Pamela clasped her hands together. "Capital idea."
"And then, when the music crescendos, I rip off the loincloth!" Terrance flung the loincloth across the office, revealing his tan-colored thong decorated with ivy leaves.
Pamela clapped. "Outstanding!"
"Yee haw!" Cora Lee shouted.
Vanda eyed Terrance's thong. Definitely not in the same league as Phil, and that she could be sure of. It was the one part of Phil's anatomy that she had seen. And touched. He had truly been magnificent. Long and thick. Incredibly hard, but covered with the softest skin. He'd felt so good inside her. Filling her. Stroking her.
She squeezed her thighs together as a sudden yearning ached deep inside her. Damn. How was she going to resist him? With a sigh, she realized she couldn't. She wanted him. Once had not been enough. A hundred times wouldn't be enough. She was falling in love with him. If she had any willpower at all, she'd never see him again.
The door burst open and Phil marched in.
So much for willpower. With a silent groan she turned off the CD player. The jungle music stopped.
"Phil! How nice of you to drop by." Terrance struck a pose. "How do you like my costume?"
He glanced briefly at the dancer. "Good muscle tone. Guard the door. Don't let anyone in."
"Oh, of course. Anything for you, Phil." Terrance scurried out the door.
"Somebody has a crush," Cora Lee murmured in a singsong voice.
"Enough," Vanda muttered. "What are you doing here, Phil?" And why was he looking around so carefully?
He circled her desk. "Phineas and Hugo are checking the main room. Have you seen any suspicious-looking people here tonight?"
Vanda shrugged. "Most of our customers look a little strange. What's going on?"
He moved closer to the credenza where her printer and fax machine rested. "You're in grave danger."
Was he sniffing her office equipment? "In danger from what? Overpriced ink cartridges?"
"It must be Max the Mega Member," Pamela whispered dramatically. "He's come to exact the ultimate revenge."
"Ultimate?" Vanda asked wryly. "He's already tried to kill me. How do you get more ultimate than that?"
"He would kill you in an extremely gruesome manner," Pamela explained. "Mind you, it would be hard to top a python, but I'm sure he could come up with something completely horrid."
"Thanks for the thought." Vanda continued to watch Phil. Now he was sniffing around her file cabinets.
"Maybe it's Corky Courrant," Cora Lee suggested. "She's sworn to see you ruined."
"Thanks for reminding me." Vanda stood and wandered closer to Phil. "Are you going to tell me who—"
He stiffened suddenly. "Cora Lee, Pamela, go tell all the customers to teleport away immediately."
"What?" Vanda set her hands on her hips. "Are you trying to ruin my business?"
"There's a bomb in your file cabinet," Phil said softly.
Cora Lee and Pamela both gasped and jumped to their feet.
Vanda's heart stuttered in her chest. She eyed the cabinet. "Are you sure? You didn't even look inside."
He put up an arm to stop her. "Don't open it. That could be the trigger. We can't be sure, though. It could be on a timer and go off any second. Try to remain calm—"
"Eek!" Cora Lee ran from the office screaming. She knocked Terrance aside. "There's a bomb!"
Screams erupted from the main room.
Pamela ran toward the door. "I'll make sure everyone leaves. We'll meet you at the townhouse."
"No!" Phil shouted. "The townhouse may not be safe."
Pamela glanced back with a frantic look. "The apartment, then!"
"But—" Phil started to say that the apartment wasn't safe either, but Pamela had already dashed into the main room.
She yelled at the crowd. "Teleport away! Leave immediately!"
Vanda remained still as a cold fog settled over her. A bomb. Her club would be destroyed. She couldn't let that happen.
"Come on." Phil grabbed her arm. "Teleport us out of here now."
She stared at the filing cabinet. "How do you know it's in there?"
"I'm an expert in bomb detection. Come on. Let's go."
"You're an expert? Then turn it off!"
"It's not that simple." He pulled her toward the door. "Just opening the drawer might set it off. We have to get you someplace safe."