Eye of the Beholder

magnificent job in here, but I had no idea it had turned out like this." Lord, she was babbling. Another aftereffect of the night's violence, no doubt.
    "The spa wasn't open to the public last night." Trask closed the heavy opaque glass doors behind him. "The PR people were afraid someone might drink too much champagne and fall into one of the pools."
    He opened a side door and stepped into a small room. Alexa caught a glimpse of glowing dials on a control panel. Trask contemplated the switches for a moment and then flipped two of them.
    A melodic, burbling sound made Alexa turn back to the two fountains. Water spouted from each and cascaded into the low blue-green bases.
    She smiled faintly. "It looks like a fantasy version of an ancient Roman spa."
    "Fantasy is what an Avalon hotel is all about." Trask watched her from the shadows. "Feel free to look around, but you'd better take off your shoes first. This floor is designed for bare feet and rubber soles."
    "All right."
    She could feel his brooding gaze on her as she stepped out of her high heels. Neither of them had said much since they had returned from the interview with Chief Strood . Trask had used one of the resort's cars to drive to the station.
    After they had talked to Strood , Trask had brought her back here to the resort instead of taking her straight home. She had made no protest. The truth was she was not particularly eager to be alone just yet, she thought.
    The tiles were warm beneath her stocking-clad feet. She went to the edge of the largest of the three soaking pools and looked down.
    Trask had not turned on all of the lights, only those beneath the surface of the water in the three pools. The submerged glow, made blue and hazy from the steam, enhanced the otherworldly atmosphere.
    Trask took off his own shoes. Barefoot, he walked slowly toward her across the mosaic floor.
    An atavistic thrill went through her at his approach. Another symptom of adrenaline withdrawal? she wondered. Instinctively she moved out of his path. He paused, watching her.
    She went to stand at the edge of one of the tiered fountains. After a few seconds, he changed course to follow, halting less than a yard away from her. She stared at the bubbling water and tried to think of some clever, offhand remark. It wasn't easy. The unfamiliar energy of naked physical attraction was suddenly swirling up through the mists. The genie was out of the bottle.
    "There is nothing so seductive as water in the desert," she said softly.
    " You're wrong . There are more seductive things."
    She glanced quickly over her shoulder. It was a mistake. The expression in his eyes sent a wave of heat through her. Alarmed, she sought to regain control of herself and the situation.
    She opted for the direct approach.
    "Why did you bring me here?" she asked.
    "Two reasons. I wanted to apologize again for what happened to you in the parking lot. It was my fault. I should never have—"
    "Forget it." She cut him off with an impatient wave of her hand. "It wasn't your fault. You can't take responsibility for everything, Trask."
    His eyes narrowed, but he did not respond to that. "The second reason I brought you back here was that I wanted to tell you that what Guthrie said was a lie. I don't have any plans to use you against Lloyd Kenyon."
    "Because you don't think you can?" She turned completely around to face him. "Or because you draw the line at that kind of thing?"
    "What do you think?"
    She hesitated. "As I said earlier, I'm reserving judgment about you, just as you are about me. But I will tell you one thing, Trask. If you do have plans to use me against Lloyd, you can forget them. You'll be wasting your time."
    He eyed her thoughtfully. "This relationship is not exactly getting off to a great start, is it?"
    "This relationship," she said deliberately, "is business, not personal. You've agreed to share your conspiracy theories with me before you take any action, and I'm going to hold you to that bargain."
    "You're sure this is the way you want it?"
    "I'm sure." She studied the tiles at the bottom of the fountain pool. "Guthrie threatened you tonight. It's obvious that your presence here in town has scared him badly."
    "I told you that I came here to stir up trouble."
    "Congratulations. You've obviously succeeded." She glanced at him. "You could have been seriously injured tonight."
    He smiled slightly, but his eyes were cool and unreadable. "Does that worry you?"
    "Yes." she said.
    He took another