here. Now, if
they could only catch up to Underwood!
They rode for several minutes
through a series of corridors. Eventually, they stopped at an ornately
carved wooden door. As they entered, the guard held his arm out toward
a secretary with carrot-orange hair. "Miss Preston, these are the
people from the phone company. Ill wait outside for them."
Miss
Preston Three got up from her chair and walked to a door on the far
side of her large office. Steve was a little surprised that it was not
a duplicate of Underwood's other two offices, but then this whole setup
was different from the norm—except for the redheaded secretary.
"I hope we won't be putting your boss to too much trouble," Steve said quickly.
"No
problem," Miss Preston answered. "He was here yesterday, but there was
an emergency in San Francisco and he had to go back last night. It was
just as well. He would not have been very patient about the phone being
out of order this morning."
Damn! They had missed him again. Steve
followed the secretary into Underwood's office knowing it was futile,
but she had to finish the charade before they could get out of there.
The woman remained in the office with Steve while she turned the phone
over and removed a screwdriver from her belt. As Steve pretended to
make an adjustment, she kept an eye on Falcon, who was wandering around
the richly appointed office, touching various objects. He was good. His
meandering made the secretary watch him instead of Steve. Even in his
impromptu disguise, he was a man at whom a woman stopped whatever she
was doing to get a better look. Hiding his hair and eyes had not made
any difference. Steve had not disguised his hard, lean body, nor had
she thought of suggesting that he alter his walk that made her think of
a prowling jungle cat.
She was about to put the phone back together and ignore him and his walk when he closed in on the redhead.
"You
have a smudge," he said in his low vibrating voice. It clearly had the
same affect on the secretary as it had on Steve. "Let me get it for
you." He lifted his hand, the first two fingers extended, and gently
touched the side of her face by her temple. Steve stopped what she was
doing.
The position of his fingers was the same as she had seen him
do to her. The moment he contacted the woman's temple, her eyelids
drooped, and for an instant her features completely relaxed, as if she
had gone to sleep. Falcon removed his hand and the woman's lashes
fluttered open again.
"Thank you," the secretary said as he stepped away from her.
Steve
thought she had seen the woman go limp for a moment when Falcon touched
her, but it had happened so fast, and the woman made no comment about
what he had done, that Steve convinced herself she must have been
seeing things. After all, hadn't she practically melted when he kissed
her? His nearness was pretty devastating. Maybe this woman was so
susceptible to his charm it only took a touch.
What a monumental ego
he must have if every woman he touches conveniently falls apart for
him. Steve pondered what it would be like to have men react to her in
such a way. Now that was a really ridiculous idea. She had not even
been able to hold on to the man who had married her!
"Okay, all
set." Steve jammed the screwdriver back in her belt and headed for the
outer office. "The main office will have the telephone back in working
order by five today. It was just a short. Let's move it, Bob!"
She
got into the golf cart without waiting to see if Falcon followed, and
the guard had them back on the surface a few minutes later.
Once in
the van, Falcon looked concerned, or at least that was what Steve
supposed the slight change in his expression indicated.
"You are angry again? You are disappointed that Underwood was not there. I, too, am somewhat disappointed."
Steve
could not answer right away. She was not sure her mood swing was
entirely connected with missing Underwood, but that was all she
intended to discuss with a man who was a virtual stranger.
they could only catch up to Underwood!
They rode for several minutes
through a series of corridors. Eventually, they stopped at an ornately
carved wooden door. As they entered, the guard held his arm out toward
a secretary with carrot-orange hair. "Miss Preston, these are the
people from the phone company. Ill wait outside for them."
Miss
Preston Three got up from her chair and walked to a door on the far
side of her large office. Steve was a little surprised that it was not
a duplicate of Underwood's other two offices, but then this whole setup
was different from the norm—except for the redheaded secretary.
"I hope we won't be putting your boss to too much trouble," Steve said quickly.
"No
problem," Miss Preston answered. "He was here yesterday, but there was
an emergency in San Francisco and he had to go back last night. It was
just as well. He would not have been very patient about the phone being
out of order this morning."
Damn! They had missed him again. Steve
followed the secretary into Underwood's office knowing it was futile,
but she had to finish the charade before they could get out of there.
The woman remained in the office with Steve while she turned the phone
over and removed a screwdriver from her belt. As Steve pretended to
make an adjustment, she kept an eye on Falcon, who was wandering around
the richly appointed office, touching various objects. He was good. His
meandering made the secretary watch him instead of Steve. Even in his
impromptu disguise, he was a man at whom a woman stopped whatever she
was doing to get a better look. Hiding his hair and eyes had not made
any difference. Steve had not disguised his hard, lean body, nor had
she thought of suggesting that he alter his walk that made her think of
a prowling jungle cat.
She was about to put the phone back together and ignore him and his walk when he closed in on the redhead.
"You
have a smudge," he said in his low vibrating voice. It clearly had the
same affect on the secretary as it had on Steve. "Let me get it for
you." He lifted his hand, the first two fingers extended, and gently
touched the side of her face by her temple. Steve stopped what she was
doing.
The position of his fingers was the same as she had seen him
do to her. The moment he contacted the woman's temple, her eyelids
drooped, and for an instant her features completely relaxed, as if she
had gone to sleep. Falcon removed his hand and the woman's lashes
fluttered open again.
"Thank you," the secretary said as he stepped away from her.
Steve
thought she had seen the woman go limp for a moment when Falcon touched
her, but it had happened so fast, and the woman made no comment about
what he had done, that Steve convinced herself she must have been
seeing things. After all, hadn't she practically melted when he kissed
her? His nearness was pretty devastating. Maybe this woman was so
susceptible to his charm it only took a touch.
What a monumental ego
he must have if every woman he touches conveniently falls apart for
him. Steve pondered what it would be like to have men react to her in
such a way. Now that was a really ridiculous idea. She had not even
been able to hold on to the man who had married her!
"Okay, all
set." Steve jammed the screwdriver back in her belt and headed for the
outer office. "The main office will have the telephone back in working
order by five today. It was just a short. Let's move it, Bob!"
She
got into the golf cart without waiting to see if Falcon followed, and
the guard had them back on the surface a few minutes later.
Once in
the van, Falcon looked concerned, or at least that was what Steve
supposed the slight change in his expression indicated.
"You are angry again? You are disappointed that Underwood was not there. I, too, am somewhat disappointed."
Steve
could not answer right away. She was not sure her mood swing was
entirely connected with missing Underwood, but that was all she
intended to discuss with a man who was a virtual stranger.
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