law firm smelled of le

the edge of a plush leather chair, her spine rigid. The broker had bee

d her watc

oak door s

ood up ins

walk

lly showed Babe Vincent stumbling out of clubs

s stillness

architectural precision. His dark hair was neatly styled, not a strand out of p

person. The blurry photos didn't do justice to the s

. His hand froze on the doorkn

ed at the woman sta

s h

n the blue dress who had hidden in the library to read while everyone else drank champagne. He

awyer's office known for

ingers trembling slightly. "Mr

Then he looked at her fac

t he was Gaston Collins, the heir to the Collins banking empire,

at, she would ap

at seemed to vibrate through the floorboards. He took her hand.

d. If being 'Babe' got him a c

able. Jocelyn slid a blue

but he saw the pulse jumping in her neck. "One

lder. The header rea

. She wanted a business dea

lyn explained, her tone blunt. "And yo

be polite about the rumors. She thought he was gay. She thought h

ng. He leaned back in the chair, stud

Her voice wavered on the word love, a

er eyes, the way she held herself like she was b

from his pocket. It was a

," he

. "You haven't discussed

the paper with a flourish. He made the signature ill

g his suit jacket. "W

red at him.

d her, a glint of amusement in his dark

bed her purs

e biting New York wind. A black

for thirty years, stepped out and opened the rear door. He looked

ok. A sharp, warning

or Jocelyn to

and expensive conditioner. It didn't smell like stale cigarettes or c

lemanly for a degenera

her. The door clicked

, Henri,"

ng traffic of Manhattan, carrying them toward