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Gera had packed two decent outfits for her stay in Jerome. She chose the paisley print sundress, the one in shades of blue that left her shoulders bare and swirled around her knees with a decided nod to femininity. It wasn’t her usual attire, but it was perfect for tonight.
After examining the information she gleaned from the police files—’gleaned’ was a much nicer word than ‘stole’—Gera indulged in a long, soaking bubble bath. Today of all days, she deserved such a treat. She shaved her legs, applied makeup and a generous dousing of perfume, and found a suitable way to style her hair. She was ready long before eight, but hated to look too eager. At five until the hour, she called for the elevator.
She was actually nervous as she crossed the lobby. Had it really been so long since she last had a date? She did a quick calculation in her head. Sadly enough, it had been over five months.
Jake was there at the desk, talking with another guest. Gera stood back and watched him, admiring the easy way he had with people. He had such a friendly, open smile. Such expressive eyes. And don’t get her started on the sensual curve of his mouth.
He looked up and saw her, and she swore she saw his eyes smile, even from here, even from behind his glasses. He excused himself from the guest and came to greet her.
He, too, had showered and shaved. He had the tiniest nick at the edge of his squared jaw, and Gera had to resist the urge to reach up and kiss it all better. Perhaps later. Later, when Lois collected her reward from Clark.
What is wrong with me? she wondered. Are the drugs not out of my system?
But as he took her elbow and led her back across the lobby, she knew the answer. This drug was Jake Cody.
“Let’s take the elevator,” he suggested, when she would’ve started for the stairs. She gave him a quizzical look, but allowed him to lead her to the antique car.
Once the doors shut and the button pressed, Jake turned to her and gently tugged her into his arms. “Just so you know,” he murmured against her lips, “this is a date.”
She wound her arms around his neck. “Duly noted.”
His lips were soft, but firm. Warm. Heat surged through Gera’s body. They reached the lower level all too soon, but Jake continued to kiss her. The doors on vintage hand-operated elevators, Gera remembered, didn’t open automatically.
She was suddenly very fond of vintage elevators.
A buzzer sounded, and the elevator slowly lurched into action. “Someone is calling the car,” he murmured.
Gera pressed herself against him. “I hope it’s the third floor,” she whispered.
The car stopped in the lobby. With a reluctant groan, Jake set her away and reached for the door. His arm stayed around her waist, however, not wanting to break their connection.
Again wondering what had gotten into her—she normally wasn’t so greedy, not on a first date—Gera paid no attention to the two men who stepped into the car. She spotted a smudge of her pale lipstick at the edge of Jake’s mouth and wondered if her own lips were a fright. Turning so she could catch her reflection in the brass tiles that lined the car, she ran her thumb around her mouth and called it good. As she lifted her eyes, her gaze tangled in the shared reflection of Grant Young’s eyes.
She whirled around in surprise.
“Why, Gera,” he said in a pleased voice. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“I—I’m staying here at The Dove.”
“Really?” He seemed delighted, until he noticed the arm hooked around her waist. His gaze followed the arm upward, to the terse expression on Jake’s face.
“Grant,” Jake acknowledged. Gera had never heard him sound so formal.
“Cody.” Grant didn’t even bother with first name pleasantries.
Jake was polite enough to greet the second man, a hint of a smile in his voice as he extended his hand. “Clyde, good to see you.”
“Good to see you, too, Jake,” the other man said, clueless to the tension that hung in the air as heavily as smoke. “We thought we’d come out tonight and have one of your fine steaks.”
“We’re glad that you did. I’ll send the chef out to take your order personally.”
The other man chuckled in pleasure. When the elevator stopped and Clyde slid the door open, Gera accepted his invitation of ladies first.
Grant raised a questioning brow, knowing the elevator had just come from the lower level. “Missed my floor earlier,” she murmured, without quite looking anyone in the eye.
Clyde was eager to step out and claim his steak, but Grant lingered in the car with Jake. “Making out in the elevator with a guest, Cody?” he murmured. “Hardly professional. I must take that issue up with the Hospitality Board. I do believe that falls under Sexual Harassment.”
