The Lady Vanishes by Nicole Camden Page B

wanted to put on a benefit—a magic show—and that he’d very much like Dr. Burke to assist him. He’d gone so far as to imply that all funding would be taken away if Dr. Burke didn’t assist him, which wasn’t true, but he thought that it sounded motivating.
    He’d made the decision to force her to spend time with him. Not his finest moment, but he didn’t see any other way to convince her.
    He stood and jogged back down the hall and up the stairs. He was barefoot and bare-chested, wearing a pair of flannel sleep pants his mother had bought him. The sound of the front door opening had him pausing at the top of the steps.
    A bucket appeared first, followed by graying black hair pulled back into a tight bun. His housekeeper, Mrs. Beechum. He’d forgotten she’d be arriving now.
    “Good morning, Mrs. Beechum,” he called down, and the old woman glanced up, her enormous glasses magnifying her brown eyes.
    “Mr. Shaw,” she said, sounding startled, blinking at his bare chest. “Good morning.”
    “I’ll be out of your hair in a few minutes.”
    She waved a hand. “Take your time. I’ll start in the kitchen.”
    Since he didn’t cook often and rarely ate at home, his kitchen didn’t take that long to clean. Same went for the rest of the rooms in the house, except his workshop on the third floor, which he forbade her to clean, anyway.
    “Great,” he said, turning away, but paused when she called after him.
    “Your mother says to call her.”
    Milton sighed and nodded. He hadn’t gone to visit his mom in weeks, and the anniversary of his brother’s death was coming up. He hired Mrs. Beechum to clean his mom’s house as well, and the two women had struck up a friendship that generally seemed to revolve around his lack of a wife, poor church attendance, and terrible eating habits. He’d have to remember to put away the drawings of Regina Shaw in his office, or he’d have to explain why he was drawing pictures of a woman tied up and nearly naked as well.
    Fifteen minutes later, he was dressed and on his way downstairs. Today was Shane’s day off, so he was driving himself to the office. He’d texted Nick to meet him, wanting to work on the designs he’d come up with for the benefit he had in mind.
    His car, a deep green Bentley that he kept in the garage behind the brownstone, came to life with a roar. He grinned, enjoying the sound enormously. He didn’t usually drive, but he loved it, loved the feel of the powerful engine as he pressed on the gas, loved the speed.
    In less than half the time it would take a normal person, Milton pulled into the garage at the offices of Accendo. He only saw one other car, a silver Audi—Roland’s—and knew that Nick either hadn’t gotten his text or he’d ignored it. Nick drove a Subaru Outback and tended to scorn Roland and Milton’s taste for expensive cars.
    Milton wondered if he should get an Outback or some other nondescript vehicle. Maybe then Regina Burke would take a ride with him. A ride. He’d like to take her for a ride on his cock. He wanted that mouth around it, those perfect lips clamping around him while she watched him with those dark eyes. He was still thinking about her mouth as he stepped onto the elevator. He wanted the chance to have her in his arms again, to touch her as much as he liked.
    If she’s around me for this benefit, will she kiss me again? Can I remove her bra without her noticing? Maybe . . . Her breasts were not big, but they were nicely rounded. He lusted to touch them, weigh them in the palm of his hands.
    “Milton?” Roland stepped into the entryway and snapped on the light, making Milton blink.
    “Hey, Roland, have you ever removed a woman’s bra without her noticing?”
    Roland’s eyebrows shot to his forehead, and he choked out, “You know, Milton, most people start with ‘good morning.’ ”
    Milton scowled. “Good morning. Have you?”
    Roland ran a hand through his hair and gave Milton a devilish half