Suddenly Sexy (9 page)

There was no way she could compete with that. She saw how their skimpy dresses left little to the imagination. She figured these women were sexier than these guys had ever dreamed of.

It looked as if Blondie and Red were one step from being swept off to bed. They worked fast, but they didn’t need to work hard to get a man’s interest. Blondie was listening intently to Lloyd’s shorter friend while Red had an arm draped on the other friend’s shoulders.

Julie wanted to back away. Try again when she wasn’t competing with that kind of in-your-face sexuality.

She took a step back and wavered. No, she couldn’t back down. Not when everyone was watching. Waiting. She had to give it her best shot.

Julie jutted her chin out and strode to the empty seat next to Lloyd. If she gave up now, she’d never get another chance to play and would be permanently on the sidelines.

She wouldn’t let that happen again.

Lloyd turned his head when she sat down. She smiled at him and rested her arms on the bar. The next few seconds were crucial and her heart was beating fast. If she blew this, they would get someone else to play decoy. This was her chance to show everyone she was smart and sexy. A woman of action. A woman who shouldn’t be ignored.

She looked away to flag the bartender. Her hand trembled as the nervousness tumbled through her body. When she looked back, Lloyd was still looking at her.

Relief poured through her veins and her smile widened. Lloyd smiled back. The game was on.

* * *

W
HY DIDN’T HE INSIST ON
getting more audio equipment? Eric wondered as he leaned against a tall table next to the wall. The audio team texted him with updates, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted to know every dirty thing Lloyd was saying to Julie.

Not that Julie seemed to mind. Eric wanted to growl. He took a sip of his water and wished it was something stronger. It appeared that Julie was enjoying herself. And why not? She was showing off, Eric thought as he glared over the glass rim, proving that she could be a decoy.

Giving in to temptation, Eric grabbed his cell phone and called Asia. She answered it on the third ring. “I’m working here, Eric.”

“I want a status report,” he said as he reined in his impatience.

“She’s a great flirt,” she said gleefully. “Who knew?”

He knew firsthand. It was uncomfortable watching Julie flirt with another man. Those brazen smiles and sly looks should be for him and he didn’t like to share. When she had taken off her jacket, revealing a snug tank top, he wanted to go over and throw the jacket back onto her shoulders.

“Is she about to reel him in?”

“Give it time, Eric. The last thing she wants to do is spook him.”

“I don’t think I can take much more of this.”

“Really? Because Julie looks like she could do it all night,” Asia said with a throaty laugh before she disconnected the call.

Eric pocketed his phone and studied Julie. Asia was right. Julie was having the time of her life. There was a joy, an energy pouring out of her that no man could ignore. It was going to be impossible to keep her away from this.

And he didn’t need Asia to tell him how well Julie was doing. Julie wasn’t aggressive and showed great patience as she gradually lured Lloyd away from his friends. Julie knew how to use body language. She mirrored Lloyd’s movements. When she wasn’t touching her mouth, drawing attention to her lips, she was touching Lloyd.

The guy was no match for Julie. Lloyd was getting closer and closer. His hand rested on Julie’s. His knees kept bumping against hers. When he leaned in to whisper something in Julie’s ear, Eric wanted to jump from his seat, pull them apart and declare that Julie was his.

But that wasn’t true. He’d had mind-blowing sex with Julie, but that didn’t mean he had a claim on her. She didn’t even want to talk about it afterward. Could he blame her? He took her against the door at the office. He took her like a hungry animal when she deserved something with a lot more sophistication.

She didn’t want to talk about what happened because she saw the truth about him. He wasn’t hero material. He wasn’t the suave spy of her fantasies. He wasn’t even a gentleman. That side of him no one—not even his parents—could love.

He had tried, but he couldn’t hide his primitive nature. He didn’t belong in Julie’s world. She would never invite him into her bed or her home. He was meant to guard her ivory tower, not climb the wall and bed the princess.

Lloyd, with his porcupine hair and social awkwardness, was more of a prince than he’d ever be. Eric set his water glass down carefully. The guy didn’t grab or tackle. He knew how to treat Julie right. Lloyd treated her as if she was a fantasy, a dream that could disappear if he moved too quickly.

