Lust and Lies 04 - Pretty Maids in a Row

shoulders relaxed ever so slightly, he knew it had to be the latter. David's instincts told him she had a strong personal opinion on the matter of Timothy Ziegler, but had purposely squelched it. The way Sinkiewicz glanced at her with concern confirmed that impression.
    When the band began to play, David thought his chance had come. She and Philip went out on the dance floor and he and Christine joined them. David smoothly managed to end the dance next to them, but when he suggested they exchange partners, they begged off and departed a few minutes later.
    Christine had her laugh, but he wasn't discouraged. He had an appointment to try again in four days.
    * * *
    "Please, Philip, don't be like this. After the other night, I thought you understood."
    "I understand why you can't enjoy sex. I understand why you have a fear of the dark. I even understand why you're turning down my proposal of marriage... again. But I do not understand why I can't stay the night. For Christ's sake, it isn't like it would be very often."
    When she didn't reply, he sighed. "I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to push. I just love you so much and you look so delicious in that dress." She let him embrace her, but still said nothing. "It was that reporter tonight. I hate the way men like that look at you. It's degrading. But then, I don't know why I get so jealous of them. You never look back, do you?"
    She smiled up at him and shook her head. "You have my undivided attention. If I could give you more, I would."
    He asked for one more kiss at the door then slowly walked away, suddenly looking as old as he was.
    Holly took a deep breath as she closed the door behind him. She had hoped her relationship with Philip would get easier now that she was dealing with her problem, but instead, the situation seemed to be growing more tense every day. It was a good thing she had followed April's advice and not confided everything to Philip. He would never understand what she was about to do with David Wells.
    Checking out Wells's credentials had been a relatively simple matter of making a few discreet phone calls. He was hungry, aggressive and scrupulous in his reporting. Personally, he had the morals of a tomcat, but with a decided preference for buxom blondes. When Holly had finished checking him out, she had no doubt he would be back for another try at her. All she had to do was wait for him to make his next move.
    She knew she had been right when he showed up at the benefit. Although it could have been another coincidence, attending with Christine Crowley and being seated at the same table with her and Philip had all the earmarks of an arranged meeting. Putting off an appointment with him for one more day had been a reflex on her part, but if her intuition was on target, the more inaccessible she was, the more intrigued he would be. She would let him think his persistence had won her attention.
    Assuming he would take the bait about Frampton, she had already determined that she wanted to stay close to him during his investigation. To do that, she would exercise every feminine wile she had ever heard of to keep him panting at her heels.
    Considering the fact that she had kept Philip dangling for years, she didn't think Wells could be that much more difficult. To her dismay, the way Philip had behaved tonight, it looked like she would have to start exercising a few wiles on him as well.
    * * *
    Tuesday afternoon at five minutes to four, David Wells presented himself before Earth Guard's first line of defense and flashed his most charming smile.
    "Oh yes. I'm Evelyn. I spoke to you on the phone. I'm afraid Miss Kaufman is running about an hour behind today. She asked me to make you another appointment."
    David raised one eyebrow at the woman who would have made an excellent sorority housemother and wondered if her job description included the ability to lie with a straight face. "No, thank you. I'll wait."
    Evelyn was momentarily thrown off by his answer. "It might be more than an hour." She gave up trying to discourage him as she watched him select several pamphlets from her desk, then stretch out in a chair in the small lobby. Holly had not given her instructions about what to do if he didn't go away.
    Now that she had gotten a good look at the man her boss had wanted to avoid, she decided not to send him away after all. He was adorable. From his bedroom eyes, past his mischievous little-boy smile, down his lean, casually clad frame, to his sockless feet