Convincing Alex by Nora Roberts

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in her throat. "After Bobby takes his cut, about seventy-five. Maybe a
hundred. Business isn't as good as it used to be."
"We'll talk." Distracted, Bess searched for a cab. "We'll never get a taxi
at this hour," she mumbled. "I live uptown about twenty blocks. Do you
mind walking?"
This time Rosalie laughed full and long. "Girl, walking the streets comes
natural to me."
Once they reached Bess's apartment, Rosalie tipped down her shaded
glasses and whistled. Unable to resist, she walked to one of the wide
windows. She could see a swatch of the East River through other
buildings. The sound of traffic was so muted, it was almost musical. A
far cry from the clatter and roar she lived with every day.
"My, oh, my, you do live high."
"How about dinner?" Automatically Bess stepped out of her shoes.
"We'll order in." Red meat, Bess thought. At the moment, she could
have eaten it raw. "Sit down, I'll get us some wine."
Wine, Rosalie thought as she stretched out on the plump cushions of the
pit. She figured that sounded just dandy. "You pay for all this just
writing stuff?"
"Mostly." On impulse, Bess chose one of the best bottles in her wine
rack. "You're not a vegetarian, are you?"
Rosalie snorted. "Get real."
"Good. I want a steak." After handing Rosalie a glass, she picked up the
phone to order dinner.
"I can't pay for that."
"I'm buying," Bess assured her, and curled up on the couch. "I need a
consultant, Rosalie." It was a risk, but so was breathing, she decided.
"I'll give you five hundred a week."
Rosalie choked on the wine. "Five hundred, just to tell you about turning
tricks?"
"No. I want more. I want why. I want you to tell me about the other
women. What draws them in. What you're afraid of, what you're not.
When I ask you a question, I'll want an answer." Her voice was brisk
now, all business. "I'll know if you lie."
Rosalie's eyes were shrewd and steady. "You need all that for a TV
show?"
"You'd be surprised." It had gone well beyond the show. The bruise on
Rosalie's face grated on her. She had caused it, Bess reflected. She
would find a way to fix it. "I'm buying a lot of your time for five
hundred a week, Rosalie. You might want to take a little vacation from
Bobby."
"What I do after I talk to you is for me to say."
"Absolutely. But if you decided you wanted to take a break from the
streets, and if you needed a place to stay while you did, I could help
you." .
"Why?"
Bess smiled. "Why not? It wouldn't cost me any more."
Intrigued, Rosalie considered. "I'll think about it."
"Fine. We can get started right away." She rose to gather up pads,
pencils, her tape recorder. "Remember, this is daytime TV, and we can
only do so much. I'll have to filter down a great deal of what you tell me.
Why don't I fill you in on the story line?"
Rosalie merely shrugged. "It's your nickel."
"Yes, it is." She settled down again, and was weaving the complex and
overlapping relationships of Millbrook to Rosalie's confusion and
fascination when she heard the buzzer for her private elevator. Still
talking, she walked over to release the security lock. "So, anyway, the
Josie personality is dynamically opposed to Jade. The stronger she gets,
the more confused and frightened Jade becomes. She doesn't remember
where she's been when Josie comes out. And the lapses are getting
longer."
"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 hell didn't you?" 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?"
Rosalie angled her chin. "I walked into a door."
"Sure you did." He did care. Bess might have been surprised at how
much he cared. Rosalie certainly would have been stunned. But he also
knew there were things that couldn't be fixed. "You'll want to watch
your step."
"I don't make the same mistake twice."
He turned away from her, his hands balled into fists in his pockets.
"McNee, I want to talk to you."
"Oh, just shut up." She didn't bother to look up as she counted out bills.
"Can't you see I'm trying to figure the tip? There you go."
"Thanks, lady." The delivery boy tucked the bills away. "Enjoy your
dinner." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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