Where the Heart Chooses (7 page)

“Please, call me Portia.” I’d overheard the
secretaries in Arlington Hall discussing him in the ladies room,
calling him Mr. Freeze because apparently he’d turned down a play
made by one of their number who was decidedly pulchritudinous.

“Portia. And I’m Nigel.” The skin of his
palm was smooth and warm, free of calluses, and I fought back a
shiver as I wondered what it would feel like stroking over my skin.
His eyes, suddenly green, remained fixed on mine, and I was lost in
their depths.

Tony cleared his throat. “People?”

How long had I stood there, staring into
those mesmerizing eyes?

Nigel turned to my brother with an absent
smile. “Sorry, Sebring. You were saying?”

“I was saying that if you’d let go of my
sister’s hand, maybe she could take a look at this code and make
some sense of it.” But he looked taken aback rather than irritated.
He’d never seen me react that way to anyone. Ever.

Nigel slowly…reluctantly?…released my hand,
and a line from
Romeo and Juliet
crossed my mind…
and palm
to palm is holy palmers’ kiss…

I shivered and stared down at my palm,
certain I would see my heart line glowing.

“Mann,” my brother growled, “would you stop
distracting my sister so she can see if she can make heads or tails
of this code?”

I shook myself out of my daze and approached
his desk. “What is it, Tony?”

“There’s something about this line…” He
handed me the paper, and I studied it. After a moment, I spoke the
Russian words aloud.

A soft sound came from Nigel Mann, and when
I looked at him, there was an expression on his face that took me
by surprise.

“Do you find my pronunciation amusing?”

“Not at all. I haven’t heard anything that
flawless outside of Mother Russia.”

“Mother Russia?” I read it over again, and
it hit me all at once. “That’s it! The key to this code is in
Tolstoy’s
War and Peace
!” I went to the bookshelf and pulled
down the huge tome.

“Portia, are you sure?”

“Tony, I’m more than sure—I’m positive!” I
was almost vibrating with excitement as I thumbed through the book
and found the passage I wanted. “There! See, there! Oh, that sneaky
so-and-so! This is Sidorov’s work, isn’t it? He did something very
similar with
Anna Karenina.
The man has a weakness for
Tolstoy.”

“Nicely done. Nothing like a fresh pair of
eyes!” My brother had a satisfied grin on his face. “I’ll give this
to the team to finish deciphering.” He cleared his throat and
looked at his watch. “Mann, why don’t you and my sister go out and
grab a bite to eat?”

I frowned at him. Was he trying to set us up
on a date? “That’s quite all right—I still have a few hours of work
left to do.” I could hardly offer the excuse of having a sandwich
at my desk, since I didn’t, and the cafeteria was long closed.
However, I was reluctant for my brother to see how eager I was to
spend time with this man. Was this what Barnabas Sebring had felt
when he’d first seen his Rachel? “Besides, I’m sure Mr.
Mann…Nigel…has plans of his own.”

“Portia.” Tony growled at me this time.
“It’s been a long day, and I think you could do with a break.
Consider it a reward for a job well done.”

“I never say ‘no’ to the man in charge.”
Nigel rolled down his sleeves and fastened the cuffs, took his suit
jacket from the back of a chair, and slid his arms into it.

Nigel couldn’t see, but I crossed my eyes at
my older brother. He ignored that and reached for the telephone,
pausing to say, “Just remember, you both need to be back here
bright and early in the morning.”

“Miss…Portia?”

“Just let me freshen up.” I needed a moment
to get myself back under control. Where had the ice princess gone?
“I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

I went back to my office for my purse,
locked my desk, and hurried to the ladies’ room. I patted some cold
water onto my wrists. My nipples were tight, and I felt as if I
were burning up from the inside out. However, my reflection in the
mirror showed just a hint of color high on my cheekbones. I took
the compact from my purse and smoothed the powder over my cheeks.
My hands were shaking slightly as I applied a fresh coat of
lipstick and blotted my lips.

I made sure I didn’t have any lipstick on my
teeth, drew in a steadying breath, and blew it out. I stared coolly
into the mirror and tucked a stray strand of hair into place. “You
are a Sebring. You will behave as such.”

