She started to walk down the long hallway.
“Bye now, honey,” he called to her. “I hope to see you again real soon.” And then he flitted away.
Alone in the hallway, Nicole almost missed her albino chaperone—but not really.
She walked slowly, hearing the thumping music louder again. Finally she reached the last door on the left and knocked.
When the door opened, Kane Wright was behind it. He was wearing a cream colored suit, his hair immaculate, smiling at her as if she were an old friend who’d dropped by his summer house out of the blue. “Nicole, my dear. So good to see you.
Come inside, please.”
She was surprised that the room she walked into was large, well-lit, with a white carpet and white, modern furniture to match. A window on the left wall overlooked the inside of the dance club from above. Strobe lights pulsed and flashed and a mob of people moved almost as a single organism below them.
Although this room was removed from the club atmosphere, it soaked it in a little just the same.
“Drink?” Kane offered.
She shook her head once. No.
“Please, have a seat then.” He motioned to one of the white couches. She sat down and felt its immediate luxury, sank into it just enough to feel enveloped.
Nicole had taken great care to dress down for this meeting.
She wanted there to be no confusion, so she’d worn unflattering jeans, sandals, and a light gray sweater. Her hair was not particularly styled and she’d put on no makeup whatsoever.
Kane went and poured himself a drink of some sort and then sat down across from her, affable, as he always seemed to be. “Any troubles getting here?”
She shrugged. “You’ve got a strange employee working the door, but other than that it was fine.”
“Oh,” he grinned. “You must mean Jeffrey. He’s nice enough once you get to know him. And as long as you don’t make fun of him being pale.”
“What happens if you make fun of him?”
Kane took a long, luxurious sip of his drink and then smacked his lips. “I think the last guy who made a joke ended up leaving the club in a stretcher.”
“How lovely. What a nice employee to have working for you.”
Kane shrugged, clearly not interested in what she thought about his associate.
“So,” he said, tilting his glass toward her, “have you heard from Red lately?”
“Why don’t you just tell me what you want?” she said, growing impatient. She crossed her legs and set her jaw, tilting her head slightly the way she did when she was angry or felt threatened.
Kane took note of her posture. “Don’t be so hostile, Nicole. I haven’t been rude to you, now, have I?”
“You threatened someone I care a great deal about.”
“It’s interesting that you’re so protective of a man who continually embarrasses you, Nicole.”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Perhaps not,” Kane sighed. “But for some reason I feel like I want to help you.”
“That’s strange. You don’t even know me.”
“It is strange. I’ve been puzzled by it myself. But I think if we can come to terms tonight, I’ll be able to find out just what I’m so taken with you.”
“Maybe you’re just lonely.”
“Perhaps. But there are plenty of women willing to keep me company, Nicole.
That’s not really an issue. What’s more difficult is finding someone who I deem to be worth of my time.”
“Maybe you should try being a little less stuck up,” she said.
Kane smiled at her as if she’d just given him a huge compliment. “See? That’s part of it. I like your spunk. I like that you’re not going to back down. Sure, at first you might come off like a little mouse of a girl. But peel a few layers back and there’s Lara Croft waiting to riddle you with bullets.”
“I’m don’t raid tombs anymore. I’m officially retired, Mr. Wright.”
“Please. Call me Kane.”
“I’m not very interested in playing games, Kane.”
He nodded slightly. “Understood. But I’m not trying to play a game with you.
I’m trying to get to know you better.”
“You sure have a strange way of going about it.”
“Maybe you could give me a chance to start fresh. I’d like you to come with me to The Cayman Islands next week.”
Nicole actually laughed. She couldn’t help it—she thought it was one of the craziest things anyone had ever said to her. “Do women you’ve just met often agree to accompany you overseas?”
“Sure they do,” he said. “And I think you’ve got better reason than most to give me a chance.”