Jake made no comment. He stepped out of the car, slid his arm around Gera’s waist, and guided her quickly away.
“What was that all about?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder to find Grant’s searing gaze upon them.
“Old history,” was all he offered. He led her to the back of the dining room, to an area she had never noticed before. Not completely private, but a heavy brocade curtain draped low, offering a measure of seclusion. A round table waited for them, set with white linen cloth and candlelight.
“Ooh, this is a date,” she grinned in approval.
Jake pulled her chair out for her and excused himself, leaving her for a moment as she got settled. Through the veil of the curtain, she saw him disappear into the kitchen. At the front of the restaurant—which happened to be crowded tonight—she caught a glimpse of Grant and his friend.
“I’m sorry about that,” Jake said as he returned. He ran a hand along her bared shoulder, sending a shiver of delight to dance across her nerves. Grant’s touch had felt nothing like this.
“No worries.”
“So what would you like? The chef has given you permission to order anything you wish.”
“In that case, I’ll have the same thing I had the other night.”
They made small talk until the waiter came. He brought chilled water, a bottle of fine wine, and a basket of Jake’s favorite breads.
“Okay, we might as well address the elephant in the room,” Jake said on a sigh. “How do you know Grant Young?”
“I asked for an interview with him yesterday. He was the one who found Abe’s body, you know.”
“So I heard.”
In the spirit of full disclosure, she added, “And I saw him this morning at brunch. When he asked me out, I sort of fibbed and told him I already had plans. So thank you for keeping me from being a flat-out liar.”
She could no longer resist the urge to swipe away the smudge of lipstick from his mouth. Her fingers lingered.
“My pleasure,” Jake assured her in a deep voice, catching her hand and holding it to his lips. He pressed a kiss against her fingers. She pulled slowly away, letting her knuckles skim his lips, tugging them slightly apart. She had the craziest urge to skip dinner and go straight for dessert.
After that, Gera sat on her hands. Literally.
“So why did you turn him down?” Jake wanted to know, offering her the breadbasket. He raised a brow when she shook her head and kept her hands to herself, but he said nothing.
Her voice was quiet, her eyes wide and honest. “I’d already met you,” she whispered.
A pleased smile hovered around his mouth. He noticed how her eyes hungrily traced the gesture. A faint blush stained his cheeks.
Mortified, Gera reached for her water glass and almost tipped it over. “I don’t know what is wrong with me tonight!” she insisted.
“Relax, Gera,” he urged. “Let’s just enjoy our dinner and forget about everyone on the other side of that curtain.”
“Not yet. Not until you tell me how you know Grant Young.”
“I’ve always known him, of course, but I didn’t really get to know him until recently, when I came back here to run The Dove.”
“And now that you know him, you don’t like him.”
“That’s one way of putting it.” He paused to grin, the boyish gesture endearing. “Actually, that’s the only way to put it. I don’t like Grant Young. And as you can see, the feeling is mutual.”
“I can’t imagine anyone not liking you,” she said. Then she went out on a limb and confessed, “And to be honest, I can’t imagine not liking Grant, either. I found him to be very sociable.”
“Hmm. I’m sure he came across as all charming and humble, particularly with you being a gorgeous female and all, but believe me, he is a shrewd and formidable businessman.”
Gera interrupted him when she laughed aloud, amused by something he said. “Gorgeous female?” she hooted. “I’ve honestly never been called that in my entire life!”
Jake blinked in surprise. “I can’t imagine why not. I don’t need these glasses to see how beautiful you are.”
Gera made light of his praise. Keeping her tone playful, she looked at him keenly and proclaimed, “I like you.”
“And I’m so glad, being this is a date and all,” Jake shot back dryly.
“Okay, sorry, back on track. You were saying?”
“There is a fine line between being a shrewd business man and being a cruel one. Grant has been known to cross that line.”
Gera thought of the conversation she had overheard, when Ruth Cunningham visited the banker. “I know what you mean. And I think he could cause a problem for Abe’s widow.”
