That Thursday, Prescott came in to see her and leaned against her desk. “How are things going? Do you like the job?”

“It’s familiar…easy, if you don’t mind my saying so.”

“No. I’m glad to hear it.” He smiled, the look not quite warming the depths of his eyes. “I’m impressed with your recommendations on diversification already.”

She’d created a report for him the day before with some basic changes recommended to his investment plan. “I’ll give you a more detailed analysis next week, but I need to research your investments and markets of interest more thoroughly before I do.”

He leaned a little closer. “I knew you were the right woman for the job.”

“I’m glad you think so.” She scooted her chair back a little.

Where Ethan’s sensuality could reach out and wrap around her like a blanket, this man’s masculine presence choked her.

Mocking amusement filled his eyes at her movement. “You remember I told you about some possible after-hours work time?”

“Um…yes.”

“I’m having a little get-together with some business associates tomorrow night. I’d like you to be there to offer your advice.”

She bit her lip, having no problem manufacturing an image of nervousness. “I don’t suppose my boyfriend could come?”

Prescott’s eyes narrowed, but he surprised her by nodding. “Certainly. An author might make an interesting addition to the gathering…keep things more social than business.”

When she told Ethan on their way to Portland to pick up his car and the kittens, he frowned.

“I thought you’d be glad for the invite in.”

“I am. I’m just wondering why he’d let me come.”

“He said he wanted to keep the evening more social than business.”

“But he invited you on the pretext of business.”

“As to that, I’m not sure it was business he was thinking about.”

“Was he coming on to you?”

“No, but-”

“What?”

“It was nothing, but he’s not a man who respects the normal barriers of personal space. I shy away from him when he gets too close. It amuses him. I think he likes to play with people.”

“I think you’re right. That might be another reason he’s letting me come. He sees me as the controlling boyfriend…he might get a perverse pleasure out of showing me that he has some control over you, too.”

“I could see him doing exactly that. Lucky for us, we don’t have a real relationship and his twisted games can’t hurt us.”

“I think they can hurt you.”

“Not a chance. He gives me the willies, but I can handle it. You should have met some of the men my mom tried to hook me up with since the big wedding fiasco. There is a lobbyist or two and more than one aspiring politician who would make a great piranha fill-in on a nature special.”

“But none of them would have physically hurt you given the chance. I’m not so sure about Prescott. There’s too little information available on his sexual preferences for my comfort level.”

“Maybe he’s just discreet.”

“Or his preferences make discretion to the point of cover-up a necessity.”

“I’m not about to get involved that way with him.”

“Stay out of situations where you might end up alone with him.”

“We’ve had this discussion.” Each day when she got off work, in fact.

Ethan sighed. “My gut is telling me the man is dangerous to certain types of women. The fact that he specifically advertised for the quiet type raises a red flag for me.”

“I’ve thought about that, too,” she admitted.

“Good instincts.” He smiled at her, their eyes connecting for a millisecond before his went back to the road.

Warmth pervaded her whole being at his praise. “Thanks, but although I can be shy, I’m not weak.”

“I know that, baby. But I don’t think Prescott is as astute a judge of character. I’d hate for you to have to do him bodily harm because he’s cocky. It could put a real crimp in our case.”

She grinned, liking his assessment of the situation and agreeing. She’d never tolerate being manhandled, but if she got into a situation where she had to draw the line, Prescott wouldn’t bat an eyelash at firing her. She was sure of it.

“Tomorrow night would be a good night to plant bugs,” she ventured.

Ethan had refused to let her do it because he said if the bugs were discovered, they could be traced back to her since she was the only new person in the household. But after a party with several business associates, probably all of whom were as dirty as Prescott, they would fall under suspicion before her if the bugs were discovered.

“Yes, it would. The long-range listening devices don’t work.”

“He’s jamming them like we are?”

“Only he makes no effort to mask his jamming device. It’s as if he’s so arrogant he doesn’t care who knows he’s taken measures to keep his conversations private. He doesn’t think anyone can touch him.”

“He’s wrong.”

“Yes, he is.”

Chapter 16

The small party of business associates turned out to be ten business associates to Prescott, many of differing nationalities, and their dates. Prescott had a woman at his side, too, but she had the hard stare of a professional bodyguard rather than a lover. Maybe she was both, but the way she kept distance from Prescott and yet maintained a position between him and the other guests said not.

She moved with the sinuous grace of an expert in martial arts, but Ethan would lay odds she was packing as well. She did not come off as the type of woman to rely solely on her prowess at hand-to-hand combat for protection. The security guard who normally patrolled inside Prescott’s house was conspicuous by his absence from the large drawing room.

Though Ethan was sure he was in the house somewhere.

Prescott played the convivial host while Ethan played the part of possessive boyfriend and kept Beth locked to his side. The information broker was definitely giving her looks that spoke of too personal an interest in his new investment advisor. He was affable with Ethan on the surface, but made several adroit comments intended to irk Ethan Grange the author.

It was no more than he expected and Ethan enjoyed making it a point of not rising to the bait.

When it came time for dinner, he was not surprised to find himself at the other end of the table while Beth was seated to the left of her host, breaking social custom. Prescott’s “date” was seated to his right. Ethan could not hear their conversation, but he wasn’t worried about Beth’s part in it. She’d been attending political dinners every bit as dangerous in their own way since she was a child. He had complete faith in her, but that didn’t mean he had to like the way Prescott touched her arm when he spoke to her or tried to tempt her to taste his appetizer of escargot when she declined her own.

For his part, Ethan listened to the discussions going on around him while appearing to be wholly engrossed in his flirtation with the woman on his left. Celine Fournier was companion to a middle-aged Frenchman who reeked of money and wore a wedding ring. She didn’t. Not the wife. And not exactly enamored with her role as mistress either, if the amount of wine she imbibed as dinner progressed was any indication.

So far, the conversations around them were innocuous, but a man across the table made a comment about “the merchandise” to which the woman beside him said she hoped it was as impressive as Prescott had intimated it would be. Both hastily changed the subject after a cold-eyed glare from an Arab seated on the other side of the woman.

Between the salad and the main course, Ethan used the cover of dropping his napkin to place a microchip size bug under the table. For all its miniscule proportions, it had amazing range, but he still wanted to get listening devices closer to Prescott’s office and at least one upstairs.

His flirtation with Celine continued after dinner while Prescott made a point of keeping Beth by his side, ostensibly discussing her investment strategy. When Prescott took Beth on a tour of the garden, along with the ever-present bodyguard and several of his other guests, Ethan allowed the now very tipsy brunette to lead him upstairs to a deserted bedroom.