Fic: The Task At Hand (Leighton/Victoria, Adult, 59,000 words) 3/6
Master Post - Part 1 - Part 2
Victoria got a copy of The Woman Director, delivered by courier, from Saporta on Monday, had lunch with him on Tuesday, and let him hold her hand at the movies on Thursday. On Friday, she decided it was time to spend some time on his turf again and showed up at his club.
"No charge," Novarro said when she tried to pay the cover. "Boss said you should come and go as you please."
"Really?" Victoria let her surprise show. She was definitely making an impression on Saporta if he was willing to let her in for free. Of course, it could have simply been a business decision. He could have been hoping that she would come by more often and bring her friends. "Thanks." She smiled at Novarro, quick and bright. "I guess we'll be seeing more of each other."
Novarro smiled back, still as sweet as he'd been the first time she'd come to the club. "I hope so."
Victoria headed for the back of the store and slipped down the staircase and into the club. She was prepared, now, for the sharp contrast between the silent stairway and the noise of the club.
A quick glance around the room didn't reveal Saporta anywhere, so she worked her way through the crowd - it was a busy night, with more people than she'd seen there before - to the bar.
The bartender was someone different from the other times she'd been there, but he ignored a man at the other end to take her order and said, "On the house, boss's orders," when he served it to her.
She was farther in than she'd thought if even employees she hadn't met knew who she was.
"Where is the boss?" she asked. "I haven't seen him yet."
"Poker room, I think."
Victoria nodded. "Pour him a drink? I'll take it to him."
The bartender smiled like that was the right answer and dashed Red Bull and vodka into a glass.
Going into the poker room was a little like what leaving the club with other people must have been like; the heavy beat of the music gave way to a silence broken only by people's voices and the sound of chips clacking together.
Saporta was at a table at the center of the room - of course - with his back to the door. Victoria hung back and sipped at her drink until the hand was over. Then she walked across the room and leaned over Saporta to place his drink on the table in front of him.
He turned as she straightened, then smiled up at her with the kind of lazy smile that wouldn't have been out of place in bed. "Why, Vicky-T, I didn't know you cared."
She raised her eyebrows at him. "Maybe I just want to liquor you up so I can have my way with you."
Saporta's laugh was low, in a register that made her think of sex. "You can have your way with me anytime, liquor or not."
"I'll keep that in mind."
*
Blackinton paused in his enumeration of the many virtues of SpongeBob and pulled out a phone. He frowned down at it for a moment.
"Duty calls," he said to Leighton. "Boss has a guest, and it's busy enough that Alex thinks we should both be around keeping track of things."
"By all means," Leighton said, "don't let me keep you from your duty."
Blackinton still looked discomfited by the necessity. "I do hate to leave you all alone, especially in the middle of a conversation about SpongeBob."
Leighton laughed. "I'm a grown-up. I think I'll be okay."
"Oh," Blackinton said mournfully, "but I don't think I will." He brightened a bit. "Want to come to the club? I won't be very good company, but I'm sure you can have fun without me."
Leighton glanced around the bar and tossed back the end of her drink. "I did say I wanted excitement, and this isn't quite it."
Blackinton grinned at her and took advantage of the cab ride to continue on with his lecture on SpongeBob, albeit without the same collection of visual aids.
"Nate will tell you," he said as they went into the deli. "Nate, tell Elle that SpongeBob is the epitome of animated children's television."
"No question," Novarro agreed readily over the heads of a couple of clubgoers paying the cover.
Blackinton shot finger guns at him. "And that is why you are my main man." He held the door to the stairwell, and he and Leighton waited for the clubgoers to precede them down the stairs. "You're totally convinced, right?"
Leighton laughed. "Maybe," she threw over her shoulder as they went into the dense, noisy atmosphere of the club.
"You'll see the light," Blackinton predicted. Leighton wasn't sure exactly what "keeping track of things" meant, but Blackinton took her to the bar and leaned across it to chat with the bartender. Leighton was too far back and the club was too loud for her to hear their whole conversation, but it resulted in Blackinton handing her a drink and telling her, "Boss is in the poker room if you want to say hi. I need to make the rounds. Have a good time."
Leighton raised her drink to him. "Sure."
Blackinton flashed her a grin as he walked away, and Leighton watched him head toward the cashier. She probably couldn't quite get away with tracking his every move, so she turned to take in the rest of the club as she sipped her drink.
She hadn't been dancing in, well, in a very long time, but what she liked most about dancing was having Victoria pressed close and moving with her. She gulped a little more of her drink than was strictly necessary. She could imagine that, her and Victoria moving to this beat, Victoria's thigh sliding between hers and Victoria's hands on her hips.
That wasn't why she was here. Leighton turned again to survey the good-sized crowd around the tables, using the movement to shake her out of the thought. Perhaps she'd be better off checking out the poker room.
*
Saporta turned back to the table and said, "I'm afraid I'm out. There are better distractions at the moment."
"I don't want to interrupt your game," Victoria said. Like any other cop, she'd played numerous games of poker, and she knew there were things you could learn about a person by how they played.
"Poker is a mental game," Saporta said, "and you," he pointed at her, "are a distraction."
Victoria held up her hands, drink in one, the other palm out. "I'll be quiet as a church mouse."
Saporta laughed. "That's hardly the issue." His eyes ran over her, no doubt taking in the way the dress she was wearing showed off all of her assets and the way her heels stretched the line of her legs.
Victoria put her hand on his shoulder, leaning closer to give him a different angle to look at. "I'll stay out of your way."
"But you won't stay out of my mind." Despite saying it, Saporta turned back to the table. "One more hand."
From where she was standing, Victoria could see Saporta's cards as well as those of the man next to him. Leighton had never managed to teach her to count cards, but she could make some educated guesses about what else was going on at the table, and she used her experience in undercover work to keep her face as impassive as possible.
Saporta kept up a steady stream of patter and conversation. Victoria knew him well enough by now to guess that it was a cover that would keep the rest of the table from noticing both whatever his actual tells were and his attention to theirs. He played well, even beyond that, taking risks that would pay off if he won but not devastate him - not even in terms of the chips he had on the table - if he lost.
Victoria wasn't sure if she was rooting for him to win or lose. Before she could make up her mind, the last three players at the table had all called, and Saporta's two pair lost to another player's three fives.
"You're making me look bad in front of the girl I'm trying to impress," Saporta said, but there was a hint of laughter in his voice. "I'm definitely out now." He gathered up the chips still in front of him, picked up his drink with his other hand, and turned to Victoria. "I told you you'd be a distraction, just by being you."
"I can always leave," Victoria said. She glanced around the room. "This part isn't really my scene anyway."
Saporta leaned in and kissed her cheek. "I'm glad to see you. You're not going anywhere; we're just going to move this party to somewhere the distraction won't matter."
*
The poker room had the same soundproofing as Saporta's office and the outside of the club, so Leighton stepped in and quickly closed the door behind her before she looked around the room. There were people at every one of the tables in the room, and most of them were full. Leighton cataloged that automatically, but her interest was actually held by a pair who were standing in the center of the room.
Saporta was kissing Victoria's cheek, and Victoria was tipping her face up to make it easy for him. Victoria was facing away from the door and Saporta hadn't noticed her yet, so Leighton let herself look, for just a moment, at the way Victoria's dress stretched smoothly over her ass and left her legs bare to mid-thigh. It hadn't been that long, really, but she missed Victoria. At the moment, she missed sex with Victoria. If it had been just them, no case, they'd have been out on the dance floor until they couldn't keep their hands off each other anymore, and then they would have gone home and stayed in bed until late the next morning.
Leighton blinked to clear the image out of her head, and took a longer look around the room. She wasn't here to think about Victoria. She was here to play Elle Masters, potential club investor.
"Elle." Saporta nodded at her. "I didn't expect to see you this evening."
Leighton nodded back. "I ran into Ryland across town and came to see what the club was like tonight."
Victoria turned as Leighton spoke and took a half a step back, so she was almost leaning against Saporta. The part of Leighton that was a New York City Police Department detective admired how casually she'd pulled off what had to be a calculated move staking her claim. The part of her that was Victoria's lover felt the sting of Victoria choosing someone else.
"Busy, as you can see," Saporta said, gesturing at the tables.
"Busier out there," Leighton said. "Definitely a successful business."
Saporta chuckled. "Very much so." He wrapped his arm around Victoria's waist, as if it belonged there. "But tonight's not a night for talking business. I'm not blowing you off. I'm still checking some things out, and then we'll talk."
"Right," Leighton said, making sure to keep her voice amused and not venomous. "Partying with the clientele."
Saporta rested his chin on Victoria's shoulder, staking as much of a claim on her as she'd staked on him. "Victoria's not just clientele, but we are partying."
Leighton waved them off. "Then I'll let you get to it."
Saporta nodded, and kept his arm around Victoria's waist as they detoured around Leighton toward the door. Leighton didn't turn to watch them.
*
Saporta let go of Victoria when they were in the hallway and handed her his drink. He pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door marked Private on the other side of the hallway.
"Come on in," he said, so she followed him into what turned out to be his office. "Let me just put these away," he said, holding up his poker chips. He went around the desk, and Victoria looked at the photos on the wall without turning her back entirely to him.
He unlocked a drawer in the desk with another key. Victoria was at the wrong angle to see what else was in the drawer.
"Keeping your own stash?" she asked, turning away from the walls. There wasn't anything in the photos that was particularly relevant to her, and Leighton had presumably spent enough time in the office to report on it.
Saporta chuckled and relocked the drawer. "I play enough that it just makes sense to keep my chips here instead of having to trade in all the time." He came back around the desk and took his drink from her. He wrapped the other arm low around her waist. "Of course, bringing you in here makes the whole club owner thing a lot less glamorous."
Victoria glanced around the office again. "Club owner has to have an office." She grinned. "And the desk is very sexy." She wasn't lying about that, even if the fantasy she was entertaining about it involved spreading Leighton out over it, pushing up the sexy-conservative skirt she'd been wearing in the poker room, and eating her out.
Saporta turned them around and walked her back until she reached the desk. "Sexy, huh?"
Victoria leaned against the desk, smiling at him. "Very." She ran her free hand across the wood.
Saporta was just leaning down to kiss her when there was a knock at the door. The knock was followed by the door opening and a man Victoria recognized from his surveillance photos as Ryland Blackinton poking his head around it.
"This better be good," Saporta said.
"Sorry, boss. We got a situation."
Saporta made a face that was no less disgruntled for Victoria only being able to see it in profile. He'd shifted to apologetic by the time he turned all the way back to her. "I need to take care of this." He brushed a kiss against her cheek. "Apparently my work is never done."
Victoria pushed him back and tugged the hem of her skirt down. "Don't keep me waiting too long."
"Wouldn't dream of it." Saporta caressed the line of her waist before letting her past him to leave the room.
There were probably any number of reasons Blackinton would need to speak to him privately, and only some of them would be relevant to her investigation. It would have been better if she could have stayed in the room, but Saporta didn't trust her that much yet. At least she'd given him a pleasant association to go with having her in his office that was likely to get her in it again.
She'd had barely any of her drink, which made it a good time to abandon it on a table and melt into the edges of the crowd on the dance floor. She could hold her liquor, but drinking too much was not going to help her on the job. This way she could accept without worry when Saporta got her another drink - assuming he and Blackinton were done before she decided not to let him keep her waiting any longer.
