When he’d phoned Raylene immediately after being notified that Genae was missing, she had downplayed his fears. She had assured him that slipping off for a few hours--or even for a few days--was nothing new for Genae. She had been doing so on an irregular and unpredictable basis since she’d finished college. She didn’t even tell Raylene where she went during those absences, only that sometimes she just had to “escape the cage,” whatever that meant.
Brian’s concerns has not been assuaged by that information. “You think she deliberately gave my security guy the slip? Even though she’s well aware of the reason for the extra precautions at present?”
“I think that’s exactly what she did,” Raylene had answered, her tone resigned, “I thought she acted a little funny earlier when I asked if she wanted to spend the evening with Jonathan and me. She was very evasive about her plans. I should have realized then that she was up to something.”
“You have no suggestions of where to look for her?”
“I’m afraid not. Besides, she would be livid if we track her down when she wants to be left alone.”
“I’m not really worried about annoying her right now. I’m more concerned about her safety.”
“I’m sure she’s fine, Brian. She just needed some time to herself. The past few weeks haven’t been easy for her.”
She spoke confidently about Genae’s safety, but Brian thought he heard just a hint of anxiety in her voice. Raylene, of all people, knew the risks of being publicly involved with a multimillionaire. The very wealthy always had to be mindful of security, and as long as the mastermind behind the earlier kidnapping was at large, there was added reason for Genae to be careful. The chances were slim that Donovan would risk pulling the same criminal stunt a second time, but Brian considered the possibility just credible enough to warrant extra precautions. Wandering off at night on her own without telling anyone her whereabouts was no way for Genae to cooperate.
“I’m going to wait at her apartment while Jason and his men look for her,” he announced abruptly into the phone.
Raylene made no effort to hide the reservation in her voice, “She won’t like that.”
He was already moving toward his door, his car keys in the hand that wasn’t clutching the wireless phone. “Tough. You want me to call you when we find her?”
“Please. No matter what hour it is. Even though I’m sure she’s fine.”
If Genae had deliberately shaken the bodyguard he’d assigned to her just to prove she could, she wouldn’t be fine by the time Brian finished with her. She would have several strips of hide missing--at least figuratively.
He just hoped he would have the opportunity to yell at her.
Two hours after completing that phone call, he prowled the few rooms of Genae’s apartment, his temper increasing in direct proportion to his concern. It was after 1:00 a.m.; where the hell was she?
More to the point, who was with her?
Needing to do something at least semi-productive, he pushed the send button on his phone, which redialed the last number he’d called only twenty minutes earlier. Jason Colby, head of security for his enterprise, answered on the first ring.
“I still haven’t found her,” Colby said without waiting for his employer to identify himself.
Brian knew Jason was impatient with this assignment. Brian had pulled his security chief off another project as soon as he’d been notified that Genae was missing. Jason had suggested that his subordinate could look for Brian’s faux-girlfriend. Brian had suggested in return that Jason could look for another job--a threat that was only partially bluff.
Jason had taken over the search for Genae without further protest--as Brian had known he would.
After being updated on the details of the search, Brian ordered Jason to keep looking, then disconnected and resumed his pacing. He was tempted to call the local authorities and ask for assistance--an APB on Genae’s car, maybe--but he knew that wasn’t warranted at this point. Genae had only been gone for a few hours, and there was no evidence that she hadn’t simply taken off on her own.
He had an equally strong urge to go out looking for her himself. But his place was here, coordinating the search from behind the scenes.
Here, where he would be on hand to greet her if--when--she wandered back in. And that had damned well better be soon, he thought, tossing the phone on the couch in a fit of pique.
He snatched it up again when it rang half an hour later, “What?”
“We’ve found her car,” Jason announced.
“Where?”
“She’s driving into her parking space right now.”
“Do you know where she’s been?”
“No. I just spotted her a couple of blocks from here and followed her back. Want me to escort her up?”
“No. Stay around until she gets into the elevator, then head back to your place for some rest. Send everyone else home, as well. Have the guard back at the usual time in the morning. She won’t be going out again tonight.”
“Right. I’ll talk to you later, then. And, uh, boss--”
“Yeah?”
“Keep that temper of yours under control, okay? You don’t want to end up behind bars for disturbing the peace.”
“I won’t yell,” Brian replied stiffly. He was fully capable of expressing his displeasure without raising his voice.
