Seducing His Heart (19 page)

He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
“I adore you. Don’t give up.”

“
Feeling’s
mutual.”

As soon as he was gone,
she left the building. The heaviness in her heart over the breakup
with Whit doubled its weight. Loss of her job left her
rootless.
What will I do with my
time?
Bess had been working one way or
another since she was fourteen. Being unemployed at thirty-two was
a new experience, and not a pleasant one.
How can you relax on a vacation when you don’t know what’s
going to happen to you when you get home?

“
Howdy, Miss Bess. You’re
home early,” Crash said, holding the door open for her.

At the sight of his friendly face, the dam
burst, and Bess collapsed sobbing into his embrace. He held her
close, whipping out a hanky. The roughness of his uniform against
her cheek soothed her. Crash had always been friendly, but
respectful. He made her feel safe. She was embarrassed to have
crossed over the line with her outburst. She pushed off him, taking
a deep, shuddering breath, trying to control her emotions.

Whitfield Bass sauntered into the lobby with
his dog on a leash. Their gazes connected, and his face turned
stony. She tried to hide her tears, but he took her chin in his
hand. Red, puffy eyes gave her away.

“
What happened?” he
asked.

“
Nothing.”

“
Clearly not ‘nothing.’
This couldn’t be over me?”

“
Don’t flatter yourself. I
lost my job because of your broadcast.”

“
Come on. No. Your show
was canceled?” Concern filled his eyes.

“
I’m on hiatus. My
contract is up in a couple of weeks. I’m sure the station has no
intention of renewing.”

“
Did they say
that?”

“
Not in so many words. But
I got the message.”

“
Then, you’re not outright
fired.”

“
Look, Mr. Wise Ass, when
they say you’re on hiatus for a convenient few weeks, when your
contract is up…duh. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know
what they mean.”

“
Suppose you’re
right.”

“
Thank you, Mr.
Know-it-all.”

“
You don’t have to get
snippy.”

“
Snippy? Snippy?” Her
voice rose. “I’ve been ruined, dragged through the mud, and fired
because of your double-dealing, and you don’t think I have the
right to be snippy?” With that, she slapped him across the
face.

Crash was as surprised as Whit, whose face
turned red.

Bess sucked in air. Her hand flew to cover
her mouth. “I’m sorry, Whit, so sorry,” she muttered, her eyes
wide.

“
Yeah. I’ll bet.” He
rubbed his skin. She tried to cup his cheek, but he captured her
wrist. “Oh, no. One shot is all you get.”

“
I didn’t mean
it.”

“
Yes, you did.”

“
I’m upset about the
job…”

“
And I’m responsible. I
get the drill. I’m sorry you lost the show. I wish I could change
everything that happened, but I can’t.” He took out his card.
“Here’s my office number. If I can do something to help you find a
new gig, call me.”

She wanted him to take her
in his arms and hold her. She wanted to disappear into him, bask in
his love, and be soothed by kind words. She already suspected he
had told her the truth about the news team, that it probably wasn’t
his fault. Instead, she’d slapped him, assaulted him. And in front
of Crash, too.
I humiliated him. How
stupid am I? Now, he’s gone forever.

Crash opened the big door, and Whit and
Homer made a prompt exit. She stared after him, but he didn’t look
back. She did spy him rub his cheek once more and shame filled
her.

“
I’m so sorry,
Crash.”

“
Don’t apologize to me,
miss.”

“
I embarrassed you, Whit,
myself. I’m not having a good day.” She moved toward the
elevator.

A big greeting from Dumpling with slurpy
kisses made Bess smile. She checked her watch then opened her
cell.

“
Miranda. Hi. What are you
doing tomorrow?”

* * * *

It took a couple of days to gather the women
together, but by the end of the week, they rallied around Bess. On
Friday, the Dinner Club women marched into The Wellington. Bess
greeted them at the door.

