To Catch a Bad Guy (8 page)

“I was too head over heels
with Alex to notice anyone else.”

“That dirt bag.” Katie
ground her heel on the pavement. “I never liked him, and I told you as much.
Something about him just didn’t feel right. Too suave, too…”

“You can let it go now,
Katie – it’s been long enough.” Janet shrugged. She was only too familiar with
the direction in which the conversation was heading, but contrary to what she
had just said, she found it hard to let go of Alex just yet.

“So how did Lisa land
the general counsel job at Bostoff?” Katie took the cue and switched the
conversation.

“Lisa went to Harvard
Law. She’s smart.”

“Wahoo! And you and I
went to Columbia. I don’t get anyone knocking on my door offering me general
counsel jobs and neither do you. So, how did she swing it?”

“Well, she’s dating the
owner’s son. They are about to get engaged…”

“That figures. Leave it
to Lisa to sleep her way to the top. Darn it, I should start wearing sexier
clothes to the office. Did I tell you that one of the senior partners
propositioned me?”

“No way.” Janet’s eyes
flew wide open.

“One night I was there
working late on an assignment for him when the old bugger cruised over to my
office and asked me if I wanted to get something to eat. I was starving, so I
said yes. We went to a Chinese place close to the office, and he ordered a
bottle of wine. I didn’t think anything of it – two coworkers unwinding after a
long day at the office. But then, after the second glass, he reached for my
hand and told me that he wanted to take our working relationship to the next level.
And you should see this guy. He looks like a benevolent grandpa,  all proper
and dignified, with a handkerchief in his suit jacket. The jerk is in his late
sixties, married with two kids who are in their thirties, and, as I found out
later, he is also sleeping with his paralegal. I told him that I didn’t date
coworkers. I had to be polite – he is a senior partner. The next day, the
bugger had the nerve to ask me for the assignment as though nothing had
happened. Come to think of it, I should have said yes, taped the whole thing
and sued his ass for sexual harassment.”

“Well, maybe it’s not
too late.” Janet literally felt her sides splitting from trying not to laugh.
She would not want to be in Katie’s shoes, but the story was hilarious.

“Sure, go ahead,
laugh,” Katie snapped. “But I’m not telling you this just for laughs: life’s no
picnic at any job. So you’re working for Lisa now. At least she’s not trying to
sleep with you. And who knows, if you play your cards right, she just might
promote you.”

Janet found herself
wondering if getting a promotion at the firm of Bostoff Securities would actually
be a good thing.

Half-awake, Lisa Foley
stretched languidly in bed and looked at Paul sleeping contentedly next to her.
The events of the previous night sprang up in her mind, as a contented smile
spread over her lips. She surveyed her surroundings through half-closed lids.
She knew the furnishings of the room of the prestigious B&B in Southampton
where they were staying by heart. It was the same room Paul rented for their
summer weekends, but there was something incredibly special about the Hamptons
in the fall. The town was devoid of the pesky summer crowds, and the beach was
deliciously deserted. But all of that paled in comparison to the events that
had transpired last night, making Southampton forever Lisa’s favorite
destination. Last night, after a quiet dinner at Pierre’s followed by dessert,
Paul had asked her to be his wife just as Lisa was contemplating a forkful of
strawberry shortcake.

Careful not to wake
Paul, Lisa extended her left hand in front of her eyes and admired the ring on
her finger. It was indeed a gorgeous ring. She had been expecting a diamond,
but a five-carat sapphire of perfect clarity would do. The ring had belonged to
Paul’s mother, and he had made a big deal about it, so Lisa had pretended to be
impressed. Personally, she would have preferred Paul to shell out the cash for
a new ring. What better way could there be for a man to demonstrate his
affection for a woman? But Paul could be sentimental at times – a quality that
Lisa adored about him. She had never lacked for male attention, but dating was
a far cry from marriage, and Lisa had found that unless a girl had a sizeable
trust fund to supplement her good looks, it was not an easy task to snag an
eligible bachelor. And while Lisa’s family was comfortably middle class, her
parents were far from wealthy. She did not have rich grandmothers or aunts
bequeathing her unexpected millions, so marrying a capable provider was the
only option. In Lisa’s definition, an eligible bachelor was handsome,
agreeable, and capable of taking care of his future wife. Thankfully, Paul was
all of these things.

