Angel smiled slightly at an attractive man clearly admiring her. She sat at the bar in dark skinny jeans, platform Louboutin’s, and a frilly lace button-down, in ivory, over a matching tank that was smattered with a few sequins. Her hair was messy perfection in the way only an hour in front of the mirror could achieve; her eyes full of smoky shadow and lips vibrant red. A shiver ran down her spine. She didn’t dress for Kenneth or the many men checking her out. She knew it. She’d known all afternoon she wasn’t strong enough to ignore Alex when he made it plain he wanted her.
“Just fucking admit it, for crying out loud,” she muttered under her breath, pushing the button that would connect her to her motivation. He answered on the second ring.
“Alex Avery.”
The din in the bar was loud and she could barely hear him. “Hey,” she spoke loudly and he laughed.
“Hi! Where are you?”
“Downtown at Patty’s. It’s so loud in here!”
“Why didn’t you call earlier? Trying to torture me?”
Angel flushed with pleasure. “Not exactly.”
“Oh?” His voice was amused. “Only sort of?”
“No, but I have been resisting.”
“Knowing it’s a struggle is a step in the right direction,” he said, chuckling. “Although I still don’t get your reluctance. It feels good, doesn’t it?”
She hesitated and bit her lip. To admit it would give him power. “Too good.”
“Wow! That was easy. I expected more of a fight.”
Angel could practically hear him smile. “I find I don’t want to fight tonight.”
“Mmmm, me either. When will you be done?”
“Um, an hour or two? Kenneth’s late.”
“Angel, are you alone at that bar?” His tone took on a harder edge.
“Yeah, but he should be here any minute.”
“I’ll be there shortly.”
Angel gasped as his tone hardened. Alex interrupting her meeting with Kenneth was not something she was looking forward to. She didn’t want to answer questions from either one. “That’s not necessary, Alex.”
“He shouldn’t leave you alone there. It’s fucking inconsiderate to let you be unprotected.”
Angel flushed, suppressing a bubble of laughter that boiled up in her chest. Unprotected? That’s hilarious!
“I’m fine. Honestly. Don’t worry, I won’t fall prey to anyone that will distract me from my final destination tonight.” She was smiling so wide her face hurt, and the man that was checking her out began to make his way toward her, thinking it an invitation. She jumped down from the bar stool and turned her back on him. “I’ll call you when I’m done.”
A tap on her shoulder made her turn around.
“Excuse me, what’s a beautiful woman like you doing here all alone?” The man was tall and dark. He looked Italian or Greek and was dressed casually but put together well; clean cut and expensive.
She put up a finger to hold him off for a moment so she could finish her call.
“Um, hey, I need to run.”
“I’m coming. Now.”
Before she could answer, the phone went dead and she scowled. Fuck! she thought: as her eyes lifted to the man in front of her.
“I’m actually meeting someone, but I appreciate the offer,” she responded with a smile as Kenneth finally walked up to her and slid an arm around her waist, bending to place a kiss on her cheek. “Here he is now.”
“Sorry I’m late, Angel.” He sounded out of breath. “I had to park six blocks away.”
The other man smiled in regret and moved away. “You’re a lucky man.”
Kenneth smiled. “I am. Thank you.”
Angel bristled and moved out of his embrace. The comment made her aware that Kenneth’s perceptions weren’t clear. She picked up her wine glass as Kenneth took the stool she’d been saving with her purse. “Want another?” he asked, motioning for the bartender to order a drink.
“Please.” She’d need it if Alex showed up. It felt ridiculous to worry over the reaction of a man she barely knew. He had no right to get all hot and bothered, and she had no right to get excited by the prospect of his protectiveness. Inside, she thrilled at it but wasn’t looking forward to introducing the two men. Silently, she vowed to hurry and get Kenneth out of there before Alex made an appearance.
“Listen, Kenneth, about the Swanson case. The tests are rescheduled. Thanks for getting the court date moved back.”
“I still don’t like it. We should just get it over with and move on.”
“Mark Swanson deserves to be behind bars. If this case isn’t enough, we’ll create another one. Sometimes, the system sucks.”