Giving a decisive nod, I returned to my
office to collect my coat. Once I had the door locked behind me, I
went to meet Nigel Mann.

* * * *

He drove us to a little Italian restaurant
in Baltimore called
Casa del Vitello,
and we dined on veal
saltimbocca, which was delicious, and I told him so.

“Perhaps…perhaps you’d like to return
sometime?” He smiled into my eyes. How could this man ever have
gotten a reputation for being cold? Or was he simply that good an
actor?

“Yes, I would. I’m so glad Tony suggested we
go out to dinner.”

“So am I.”

But the evening was almost over. Our waiter
was approaching with the check. Nigel glanced at it, took his
wallet from his inner jacket pocket, and I looked away as he
withdrew a number of bills. There had been no prices in the menu,
and it would have been crass to seem curious as to how much he’d
spent on me.

“I’ll return with your change, sir,” the
waiter said.

“No, keep it.”

The waiter’s eyes widened. “Are you sure,
sir?”

“Yes. Your service was excellent.”

“Thank you!”

“You’re welcome.” He took the violets from
the vase at the center of the table and came around to me.
“Darl-Portia?” He offered me the violets.

I accepted them and brought them to my nose,
inhaling the delicate fragrance and thinking for a moment of
Folana.

“Did I do something to sadden you?”

“Not really. I was just reminded of someone
else who gave me violets.”

“Hmm.” He gently pulled my chair back. “I…I
hope you don’t mind if I say I don’t want this evening to end.” My
gaze flew up to meet his. “Would you like to go dancing?”

“I’d love to go dancing, Nigel.”

“There’s a club just down the street. They
have a trio – piano, bass, and sax, and they’re very good, I
understand.”

“You understand?”

“I don’t usually go dancing in the middle of
the week.” He looped my arm through his, and we strolled to the
coat check.

“Neither do I.”

“Shall we go see how good they are?”

“That sounds like an excellent idea.”

* * * *

Other than the bartender and the band, the
club was empty of patrons.

“Oh!” I said. “Perhaps we’d better go.”

“Nah, we don’t close until two, and we have
to stay either way.” The bartender grinned and shrugged. “What can
I get you folks?”

“Portia?”

“A Manhattan, please.”

“A Manhattan and a vodka tonic,” Nigel said,
and while we waited for him to fix them, Nigel took my coat and
draped it over a bar stool, then held out his hand. “Dance with
me?”

I placed my hand in his, and he led me to
the dance floor. The leader smiled and nodded to the other men, and
the band began playing “It Had to Be You.”

Nigel hummed along softly, and I shivered as
his breath tickled my ear. His arms were strong about me, and his
body was warm and firm, and although the “ice princess” would never
have rested her head on his shoulder, Portia Sebring did.

When the song finished, Nigel said, “Excuse
me a moment.” He went up to the bandstand, spoke with the leader,
and then took out his wallet once again and handed the man a
bill.

He looked at it, grinned, and murmured
something to his bandmates. And Nigel returned to me as once again
they played “It Had to Be You.”

* * * *

It was almost three A.M. when Nigel brought
me home. He stood by the elevator, watching as I searched for my
key in my purse. I smiled at him over my shoulder, and he muttered
something under his breath, strode purposefully to me, and kissed
me a final time. My lips were throbbing when he eventually raised
his head.

“Nigel,” I murmured, cradling his cheek.

“You know, I’ve always hated my name. But I
love the way it sounds when you say it.”

I smiled into his eyes. “Nigel.”

He shivered, and I wondered if it would get
me kissed again. It did, but it was just a brush of his lips over
mine. “You’re wearing Tabu, aren’t you?”

“Should I be alarmed that you’re familiar
enough with it that you recognize it?”

“No.” He brought my hand to his mouth and
kissed my fingertips. “You wear it well. But…”

“But?” I caressed his cheek with the
fingertips of my other hand.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he said, “Keep
tomorrow night available for me.” He refused to move until I sighed
my agreement, and then went back to the elevator. The operator, who
was pointedly studying the carpet, held it open for him.

Humming softly, I let myself into the dimly
lit foyer of the apartment I shared with my brother. Tony had left
a lamp on for me.

