Catching the Bad Guy (Book Two) (Janet Maple Series) (8 page)

Even in her middle age, Aileen’s mother
was a graceful blonde with long, lanky legs and alabaster-smooth skin, and as a
young woman she had been a knockout. One would think that Aileen would have
inherited at least some of her mother’s beauty, but no such luck. From her face
to her stocky body, she was the spitting image of her father. Aileen loved her
father to death, but she thought that being the replica of Cornelius Finnegan’s
features in a female form had to be the cruelest joke of all times. The only
thing Aileen had in common with her mother was the color of her eyes, but even
there she had been gypped: the deep blue color was wasted on the small, narrow
shape of Aileen’s eyes. At family gatherings Aileen had always felt like an
ugly duckling as she tried to fit in with her pretty cousins from her mother’s
side. Often after looking at family photo albums she would be on the verge of
tears. Why her? Often when applying mascara to her short lashes, Aileen felt
like flinging the mascara brush at the mirror—what was the use? But not today.

Aileen applied powder to her face, eye
shadow to her lids, and a coat of mascara to her eyelashes. She puckered her
lips and drew pink lipstick over them. She pulled up her hair and pinned it up
in loose knot, letting wisps of hair hang loosely by her temples and neck.
Then, she leaned back and examined the result. Yes, the dreadful freckles were
still everywhere on her skin, including her forearms and neck, her nose still
resembled a small potato, and her eyes had not gotten any wider, but there was
a new spark of happiness in them that lent a glow to her entire demeanor.

David Muller’s presence in Aileen’s life
brought her confidence that she had never possessed before. True, she was no
beauty, but the fact that she had managed to commandeer the attention of a man
as handsome and charming as David Muller meant that she did have some appeal.
Otherwise, why would he be interested in her? Of course the naysayers would be
quick to provide a different answer, and Aileen was not naïve enough not to
realize it. During those nights that she was alone in her bed without the
reassurance of David’s presence to soothe her worries, she tossed and turned,
unable to fall asleep and wondering whether David’s interest in her was driven
by her father’s stature and connections.

But tonight Aileen was too happy to
dwell on these dark thoughts. For the first time in a very long time she
actually felt pretty. The wrap dress she had on hugged her curves attractively,
and the Spanx she had donned did a good job of keeping her midriff in place.
She had lost a total of fifteen pounds over the last few months, which greatly
contributed to the overall improvement in her appearance. There was no need for
her to drown her sorrows in food now that she had David Muller to look forward
to.

Lately, Aileen had been contemplating
implementing other changes as well. Perhaps it was time for her to get her own
apartment. At twenty-nine she was too old to be still living in her parents’
house in Great Neck, Long Island. With ten bedrooms there was plenty of room,
and the wing where her bedroom was located had complete privacy from her
parents’ wing, but it was still her parents’ house. And now that she finally
had someone to bring home, she wanted a place of her own.

Aileen checked her watch. It was almost
eight o’clock. In a few minutes David would be here. She felt her heart flutter
with anticipation as she thought of David’s arms around her. She had never
imagined that being with a man could feel that good.

Aileen thought back about the first time
she had met David. It was at a thousand-dollar dinner fundraiser her father had
organized. As Aileen later learned, her father had needed to fill table seats,
and David, along with his friend Tom Wyman, had agreed to buy tickets. Lean and
muscular, with his stylishly cropped blond hair and piercing blue eyes, David
had looked so incredibly sharp in his tuxedo and bowtie that Aileen had
literally felt her legs grow weak. Her heart was in her mouth when she saw that
they would be sitting at the same table. Her breath caught as she tried to
think of a pretext to talk to him. What would she say? She was almost ready to
give up. With his James Bond looks, why would a man like David Muller be
interested in her anyway?

“Aileen. Aileen Finnegan?” David had
said, interrupting her ruminations.