“
I’m sorry I don’t have
dinner for you guys tonight. It’s been a horrible day…”

“
Get a jacket. We’re
taking you out,” Miranda said.

“
Yep. You need food.”
Brooke leaned against the doorjamb.

“
And a good
Cosmo.”

“
You noticed?” Bess raised
her eyebrows.

“
Hell, yeah. La Mer Bleu.
Our treat,” Rory said.

“
It’s too expensive. I
couldn’t…”

Brooke picked up a blazer lying across the
arm of the sofa, Miranda petted Dumpling, and Rory pressed the
button for the elevator.

“
I guess there’s no
arguing.”

“
Right.” Brooke held the
garment while Bess slipped it on.

The meal was rich, with creamy sauces and
sinful desserts. The Cosmos were followed by a bottle of wine,
compliments of the chef.

“
I think he’s got a crush
on you,” Miranda whispered in Bess’s ear.

“
He’s a
sweetie…professional courtesy, that’s all.” A little heat rose in
her cheeks.

“
Chef’s got the hots for
Bess,” Rory teased.

“
Wish Whit still did,”
Bess sighed.

“
I wouldn’t be so sure
that’s over,” Brooke said.

“
I slapped him. Across the
face. In front of the doorman.” Bess put her hands over her eyes.
“He’ll never forgive me.”

“
He will, if he cares for
you. And I’m sure he does.” Miranda said, signaling for the
check.

When the taxi pulled to the curb, Crash was
there to help Bess out. She teetered a bit, grasping his arm.
Leaning heavily on him, she raised her hand and waved at her
friends as the cab merged into traffic, taking them to their
homes.

“
Are you okay, miss?”
Crash propped her up and headed inside. Bess giggled and eased into
the doorman’s strong grip. “I’d take you upstairs, Miss Bess, but
there’s no one to man the door. Wayne hasn’t arrived
yet.”

“
That’s okay. I can make
it.” She eased away from him and smoothed her jacket. Her mind
wandered back to dinner. Pierre, the chef, had come to their table
to present the wine. He had kissed Bess’s hand and wiggled his
eyebrows at her. She had flirted back, blushing and laughing at his
double-entendres. Her friends had watched, wide-eyed, as Bess,
emboldened by Cosmos, had led him on.

She chuckled to
herself.
I’ve still got it.
The doors opened, and she proceeded to her place.
Before she could grab the knob, she noticed the door was already
open. And Dumpling wasn’t there, barking and scratching to get out.
She took in a breath and sobered up quickly.

Fear spiked in her
veins.
Someone broke in? Are they still
there? Where’s Dumpling?

She nudged the door with
her foot. Peeking inside, she saw her belongings scattered
everywhere.
Someone’s been here. Might
still be here!
She screamed and backed
up.
Dumpling!

Whit flung his door open at her second
scream. His hair was tousled, his feet bare, and he was tying his
terry robe at the waist. “What the hell is going on? If you’re
having wild sex…could you keep it down? It’s midnight.”

Bess trembled. “My apartment…someone’s
broken in. They took Dumpling, or she’s…she’s…” Emotion choked her,
and words wouldn’t pass.

“
What the…” He padded out
to join her.

“
Look,” Bess
said.

Whit took a gander, moving slowly until he
saw the destruction. “Holy shit. Your place has been trashed.”

“
Where’s Dumpling?” Tears
cascaded down Bess’s cheeks. She pushed past Whit and called for
her dog. At first, there was silence then a faint whimper and a
scratch.

“
She’s alive!” Bess ran
in, repeating the pug’s name then listening.

“
I’m calling the police.
Bess, come out of there. It’s dangerous.”

“
Not until I find
Dumpling.”

“
Give me your
cell.”

Bess dug her phone from her bag and handed
it to Whit. When she threw open the closet, the small pug bolted
out, barking. Bess picked her up, cuddling the frightened dog. Whit
spoke into the cell, but Bess wasn’t listening. She was cooing to
her pooch and checking for injuries.