Eric almost missed the tilt of Julie’s head. His chest tightened. She was asking him if he wanted to go to her place. They had already come up with possible scenarios to extract her from actually having to go anywhere with a man. He knew this was important for their assignment, but his gut still twisted as he watched Julie invite another man to her home.

He watched Julie’s face. He knew he should study the target’s expression. Did her face soften like it had for him? Did her eyes sparkle? Would her expression be any different with another man?

His muscles locked and he was ready to pounce. The nightclub faded around him. The music drifted into a low buzz as he saw something like pain flicker in Julie’s eyes.

Eric clenched his water glass. He didn’t know what Lloyd said to Julie, but he would rip the giant geek apart. Eric saw Julie’s smile tighten as she dipped her head in disappointment.

Lloyd glanced at his watch before he jumped off his bar stool. He gave an awkward wave before he walked over to his friends. Eric’s gaze narrowed with confusion as he watched Lloyd slap his hand on his friend’s back and say something before he headed for the exit.

Eric jerked his attention back to Julie. Her spine was straight and she looked away from where Lloyd’s friends stood. She looked as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Like all she wanted to do was finish her beer and soak up the atmosphere.

Eric knew it was all an act. Julie’s confidence was shaken. Her first decoy assignment and the guy didn’t take the bait.

He should feel relieved, but he felt her disappointment and knew it was tearing her up inside.

* * *

J
ULIE FELT
E
RIC’S APPROACH.
She drew in a weak breath and blinked away the tears stinging her eyes. Why did she feel like crying? She wasn’t interested in Lloyd. But she had given it her best, used every trick, and she failed.

She really thought she could have been a good decoy. She was willing to do whatever it took to catch her prey, but it didn’t make a difference. Eric had been right; she didn’t have the sex appeal or the street smarts.

She cast a quick glance at the exit and saw Lloyd dashing out the door. Lloyd was an honorable guy. She downed the last of her beer. He wasn’t a cheater and nothing she would have said or done would have changed that. She accepted the fact, but she wished her first decoy assignment would have proven her sex appeal.

Julie discreetly removed the earpiece and clenched it in her hands. She didn’t want to hear Asia make excuses for her, and she didn’t want her coworkers to hear any more. They didn’t need to listen to the laundry list Eric was sure to provide on how she messed up.

When Eric stood at the bar next to her, she decided to go for a preemptive strike. “I should have gone with Glamorous Julie,” she said as she stared at her empty beer bottle.

“No, you made the right call,” Eric said. “Lloyd wouldn’t have made a move if you’d come across as unattainable.”

“I went at it the wrong direction.” She replayed the conversation in her head and cringed. “I started out with something about his phone and he spent most of the time bragging about some project he did at Z-Ray.”

“He was trying to impress you,” he said as he placed his hand on her shoulder. “That’s a good sign.”

His touch felt good. She was tempted to curl against his chest, but she didn’t want to show how vulnerable she felt. “Most of it was technical jargon. The only things I understood were ‘revolutionary’ and ‘game-changer.’ I still have no idea what he does.”

“It doesn’t matter. We came here to see if he would take the bait and he didn’t. That’s all we need to know.”

Julie propped her chin on her fist. “I used everything in my playbook,” she admitted. “I didn’t even get a nibble.”

“Not from where I stood. The guy showed an interest.”

“I played it too careful. I was so worried I was going to break the momentum when I should have pushed.”

“No, you played it cool.”

“I kept looking at Blondie and Red over there.” She glanced where the women were wrapped around Lloyd’s friends. “Those men took the bait. They’re practically having sex right now.”

Eric gave a comforting squeeze on her shoulder. “You shouldn’t compare yourself. Blondie and Red obviously have their own agendas. And so did those guys.”

“I should have followed their lead.” It went against her instincts with Lloyd, but it would have gotten the results she wanted.

“No.”

She closed her eyes. Right. Her overtures would have paled in comparison with those women right next to her. Eric saw that right away, and she just proved to him that she wasn’t sexy. Why couldn’t the floor swallow her up whole?

