“Sounds like the lady needs a shrink.”
“Actually, she’ll go to Elana—she’s a psychiatrist—but that’s down the road a bit. And under hypnosis—Ah, here’s the food.” At the elevator’s ding, Bess opened the door. The smile froze on her face.
“Alexi.”
“Don’t you bother to ask who it is before you let someone come up?” He shook his head before he caught her chin in his hand and kissed her.
“Yes—that is, not when I’m expecting someone. What are you doing here?”
“Kissing you?” And, at that moment, she wasn’t as responsive as he’d come to expect. Then it occurred to him that she’d said she was expecting someone. A man? A date? A lover? His eyes cooled as he stepped back. “I guess I should have called first.”
“No. I mean, yes. That is... are you off tonight?”
“I go back on in a couple hours.”
“Oh. Well.” The buzzer sounded again.
“You could always tell him I’m the plumber.”
Baffled, she stepped back inside to release the elevator. “Tell who what?”
“The guy on his way up.”
“Why should I tell the delivery boy you’re a plumber?”
“Delivery boy?” A sound inside the apartment had him edging closer. He wasn’t jealous, damn it, he was just curious. “I guess you’ve already got company,” he began, and pushed the door wider.
“Actually, I do.” Giving up, Bess gestured him inside. “We were just about to have some dinner.”
He looked over at the couch just as Rosalie stood. Caught between them, Bess felt herself battered by double waves of hostility.
“What the hell is she doing here?”
“You called the cops,” Rosalie said accusingly before Bess could answer. “You called the damn cops.”
“No. No, I didn’t.”
Rosalie was already striding across the room. Bess knew that if the woman made it to the door she would have lost her chance. “Rosalie.” She grabbed her arm. “I didn’t call him.”
“And why the helldidn’tyou?” Alex tossed back.
“Because it’s none of your business.” Still gripping Rosalie, Bess swirled on him. “This is my home, and she’s my guest.”
“And you’re a bigger idiot than I thought.”
Sizing up the situation, Rosalie relaxed fractionally. “You two got a thing?”
“Yes,” Alex shot back.
“No,” Bess snapped, then sighed. “Something in between the two,” she mumbled. She snatched her wallet out of her bag as she heard the elevator ding. “Excuse me. That’s dinner.”
While she herded the delivery boy inside to set up the meal, Alex and Rosalie stood eyeing each other with mutual dislike and suspicion.
“What’s the game, Rosalie?”
“No game.” She flashed a smile that was as feral as a shark’s. “I’m a paid consultant. Your lady hired me.”
“The hell with that.” He paused a moment, studying her bruised eye. “Bobby do that?”
