Free Cold as Ice by Anne Stuart

have expected extortionists to be a humorous bunch.
    "So whose side are you going to be on, Ms. Spenser? Mine or Harry's?"
    "You want money, I want Harry safe. I imagine I can find a solution that will work for both of you. Now, why don't you take the rest of this duct tape off me and we can negotiate. You already know I'm no physical threat to you."
    "Oh, I wouldn't say that," he drawled, but he rose anyway, reaching in his pocket and pulling out a small knife. He leaned down to cut through the tape around her ankles, and she brought her bound hands down hard on the top of his head.
    Or at least she tried to. He caught her wrists in one hand while he slit the tape at her ankles, not even bothering to look up. He ripped the tape off her ankles and then his cold blue eyes met hers. "It's a waste of time, Ms. Spenser," he said, "and it will only annoy me. It's a boat—there's no place to go but over the side, and I've heard there are sharks in this area."
    "I think I'd be safer with them," she muttered. He cut the tape at her wrists, and she realized he was using the Swiss Army knife she'd tucked in her bra. She wasn't going to think about how he'd found it, she was going to concentrate on how his grip on her wrists hurt, and decided if anyone was going to be shark bait it was going to be Peter Jensen.
    "Is Jensen really your name?" she asked when he sat down again, closing the knife and tucking it back into his pocket.
    "Does it matter? I've used any number of names. Jensen, Davidson, Wilson, Madsen."
    "In other words your mother didn't know who your father was."
    The moment the words here out of her mouth she could have bit her tongue. She almost picked up the gag that lay in her lap and slapped it back over her mouth. The man sitting across from her was probably only one step removed from a sociopath, and to call his mother a whore was beyond foolish.
    His expression gave nothing away. "You're not a very good lawyer, are you, Ms. Spenser? A good lawyer knows when to keep her mouth shut."
    She said nothing, and after a moment the tension in the room relaxed slightly. "In fact, I know exactly who my father was, unfortunately. You wouldn't have liked him…he had a very bad temper. Would you like some tea?"
    She blinked. "What?"
    "Would you like some tea? The particular drug I gave you tends to make your mouth feel like cotton, and being gagged doesn't help. Since we're about to enter negotiations, I want to be sure your mouth is in working order." She could positively feel his glance on her lips, and she ran a nervous tongue over them, making her feel even more conspicuous. He
had
kissed her, hadn't he?
    "I'd be happier with a drink."
    "Not a good idea. On top of the drugs I gave you and your little yellow pills, you might find yourself way too vulnerable. They aren't good for you, you know."
    She shouldn't have been surprised that he knew about her tranquilizers—it was just one more violation. "Life is stressful," she said. "And that was before I got kidnapped and molested."
    "Don't sound so hopeful. No one's molested you. Yet."
    "This isn't funny," she snapped. "If being abducted and drugged isn't being molested I don't know what is. "
    "Oh. I thought you were referring to something a bit more sexual."
    She blushed.
    It was the oddest sensation. She wasn't used to blushing, and his drawled comment was casual, not suggestive, and yet she could feel the warmth staining her cheeks. She had pale skin, and she'd just been pumped full of God knows how many drugs, and it must be a reaction, she thought nervously, and he wouldn't even notice…
    "Ms. Spenser, are you blushing?"
    "A lawyer doesn't blush, Mr. Jensen," she said severely. "Now, why don't you tell me what it is you want, and I'm certain we can come to an agreement."
    He said nothing. He rose and crossed the room, pushing open a hidden cupboard that exposed a small refrigerator. When he returned he put the icy can of Tab in her hand, and she almost kissed the sweating