Dangerous Attraction Romantic Suspense Boxed Set (232 page)

Chapter Thirteen

When Janet got home, Baxter’s excited barking erupted from behind the door while she fumbled with her keys. At least there was one male who was always happy to see her, and the fact that this male just happened to be a Jack Russell terrier did not make his welcome any less enjoyable. “Hey there, Baxter. Did you miss me?” Janet asked as Baxter jumped up and down excitedly, making it clear that his answer was affirmative.

“Do you want to go for walk?” The question was rhetorical: usually, whenever she knew she would be home late, Janet asked her neighbor Mrs. Chapman to stay with Baxter, so Janet knew that Baxter had already been walked. Still, she could use a walk tonight, and she knew that Baxter never minded a chance to get outdoors again, which he confirmed by barking excitedly. “Come on, then. Let’s go.” Janet secured the harness of Baxter’s leash around his chest. “Come on!”

Minutes later they were exiting the lobby of Janet’s building. Usually, Janet chose Carl Schurz Park as the destination for Baxter’s walks, but tonight she wanted to have the buzz of the city around her, so she simply headed down Second Avenue.

A few moments later she heard footsteps trailing her. She was about to hasten her step when she felt a hand touching her shoulder. The sensation was so unexpected that she shrieked, freezing in place. “Janet, it’s me, Alex. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Surprised, she turned to see Alex Kingsley standing in front of her. “What are you doing here, Alex? You scared me to death!” Baxter growled and barked in reinforcement of her words.

“I’m sorry to have scared you. I happened to be in the neighborhood and I just thought I’d say hi.”

“Were you visiting friends?” Having recovered her presence of mind, Janet eyed Alex suspiciously. What was Alex doing hanging around her building?

“Sort of,” Alex replied evasively. “Hey there, Baxter. How are you doing, old friend?”

Alex was about to lean down to pet Baxter, but instead jumped back as Baxter unleashed a wave of loud barks. For their relatively small size, Jack Russell terriers have very impressive teeth, and now Baxter was demonstrating this characteristic with abandon. Janet barely managed to yank Baxter’s leash to keep him from pouncing on Alex.

“Easy there, fella,” Alex said, attempting a laugh, but Janet could tell that Alex had been frightened. She sent a mental thank you to Baxter. “Do you mind if I walk with you a bit?” Alex asked.

A low, menacing growl erupted from Baxter. “Calm down, Baxter.” Janet gently tugged on Baxter’s leash. “Sure, by all means.” She was not exactly thrilled about the idea, but Alex was still her boss, so at least for the time being she had to play nice.

When they reached the next block, Alex halted. “Janet, I have to be honest with you: I didn’t just happen to be in the neighborhood tonight. I came here because I wanted to see you.”

“You did?”

“Yes, I did,” Alex’s voice was grave. “The past few weeks brought back many memories. Janet, I’ve made many mistakes, the gravest of which was treating you the way I did. There hasn’t been a day that I haven’t regretted it.”

Janet stared back at Alex in mute awe. Did he really think that he could wipe away all the hurt he had caused with one lame apology?

“I guess what I’m trying to say so ineloquently is that I would like to ask you for a second chance.”

Janet was too stunned to speak. Did she have the word pushover written on her forehead? Apparently, the answer was yes. With Dennis expecting her to drop everything at the snap of his fingers, and Alex thinking that he could just waltz back into her life, it simply had to be the case.

“And I can’t think of a better way to embark on this new path than to be your date for the Bostoff wedding,” Alex continued.

Immediately, Janet’s ears pricked up with suspicion. “The Bostoff wedding?”

“Yes. A wedding is a special occasion. Janet, I hope that you’ll give me a chance to be by your side, so that we could perhaps begin the journey of rekindling the feelings we once had for each other. Feelings that are still very much alive for me.”

Janet barely resisted a snort. She’d be damned if she would let Alex use her as an admission pass to the Bostoff wedding. “Oh, Alex, I can’t believe you actually feel this way.” Janet pressed her hand to her chest. “It means so much to me. But the Bostoff wedding … you see, I’ve already asked Peter and it simply wouldn’t be right to cancel on him at the last minute.”

“I’m sure that Laskin would understand.”

“He very well might, but that’s not the kind of person I am. When I make a commitment, I keep it. But I sure hope that you’ll think of other ways for us to reconnect,” Janet added, not wanting Alex to get overly worked up.