He heard Genae’s key in the lock less than five minutes later. He waited in the center of the room, his feet spread, his arms crossed over his chest, a scowl on his face. Genae had taken only a couple of steps into her apartment, swinging the door closed behind her, when she spotted him.
She gasped loudly and dropped her purse and keys, both of which landed noisily on the hardwood floor at her feet. “Geez, Brian, you nearly gave me a heart attack. What the hell are you doing in my apartment?”
And then her eyes widened and the color drained from her cheeks, “Has something happened to Raylene?”
“Raye’s fine,” he reassured her automatically, even as he took in her appearance. She looked...different. Her hair was tousled, her eyes were emphasized with smoky shadow and liner, and her abbreviated t-shirt clung a bit too faithfully to her chest. Its hem ended a couple inches above the top of her hip-riding jeans, revealing a well-toned midriff.
She looked great. Which only made his frown deepen, “Raylene is fine,” he repeated, “Where the hell have you been?”
Her relief was palpable, “You just took ten years off my life. When I saw you standing there, I thought something must have--”
“You haven’t answered my question,” he cut in flatly, “Where have you been?”
Her chin rose as her eyes narrowed, “I’ve been out. And you didn’t answer my question. What are you doing in my apartment? How did you get in?”
“We can stand here the rest of the night--what little there is left of it, anyway--hurling the same questions at each other, but you might as well know that you aren’t getting rid of me until I get some answers. I want to know if you intentionally threw off the security detail I assigned to you--and if so, why.”
“I had plans for the evening. If your bodyguard missed seeing me leave, that’s not really my problem, is it?”
“It is most definitely your problem if you deliberately slipped away from him. And considering that you must have left the building in a roundabout way that let you get away unnoticed, my bet is that you knew exactly what you were doing.”
She bent to pick up her purse and keys, a movement that allowed her to avoid his eyes, “How long have you been here?”
“Too long.” He opened his phone and began to punch in Raylene’s number, “I have to call your sister. She’s worried sick about you.”
Genae looked at him skeptically, “I told Raylene I had plans. The only reason she would be worried is if you got her all upset.”
His back teeth ground so tightly together that he could hear his jaw pop, “Raylene understands the reason I’ve provided security for you, whether you like it or not.”
Jonathan answered the call, “Did you find her?”
“Yeah. She just walked in.” Brian watched as Genae tossed her things on a table, then moved into the kitchen to fill a glass with water.
“She’s okay?”
“For the moment.”
Jonathan chuckled, “Take it easy on her, Brian. Raylene told you she was probably fine. But I’ll let Raylene know she’s home.”
“Do that.” Brian disconnected the call, then followed Genae into the kitchen, “Do you know it’s 3:00 a.m.?”
She set her empty glass in the sink, “I’m perfectly capable of reading a clock. I hope you didn’t wake Raye and Jonathan.”
“They weren’t asleep. They were pacing the floor with worry about you!” Dammit, now he was shouting. But she frustrated him to no end with her refusal to answer his questions and her lack of reaction to his temper--or the genuine concern that lay behind the anger.
Once again, the look Genae gave him was disbelieving, “They were pacing the floor?”
Because he knew Raylene would mention that she hadn’t been overly worried about her sister on this occasion, Brian growled, “Well, they should have been. Anything could have happened to you out on the streets by yourself at this hour.”
“I’ve been living on my own for several years. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
“You purposefully eluded the security guard, didn’t you?” It seemed important to make her admit it.
She shrugged, which he took as an affirmative answer.
“Why?” he demanded, “You’re free to go anywhere you want and stay as long as you like. The security guard has instructions to remain totally in the background unless you need assistance, so neither you nor anyone else would even be aware of his presence.”
“I’m always aware of their presence,” she snapped back, “I hate being followed around all the time, knowing that everything I do is being reported straight to you.”
“I don’t get reports of everything you do. Hell, Genae, I don’t care what stops you make as long as you’re safe. The only reports made to me are when the guards go on and off duty, and whether anyone suspicious tried to approach you at any time.”
“Then how did you know to come here tonight? If, as you said, no one saw me leave or knew where I was, how did you know I wasn’t in my apartment?”
