places. Alec had circled the whole building before Celia went in, and on the west side there were even some windows that had been boarded up. It looked as though only part of the warehouse was in use—the part Giles and Jacobs needed to lure in young women.

The blacktop parking lot where Alec crouched was sweltering hot with the midday sun burning down on him. Sweat trickled down his temples and down the small of his back, but he ignored the discomforts, all his focus on Celia and what she was about to do.

Small background noises reached Alec through his receiver as Celia was greeted and walked down a long concrete hallway. He heard the cavernous echoing of her high heels, the sounds of opening and closing doors, then stillness. They'd obviously taken her to a back office.

A male voice intruded, making Alec's senses come alive.

“Ms. Sharpe! You're right on time.”

Alec's brows rose.
Ms. Sharpe?
She'd used
his
last name? A grin teased at his mouth until he caught himself and frowned. His instinctive reaction unnerved him, but he didn't have time to ponder the ramifications of it, not when Celia and the man were speaking. He didn't want to miss a single word, though so far the conversation was banal enough. This man, then, wasn't Blair Giles. The voice was young and enthusiastic and slightly flirtatious. Alec could well imagine any young man being enamored of Celia in her light-colored blouse and short skirt, her shapely legs posed in the ridiculously high heels. Something about spiked heels like that made a woman seem vulnerable, like she was almost hobbled, awaiting a man's pleasure. Alec shook his head, remembering how carefully and delicately Celia walked in the damn things.

He sure as hell hadn't been immune.

Then the door opened and closed again, voices spoke softly, and the young man was dismissed.

“Celia, it's good to see you again.”

“Hello, Mr. Giles.”

She sounded nervous, and Alec wanted to kick his own ass for not doing more to reassure her before letting her go. He'd been intent only on his own pleasures, and on keeping reality at bay. It was bad enough when he'd stupidly stayed the whole night with her, leaving their association open to discovery. Luckily, Jacobs felt she was safe and hadn't had her watched through the night. But it had still been pretty dark when Alec had left this morning, and he'd stuck to the shadows, being careful to avoid announcing his presence.

“What do you think of my studio?”

“It's…it's not quite what I expected.”

“But it is perfect. The large space, the concrete floor and high ceilings, make setting up for shoots perfect. The reflection is ideal for my lighting equipment. I was thrilled to find it. And believe me, I've done some of my best work here.”

“Then I'm really honored that you asked me to pose here.”

“My pleasure.” There was quiet, some shuffling. “Now, Celia, none of that. No blushes. There are few relationships as close as that between model and photographer, so you're going to have to accustom yourself to me touching you.”

Touching her? Alec saw red and wanted to interrupt them right now. Much more of this stress and his heart would quit. Only Celia's soft, teasing voice calmed him.

“I'm just flustered to be here. I mean, it's so exciting! To think I might actually be in a magazine!”

“Oh, you'll definitely appear in the spread. I can almost guarantee that.” There was a smile in the man's tone that set Alec's teeth on edge. “That is, if you allow me to do my job the best that I can—which means you're going to have to relax. Now, why don't we start with a few simple shots, and then you can change.”

A small silence. “Change?”

“Of course.” Alec heard a sound like a stool being dragged across the bare floor. “Here you go. Sit your pretty self right here in front of the backdrop while I adjust the lights.”

“Oh. They're almost blinding. I can barely see.”

“Don't worry about it, you'll get used to it. I can see perfectly, and that's what matters. Just put this leg here—that's right.”

Celia giggled, making Alec want to punch through the brick wall he leaned against.

“And this leg like so—lovely. No, don't pull your knees together. This is to be a relaxed pose. Now, chin up and smile.”

“Like this?”

“Come, Celia. You can do better than that.” The sound of a shutter clicking filled the air. “I want a coy, seductive look. Pretend you're waiting naked in bed for your lover.”

She laughed, and the sound was strained. “But I don't have a lover.”

Another pause. “Very nice—tilt your head.” Then: “No lover? Why, that's an awful pity for a woman as sexy as yourself. Does this mean you're entirely free?”

“My eyes are watering.”

“Go ahead and close them a minute.” His voice was oily, calculating. “Can you answer me, please?”

“What? Oh, no, I'm totally free. I don't want to tie myself down with some possessive ape. There's too much I want to do still.”

“Hmmm. Then perhaps you'd like to join me tonight for another party. You made quite an impression last night and there are a few other people Marc and I would like to introduce you to.”

“Another party? My gosh, there's so much going on here!”

“Never a dull moment. So what do you say? Would you like to meet some more important people?”

Even before she spoke, Alec knew what she would say. The little idiot would disregard the order he'd given her.

“That would be wonderful!”

Alec plowed both hands through his hair.
Damn, damn, damn.

“Excellent.”

“Will there be anyone there I already know? Like Hannah and Jade?”

Alec groaned.
Don't push it, babe.
Though she merely sounded excited, he didn't want her taking any chances by trying to move too fast, or associating herself with one particular person.

