Hot on His Heels (What Happens in Vegas) by Margo Bond Collins

conference.
    Leaning one elbow on the arm of the chair she occupied, Sadie dropped her head down and rubbed her eyes.
    She couldn’t give up. That’s all there was to it. She had to keep trying to find Jocelyn, at least until the end of the conference.
    There was still that date with the cover model tonight. Everyone who worked for Intertwined seemed close. Maybe she would be able to get something out of him.
    I can do this. I will do this.
    She would spend the day going to every editorial panel offered and see which faces overlapped from panel to panel.
    She could even snap pictures of the women she recognized.
    And then tonight, she would quiz the model— Niall? —on them all. Even if he wouldn’t tell her which one was Jocelyn, maybe she could learn something from his reactions to the images.
    Having a plan in place made her feel much better. All was not lost.
    She just had to keep moving forward, not lose hope.
    Onward and upward. Or to the next panel, anyway.
    Her conference schedule was in her shoulder bag. All she had to do was shake off the remainder of this funk, and she would start again. Straightening her shoulders, she closed her eyes, shook out her hands in front of her, and took a deep breath, then misquoted Yeats in something resembling a prayer. “Old Romance being kind, let me prevail.”
    “You okay?”
    At the sound of the masculine voice behind her, she jumped and squeaked. Again.
    Of course Jake Blaine would find her right now, right as she had decided on her tactics. The man had the most annoying ability to sneak up on her. “I’m fine.”
    “You looked like you could use this.” He held out a bottle of water.
    Sadie watched his face warily as she took it from him. “Thanks. I think.”
    He started to say something, stopped, then tried again. “Look, I’m sorry I can’t introduce you to Jocelyn. I know you were counting on it. When the conference is over, I’ll see if I can get her to do an email interview.”
    A month ago, Sadie would have been ecstatic at the prospect.
    Now, with her new strategy in place, it didn’t seem as enticing as it might have before.
    But it would make a good Plan B.
    And maybe I won’t need Jake Blaine’s help, after all.
    She refused to admit that sudden improvement in her mood had anything to do with knowing that he might help her—or with the fact that in order to help her, he would have to contact her again.
    Standing, she flashed a bright smile at him. “Thanks for the water, and the offer. I might take you up on it.” She tugged the schedule out of her bag and flipped it open to the panel list. With a wave, she headed toward the session room.
    Onward and upward.
    Sadie couldn’t resist one backward glance, though.
    Jake was staring after her, a slightly bemused look on his face.

Chapter Seven
    “Absolutely not.” Jake glared at Kamille, who gazed back at him with a placid smile on her face.
    “You promised to come to the conference and do whatever I needed you to do.” She raised one eyebrow, a trick Jake had never mastered, and one that always left him gritting his teeth.
    He crossed his arms. “Anything that didn’t give away my real connection to Intertwined.”
    “Taking over the date for Niall doesn’t let anyone know that you’re really Jocelyn Dellarivier.”
    “Keep your voice down, would you?” He half stood from his place on the sofa.
    Kamille glanced around her otherwise empty suite and motioned Jake back down. “We’re all alone here. No one is going to hear us. I need a cover model, and you used to be one. With Niall upstairs puking his guts out after some buffet sushi, you’re my only hope.”
    “No one is supposed to know I used to be a cover model for the books, either.” Jake nodded emphatically, certain this would clinch his argument.
    “We don’t have to tell anyone. All we have to say is that Niall is ill and none of the other models are available.” She held up one hand, forestalling his next argument. “And