*
Leighton took an empty chair at one of the poker tables, trying to put the vision of Victoria leaning back against Saporta out of her head. Saporta was sure to have people in the poker room who would report back to him, and it was time to put her poker skills to good use. Saporta needed to know she was smart, willing to take risks, and good at reading people. She wouldn't be able to convince anyone of that at a poker table if she were thinking about how much she wanted to go pry Saporta's hands off of Victoria and replace them with her own.
She smiled at the other players and anted in. A man across the table raised an eyebrow at her.
"You sure you're in the right part of the club, sweetheart? Party girls usually stick with roulette."
Leighton accepted her cards and glanced at them briefly. "Put your cards where your mouth is, and we'll see who really belongs here."
She raised when the bet came to her. The guy across the table checked.
"You know, this is usually the owner's table. Only reason there's a seat free is that he's got some girl he's fucking instead."
Leighton was tempted to find out anything she could about the guy; anyone who was that much of an asshole had to be doing something she could get him arrested for. But he wasn't her priority, and unless she could tie him to Saporta's activities, she would probably have to let him go in favor of bigger fish. It was a pity. Taking the guy off the street would be a service to any woman who might have to encounter him.
"You talk a good game," one of the other players said, "but your cards are for shit."
They traded in cards and there was another round of betting - accompanied by three remarks from the asshole that Leighton didn't bother responding to - and Leighton lost the hand, her three tens not enough to best the four twos held by the man to her right. The asshole turned over a pair of kings and scowled his way through the next hand. It was a distinct improvement over the commentary of the previous hand, and he left after losing again.
"He's an ass," the man on Leighton's left said as he dealt the next hand. "Only reason he's still allowed in here is that he's on good behavior when Gabe's at the table."
"That and he loses spectacular amounts of money," another one of the men said. Then he grinned at her across the table. "I'd say you proved who belongs at the table."
Leighton smiled back and raised. "That was all I wanted to do."
*
Victoria felt the press of another body against her back before she heard Butcher's voice saying, "I knew coming here tonight was a good idea."
Victoria couldn't help her smile, and she turned around to let him see it, and to let anyone watching her see her give it to him. It would be good for Saporta to think he had some competition.
Victoria leaned close. "Butcher, right?"
"Right. And you're Victoria." Butcher's hands settled onto her hips. "I'm glad I ran into you."
"Oh yeah?" Victoria let the music guide her movements, and Butcher matched her easily.
"Sure. You're the prettiest girl I've danced with in a good long while." He said it with such completely effortless charm that Victoria thought that either it was true or he was such a good actor that he should be the one doing the deep cover work. Either way, it made it easier for her to move closer to him and loop her arms around his neck.
The fact that he was a pro and did know what she was here for meant that he knew enough to keep moving them around so they could both keep a sharp eye on the room. Victoria was pretty sure she managed to spot at two people in the crowd whose attention was focused enough that they were probably informants of some kind for Saporta, and she and Butcher were definitely within the line of sight of the DJ. Occasional shifts of the crowd put them clearly within view of the bartender.
It was too loud for Victoria to say anything to Butcher when Saporta made his way effortlessly toward them through the crowd, but she pressed her fingers against the back of his neck in warning. He nodded briefly, which she took as a sign that he knew something was coming.
Saporta tapped Butcher on the shoulder and said, "Mind if I cut in?" when Butcher half turned toward him. Saporta had a slight smile on his face, but it didn't come anywhere close to reaching his eyes, and it was more menacing than any scowl could have been.
Butcher glanced from Saporta to Victoria as if trying to make up his mind, and then he squeezed Victoria's hip again. "Nice seeing you again Victoria."
Victoria shrugged at him and put her arms around Saporta's neck as he took Butcher's place. "You didn't have to scare him away," she told Saporta. "He was just being nice."
Saporta pressed a kiss to her jaw, just below her ear. "We had unfinished business."
"It wouldn't have been if you hadn't pushed me away."
"I didn't want to." Saporta pulled her close, close enough that they were pressed together from chest to hip. "I have no intention of spending the rest of my evening with anyone but you."
Victoria couldn't quite figure out how he managed to drop lines like that without sounding like a complete sleazeball.
*
Leighton decided after half an hour that she'd made her point and left the poker room two hundred dollars richer. Too bad it would all go back into the PD's funds for the case. She could imagine plenty of things she and Victoria could do with the extra cash.
That thought was still uppermost in Leighton's mind as she went back into the main part of the club and headed for the bar. A drink in a bar was excellent camouflage. She didn't mean to, but she automatically looked for Victoria. She didn't see her until she had a drink in her hand and was turning away from the bar.
Leighton could feel her fingers tightening painfully around her glass.
Victoria and Saporta were pressed close together, her arms around his neck, his around her waist, and she had her eyes closed in a dreamy smile while his lips skated across her neck. Leighton knew that smile, and she knew the way Victoria's skin felt under her lips.
The worst goddamned part about undercover work was watching Victoria play to other people. It was ten times worse this time, knowing that at the end of the night she'd be going home alone to an empty apartment instead of with Victoria to their place.
Leighton didn't let her gaze rest on them for too long; as a potential business partner, some interest in Saporta was natural, but anything more would stand out. She had no doubt the club was full of people whose job it was to report back to Saporta.
Leighton turned just in time to see Butcher coming toward her, a beer in one hand and a smile on his face.
"I was dancing," he said when he reached her, "and I got interrupted. I don't suppose you dance."
Leighton looked him over coolly, taking in what Elle Masters would see in him: midrange jacket, more expensive jeans, basic v-neck under the jacket, too put together to be truly dangerous but with tattoos that gave him an edge.
"I've been known to," she allowed, "but I'm not in the market for anything other than dancing."
Butcher gave her as thorough a once-over as she'd given him, and she wondered what she looked like to him. Was he seeing Elle Masters, risk-taking wealthy divorcee, or was he seeing Leighton Meester, competent detective?
"I think I can live with that." Butcher took her glass and put both it and her beer down on a table. "Let's dance." He took her hand without asking and pulled her toward the dance floor. Leighton went along, but at her own pace, forcing him to slow down to keep her with him.
*
Victoria opened her eyes - her training and instincts wouldn't let her keep them closed for long, not if she was on the job and dancing with someone she couldn't trust to keep watch for them - and glanced around the room.
Butcher and Leighton were dancing together, right where she could see them, which couldn't have been an accident. They looked good together, smiling at each other and clearly having fun.
That should have been her, making Leighton smile like that.
Something of the way her attention wandered must have bled through, because Saporta pulled her impossibly closer and kissed her jaw, her cheek, and finally her mouth. He was good at it, and Victoria gave herself up to it, letting go of Victoria Asher's desires. Victoria Teague shouldn't have been thinking about anything but Saporta and the way he made her feel.
Saporta was good enough to push without making it feel like too much; even though Victoria knew that was what he was doing as he deepened the kiss and slid one hand down to her ass, she was willing to go with it instead of wanting to push him away.
"We could take this back to my office," he said. He had to be speaking loudly for her to hear him over the music, but it was as intimate as a whisper.
"You shouldn't mix business with pleasure." Victoria gave him a coy smile. "We keep getting interrupted."
"If I hadn't mixed pleasure with business I wouldn't have met you." Saporta's hand moved lower, grasping her thigh.
Victoria made herself laugh. "That only shows it's good for beginnings."
"Who says it can't be good for other things?" Saporta trailed his lips over her neck again. She'd always liked it when people did that, and she shivered involuntarily. They were pressed so close together that he had to feel it, even under the thudding of the bass and the way they were moving in the midst of a crowd.
"Who says I'm that kind of girl?" Victoria's voice came out breathier than she'd intended, and she could feel Saporta's smile against her neck.
"You liked my desk earlier."
Victoria laughed a little. "I like to keep my options open." She took a minute step backwards, putting the tiniest bit of space between them. Saporta followed her, but she kept moving to maintain the space. It took them farther away from Leighton and Butcher, not that they'd been close enough to be overheard.
"You do that and you might turn around to find that your options have disappeared."
Victoria tugged Saporta closer again and spoke directly into his ear. "There's always another option."
Saporta moved them in a quarter turn and jerked his chin toward Leighton and Butcher. "Looks like your other option moved on to another option of his own."
Victoria laughed low and intimate against his cheek. "I didn't say I only had one other option."
She wasn't surprised by the possessive kiss Saporta planted on her, but only her experience going undercover with other assholes kept her from kneeing him for the way his hands dug into her hips.
*
Leighton kept the smile on her face even as she sucked in a breath. Saporta wasn't just kissing Victoria. He was showing off, letting everyone in the place know she was his, and only three of them knew it wasn't true.
"What?" Butcher asked; he must have felt something of it in the way she held her body.
"Nothing," Leighton said. She didn't know who might be watching or listening to them, even in the middle of the club. She couldn't think about it anyway. Anger might make her even more determined to take Saporta down, but it would also make her sloppy, and she couldn't afford to be sloppy. This had to be a totally clean op. Everything had to stick.
Butcher casually turned them on the floor so he was facing Victoria and she wasn't. It went against all of Leighton's instincts to let someone who wasn't her, Mike, or Michael watch out for Victoria, but she understood why he did it. She was able to calm her breathing when she didn't have to watch it, or at least make it look more like her breath was because they were dancing.
Butcher leaned in close and asked, "Want to get out of here?"
Leighton shook her head. "I told you, just dancing." Then she smiled at him. "But I wouldn't say no to a drink."
Butcher waved her ahead of him. It wasn't really any quieter at the bar, but the setup was more conducive to conversation. Leighton found a small space to slip into, and Butcher followed, somehow making the space big enough for two.
"What brings you to the club?" he asked once they had drinks. Leighton was pretty sure she wasn't imagining the amused sparkle in his eyes.
"Hoping to invest in it." Leighton covered her own amusement by sipping her drink. It would have to be her last one for the evening.
"Dancing wasn't really all that you were in the market for."
"Tonight it was," Leighton said. "Recently divorced, not looking to get into anything more complicated than a business transaction."
Butcher managed a convincing look of disappointment. "I'm having no luck," he sighed. "Last woman I tried to dance with ended up with the club owner."
Leighton managed to stay cool. "He does seem like he'd be a charmer."
Butcher snorted. "A charmer, yeah. More like I have shitty luck."
Leighton raised her eyebrows at him. "And you thought coming to a gambling club was a good thing to do with that luck?"
Butcher grinned, sharp and wide. "Luck has to turn eventually. Besides, I met you." He moved closer, his fingers brushing over the back of her wrist.
"You don't even know my name," Leighton pointed out, "and I'm only interested in investing and the occasional dance."
"I'm Butcher," Butcher said. "I know nothing about investing, but I'm available anytime you want a dance partner."
Leighton thought for a split second and decided Elle would like that. "Elle," she said. "I'll keep that in mind."
*
Despite the unsubtle hints Saporta kept dropping, Victoria went back to her own place - alone - after the club closed. There was a distinct possibility she would have to sleep with him to keep the op going and her cover good, but she could put him off a little longer.
