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She strode toward the back of the large room to the big bar where Sandra Croft was mixing drinks. Luckily, everyone in the group seemed to be busy with their conversations. There were waiters winding through the party with drinks and appetizers, and no one was sitting at the bar. Sandra looked up from her blender and smiled Nina’s way, sliding a martini glass in front of her.

They were alone with a good fifty feet between them and the party, so she hopped onto a barstool. “Thank god. I was worried I would have to drink those overly sweet things.”

Sandra gave a prefilled container a nice shake and poured the drink over the twist of lemon that completed Nina’s favorite cocktail. “I know what you like. I also know that you and the mister don’t appear to be getting along.”

“Yeah, I noticed that, too.” Drake had followed her though he still had a tray full of piña coladas he’d been offering the guests. “I thought you were supposed to be engaged.”

“And I thought you were supposed to be discreet,” she shot back. “I was listening to that conversation.” She looked to Sandra. “They were gossiping about my chances of surviving Deanna.”

“Oh, I think they would be surprised at what you could do to that one.” Sandra went to work pouring out some more drinks. “Though I think they’re wrong about the assistant. I’ve been watching her all night. I don’t think she’s into JT. I think she’s into her job, but not her boss. She doesn’t look at him that way.”

“There’s a way to look at someone?” Nina asked.

“Yes,” Sandra said with a chuckle. “It’s this look of complete longing and desire. If you want to know what it looks like, I’ve got a mirror for you.”

Nina rolled her eyes and took a long drink. “You’ve been talking to Taggart.”

Drake frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Talking. Conversing. It’s when two or more people exchange words,” Sandra said. “In this case it was on a conference call. Hutch was there, too. That boy can eat. I thought he kept that candy on his desk because he wanted the kids to like him. I don’t blame him. Tag’s twins can be mean and bribery works with them, but he can pack away the sweets.”

Drake raised a brow. “I was asking what you meant by Nina’s got a look of longing. Because she better not be longing for the billionaire. Not in real life. Is that why you’re not over there doing your job? You know they’re all gossiping about why you and your fiancé have been so distant.”

“She’s been here for all of four hours,” Sandra shot back. “Leave her alone. Do you know who isn’t doing his job right now? It’s you. People won’t wonder why the new girl is sitting in the back talking to the bartender, but they might wonder why the new girl, the bartender, and some random waiter are having a meeting. Go, little boy. Serve drinks.”

Drake’s jaw tightened, but he picked up his tray. “I’m not joking, Blunt. Don’t fuck this up with feelings.”

Sandra shook her head. “He’s a little asshole, but I’ll get him in line in the end. Now tell Auntie Sandra what went wrong with the billionaire. Was he bad in bed? Because I wouldn’t be surprised. That boy is so pretty he doesn’t have to be good in bed. I’m working on that with Drake, too. Pretty boys need to try harder.”

“He’s incredible in bed,” she replied before Sandra’s words really sank in. “Wait. What? You’re sleeping with the…” She lowered her voice. “You’re sleeping with your young coworker?”

What she wasn’t saying wasyou’re sleeping with the CIA guy who could turn out to be truly dangerous. And also happened to be young enough to be her son.

Sandra shrugged. “There’s actually not a lot to do here, and Hutch and I decided it would be an excellent way to keep trackof him. One of us had to do it and Hutch was surprisingly whiny about his personal sexual preferences. So I took one for the team. Why? You want him? Because he’s not great at oral yet.”

She choked on her gin but managed to get it down. Working with Sandra was always full of surprises. “No. You should keep that going. It’s obviously working since he’s out peddling piña coladas and we’ve got a chance to talk. Is everything in place?”

“Of course it is,” Sandra replied. “Hutch is watching us right now. He says hi and he wants to know why you broke it off with the hottie, too. He’s in my ear, but he’s also got eyes on us.”

So Hutch had taken over the security system. She’d noted the multiple cameras that covered the resort. She’d also made sure their suite with one bloody bed was bug free. “How does Hutch feel about the rest of the staff?”

“He ran reports on everyone working at the resort. They’re all solid, almost all local,” Sandra said. “With the exception of a couple from the mainland, but they’ve all been here for six months or more. I feel comfortable the other side doesn’t have any plants on staff. Now stop evading the question.”

She should have known Sandra would be a bit like a hound who’d caught a scent. She wasn’t about to let it go. “We have a difference of opinion. We ran into a spot of trouble, and we didn’t agree on how to handle it. He tried to call off the mission.”

“Ah, so shit got real and he got scared. I’m going to assume it was fear for you because he’s a man and he doesn’t understand that we can shoot guns, too.”

“I don’t think it’s the shooting part that he minds, but he does seem to take exception to my getting shot,” Nina explained. “Apparently he finds my job distressing.”

Sandra’s eyes rolled. “And he broke it off with you over that?”

He hadn’t exactly broken things off. He’d tried to talk to her. It had been a lucky thing for her that they hadn’t been alone on the private jet or she wasn’t sure what would have happenedsince every time the man looked at her she threatened to melt. “No. He tried to stop the mission or leave me out of it. I broke it off with him.”

“But you’re here so you obviously won that fight. Why break it off with him? Unless he’s a sore loser. I kind of thought you were into him.”

“I was. I still am.” Nina glanced back over her shoulder and he was nodding at something Jordy was saying. Deanna stood at his side, yawning as though she was bored as hell. “But he lied to me. He knew who I was and pretended not to because he knew I wouldn’t sleep with him if I’d known we were going to work together.”

“But you probably would have,” Sandra pointed out.