The Man With The Money by Arlene James

Author:Arlene James
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-09-15T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

The limo dropped him within feet of his private elevator. He thanked Pat, dropped a twenty through the window of the long, sleek car, although he already paid the fellow a handsome monthly salary, and strolled toward the elevator, humming even as he glanced about to be sure no one lay in wait. He safely reached the elevator, but the door did not open when it should have. Puzzled, Darren tried again. When he had no luck this time, he activated the intercom.

“Security.”

“Hi.” Turning, Darren waved to the tiny camera mounted high in one corner of the elevator nook. “Access pad isn’t working down here. I can’t get the elevator door to open.”

“I’ll bypass the system, Mr. Rudell, and open it for you,” came the smooth, impersonal voice from the speaker grate in the front panel of the elevator bank. “It’ll take a few minutes, sir.”

“No problem. But send someone down here to check this out.”

“Yes, sir.”

Darren slipped his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels, patiently waiting for the local access bypass to work. Two seconds later Tawny slunk around the corner.

“Oh, no,” Darren said, yanking his hands free, “I’m not doing this.” He started toward the stairway, but Tawny got to the door before him and put her back to it.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll listen to me!” she threatened in a low, feral voice.

“You have nothing to say that I want to hear,” Darren told her flatly, turning toward the parking garage. Tawny zipped in front of him and lifted both arms to block his way.

“You owe me, dammit!”

Now that was too much. “Owe you?” he scoffed. “For what? Letting you live here free for more than a year?”

“I paid my rent on my back, and you know it!” she screamed.

Darren shook his head, gaping. “You value your services much too highly.” With that, he punched the intercom button.

“Security.”

“Never mind the bypass. I’ll take the front elevator.”

“It won’t take long now, sir,” came the puzzled reply.

“Too long, present company considered,” Darren muttered and turned away, prepared to push past Tawny. To his surprise she stepped aside and folded her arms. He walked past her determinedly, but no sooner had he rounded the corner than he was snagged by the arm forcefully enough to spin him partway around.

“Oh, no, you don’t,” Tawny snarled, pushing her face up next to his. “I’m warning you, Darren. I’ve waited a long time for a setup like this, and I’m not walking away empty-handed.”

Darren jerked his arm free of her grasp and stepped back. “You are some piece of work. You planned this whole thing, didn’t you, from the start? You set out to seduce me, and I was all too happy to let you do it. Then you got yourself thrown out by your roommate, probably thinking I’d let you move in with me.”

She didn’t even try to deny it, just lifted her chin smugly. “It would have been so much simpler if you’d

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