Chapter 13
Mae’s nerves jumped as she measured out a swath of fabric on the form sized for the female lead, Willa. It was tough to concentrate with her mind circling back to Joe and his plan every ten seconds.
“Ouch.” It was the third time she’d stuck herself with a pin. Shaking her hand then sucking on the tip of her finger where a bead of blood gathered, she decided to take a break. There was still a half hour to go before Ben and Joe would pick her up in the taxi.
Settling back at her desk, she picked up the desk phone to call Sunny. Letting it ring five times before giving up, she pulled out her cell phone and texted her a message. Sunny had said she had business this morning, but she’d check her messages. Mae told her she’d be ready for lunch any time after 1:00 p.m. She’d need the distraction by then and thought about having a couple of bottles of wine delivered along with their meals. Mae figured the best idea was for them to eat lunch in her office so they could talk without worry of being interrupted or overheard.
For the millionth time that morning, she thought of calling Joe. And for the millionth time she dismissed the idea. He’d made it clear the night before that they did not have that kind of relationship.
But then there was that kiss this morning . . .
Damn him. Joe was making her nuts. Sometimes she wanted to shake him up, to yell at him, but most of the time she wanted to kiss him silly and then make wild love to him. The way they had that first night.
When the phone rang, she jumped. Her hand shook as she reached for the receiver.
“Hello.” Mae’s voice sounded like she’d been holding her breath too long and needed air.
“You okay, Mae?” It was Laura Plimpton. Great. The show’s director rarely called and when she did, Mae sounded like she was doing anything but work.
“Yeah, sure. Sorry. I was just . . . never mind. What’s up, Laura?”
“I had a couple of ideas and thought we could talk about them—you and the set designer. How about this afternoon at three?”
“Sounds great. You’re on. Your office?”
“No—how about if we come there and I can take a look at what you have so far.”
“Perfect.” They ended the call.Perfect.She took a cleansing breath. She’d need to be in A-game mode for Laura. The call had been a good reminder to focus on her job. She looked at her watch.
Too bad it was time to take a taxi ride.
* * *
Joe managedto get inside the door and close it behind him without killing himself or getting killed. Kicking off the heels, he opened the bag with his clothes. Ben’s snickering had rankled him, but he couldn’t blame the guy. He knew he looked ridiculous dressed up as Mae.
Mae. She’d been perfect. She’d walked to the gate where she could be seen from the street but, as he’d instructed, didn’t venture outside the lot. She’d carried her bag and worn the hat with the veil, all as planned. But when she got inside the cab, he’d seen the anxiety, the cost of playing her role. He knew it has been the best decision not to let her go along with Detective Harvey’s plan, in spite of her protestations.
They’d switched places in the crowded space of the cab’s back seat and he’d been tempted to take her in his arms and kiss the worry from her even though he’d been wearing the ridiculous wig. But he didn’t. He held onto his professional focus. Although he had to admit that Ben’s presence was at least partly responsible for him keeping himself in check. He still had some pride. He needed to get back to where he was at 100% in Zero Go Team mode.
Moving quickly to the interior of the house, he found himself standing in front of the hall mirror. He shook his head. He had no idea how those undercover guys did it. Not waiting another second, he stripped down, then stuffed the costume into a bag and put on his jeans and T-shirt. Taking another look, all traces of Mae Monday were gone. The hat, the hair, the earrings, the dress, the coat, and most especially the heels, were off, stashed away. He slipped his gun into the back of his pants. Bending, he took the ankle holster with a second gun from his bag and fastened it in place. Then he stood.
He was himself again. He looked like Joe Temple, ZGT badass operative.
He felt like shit.
Turning away from the mirror, he went through the house, avoiding windows, to check for surveillance or listening devices. Now all he had to do was wait. And remain alert and ready. He’d been through this drill a hundred times before. Should be a piece of cake. Except it wasn’t.
With every tick of the clock, his concentration fought against the image of Mae Monday in her wine-stained T-shirt and seductive smile leading him to her bed.
And the look on her face when he’d turned her down.
* * *
Checkingher watch was all Mae seemed to be able to do since Ben had dropped her back at the studio. She paced around the two body forms in her office as if she were doing laps to train for a marathon. If she didn’t quit it she’d wear out her carpeting and they’d charge her for the unusual wear and tear.
This was a temporary office.A temporary job, a gift, a chance to make her name count, to get to the pinnacle of her profession and stand among the greats. Maybe she was getting ahead of herself, but she knew she stood on the threshold of all that.
A week ago she’d have been over the moon about it.