Aileen had nodded, smiling pleasantly,
as she dug her nails into the palms of her hands. Calm down, she had thought.
It’s now or never. You can try to get this man, or you can die a spinster who
lived her entire life in her parents’ house.

Mila Brabec was having lunch with her
cousin Ania. As usual, Ania had insisted on dragging Mila all the way to the
Upper East Side. They were seated in a pretentious but rather shabby café a few
blocks away from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

“Don’t you just love the museum mile
area?” Ania shrugged her shoulders self-indulgently.

“Yes, it is lovely,” Mila replied,
trying not to sound envious. Ania had light blond hair, deep blue eyes,
upturned nose, and plump, rosy cheeks. With her broad hips, strong thighs, and
double-D breasts, Ania looked like she belonged on a farm milking cows and
baking bread. Instead, she had received a degree in art history and had worked
as a tour guide, conducting daily tours of Prague’s rarities for tourists. By
an unbelievable stroke of luck she just happened to be guiding a city tour when
Daniel Bauer of Upper East Side was visiting Prague in search of the next
subject for his documentary.

“It’s too bad that you have to rush for
your shift at the restaurant. We could have stopped by the Metropolitan Museum.
They are having the most fascinating exhibition on the origins of Egyptian
art,” Ania continued.

“That would be nice, but I have a date
with David tonight.”

“Oh, I just assumed that you’d be
working. Aren’t Friday and Saturday nights best for good tips?”

“You are certainly correct there, but I
took tonight off to spend it with David.”

“How is that going? Any signs of him
getting serious?”

“I am working on it,” Mila replied
evasively. For now, she did not want to tell Ania about David’s promise to
relocate her into a new apartment. They were supposed to meet with the real
estate agent tonight. David had told her that he had found the perfect love
nest for them.

“I certainly hope that it will work
out,” Ania remarked judiciously. “You’ve got about six months left on your U.S.
visa, correct?”

“That’s right.” Mila knew that Ania
would love to see her running back to Prague in defeat. As annoyed as Mila was
at her cousin, Ania did have a point: the time on Mila’s visa was ticking, and
if she planned to stay in New York she’d better find the means to do so.

“How’s Daniel doing? Does he have any
new friends you could introduce me to?” Mila asked without much hope for a
positive response. In the beginning she had hoped that Daniel might introduce
her to some of his friends: rich people always hung out together, and if Ania
had managed to capture Daniel’s heart, Mila was bound to become an overnight
success, too. But Mila’s hopes had failed to materialize. While Daniel had many
friends, most of them were trust fund leeching types who lived under the heels of
their mothers. Afraid of being disinherited, these men–boys were wary of
getting seriously involved with any woman not handpicked by their mothers. Some
of these boys were plenty willing to go for a fling but, as Mila subsequently
learned, that was all they were willing to go for.

Ania blotted her lips with a napkin. “I
thought you were serious with David. Besides, all of Daniel’s friends are
married or involved in serous relationships.”

Serious relationships with their mothers
who control their allowances, Mila sneered inwardly. “You’re right. Besides,
most of Daniel’s friends are much older than I am anyway.” This was not
entirely true and, even if it were, the statement would be nullified by David’s
well over ten-year age difference with Mila. But Ania did not know how old
David was, and Mila was desperate for a snappy retort. “Look at the time.” Mila
consulted her Guess watch, making a mental note to extort a more prestigious
watch from David. “I’ve got to run and get ready to meet David.”

“Have fun.” Ania reached for her wallet
to pay the tab.

“I sure will.” As payback for Ania’s
snootiness, Mila did not even bother offering to pay her share of the bill.
After all, she had only had a cup of coffee and house salad while Ania had
gorged on lamb chops. And Ania had already secured her prince charming; Mila
still had to marry hers.

Two hours later Mila was rushing to meet
David in SoHo. They were supposed to look at an apartment in a recently erected
luxury building.