“How so?”
She told him what little she knew. Jake shook his head in disgust and said, “That sounds about like Young. For whatever reason, he wants that piece of property, and it seems he will go to any lengths to get it. He’s tried a similar tactic with me, but it won’t work. We don’t owe a dime on The Dove, and I plan to keep it that way. The last person I want to be indebted to is Grant Young.”
“Isn’t there anything Ruth Cunningham can do?”
“I don’t know, because I don’t know exactly what’s happened now. My guess is there’s probably some tiny little technicality, like an unpaid filing fee of fifty dollars, or some such nonsense. I’ll go over and talk to Ruth next week and see if I can help.”
“You’re a good man, Jake Cody,” Gera smiled. “One last question and we will drop the subject of Grant Young forever, or at least until the next time his name comes up. What did he say to you in the elevator?”
“We both serve on the Hospitality Board, an organization my grandmother started to increase tourism here in Jerome. He made some noise about reporting me for Sexual Harassment.”
“Because we were kissing in the elevator?” she asked incredulously.
“Something like that. He’s just jealous, and I can understand why.” Jake smiled at her, his eyes warm. “I’ll say it again, because it is true. You’re a gorgeous woman, Gera.”
“Is it harassment,” she asked breathlessly, leaning in close, “if both parties are willing participants?”
The waiter came with their meal. Talk turned to lighter subjects. The sounds of their laughter floated out into the main dining room and drew the attention of others, but they were cocooned in their own little world.
Gera went easy on the wine. She didn’t need anything that would lower her inhibitions any more than Jake Cody had somehow managed to do, simply by being himself. She couldn’t remember ever feeling so alive.
“Dessert?” the waiter offered.
Gera put her hand to her stomach. She was deliciously full. “Maybe after a while.”
“We can always deliver to your room,” the waiter offered.
When they exited the dining room, Gera was surprised to see that it was empty. They had unknowingly stayed well beyond closing time.
“I feel bad,” Gera said as they stepped into the elevator. “I had no idea it was so late.”
“I’ll put a little something in their paychecks,” Jake offered, inserting his key and pressing the button for the third floor. The old car chugged into motion. “It was worth it.”
They didn’t talk as they rode the elevator up. They stopped on the first floor to take on riders, stopped again on the second floor to deposit them. Reached the third floor with a new awkwardness between them.
“Would you like to see my personal residence?” Jake asked as they stepped out into the hallway.
“You live here?” she asked in surprise.
“I have an apartment at the end of this hall.” He pointed in the direction opposite her room. “Come on, I’ll show it to you.”
“I never thought about it, but I guess it makes sense,” Gera said, “to live here at the hotel. Except that you can’t ever quite get away from work, can you?”
“Oh, you’d be surprised,” Jake said, unlocking the door.
She stepped inside and looked around. The space was spacious and airy, and much more modern than the rest of the hotel.
“And I am,” she said. “Surprised, that is.” She pointed to the spiral staircase. “There’s a fourth floor?”
“Fifth, if you count the basement. But yes, there is a partial upper floor.”
“May I?” she asked, foot poised on the bottom step.
“Be my guest.”
The upper level was one large room. A wall of floor-to-ceiling windows offered a bird’s eye view of the valley below. Or it would, in the daylight. Tonight, it offered her own reflection staring back at her.
She saw something else in the reflection. She saw Jake’s massive bed behind them. And Jake’s eyes, so vivid and blue, even when mirrored in glass.
“That’s not why I brought you up here, Gera,” he said quietly.
“It’s not?” Even to her own ears, her voice sounded disappointed.
Throaty.
Needy.
“Not that I would object,” he clarified. “But I don’t expect it.”
She searched the reflection of his eyes. “But do you want it?” she asked softly.
He stepped up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. His lips trailed over her bared flesh. Gera sucked in her breath. Dropped her head back to give him access to her neck.
“I most definitely want it,” Jake murmured, running his tongue along the tiny pebbles of gooseflesh he discovered there.
