Under Wraps by Joanne Rock Page A

ex-cop.
    â€œWelcome, Jack and Marie. I’m Lianna.” The dark-haired siren handed Jake a room card imprinted with a photo of an old-fashioned iron key. “Is this your first time with us at the Marquis?”
    The woman looked as if she could have walked right out of a late nineteenth-century painting. Everything from her loosely upswept curls to her pink gown fit in with the elegant surroundings. Exotic Persian carpets in an array of patterns dotted the highly polished wooden floors. Wrought-iron sconces hung at regular intervalsalong the walls of the reception parlor, the flames flickering with the regularity of gas fixtures. Softly worn tapestries depicting maidens in varying states of undress were the only indication that the Marquis might not be your average historic hotel.
    The sensual works on the walls made for an interesting contrast with the holiday decor. Every inch of the place was decked in greenery and holly berries. Evergreen boughs had been struck through the spindles on the wide main staircase as they entered. Bowls of fruit with gold ornaments dotted tables and stands.
    â€œWe’ve never been here before,” Jake told the woman, taking the key. “It’s my understanding we can have dinner brought to our suite?”
    â€œIf you wish, but we encourage all our guests to become acquainted with the layout of the rooms and the other residents as soon as possible to make the most of every moment here.” Lianna came out from behind the secretary desk that served as guest reception, her bustled pink skirts swishing softly with her movements. “Ideally, your first night under our roof should give you a taste of all the delights to come.”
    She paused so close to them that Marnie could smell the woman’s perfume. Her long, dark lashes fell to half-mast as she sent a look of blatant invitation in a glance that darted from Marnie to Jake and back again.
    Marnie had known she and Jake would face temptations at the Marquis—from each other as well as from third-party invitations. She just hadn’t expected them to start arriving so damn quickly. Possessiveness madeher thread her arm through Jake’s, even though she had no idea if Lianna was flirting with him or her.
    â€œI’m sure the meal will taste just as delightful in our room as it does in the dining hall.” Marnie tugged on Jake’s elbow, away from the bombshell in pink satin.
    â€œLianna.” Jake remained in place. “We’d like to observe some of the evening’s activities without joining anyone else. Is that possible?”
    Lianna’s dark eyes lit with approval.
    â€œWe welcome voyeurs, of course.” She turned back to her desk and, bending forward over it to search for something, she presented them with a close-up view of her ruffle-swathed rump and a hint of seamed stocking.
    Marnie suddenly hoped the woman proved guilty of the crimes they were investigating so that Marnie could see the flirtatious temptress behind bars.
    Jake wrapped his arm around her, at least, assuring Marnie he hadn’t forgotten she was alive. Not that she wanted to embark on some torrid affair with the P.I. herself. But somehow it would have bothered her to have him ogle another woman while he pretended to be her husband.
    At least, she wished that was the only reason for the surge of jealousy.
    â€œHere you go.” Lianna turned around in triumph, holding another key card in her hand. This one had a picture of a wooden door with a cutout slit, sort of like the flip-open slots used in a prison to serve a confined inmate his meals. “Just slip this key into any of the peepholes that look like this around the hotel.”
    She tapped the card to indicate the image of the wooden slot.
    Marnie recalled seeing those slots around the Marquis the one other time she’d visited in her promotional efforts for Premiere Properties, but she hadn’t had the slightest notion of their