Cold Deception by D.B. Tait Page A

look at your designs after dinner.”
    Julia went into the kitchen and placed the lemon on the bench. She poured herself a glass of water to get rid of the foul taste in her mouth.
    Later. She’d think about O’Reardon later.
    *
    Nessa waited till dark before she made her way up the sloping driveway of the Chadbourne Hotel. Instead of climbing the stairs of the grand old building, with the twin statues of nymphs holding lamps aloft, she diverted to the right, into the undercover parking area. Right down the back, past the parking spaces, she turned the corner and came back into the light. In front of her was a black wooden door. She knocked softly and waited, knowing the camera above her would let Angus know who she was.
    The door clicked open. She stepped into a small foyer and closed it behind her. He stood at the doorway into the rest of his apartment, smiling slightly. Her heart pounded hard, just once. She had to make this work, but seeing him set off an automatic response to get stoned as fast as possible. That’s why she’d always made her way here as soon as she’d got out of jail. She could be guaranteed he’d supply whatever she needed to get off her face.
    “So you’re out?” he said, in a voice that wrapped itself around her chest and pressed, leaving her breathless. He had a voice that could charm the birds out of the trees as her old ma used to say.
    “Yeah,” she said, shifting from foot to foot.
    “After some product?”
    That was her plan but when it came to it, she found she couldn’t bring it off. She shook her head, grimly pleased at the surprise on his face.
    “No. I… I wanted to let you know I won’t be around anymore. I’m off the gear and I want to stay off. But you’ve been good to me in the past and I just wanted to let you know.”
    “Good to you?” He barked out a short laugh. “Yes, I suppose I have. Come in, come in. Tell me about the new you.”
    She was suddenly at a loss. What was she going to do now? Her whole plan was to get close to him so she could hit him when he was vulnerable.
    “Sit down.”
    She perched herself gingerly on a plush couch. Many times she’d shot up and had sex with him in this room, on this couch, but now she sat and stared around her as if seeing it for the first time. It was weird. It was as if his two main interests in life, business and sex, were catered for in one large comfortable space.
    His desk was in one corner of the room and looked like the control deck of some out-of- this-world spaceship. A sleek aluminum and glass computer sat in the center, surrounded by leather office trays filled with papers, and what looked like an expensive fountain pen casually resting on more papers. Tasteful wooden filing cabinets lined the wall behind the desk. No tacky metal ones for him.
    On her side of the room, the couch she sat on was enormous. Two people could easily lie stretched out with comfort, and in the past had. A glossy coffee table stood in front of it. Off to the side was a matching sideboard that contained a small refrigerator stocked with a vast array of alcohol.
    He extracted a bottle of champagne then sat next to her.
    “Want some?”
    She shook her head.
    “Come on. For old time’s sake. We need to celebrate this part of your life.”
    “Not a good idea. I need to stay off everything.”
    She sat and avoided his eyes while sensing him studying her. When she finally met his gaze he had a look of puzzlement on his face. And something else. Something that set a thin slide of triumph sliding down her spine and prickling her skin. He wanted her.
    “Where are you staying?”
    “Up at the hotel on the highway.”
    “That doesn’t sound like fun.” He paused as if thinking something through. “Why not stay here?”
    She did a mental double take. “Here? With you?”
    “Sure. Why not? It’s a big apartment. It’s got more bedrooms than I ever need or use. Just until you get back on your feet.”
    His gaze rested on her like a