“The guard noticed your car was missing when he made his final round before leaving for the night. He knew the car was there earlier and it concerned him that he hadn’t seen you emerge from the usual exit. He realized the only other way out was the service entrance, which wasn’t being watched since it was assumed you were safe in your apartment for the night. He contacted me, as he’d been instructed to do. Because I couldn’t believe you would be foolhardy enough to pull a stunt like this, I operated on the assumption that you were in trouble.”
“And you overreacted.”
“Dammit, Genae.” He stepped forward and caught her forearms in his hands. It was all he could do not to shake her, “I was worried about you. You know Donovan is still out there somewhere, and that he still hates me for putting an end to his crooked business practices.”
“You told me you were confident that he’d left the country. And that he’s too cowardly to come after you or anyone else you care about again.”
“I said I was pretty sure that was the case. If I’d been completely confident, I wouldn’t have been so insistent about security.”
“Well, as you can see, I’m fine. I’m safely home and I’m sure you’ll make certain I don’t have a chance to slip out on my own again.”
The somberness of her words made him shake his head, “It’s only for a little while longer. Just a few more weeks, and this will all be over.”
She turned her head away so he couldn’t see her expression, “As you pointed out, it’s very late, and I’m tired. I’m sorry I worried you, and I’ll try not to do so again. I just needed a few hours to myself.”
He made a deliberated effort to loosen his grasp on her, though he didn’t release her. He wanted to ask her again where she’d been. He bit the words back because he knew he had no right to ask. He would insist on providing her with security, but as long as she cooperated in that respect, she was free to go wherever she wanted. With whomever she wanted.
Instead he said, “If this is getting to be too much for you, we can find a way to end it now. We’ll have a public spat or something.”
“The deal was, we have our so-called ‘break-up’ after the wedding so we don’t attract any negative attention beforehand. I’m not backing out on my part of the arrangement.”
“But if...”
She broke away from him, her face set in stubborn lines, “I’m sticking with it--unless you want out.”
“No,” he said quickly, “I still think it’s a good plan.”
“Fine. Now go away and let me get some rest.”
“You aren’t planning to leave again tonight, are you?”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s three in the morning. The only place I’m going is to bed.”
“I don’t suppose you want company...”
“Go home, Brian.”
He managed a weak smile. She assumed, of course that he’d been joking. This wasn’t the time to let her know he’d been quite serious. One sign from her and he’d have her in bed so fast her head would spin. Maybe it was a culmination of his emotions during the past few hours--but he suspected this has been building a lot longer than that. He wasn’t sure when, exactly, he’d decided he wanted her, but he had no doubt of it now.
Trouble was, she didn’t want him. And he didn’t know where she had been this evening--or with whom. All in all, his chances with her weren’t looking too good at the moment.
Deciding he’d better leave before he dug himself any deeper, he turned toward the door, “Lock the door behind me.”
“Locking the door didn’t keep you out.”
He only looked at her over his shoulder, waiting until she sighed and joined him at the door. He opened the door, then paused in the doorway. Studying her closely, he saw signs of her weariness--a smudge of purple beneath her eyes, a slight droop to her shoulders. His voice softened when he spoke again, “I really was worried about you, Gen.”
She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue before murmuring, “I...um...appreciate the concern. It just wasn’t necessary.”
He would have liked to kiss her then, just to reassure himself that she was all right. But since he’d spent the past several minutes chewing her out, he doubted that she would be receptive to a kiss from him. He cheered himself up with the reminder that he would be spending the next day with her, “I’ll see you tomorrow morning at ten.”
There was little expression on her face when she nodded, “Goodnight, Brian.”
He heard the lock click into place after she closed the door between them. It gave him the depressing feeling that she was locking him out of her life.
Squaring his shoulders, he turned toward the elevator, reminding himself that even Genae had acknowledged that he wasn’t an easy man to lock out.
Even though she was exhausted by the time she crawled into bed, Genae didn’t rest well. Her emotions were still in a turmoil from her confrontation with Brian. She was still angry with him for challenging her right to go out without his assigned escort, yet she couldn’t help remembering that there had been genuine concern for her in his eyes.
She told herself not to read too much into that. Brian was the overly responsible type; he’d promised that no harm would come to her because of her association with him, and he would go overboard in his efforts to keep that promise. He would do the same for anyone.
As for the other overtures he’d been making to her lately--the kisses, the long looks, the unexpected offer to join her in bed, which may or may not have been in jest--she would have to keep those in perspective as well. Flirting came as naturally to Brian as breathing; she’d seen him work that same natural charm on blushing senior citizens.