“Yeah—” she cleared her throat “—I don’t think I could have pulled off that level of sexy.”

“No, you misunderstood me.”

“It’s okay, Eric.” She rolled the empty beer bottle between her hands. “You were right. I wasn’t a good choice. I’m sorry I made you give me the job.”

“I’m not.”

No, he wouldn’t. He knew she needed this wake-up call. The next time she wanted to break out of her cubicle, Perry would only have to mention the Lloyd incident. It would be enough to shut her up.

She truly needed this assignment to have been a success. Not just for her team, but for herself. She had waited so long for her turn. She had imagined how great she would be, how she would shine if only she had a chance for the spotlight.

The hope that always pushed her forward was gone. Now she regretted grabbing for the chance. She wished she hadn’t tried to live her dream. If she hadn’t tried she could still pretend anything was possible.

“I’m sorry this was a waste of time,” she said.

“No, it wasn’t a waste,” Eric insisted. “We needed the practice.”

“Well, the practice was wasted on me. I’m not doing it again.” She gathered up her courage and met Eric’s gaze. The kind understanding she saw in his blue eyes nearly destroyed her. “You’ll need to find someone else to be a decoy. I quit.”

7

Q
UITTING? ERIC STIFFENED.
That didn’t sound like Julie. She wasn’t a quitter. It was a quality of hers that he admired and found exasperating in equal measures. She wanted to do anything and everything, as if she were making up for lost time. If she didn’t have the skills, she got by with her drive and energy.

But now, after one try, she was going to quit being a decoy. This was what he wanted, right?

Eric saw the dullness in her blue eyes. It was as if the light—the joy—were snuffed right out of her. He wanted to protect her, but not at the cost of her enthusiasm.

He wasn’t good at pep talks, but he’d give it a shot. “Listen, Julie…”

She released a deep breath. “I don’t want your pity.”

“Good, because you don’t have it,” he insisted. “I admit you surprised me tonight.”

“I know.” She tiredly rubbed her head. “The military jacket was a bad call. I took it off to show more skin, but it didn’t do me any good.”

“The alias worked,” he insisted. “Lloyd allowed you to get a lot closer to him than Blondie and Red.”

“More like Blondie and Red were already occupied.”

Eric dipped his head and pressed his mouth against her ear. “I’m only going to say this once, so listen closely. You have a skill in observation. You notice signs that reveal something about a person. That takes years of training, but it’s almost as if it comes natural to you.”

“So, I’m a great people watcher. Big whoop.” She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to take my disappointment out on you. I appreciate that you’re trying to cheer me up.”

“But I suck at it?”

A reluctant smile pulled at her lips. “Something like that.”

“Fair enough.” He straightened and turned her bar stool so she had to face him. “I’ll focus on my strengths and stick to the facts. There were no indications that Lloyd would be unfaithful to his girlfriend. Martha volunteered him. That was the only reason we chose him as a target.”

Julie’s eyebrows rose as she gave him a knowing look. “And because he didn’t look dangerous or pose any great physical threat to me.”

She knew him well. Eric was adept at hiding his feelings, but Julie could see right through his motivations. “Okay, you caught me on that. But give me a break. Next time I can’t choose the target. He might be scum who’ll try to get you naked before you say hello.”

“I doubt we will get that lucky,” she said as she reached for her jacket on the back of her bar stool. “You need to get a different decoy. Someone like Asia. If it had been Asia, Lloyd would be at the hotel next door right now, renting a room.”

Eric curled his finger under her chin. He didn’t speak until she met his gaze. “I don’t want Asia to be a decoy. I want you,” he said. “You showed that you are adaptive and instinctual. You need to develop those skills if you want to be a detective.”

Julie’s expression softened. “Thanks, Eric.”

He stroked her jaw. Her skin was warm and smooth. He wanted to explore her face with his hands and mouth. His eyes must have given away his intentions as Julie’s cheeks reddened before she pulled away.

“It shouldn’t matter if he was a serial cheater or not,” she said as she put on her jacket. “I should have tempted him.”

“You tempted me,” he reminded her. She had driven him crazy. Still did. “You made me forget all my good intentions.”