* *
After Francine’s appointment, Farrah thanked the male nurse that guided them to a different set of elevators. “Sorry about the inconvenience, but the contractors have started roping off the front area of the office,” he explained.
“It’s fine,” Farrah reassured.
Farrah smiled as she stood next to Robert waiting for the doors to open. “That was—”
“Intense is what that was,” Robert supplied as he reached and pushed the down button.
“Yes, it was,” Farrah agreed, pulling out a compact and flipping it open to check her reflection.
Robert’s voice was a sultry whisper as he said, “You look beautiful...as always.”
“Thank you,” Farrah said, smiling up at him. “At least my eyes aren’t swollen from all that crying. I didn’t know that I would feel that way.”
“They looked very calm, too,” Robert said and this time his tone had shifted to shock. “I’m not sure how I’d be able to handle such a surprise.”
“It wasn’t that much of a surprise,” Farrah explained. “We’ve always known that it was a possibility that one or all of us could have multiple babies at once. Francine just happens to be the first to prove that theory correct.”
“Twins...wow,” Robert said as a sudden vibration of his phone snatched his attention.
Farrah locked in on Robert’s profile and commanding presence. An image of two tiny babies, both with crystal-blue eyes, one with jet-black curly hair and the other sandy brown with blond highlights, flashed into Farrah’s mind.
Vegas. Marriage. Divorce. Life without Robert...uncharted territory. Farrah knew Robert wasn’t a long-term, forever type of guy—his history proved that—so why was she imagining what their future kids could look like? Suddenly, for no reason she could explain, her heart ached.
“Everything’s set for our trip,” Robert said, hitting the send button on his cell phone after replying to his assistant’s text message. He reached and hit the elevator call button.
“Good, I have a couple of things to wrap up before we leave for New York,” Farrah explained.
“You don’t have to go with me, you know. I’m sure we’ll just be chasing another dead end. Alexia covered her tracks well.” Robert turned to face Farrah and jammed his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching out and smoothing her hair away from her beautiful face.
Alexia Gray, a former employee of Blake & Montgomery, had been hired as a senior-level attorney for their corporate legal team. Through a complaint, Robert discovered that Alexia had made several attempts to blackmail their clients with the same information that they’d been hired to protect. She was arrested and currently sat in the county jail awaiting trial on multiple charges. However, before she was caught, Alexia had been hired to alter key design schematics that made it appear that Robert’s ideas and designs weren’t his own—an alteration that appeared to substantiate the charges against the firm, allowing an appeal to move forward, a fact that had only recently been discovered.
Alexia refused to provide them with the necessary proof to clear their names, get the bogus lawsuit against Blake & Montgomery dismissed and permit them to move forward with production, forcing Robert and Farrah to track down the person who’d hired her to sabotage their filing and ultimately their company.
“We agreed to work this case together no matter what or where it leads us.” Farrah adjusted her purse on her shoulder. “This elevator sure is slow. Besides, you’d look out of place attending a Broadway show alone, no matter how good you may look in a tux,” she said, giving him that smile that could melt snow.
“I still don’t get why we have to sit through a Broadway play just to find out information about Alexia’s clients,” Robert complained.
“A little culture won’t kill you,” Farrah teased, chuckling at his scowl. “Not everyone’s into extreme testosterone-fueled activities—base-jumping, free-hand mountain climbing—”
“High-stakes gambling,” Robert offered, snickering.
Farrah glared at him through narrowed eyes. “We have to find out who she’s working with, and from all the information I’ve been able to gather, the common denominator seems to be this play. She thought it was the perfect cover.”
“Who uses a play as a cover for corporate sabotage?”
“According to more than one of my informants, not to mention all the playbills we found in Alexia’s apartment, she seems to do exactly that,” she said.
“I find it ironic that she chose Chicago for this particular activity, don’t you?” he asked.
“Not...really,” she said, frowning.
“All the women in the play are criminals,” he said, laughing. “You don’t find that ironic?”
“Not at all. She’s a criminal. She can relate,” Farrah said, shrugging. “And since the firm is in the business of putting criminals behind bars, as well as protecting people, it’s not ironic to us, either.”
The back office elevator doors finally opened and they were met by a wall of mahogany wood with raised panels, a wood tray ceiling with a small crystal chandelier and dark travertine tile floors. Although this elevator didn’t have a red velvet sofa and carpeted floors, it was a sight that was very familiar to them. As soon as they stepped inside, it was as if they were transported back in time to a place where they were wrapped in a familiar blanket of desire. They looked at each other and smiled; clearly they were both remembering the last time they’d been in a similar tight situation together. When they’d finally stopped fighting their desire for each other.
“This is one of the owners’ private elevators. It opens into his personal suite. Why do you have a key?” Farrah asked, giving Robert a mischievous smile.
“Because I happen to be one of those owners,” Robert replied, leaning against the elevator wall, while admiring the sexy strapless red mini dress and sky-high heels she wore. He reached over and pushed the stop button on the vintage elevator panel.
Farrah opened her mouth to protest but quickly closed it. Within seconds, the phone that was concealed behind a wooden panel rang. Robert kept his eyes on Farrah while picking up the receiver. “Stand down, everything’s fine,” he said before disconnecting. “Got to love Vegas security.”
Robert closed the short distance between them, trapping Farrah between the wall of the elevator and his wide chest. Farrah raised her chin and the movement caused her breasts to rise—showing off her cleavage as she gifted him with that slow sexy smile he loved. He leaned forward and rested the palms of his hands against the wall to brace himself. Farrah rose up on the tips of her toes, circled her arms around Robert’s neck and kissed him. Her taste ignited something inside of him and Robert returned the kiss with far more passion than he’d intended.
Lost in the moment, Robert took his right hand and reached under Farrah’s dress. He ripped off the thin piece of lace and string she called panties, placed it in his jacket pocket and
