Strip Tease (5 page)

Nate leaned forward, mimicking her
movements. “That’s why I need to talk to her. I’m not after her, I
want Billy. If she’ll help us out, we’ll help her out.”

“So you want to use me to get to Ginger.”
Her voice grew sharper, those beautiful blue eyes narrowing as she
watched him.

She didn’t seem to like his suggestion but
he didn’t care. He needed to get closer to the truth. He needed to
find the easiest way to bust Billy Diaz and Ginger was the
quickest, most direct link he could get.

He shrugged, feigning nonchalance, though
excitement bubbled inside him. “If that’s what it takes and you’re
willing to help, then yes. I haven’t seen her in two days. No one
seems to know where she’s at.”

Janelle was quiet, her hands clutching the
coffee cup, spinning it around slowly.

He waited, didn’t say a word. Didn’t want to
blow this potential break in the case.

“I don’t want to be involved in this. If my
employer found out what I’m doing...” Janelle paused, inhaling
sharply. “I’d rather keep my nose out of it and help Ginger if she
comes to me. That’s how it’s always been.”

“You’re involved whether you want to be or
not.” He glared at her. “How can you stand by and let your sister
get into deeper trouble and not do anything?”

With an indignant huff, Janelle released her
hold on the coffee cup and slid out of the booth. She stood beside
the table, her gaze icy as she studied him. “How
dare
you
pass judgment? You have no idea what Ginger has put my family
through. Put me through.”

“Listen.” He tried to grab her hand but she
jerked away, backing up a couple of steps.

“I’m done listening to you. Please don’t
bother me again.”

Nate watched her walk out of the restaurant,
admiring the view despite his frustration. Even angry, she had a
sexy saunter to her step, her hips swaying. The woman aroused him
and frustrated him beyond belief.

His life had been full of nothing but
frustration after losing A.J. at the hands of Billy Diaz.

He polished off his coffee in one long gulp,
setting the cup on its saucer with a loud clatter. How was he going
to convince Janelle to help him find Ginger?

Face it, Banks you just want to spend time
with the sexy twin sister.

It had been a long time, if ever, since he
felt like this. His libido on overdrive, his entire being attuned
to the woman from the get-go, even though she clearly wasn’t
interested.

More like she wanted to bash his head in.
The frosty looks should’ve been enough to deter him. But it was as
if her negative reaction made him want to pursue her more. And not
just to find Ginger either.

Smiling grimly, Nate tossed a ten dollar
bill on the table and stood. He needed to get his head out of his
ass. Janelle Pearson was strictly off limits. He needed the right
approach that wouldn’t make her bolt the next time she saw him. He
needed her help.

And he hadn’t needed anyone in a long ass
time.

“I think this is going to work out
wonderfully, Janelle. I’m so glad you agreed to assist me with this
project.”

Janelle smiled at her boss, ready to bounce
out of her seat with excitement. “There’s no way I would turn this
opportunity down. I appreciate you considering me for the Passion
for Fashion fundraiser.”

“You’ve been with us for almost six months
now, and you’ve indicated more than once you want more
responsibility. This is your chance to show me what you’ve got.”
Marnie smiled, handed Janelle a slim, hot pink folder. “All the
information you need to get started is in there, including notes
from the planning of the show last year. I’ve emailed you a list of
vendors and contacts, as well as budget requirements. If you have
any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. I suggest you get
started immediately. We have a lot of work to do.”

Janelle took the folder and stood, her
entire body vibrating. She was nervous and happy and sick to her
stomach, all at once. “I won’t let you down, Marnie. I’ll make this
year’s fundraiser the best it’s ever been.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Marnie’s phone rang and
Janelle took that as her cue to exit the office.

She had to press her lips together to muffle
the squeal that wanted to escape. Finally, here was her chance to
show she could do more than answer phones and file! Her job at the
non-profit agency had been a dream come true, an opportunity to get
her foot in the door as a lowly receptionist and eventually work
her way up.

Now here was her chance to show them she was
worth keeping.

