Joseph chuckled. “Spoken like a woman.”
“I am a woman, Joseph. I’ve never made that a secret.”
It was an unfortunate choice of words. She realized her mistake when Joseph said, “I wonder what secrets you are hiding from me.”
Hours of practice in front of a mirror had perfected the guileless look she aimed his way.
“Secrets?” she asked, an air of honest bewilderment in her voice, although her heart was thudding heavily. “I have no secrets.”
“Everyone has secrets, my dear. Everyone has something to hide. No one is exactly as he presents himself to others. I can’t help wondering what it is you’re keeping from me.”
Her laughter was light and airy, and pure Ruby. “I’ll never tell,” she said, batting her eyelashes at him. “That’s for me to know and you to find out.”
“Oh, I will, my dear, I will,” Joseph assured her, and she felt a chill.
His words reminded her of exactly how dangerous he was. The man Michael Corsi had replaced as head auctioneer had disappeared without a trace. He wasn’t the first person to suddenly leave Joseph’s employ, nor was he the first to drop out of sight, never to be seen again. Of course, without any bodies, and without any evidence whatsoever that Joseph had played a role in those disappearances, no charges could be brought.
The speculation in Joseph’s eyes faded and he said, “Have I told you lately how glad I am that I hired you? If not for you, I would have auctioned an extremely valuable painting for what would have amounted to peanuts.”
Laura had barely believed it herself when she’d discovered the old master mixed in with a pile of worthless canvases. It was a once-in-a-lifetime find. She’d gone immediately to Joseph with the news, hoping to raise her value in his eyes. She knew he would think that Ruby easily could have arranged for someone to buy it at a pittance, then turned around and sold it for its true value, pocketing the profit for herself. That she hadn’t went a long way toward proving her loyalty to him. It was after that discovery that Joseph had asked her to pose as his love interest.
Over the past six weeks she had learned a lot about Joseph Merrill. One of the most important things she’d uncovered was that he wasn’t exactly a wizard where the items he auctioned off were concerned. He could barely tell an oak chair from a pine one, let alone discern the difference between a valuable master and a starving-artist watercolor. His success as an auctioneer was due solely to the talents of the people he hired to work for him. Joseph hired only the best. Which indicated to Laura, at least, that his business was a front for something else.
“You may have expressed your gratitude a time or two,” she replied in a breathy voice, “but don’t let that stop you. A lady never gets tired of having her ego stroked.”
Though he had a smile on his face, the eyes Joseph turned her way were cold. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. I have a favor to ask, my dear. A favor that you are uniquely qualified to grant. Of course, it goes without saying that I’m counting on your discretion. I don’t want any tongues wagging, nor do I want you to feel you have to violate your self-imposed vow of celibacy. But it would be nice if you somehow got past our Mr. Corsi’s barriers and encouraged his confidence. I would be extremely interested in finding out if he has any secrets I should know.”
The words were an order, not a request. So much for his concern about Ruby’s love life. Laura should have known better than to believe that Joseph had an altruistic bone in his body, or that he was bothered by Ruby’s monastic lifestyle. Everything he did, he did with a what-was-in-it-for-him attitude. She’d be foolish to forget that.
“My break is almost over,” she said, swinging her feet off the chair. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll go to the ladies’ room and put my face back together.”
“Not at all. I hope you’ll take into consideration what we were just speaking about.”
“Of course.”
Flashing him a brilliant smile, Laura walked away. Once safely in the ladies’ room, she sank back against a stall door and groaned out loud. There was nothing for it. She would have to flirt with Michael Corsi. She would have to find out something about the man to report to Joseph. If she didn’t, he would grow suspicious.
Her stomach clenched as a more disturbing thought occurred to her. What if Michael took her flirtation seriously? What if he wanted more than flirting from her? What would she do then? Joseph would surely encourage any such liaison.
She was Joseph Merrill’s lover, she reminded herself. At least, that’s what everyone believed. Michael Corsi, if he valued his job, would be careful about crossing that line. The thought reassured her.
She had to look at this as an opportunity. An opportunity to win Joseph’s confidence. Flirting with Michael Corsi—discreetly, of course—meant she was one step closer to ending the case, one step closer to going home. One step closer to her vacation.
And if, when that time came, she found herself slapping handcuffs on Joseph’s newest employee, she would do so gladly.
Chapter 2
She arrived on a gentle cloud of perfume that made his head spin. Antonio didn’t have to glance up from the figures he was tallying to know who stood at his side. Only she could smell this good.
Patiently she waited for him to acknowledge her presence. When he finally did raise his gaze to her, he saw that, up close and personal, Ruby O’Toole looked even better than she did from a distance. And she smelled heavenly.
Damn. He was going to have a hell of a time maintaining his objectivity around her. Not to mention keeping his hands to himself.
“You did a nice job today,” she said. “Joseph is pleased.”
Her smile, though warm, didn’t quite reach her eyes. Because her face was so enchanting, he doubted most people even noticed. He probably wouldn’t have noticed himself, if he hadn’t been trained to do so, and if he hadn’t already been on guard against her.
On the other hand, her voice was like liquid smoke. It did things to his insides that should have been illegal.
“Thank you.” His voice came out raspy, and he cleared his throat. “Need a drink,” he lied, quickly raising the glass of water to his mouth.
When he replaced the drained receptacle on the podium, she extended her hand. “I’m Ruby O’Toole.”
The fingers she slid into his palm were soft and supple, her nails perfectly manicured and coated by a pale-pink polish the color of her suit. It was obvious that Ruby O’Toole had never toiled in the trenches like other mere mortals.
“I know who you are,” he said.
Her eyebrows arched delicately. “You do?”
“Your reputation precedes you.”
Again that arch. “My reputation?”
“For beauty. And charm.”
She looked pleased. “I thought it was time we met, since we’re going to be working closely together.”
Despite the recent drink, his mouth went dry. “We are?”
“Very closely. You have my word, Mr. Corsi, that before the week is over, you and I will be on exceedingly intimate terms.”
Antonio nearly did a double take. He stared at her, not quite ready to believe what his gut, and the uncontrollable pounding of his heart, were telling him. Was she coming on to him?
“What kind of intimate terms are those?” he asked carefully, ignoring the exceedingly intimate visions of entwined limbs and naked body parts dancing across the viewing