“And?” Hanna prompted, cocking her expertly coiffed blond hair to one side.

“And Collin was there, too.”

Hanna’s fingertips went to her mouth to cover her grin.

“Don’t you dare laugh,” Elizabeth warned in a dire undertone. “I was mortified.”

“Were you…exposed?”

Elizabeth sniffed, attempting to regain her dignity. “There was no frontal nudity.”

“He saw your butt?” Hanna looked somewhat thrilled at the prospect.

“He did not see my butt. It was a negligee. It was sexy, but it covered everything that counts.”

“So, what’s the problem?”

“I tried to vamp up my husband, and he left for a meeting with Collin.” Elizabeth’s gaze slid across the room to where the two men were talking. There were things more embarrassing than having Collin see her in her red negligee.

“Oh,” said Hanna, obviously understanding the broader point.

“Yes. Oh. Apparently I’m not nearly as irresistible as I’d hoped.”

Hanna’s red mouth pursed in puzzlement. “What exactly did he say?”

Elizabeth’s tone turned sharp, even though she knew none of this was Hanna’s fault. “Do we have to dissect it?”

“Of course we have to dissect it. How else are we going to learn from it?”

“Fine.” Elizabeth took a breath. Hanna wanted the gory details? “He said ‘I have to go meet with Collin. I’ll be back in an hour. You should work on the anniversary party catering menu.’” She was beginning to hate that catering menu. “He also said ‘Hold that thought.’”

“Ouch,” Hanna whispered in sympathy.

Elizabeth peered into the main ballroom. “Let’s go find the bar.”

“Yeah,” Hanna agreed with a rush of breath. “There are times in a woman’s life when she absolutely needs a drink.”

They started toward the main ballroom. Elizabeth wanted to hurry and disappear, but she was forced to move carefully in her sleek, silver evening gown.

“Vannick-Smythe at three o’clock,” Hanna warned in an undertone.

Elizabeth’s gaze flicked to her gossipy neighbor Vivian and made eye contact. “Uh-oh. She spotted us.”

Hanna bent her head. “Pretend we’re deep in conversation.”

“Right.”

“I’m surprised she didn’t bring her dogs,” said Hanna, referring to Vivian Vannick-Smythe’s yappy white Shih Tzus. Constantly by her side, the two dogs went uncannily well with the woman’s overdyed hair.

“I guess she couldn’t get them on the guest list,” Elizabeth speculated.

Hanna sputtered out a laugh. “Oops. Here she comes.” Then she raised her voice to conversation level. “And what did you think of yesterday’s political coup in Barasmundi?”

Elizabeth quickly jumped into the game. “I don’t think a woman can hold on to power in West Africa.” She resisted the urge to glance at Vivian, as the woman came to a halt beside them. “But if Maracitu can pull off the elections, it’ll help stabilize the north, maybe inspire the tribal leaders to participate in democratic rule.”

Hanna was a network news anchor, and an all-around political junkie. Elizabeth assumed her ploy was to make the conversation as inaccessible as possible for Vivian.

Luckily, Elizabeth was interested in world politics herself. It was one of the reasons she and Hanna had become such good friends.

Hanna put in, “I don’t see how the government can move ahead on the constitutional vote if-”

“Well, I certainly didn’t expect to see you here.” Vivian Vannick-Smythe’s drawl overrode Hanna’s words.

Elizabeth glanced up to see Vivian’s penetrating gaze fixed on her. The hostile tone took her by surprise. “Hello, Vivian.”

Vivian sniffed. “At minimum, one would think you’d let the speculation die down.”

“What speculation?” Had somebody heard she was trying to get pregnant? Or had Collin gossiped about her failed seduction attempt?

“Why, the SEC investigation, my dear,” said Vivian, a flash of triumph in her eyes and a cruel smile fighting its way to life on her face. “I don’t know what that husband of yours got up to. And, of course, it’s none of my business, but when the SEC starts investigating-”

“VivianVandoosen, isn’t it?” Hanna elbowed her way between the two women and stuck out her hand, giving Elizabeth’s mind time to scramble for a foothold on logic.

Vivian’s glare all but scalded Hanna. “Vannick-Smythe,” she corrected in an imperious voice.

“Of course,” said Hanna. “It must have slipped my mind. You understand how it is. I meet so many important people in my job, others sometimes get lost in the shuffle.”

Any other time, Elizabeth would have laughed at the insulted expression on Vivian’s face.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to excuse us,” said Hanna, linking her elbow through Elizabeth’s, all but dragging her away from the stunned Vivian.

“What’s she talking about?” Elizabeth hissed under her breath as they passed the fountain, heading toward the patio doors.

“I assumed you knew,” said Hanna, making a beeline for the ballroom. “The story won’t break until tomorrow.”

Elizabeth stopped abruptly. “There’s a story?”

Hanna looked uncomfortable. “Bert Ralston is working on it right now.”

Elizabeth felt her eyes go wide at the mention of the network’s top investigative reporter. “It’s that big?”

Hanna nodded apologetically. “Your husband and Gage Lattimer are under investigation for insider trading in Ellias Technologies stock.”

Elizabeth was speechless.

“Let’s find a drink,” said Hanna.

“How…I don’t…” Insider trading? Reed would never do something dishonest.

“How do you not know?” asked Hanna, stopping in front of a bar and the uniformed bartender who stood behind a row of sparkling glasses and a garnish tray. “Two vodka martinis.”

“He didn’t tell me.”

Hanna nodded while the man mixed the drinks. “Really.”

“Why didn’t he tell me?”

Hanna scooped up the drinks and held one out to Elizabeth as they walked away. “Can’t help you there.”

Elizabeth closed her fingers over the fine stem of the glass. Her husband was a subject of a criminal investigation, and he hadn’t bothered to mention it?