Janelle had been nothing but professional
her entire work life, which had started when she was fifteen and
tired of relying on her slacker mother. Dropping out of high school
had been the only option then, though she’d gone back to school at
night and eventually earned her GED.

Working menial office jobs the only thing
she’d been able to find until six months ago, when she applied for
the receptionist position at the local non-profit agency for breast
cancer and got the job.

“Janelle.” Marnie’s assistant stopped
Janelle just before she headed into the lobby where her desk was
located. “There’s a man here to see you. A Detective Banks?”

Janelle’s heart dropped into her stomach,
all of her earlier elation dashed. Great, now she had the cop
sniffing around her place of work? Was he trying to sabotage her
into helping him?

“I’ll take care of it, Theresa. Thank you.”
Janelle gave her a curt nod, hoping that Theresa wouldn’t run off
and gossip to everyone else in the office. Not that Theresa was a
known gossiper, but who knew? Could the detective have said
something to Theresa, given away some dirty little detail about her
sister?

God, she hoped not.

Ginger had called her last night, briefly.
Told Janelle she and her boyfriend had a falling out, and she was
working at a new club. When Janelle asked her for the name of the
club, Ginger had promptly hung up.

Typical.

Approaching her desk, Janelle couldn’t help
but appreciate Detective Banks’ good looks. Clad in a white dress
shirt, red tie and black pants, he looked every inch the driven,
stoic detective. The grim, determined expression on his handsome
face sealed the deal.

“Detective, I didn’t expect to see you
here.”

She kept her tone even, professional, her
face a bland mask. No way could she let him or anyone else see the
nerves or the rising anger she felt.

He pushed away from the edge of her empty
desk, meeting her halfway in the middle of the expansive lobby. “I
need to talk to you.”

“I wish you would’ve called first.” She
smiled, though it felt more like a baring of teeth.

“Have you talked to Ginger?”

“She called me last night,” Janelle
admitted, her voice low. She went to her desk, slapping the folder
down with a loud thwack.

“What did she say?” Nate followed her,
standing in front of the high wall of her rounded desk.

“Not much. Told me she wasn’t with Billy
anymore and she has a new job.”

“Did she say where?”

“No, she hung up before I could ask her any
questions.”

Nate rubbed his forehead, thrusting his
fingers into his hair with a jerk of frustration. “I think I know
where she’s at. I have an idea I want to discuss with you.”

“I can’t talk now.” To prove that point, the
phone rang and she answered it, putting it through to the extension
requested before she turned to face him once more. “I’m on the
clock.”

“Yeah, so am I.” Nate leaned forward, his
face getting awfully close to hers. “I need you to go with me.
Tonight. To check out where I think Ginger’s at.”

“I don’t think so.”

No way could she go with him. He was using
her to get what he wanted and she’d had enough of that to last her
twenty lifetimes. Her mother used her, her sister, old boyfriends.
She was wary to trust anyone. Since when did someone care about her
interests? What she wanted?

“I need you.” His expression didn’t change,
though she swore his jaw tightened. “Your help, that is.”

I need you
. His phrasing was
downright sexual, his tone dark. He had a sexy voice, a sexy
everything. Her body reacted to him the second he was close,
despite her reluctance.

They stared each other down silently, until
finally Janelle looked away. Everything inside her screamed she
should tell him to leave.

But then she thought of her sister. If this
man was so doggedly determined to find her, then maybe he was
serious. Maybe Ginger was in terrible trouble and needed to be
rescued.

Wouldn’t be the first time…

“Fine, I’ll do it. I don’t know how much
help I’ll be.” A part of her didn’t want to know what Ginger was
involved in.

His eyes flared and one side of his sensual
mouth curled up. “Great, thanks. I’ll pick you up at your place at
nine. The club doesn’t open until then.”

“How do you know where I live?” She raised
her brows.

“Trust me I know everything about you,
Janelle Marie Pearson.” He slapped his palms on top of her desk
with a loud smack and pushed away, heading toward the front door.
“Nine o’clock. And wear a dress. It’s a classy joint.”