She scrubbed at her face a little harder than necessary when she took off her makeup. If this had been a smaller job she was working with Leighton, they would both be there, sharing the sink in their bathroom and reaching over to find the spots they'd missed. A lot of things were different when she was working smaller jobs with Leighton.
Saporta didn't call her on Saturday, which either meant he was busy or he was punishing her for going home alone on Friday. Victoria didn't call him either - she could wait him out, at least for another couple of days - and went to a different club that was known to be one of Saporta's favorites. She didn't see him there, but she spotted a man who'd been labeled one of his known associates in Narcotics' files, so maybe it would get back to him that she wasn't just sitting at home waiting for him to call.
Sunday was also quiet and without word from Saporta. Victoria went for a walk in the park, stopping occasionally to pet dogs whose owners seemed amenable to it. After a while she just shoved her hands in her coat pocket and stopped trying; it only made her miss Gizmo.
On Monday afternoon, she met Mike at one of the PD's apartments. If anyone asked, he was apartment sitting for a friend and found it easier to meet her there. In reality, they'd decided that public meets were too risky after a certain point. Victoria hadn't spotted a tail in the park on Sunday, but she didn't doubt that Saporta was tracking her somehow, and he would definitely want to listen in on any meetings she had with other men.
"This place is a piece of shit," Mike said after he'd wrenched the door back into the frame. "I don't think I want anyone thinking I have friends who live here."
Victoria waited until he turned around before she put her arms around him and hugged him tight.
"Christ, V. What the fuck?" Despite his words, Mike hugged her back.
Victoria let herself hold on for a few long moments before she stepped back and smiled at him. "Can't I just miss you?"
Mike snorted. "Yeah, right. What the fuck was that?" He searched her face, and she had to force herself not to look away. "You okay?"
Victoria blew out a breath and sat down on what was a distinctly rickety couch. "Yeah, yeah. I'm okay." She knew that her smile wasn't the brightest. "Just needed to touch someone other than Saporta, that's all."
*
There was something wrong. Leighton had been working with Michael for more than long enough to tell.
"Now you," she demanded after she'd reported in on what little she'd learned in the last week. "Spill."
Michael sighed and handed her a folded piece of paper. When she unfolded it, the first thing she saw, before she registered any of the words, was that the note was in Victoria's handwriting. Victoria's meetings with Mike were scheduled for earlier than Leighton's meetings with Michael, which meant she'd written the note the same day.
Leighton turned away from Michael; they were close, but this was between her and Victoria.L-
Miss you.
Love you. Always.
-V
She'd known it, both of the things Victoria had said, but seeing the words in black and white made it more real, more immediate. It also eased over the ache of seeing Victoria with Saporta.
Leighton got her breathing under control again and turned back to Michael. "What else? You're too on edge just for this."
"Mike said Victoria said she was okay, but he doesn't think she is." Michael held his hands out, palm up, like he was trying to placate her. "I didn't want to tell you. You can't do anything about it."
"Like hell," Leighton muttered.
Michael put his hand on her arm. "You can't. I get it, okay? If that were Naomi." He shrugged, leaving the rest of it unsaid. "But you can't compromise the investigation and you can't do anything to blow her cover."
Leighton blew out a breath. "I know. I know. Fuck." She paced the office. There had to be a way to speed up this operation. "Saporta's still dragging his feet about taking me on as an investor. What we need is some competition."
"I'll take it to the Lieutenant," Michael said. "But I don't think you're going to get anything."
Leighton nodded sharply. "I'll see if I can scare up someone legitimate." She probably couldn't, but she needed to try something to get the case moving. She stopped pacing and sank down onto the luxurious couch, suddenly tired. She looked down at the note still grasped in her hand. She wanted this op over.
"I'm going to have to keep it." Michael sounded sorry to even bring it up.
"I know." Leighton half-smiled at him. "I'll want it back."
Michael nodded, then put a sheet of paper and a pen down on the coffee table in front of her. "I can give one to Mike to give to her if you want to write back."
Leighton set Victoria's note down next to the blank paper. She thought of the relief of seeing Victoria's words. She had to give that back to her.My V-
Miss you too. Can't wait to touch you again.
Love you always.
-Your L
There was so much more that she wanted to say, but it had to be simple, just in case it got intercepted. Leighton folded both notes up.
"Here," she said, to catch Michael's attention; he'd turned away to give her privacy while she wrote.
"I'll give it to Mike first thing."
Leighton nodded. It would have to be enough, for now.
*
Saporta called on Tuesday morning. Victoria saw his name flash onto the screen of her phone, but let it ring almost until it would have gone to voice mail before she picked it up.
"Vicky-T," he drawled, "you never did have your way with me."
"It seems," she drawled back, "that every time we're having a good time, your work interrupts us."
"You're a demanding woman. My afternoon's free."
"I am demanding," Victoria answered. "You're going to have to do better than that."
"Special showing of independent short films at NYU," he said promptly. "Starts at three. I'll pick you up at one for lunch."
"Phone off?"
There was a moment before Saporta said, "You drive a hard bargain Victoria Teague. Phone off."
"See you at one." Victoria hung up before he could say anything else. She had the perfect outfit for a movie matinee, and while it didn't really take that much time to put together, it worked better if Saporta thought he had to chase her.
The first thing he did when she came downstairs after he buzzed up to let her know he was there was pull her close, arm tight around her waist, and kiss her deep and demanding. The second thing, when she was still a little breathless, was hold up his phone to show her it was turned off.
Victoria climbed into the car and let Saporta hold her hand, resting them both on her thigh, all the way to the Village where the driver stopped in front of what turned out to be an entirely funky vegetarian cafe.
Saporta kept the conversation light over lunch, never dipping too heavily into flirtation and staying away from his business interests entirely. They split a slice of cake for dessert. It was Saporta's idea, which meant he probably knew as well as she did that shared food was a good way to build intimacy.
Saporta held her hand on the walk to the theater, twining their arms together and staying close to her. They didn't hurry, either, just ambled along looking in windows. Even though Victoria had to keep thinking about what Victoria Teague would think of things, rather than what she herself thought, it was generally pleasant.
Since they'd just eaten, they didn't bother with the refreshments on offer, although Saporta dropped cash into the "Keep this series alive! Leave us your change!" jar on the table. Victoria didn't comment, but Saporta had to know she'd noticed. At least some of his ill-gotten gains were going to some constructive use.
The theater, with its mix of students standing around chatting, backpacks and messenger bags hanging off their shoulders, swamped her with a wave of nostalgia for the time when she was one of the eager film students arriving early to get good seats.
Saporta found them a pair of empty seats not too far away from the screen. "Do you miss it?"
"Yes," Victoria answered honestly, without adding the truth that time changed people, and she couldn't do what she did now if she were still in film school.
*
Saporta finally called and invited Leighton to come to the deli for lunch on Thursday. When she arrived, it was empty but for Saporta and an employee Leighton hadn't seen before behind the counter, doing something with his cell.
"Elle, glad you could make it." Saporta stood and gestured at the counter where the employee had put away his phone and was waiting attentively. "Benefit of owning the place. Free sandwiches whenever I want them."
Leighton laughed, because she was meant to, and ordered. After ordering his own sandwich, Saporta led her back to the table he'd been sitting at.
"Of course, you're not really here for the sandwiches."
"No," Leighton said, "although I do appreciate it. I have meetings all day, and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to fit lunch in."
"Then let's get right down to business. I'm expanding. The club is great, but it's time to take it to the next level. We've had low-level entrepreneurs, shall we say, using it as a springboard for their business, but it's time for me to take control of it."
Finally, a lead she could use for more than just liquor and code violations. Leighton made herself think like Elle. "What, exactly, are you talking about?"
Saporta searched her face, and seemed to find whatever he was looking for. "Product, Ms. Masters. Product that is going to make us both very rich. If you're not interested, you can walk away now. Otherwise, you can invest. On the books, your money will go to the deli. In reality, you'll be providing the capital for my next business interest, and it will earn you an excellent return."
Leighton took a bite out of her sandwich and used the moment while her mouth was full to decide what she should say next.
"What kind of return?"
Saporta smiled, as if he knew she was hooked. Which she was, of course, but he wasn't supposed to know that quite yet. "This is my first foray into this business, but it should far outstrip what you'd get in any ordinary club."
"And your product." Leighton left the barest pause before the word. "So far you've somehow flown under the radar of regulation. How do I know this won't bring us both into the reach of the long arm of the law?"
Saporta laughed. "You watch too much TV. Trust me, as long as our clientele remains safe at the club, no one's going to bother with us."
Leighton relaxed. That "our" meant she was in.
*
It was only three o'clock, which meant the club was almost empty but for a handful of employees and a few dedicated gamblers. Victoria checked with the bartender on duty who told her Saporta was in his office. She went straight back without glancing at any of the other patrons and tapped on the office door before pushing it open.
"And I'm telling you I don't give a shit," Saporta said into his phone. He looked up at the door opening, and a smile spread across his face. He held up a hand and mouthed something that was probably "Just a minute."
Victoria smiled back, and settled herself onto the couch to wait.
"Because I took care of my part of the bargain. I have the money. You're supposed to be supplying the goods."
There was a chance Saporta was talking about liquor or a new sound system for his apartment, but he also had papers spread out across his desk and his tone, despite the way his eyes were tracing the lines of Victoria's legs from her heels to the bottom of her skirt, was too tense for something quite so routine. Either way, he trusted her enough to let her be in the room while he did business.
"Club's open then, make it eleven." Saporta's smile this time seemed to be for more than just Victoria. "Good." He ended the call and put his phone down on the desk as he came around it. "Victoria, I wasn't expecting you."
Victoria stood up so it would be easier to kiss him, lingering and slow. "I had some time, and I wanted to see you."
Saporta returned her kiss with interest. "I'm glad you came. I could use the break."
"Problems?" Victoria kept the question casual, as if she were interested only because it was him.
"Oh, you know, suppliers wanting to back out on deals. Same shit, different day." Saporta's irritation melted into a smile. "Better now that you're here."
Victoria made a face at him. "That was cheesy."
"But true." Saporta unwrapped one of the arms he had around her and guided her back down onto the couch, keeping her close against him the whole time. "You make any day better."
"Now you're just bullshitting me."
"Nah." Saporta pulled her legs over his so she was almost sitting in his lap. His hand stayed on her knee.
It was nice, to be touched. She had to do this, and there was no reason she couldn't appreciate the good parts, even when they weren't with Leighton.
"One hundred percent, grade-A truth." Saporta's thumb swept across the skin of her leg in a hypnotically rhythmic arc. "And you wanted to see me. Admit it, your day's better with me in it."
Victoria let her lips twitch upwards in a flirtatious half smile. "Maybe I just wanted you to stroke my ego."
Saporta's hand slid up her thigh. "Your ego, huh?"
Victoria laughed and pushed his hand back down. "Just my ego. I'm not that kind of girl, Gabe Saporta."
"That's too bad. We could have a good time on this sofa."
*
For a guy who ran an underground club, Saporta sure was fond of paperwork. Leighton took it to Spencer Smith. In addition to occasionally acting as the PD's forensic accountant, he also had his own practice, which made it easier for him to be Elle Masters' accountant.
