Caught in the Act

She started to say no, but then reconsidered. Gina wanted that so much she wasn’t sure what to say. If he knew who she really was, would he still ask?

But he didn’t know. Did she dare?

What if he found her out?

“I’d like that,” she heard herself say. “But only on one condition.”

“Name it,” he said, his eyes warm as they looked over her flushed features, landing hungrily on her mouth. She weighed her words carefully.

“We have one fantasy night. I can be anyone you want, but only for that one night,” she explained, hardly believing the words were coming from her. “But we can’t get to know each other. I want to be with you. To … sleep with you. But that’s all.”

Had she really just said that?

Never in her life had she propositioned a man for sheerly casual, anonymous sex, but this was perfect. She could let her wild side out, indulge herself and experience more of what she had tonight. She could take one night that was for her. She could be with a man she wanted, and who wanted her.

His jaw tightened. “I don’t know. As much as women think men dream of anonymous sex, why the mystery?”

She shrugged. “I have my reasons. If you want me, that’s the deal. We don’t share each other’s real lives. Just the fantasy.”

He watched her closely for several minutes, and then nodded. “Okay then. Just the fantasy. Tomorrow night? Meet me here at midnight?”

She smiled, happy beyond measure that he was willing to play along.

“Midnight is perfect,” she said, closing the door softly behind her and heading for her car, wondering if she’d really have the nerve to keep the date she promised.

3

MASON RAN LONGER AND HARDER along the gulf coastline than he normally did on his morning run, even though he’d hardly slept at all. The party had gone late, but the only person who interested him left early, after they’d had sex on his desk.

He’d tossed and turned, dozed off, awakened hard and frustrated. He had to wait another eighteen hours before he could work off the sexual energy his cabaret singer had ignited. Images of silky brown hair framing cocoa-colored eyes hazy with passion and cherry-red lips haunted him. She was everything he’d ever fantasized about … lush, sensual, uninhibited.

When he got her in his bed, he didn’t plan to let her up for air until he was done. He didn’t think she’d mind, remembering how hot she was under his hands and mouth. He could run from here to Georgia and not dim the need to have her.

Tonight, he promised to the morning sky.

Tonight he’d have her every way imaginable, and then they’d see what happened. Regardless of the silly deal they’d made, he fully intended to find out who his sexy vixen was, and to see more of her. One night was just the start.

Glancing at his watch, he sighed. Sixteen hours until their midnight date. What insanity had taken hold of him that he had said midnight instead of dinner? How was he supposed to sit at his desk, thinking about what they’d done the night before and focus on work?

He needed to put Amanda on the job of tracking his mystery singer down. It would be easy enough to find out who she was through the entertainment agency where they’d found her. If she was afraid that sleeping with him could get her in trouble with the agency or hurt her career, he’d make sure that wasn’t a problem.

If she wasn’t married, as she said she wasn’t, then he couldn’t imagine why she’d be worried, except for some kind of rules that dictated entertainers shouldn’t be having hot sex with their clients.

On their desks.

He could still taste her, the sweet strawberry tint of her lips, the honey of her kiss.

Sighing, he looked down and saw another boner tenting his sweatpants and started a hard run to lose it before he shocked someone on the beach.

His cell phone rang, distracting him. He slowed and dug into his pocket to retrieve it. Looking at the number, he saw Amanda’s ID.

“Morning, Amanda. Great party you put together last night.”

“Thanks. I love throwing your money around, but next year I hire a real party organizer.”

He laughed. “You always do a great job, and I appreciate it.”

“Nothing says appreciation like a big Christmas bonus,” she said drily.

Amanda had been with him for years, an executive assistant he’d known from law school who’d needed a new job when she’d had to move to the area to follow her husband’s work. He was thrilled to hire her and appreciated that she took on duties well past those of a normal legal secretary, like arranging his party.

“So true. Listen, do you know the name of the woman who sang last night?”

“Not offhand, no. She was a replacement for the singer they were supposed to send, so I’d have to find out.”

“Can you do that?”

“Sure. But first, I need you back here.”

Amanda sounded worried, and Mason frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“I was checking out the guy in those pictures you had Hal take, the ones of Tracy Alvarez and her lover?”

“Yeah. What came through? Do we know the guy?”

“Not really, but I’m not sure we want to.”

“What do you mean?”

“I couldn’t find anything, which is odd in itself. Everyone has some kind of records somewhere. So I asked my friend Janet, down in the federal building, and she connected him to the name Peter Dupree, and then

saw a Wanted file for him, for a murder in Barbados. She said that was all she could find, but suggested we turn the photos over to the FBI, pronto.”

Mason cursed, and looked out at the water. “Call Ron and the local FBI office.”

“Right on it.”

“I’ll be there soon. Thanks, Amanda.”

Mason double-timed it back to the house, quickly showering, dressing and grabbing what he needed. Jumping in his black convertible, Mason made the short drive to Tampa and pulled in to the office’s private lot about a half hour later. When he got upstairs, he was surprised to see Ron and Jace, two of the senior partners, and two other men with gray suits and neutral expressions whom he assumed were from the FBI offices down the street.

“Morning, Ron. Jace. I got here as quickly as I could.”

“Morning, Mason. This is Agent Kelly, FBI.”

“Thanks for coming,” Mason said.

“So what do you have for us, counselor?” the older agent, Kelly, asked.