Page 48 of The Money Man
Derek’s grip tightened. “There’s already a security team watching your house. Tully arranged it after Barsky called you.”
First, she felt comforted, knowing that she was protected from the scary security chief. Then another implication sank in. “Even when you were there with me?”
That meant that Derek didn’t mind his partner knowing he was spending the night with her. She wasn’t sure what that signified.
He rubbed his thumb over her fingers and gave her a hot look. “I didn’t know I’d be there at the time Tully set it up. Since we were somewhat ... distracted anyway, I thought it was a good idea to continue with the surveillance.”
“Distracted? Is that what you call it?” She edged closer so their thighs were touching.
He used his free hand to tilt her chin toward him. “When you are around, I have a hard time concentrating.” Then he kissed her in a way that made her want to climb onto his lap. Instead she grabbed handfuls of his suit jacket and pulled herself in close until he raised his head.
“I see nothing wrong with your ability to focus,” she said as frustration taunted her.
He husked out a laugh. “On you, it’s razor sharp.”
At that moment, the limo came to a stop and her door magically opened. “Welcome to Three-Sixty,” a young valet said. “The best views in all of Dallas.”
Derek was still fighting his apprehension about their visit to BalanceTrakR as he walked around the limo to join Alice on the sidewalk. When Ted had sent Alice off with Myron, Derek had been concerned but relieved. That meant he would be the one who asked all the hard questions so they’d focus on him. But then Alice had ignored the goal of the trip and poked at Myron with her questions. Even though she had a point about it seeming more realistic that way, she’d risked making herself a target again.
She didn’t seem to grasp how serious the fraud was, but then that was part of her charm. Her perspective on the world was rosier than his. Which was hazardous when dealing with criminals, even white-collar ones. There was a real threat here. He could feel it in his gut.
He trusted her observations and instincts so her theory about the offices being a stage set heightened his sense of hovering menace. Such an elaborate setup indicated serious money being involved. That meant serious danger.
His disquiet evaporated when he saw Alice gazing up at the soaring concrete-and-aluminum tower in front of her. Her head was tilted back so the line of her throat was elongated in a way that made him imagine bending to slide his lips down the length of it and lower. He pulled himself up short as his groin tightened.
He’d nearly told the limo driver to just keep driving so he could make love to Alice in the back seat. But he’d promised her a tour of Dallas and he planned to deliver.
As he came up beside her, she shifted to look at him, her eyes sparkling with delight. “It’s like something out of the Jetsons,” she said with a sweeping gesture upward to the geodesic dome on top.
“It was probably built in about the same era,” he said, holding the door for her to enter. “This way,” he said, leading her to the elevator that bypassed the observation deck and went straight to the restaurant at the very top of the tower. He held out his phone so the guard could check the reservation confirmation that allowed them access.
“We’ve got a fast pass?” Alice asked as they waited for the elevator doors to open.
“Something like that.” He wanted to keep it a surprise for as long as possible, just to see the expression on her face.
Another couple came onto the elevator with them but stayed close to the wall by the doors, looking nervous as they cast anxious glances at the curving glass that made up the outside wall of the car.
Alice strode right over to the glass. “This is great,” she said as the elevator whooshed upward. She was so close to the glass that Derek half expected her to flatten her nose against it. He stood beside her but he wasn’t looking at the Dallas skyline. He was inhaling her scent of violets and watching her face as she scanned the view, the sunlight turning the brown of her eyes to sherry and painting her cheeks with a golden glow.
“Wow, look at that cloverleaf! That’s a real can of worms. Cool bridge too.” She kept up a running commentary as they rose, only turning away when the elevator coasted to a full stop. Her voice waltzed through him, igniting places he needed to keep under control in public.
A recording came through a speaker. “Please step briskly off the elevator as you exit.”
She looked puzzled as they stood behind the other couple waiting for the doors to open. When she stepped off into the curved hallway, she turned to him, her eyes wide with excitement. “It revolves, doesn’t it?”
He couldn’t help smiling as he nodded. Her wonder infected him, even though he’d eaten in more than one revolving restaurant and barely noticed the view because he was busy discussing business.
She sniffed the air. “It’s a restaurant too.”
“KRG has several efficiency experts on staff, so I’ve learned a few tricks from them. We’re eating and sightseeing at the same time.” He put his hand on the small of her back to steer her toward the maître d’s station, savoring the curve of her against his palm.
As the host led them past the glass-enclosed wine cellar, she peered at it in a calculating way. “Wow! That’s a lot of inventory to carry on the books.”
“I love the way your mind works,” he said.
She gave him a wry look. “Accountant brain, right?”
“I’ve been accused of eating, breathing, and sleeping my work, so I would hardly complain about that.” He hated to think about his ex-fiancée when he was with Alice.