"Jesus," he said after he'd made copies and looked over everything. "This guy, or whoever he has doing his finances, is good. I know this is all bullshit, and I even think it looks legit." He pointed at a couple of things. "Look at this. Everything goes through the deli, and they've made the numbers look reasonable, even though there's no way a place that size does this kind of business." Smith shook his head. "I know they're criminals and all, but I'm impressed."
Leighton shook her head. "I don't need you to be impressed. I need you to find anything that will stand up in court."
"Yeah, I know." Smith sifted through the papers again. "This is pretty tightly put together. It's going to take some time." He looked up at her. "You're good to sign them, though. He's not trying to screw you over." He paused for a second and then added, "Except for the part where this could land everyone involved in jail."
"That's what we're hoping for." Leighton gathered up her copies of the paperwork. "Call me if there's anything else you want me to ask him for."
"Will do." Smith didn't look up as she left the office.
Finally, they were getting somewhere. Whatever Smith could unravel from the paperwork would definitely stand up in court, and while Saporta hadn't yet said "drugs" out loud, it was only a matter of time until they had proof on that count too.
Leighton's first impulse was to tell Victoria they were getting somewhere, but of course she couldn't do that. Victoria was with Saporta. Leighton grimaced at her reflection in the elevator doors. She hadn't forgotten what Michael had said, and it rankled at her every time she had a moment to herself. If Saporta was still playing it coy about the product he was moving, Victoria's relationship with him was probably their best bet for gathering evidence about the particulars.
Leighton plastered on a smile once she reached the lobby. Elle Masters' business dealings were going well, no matter how much Leighton hated that it was getting between her and Victoria. If they could keep this up for just a little longer, just long enough to get proof Saporta was moving drugs, they would have enough to lock him up for a very long time.
Leighton hailed a cab. She could drop in on the club. If Saporta was there, she could insist they see a notary and sign the papers. The sooner she could get this done, the sooner they could get what they needed, and the sooner she could be with Victoria again.
And if he wasn't there, at least she could get a drink.
*
Victoria leaned forward to wrap her arms around Saporta's neck. "As exciting as that sounds."
Saporta laughed and closed the remaining distance between them. "I get it. You're secretly a romantic." He pressed his cheek against hers and whispered in her ear. "So am I."
Victoria nuzzled his cheek and thought about sharing desserts and his gift of a book that fit right with her interests. "I hate to break this to you, but I'm not sure that's a secret."
Saporta's smile, when he pulled back to look at her, was surprisingly sweet. "Maybe I'm just not good at hiding things from you."
There was a brisk knock, then the door to Saporta's office opened and Leighton came through it. Victoria's first impulse was to jump away from Saporta, but she stifled it and stayed relaxed against him.
Leighton, for her part, arched an eyebrow at them, the only expression on her otherwise impassive face. "Enjoying some time with the clientele?"
"I've told you," Saporta volleyed back, equally impassive, "Victoria is much more than just the clientele. What can I do for you, Elle?"
Leighton's performance was pitch perfect as she eyed Victoria. The rich divorcee clearly didn't think much of Saporta's party girl. "I'm here on business."
Saporta didn't make any move to let go of Victoria. "Please," he said, "pull up a chair."
Leighton looked at Victoria again, then turned one of the chairs in front of Saporta's desk around and sat. Victoria watched the press of skin on skin when she crossed her legs. That was skin she was usually allowed to touch.
"I've spoken with my accountant and my lawyer." Leighton pulled something out of her bag. "They've both given me the okay to sign these."
Victoria couldn't see what was in the folder, but they had to be the papers to make Leighton - or Elle - part of Saporta's business. Saporta wasn't throwing her out while he did business, either, which meant they were getting close. If Leighton was signing papers, it wouldn't be long before she would have enough solid evidence on how the club was run, even if Victoria couldn't do anything more than split Saporta's attention.
"Let me get a pen." Saporta gently pushed Victoria's legs off of his.
"Not so fast." Leighton jerked the folder back. "I never sign important papers without a notary."
Saporta raised an eyebrow but said, "Sensible policy. I think there's one up the street." He put his hand on Victoria's thigh. "Want to go for a walk?"
Victoria had been prepared to leave with a comment about how boring business was anyway - the less he thought she cared about it the more likely he was to let things slip in front of her - but this would give her a front row seat to how he worked and let her spend a few more minutes near Leighton.
"With you? Sure."
Saporta smiled wide and stood, pulling her up with him. "Let's go."
*
Since Saporta was the one who knew where they were going, he led the way once they left the deli. And since Victoria was ostensibly dating him, she walked with him, leaving Leighton to walk behind them and try not to focus on their joined hands to the exclusion of all else. It was only temporary and it wouldn't last much longer. It was only a matter of time before one of them was in far enough to meet Saporta's suppliers, and then they could be done with this job and Victoria would be all hers again.
The notary was actually three blocks up the street, three blocks filled with Saporta's cheerful but inane chatter on the neighborhood. He kept glancing back to include Leighton, but Victoria's smiles and attention were reserved only for him.
The notary - a brisk older woman in a copy shop and stationery store - took their two dollars, witnessed their signatures, and stamped each document in turn. Leighton and Saporta each took their copies back, and Saporta shook her hand.
"Welcome to the business, partner." He threw an arm around Victoria's shoulder. "Care to join us for a celebratory drink?"
Leighton smiled at both of them. "I'd love to." It wasn't a complete lie. She wanted to spend time with Victoria, even in Saporta's presence. They'd been together too long for Leighton to be comfortable being away from her for any length of time.
Saporta kept his arm around Victoria all the way back to the club where he installed Leighton and Victoria at a table while he went to the bar for their drinks.
Leighton smiled politely at Victoria, trying to think past the part of her that wanted to put her hands all over Victoria to the part that would tell her how Elle Masters would handle the situation.
"So you and Gabe?"
Victoria smiled back sweetly, but with an edge. "Yes." There was a hard edge to her voice, too, like every time someone had tried to hit on Leighton when they were out together.
Leighton didn't have to fake her laugh. "Relax, Victoria. I'm not competition. He's all yours. It's a bad idea to mix business with pleasure anyway."
Saporta came back just at the last sentence. "Does that mean you don't want the drink?"
Leighton took it from his hand. "I want the drink." She raised her glass. "To new beginnings."
Saporta and Victoria clinked their glasses against hers. Leighton couldn't help watching the way Victoria pressed her lips together after she took a sip of her drink. At least Saporta didn't notice; he was too busy watching Victoria himself, then leaning across the table to kiss her. Victoria returned his kiss without even glancing at Leighton, although when she sat back in her chair, she flashed Leighton the briefest glance of triumph, just fast enough that if Saporta caught it he would know he wasn't supposed to have seen it.
*
Leighton buying into Saporta's business was good for the investigation, but it had Victoria on edge. Leighton was in the club more often than not when Victoria dropped in, and it was torture to be so close to her, especially when the only real contact they had were carefully generic notes passed through Mike and Michael.
"Do you not like Elle?" Saporta asked when Victoria dropped by on an afternoon Leighton happened to not be there.
Victoria was half in his lap again, which meant she had to pull back to make a face at him. "She's always here."
Saporta chuckled and smiled against her neck. "Are you jealous?" He kissed his way up to her ear. "You shouldn't be. It's just business with her."
Victoria pushed him away. Jealousy was as good as anything for starting a fight. She'd been making things too easy for him anyway, and romantic or not, that wasn't going to keep his interest.
"She sees more of you than I do." Victoria stood up and straightened her clothes, pulling Victoria Teague, cool party girl, back together.
"So do Alex and Ryland. That's the way this business goes."
Victoria stared down at him and hoped like hell this wasn't a mistake. "Alex and Ryland aren't beautiful women."
Saporta stood as well. "And even if they were I wouldn't be involved with them either." He paused, tilted his head, then said, "Maybe Ryland. He's tall."
Victoria crossed her arms over her chest.
Saporta put his hands on her biceps. "Come on, Vicky-T, that was a joke."
Victoria twisted away from him. "Not funny, Gabe. Not funny at all." She scooped up her purse.
"Victoria, listen to me." He didn't try to touch her again, but she stopped anyway, giving him a moment to plead his case. She wanted it to eventually work, after all. "The business is expanding and it's taking up a lot of time. Yes, with Elle." He did touch her then, brushing his finger over her cheek. "But I'd rather be with you, and things will settle down again soon enough."
Victoria stepped back and around him. "I'm not the kind of girl who likes to be kept waiting." She jerked the door open, and of course Leighton was just on the other side of it, hand raised to knock. "I can see they're settling down." She pushed past Leighton, trying not to shiver at the brush of Leighton's arm against hers. It had been so long since she'd touched Leighton.
"Victoria," Saporta called after her, and Leighton asked, "Problems?" and then Victoria was out of earshot, striding through the club and up the stairs.
Victoria had to wait for the bus and she couldn't stop rubbing her arm where she and Leighton had touched. She recognized one of the other people at the stop as one of Saporta's men, not even trying to keep her from seeing him. He wasn't one of the smarter ones. He would probably just think she was upset by their fight.
*
Saporta sighed. "She doesn't like the time I'm spending with you. She'll cool down." He glanced down the hallway again before he let Leighton into his office and closed the door behind them. Saporta sat at his desk, and Leighton perched on one of the chairs in front of it.
"Can I offer you some unsolicited advice?"
Saporta gestured at her to continue.
"Don't let her cool down too much. When she stops caring, then you're in trouble."
Saporta rubbed his hands over his face. "Is that what happened with your ex-husband?"
Victoria would never cheat on her and then leave the way the fictional Mr. Masters had, but just seeing her with Saporta hurt enough that Leighton could imagine what it would be like.
"I didn't stop caring," Leighton said. "I just faced reality and made the best of it by taking him for everything he was worth." That might work for Elle Masters, but Leighton couldn't imagine doing that to someone she loved the way she loved Victoria.
Saporta grimaced. "I think staying single was a good idea for me." He tapped his fingers against the desk for a moment. "This probably calls for something other than flowers."
Leighton laughed briefly. "If she doesn't like the time we're spending together, you should spend some time with her."
"I'd like to. It just seems like there's too much to do." He pushed a file folder across the table at her. "Tell me what you think."
Leighton skimmed through it. It appeared to be a price list of some sort, neat columns of numbers lined up across the page.
"What am I looking at?"
"An offer," Saporta said. "Renegotiating with one of our suppliers."
Leighton read the numbers a little more closely. It wasn't the new product. The prices were wrong and the quantities didn't make sense. Liquor maybe. Or with Saporta, it could be the butcher who supplied the deli. They were doing a brisk business in post-clubbing sandwiches.
Leighton closed the folder. "This doesn't mean anything unless I know what we're paying now, and unlike you, I don't have every detail of this club memorized yet."
Saporta leaned back in his chair and looked at her. Leighton refused to be intimidated. If he'd accepted her into the club, he was going to have to accept that she wasn't going to offer an uninformed opinion or just go along with his every idea.
After a moment, Saporta turned and opened the filing cabinet. He handed her a second file folder. Leighton opened it and set it side by side with the other one on the table so she could look back and forth between them.
"Clever," she said after she'd digested what they were telling her. "Overall it looks like a better deal, but this," she tapped a line on the newer prices, "is going up in price and demand."
Saporta smiled. "Exactly." He handed her a third file, which contained a marked up version of the newer price list. "I'm working on a counteroffer. Care to offer an opinion on that as well?"