Lisa’s thoughts turned
to the time when she and Paul first met. One night, tired from work, Lisa had
dragged herself to Mindy Lawlor’s – Mindy Frank’s – birthday party. Lisa and
Mindy had gone to college together, but that’s where their similarities ended.
Mindy had been fortunate to land herself with a husband who provided for her
splendidly: Josh Lawlor was in the investment banking division at JP Morgan.
Not that Mindy had to worry about making a living: her parents had provided her
with a sizeable trust fund. Lisa figured that the party would likely be a bust,
filled with engaged and married couples, but it was still better than brooding
alone in her apartment. For the first time in her life, Lisa had not even
bothered to check her makeup, neglecting to dab concealer over those horrible
dark circles under her eyes. She did not care how she looked; she just wanted a
drink after a terrible day at the office. But suddenly, there was Paul Bostoff,
Josh’s friend from summer camp. Sensing Paul’s keen gaze upon her, she rushed
to the ladies’ room and hastily repaired her makeup. Ten minutes later, she
looked as good as new. Well, at least in the dim lighting of the place, she
could pass for looking as good as new. Paul’s attraction to her was undeniable.
Lisa took things slowly, alternating oozing sexuality with demure coyness,
building up Paul’s anticipation, yet being careful not to overdo it. Men wanted
challenge, and yet they did not want to be challenged too much. At the time,
she was twenty-seven years old: three years away from thirty, and there was no
time to waste. Paul’s lineage might not have been as glamorous as that of
Lisa’s previous boyfriends, but he was the one who put the ring on her finger,
and it would have to do.

Lisa heard Paul stir
and smiled with the anticipation of many carefree years that stretched before
her as Mrs. Paul Bostoff.

“Good morning.” Paul
smiled at her.

“Hi, baby.” Lisa
cuddled next to Paul, her foot reaching for his under the covers.

“How did the future
Mrs. Bostoff sleep?”

“Perfectly fine, thank
you.” Lisa smiled, sliding her trim body over Paul’s. “And she can’t wait to
make love to her future husband.”

Later that morning,
Lisa wiped the remaining drops of the maple syrup from her plate with the last
bite of the pancake.

“That good, huh?” Paul
smiled as he watched her devouring the last of the pancakes.

“Your lovemaking has
made me ravenous.” Lisa batted her eyelashes.

“Well, then, we’d
better stock up on food.”

We’d better not,
thought Lisa. Already she felt guilty about this decadent feast, but it was
Sunday, and she was simply in too good a mood for the usual gray option of
oatmeal and half a grapefruit. Come Monday, she would be back on her strict
eating plan. At her height of five two, even an ounce of extra weight would be
instantly noticeable.

“So, what do you want
to do today?” asked Paul.

“Anything you want.”
Lisa smiled dreamily. She might have hooked the fish, but she had yet to haul
her catch ashore, and until she became Mrs. Bostoff, Lisa’s last name was going
to be Obedience. “We could take a stroll around town – check out the galleries
or walk on the beach.”

“I like the galleries
idea.” Paul decided. “Perhaps we’ll find something interesting for our new
place.”

Lisa’s heart jumped.
She had planned to delicately broach the subject of moving in together, but
Paul had beaten her to it.

“I hope I’m not rushing
things.” Paul took her hand. “But I’m sure once we tell Dad, he’s going to want
a big wedding, and I just can’t wait a year to wake up to you every morning.”

“I can’t wait either.”
Lisa squeezed Paul’s hand. She tried not to think about the year-long
engagement. If it were up to her, she would board the plane to Vegas tomorrow.
That way if things did not work out between them, she could at least get
alimony. But family had to be contended with, and if Mr. Bostoff wanted a big
wedding for his son, Lisa would sit back and bide her time.

Lisa turned her face to
the gentle breeze as she walked next to Paul, her hand entwined with his. They
were strolling down the main town street, throwing leisurely glances at the
window displays of galleries that peppered the town. To put it mildly, the
ratio of galleries and souvenir shops to the local population was
disproportionate, but then these ornate displays of overpriced merchandise were
intended for the tourists, and now, with the summer crowds gone, this imbalance
was palpable. Almost every store was empty, with clerks yawning discreetly
behind the counters. A few more weeks and many stores would reduce their hours
and some would shut down entirely for the winter.

