He turned his attention to their left as Richard left the coffee shop. “Can’t do that.”
“Then I guess we’ve reached an impasse.”
“I guess so.” His jaw clenched.
They continued to follow Richard’s car as he got onto the highway headed west and after twenty minutes stopped in front of a motel by the Toronto airport. The booming sound of planes departing and arriving overhead filled Eden’s ears. Eden parked at the curb and quickly wrote down the address in her notebook.
“Get the camera ready again,” Darrak said. “I think we’ve got something here.”
Eden fumbled with the digital camera and raised it up so she could look at the viewscreen. She zoomed in on Richard getting out of his car and walking up to a motel room door. He knocked. The door opened and a blond woman stepped outside, embracing and kissing him passionately.
She snapped a few pictures, her heart sinking.
“I guess Fay was right,” she said. “There’s the mistress.” Fay herself was a beautiful woman, but this girl — and she couldn’t have been too far into her twenties — had a blatantly sexy appearance.
“See, humans use glamours as well,” Darrak said pointedly. “It’s used to improve on what’s already there.”
“You think that’s an improvement?”
“It’s certainly… eye-catching. But even you use glamours. Your hair color for one, your makeup. When you wear high heels. It’s an unnatural way to enhance your undeniable natural beauty.”
She rolled her eyes. “If you’re trying to get on my good side again, just know you were never on that side to begin with.”
“Can’t say I didn’t try.” His gaze moved down from her face. “Your breasts, however, unlike this woman’s, are completely and flawlessly natural.”
She’d had a feeling that her shirt was too low cut for a Thursday. “Thanks for the newsflash.”
“My pleasure. Really.”
Eden expected Richard to disappear into the fake-breasted woman’s motel room, but instead she got in the car with him. Eden followed as they drove a mile down the street to a strip club called Kristoff’s. The car stopped at the front doors, the girl got out, and Richard drove away.
“Taxi service?” Eden said out loud. “That was unexpected.”
“I tried to sense any magical essence coming from the girl but didn’t get anything. I’m not at full strength so I could be wrong. You should go in there and talk to her. Find out who she is.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“All we need to know is if he’s cheating on his wife against his will by being magically coerced. It happens more often than you think. Needy witches and their spells.” His expression turned sour. “They won’t take no for an answer.”
“Sounds like a really bad date.”
“You have no idea.”
She scribbled down her location in the spiral-bound notebook she’d kept beside her all day. “And what if she is a witch?”
His jaw tensed. “Then you get your cute little ass out of there as quickly as possible.”
“You’re not coming with me?”
“No. I’ll have to stay close, but not too close. If she’s really a witch she might be able to sense what I am. And it’s doubtful she’ll be happy to see a demon.”
“Don’t go too far.”
“Couldn’t even if I wanted to.”
“Wish me luck.”
Before she got all the way out of the car, Darrak grabbed her hand and squeezed it in his before bringing it to his lips. She turned to look at him with surprise at his heated touch.
“Be careful,” he said.
“I’ll do my best.”
She walked up to the strip club and opened the front door. It was dark and empty inside, but a big, broad- shouldered bartender was behind the bar, wiping the counter with a wet cloth.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey yourself.”
“Can I help you?”
“I was just…” She cleared her throat nervously. “The girl who just came in here a minute ago—”
“You mean Vanessa?”
“That’s the one.”
“I’ll get her for you. No problem.” He disappeared from behind the counter before she could say another word.
A minute later the bleached blonde in question came out of the back room through a beaded curtain. She teetered on black patent leather stilettos as she walked toward Eden with a big smile on her face. She wore a short red miniskirt, fishnet stockings, and a sparkly black tank top.
“I’m glad you got here early,” Vanessa said. “Please, have a seat and we can do the interview right away.”
“Interview?” Eden’s eyebrows shot up. “But, I’m not—” She shut her mouth before she said anything else. “That’s great. I really appreciate it.”
She’d been mistaken as somebody coming in to apply for a job at the club. Did she really look like she could work as a stripper?
It didn’t matter. The opportunity had nicely presented itself to get a sense of who this Vanessa person was and if she was corrupting Fay’s husband into having an affair with her as if she was using a magical roofie.
She took a seat on a precariously high stool at the table Vanessa indicated. The blonde had a piece of paper in front of her.
“You have lots of experience,” Vanessa said. “That’s fantastic.”
“Totally,” Eden agreed, although she wasn’t sure what kind of experience she was claiming.
“Was this two-year gig at the Eager Beaver in Dallas all-nude?”
“Yes, yes it was. Completely.”
“Good stuff. We like the girls here to be completely comfortable with their bodies.”
Okay, so she was a stripper looking for a job. She had to get into character. “You are looking at somebody who feels exactly that way. I’m ready to get completely and totally naked.”
Perhaps the less she got into character, the better.
“Your thoughts on lap dancing?” Vanessa asked pointedly.
“I’m…” Eden bit her bottom lip. “All for it? Provided the, uh, customer follows the… rules of the club?”
“We have bouncers to protect you. Don’t worry. If somebody gets frisky, they are so out of here. Like other places, you’re allowed to touch the customer, but he, or she, isn’t allowed to touch you.”
“Awesome,” Eden said weakly. She was definitely not a natural at this. Plus, as Darrak liked to remind her, she was a bit of a prude. “So, you’re… you’re a dancer here?”
“I am. And I’m also the brand-new owner of this club.” Vanessa grinned, showing off very white teeth. “It’s so exciting having all this responsibility.”
Eden struggled to stay on the high stool. “You’re so young, too. It’s quite an accomplishment to be a business owner at your age.”
“I’m twenty-five. That’s not too young. But I have to admit, this was a gift from my boyfriend. He bought me the club last week when they were going to shut it down. We’re closed right now to hire some new girls and to do some renovations.”
“That’s the man I saw drop you off outside?” Eden asked, then added, “I was parking my car at the time and couldn’t help but notice you and him.”
Her smile only grew. “Yes, that’s Richard. He’s so wonderful.”
