of that power.
Whether it was his own stubborn, subversive nature that his family regularly cursed him for or the fact that the woman tantalized him like no other he wasn’t sure, but he couldn’t resist baiting her.
“Just because the evening didn’t seem out of the ordinary didn’t mean there wasn’t anyone watching. Nor does it mean we don’t need practice for our trip to Paris.”
“Practice?”
“Of course. People have to believe we’re really together. If a few drinks together can’t loosen us up, there’s no way we’re going to convince a room full of people who’ve known you for years that we’re an item.”
“They’ll just think we’re not a very affectionate couple.”
The pert retort gave him the exact opening he needed. With deliberate slowness, Campbell leaned in, pressing his lips toward her ear. “Like anyone would believe you could be cold and indifferent in a relationship.”
“There’s cold and indifferent and then there’s wildly inappropriate. I wouldn’t be inappropriate at a business function.”
Her spine was arrow-straight and her face was a mask of that indifference he’d accused her of and suddenly, despite the fact she was a client, he simply couldn’t resist seeing where she was willing to take things. With deliberate slowness, he ran a finger down the length of her forearm, the soft feel of her skin beckoning him. “Shame.”
“Wh-what’s a shame?” Her voice was breathless as he trailed his finger once more over that delicate skin, turning her hand over so the expanse of her wrist was bare to him.
“It’s a shame that you wouldn’t allow even the tiniest bit of passion to make its way into your business meeting.”
“The boardroom’s not the time or place.”
“I suppose you’re right.” With a quick shift, he put some space between them as their waitress came over to take their drink orders. He gestured Abby to go first, then ordered his standard whiskey and soda.
And settled back to see what move Ms. Abigail McBane decided to make next.
* * *
“Don’t think I’m not on to your game.”
Campbell’s gaze was diverted as he scanned the room but his words held no hesitancy. “I’ve no doubt you are.”
Yet again, Abby felt herself caught off balance as he fully acknowledged what had roared to life between them. “Oh.”
He finished his perusal and turned the full power of that vivid blue gaze on her. “We’re attracted to each other. It’s a wee bit inconvenient, but some of the best things in life are.”
She watched his face in the subdued lighting of the bar, curious at the mix of ennui and matter-of-fact sincerity in his tone. “You’re rather practical.”
“There’s that word again. I just prefer to think of myself as honest.” He reached for a pretzel nestled in a small silver bowl on the small cocktail table between them and popped it in his mouth. “There’s a difference.”
“Honest? You know all about the inner workings of computer fraud and high-level hacking. Isn’t that a bit like saying the fox should have access to the henhouse?”
“It all depends?”
“On what?”
He leaned in once more and Abby couldn’t fight the delighted shiver that raced down her spine at the warmth emanating from his body. “Whether or not you open the door.”
A discreet cough from their waitress caught Abby’s attention and she watched as the woman set down a glass of cabernet. Abstractly, she wondered if the wine matched the flush trying to work its way across her face.
Why was she so upside down over this man? She’d attended meetings with the President of the United States, damn it. She could do this.
Even more important, she had to do this.
This strange attraction might have thrown her for a loop, but she’d be damned if she were going to behave like she was a slave to her body. This was a business arrangement and it was time to start treating it like one. She waited until their waitress left them before pushing their conversation back onto safer ground. “I’m on the committee for the opera charity. I can probably get a list of attendees tonight if you think you could do something with that.”
He took a sip of his drink before setting it down. “Good. That’ll save time and I’ll run it against a few of the databases I’m pulling from your systems. I set a few other things up to run overnight and I can look at the data in the morning.”
“You were busy this afternoon.”
He shrugged. “A few simple programs to begin organizing your staff lists. I’ll take it up a few notches after we get to Paris and get set up at your offices there.”
“I can get you access to the Paris office but I won’t be able to join you. I’m holding the meetings at my home.”
Her words hit a mark she wasn’t even aiming for as he put down his glass without even taking a sip. “You can’t be serious.”
“Of course I am. I use this week of meetings to entertain and I always do it from my home. It’s more personal that way.”
“Abby. You’re dealing with a security breach that may have originated with your staff. You can’t put yourself at risk like that.” All hint of teasing and innuendo was gone as he stared at her with that stark blue gaze.
“Nothing’s going to happen in my home. And no one stays there. They’re brought in from a nearby hotel.”
“Doesn’t change the fact they’re there for hours on end. Do you have any idea how easy it will be for someone to slip away for a few minutes and get a sense of the house?”
Abby had been diligent about tamping down her own sense of paranoia, unwilling to allow the out-of-control feelings to invade her annual meeting plans and in a few brief moments, Campbell had managed to bring them welling right back up to the surface. Forcing a sense of bravado into her tone she didn’t really feel she pushed back. “It can’t be that bad. I’ll add some additional security detail.”
“So you have some? At the house now?”
“I have a state-of-the-art alarm system, installed a year ago, and maintained with monthly software upgrades.”
He was already reaching for his phone when she stilled his arm. “What are you doing?”
“Getting someone in there now. You can’t just rely on the technology, especially if the person we’re dealing with has the skills we suspect.”
“There’s nothing to be done for it tonight, Campbell.”
“It’s five in the morning in Paris and the best don’t sleep anyway. I want a team in there immediately and I want the house swept for devices and bugs before you arrive tomorrow.”
“It’s