“Angel, you know we can’t manufacture evidence. It’s called entrapment. He’d walk for sure then.” He popped some of the pretzels sitting in a bowl on the bar into his mouth. “We’d both lose our licenses.”
“That’s not what I mean! I’ll push him just enough to piss him off. He’ll either crack on the tests the second time around or he’ll do something stupid.” Her eyebrow rose and she smiled. “It isn’t entrapment. It’s more like capitalizing on someone else’s mistake.”
Kenneth shook his head and put his fingers in his ears. “No! I’m not hearing this.”
“What choice do I have? I have to push his buttons and get a reaction out of him. Bringing him up on another set of charges will help, won’t it?”
“Sure, but I’m not willing to risk you getting hurt. This isn’t a game, Angel. We shouldn’t even be discussing this.”
Angel was exasperated by his blasé attitude. “Fine, we won’t discuss it then. But, I will do it, Kenneth.”
He stopped and looked at her, knowing he wouldn’t win. He never did. She left him helpless and he liked it. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, and tonight, even more than usual. “You look gorgeous. I’m honored.”
Don’t be, her mind shouted.
“Should we go somewhere for dinner?” Kenneth’s fingers ran lightly down her arm. “What would you like?”
“Um, actually, I can’t tonight.”
“Angel, we haven’t seen each other for so long. I miss you. I thought tonight we could—”
She inwardly cringed at the hurt expression on his face. “Kenneth, I know what you thought, and I’m sorry, but we both know this isn’t going anywhere.”
“It could if you’d let it.”
She shook her head, her eyes imploring him not to make it more than it was. “We’ve had a lot of fun but if it was going to be more, then it would be by now.” Her fingers touched his cheek lightly in an effort to soften the words that were coming. “You know things have been falling off for a while now.”
His expression was hurt when he withdrew his hand, as if touching her burned him. “Angel, where is this coming from?”
“We haven’t been together in over six weeks. We haven’t even gone out to dinner.”
“That’s because you’re such a workaholic.” He looked away, avoiding her eyes. “I’ve tried.”
“I know. It’s my fault.” Angel reached for his hand. She felt like an asshole for hurting him. “Besides, I shouldn’t be dating the D.A.; not when we work on such important cases together.”
Kenneth frowned, his blue eyes icy. “That’s bullshit. Just tell me the truth. I deserve that at least.”
She nodded. “You’re right. The truth is I didn’t want to hurt you. I care about you, but I can’t pretend I have feelings that aren’t there. I’m sorry.”
“Are you seeing someone else?”
Angel bit her lip. “Only just recently.”
“I see. Who is it? How did you meet?”
“Kenneth, please. None of that matters. We both know that we used each other. We had fun, we had good sex when we both needed it, but that’s all it was. Be honest!”
“Still, if it weren’t for this other guy—”
“If it weren’t for him then nothing! We’d have nothing more than what we’ve had. I’ve been thinking about it for a few months, since before he was in the picture. Would you want me to lie and just go through the motions?”
Color flooded his face as her words sank in and his eyes bore into hers, finally. He shook his head and promptly changed the subject.
“I still don’t want you to mess with Swanson. Let us do our job in the D.A.’s office and stay out of it, Angel. If you don’t mind, I’m gonna take off.”
Wow. Either he was very hurt or he’d seen the relationship as she had—comfortable and convenient. Angel was stunned. It was like turning the last page of a novel that you enjoyed but weren’t dying for the sequel. It was over. No big deal.
“Yeah. So, I’ll call you after I get the second set of tests completed next week.”
Kenneth loosened his tie as he stood, leaning down to give her a lame attempt at a hug. “Be careful with that bastard, Angel. Just do the tests and leave it at that. Don’t take unnecessary risks to incriminate him. I mean it.” His free hand moved up to hold the back of her head as she kissed his cheek. “I still don’t want anything to happen to you, even if you don’t want to be with me.”
Angel hugged him back, choosing to ignore the last part of his comment. “Thank you for worrying about me. I’ll be careful.”