Leighton put it next to the other two. "Absolutely."
Part 4
Victoria got a copy of The Woman Director, delivered by courier, from Saporta on Monday, had lunch with him on Tuesday, and let him hold her hand at the movies on Thursday. On Friday, she decided it was time to spend some time on his turf again and showed up at his club.
"No charge," Novarro said when she tried to pay the cover. "Boss said you should come and go as you please."
"Really?" Victoria let her surprise show. She was definitely making an impression on Saporta if he was willing to let her in for free. Of course, it could have simply been a business decision. He could have been hoping that she would come by more often and bring her friends. "Thanks." She smiled at Novarro, quick and bright. "I guess we'll be seeing more of each other."
Novarro smiled back, still as sweet as he'd been the first time she'd come to the club. "I hope so."
Victoria headed for the back of the store and slipped down the staircase and into the club. She was prepared, now, for the sharp contrast between the silent stairway and the noise of the club.
A quick glance around the room didn't reveal Saporta anywhere, so she worked her way through the crowd - it was a busy night, with more people than she'd seen there before - to the bar.
The bartender was someone different from the other times she'd been there, but he ignored a man at the other end to take her order and said, "On the house, boss's orders," when he served it to her.
She was farther in than she'd thought if even employees she hadn't met knew who she was.
"Where is the boss?" she asked. "I haven't seen him yet."
"Poker room, I think."
Victoria nodded. "Pour him a drink? I'll take it to him."
The bartender smiled like that was the right answer and dashed Red Bull and vodka into a glass.
Going into the poker room was a little like what leaving the club with other people must have been like; the heavy beat of the music gave way to a silence broken only by people's voices and the sound of chips clacking together.
Saporta was at a table at the center of the room - of course - with his back to the door. Victoria hung back and sipped at her drink until the hand was over. Then she walked across the room and leaned over Saporta to place his drink on the table in front of him.
He turned as she straightened, then smiled up at her with the kind of lazy smile that wouldn't have been out of place in bed. "Why, Vicky-T, I didn't know you cared."
She raised her eyebrows at him. "Maybe I just want to liquor you up so I can have my way with you."
Saporta's laugh was low, in a register that made her think of sex. "You can have your way with me anytime, liquor or not."
"I'll keep that in mind."
*
Blackinton paused in his enumeration of the many virtues of SpongeBob and pulled out a phone. He frowned down at it for a moment.
"Duty calls," he said to Leighton. "Boss has a guest, and it's busy enough that Alex thinks we should both be around keeping track of things."
"By all means," Leighton said, "don't let me keep you from your duty."
Blackinton still looked discomfited by the necessity. "I do hate to leave you all alone, especially in the middle of a conversation about SpongeBob."
Leighton laughed. "I'm a grown-up. I think I'll be okay."
"Oh," Blackinton said mournfully, "but I don't think I will." He brightened a bit. "Want to come to the club? I won't be very good company, but I'm sure you can have fun without me."
Leighton glanced around the bar and tossed back the end of her drink. "I did say I wanted excitement, and this isn't quite it."
Blackinton grinned at her and took advantage of the cab ride to continue on with his lecture on SpongeBob, albeit without the same collection of visual aids.
"Nate will tell you," he said as they went into the deli. "Nate, tell Elle that SpongeBob is the epitome of animated children's television."
"No question," Novarro agreed readily over the heads of a couple of clubgoers paying the cover.
Blackinton shot finger guns at him. "And that is why you are my main man." He held the door to the stairwell, and he and Leighton waited for the clubgoers to precede them down the stairs. "You're totally convinced, right?"
Leighton laughed. "Maybe," she threw over her shoulder as they went into the dense, noisy atmosphere of the club.
"You'll see the light," Blackinton predicted. Leighton wasn't sure exactly what "keeping track of things" meant, but Blackinton took her to the bar and leaned across it to chat with the bartender. Leighton was too far back and the club was too loud for her to hear their whole conversation, but it resulted in Blackinton handing her a drink and telling her, "Boss is in the poker room if you want to say hi. I need to make the rounds. Have a good time."
Leighton raised her drink to him. "Sure."
Blackinton flashed her a grin as he walked away, and Leighton watched him head toward the cashier. She probably couldn't quite get away with tracking his every move, so she turned to take in the rest of the club as she sipped her drink.
She hadn't been dancing in, well, in a very long time, but what she liked most about dancing was having Victoria pressed close and moving with her. She gulped a little more of her drink than was strictly necessary. She could imagine that, her and Victoria moving to this beat, Victoria's thigh sliding between hers and Victoria's hands on her hips.
That wasn't why she was here. Leighton turned again to survey the good-sized crowd around the tables, using the movement to shake her out of the thought. Perhaps she'd be better off checking out the poker room.
*
Saporta turned back to the table and said, "I'm afraid I'm out. There are better distractions at the moment."
"I don't want to interrupt your game," Victoria said. Like any other cop, she'd played numerous games of poker, and she knew there were things you could learn about a person by how they played.
"Poker is a mental game," Saporta said, "and you," he pointed at her, "are a distraction."
Victoria held up her hands, drink in one, the other palm out. "I'll be quiet as a church mouse."
Saporta laughed. "That's hardly the issue." His eyes ran over her, no doubt taking in the way the dress she was wearing showed off all of her assets and the way her heels stretched the line of her legs.
Victoria put her hand on his shoulder, leaning closer to give him a different angle to look at. "I'll stay out of your way."
"But you won't stay out of my mind." Despite saying it, Saporta turned back to the table. "One more hand."
From where she was standing, Victoria could see Saporta's cards as well as those of the man next to him. Leighton had never managed to teach her to count cards, but she could make some educated guesses about what else was going on at the table, and she used her experience in undercover work to keep her face as impassive as possible.
Saporta kept up a steady stream of patter and conversation. Victoria knew him well enough by now to guess that it was a cover that would keep the rest of the table from noticing both whatever his actual tells were and his attention to theirs. He played well, even beyond that, taking risks that would pay off if he won but not devastate him - not even in terms of the chips he had on the table - if he lost.
Victoria wasn't sure if she was rooting for him to win or lose. Before she could make up her mind, the last three players at the table had all called, and Saporta's two pair lost to another player's three fives.
"You're making me look bad in front of the girl I'm trying to impress," Saporta said, but there was a hint of laughter in his voice. "I'm definitely out now." He gathered up the chips still in front of him, picked up his drink with his other hand, and turned to Victoria. "I told you you'd be a distraction, just by being you."
"I can always leave," Victoria said. She glanced around the room. "This part isn't really my scene anyway."
Saporta leaned in and kissed her cheek. "I'm glad to see you. You're not going anywhere; we're just going to move this party to somewhere the distraction won't matter."
*
The poker room had the same soundproofing as Saporta's office and the outside of the club, so Leighton stepped in and quickly closed the door behind her before she looked around the room. There were people at every one of the tables in the room, and most of them were full. Leighton cataloged that automatically, but her interest was actually held by a pair who were standing in the center of the room.
Saporta was kissing Victoria's cheek, and Victoria was tipping her face up to make it easy for him. Victoria was facing away from the door and Saporta hadn't noticed her yet, so Leighton let herself look, for just a moment, at the way Victoria's dress stretched smoothly over her ass and left her legs bare to mid-thigh. It hadn't been that long, really, but she missed Victoria. At the moment, she missed sex with Victoria. If it had been just them, no case, they'd have been out on the dance floor until they couldn't keep their hands off each other anymore, and then they would have gone home and stayed in bed until late the next morning.
Leighton blinked to clear the image out of her head, and took a longer look around the room. She wasn't here to think about Victoria. She was here to play Elle Masters, potential club investor.
"Elle." Saporta nodded at her. "I didn't expect to see you this evening."
Leighton nodded back. "I ran into Ryland across town and came to see what the club was like tonight."
Victoria turned as Leighton spoke and took a half a step back, so she was almost leaning against Saporta. The part of Leighton that was a New York City Police Department detective admired how casually she'd pulled off what had to be a calculated move staking her claim. The part of her that was Victoria's lover felt the sting of Victoria choosing someone else.
"Busy, as you can see," Saporta said, gesturing at the tables.
"Busier out there," Leighton said. "Definitely a successful business."
Saporta chuckled. "Very much so." He wrapped his arm around Victoria's waist, as if it belonged there. "But tonight's not a night for talking business. I'm not blowing you off. I'm still checking some things out, and then we'll talk."
"Right," Leighton said, making sure to keep her voice amused and not venomous. "Partying with the clientele."
Saporta rested his chin on Victoria's shoulder, staking as much of a claim on her as she'd staked on him. "Victoria's not just clientele, but we are partying."
Leighton waved them off. "Then I'll let you get to it."
Saporta nodded, and kept his arm around Victoria's waist as they detoured around Leighton toward the door. Leighton didn't turn to watch them.
*
Saporta let go of Victoria when they were in the hallway and handed her his drink. He pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door marked Private on the other side of the hallway.
"Come on in," he said, so she followed him into what turned out to be his office. "Let me just put these away," he said, holding up his poker chips. He went around the desk, and Victoria looked at the photos on the wall without turning her back entirely to him.
He unlocked a drawer in the desk with another key. Victoria was at the wrong angle to see what else was in the drawer.
"Keeping your own stash?" she asked, turning away from the walls. There wasn't anything in the photos that was particularly relevant to her, and Leighton had presumably spent enough time in the office to report on it.
Saporta chuckled and relocked the drawer. "I play enough that it just makes sense to keep my chips here instead of having to trade in all the time." He came back around the desk and took his drink from her. He wrapped the other arm low around her waist. "Of course, bringing you in here makes the whole club owner thing a lot less glamorous."
Victoria glanced around the office again. "Club owner has to have an office." She grinned. "And the desk is very sexy." She wasn't lying about that, even if the fantasy she was entertaining about it involved spreading Leighton out over it, pushing up the sexy-conservative skirt she'd been wearing in the poker room, and eating her out.
Saporta turned them around and walked her back until she reached the desk. "Sexy, huh?"
Victoria leaned against the desk, smiling at him. "Very." She ran her free hand across the wood.
Saporta was just leaning down to kiss her when there was a knock at the door. The knock was followed by the door opening and a man Victoria recognized from his surveillance photos as Ryland Blackinton poking his head around it.
"This better be good," Saporta said.
"Sorry, boss. We got a situation."
Saporta made a face that was no less disgruntled for Victoria only being able to see it in profile. He'd shifted to apologetic by the time he turned all the way back to her. "I need to take care of this." He brushed a kiss against her cheek. "Apparently my work is never done."
Victoria pushed him back and tugged the hem of her skirt down. "Don't keep me waiting too long."
"Wouldn't dream of it." Saporta caressed the line of her waist before letting her past him to leave the room.
There were probably any number of reasons Blackinton would need to speak to him privately, and only some of them would be relevant to her investigation. It would have been better if she could have stayed in the room, but Saporta didn't trust her that much yet. At least she'd given him a pleasant association to go with having her in his office that was likely to get her in it again.
She'd had barely any of her drink, which made it a good time to abandon it on a table and melt into the edges of the crowd on the dance floor. She could hold her liquor, but drinking too much was not going to help her on the job. This way she could accept without worry when Saporta got her another drink - assuming he and Blackinton were done before she decided not to let him keep her waiting any longer.