Last night he’d told her nothing was going on. That it was a routine matter. Though clearly Collin knew what was up.

Reed’s employees knew more than his wife did. The network news knew more than she did. Even Vivian Vannick-Smythe knew more than she did.

How could Reed have put her in this position?

“Is my marriage already over?” asked Elizabeth, dread welling up inside her.

“I think,” said Hanna, obviously choosing her words with care, “you’re going to have to ask Reed that question.”

Elizabeth took a gulp of the strong drink, determination replacing distress. “That’s not the only question I’m going to ask him.”

Elizabeth’s green eyes glittered like emeralds as she turned on Reed in their penthouse foyer. “How do you not tell me you’re under investigation by the SEC?”

Ah, there it was. She’d been uncharacteristically silent in the limo, so he’d known something was up. At least now he could mount a defense.

He flipped on an overhead light, latching the dead bolt behind them. “It’s not a serious problem.”

Her voice went up an octave. “Not a serious problem? They’re handing out twenty-year jail sentences for white-collar crimes these days.”

“I didn’t do it,” he pointed out.

She just smiled mulishly up at him.

“You’ve got me tried, convicted and jailed.” Now, wasn’t that a vote of confidence?

“I haven’t convicted you. I’m frightened for you.”

“You sound angry.”

“I’m both.”

“You don’t need to be.”

“Oh, well. Thanks. That makes it all better.”

“You think sarcasm’s the answer?” He was perfectly willing to talk about this. But he wanted to have a reasonable, rational discussion. Mostly, he wanted to dispel her fears that he might be sentenced to jail.

“I think communication is the answer,” she responded tartly. “You know, the part where you talk to me about what’s going on in your life. Your hopes, your fears, your aspirations, your pending criminal charges.”

“How would telling you have helped?” Reed truly wanted to know.

“We could have shared the load.”

“You have your own load.”

“We’re husband and wife, Reed.”

“And husbands don’t unburden themselves by worrying their wives.”

“Sure they do. All the time.”

“Well, this husband doesn’t. You have enough to think about right now-”

“You mean like the catering menu?”

“Among other things. There was no point in both of us worrying, and I didn’t want to upset you.”

“Well, I’m plenty upset now.”

“You should stop.” He was going to take care of it. It was only a matter of time before this was wrapped up and life got back on track.

“You’re joking, right?”

“It’s nothing.” He stepped toward her. “It’ll blow over in no time.”

She tipped up her chin to look at him. “What did you do?”

“Nothing.”

“I meant to make them suspicious.”

“Nothing,” he repeated with conviction.

“So, the SEC is conducting random investigations on innocent and unsuspecting citizens?”

Reed drew a heavy sigh. He really didn’t have the energy to go into it tonight. It was late and, even though tomorrow was Sunday, he had a conference call first thing in the morning. He wanted to sleep. He wanted her to sleep, too.

She cocked her head to one side. “Ellias Technologies?”

“I bought some shares,” he reluctantly allowed. “So did Gage. Their value rose dramatically, and it tripped an alarm bell somewhere. Collin will take care of it. Now, let’s go to bed.”

“That’s all the information I get?”

“That’s all the information you need.”

“I want more.”

“Why does this have to be a thing?” Why couldn’t she trust him to take care of it? It was his problem, not hers. Her fretting wouldn’t help the situation one bit.

“Reed,” she warned, all but tapping her foot.

“Fine.” He stripped off his suit jacket and loosened his tie. “It turns out that Senator Kendrick was on a committee that awarded Ellias Technologies a lucrative government contract.”

Her green eyes narrowed. “And they think the senator gave you a heads up.”

“Exactly,” said Reed. “Are you happy now?”

“No. I am not happy now.”

He raised his palms in a gesture of defeat. “And that’s why I didn’t tell you. I want you to be happy. I don’t want you to worry.” Was that so hard for her to understand?

Her lips pursed in that mulish expression that he recognized so well. “I don’t need you protecting me.”

He moved closer, moderating his voice. “The doctor said you should stay calm.”

“How can I stay calm when my husband is lying to me?”

He hadn’t lied to her. He’d omitted a small amount of unnecessary information so that she wouldn’t get stressed out for no reason. “You’re being ridiculous,” he pointed out.

She pulled back. “Is that what you think?”

He could see her warming up for a whole new argument. Well, he wasn’t buying into that at one in the morning.

“What I think is that Collin is on the case,” he stated with conviction. “By next week, it’ll be a footnote in my life. And you have much more important things to think about right now.”

“Like the catering menu?” she repeated.

“Exactly. And your basal body temperature.” He attempted to lighten the mood. “And that little red negligee.”

“I do have a brain, you know, Reed.”

It was his turn to draw back. Where the hell had that come from? “Have I ever suggested you don’t?”

“I can help you solve problems.”

“I pay professionals to help me solve problems.” That way, he and Elizabeth could lead a calm, uncluttered life.

“That’s your answer?”

“That’s my answer.”

Elizabeth waited for him to say more, but he was happy to end on that note.

Reed was the last to arrive at the lunch meeting in the Wellington International boardroom. Gage, Collin, media mogul Trent Tanford and private investigator Selina Marin were already sitting around the polished table when he walked in.

“Did you get hold of Kendrick?” Gage asked without preamble.

Reed shook his head, shutting the door behind him before taking his place at the head of the oblong table. Fresh-brewed coffee had been placed on the sideboard, and a bank of windows overlooked the fall colors of the park many stories below. “His secretary says he’s in meetings in Washington all week.”

“He doesn’t have a cell phone?” asked Collin.

“He can’t be disturbed,” Reed quoted, letting his expression tell the room the excuse rang hollow to him. He’d never had a problem getting hold of Kendrick before. In fact, it was usually Kendrick who called him.