Janelle opened her mouth to tell him to
screw off, but it was too late. He was already gone.

Shaking her head, she picked up the folder
Marnie gave her, her hands shaking. She needed to get back to work,
focus on the huge opportunity she’d been given. What was it about
the man that set her on edge, made her want him so damn much?

She didn’t know.

* * * *

They rode in his car to the nightclub in
silence, the only sound the rush of traffic around them, the patter
of rain hitting the roof of the car as he drove through the
water-slicked streets. She almost laughed when she opened the door
and found him on her doorstep dressed head to toe in black.

Black turtleneck, black pants, black shoes,
his outfit coordinated quite nicely with his black hair and
sinfully dark eyes.

“All you need is a skullcap to complete the
look,” she’d told him.

“I have one in my car,” had been his
reply.

Of course, Mister Stake Out would always be
prepared.

She’d worn a dress as requested, a bright
red, ultra obvious number that had displeased him. Nothing subtle
about her, while he was all about blending in, she was all about
standing out.

Fifteen tense minutes later, Nate turned
into a parking lot and pulled into a space, killing the engine and
lights. The building before them loomed large but there was no
sign, nothing proclaiming it to be a club of any sort. Janelle
turned to Nate in confusion and watched as he reached behind the
seat and pulled something out.

“You’re going to have to wear this.” He
clutched a long black haired wig in his hand.

“You’re kidding.” She’d spent over thirty
minutes on her hair, for some stupid reason desperate to impress
this man, and now he wanted her to wear a cheap wig?

“No, I’m not.” He thrust the wig toward her.
“I can’t have you going in there looking like that.”

“What do you mean? How do I look?” She took
the wig, grimacing at the texture of the synthetic hair.

“You look like the woman we’re trying to
find. If she really does work there, everyone is going to think
you’re Ginger and our plan will backfire.”

His suggestion made total sense, yet she was
still riled. Everything was always about Ginger. It had always been
about Ginger, her entire life. Her twin had always overshadowed
her.

She loved her sister but constantly
competing with her since a young age had made her more than a
little bitter.

With a sigh, Janelle dug into her purse,
withdrawing a band to twist her hair into a ponytail. She tugged
the wig on, pulling down the visor so she could check herself in
the tiny lighted mirror.

The wig was terribly made and she had so
much hair, it was tough to get it all tucked beneath it. “This
sucks,” she couldn’t help but mutter as she shoved an errant strand
under the fake, straight black hair.

“Here.” Blunt warm fingers grazed her cheek
as he tucked another stray piece of hair beneath the wig. “That’s
better.”

She sucked in a breath at his touch, her
heart racing. Her gaze met his in the dim light. Her body was on
fire and he’d touched her cheek. The idea of those long fingers
searching her body made her want to burst into flames.

God, she was in over her head. And she
wasn’t doing anything to stop it. Just looking at the man made her
think of sweaty bodies tangled together. Not that she’d have sex
with this guy, a policeman. Would she?

You’d get hurt. You always do. Who needs
that?

Not her.

“Ready?”

His deep voice snapped her from her
thoughts. Janelle nodded and they exited the car, heading toward
the dark building that stood at the far end of the lot.

Another couple walked ahead of them, the man
clad entirely in leather and the woman in a frothy concoction of
white lace. Janelle couldn’t help but stare.

What kind of club was this anyway?

“Is this a private club?” she asked.

“No, but they don’t advertise. They don’t
bother with a sign either. They’re very discreet. From what I
understand, they get enough customers.”

“Does this place have a name?” She struggled
to keep up with his long strides, her feet hindered yet again
trying to dodge puddles in too-high heels. At least it stopped
raining.

“Temptations.”

He kept walking, didn’t bother waiting for
her, and she silently cursed him.

“Can’t you slow down?” She puffed out an
irritated breath.

“Sorry, guess I’m eager to get in
there.”

“Awfully eager to get to my sister, aren’t
you?”