“Oh, of course! Hannah is one of Marc's favorite girls. He takes her everywhere. I'm not sure about Jade, but I'll mention it to Marc. I'm sure he won't mind obliging you.” There was the rustle of papers. “Here's the address. No, don't get up, I'll just stick it in your purse. Be there at six o'clock, dressed in something sexy. Actually, what you wore last night would work.”

“Again? But—”

The paper crinkled against the transmitter, for the moment blocking out all other sounds. But luckily Giles didn't pay the pen any mind because Alec clearly heard the next words, telling him the pen hadn't been disturbed.

“You looked lovely in it, and no will notice or care, I promise you. Now, are you ready? Okay, turn the other way. No, like this.”

“Oh!”

“You're very soft, Celia.”

“Thank…thank you.”

Alec's hands bunched into fists. Nothing that was happening could have been any worse than his imagination. He wanted to kill Giles with his bare hands.

“But it is hot under the lights, isn't it? Even the air-conditioning doesn't help. You must be smothering in that outfit.”

Alec stiffened. The bastard. He was touching her and talking softly to her and he didn't even have the decency to try for a believable pretense! His line was so obvious, he may as well have said,
I want you naked now.

Alec could feel Celia's hesitation when she nervously whispered, “It is rather warm.”

“Well, lucky for you, the magazine ad calls for a lot of skin to show. Sometimes we're stuck modeling fur coats! That's really miserable, I can tell you. But the ad I have in mind for you is for an all-over body lotion. I have to send them several shots of different models so they can decide who best suits them, but I honestly believe you have the very best chance. All we need to do is convince them of that, and then you're on your way. Here you go, take this.”

“What is it?”

A rough male laugh. “Your costume of sorts. You'll strip down and pose on the stool, using the length of velvet to insure your, ah, modesty. With your fair hair and golden eyes, along with the white backdrop, the red velvet will look…delicious, and make a startling contrast. You really do have excellent skin, so we need to show that off.”

“I…ah…”

“Celia, you have a lovely body, one you should be proud of. Models are known, judged and selected for their bodies. If you're serious about this, you have to be willing to flaunt your assets. And believe me, your body, slim but with plenty of proper curves, is an asset.
Use it.
”

Say no,
Alec thought, his mind rebelling, his muscles drawing tight, his heart crashing against his ribs,
refuse right now and get the hell out of there.

There was a heavy pause, pregnant with anticipation, and then he heard Celia ask very softly, “Where should I change?”

Even as he was already moving, one plan after another jumping through his brain, Alec cursed and cursed again. When he got her home…

Thinking of a dire enough threat would slow him down, and right now he needed to keep his focus. He could, and would, figure out what to do with Celia later.

For now, he had to save her sweet little butt.

 

C
ELIA'S HEART DRUMMED
so roughly she thought it might punch right through her chest. She clutched the red velvet in her fists, trying not to crush it, while fighting the urge to run.

This was her test. Giles was testing her, probably at Jacobs's urging, to see if she was genuine. A real model “wanna-be” in her desperate shoes would likely jump at the opportunity to show herself to favor, especially to the prestigious magazine people Giles claimed to know.

A real P.I. intent on saving another woman wouldn't hesitate to pass the damn test.

It didn't take her long to decide she had no choice, none at all. She would see Hannah tonight, and somehow she'd convince her. Maybe Jade, too. She'd like to shut Jacobs's entire operation down. She wanted him behind bars, where he couldn't ever hurt anyone again.

Her face turned red-hot as she thought about Alec listening in. It was even harder than she'd suspected, knowing he heard every word and that he was no doubt furious, cursing her even as she struggled with her decision.
Please understand, Alec. I
have
to do this, I have to save Hannah.

Her train of thought stopped cold when Giles put his hand on her bottom, urging her behind a very slightly curtained area—thankfully still close to where her purse sat so that if need be, she could summon Alec.

“Hurry along now. We don't have all day. You can just leave your clothing—all of it—on the hooks on the wall.”

Celia drew in a deep breath. The curtain wasn't all that wide or concealing. Giles could see her from the neck up and the knees down. Never had she felt so exposed, knowing he watched as she forced herself through such an uncomfortable, denigrating situation.

And that had to be his plan. She remembered Hannah telling her Giles enjoyed frightening women. She'd had a taste of his methods already while in Marc Jacobs's den, when Giles had pulled her close and kissed her. She'd wanted to throw up then, to claw his face. Holding back her panic had taken a lot of effort. But he'd known how the rapid familiarity had upset her, and he'd enjoyed it.

Remembering made Celia stiffen her spine. She wouldn't give the cretin the satisfaction of knowing how he'd thrown her off balance again.

Smiling at him, watching his face light up with interest and his green eyes darken, she laid the velvet over the curtain rod and began unbuttoning her blouse. “How long do you think it'll be before we hear about the photos?”