Mila’s heart quickened when she spotted
David waiting for her. He was always so immaculately dressed: clad in a closely
tailored sports jacket, black slacks, and a dark violet collared shirt, he was
the image of sharp elegance. So what if he was nearing his forties? David’s
lean physique, youthful face, and, most importantly, his bank account made it
very easy for Mila to fall in love with him.

“Hi, honey,” Mila greeted David and
wrapped her arms around his neck.

He responded by locking his lips with
hers in a long, deep kiss. “Mmm, you smell sooo good, baby. I’ve been thinking
about you all day.”

“I don’t believe that!” Mila pouted
playfully. “You must have plenty of important things to occupy your mind with
during the day.”

“That being so, none of them are more
important than thinking of you,” he countered, wrapping his arm around her
waist. “Shall we go upstairs?”

“I thought we were supposed to meet the
realtor.”

“He’s waiting for us upstairs.”

David nodded at the doorman who held the
lobby door open for them. “It’s this way,” said David, steering Mila toward the
elevator hall.

Mila did her best to maintain her
composure. The building lobby shone with modern chic opulence. Sure, the lobby
of the Upper East Side building where Ania resided with her husband was
impressive, but it was also dated and was starting to show signs of wear. Here,
on the other hand, everything shone with newness and lightness.

The elevator door swung open, and David
ushered Mila inside. “Up we go,” he said, pressing the last floor button.

Once the elevator doors opened, David
took off his tie and placed it over Mila’s eyes. “No peeking,” he said.

“But, David, I could slip!” Mila
protested. She was after all wearing four-inch Louboutin heels that she had
borrowed from her friend at the restaurant.

“Not with me guiding you,” David
whispered, placing his hands on Mila’s hips.

After several confusing steps, she heard
the sound of a key in a door lock. Then, she felt herself being lifted into the
air as David swept her up into his arms.

“Now, you can look,” David announced, as
he placed her back on the floor and took the blindfold off her eyes.

The first thing Mila saw was the giant
floor-to-ceiling windows. The room seemed to be endless in size, and the
ceilings were enormously high. The furnishings were light and elegant: an Italian
designer sofa, arm chairs and coffee table. A luxurious cowhide rug covered the
floor. “David! This is incredible!” Mila pressed her hands to her mouth.

“Go on, take a look around.”

She tiptoed into the bedroom and saw
that it was furnished with a vanity table, an armoire, and a king-sized bed
that was already lined with satin sheets.

“You haven’t seen the best part,” said
David as he swung open the closet doors. The space inside was almost the same
size as Mila’s current apartment. Only this was meant for dresses and shoes,
with long rows of hangers and racks. “David!” Mila squealed.

“And don’t forget the bathroom.”

David walked into the hallway and swung
open the door. “Voila!”

Mila nearly had a heart attack. The only
time she had seen a bathroom like this was in advertisements for luxurious
hotels, not that she had ever stayed in one. There was green marble everywhere,
with a sunken giant bathtub taking center stage. “The bathtub is also a
jacuzzi,” David observed casually. Mila was merely able to gasp by way of
response.

“So, do you like it?”

“I love it!”

“Good. Because I’ve signed the lease.
Now, why don’t we try out the new bed?”

About an hour later, after he had made
love to Mila in every possible position imaginable, David exhaled contentedly.
His eyes feasted on Mila’s lean, graceful body. Her head rested against his
shoulder, and he buried his face in her hair. Everything about this woman was
electrifying: her body, her face, and even her smell—especially her smell. The
only problem was that he could not get enough of her.

David grabbed his watch from the
nightstand. It was almost seven p.m., and he had an eight-thirty dinner with
Aileen. He did not want to but he had to get moving. Tonight’s dinner was made
that much more important by the fact that Cornelius Finnegan would be meeting
David for drinks beforehand and joining them for dinner afterwards. Eventually,
David might work up the courage to cancel a date with Aileen, but he wouldn’t
dare to cancel on Cornelius Finnegan. At least not yet.