Chapter 2 She Moved In With Young Derek Packer

• "There's no one quite so ruthless as a devoted mother" Bobby said cynically. "You must be seriously worried if you're prepared to sacrifice Derek's feelings as well as my time, my reputation, and his opinion of me".
• "Since when have you cared about what Derek think of you?" She shot back, flushing.
• Actually, he valued his friendship with his cousin, but if this Miya Martins turned out to be a thief he was quite prepared to do what he could to protect Derek from any entanglement.
• And if Bobby had learned anything in his life it was that everything, even his aunt's affection, came with a price tag. "I'll get back to you".
• She wasn't satisfied, but she knew when to stop pushing. Bobby had given his word, and that meant it would be done. If there was anything at all suspicious in Miya Claire Martin's past, he'd soon know.
• Narrowing his eyes, Bobby looked over the heads of the crowd. Mangawhai's pre-christmas racing carnival was in full swing; New Zealand's summer had swept into town , and as well as the graceful thoroughbreds, elegant women in exquisite clothes were parading for an extremely attractive prize.
• Bobby's gaze homed in on the woman wearing a simple, superbly cut dress in soft dove-grey that contrasted with pale purity of her skin and a black shimmer of hair beneath the frivolous hat. High heels emphasized long, glorious legs, and the silk clung to a narrow waist and curves that were alluring without being opulent. The only colour in the outfit was the , vivid red of the lipstick that emphasised the woman's sultry mouth.
• Definitely not Derek's usual type.
• From just behind Bobby a woman said"that's Alexa Erlon's entry. It's superb, but she won't win".
• "Too restrained" her companion agree. "The judges always go for features and tulle and lots of overt glamour at these events. Who's the model?"
• Bobby didn't try to resist the temptation to eavesdrop. Although they were a fees paces away from him the women's voices sharpened by a little too much of the freely available champagne reached him clearly.
• "Nick Milissa's secretary. You know, the Milissa co-operation".
• "She looks far too decadent for such a worthy institution well, stuffy is probably a better word for it".
• The woman was right; Miya Claire Martins certainly didn't look as though she spent her days dealing with the poor and needy of the world.
• "Oh, well" the other woman said with a gurgle of laughter, "I suppose even such an upright, philanthropic citizen as Nick Milissa likes something good to look at in the office".
• Indeed, Bobby thought sardonically. Eyes narrowing, he scanned the face of the woman they were discussing. The demure outfit couldn't mask a subtle, exotic sensuality that made the other women on the dais fade into the background.
• Bobby's mouth thinned. Derek, he thought mordantly, you're in real trouble with this one.
• His security check had come up with a very nasty scandal. Like most workplace scandals it had been covered up, but Miya Claire Martins had been in it right up to her very pretty neck.
• Once a thief, always a thief......
• And blackmail was the most despicable of thefts, especially in this case. A man had killed himself because of it.
• Somebody had to chisel Miya Claire Martins out of his too-impressionable cousin's life before she got her greedy hands on his money and broke his heart.
• Getting Derek out of the way had been reasonably easy; Bobby had pulled strings to offer him the trip of a lifetime, crewing on a barquentine that was recreating a famous nineteenth century voyage of discovery. However, if things got brutal and basic, Bobby knew his relationship with his cousin would take a battering.
• Still, better a few months of tension between them than Derek being cheated of the money he'd earned over the past few years through damned hard work and the application of his intelligence.
• "She looks up for anything" the second woman remarked astutely. "But with great discretion. Perfect mistress material" both women laughed. "Is she attached?"
• "Oh, yes, she's moved in with young Derek Packer" her companion said dryly.
• Bobby stiffened. This he hadn't known, it must have happened just before Derek left.
• "Bobby Packer? One of the... Oh!, Yes, I remember now, the kid who set that internet company and has just sold it for gazillions to some big overseas corporation?"
• To Bobby's company, actually. He was beginning to think that he should have stayed well out of it, although Derek had been ready to move on to something new.
• "Yes, that's the one, Bobby Packer's cousin".
• "An excellent move on her part, but why doesn't she aim higher? Bobby's unattached, and he's worth billions, not a measly twenty or so million".
• Good thinking, Bobby thought with distaste. He might suggest it to Miya Claire Martins. But a faint tinge of colour heated his sweeping cheekbones at the woman's next words.
• "Besides, he looks like a god " her voice dropped into a sexy purr. "I adore men who tower over me, especially when they've got olive skin and dark hair and pale , pale eyes that bore right into your soul and suggest all sorts of wickedly exciting things".
• With a sly laugh the first speaker said, "Well, for her I suppose it's a case of better the millionaire in the hand than the billionaire in the bush. For all his brains Derek is easy pickings; his cousin is an entirely different kettle of fish".
• Whatever she was going to say next was stopped by her companion, who said" oh, look, Alexander sutter beckoning us over".
• Grimly, Bobby watched Derek's new fling walk gracefully across the platform to take her place beside the other contestants competing for the best-dressed award.
• The information his security men had dug up would make Miss Butter wouldn't melt in her luscious mouth feel very, very uncomfortable.
• And he'd have no hesitation at all in using it.
• Tiny hairs on the back of Miya's neck lifted in a primitive reaction to danger. Her hand tightened around the dove grey bag and her stomach contracted in a fight or flee response that startled her. For a moment her smile faltered before she forced herself to breathe slowly and the world righted itself again.
• Until she met an icy scrutiny across the crowd that sent her pulse shooting into warp. Bobby Packer, Derek's cousin. And he knew who she was. A chilly emptiness expanded beneath her ribs.
• Applause from the crowd startled her until she realized that the next contestant had stepped up onto the dais. Relieved, she joined the polite clapping.