Out of Time 01 - Out of Time

judge of character. “We do need the money, but more than that. Elizabeth needs... looking after.”
    “You’re right on that score,” Charlie admitted. “But she’s got a job to do and—”
    “I won’t interfere,” Simon promised.
    Charlie looked skeptical. “You sure you can do it?”
    “Wasn’t my playing adequate?”
    “Not that. You can play all right. I mean, can ya look me in the eye and say you won’t do nothin’ when a man catches an eyeful of your wife or offers to take her to the boat races? I run a clean joint, mind ya. But this ain’t exactly church on Sunday either.”
    Simon knew he had to make the promise, even if he wasn’t sure he could keep it. “She’ll do her job, and I’ll do mine.”
    Charlie sighed heavily and shook his head. “All right. I get the feeling I’m gonna regret this, but ya got the job.”
    “Thank you,” Simon said, relieved. “Now, about my salary...”
    “I think I regret it already.”
    * * *
    Elizabeth waited impatiently for Lester to open the door to Charlie’s. It was after six, and Simon hadn’t come home. Lester slid the peep hole open, and she saw his eyes crinkle in a smile. “Hiya, Lizzy,” he said, as he opened the door for her.
    “Thanks, Lester,” she mumbled and made a beeline for Charlie, who was standing behind the bar.
    “You’re late,” he said, as he counted inventory for the night.
    “I’m sorry. I know, but Simon didn’t come home, and I don’t know where he is.”
    Charlie’s big face split into a grin and he looked over her shoulder. “Turn around, doll.”
    “What?” She followed his gaze and turned around. Simon stood on the other side of the room. He leaned casually against the piano, enjoying his moment of triumph.
    He was wearing a black tuxedo and a smug grin. Elizabeth blinked a few times. She hadn’t expected to see him here, and certainly not looking absolutely devastating. The tux was simple and classic. The long straight lines made his shoulders look broader. His legs were long and set apart in a casually confident stance. The vee of his crisp, white shirt drew her eyes up to his face. She’d always thought him a handsome man, but a handsome man in a tuxedo was something else entirely. Elegance and power combined.
    She realized she was staring, that her jaw was probably scraping the floor. She pushed away the fluttering feeling in her belly and walked towards him. “What are you doing here?”
    Simon nodded toward the piano. “Working.”
    “You mean, you... You can do that?”
    Simon laughed and brushed a piece of invisible lint from his lapel. “I can do a great many things.”
    She remembered the piano in his living room. “I had no idea you had a love of music.”
    “A man should have more than one love, don’t you think?”
    Elizabeth smiled. Life affords few opportunities and this one was too good to pass up. “Well, that depends,” she said, and stepped closer. “On the man.”
    His Adam’s apple bobbed nervously in his throat. “Indeed.”
    “You could have told me.”
    Simon’s expression remained amused and in control. “And miss this? Hardly.”
    “The mysterious secret life of Simon Cross?”
    “Hey, Lizzy!” Charlie called out from across the bar, interrupting them. “You better get changed.”
    “Will do,” she said, and then turned back to Simon. She smiled slyly and eyed him up and down. “Well, I do love a good mystery.”
    Simon swallowed hard and seemed at a loss as to how to respond to that salvo. She enjoyed his discomfiture for a long moment before giving him a saucy wink and heading toward the back room. Point, Elizabeth.
    This was how Saturday night was meant to be. The club was packed to the rafters with people ready to revel. Simon’s piano playing was just the touch the club needed. Keeping the selections lively, he realized that, much to his chagrin, he actually enjoyed himself.
    He kept a not so surreptitious eye on Elizabeth. A few men were overly solicitous, but she handled them smoothly. Her ability to appease people without losing ground was a skill she’d had years to hone as his assistant. Even if she didn’t know it, she was masterful. He found himself simply watching her. The easy way she engaged people was alluring. He was sure more than one man ordered well past his limit just to talk to her again.
    The bar wasn’t quite what he’d expected. His imagination coupled with his brief glimpse last night had given him the impression of a