“
Police are on their way.
They said for us to get out and not to touch anything.”

Bess looked at him. He looked gorgeous, hair
hanging in his eyes, robe askew, revealing his bare chest. And that
cool expression in his eyes. She followed him out the door then
slid down into a cross-legged position on the floor.

“
What the hell? Get up,
Bess.” Whit took her by the arm.

“
Where else am I gonna
go?”

“
Don’t be ridiculous. My
place. I told the police we’d be there. Come on.” He guided her
inside. She petted Dumpling’s head and spoke softly to the
creature. Homer barked at them. Whit parked Bess on his sofa and
headed for the liquor cabinet.

“
No more of that stuff,”
Bess said, shaking her head. “I think I’ve had enough.”

“
Been drinking?” Whit
cocked an eyebrow.

“
Out with the Club. We
celebrated my getting canned.”

“
Celebrated?”

The fog began to lift. “Oh my God! My
apartment! It’s totally trashed!” Fear and panic welled up in her
chest. Dumpling sensed her anxiety and began barking. When Bess
touched the dog’s side, she whimpered. “They’ve hurt Dumpling.
Probably kicked her.” Tears poured forth at the thought of her
little one in pain.

“
We’ll take her to the vet
tomorrow.”

But Bess couldn’t stop crying. Whit sat down
next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. She turned her
face into his chest and sobbed. He closed her into his embrace and
kissed her hair.

“
It’s gonna be all right,
honey. It’s gonna be all right,” he whispered.

“
I can’t go back there. My
home! It’s…it’s wrecked.”

“
Stay with me.”

She eased back and raised her gaze to meet
his. “Really?”

“
Of course.”

“
In the guest
room?”

“
In my bed…but only if you
want to.”

She nodded. “Thank you.”

A knock on the door interrupted them.
“Police!”

Whit opened it. Both pugs barked, and the
officer stepped back.

“
Miss Cooper?”

Bess came forward. “That’s me.” She held
Dumpling, who eyed the man with suspicion.

“
Does that dog bite?” he
asked.

“
She won’t hurt you, as
long as you don’t hurt me.”

“
Say, I know who you
are!”

From the news or my
show?
She sensed heat traveling to her
face.

“
You’re the baker-lady.
McNeil’s girlfriend, right?”

Bess nodded, not wishing to start this
conversation.

His brow knitted. “That changes everything.
This may not be a simple break-in.” He turned and called to his
partner, who was in Bess’s apartment. “Joe, this lady is McNeil’s
girl. Maybe the break-in has something to do with what he was
working on?”

Joe’s brows shot up. “Could be. Miss, could
you come in here and see if there’s anything missing? Please don’t
touch anything.”

She handed her pug to
Whit. Dumpling squirmed, but he had a firm grip, so she settled
down. Bess wrapped one arm around her waist and rested her other
hand on her chest.
I don’t want to see
what they’ve broken. Is grandma’s watch missing? The vase from
China?

Bess picked her way around items on the
floor. The intruder had scattered her sofa cushions, upended every
container, opened all her cabinets, and pulled out everything but
dishes. The apartment had been ransacked, leaving hardly any room
to walk.

The bedrooms had been torn apart as well.
Bess checked her jewelry case, which was intact. Everything of
value was still in her apartment. Even spare change in a jar hadn’t
been touched.

“
I think my partner’s
right. This wasn’t a robbery. The perp was looking for
something.”

“
I have no idea
what.”

The first officer had finished interviewing
Whit and joined them.

“
Hank, I don’t think this
was a robbery. This guy was looking for something.”

“
Yeah.” Hank nodded.
“Wonder if he found it.”

“
Doesn’t look like
it.”

“
Could be. Miss, you can’t
stay here. We need a forensics team in here.”

“
Can’t stay in my own
apartment?”

“
Sorry. This is a crime
scene. We’ll try to get it processed quickly, but I make no
promises.”