“I would like that,” Alex replied. “And do let me know what happens at the wedding.”

“Oh, I will Alex.”

“Good night, Janet.”

Just as Alex turned to leave, Baxter yanked his leash out of Janet’s loosened grip and lunged at Alex’s leg, tearing off a chunk of his left trouser. “That damned dog!” Alex jumped back, holding his leg.

“Oh, Alex, I’m so sorry! Did he bite you?”

“He almost did. This is a thousand-dollar suit! You nasty rat of a dog!”

Alex towered over Baxter. Baxter growled, exposing his teeth, between which he was still holding a piece of Alex’s trouser.

“Baxter, down boy, down,” Janet commanded Baxter in a quivering voice. She had never seen Alex this angry.

Noticing her reaction, Alex backed away. “I’m sorry for losing my temper, Janet. I think I’d better call it a night.”

“Good night, Alex. I’m sorry about Baxter. I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”

As Janet turned toward her building, a smile was playing on her lips. “Well done, Baxter,” she whispered. “Well done.”

* * *

Tucking his hands into his pockets, Dennis Walker sped up Second Avenue. At least now he knew why Janet had been blowing him off—her schedule was filled with much more important matters, like a rendezvous with Kingsley. Dennis wanted to kick himself for being such an idiot. To think that he had been about to break the major covenant of his life code for Janet while she was out and about canoodling with their lowlife of a boss. Seeing Janet walking Baxter with Kingsley felt like being punched in the gut. It reminded Dennis of a similar evening when he had been the man walking next to Janet. He had longed to kiss her then but instead, scared of what he might feel, he had chickened out. Ever since then, his attraction to Janet only seemed to grow stronger, becoming an indelible part of his existence.

Granted, Dennis had no right to make any demands on Janet. It was not as if he had made his feelings for her clear to her. He himself had indulged in the company of random girlfriends in his efforts to put Janet out of his mind. All of them, including his latest liaison, Shoshanna, had been a complete wreck. No woman wanted to play second fiddle to another, and despite the fact that he hated admitting it, Janet Maple occupied Dennis’s mind completely.

So much for keeping things simple, Dennis thought. In his defense, he had not always been this way. There had been a time when he was capable of having feelings for a woman, even committing to one. But ever since his former fiancée, Vanessa, had walked out on him during the most difficult time of his life, Dennis had vowed never to get close to another woman: there just didn’t seem to be any point in such a complicated arrangement. Dating was fine, but he was not prepared to commit to anything further.

It seemed that his past was forever catching up with him. The memories of his life as a trader sprang up in his mind. During his first year at Vitaon hedge fund, Dennis had reaped the largest bonus of his career. The day after he got his money, he proposed to Vanessa with a ten-carat diamond ring from Harry Winston. Dennis still remembered the shock he felt when he discovered Vitaon’s fraud. The hedge fund might have been booming, but it was most indiscriminate as to the sources from which its investors’ money came, including terrorists and drug cartels. Dennis was shocked to discover that all of the fund’s managers knew about the fraud. As a thank you for his remarkable performance, Dennis was promoted to partner and let in on the secret. Joy was not the emotion Dennis felt after his promotion. With his new title, he would be liable for the fraud that was taking place at Vitaon.

Dennis knew that he had to get out, but before he could circulate his résumé on the street, he was approached by the Feds. They were onto the whole scheme, and they were willing to offer Dennis a deal if he agreed to aid in the investigation. Dennis would have to give up all the compensation he had made at Vitaon and he would be barred from the industry, but he would not be prosecuted further. Should Dennis pass on the chance, the offer would not be extended to him again.

Terrified, Dennis had said yes. For several months he wore a wire to work and downloaded hundreds of emails and documents to aid the Feds in their case. In return, he got to keep his freedom, but lost his livelihood.

The biggest blow was when Vanessa left him. At least she was decent enough to give him back the engagement ring. As much as it had hurt him, Dennis knew that he would need every penny he could scrape.

