She met him with dark eyes that had the power to freeze him where he stood. “Hello, Archer.”
A shudder ran through him at his name on her tongue. Being the center of this woman’s attention meant something, demanded a man take notice. “Thank you for coming to see me tonight,” he said.
“No problem,” she said, sliding onto the stool next to him, facing him. “I’ll take a Jim Beam, neat,” she said to Fitz. Soft voices drifted over from the table behind them while she watched him with those soul-penetrating eyes that leveled his defenses. Once Fitz delivered her drink and headed off to serve another customer, she added, “I’ve got to admit, I was surprised that you called me.”
“I’ve got a problem,” he told her.
Elise flashed a wicked grin. “A subscription to a women’s magazine problem?”
He restrained himself from rolling his eyes. A few days ago, Wayne had delivered a final report on Elise, including details he got off her personal computer. When she discovered her computer had been hacked and Archer was the one behind it, she reciprocated by signing him up for dozens of women’s magazine subscriptions. Getting out of those subscriptions had been nothing less than a giant pain in his ass. Four of them were still outstanding, and Archer, for his pride alone, had given in to paying them instead of fighting his way out of the subscriptions. And yet…and yet, while they might have come to a truce, and even if it irritated him, she’d impressed him. Not that he’d tell her that. “No, in fact, that problem has been handled,” he replied dryly.
She laughed easily, like she didn’t have a care in the world. Her long, spectacular legs crossed. “All right, I give. What’s the problem?”
“I’ve got a person I’d like investigated. I need your help.”
Her amused expression faltered a moment, surprise glinting in her powerful eyes. “Let me make sure I’ve got this right. You need my help?”
He didn’t want to admit it, certainly not to her, but his investigation into her had left only one conclusion: Elise was the best private investigator in the state. Not only did he want to ally himself with her to further protect Phoenix and use her skills to do so, but hiring her gave him a means to get closer to her. “I do, and it requires confidentiality.”
Intrigue sparkled in her eyes. “I’m listening. Go on.”
“The details are…”—he gestured to all the people around them—“sensitive. Let’s take this to my office.”
She polished off her drink, then rose. “Lead the way.”
He downed the rest of his bourbon and then made his way to the door on the far side, and after he entered in the security code, she followed him inside. The noise from the lounge quieted as he entered his office, which used to be one of the private rooms in the gentleman’s club. Old leather-bound books lined the walls surrounding the grand cherrywood desk set near the thin, tall window. Archer skipped his desk and headed for the sitting area with the two brown wingback chairs. He waited for Elise to sit before he joined her and got right to the point. “I’ve grown suspicious about a member of the club.”
“Why? What’s happened?” she asked.
“The other night, this person brought her own mask into the club instead of using the ones provided.” Every Phoenix member wore a mask. Some, who required their identity hidden, wore full ones. Some demonic and some animalistic. The rest wore simple masquerade masks, being a little more revealing of their identities. “The incident went unnoticed for an hour before one of my security guards picked up on it and we brought her in for questioning.”
Elise sat back against her chair, studying him, her expression a well-crafted poker face. “Uh-oh, someone get fired?”
“Suspended for two weeks,” he said. His team was composed of retired military who took their failures seriously. Mistakes happened, but they only happened once under Archer’s authority. And nothing from the outside was ever allowed inside. Phoenix provided expensive lingerie, masks, anything a member could want. The only exemption were the men’s dark slacks, and those were searched methodically for bugs, recording devices, anything that could comprise security. “She brought the mask in a purse that wasn’t searched, and that is inexcusable.”
Elise watched him for a long moment. “Tell me why this mask worries you.”
He rose and moved to his desk, taking out the gold-and-black object in the plastic bag from his locked filing cabinet. “Her behavior was off during questioning,” he said, returning to Elise and offering her the mask.
“Off, how?”
“Nervous, edgy.” He returned to his seat. “We scanned it for bugs, a camera, anything electronic. We found nothing. I’ve dug as far as I can go into this member’s life, and nothing is showing up that would raise alarms. She said she didn’t know the rules about not being able to bring in her own mask, and right now, there’s nothing to suggest that’s not the truth.”
“But your instincts tell you otherwise?”
He nodded, not surprised she’d caught on. Elise’s quick mind was what made her stand out. “Everything about this member has me on edge. Something’s not right here. I can feel it.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, leveling her with a measured look. “So, Rhys asked me to extend you an offer. That you investigate this member and that if this job goes well, the club would use your services exclusively going forward.” Only because Archer had suggested it to Rhys. Archer was only as good as his team, and Elise had proven herself invaluable.
No wise businessperson would turn down the offer he presented. Phoenix was home to multi-millionaires who paid a pretty penny to stay out of the media. Anyone working in security for the club made a six-figure income, including Archer.
Elise studied him and then the mask. “Can I take this to examine it?”
He nodded. “Of course.”
She placed it in her purse before a deep breath spilled from her pouty lips. “All right, I’ll look into this for you. But I need you to do two things for me.”
He doubted he was going to like either of the things she wanted. “Name them.”
“Get me into the club,” she said without a flicker of emotion on her face.
“As a member?” he asked to clarify.
She gave him a flat look. “No, not as a member. I have no interest in watching other people fuck.”
Don’t knock it until you try it. “For investigatory reasons, then?”
“Exactly,” she said with a nod. “Don’t tell me the name of this woman or anything about her.”
“You don’t want to know the name of the woman you’re investigating?”
She shook her head. “Let me study the members in person to see if anyone stands out on odd behavior alone.” She paused to shrug. “I’m a people reader, and I’m good at it.”
He didn’t doubt her. She seemed to read straight through him all too easily and knew exactly how to irritate him as much as possible. She was always, in everything she did, one step ahead of him. At first, he’d hated that. He still hated that, but a new sensation burned alongside his annoyance—desire. Even now, behind those clever sparkling eyes, he knew she had a plan, a way to manipulate the whole world to her advantage. All he wanted was a single peek into her brilliant mind. “All right, done. And the second request?”