*
Leighton took an empty chair at one of the poker tables, trying to put the vision of Victoria leaning back against Saporta out of her head. Saporta was sure to have people in the poker room who would report back to him, and it was time to put her poker skills to good use. Saporta needed to know she was smart, willing to take risks, and good at reading people. She wouldn't be able to convince anyone of that at a poker table if she were thinking about how much she wanted to go pry Saporta's hands off of Victoria and replace them with her own.
She smiled at the other players and anted in. A man across the table raised an eyebrow at her.
"You sure you're in the right part of the club, sweetheart? Party girls usually stick with roulette."
Leighton accepted her cards and glanced at them briefly. "Put your cards where your mouth is, and we'll see who really belongs here."
She raised when the bet came to her. The guy across the table checked.
"You know, this is usually the owner's table. Only reason there's a seat free is that he's got some girl he's fucking instead."
Leighton was tempted to find out anything she could about the guy; anyone who was that much of an asshole had to be doing something she could get him arrested for. But he wasn't her priority, and unless she could tie him to Saporta's activities, she would probably have to let him go in favor of bigger fish. It was a pity. Taking the guy off the street would be a service to any woman who might have to encounter him.
"You talk a good game," one of the other players said, "but your cards are for shit."
They traded in cards and there was another round of betting - accompanied by three remarks from the asshole that Leighton didn't bother responding to - and Leighton lost the hand, her three tens not enough to best the four twos held by the man to her right. The asshole turned over a pair of kings and scowled his way through the next hand. It was a distinct improvement over the commentary of the previous hand, and he left after losing again.
"He's an ass," the man on Leighton's left said as he dealt the next hand. "Only reason he's still allowed in here is that he's on good behavior when Gabe's at the table."
"That and he loses spectacular amounts of money," another one of the men said. Then he grinned at her across the table. "I'd say you proved who belongs at the table."
Leighton smiled back and raised. "That was all I wanted to do."
*
Victoria felt the press of another body against her back before she heard Butcher's voice saying, "I knew coming here tonight was a good idea."
Victoria couldn't help her smile, and she turned around to let him see it, and to let anyone watching her see her give it to him. It would be good for Saporta to think he had some competition.
Victoria leaned close. "Butcher, right?"
"Right. And you're Victoria." Butcher's hands settled onto her hips. "I'm glad I ran into you."
"Oh yeah?" Victoria let the music guide her movements, and Butcher matched her easily.
"Sure. You're the prettiest girl I've danced with in a good long while." He said it with such completely effortless charm that Victoria thought that either it was true or he was such a good actor that he should be the one doing the deep cover work. Either way, it made it easier for her to move closer to him and loop her arms around his neck.
The fact that he was a pro and did know what she was here for meant that he knew enough to keep moving them around so they could both keep a sharp eye on the room. Victoria was pretty sure she managed to spot at two people in the crowd whose attention was focused enough that they were probably informants of some kind for Saporta, and she and Butcher were definitely within the line of sight of the DJ. Occasional shifts of the crowd put them clearly within view of the bartender.
It was too loud for Victoria to say anything to Butcher when Saporta made his way effortlessly toward them through the crowd, but she pressed her fingers against the back of his neck in warning. He nodded briefly, which she took as a sign that he knew something was coming.
Saporta tapped Butcher on the shoulder and said, "Mind if I cut in?" when Butcher half turned toward him. Saporta had a slight smile on his face, but it didn't come anywhere close to reaching his eyes, and it was more menacing than any scowl could have been.
Butcher glanced from Saporta to Victoria as if trying to make up his mind, and then he squeezed Victoria's hip again. "Nice seeing you again Victoria."
Victoria shrugged at him and put her arms around Saporta's neck as he took Butcher's place. "You didn't have to scare him away," she told Saporta. "He was just being nice."
Saporta pressed a kiss to her jaw, just below her ear. "We had unfinished business."
"It wouldn't have been if you hadn't pushed me away."
"I didn't want to." Saporta pulled her close, close enough that they were pressed together from chest to hip. "I have no intention of spending the rest of my evening with anyone but you."
Victoria couldn't quite figure out how he managed to drop lines like that without sounding like a complete sleazeball.
*
Leighton decided after half an hour that she'd made her point and left the poker room two hundred dollars richer. Too bad it would all go back into the PD's funds for the case. She could imagine plenty of things she and Victoria could do with the extra cash.
That thought was still uppermost in Leighton's mind as she went back into the main part of the club and headed for the bar. A drink in a bar was excellent camouflage. She didn't mean to, but she automatically looked for Victoria. She didn't see her until she had a drink in her hand and was turning away from the bar.
Leighton could feel her fingers tightening painfully around her glass.
Victoria and Saporta were pressed close together, her arms around his neck, his around her waist, and she had her eyes closed in a dreamy smile while his lips skated across her neck. Leighton knew that smile, and she knew the way Victoria's skin felt under her lips.
The worst goddamned part about undercover work was watching Victoria play to other people. It was ten times worse this time, knowing that at the end of the night she'd be going home alone to an empty apartment instead of with Victoria to their place.
Leighton didn't let her gaze rest on them for too long; as a potential business partner, some interest in Saporta was natural, but anything more would stand out. She had no doubt the club was full of people whose job it was to report back to Saporta.
Leighton turned just in time to see Butcher coming toward her, a beer in one hand and a smile on his face.
"I was dancing," he said when he reached her, "and I got interrupted. I don't suppose you dance."
Leighton looked him over coolly, taking in what Elle Masters would see in him: midrange jacket, more expensive jeans, basic v-neck under the jacket, too put together to be truly dangerous but with tattoos that gave him an edge.
"I've been known to," she allowed, "but I'm not in the market for anything other than dancing."
Butcher gave her as thorough a once-over as she'd given him, and she wondered what she looked like to him. Was he seeing Elle Masters, risk-taking wealthy divorcee, or was he seeing Leighton Meester, competent detective?
"I think I can live with that." Butcher took her glass and put both it and her beer down on a table. "Let's dance." He took her hand without asking and pulled her toward the dance floor. Leighton went along, but at her own pace, forcing him to slow down to keep her with him.
*
Victoria opened her eyes - her training and instincts wouldn't let her keep them closed for long, not if she was on the job and dancing with someone she couldn't trust to keep watch for them - and glanced around the room.
Butcher and Leighton were dancing together, right where she could see them, which couldn't have been an accident. They looked good together, smiling at each other and clearly having fun.
That should have been her, making Leighton smile like that.
Something of the way her attention wandered must have bled through, because Saporta pulled her impossibly closer and kissed her jaw, her cheek, and finally her mouth. He was good at it, and Victoria gave herself up to it, letting go of Victoria Asher's desires. Victoria Teague shouldn't have been thinking about anything but Saporta and the way he made her feel.
Saporta was good enough to push without making it feel like too much; even though Victoria knew that was what he was doing as he deepened the kiss and slid one hand down to her ass, she was willing to go with it instead of wanting to push him away.
"We could take this back to my office," he said. He had to be speaking loudly for her to hear him over the music, but it was as intimate as a whisper.
"You shouldn't mix business with pleasure." Victoria gave him a coy smile. "We keep getting interrupted."
"If I hadn't mixed pleasure with business I wouldn't have met you." Saporta's hand moved lower, grasping her thigh.
Victoria made herself laugh. "That only shows it's good for beginnings."
"Who says it can't be good for other things?" Saporta trailed his lips over her neck again. She'd always liked it when people did that, and she shivered involuntarily. They were pressed so close together that he had to feel it, even under the thudding of the bass and the way they were moving in the midst of a crowd.
"Who says I'm that kind of girl?" Victoria's voice came out breathier than she'd intended, and she could feel Saporta's smile against her neck.
"You liked my desk earlier."
Victoria laughed a little. "I like to keep my options open." She took a minute step backwards, putting the tiniest bit of space between them. Saporta followed her, but she kept moving to maintain the space. It took them farther away from Leighton and Butcher, not that they'd been close enough to be overheard.
"You do that and you might turn around to find that your options have disappeared."
Victoria tugged Saporta closer again and spoke directly into his ear. "There's always another option."
Saporta moved them in a quarter turn and jerked his chin toward Leighton and Butcher. "Looks like your other option moved on to another option of his own."
Victoria laughed low and intimate against his cheek. "I didn't say I only had one other option."
She wasn't surprised by the possessive kiss Saporta planted on her, but only her experience going undercover with other assholes kept her from kneeing him for the way his hands dug into her hips.
*
Leighton kept the smile on her face even as she sucked in a breath. Saporta wasn't just kissing Victoria. He was showing off, letting everyone in the place know she was his, and only three of them knew it wasn't true.
"What?" Butcher asked; he must have felt something of it in the way she held her body.
"Nothing," Leighton said. She didn't know who might be watching or listening to them, even in the middle of the club. She couldn't think about it anyway. Anger might make her even more determined to take Saporta down, but it would also make her sloppy, and she couldn't afford to be sloppy. This had to be a totally clean op. Everything had to stick.
Butcher casually turned them on the floor so he was facing Victoria and she wasn't. It went against all of Leighton's instincts to let someone who wasn't her, Mike, or Michael watch out for Victoria, but she understood why he did it. She was able to calm her breathing when she didn't have to watch it, or at least make it look more like her breath was because they were dancing.
Butcher leaned in close and asked, "Want to get out of here?"
Leighton shook her head. "I told you, just dancing." Then she smiled at him. "But I wouldn't say no to a drink."
Butcher waved her ahead of him. It wasn't really any quieter at the bar, but the setup was more conducive to conversation. Leighton found a small space to slip into, and Butcher followed, somehow making the space big enough for two.
"What brings you to the club?" he asked once they had drinks. Leighton was pretty sure she wasn't imagining the amused sparkle in his eyes.
"Hoping to invest in it." Leighton covered her own amusement by sipping her drink. It would have to be her last one for the evening.
"Dancing wasn't really all that you were in the market for."
"Tonight it was," Leighton said. "Recently divorced, not looking to get into anything more complicated than a business transaction."
Butcher managed a convincing look of disappointment. "I'm having no luck," he sighed. "Last woman I tried to dance with ended up with the club owner."
Leighton managed to stay cool. "He does seem like he'd be a charmer."
Butcher snorted. "A charmer, yeah. More like I have shitty luck."
Leighton raised her eyebrows at him. "And you thought coming to a gambling club was a good thing to do with that luck?"
Butcher grinned, sharp and wide. "Luck has to turn eventually. Besides, I met you." He moved closer, his fingers brushing over the back of her wrist.
"You don't even know my name," Leighton pointed out, "and I'm only interested in investing and the occasional dance."
"I'm Butcher," Butcher said. "I know nothing about investing, but I'm available anytime you want a dance partner."
Leighton thought for a split second and decided Elle would like that. "Elle," she said. "I'll keep that in mind."
*
Despite the unsubtle hints Saporta kept dropping, Victoria went back to her own place - alone - after the club closed. There was a distinct possibility she would have to sleep with him to keep the op going and her cover good, but she could put him off a little longer.
She scrubbed at her face a little harder than necessary when she took off her makeup. If this had been a smaller job she was working with Leighton, they would both be there, sharing the sink in their bathroom and reaching over to find the spots they'd missed. A lot of things were different when she was working smaller jobs with Leighton.