Lisa felt Paul’s grip
tighten around her fingers and looked up.

“It’s my brother’s
wife, Candace, over there,” Paul muttered. “I had no idea that they would be
down here this weekend. I just hope we won’t get sucked into coming over to
their house. Ever since my brother bought that ostentatious place, he’s been
showing it off to everyone he knows.”

“Let’s go over and say
hello.” Lisa put on a smile: spending the afternoon with Paul’s brother’s
family was not at the top of her list. Still, she knew that Jon Bostoff did not
hold a warm place in his heart for her, but maybe, just maybe, she could manage
to change his mind by turning Jon’s wife into an ally.

“We have to. She’s
nodding at us; there’s no escape,” Paul grumbled.

A few moments later, a
beautiful blond woman in her late thirties was smiling at them and kissing Paul
on the cheek. Lisa thought that Jon’s wife looked exactly like Christy
Brinkley: the same golden hair, sky-blue eyes, and a million dollar smile. And
from what Lisa had heard about Jon’s wife, her smile was indeed worth millions.
Jon’s wife came from sizeable wealth; the kind of wealth that the Bostoffs
could only dream about.

“It’s so nice to see
you again, Lisa,” Candace was saying.

“You too, Candace,”
Lisa chirped. “Paul did not know you were going to be up here this weekend. We
would have stopped by and visited.”

“Jon didn’t tell you,
Paul?” Candace began and then caught herself. “Oh, well, he’s been so busy
lately… But now that I’ve run into you, you’re coming over: Jon is making
barbecue, and I don’t want to hear any excuses. Paul, your nephews will be so
happy to see you.”

Paul tightened his grip
on Lisa’s hand. “I’m looking forward to seeing them too.”

“I’m parked right over
there.” Candace motioned to the parking spot across the street.

“Great. We’ll follow
you in my car,” said Paul. “Let me help you with these.” He motioned at
Candace’s packages.

“Oh, thanks. You’re a
sweetheart.”

As they walked to
Candace’s car, Lisa wondered why Paul did not mention their engagement. Could
it be he was too taken aback to remember, or was it that he simply did not want
to break the news to his family? Well, whatever it was, Lisa was not leaving
Jon’s house without announcing the big news.

***

Jon Bostoff looked at
his watch. Candace would be getting back any minute now. They were supposed to
have barbecue for lunch.

At the sound of a car
pulling into the driveway, Jon hurried down the stairs. He was surprised to see
two cars parked in the driveway. He was even more surprised when he saw that
the second car was his brother’s.

“Jon!” Candace smiled
at him as she got out of the car. “I ran into Paul and Lisa in town, and I
thought it would be wonderful to have them over for barbecue.”

Of course you did, Jon
thought. He loved his wife, but at times her overly good manners drove him mad.
God knew he saw plenty of his idiotic brother at work. There was no need to see
him over the weekend, not to mention his girlfriend. “Wonderful.” Jon kissed
Candace on the cheek. “What a splendid idea.”

“Hi, Jon.” After
helping Lisa out of the car, Paul joined his brother and sister-in-law.

“I’m glad Candace ran
into you. The kids will be glad to see you,” Jon managed. “Lisa, always a
pleasure,” he added, nodding at his brother’s pesky girlfriend.

“Hi, Jon.” Lisa ran her
hand through her hair.

At first, Jon thought
he had imagined it, but as he took another look, he knew that he had been
correct. The glint on Lisa’s ring finger was unmistakable. It was his mother’s
sapphire ring.

“Is there something you
want to tell us?” Jon eyed his brother.

“Lisa and I got
engaged. I proposed to her last night.” Paul placed his arm around Lisa. “I was
going to tell Father once we got back to the City.”

When were you going to
tell me? Jon felt like exploding, but managed to squeeze out of himself a
polite, “Wonderful, congratulations to both of you.”

“Paul, Lisa,
congratulations!” Candace exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around Lisa and
kissed her on both cheeks.

“We’ve got to
celebrate.” Jon slapped Paul on the shoulder. “Well, let’s get the barbecue
started and give the girls a chance to catch up.” As he turned on the grill,
Jon made a mental note to talk to his father first thing in the morning.