What really concerned her was the possibility that he was beginning to see her as a substitute for her sister. He’d been attracted to Raylene, and so impressed by her that he’d actually considered marrying her. Was it really so farfetched that he could be transferring those abruptly derailed feelings to Raylene’s identical twin?
Brian had been drawn to Raylene’s gentle, peaceful, competent and dependable nature, seeing in her the ideal potential mate for a wealthy, powerful, socially prominent man, and future mother of his children. Except for appearance, Genae was nothing like her sister. Nor was she willing to change to suit anyone’s image of what she should be like. Not again.
The best plan of action, therefore, was to continue to demonstrate to Brian that she wasn’t the type of woman he’d been searching for. If he was making the mistake of seeing her as a convenient substitute, he had to be shown the error of that thinking. And there was no better way to show him than to be herself around him.
The problem was, she had to keep reminding herself, as well as Brian, that they were all wrong for each other. There were times when it was a bit too easy to pretend that the charade was real.
The telephone woke Genae up at 8:30 a.m. She felt as though she’d only managed a couple hours of sleep, and she answered the phone with a yawn, “H’lo?”
“I’m sorry, did I wake you?” Raylene asked.
Genae wriggled to an upright position, pushing her tumbled hair out of her eyes with her free hand, “It’s okay. I have to get up, anyway.”
“So I take it you’re uninjured?”
“I’m fine. Sorry Brian worried you last night with his tantrum.”
“Maybe you should have told him you planned to go out last night?”
Ganae sighed, “I’ve already gotten this lecture from Brian. Don’t you start, too.”
“He was pretty mad, huh?”
Genae remembered the moment she had first spotted Brian standing in the center of her living room, his expression forbidding, his posture letting her know he was poised for battle, “You could say that.”
“It hasn’t been that long since Jonathan and I were kidnapped. The nightmare is still fresh to Brian. I figured you’d just slipped off with some of your friends, but Brian doesn’t know you as well as I do. He was half convinced that Donovan had resurfaced and snatched you for ransom--or revenge.”
“He overreacted, obviously. But I’ll try not to set him off again.”
“You’ll cooperate with his security measures?”
“Within reasonable bounds.”
“That sounds like another argument waiting to happen--but I’ll leave you and Brian to work it out between you. You’re still seeing him today?”
“He’s picking me up at ten.”
Raylene cleared her throat, “He was very worried about you last night. It really shook him to think you could be in trouble.”
“As I said, he overreacted.”
“He seems to be growing quite fond of you. I can tell he’s enjoyed the time he’s spent with you.”
Uh-oh. Genae frowned into the receiver, “Brian and I have a common interest--making sure you and Jonathan have a pleasant, problem-free wedding. That’s all there is to it.”
“I don’t know. I think you’re kind of nice together. Brian thrives on challenges--and you certainly challenge him.”
“And I think you’re getting carried away with your wedding planning. You’re seeing everything through a romantic haze.”
“Still...”
“Forget it, Raye. I don’t want you playing matchmaker between Brian and me. You’d be wasting your time.”
“Weren’t you and Brian the ones who conspired to bring Jonathan and I back together after we were rescued from Donovan’s men?” Raylene retorted, “The two of you went so far as to strand us together in Mom and Dad’s vacation cabin because you decided it was the only way to get Jonathan to admit his feelings for me.”
“That was different. You and Jonathan were obviously in love with each other. You were both too timid and befuddled to do anything about it without a little nudge.”
“So maybe you need a little nudge?”
“That’s the last thing I need,” Genae answered flatly, “Brian and I are nothing more than co-conspirators. Casual friends with a mutual interest, at most. Promise me you’ll stop trying to make any more out of it than that.”
“I just--”
“Raylene.” Genae spoke sternly this time, making it very clear the matter wasn’t open to discussion, “Promise me.”
Sighing heavily, Raylene conceded, “Okay. I’ll stay out of it.”
“Promise?”
“I promise, okay? Brian doesn’t need my help, anyway. He’s not in the least bit timid about expressing his feelings.”
Genae decided to let that statement pass, “I’d better start getting ready. Thanks for calling to check on me.”
“Of course. I’ll see you later. Call if you need to talk. About anything, okay?”
Genae was well aware that Raylene was always available for her, and she said so before she disconnected the call. Because she was tempted to curl back up in bed and pull the covers over her head, she made herself swing her legs over the side and stand before she changed her mind.
