Read Online The Spy Is Cast by Diane Henders - Free Book Online Page B

struggling
upward to my face.
    He held my eyes as he
leaned toward the bartender. “Don’t give her that plonk, Dave. Open
a bottle of the good stuff.”
    “Yes, sir, Mr.
Harchman,” Dave responded, and vanished behind the bar.
    I let an intimate
smile spread over my face. “Mr. Harchman. Our host for this lovely
event. How nice to meet you.” I infused the word ‘nice’ with a
warm, husky undertone as I surveyed him as though we were the only
two people in the room.
    He stretched to his
full height, which I guessed to be about five-seven, his pot belly
winking with diamond shirt studs. Enormous diamond rings glittered
on his pudgy fingers, and the strength of his cologne turned my
stomach. I wasn’t sure, but I thought I could see the plugs in his
thinning blond hair. His pale blue eyes slithered south to my
cleavage again.
    He seized my hand,
planting a wet kiss on my knuckles. I detected a brush of tongue,
and clamped down my reflexive shudder with every bit of control I
owned.
    “Please, call me
Lawrence,” he murmured, still clutching my hand in a moist grip.
“And you are?”
    “Aydan Kane,” I
introduced myself. “And this is my husband, John.”
    I turned to discover
Kane had faded away. I spotted him some distance down the bar,
apparently discussing scotch with the bartender. I tossed my head
and turned back to Harchman.
    “It seems I’m
temporarily without a husband.” I gave the comment a meaningful
intonation and watched Harchman’s avid response with carefully
concealed distaste.
    Dave the bartender
arrived with a glass, and I used the opportunity to disengage my
hand from Harchman’s clingy grasp.
    “Thank you, Dave,” I
said warmly, and he smiled and nodded. I swirled the wine around
the glass, inhaling its aroma, and then sipped, savouring it.
    “What do you think?”
Harchman inquired eagerly.
    “It’s quite unusual,”
I told him, realizing as I spoke that Kane had reappeared behind
me. “I’ve never had an oaked Sauvignon Blanc.”
    Harchman nodded
enthusiastically. “Do you like it?”
    I sipped again,
slowly. As I lowered the glass again, I flicked the tip of my
tongue against the rim of the glass, catching a tiny drop of wine.
“The oak gives it just the right amount of… texture,” I purred. “I
always think a touch of roughness makes things so much more
interesting, don’t you?”
    A flush rose above
Harchman’s collar as his eyes glazed over. Nice to know I could
still do that. I leaned languidly back against Kane, glancing up at
him over my shoulder. “John, this is Lawrence Harchman. Lawrence,
I’d like you to meet my absent husband, John.”
    Kane’s arm went around
my waist in a proprietary gesture as he extended his hand to
Harchman. “Mr. Harchman. Pleasure to meet you.”
    Harchman straightened.
“Please call me Lawrence. And you’re with…?”
    “Kane Consulting,”
Kane informed him. “I’m looking forward to your presentation
tonight.”
    Harchman nodded and
his eyes drifted back to the circulating guests. I leaned toward
him, dislodging Kane’s arm, and reached for his pudgy hand again.
“Lawrence,” I murmured intimately. “It was lovely to meet you. And
your home is magnificent.”
    His gaze darted
between Kane and me, assessing us. Then he smiled and leaned closer
to me. “This is just the gazebo,” he said. “Wait ‘til you see the
house.”
    I did my best
wide-eyed admiration. “I’d love to. I always wanted to be an
interior decorator. I’d love to see everything you’re willing to
show me.” I almost gagged as I said it, but apparently Harchman was
full of himself to the point of being totally oblivious.
    He gave me a slimy
smile. “I’d be happy to give you a personal tour later.”
    “Thank you, I’ll look
forward to it,” I lied. “And now I suppose we shouldn’t keep you
from your guests any longer.”
    Harchman nodded. “Come
and find me after the presentation.”
    “I will,” I
murmured.
    He wove his way out
into