Prologue

 

She leaned against the desk and smiled down at the professor. How he got a PhD in anything she couldn’t imagine. He was dense as a petrified rock. The comparison was fitting since he was an archaeologist, or at least that’s what his credentials said. She thought the female doctoral student he’d inherited after her advisor died had more on the ball than the man in front of her did. Still, he was the one who could get her what she wanted.

“This is perfect, darling,” she said, trailing a blood-red fingernail down the side of his face.

“I thought we were going to dive for the Santissima Concepcion,” he said as he licked his lips.

She noticed how, his eyes never made it to her face. He might be questioning her, but his arguments would be minimal. The man was such an easy mark it was almost criminal to take advantage. Then again, she was a criminal, so it didn’t really matter.

“We are, but this way we don’t have to worry about all the red tape. If you can talk the dean into getting us on the dive for La Trinité, we can piggy back and not worry about the rest,” she said moving behind him. She leaned closer, stroking her hands down his flabby chest. At least, this way she didn’t have to watch him salivate while she worked her magic. She had to stop herself from recoiling when he reached behind the chair and slid his hand up her thigh.

“The people on the project are going to be serious archaeologists and master divers. I’m not sure I’ll be able to slip away unnoticed.”

“Your job is to get us on that boat and to make sure Collins is on it as well. She could come in handy. The rest, you leave to me,” she said, thinking about the other things she’d already done to make this acquisition happen. Killing the first man she had tried to talk into a partnership jumped to the forefront of her mind. That had been very satisfying. The self-righteous prick had it coming. The way he looked down at her ambitions had been infuriating. She refocused on the job at hand.

“I’m not,” he paused as she dipped her hand lower. “Not sure how I can do that. The dean is, um, uh, difficult.”

The man was so easy, she thought listening to his labored breathing. She nipped his ear before whispering in it.

“Tell him you want to do it to honor Gaston. He’d love that, wouldn’t he?” She increased the pressure and speed of her hand.

“Yes, yes!”