Forty-five minutes later, she had showered, eaten a light breakfast of a bagel and Pepsi and dressed in a ruched cotton tank in a melon color with brief denim shorts. Brian had told her to dress casually and comfortably, and she’d taken him at his word.
It was going to be a hot, clear day, and the temperature predicted to rise into the upper nineties, and the humidity almost as high. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail, making no effort to restrain the short tendrils that escaped at the back of her neck. She wore minimal make-up and no jewelry other than her functional silver-toned watch. She completed the ensemble with a pair of sneakers.
She looked very different from the elegantly dressed and carefully accessorized woman who’d accompanied Brian to his fancy shindigs during the past few weeks, she decided with a glance at her reflection. This was the real Genae Landon. No designer labels, no fancy jewelry, no sexy--and excruciatingly painful--high-heeled shoes. If Brian wanted to be seen with a fashion doll, he could go back to dating his supermodels.
She spent the remainder of her time before he arrived pacing and giving herself a pep talk about how to behave with Brian today. Not too combative--there was no reason they shouldn’t make the best of this outing--but not meekly agreeable to everything he said, either. If he flirted--as he quite likely would--she would respond with unencouraging stares or chilly half smiles.
She would cheerfully discuss Raylene’s wedding, current events or business matters, but she would firmly refuse to talk about last night, making it quite clear that her personal life was none of his concern. They should be able to spend a cordial and pleasant day together for the benefit of whatever tabloid gossips were keeping track of them, and then they would go their own ways again until the next time they decided a public appearance was in order.
It sounded like a good plan--if Brian would cooperate.
When the doorbell rang, she jumped to her feet, smoothed her hands down her shorts and composed her face into what she hoped was a blandly polite smile. Only then did she open the door, “Good morning.”
Dressed in a pale blue polo shirt and faded jeans, he was almost hidden behind an enormous bouquet of sunset-orange roses. “Morning, Genae.”
She couldn’t help but be impressed by the flowers. They were magnificent, so vividly colored she almost blinked from their brightness. Trust Brian to choose such an unusual shade rather than the more traditional pink, white or red roses--and to know that this more exuberant color suited her better, “They’re beautiful.”
“They reminded me of you.” He placed the big bouquet in her hands. “Consider them an apology for yelling at you last night. I still disagree with your decision to go off alone the way you did, but I shouldn’t have ambushed you about it.”
Apparently she wasn’t the only who had vowed to get along today. Studying him over the top of the roses, she noted that his smile didn’t quite reach his glittering blue eyes. It was the practiced smile that pushed faint dimples into his cheeks and revealed a lot of gleaming white teeth. A smile most people instinctively responded to, even though it revealed absolutely nothing of the thoughts that lay behind it.
She’d always thought of it as the sort of smile a shark would wear when he invited someone to join it for a little swim.
“Thanks. I’ll go put these in water.” She turned toward the kitchen.
“Nice shorts,” he said from behind her.
Now was the time for one of those unencouraging stares or chilly half smiles. Instead she blushed, stumbled over her own feet and fled to the kitchen.
She seemed to need another quick pep talk.
Her composure reestablished, Genae carried the roses, now arranged in a clear glass vase, back into the living room a few minutes later, setting them prominently in the center of her glass-topped coffee table, “Have you decided yet what we’re doing today? I assume you want to go out in public so we’ll be seen together.”
“Of course. I thought we’d spend the day in Hot Springs, if that sounds okay to you.”
“Hot Springs?”
“Where better than to be publicly seen in a town full or tourists?”
She couldn’t argue with that. An hour’s drive south of Little Rock, the sidewalks of Hot Springs National Park were often crowded with tourists on nice summer weekends. Even dressed in jeans and sneakers rather than one of his expensive tailored business suits, Brian would draw more than his share of attention. As he always did.
It sounded like and innocuous enough day. They would wander lazily among the other tourists, pretending to be two lovers on a Sunday outing, giving Jonathan and Raylene the privacy to make their plans and enjoy their time together. All in all, it wasn’t going to be such a hardship for Genae. Because he seemed to be feeling somewhat remorseful about his middle-of-the-night temper tantrum, Brian would probably be extra charming today, making sure she had a good time.
All she had to do was play her role--and keep in mind that it was only make-believe.
