Courting Innocence. Kimberly Dean
right in front of her again, and she backed up until her shoulders bumped against the hallway wall.
‘Foster.’ He pointed a finger at her. His dark eyes were sharp. ‘Erin Foster?’
She sucked in a breath. ‘Yes?’
She had a good memory for faces. His she would have remembered. Who the heck was this guy? She was as rooted in place as if she’d just been called in front of the principal.
The sexy, disciplinarian principal.
Erin blushed. What was wrong with her? All that talk about random touches and spontaneous kisses had thrown her off-kilter. She needed to get her head out of that space. ‘Do I know you?’ she asked.
He pulled aside his coat and flashed a badge. ‘Detective Morgan, Metro Police. I’m investigating the assault case against Jason Sloan.’
Her spine snapped into place, and she straightened to her full five foot two inches. ‘He didn’t assault anyone. He was protecting Sienna.’
The man nodded as he slipped his hands into his pockets. He truly was a presence, but he could use that steely look and imposing stance all he wanted. She’d stand up for her friends.
Even if Detective Morgan looked like he could squash her like a bug.
‘Easy. Don’t get upset. I’m interested in hearing what you know. I’ve been meaning to talk to you.’ He glanced down the hallway. ‘I just didn’t expect to find you here.’
Shoot. Erin nearly groaned aloud. She’d managed to keep her appointment secret from everyone else. Now the cops were onto her?
‘I’m kind of in a hurry. Can we schedule another time?’ She’d talk with him. Fine. Just not here and especially not now. She glanced at her watch. Sienna could be back without warning.
The detective was still pondering Luxxor’s door with the fancy gilded lettering. When he focused on her, he seemed distracted. ‘I promise it won’t take long.’
Erin shifted her weight. The elevator still stood open, waiting for her, but she didn’t want to be rude. Or, worse, suspicious.
The detective took a step to the side, effectively blocking that escape path from her view. ‘You’re Ms Blakely’s roommate, right?’
‘Yes, although we’ve only roomed together for a few weeks. I’ve been her best friend since we were teenagers.’
‘On the night of the event, Nina…Excuse me, Ms Lockwood brought Sienna back to your apartment. Is that right?’
‘Yes, it is.’
‘Did Sienna tell you what happened?’
‘Of course. But even if she hadn’t, it was all over the news.’
‘Did she say if Mr Pratt, the alleged victim, had been aggressive with her?’
‘Kyle is a jerk. He’s always offensive.’
‘But physically? Did she say he’d threatened her or touched her in any way?’
Erin frowned. She really wanted to give the detective an answer that led in one direction, but she couldn’t. She was honest to a fault. Even when she tried lying, people knew she was doing it before the words left her lips. ‘I don’t remember,’ she mumbled.
He nodded, and the frown on his lips lightened. She couldn’t say for sure, but she felt like her candour impressed him.
‘Had he been calling her prior to that or harassing her?’
Again, her answer wasn’t the one Erin would have liked to give. ‘No, I don’t think they’d been in touch for a long time.’
The detective nodded, but then his gaze swept back to Luxxor’s offices. ‘So are you friends with Ms Lockwood, too?’
‘We just met today.’ Erin’s guard remained high and rigid. Her father had taught her a thing or two, including that she should read a contract fully before signing it. There was a confidentiality clause three pages long in the one she’d signed with Luxxor. She couldn’t tell a soul what she knew about them – not even a cop. Or so she thought.
She wasn’t going to chance it.
‘Were you here to see your roommate?’ he pressed.
She rubbed the toe of her shoe hard against the floor. Darn it, if only she could lie!
‘No,’ she said simply. He would have caught her in that one too easily anyway. If he went in there, he’d quickly discover that Sienna was out.
He lifted an eyebrow at her. And waited.
His authority, his age and his willpower all bore down on her. She would not…She couldn’t…
‘I had an appointment,’ she blurted.
That brought his chin up fast. ‘As a client?’
She pressed her lips together stubbornly, and the glint in his eyes brightened. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned forward an infinitesimal amount that she felt right down to her squished toes.
‘So what is it, exactly, that Nina does?’
Oh, no. The heat in Erin’s cheeks moved to the back of her neck. She’d already let too much slip. Secrets were gold to her, but this man wanted her treasures. She wiggled against the wall, looking desperately for a way around him.
‘She’s so secretive,’ he said. ‘It makes me curious.’
Erin knew how that felt. Sienna had kept her in the dark for a long, long time.
The detective waited patiently, unmoving as the Rock of Gibraltar.
‘What’s that confidential?’ He swept a hand through his hair. ‘I have my suspicions, but I never would have suspected you to be a client.’
That opinion seemed to be going around. Erin’s nose scrunched. She had just as much right as anyone to use a matchmaker.
‘That’s my business,’ she said, lifting her chin.
The humour in his eyes faded, and she fought not to shiver.
The man was tough and grumpy as they came. And nosy and tricky. He needed to ease up. Relax and enjoy life a bit.
His expression clouded, and this time the way he leaned in wasn’t imagined. ‘Is it illegal?’
‘No!’ she squeaked, flustered. ‘They’re services that you could use, in fact.’
His head snapped back. ‘Oh, really?’
‘Detective!’ Nina stood in the hallway outside Luxxor’s entrance. She had one hand still on the doorknob, and her fingers were white.
The man eased back from Erin. His attention swung away from her and zeroed in on the powerful woman facing him like a well-postured gunslinger. ‘Ms Lockwood,’ he said, his voice somewhere between a purr and a growl.
Erin saw her opening, and she hurried past him.
‘I don’t remember us having an appointment,’ Nina said, unbowed.
‘I remembered a few more questions I wanted to ask you.’
‘You couldn’t have called?’
‘No.’ His voice was smooth as silk now, and he’d started wandering down the hallway. ‘I couldn’t.’
Erin darted into the elevator and jabbed the button for the first floor. She held her breath as she waited for her escape to be ensured.
‘Thank you for your time, Miss Foster.’ The words slid through the thin crack between the closing doors before they sealed tight.
Drat. She hadn’t escaped. He’d let her go.
‘Men.’ Erin sagged