Saporta didn't call her on Saturday, which either meant he was busy or he was punishing her for going home alone on Friday. Victoria didn't call him either - she could wait him out, at least for another couple of days - and went to a different club that was known to be one of Saporta's favorites. She didn't see him there, but she spotted a man who'd been labeled one of his known associates in Narcotics' files, so maybe it would get back to him that she wasn't just sitting at home waiting for him to call.
Sunday was also quiet and without word from Saporta. Victoria went for a walk in the park, stopping occasionally to pet dogs whose owners seemed amenable to it. After a while she just shoved her hands in her coat pocket and stopped trying; it only made her miss Gizmo.
On Monday afternoon, she met Mike at one of the PD's apartments. If anyone asked, he was apartment sitting for a friend and found it easier to meet her there. In reality, they'd decided that public meets were too risky after a certain point. Victoria hadn't spotted a tail in the park on Sunday, but she didn't doubt that Saporta was tracking her somehow, and he would definitely want to listen in on any meetings she had with other men.
"This place is a piece of shit," Mike said after he'd wrenched the door back into the frame. "I don't think I want anyone thinking I have friends who live here."
Victoria waited until he turned around before she put her arms around him and hugged him tight.
"Christ, V. What the fuck?" Despite his words, Mike hugged her back.
Victoria let herself hold on for a few long moments before she stepped back and smiled at him. "Can't I just miss you?"
Mike snorted. "Yeah, right. What the fuck was that?" He searched her face, and she had to force herself not to look away. "You okay?"
Victoria blew out a breath and sat down on what was a distinctly rickety couch. "Yeah, yeah. I'm okay." She knew that her smile wasn't the brightest. "Just needed to touch someone other than Saporta, that's all."
*
There was something wrong. Leighton had been working with Michael for more than long enough to tell.
"Now you," she demanded after she'd reported in on what little she'd learned in the last week. "Spill."
Michael sighed and handed her a folded piece of paper. When she unfolded it, the first thing she saw, before she registered any of the words, was that the note was in Victoria's handwriting. Victoria's meetings with Mike were scheduled for earlier than Leighton's meetings with Michael, which meant she'd written the note the same day.
Leighton turned away from Michael; they were close, but this was between her and Victoria.L-
Miss you.
Love you. Always.
-V
She'd known it, both of the things Victoria had said, but seeing the words in black and white made it more real, more immediate. It also eased over the ache of seeing Victoria with Saporta.
Leighton got her breathing under control again and turned back to Michael. "What else? You're too on edge just for this."
"Mike said Victoria said she was okay, but he doesn't think she is." Michael held his hands out, palm up, like he was trying to placate her. "I didn't want to tell you. You can't do anything about it."
"Like hell," Leighton muttered.
Michael put his hand on her arm. "You can't. I get it, okay? If that were Naomi." He shrugged, leaving the rest of it unsaid. "But you can't compromise the investigation and you can't do anything to blow her cover."
Leighton blew out a breath. "I know. I know. Fuck." She paced the office. There had to be a way to speed up this operation. "Saporta's still dragging his feet about taking me on as an investor. What we need is some competition."
"I'll take it to the Lieutenant," Michael said. "But I don't think you're going to get anything."
Leighton nodded sharply. "I'll see if I can scare up someone legitimate." She probably couldn't, but she needed to try something to get the case moving. She stopped pacing and sank down onto the luxurious couch, suddenly tired. She looked down at the note still grasped in her hand. She wanted this op over.
"I'm going to have to keep it." Michael sounded sorry to even bring it up.
"I know." Leighton half-smiled at him. "I'll want it back."
Michael nodded, then put a sheet of paper and a pen down on the coffee table in front of her. "I can give one to Mike to give to her if you want to write back."
Leighton set Victoria's note down next to the blank paper. She thought of the relief of seeing Victoria's words. She had to give that back to her.My V-
Miss you too. Can't wait to touch you again.
Love you always.
-Your L
There was so much more that she wanted to say, but it had to be simple, just in case it got intercepted. Leighton folded both notes up.
"Here," she said, to catch Michael's attention; he'd turned away to give her privacy while she wrote.
"I'll give it to Mike first thing."
Leighton nodded. It would have to be enough, for now.
*
Saporta called on Tuesday morning. Victoria saw his name flash onto the screen of her phone, but let it ring almost until it would have gone to voice mail before she picked it up.
"Vicky-T," he drawled, "you never did have your way with me."
"It seems," she drawled back, "that every time we're having a good time, your work interrupts us."
"You're a demanding woman. My afternoon's free."
"I am demanding," Victoria answered. "You're going to have to do better than that."
"Special showing of independent short films at NYU," he said promptly. "Starts at three. I'll pick you up at one for lunch."
"Phone off?"
There was a moment before Saporta said, "You drive a hard bargain Victoria Teague. Phone off."
"See you at one." Victoria hung up before he could say anything else. She had the perfect outfit for a movie matinee, and while it didn't really take that much time to put together, it worked better if Saporta thought he had to chase her.
The first thing he did when she came downstairs after he buzzed up to let her know he was there was pull her close, arm tight around her waist, and kiss her deep and demanding. The second thing, when she was still a little breathless, was hold up his phone to show her it was turned off.
Victoria climbed into the car and let Saporta hold her hand, resting them both on her thigh, all the way to the Village where the driver stopped in front of what turned out to be an entirely funky vegetarian cafe.
Saporta kept the conversation light over lunch, never dipping too heavily into flirtation and staying away from his business interests entirely. They split a slice of cake for dessert. It was Saporta's idea, which meant he probably knew as well as she did that shared food was a good way to build intimacy.
Saporta held her hand on the walk to the theater, twining their arms together and staying close to her. They didn't hurry, either, just ambled along looking in windows. Even though Victoria had to keep thinking about what Victoria Teague would think of things, rather than what she herself thought, it was generally pleasant.
Since they'd just eaten, they didn't bother with the refreshments on offer, although Saporta dropped cash into the "Keep this series alive! Leave us your change!" jar on the table. Victoria didn't comment, but Saporta had to know she'd noticed. At least some of his ill-gotten gains were going to some constructive use.
The theater, with its mix of students standing around chatting, backpacks and messenger bags hanging off their shoulders, swamped her with a wave of nostalgia for the time when she was one of the eager film students arriving early to get good seats.
Saporta found them a pair of empty seats not too far away from the screen. "Do you miss it?"
"Yes," Victoria answered honestly, without adding the truth that time changed people, and she couldn't do what she did now if she were still in film school.
*
Saporta finally called and invited Leighton to come to the deli for lunch on Thursday. When she arrived, it was empty but for Saporta and an employee Leighton hadn't seen before behind the counter, doing something with his cell.
"Elle, glad you could make it." Saporta stood and gestured at the counter where the employee had put away his phone and was waiting attentively. "Benefit of owning the place. Free sandwiches whenever I want them."
Leighton laughed, because she was meant to, and ordered. After ordering his own sandwich, Saporta led her back to the table he'd been sitting at.
"Of course, you're not really here for the sandwiches."
"No," Leighton said, "although I do appreciate it. I have meetings all day, and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to fit lunch in."
"Then let's get right down to business. I'm expanding. The club is great, but it's time to take it to the next level. We've had low-level entrepreneurs, shall we say, using it as a springboard for their business, but it's time for me to take control of it."
Finally, a lead she could use for more than just liquor and code violations. Leighton made herself think like Elle. "What, exactly, are you talking about?"
Saporta searched her face, and seemed to find whatever he was looking for. "Product, Ms. Masters. Product that is going to make us both very rich. If you're not interested, you can walk away now. Otherwise, you can invest. On the books, your money will go to the deli. In reality, you'll be providing the capital for my next business interest, and it will earn you an excellent return."
Leighton took a bite out of her sandwich and used the moment while her mouth was full to decide what she should say next.
"What kind of return?"
Saporta smiled, as if he knew she was hooked. Which she was, of course, but he wasn't supposed to know that quite yet. "This is my first foray into this business, but it should far outstrip what you'd get in any ordinary club."
"And your product." Leighton left the barest pause before the word. "So far you've somehow flown under the radar of regulation. How do I know this won't bring us both into the reach of the long arm of the law?"
Saporta laughed. "You watch too much TV. Trust me, as long as our clientele remains safe at the club, no one's going to bother with us."
Leighton relaxed. That "our" meant she was in.
*
It was only three o'clock, which meant the club was almost empty but for a handful of employees and a few dedicated gamblers. Victoria checked with the bartender on duty who told her Saporta was in his office. She went straight back without glancing at any of the other patrons and tapped on the office door before pushing it open.
"And I'm telling you I don't give a shit," Saporta said into his phone. He looked up at the door opening, and a smile spread across his face. He held up a hand and mouthed something that was probably "Just a minute."
Victoria smiled back, and settled herself onto the couch to wait.
"Because I took care of my part of the bargain. I have the money. You're supposed to be supplying the goods."
There was a chance Saporta was talking about liquor or a new sound system for his apartment, but he also had papers spread out across his desk and his tone, despite the way his eyes were tracing the lines of Victoria's legs from her heels to the bottom of her skirt, was too tense for something quite so routine. Either way, he trusted her enough to let her be in the room while he did business.
"Club's open then, make it eleven." Saporta's smile this time seemed to be for more than just Victoria. "Good." He ended the call and put his phone down on the desk as he came around it. "Victoria, I wasn't expecting you."
Victoria stood up so it would be easier to kiss him, lingering and slow. "I had some time, and I wanted to see you."
Saporta returned her kiss with interest. "I'm glad you came. I could use the break."
"Problems?" Victoria kept the question casual, as if she were interested only because it was him.
"Oh, you know, suppliers wanting to back out on deals. Same shit, different day." Saporta's irritation melted into a smile. "Better now that you're here."
Victoria made a face at him. "That was cheesy."
"But true." Saporta unwrapped one of the arms he had around her and guided her back down onto the couch, keeping her close against him the whole time. "You make any day better."
"Now you're just bullshitting me."
"Nah." Saporta pulled her legs over his so she was almost sitting in his lap. His hand stayed on her knee.
It was nice, to be touched. She had to do this, and there was no reason she couldn't appreciate the good parts, even when they weren't with Leighton.
"One hundred percent, grade-A truth." Saporta's thumb swept across the skin of her leg in a hypnotically rhythmic arc. "And you wanted to see me. Admit it, your day's better with me in it."
Victoria let her lips twitch upwards in a flirtatious half smile. "Maybe I just wanted you to stroke my ego."
Saporta's hand slid up her thigh. "Your ego, huh?"
Victoria laughed and pushed his hand back down. "Just my ego. I'm not that kind of girl, Gabe Saporta."
"That's too bad. We could have a good time on this sofa."
*
For a guy who ran an underground club, Saporta sure was fond of paperwork. Leighton took it to Spencer Smith. In addition to occasionally acting as the PD's forensic accountant, he also had his own practice, which made it easier for him to be Elle Masters' accountant.
"Jesus," he said after he'd made copies and looked over everything. "This guy, or whoever he has doing his finances, is good. I know this is all bullshit, and I even think it looks legit." He pointed at a couple of things. "Look at this. Everything goes through the deli, and they've made the numbers look reasonable, even though there's no way a place that size does this kind of business." Smith shook his head. "I know they're criminals and all, but I'm impressed."
