Mad, Bad and Blonde - Cathie Linz [72]
It did occur to Faith that as the boss’s daughter, she really should get a little more respect around here. She needed to work on that . . . on a day when she wasn’t so exhausted. On a day when she’d slept well instead of tossing and turning most of the night, reliving every kiss, every caress that Caine had ever given her.
Sure, she’d refused to have sex in his car, but what did that really prove? That she still had some remnants of common sense and self-discipline left? So what? The bottom line here was that her feelings for Caine refused to go away and just seemed to grow stronger every time she saw him, every time she kissed him, every time she let him caress her.
“You’re not still pining after Alan, are you?” Gloria asked.
“No,” Faith said. “Definitely not.”
Gloria nodded. “Good. I’m glad to hear that.”
“Maybe she’s pining after someone else,” Abs said.
“Don’t be silly. It’s too soon for her to pine after someone else. Isn’t it?” Gloria asked Faith.
“Right.” Faith prayed her face didn’t turn as red as Gloria’s dress.
“Faith isn’t slutty like that,” Gloria said.
Which reminded Faith of the halter top she’d worn last night into the convenience store. What would Jane Austen think . . . ?
No, no, Faith wasn’t going there. Dressed like that, Faith should have wondered what Madonna would think. No doubt the Material Girl would approve.
Not that Faith could see Madonna as her mentor, despite loving her song “Jump.” Going from Jane Austen to Madonna would be too big a jump for Faith. Or would it?
Hmmm, she’d have to consider that later.
She spent the morning working on the asset search for the Haywood case. Candy Haywood had mentioned that they’d owned a time-share in the Mexican resort of Cabo San Lucas, so Faith was searching for possible bank accounts or additional real estate in that area. Her search wasn’t just under Douglas Haywood’s name but under his father’s name, his brother’s name and even his brother-in-law’s name. None of them had the kind of funds that Haywood had once possessed . . . and might still possess. When she turned up nothing, she started on the females in his family, beginning with his mother.
“Bingo.” A big bank account, as in seven figures, in a Mexican bank under his mother’s name.
Faith was so happy she stood and did a happy Snoopy dance.
“Yeah, that makes you look real tough,” Abs said.
Faith didn’t care what Abs thought. She immediately called Candy Haywood’s attorney and gave him the info, e-mailing him all the details. So much for Douglas Haywood being broke.
Now, if Faith could only be as successful regarding the investigation into her dad’s behavior. He’d given her the password to check into the company credit card account when he’d given her a card. She’d already checked and didn’t find any suspicious activity by her father. No charges for florists or Victoria’s Secret or jewelry stores. No hotel room charges. Nothing to raise any red flags.
She told her mom as much later that evening when she phoned her.
“So you haven’t found one single thing that’s suspicious?”
Faith paused a second too long.
“I knew it!” her mom said. “Tell me right now.”
“It’s probably nothing.”
“Then there’s no problem telling me about it.”
“I’m just afraid you’ll make more of it than you should. It’s no big deal.”
“Let me be the judge of how big a deal it is.”
“You have to promise me first that you won’t go off the deep end.”
“Jane Austen would not have her mother make a promise like that.”
“She might. But I’m not Jane Austen. I’m thinking I might be more like Madonna.”
“You’re thinking of adopting a child?”
“No. Not like Madonna that way. Never mind. The only thing I observed was dad having dinner with a client.”
“What client? A female?”
“Yes, a female.”
“A good-looking one?”
“I suppose . . .”
“What’s her name?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then how do you know that she’s a client?”
“Dad said he was having dinner with a