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Time to go home. For the first time, she allowed herself to wonder if Jed Merlin
had elected to disappear for the day or if she would find him waiting for her.
    It wasn’t until she had parked her Audi·in the apartment garage and started
up in the elevator that Lacey acknowledged to herself that she hoped she would
find Jed waiting for her. And with that thought came the further realization
that last night was the first good night’s sleep she’d had since overhearing
that conversation between Rick Clayton and one of his subordinates. There had
been a sense of safety having a panther in the house, she told herself
half-humorously as she put the key into the lock.
    The tug of amusement that curved her lips faded to resignation as she took in
the sight before her. There, sprawled across the black leather sofa, was her
neighbor, Mona Hawkins, known to her many fans and loyal readers as Tanya
Radcliffe.
    Mona, her long red hair falling in sultry curls across the shoulders of her
royal purple kimono, her green eyes vividly highlighted with burnished gold
eyeshadow, and her long legs tantalizingly displayed, was well and truly in her
Tanya role this morning, Lacey decided. Seated across from the exotic creature
on the couch was Jed, who had apparently been listening intently to something
Mona had been saying. Both of them glanced up in surprise as Lacey walked
through the door.
    "Don’t let me interrupt anything," Lacey said coolly, tossing down her
leather purse and keys. "I’ll just disappear quietly into the kitchen. You won’t
even know I’m here."
    "Lacey, dear." Mona drawled in that rich, vibrant voice she had perfected so
well on various talk shows. "What’s wrong? You look upset."
    "It’s nothing, Mona…"
    "Mona?" Jed finally spoke, slanting an inquiring glance at the beautiful
redhead on the couch. "Sorry, Tanya ," Lacey amended lightly as she walked
past the other two en route to the kitchen. Normally Mona’s flamboyant ways
didn’t bother her, but for some reason it was incredibly irritating to walk in
and find her luscious neighbor entertaining Jed.
    "My, we’re obviously feeling a trifle moody today, aren’t we?" Mona asked
with a superficial sympathy that was about as close to the real thing as she
could convey. "I’d best be on my way. See you later, Lacey, and thanks for
letting me meet your charming friend here. When you’re through with him, pitch
him across the hall, will you? I can always find a use for his sort."
    With a cheerful wave and a swirl of purple silk Mona was gone, leaving behind
more than a trace of her expensive perfume. Lacey didn’t see her go, but she
heard the door shut as she opened the refrigerator and began scanning the
contents for something that would do for lunch. She was still engaged in the
process when Jed sauntered in and came to stand looking over her shoulder.
    "Have a nice chat with Tanya?" Lacey reached for some pita bread.
    "Lovely," he drawled as she placed the package of pita into his hand. "What’s
with the Mona bit?"
    "Her real name is Mona Hawkins. Tanya Radcliffe started out as a pseudonym,
but it didn’t take her long to decide she preferred it to Mona, for obvious
reasons. You have to admit, Tanya suits her." Lacey straightened, a wedge of
sharp cheddar cheese in her hand. "If you’ll warm the bread in the oven, I’ll
make a filling."
    "I’m here to help," he mocked, moving over to the oven and arranging two
rounds of pita inside. "What does she write?"
    "Didn’t she tell you?" Lacey began grating the cheese into a bowl and
deliberately kept her tone light and unconcerned. What did it matter to her if
Mona had been trying to seduce Jed? Still, there was such a thing as propriety,
even in Los Angeles, and it just didn’t seem right to go around seducing your
neighbor’s house guest. "She’s made a fortune writing bodice rippers."
    A glance over her shoulder showed her Jed’s totally blank expression. "You