Free Night After Night by Janelle Denison

at the woman who’d accompanied him to his Friday afternoon appointment. Janet Hayes, a sharp, business-savvy woman in her mid-fifties, was the leasing manager for the shops at the Onyx, and with Zoe turning in her contract today, along with deposits, it was Janet’s signature that was needed on the agreement in order to seal the deal and make it legitimate.
    Sean might have negotiated the deal for Janet, but his John Hancock on the final paperwork would be equivalent to fraud, since he didn’t really work for the leasing company, and he was no longer in the business of scamming people.
    Janet followed him into the empty shop and switched on the lights. “Well, I don’t know what kind of magic you have up your sleeve, but this is one of the quickest, easiest negotiations we’ve ever seen.”
    Shrugging off her compliment, he pushed his hands into the front pockets of his pants and closed his fingers around the set of keys that would soon belong to Zoe. “It was just a matter of the right client at the right time. Zoe Russo needed a place, you offered her a great price and lease terms, and this boutique is exactly what she’s looking for.”
    “Don’t be so modest.” Janet gave him a cougarish once-over that made him feel like a piece of raw meat she was looking to sink her teeth into. “I’m sure your good looks and charm helped to sway her. I know I’d be hard-pressed to say no to anything you offered.”
    Oh, hell. She started walking toward him, and he cast a quick glance outside the shop, grateful to see Zoe heading their way. The last thing he wanted to do was fend off Janet’s advances. Again. The woman had made it more than clear that she was interested in him, but he certainly didn’t reciprocate the feeling. Not even close.
    “Here she comes,” he announced.
    Janet stopped and followed the direction of his gaze. “Which one is she? The blonde or the redhead?”
    “Zoe is the blonde.” The gorgeous, vibrant blonde who looked damn hot in a curve-hugging pair of black jeans, a fitted red button-front blouse that revealed just a hint of cleavage, and the kind of spiked high heels that conjured the erotic image of her naked, wearing nothing but those sexy shoes. “The redhead is her best friend, Jessica Morgan.”
    Janet’s expression flickered with interest. “Ah-h, that explains the trail of people following her.”
    He laughed, watching as Jessica’s bodyguard tried to keep the spectators at bay. “Yes, she does seem to draw a crowd wherever she goes.” He glanced back at Zoe, and as soon as she saw him in the store waiting for her, her smile widened with pure pleasure.
    He hadn’t seen her since Wednesday night, but he knew from his recent meeting with Caleb, less than an hour ago, that The Reliance Group still had her under surveillance. According to their phone log of her incoming and outgoing calls, there still had been no contact with her father, though it appeared she’d dialed his cell phone and left him messages. She’d also called her father’s office a few times and spoken with her mother again, but Grant Russo still remained elusive.
    When Zoe and Jessica reached the storefront, Jessica told her to go inside and she’d sign some autographs to diffuse the crowd around them and give Zoe the privacy she needed to complete the deal for the boutique.
    As soon as Zoe walked into the shop, Janet welcomed her with a professional smile and a handshake and explained that since she was the manager, her being present when a lease agreement with a client was finalized was a routine business practice. Less than twenty minutes later, with the last of the paperwork completed, Zoe had herself a new boutique for her designs.
    “Welcome to the Onyx family,” Janet said, looking pleased that they’d managed to entice Zoe to sign with them, instead of their rival Caesars Palace. “We’re so happy to have you as part of the chain of fine shops here in the hotel.”
    “Thank you. I’m very