The Paris Assignment by Addison Fox Read Free Book Online

say for you and the Sophia Loren wannabe back there.”
    Her own words surprised her but they had their desired effect as they shifted Campbell’s focus. His grin was back, whip-quick and more than a little dashing. “You didn’t believe me when I told you I didn’t like opera.”
    “I assumed you didn’t care for the music.”
    “Among other things,” he muttered as he reached for his bow tie.
    Abby held her tongue, the image of those slender arms and luscious curves wrapped around Campbell still haunting her mind’s eye. Not only was the reaction beyond inappropriate—he owed her no explanations—it was damned infuriating to feel like the cuckolded lover.
    Even if the lover part was imaginary.
    “How about a drink? I want to discuss tonight as well as our plans for tomorrow.”
    She flirted briefly with turning down the invitation, but discarded the idea. They didn’t have much time before leaving for Paris and there was still much to go over. Besides, her adrenaline was still so sky-high she knew she was unlikely to fall asleep anytime soon. “Where would you like to go?”
    “The Four Winds is on the way to your home. It’s dark, it’s private and it’s a classic with those big wide windows overlooking Central Park. Let’s head there.” After a quick set of instructions to their driver, Campbell dragged the tie from his throat, wrapping it up and dropping it into his suit pocket. A small patch of skin was visible at the open neck of his shirt and Abby felt her temperature spike another few degrees.
    Their destination decided, Abby tried to mentally regroup. She had to get a grip on these ridiculous feelings. She and Campbell were going to be spending a lot of time together in close proximity and ogling her newly acquired business associate wasn’t going to help her keep her mind on the game. Already tonight, she’d been more than surprised when he’d pointed out the steady gaze of the tuxedo-clad stranger.
    She hadn’t even noticed the man.
    “What was your take on this evening?” She saw the bright lights of the Time Warner Center as their driver took the turn at Columbus Circle and she knew they weren’t far from their destination.
    “Aside from our criminal du jour, it was a relatively harmless evening. Lots of well-dressed people having stuffy, boring conversations.”
    “That’s what you thought about tonight?”
    “Sure. Didn’t you?”
    A laugh welled up at his frank assessment. “Well, yeah, but aren’t we supposed to pretend we had a good time, drinking in the atmosphere and reveling in the talk of important matters?”
    “What for? It was a bunch of privileged people standing around talking about privileged things.”
    She couldn’t hold back her curiosity at the entirely unexpected shift in the conversation. “Unless I’m mistaken, that townhome we picked you up at smacks of privilege and wealth.”
    He shrugged, the lines of his shoulders stiff and uncomfortable as his gaze drifted toward the window. “It just seems like there’s more to life.”
    “Is that why you do this?”
    He turned back from the window. “Do what? The business?” When she nodded, he added, “Sure, to a point. It keeps me active and productive and it seems to be working if the profits we’re turning are any indication.”
    “Did you ever expect your services would be in such high demand?”
    A quick light sparked in Campbell’s eyes and Abby didn’t miss the clear notes of excitement there. “Nothing prepared us for the reaction we’ve had. We knew our parents’ friends had the need for quiet inquiries into certain matters or help managing an enemy bent on destroying them, but we were unprepared for the response we’ve received.”
    “So you help the very lifestyle you disdain?”
    “It’s not disdain—”
    Intrigued, Abby sat quietly, waiting for him to say more. She sensed something underneath his words she couldn’t quite identify and for some reason it was suddenly very important