“So do I,” she admitted raggedly.
Gera had never had a one-night stand before. The idea was strangely exhilarating. Oddly depressing. Would one night with Jake be enough? She turned impatiently in his arms, pulling at his shirt. For once in her life, she didn’t mind that the lights were on or that she stood in front of a bare window, allowing a man to peel her dress away.
“Something happened to me today,” she said breathlessly, even as he pushed away her bodice, pooling it down around her waist.
“What was that?” he murmured, but his attention was on her two very fine breasts.
“I think someone drugged me.”
She regretted her words instantly. Jake stopped what he was doing, and he had been doing it so well. Gera moaned, trying to pull him back to her.
“What? God, Gera, what are you talking about?”
She pulled his hand back in place, but his talented fingers were now idle. She dropped her head forward, resting it against his. “I went to the Cactus Bar today, to question Billy Boy Macandie. I think he put something in my drink. I felt very strange after I left. My vision was blurred, my feet sluggish. It was all I could do to drive down the mountain.”
“You drove in that condition?” Jake exploded. “You could’ve been killed!”
“I did scrape the fender of the car,” she admitted. “More than once. I knew I kept bumping into it, but I couldn’t seem to do anything about it.”
Jake ripped the shirt from his chest—reminding her, for a moment, of Superman—and put the garment around her, stuffing her arms into cloth still warm from his own flesh. It gave her a delicious thrill, stacking goosebumps upon her goosebumps.
“Let’s sit over here,” he said, leading her to a small seating area with a leather couch.
“I think it was some sort of date rape drug,” she said. “I never blacked out, but I got all weird feeling. I had cognate thought, but it was uninhibited, you know? Silly, at times, like I was drunk. But I don’t think I was. And then it cleared, and suddenly I was back to normal.”
“Tell me you went to the police!”
“Not exactly.” She explained her trip into Cottonwood, and why. The only detail she omitted was her acting gig with Mike Cooper, and that was for his own protection. She didn’t want to cost the officer his job.
After a brief argument, in which Jake insisted she contact Miles Anderson and Gera steadfastly refused, they came to an impasse.
Jake ran his hand through his dark hair, ruffling it in disarray. He looked over at Gera and asked quietly, “And this?” He passed his hand between them, and the dress still pooled around her waist. His shirt hung free, offering a tantalizing view of her exposed breasts. “Are you still under the influence?”
“I want to say no, but I’m not so sure,” she admitted honestly. “I’m normally not so... eager.”
His smile was bittersweet. “I thought it was a little too good to be true.”
She grabbed for his arm. “No, Jake, you don’t understand. I want this. I do.”
“And so do I. But not this way.”
“Okay, so maybe there’s still a little bit of the drugs in my system, because I will be very honest with you right now. Tomorrow I might deny I ever said this, but you deserve to know.” She took a gulp of courage and continued. “I was attracted to you from the beginning. But it took being drugged for me to admit it. I gotta tell you, Jake, thinking about you today got me all hot and bothered.” She put her hand to his face and made sure he was looking at her so, so that he could see the truth in her words. “I don’t know if this was the drugs,” she whispered, “or just you.”
Jake kissed her very gently, cradling her face in both his hands. The kiss was long and thorough and, oh, so sweet.
“Thank you for telling me that,” he said in a soft voice. He set her away from him, pulling the shirt together to hide her from him. “Give me your key, and I’ll go get your pajamas. I don’t want you to be alone tonight. You take the bed, and I’ll sleep here on the couch.”
“No, Jake, I couldn’t,” she protested.
“I insist. Tomorrow we’ll argue some more and I’ll convince you to go to the police.” His tone was confident. “But tonight, you’re staying here, where I can keep an eye on you.”
“And tomorrow night?” she asked.
“Tomorrow night, I may not be such a gentleman.” He tapped the end of her nose and waited for her to hand over her key.
Gera stared after him when he was gone, breathing in his scent from the shirt that enveloped her.
“I may just hold you to that,” she whispered to the empty room.