Since then, Dennis had rebuilt his life from scratch and become a top-notch white collar crime investigator. His career in fighting white collar crime began after the Feds had been so impressed by the information Dennis had procured for them during the Vitaon hedge fund investigation that they offered Dennis a contract. After several years of working for the Feds, Dennis went to work for Ham Kirk at the Treasury Investigations department. Ham had taught Dennis a great deal, for despite the fact that Ham had spent the last two decades of his career behind the desk as a department head, he was still as sharp as a whip. Although Ham could be tough on his employees at times, he was impressed by Dennis’s work and had hinted on several occasions that he saw Dennis as his successor. Not that Dennis had any plans to rush Ham’s retirement, but it pleased him to know that one day he would take Ham’s place. Not because he wanted to oust Ham from his job, but because it was a great honor and it made Dennis feel that he had managed to make something of his life after all. The fact that Dennis had earned recognition from a man as upstanding as Ham Kirk meant that redemption was still possible. And who knew, perhaps one day Dennis might even earn back his right for a woman’s true affection—a woman like Janet Maple.

But now all of Dennis’s hopes had been shattered by one man, and that man’s name was Alex Kingsley. Not only had Alex forced Ham into early retirement, took over Dennis’s dream job, and undermined all the work Dennis had done on the Emperial case, but somehow Kingsley had also managed to reclaim Janet Maple’s affections.

Revenge is a dish best served cold, Dennis thought. There was nothing like a well-worn cliché to get one’s spirits into a fighting mode. Dennis rolled his hands into fists, feeling the skin tighten over his knuckles. He would make Kingsley pay and then some for everything the man had done.

Chapter Fourteen

Janet took a deep breath and massaged her temples. It was the day of Lisa Foley’s wedding.

Janet eyed her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a green emerald silk sheath, with a matching chiffon scarf around her neck. Black pumps and a small emerald silk clutch completed the ensemble. Emerald was the theme of Lisa’s wedding for two reasons: green was Lisa’s favorite color, and green also symbolized a new beginning.

A little over a year ago, Paul Bostoff was chief operating officer of Bostoff Securities, a boutique brokerage firm that had been started by his father, Hank Bostoff. Paul’s brother, Jon Bostoff, was the company president. The firm was struggling financially but Jon was determined to turn it around. He brought on new clients, the largest of which was Emperial hedge fund, owned by David Muller. What Jon kept hidden from everyone was that his plans to revive Bostoff Securities’ balance sheet involved catering to hedge funds that made their returns through illegal trading schemes. At first, things seemed to be going well. The company revenue grew, but unbeknown to the Bostoffs their world was about to change. Treasury had launched an undercover investigation of Bostoff Securities, planting Dennis Walker as Dean Snider, IT engineer, his alias at the time.

At the thought of Dennis, Janet bit her lip. She had been unable to resist her attraction to him from the first time she laid her eyes on him when he was fixing—which she later found out was really bugging—her computer. From that time on, Dennis Walker, or Dean Snider as she knew him then, kept running into her everywhere. Whenever he saw her, his blue eyes radiated warmth that sent Janet’s heart fluttering. How could she have known that the charmer she was foolish enough to confide in would turn out to be an undercover investigator from the Treasury? Even Baxter had been fooled by Dennis’s charm.

“The case against Bostoff Securities has been in the making for a long time,” Dennis had said. “You can help the investigation or go down with the sinking ship. Bostoff is small fish anyway. It is Emperial we want. Naturally, you will get immunity in exchange for your cooperation.” At Janet’s request, the Treasury agreed to grant Lisa protection. Janet had asked for Paul’s immunity as well, but was told that any of the Bostoffs were out of the question. The only thing that had kept Janet from going crazy with guilt while she helped Dennis obtain the evidence he needed was Dennis’s assurance that Emperial was the true target of the case. Little did she know that Jon Bostoff would be made into a scapegoat, and David Muller would walk away without so much as a slap on his wrist.

Here was her chance to set things right. Muller was going to be at the wedding, and Janet was determined to find a way to get close to him. Granted, if Dennis were with her, this task would seem a lot less daunting. Perhaps she had been wrong to let her personal feelings for Dennis affect her judgment. Hell, she knew she had been wrong, but it was too late to do anything about it now. She would have to face the brilliant—granted twisted and corrupt, but still brilliant—David Muller on her own. Initially, she had thought that Laskin would be there to help her, but now she was not sure. It was all her fault too. Her dodging Laskin’s invites to lunches and after-work drinks must have offended him because when she tried to meet him to tell him the actual reason for their going to the Bostoff wedding, Laskin blew her off. She had hoped to speak to him earlier in the day, but Laskin was late, and now she was no longer sure if he was going to show up at all.