Leighton shook her head. "I don't need you to be impressed. I need you to find anything that will stand up in court."
"Yeah, I know." Smith sifted through the papers again. "This is pretty tightly put together. It's going to take some time." He looked up at her. "You're good to sign them, though. He's not trying to screw you over." He paused for a second and then added, "Except for the part where this could land everyone involved in jail."
"That's what we're hoping for." Leighton gathered up her copies of the paperwork. "Call me if there's anything else you want me to ask him for."
"Will do." Smith didn't look up as she left the office.
Finally, they were getting somewhere. Whatever Smith could unravel from the paperwork would definitely stand up in court, and while Saporta hadn't yet said "drugs" out loud, it was only a matter of time until they had proof on that count too.
Leighton's first impulse was to tell Victoria they were getting somewhere, but of course she couldn't do that. Victoria was with Saporta. Leighton grimaced at her reflection in the elevator doors. She hadn't forgotten what Michael had said, and it rankled at her every time she had a moment to herself. If Saporta was still playing it coy about the product he was moving, Victoria's relationship with him was probably their best bet for gathering evidence about the particulars.
Leighton plastered on a smile once she reached the lobby. Elle Masters' business dealings were going well, no matter how much Leighton hated that it was getting between her and Victoria. If they could keep this up for just a little longer, just long enough to get proof Saporta was moving drugs, they would have enough to lock him up for a very long time.
Leighton hailed a cab. She could drop in on the club. If Saporta was there, she could insist they see a notary and sign the papers. The sooner she could get this done, the sooner they could get what they needed, and the sooner she could be with Victoria again.
And if he wasn't there, at least she could get a drink.
*
Victoria leaned forward to wrap her arms around Saporta's neck. "As exciting as that sounds."
Saporta laughed and closed the remaining distance between them. "I get it. You're secretly a romantic." He pressed his cheek against hers and whispered in her ear. "So am I."
Victoria nuzzled his cheek and thought about sharing desserts and his gift of a book that fit right with her interests. "I hate to break this to you, but I'm not sure that's a secret."
Saporta's smile, when he pulled back to look at her, was surprisingly sweet. "Maybe I'm just not good at hiding things from you."
There was a brisk knock, then the door to Saporta's office opened and Leighton came through it. Victoria's first impulse was to jump away from Saporta, but she stifled it and stayed relaxed against him.
Leighton, for her part, arched an eyebrow at them, the only expression on her otherwise impassive face. "Enjoying some time with the clientele?"
"I've told you," Saporta volleyed back, equally impassive, "Victoria is much more than just the clientele. What can I do for you, Elle?"
Leighton's performance was pitch perfect as she eyed Victoria. The rich divorcee clearly didn't think much of Saporta's party girl. "I'm here on business."
Saporta didn't make any move to let go of Victoria. "Please," he said, "pull up a chair."
Leighton looked at Victoria again, then turned one of the chairs in front of Saporta's desk around and sat. Victoria watched the press of skin on skin when she crossed her legs. That was skin she was usually allowed to touch.
"I've spoken with my accountant and my lawyer." Leighton pulled something out of her bag. "They've both given me the okay to sign these."
Victoria couldn't see what was in the folder, but they had to be the papers to make Leighton - or Elle - part of Saporta's business. Saporta wasn't throwing her out while he did business, either, which meant they were getting close. If Leighton was signing papers, it wouldn't be long before she would have enough solid evidence on how the club was run, even if Victoria couldn't do anything more than split Saporta's attention.
"Let me get a pen." Saporta gently pushed Victoria's legs off of his.
"Not so fast." Leighton jerked the folder back. "I never sign important papers without a notary."
Saporta raised an eyebrow but said, "Sensible policy. I think there's one up the street." He put his hand on Victoria's thigh. "Want to go for a walk?"
Victoria had been prepared to leave with a comment about how boring business was anyway - the less he thought she cared about it the more likely he was to let things slip in front of her - but this would give her a front row seat to how he worked and let her spend a few more minutes near Leighton.
"With you? Sure."
Saporta smiled wide and stood, pulling her up with him. "Let's go."
*
Since Saporta was the one who knew where they were going, he led the way once they left the deli. And since Victoria was ostensibly dating him, she walked with him, leaving Leighton to walk behind them and try not to focus on their joined hands to the exclusion of all else. It was only temporary and it wouldn't last much longer. It was only a matter of time before one of them was in far enough to meet Saporta's suppliers, and then they could be done with this job and Victoria would be all hers again.
The notary was actually three blocks up the street, three blocks filled with Saporta's cheerful but inane chatter on the neighborhood. He kept glancing back to include Leighton, but Victoria's smiles and attention were reserved only for him.
The notary - a brisk older woman in a copy shop and stationery store - took their two dollars, witnessed their signatures, and stamped each document in turn. Leighton and Saporta each took their copies back, and Saporta shook her hand.
"Welcome to the business, partner." He threw an arm around Victoria's shoulder. "Care to join us for a celebratory drink?"
Leighton smiled at both of them. "I'd love to." It wasn't a complete lie. She wanted to spend time with Victoria, even in Saporta's presence. They'd been together too long for Leighton to be comfortable being away from her for any length of time.
Saporta kept his arm around Victoria all the way back to the club where he installed Leighton and Victoria at a table while he went to the bar for their drinks.
Leighton smiled politely at Victoria, trying to think past the part of her that wanted to put her hands all over Victoria to the part that would tell her how Elle Masters would handle the situation.
"So you and Gabe?"
Victoria smiled back sweetly, but with an edge. "Yes." There was a hard edge to her voice, too, like every time someone had tried to hit on Leighton when they were out together.
Leighton didn't have to fake her laugh. "Relax, Victoria. I'm not competition. He's all yours. It's a bad idea to mix business with pleasure anyway."
Saporta came back just at the last sentence. "Does that mean you don't want the drink?"
Leighton took it from his hand. "I want the drink." She raised her glass. "To new beginnings."
Saporta and Victoria clinked their glasses against hers. Leighton couldn't help watching the way Victoria pressed her lips together after she took a sip of her drink. At least Saporta didn't notice; he was too busy watching Victoria himself, then leaning across the table to kiss her. Victoria returned his kiss without even glancing at Leighton, although when she sat back in her chair, she flashed Leighton the briefest glance of triumph, just fast enough that if Saporta caught it he would know he wasn't supposed to have seen it.
*
Leighton buying into Saporta's business was good for the investigation, but it had Victoria on edge. Leighton was in the club more often than not when Victoria dropped in, and it was torture to be so close to her, especially when the only real contact they had were carefully generic notes passed through Mike and Michael.
"Do you not like Elle?" Saporta asked when Victoria dropped by on an afternoon Leighton happened to not be there.
Victoria was half in his lap again, which meant she had to pull back to make a face at him. "She's always here."
Saporta chuckled and smiled against her neck. "Are you jealous?" He kissed his way up to her ear. "You shouldn't be. It's just business with her."
Victoria pushed him away. Jealousy was as good as anything for starting a fight. She'd been making things too easy for him anyway, and romantic or not, that wasn't going to keep his interest.
"She sees more of you than I do." Victoria stood up and straightened her clothes, pulling Victoria Teague, cool party girl, back together.
"So do Alex and Ryland. That's the way this business goes."
Victoria stared down at him and hoped like hell this wasn't a mistake. "Alex and Ryland aren't beautiful women."
Saporta stood as well. "And even if they were I wouldn't be involved with them either." He paused, tilted his head, then said, "Maybe Ryland. He's tall."
Victoria crossed her arms over her chest.
Saporta put his hands on her biceps. "Come on, Vicky-T, that was a joke."
Victoria twisted away from him. "Not funny, Gabe. Not funny at all." She scooped up her purse.
"Victoria, listen to me." He didn't try to touch her again, but she stopped anyway, giving him a moment to plead his case. She wanted it to eventually work, after all. "The business is expanding and it's taking up a lot of time. Yes, with Elle." He did touch her then, brushing his finger over her cheek. "But I'd rather be with you, and things will settle down again soon enough."
Victoria stepped back and around him. "I'm not the kind of girl who likes to be kept waiting." She jerked the door open, and of course Leighton was just on the other side of it, hand raised to knock. "I can see they're settling down." She pushed past Leighton, trying not to shiver at the brush of Leighton's arm against hers. It had been so long since she'd touched Leighton.
"Victoria," Saporta called after her, and Leighton asked, "Problems?" and then Victoria was out of earshot, striding through the club and up the stairs.
Victoria had to wait for the bus and she couldn't stop rubbing her arm where she and Leighton had touched. She recognized one of the other people at the stop as one of Saporta's men, not even trying to keep her from seeing him. He wasn't one of the smarter ones. He would probably just think she was upset by their fight.
*
Saporta sighed. "She doesn't like the time I'm spending with you. She'll cool down." He glanced down the hallway again before he let Leighton into his office and closed the door behind them. Saporta sat at his desk, and Leighton perched on one of the chairs in front of it.
"Can I offer you some unsolicited advice?"
Saporta gestured at her to continue.
"Don't let her cool down too much. When she stops caring, then you're in trouble."
Saporta rubbed his hands over his face. "Is that what happened with your ex-husband?"
Victoria would never cheat on her and then leave the way the fictional Mr. Masters had, but just seeing her with Saporta hurt enough that Leighton could imagine what it would be like.
"I didn't stop caring," Leighton said. "I just faced reality and made the best of it by taking him for everything he was worth." That might work for Elle Masters, but Leighton couldn't imagine doing that to someone she loved the way she loved Victoria.
Saporta grimaced. "I think staying single was a good idea for me." He tapped his fingers against the desk for a moment. "This probably calls for something other than flowers."
Leighton laughed briefly. "If she doesn't like the time we're spending together, you should spend some time with her."
"I'd like to. It just seems like there's too much to do." He pushed a file folder across the table at her. "Tell me what you think."
Leighton skimmed through it. It appeared to be a price list of some sort, neat columns of numbers lined up across the page.
"What am I looking at?"
"An offer," Saporta said. "Renegotiating with one of our suppliers."
Leighton read the numbers a little more closely. It wasn't the new product. The prices were wrong and the quantities didn't make sense. Liquor maybe. Or with Saporta, it could be the butcher who supplied the deli. They were doing a brisk business in post-clubbing sandwiches.
Leighton closed the folder. "This doesn't mean anything unless I know what we're paying now, and unlike you, I don't have every detail of this club memorized yet."
Saporta leaned back in his chair and looked at her. Leighton refused to be intimidated. If he'd accepted her into the club, he was going to have to accept that she wasn't going to offer an uninformed opinion or just go along with his every idea.
After a moment, Saporta turned and opened the filing cabinet. He handed her a second file folder. Leighton opened it and set it side by side with the other one on the table so she could look back and forth between them.
"Clever," she said after she'd digested what they were telling her. "Overall it looks like a better deal, but this," she tapped a line on the newer prices, "is going up in price and demand."
Saporta smiled. "Exactly." He handed her a third file, which contained a marked up version of the newer price list. "I'm working on a counteroffer. Care to offer an opinion on that as well?"
Leighton put it next to the other two. "Absolutely."
Part 4