I say yes, is it going to help our negotiations or hurt them?”
This was going to be tougher than she thought. She let her smile fade. “Perhaps you could explain why we should trust you, Mr. Rand.”
“That goes both ways, Miss Jennings.”
“Oh, please. There’s no need to be so formal. Call me Kelly.”
“Let’s quit playing games, Kelly. Volski must already trust me or he wouldn’t have arranged this meeting.”
“He’s interested, yes, but—”
“But he sent you to distract me so he can negotiate a better deal.”
Normally, that would be true. Stephan had recognized her potential from the start and had been quick to exploit it, but this time it was her own agenda, not his, that had her pulling out all the stops. “Nathan,” she began. She splayed her hand on the bare skin at the base of her throat in a gesture that was a surefire attention getter. “I may call you Nathan, may I not?”
He touched his index finger to her knuckle, then traced his way down the back of her hand until he rested his fingertip on the upper curve of her breast. Incredibly, his gaze still didn’t waver from hers. “You can call me whatever you like, Kelly, as long as it doesn’t include fool. I’m here for business, and regardless of what you’re trying to accomplish with this lovely display—” he pressed lightly, stroking her breast along the edge of her little finger “—I believe you’re here for business, too.”
She had to exercise every ounce of her control to stay in character and keep from jerking back. Not because someone might see them and report this to Stephan—with her back to the room and the table positioned in the shadows, no one else would be aware of Nathan’s caress. And not because the contact repulsed her. It was quite the opposite. His touch on her breast wasn’t invasive, it was tender, almost…regretful. This was as unexpected as the thrill she’d felt from his handshake and so help her, despite what she knew about him, she found it pleasant.
That was why it had to end. This wasn’t what she had planned. Just who was distracting whom? She eased her shoulders back, reducing the contact until all she could feel was the warmth from his fingertip.
“I have what you need,” he repeated. “I have a network in place that can move the merchandise Volski has stockpiled in Vladivostok.” He withdrew his hand, ending the caress as casually as he had started it. He crossed his arms. “The only question here is if you can make it worth my while.”
Her skin tingled where he had touched her. Beneath it, her heart started to pound. This was the opportunity she had been waiting for. She fought to keep her eagerness from showing. “You seem like an intelligent man, Nathan. Intelligent and ambitious. I like that.”
“And you sing as if there’s a hell of a lot more to you than you’re pretending, Kelly. I’m not sure whether I like that or not.”
This time she did jerk. His touch on her body was one thing, but that comment was just too personal. Pretending? God, he couldn’t possibly know the truth. “I’m glad you enjoyed the show.”
“Was that what it was?”
“Why, of course. I’m a singer. That’s what I do.”
“No, what you do is work for Volski. From what I heard on that stage tonight, singing is what you are.”
Damn, his insight was right on target. It appeared that she had underestimated him. She had to wrap this up before he sliced any deeper. “Then on behalf of Stephan, I have a proposal to present.”
“I’m listening.”
“Since we haven’t worked together before, we must overcome trust issues on both sides. The best way to do that is to increase the stakes.”
“How?”
“Rather than accepting a flat fee up front for your services, I’m proposing that you take a percentage of the profits once the merchandise is sold.”
He raised his eyebrows. “A percentage? Why?”
“Insurance. Stephan doesn’t want a one-off—he wants an ongoing relationship. If you fail to move the goods as you promise, then you won’t make anything, but if you succeed, your profit will be tied to ours.”
“Uh-huh. And if you don’t make a profit—”
“Oh, we’ll make a profit, Nathan.” She slid her hand along her breast and under the neckline of her dress until the tips of her fingers slipped into her bra. “Let me show you a sample of what I’m offering.”
His arm shot out across the table. His touch wasn’t gentle this time as he clamped his fingers around her wrist to hold her hand in place. The flame that was reflected in his eyes flared dangerously. “Kelly…”
The warning in his voice was plain—she had pushed the game as far as he would allow—but she wasn’t playing now. She twisted her hand so that he could see the small, condom-size packet that she had taken from her bra.
He exhaled hard enough to make the candle waver. Muttering an oath, he released her wrist.
Kelly turned the packet between her fingers. The clear plastic didn’t hold a prophylactic. It held a tablespoon of fine white powder.
It was pure, uncut heroin, gram for gram, one of the most valuable commodities on the planet. It was the primary source of Stephan’s wealth, and being this close to it was making Kelly want to throw up, but she did some more deep breathing until the urge passed.
Almost there, she told herself. She had put out the bait. Now it was only a question of how fast he would take it.
Nathan plucked the heroin from her grasp and closed it in his fist so tightly his knuckles paled.
Good, she thought. Until now, his expression had been unreadable, but his body language betrayed him. This deal appeared to be almost as important to him as it was to her. “It’s yours to keep,” Kelly said. “I believe you’ll want to test it.”
“I intend to.”
“There are two more tons where this came from, Nathan. Your share would make you a rich man.”
The mention of the amount of heroin didn’t appear to move him. Nor did the prospect of riches. He slipped the dope into a pocket on the front of his jacket and zipped it closed. “What kind of percentage did Volski have in mind?”
“That’s what I’m here to negotiate.”
He regarded her steadily. “Name a number.”
“First I need to see what you have to offer.” Kelly pinched the shoulders of her dress and hitched it back into place. “Now that I’ve shown you mine,” she murmured, “it’s your turn to show me yours.”
Chapter 2
Nathan had thought the ride would do him good. That’s why whenever he could he preferred to use his bike instead of his customized Jaguar. There was nothing like the molar-jarring vibration from
