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about to admit it aloud, but she found that skill
soothing. It gave her a sense of being safe and protected. An illusion, she told
herself, but nevertheless it was somewhat reassuring to recall that Jed Merlin
had always been coolly competent in any situation in which he found himself.
    ‘‘The beard’s gone, the jeans now have a designer label sewn onto the back
pocket, and the shirt cost over fifty dollars. Furthermore, I grew up on that
estate you seem to remember so vividly. I can act the part you want. My father
saw to it I had a well-rounded education,"·he told her with lazy amusement.
    "Pity you didn’t take advantage of that education to make something of your
life," Lacey said pointedly, unable to resist the dig. She did not like the
growing hint of indulgence she sensed in him!
    "Does it matter what I choose to do with my own life as long as I have the
Merlin money to draw upon?" he growled, his eyes on the heavy traffic.
    "There is no excuse for being downright irresponsible with one’s life,
regardless of how well cushioned it happens to be." Lacey lectured.
    "Do I hear a note of the Protestant work ethic in your voice?" he mocked.
"I’d hardly call what you’ve done with your life responsible."
    She narrowed her eyes as she swung her head around sharply. "Don’t tell me
you’re going to have the audacity to find fault with my life-style. At least I
work for a living!"
    "You mean you skim along the surface of a superficial, flashy world that has
no use for commitment or genuine meaning. All that counts is being successful,
on top of the latest fad, and living life with the right Los Angeles image."
    "At least that gives us skimmers some goals in life." she parried.
    "What do you take seriously, Lacey?" Jed asked as if intellectually
interested in analyzing her answer.
    "Probably none of the same things you do. Don’t forget to turn left at the
next stoplight." She ignored the fact that he had already switched to the proper
lane.
    "My sense of direction happens to be fairly well developed."
    Lacey blinked at the unexpected growl in his voice. Some men didn’t take
kindly to directions from a woman, she reflected with an inner smile. It was a
pity, because she was so good at giving them.
    "You can leave your packages in the trunk," she advised a few minutes later
as Jed parked the Audi in the underground garage of Lacey’s fashionable
apartment building. "No sense hauling them all inside and then back again when
you leave this evening."
    "Why would I be leaving this evening?" Jed slammed the car door on his side
and smiled across the roof with polite innocence. "I’m here" to compromise you,
remember? In any event, I haven’t got reservations anywhere in town. I came
straight from the airport to your apartment."
    "We’ll find a hotel room somewhere," Lacey sighed in resignation. "Come
on."
    "You never did tell me what’s for dinner," Jed prompted as be followed her
obediently into the elevator.
    "Cracked crab and artichokes," she told him in a businesslike tone. "I’ll put
on the artichokes while you start phoning for a hotel room."
    "It seems to me the least you could do for an old family friend is put him up
for the night."
    "Given the fact that I haven’t seen you since I was thirteen years old, you
hardly qualify as an old family friend. The phone is over there beside that
black glass vase."
    "You’re probably one of the few people left in the civilized world with a
black phone. But it does go with the rest of this weird decor."
    "I’ll make a deal with you. Refrain from making nasty comments about my
life-style and my apartment, and I’ll return the favor," Lacey ordered.
    "You certainly developed in a consistent fashion. Even as a kid you were
bossy! All right, all right, now is as good a time as any to start demonstrating
how well I can carry out the role of urbane, wealthy seducer."
    "Just practice the urbane and wealthy part," Lacey told him as she