I smothered a yawn. I’d just turn it off and
go to bed.

“Have a good time, little sister?”

I jumped. He stood in the doorway of his
bedroom, his pajamas slightly rumpled and his hair standing out
every which way. I should have realized the sound of the key in the
lock would awaken him.

“Actually, yes. We went to dinner at
Casa
del Vitello
.”

“The little Italian restaurant in Baltimore?
They make an excellent veal saltimbocca.”

“That’s what Nigel recommended. He’s eaten
there before.”

“And then?”

I raised an eyebrow. “And then, what?”

“Portia, dinner only takes a couple of
hours.”

“You know the drive to Baltimore is more
than an hour. And that means the drive home is the same.”

“That still leaves two hours unaccounted
for.”

I could have given him a hard time about
answering, but I was feeling too good. “We went dancing at a club
Nigel knows. It was just a three piece band, but they were
fabulous.”

Tony was more awake now, and his eyes
narrowed as he took in my appearance. At one of the traffic lights,
Nigel had glanced across at me, and then he’d thrown the car into
neutral and pulled me against him. He’d slid his arms into my coat
and tugged free the back of my blouse. His hands were warm over my
slip and shoulders, but he’d made no effort to touch my breasts.
And while Dean Martin sang something lush and romantic on the
radio, Nigel drove me wild with his kisses.

There was no traffic at that time of night,
which was a good thing, since the light must have changed a number
of times before he realized we couldn’t stay there for the rest of
the night.

I’d been totally unaware, which was unusual
for me, but I couldn’t find it in me to care. I leaned back against
the seat, watching as his elegant fingers enclosed the stick shift
and threw the car into gear.

Tony came closer, and his nostrils twitched.
“Do I smell English Leather on you?
Why
do I smell English
Leather on you?”

I just smiled at him. He could wait as long
as he chose for a response, but it was my turn to not say
anything.

He ran his gaze over me, and I turned away.
I knew my hair was mussed and my lips had been kissed free of
lipstick. I’d tucked my blouse into the waistband of my skirt, but
I’d been too fumble-fingered to do a proper job of it.

“Did something happen that I should be made
aware of?”

“Tony, you know I can take care of myself.
Besides, I have a father—I don’t need a second one.”

“Portia, Nigel Mann is a damned good
operative—” I raised an eyebrow, and he hastily cleared his throat.
“I meant to say
cryptologist
, one of the best we’ve got, but
the man…Listen to me! The Antarctic is the Sahara Desert compared
to him!”

“What? Where did you get that idea
from?”

“Are you joking? Everyone knows Nigel Mann
is the original Mr. Freeze.”

I started to laugh at that absurdity, but
then bit it off when an unsettling thought crossed my mind. “If
that’s true, why did you suggest I go to dinner with him?”

“I didn’t really suggest. I just…” He
appeared uncomfortable, something I couldn’t recall observing in
him.

“I can only see two reasons, Tony, and
neither of them make you look good. The first is that both of us
having such a frigid temperament, we’d be a perfect match. The
second is that if he were cold, you could trust him with your
sister, because he wouldn’t try to get fresh with me.”

“Portia…”

“Which is it, big brother? Of course, if you
have a third reason, I’d be more than happy to hear it.”

“Get down off your high horse, would you?
All I wanted was for the two of you to have a meal together, get to
know each other as colleagues. I happen to think you’ll work well
together. But having an affair…It just won’t work out, Portia.
Trust me on this!”

“Are you telling me this as my brother or as
my boss?”

“I’m telling you as someone who’s seen it
happen.” He looked tired. “Having a relationship with a civilian
doesn’t last longer than a few months, if that. Our job is just too
demanding. As for getting involved with a colleague…” His face lost
all expression. “You either wind up at each other’s throats, or one
of you winds up—”

Dead. I was aware of that. In this business,
it was impossible to be anything but aware of it. I went to him and
hugged him.

“Try not to worry about it, all right?” I
decided not to tell him just now that I was seeing Nigel again
tomorrow evening. “Listen, I’m going to fix myself a cup of tea. Do
you want one too?”