When Gayle agrees to team up with fellow private eye, Harvey Boyd, she relishes the prospect of trapping a lecherous preacher who preys on young girls. But as she prepares for the job she is increasingly aware of the growing attraction between her and Harvey . . .

Harvey swilled down a mouthful of beer, his head thrown back to display his long, lean neck. Gayle felt a twinge of something like lust hit her in the pit of the stomach but she did her best to ignore it. His grey eyes levelled with hers. 'Don't you think most men would succumb if a sexy woman like you gave them the green light?'

He finds me sexy, Gayle thought, and was disconcerted when her heart lightened a little. She felt obliged to defend herself. 'Most men who want to be faithful to their women will back out of a compromising situation as soon as they can. I give them plenty of opportunity. They don't have to buy me a drink, get into conversation, drive me to a hotel or come into my bedroom. I generally know which way it's going to go within the first five minutes. The good guys make excuses and leave. The slightly naughty ones stop short of the bedroom door . . . '

'But most of them go straight in there, right?'

Gayle laughed. 'Generally I'm not called in unless their women have pretty good grounds for suspicion.'

'Well that's certainly true of chummy-boy. Not only does his wife smell a rat but, after spending an evening around him, I do too. There's nothing that would give me greater satisfaction, professionally speaking, than to see that Jesus freak exposed as a hypocrite.'

Gayle knew just how he felt. Sometimes she couldn't wait to incriminate some bastard who played the field while his wife suffered agonies at home with the kids. It cheered her to think that, despite his air of detachment and his reputation as a hard man, Harvey Boyd had a heart ticking away beneath that solid chest after all.

'We should meet at some point, Harvey, to check out the equipment, run over contingency plans and so forth.'

'Of course. I have to see Stephen and the others at four-thirty in the conference centre but we can rendez-vous before then, in the hotel. I'll find us a dark corner somewhere then buzz you in your room.'

'Fine.' Gayle settled back into her seat as the majestic scenery of the Peak District came into view. Although she began looking through the window, the mountains soon became a mere backdrop for Harvey's reflection. She studied his features more closely than she would dare to if she were facing him directly. The intelligent grey eyes were shielded by dark, straight brows and fringed with short, spiky lashes. His nose was long and straight and his mouth surprisingly full and sensual making her wonder, momentarily, how it would feel pressed against hers. His dark brown hair was cut boyishly short, curling appealingly around his ears, and he had a good strong chin and jawline. His was not an immediately striking face, but it was one that grew on you the more you observed its range of expressions.

Gayle's eyes slid from the window and she saw that Harvey was staring at the glass right next to her. When their eyes met it was with the sudden recognition that they had been studying each others' reflection. Gayle felt a betraying flush rise in her cheeks.

'Not a good sign, that,' Harvey smiled. She threw him a questioning glance. 'Blushing. A handicap for someone in our field, I'd have thought.'

'Sorry, I just . . .'

'I know, you were just doing your job. Me too. Give us the chance to observe someone undetected and we'll take it. We can't help it, force of habit.'

They both laughed, breaking any remaining ice between them. Gayle felt inclined to disregard his previous criticisms, and he had apparently decided to take a softer line. She sensed it would be easier to work with him from now on.

Although they took the same taxi to the Birmingham hotel, Harvey allowed Gayle to go to her room first. She threw off her high-heeled shoes and too-warm jacket, then decided to take a shower. It was deliciously cool after the hot and sticky journey. While she was massaging scented body lotion into her still-damp skin, the phone by the bed rang.

'Hullo, Gayle?' It was Harvey. 'Look, I think we can meet in the lounge on the top floor. We should be safe there. Say, around six? I have to be downstairs at six-thirty.'

'Fine.'

'Er . . . you will wear something alluring, won't you?'

Gayle giggled. 'Teaching your grandmother to suck eggs? Look, I know my job Harvey. Just leave it to me.'

'Of course. Sorry. I'm just not used to working with another professional.'

'That's okay. Look, I'm standing here butt-naked from the shower . . .'

She heard him groan. 'Gayle, do you have to?'

'I just meant I can't talk. See you at six, top floor lounge.'

As she put the receiver down a broad grin spread across Gayle's face. She caught sight of herself in the wardrobe mirror and pirouetted, her shapely breasts bobbing as she turned to display her firm pink buttocks.

So Harvey Boyd fancied her, did he? Well, when he saw her in her clingy black mini-dress he might just find her irresistible. Pity it was some other guy she had to seduce and not him!

By six-thirty she was raring to go. The dress had a low V-neck and she wore it bra-less, showing her natural cleavage. All she had on underneath was a pair of skimpy black lace panties. Her lipstick was pink and frosted, her eye make-up smoky and subtle. Strappy white sandals, gold earrings and a matching bag completed her outfit, but she sprayed on lashings of sultry 'Je Reviens' perfume to complete her armoury. Her reward was to see Harvey's eyes nearly pop out on stalks when she walked into the secluded lounge on floor six. 'Wow, you certainly look the part!' he said, admiringly.

'Do you think they'll let me in, looking like this? It's a religious meeting really, isn't it?'

'It's also some kind of rock concert, remember. I'm sure there will be plenty of young people similarly dressed.'

'That's all right then.'

'Now, have you got the gear in your bag?'

She opened her white handbag. 'This is the camera. It can take in a whole bed when it's strategically placed, and it shoots at intervals of ten seconds, thirty seconds or one minute. It's completely silent. The lens focuses through the middle of this decoration on the bag.'

'Nice one, Miss Moneypenny! What about the recorder?'

'I think that'll work fine in the bag too. It will record up to half an hour of conversation within a fifty-metre radius and it should be pretty clear.'

'Excellent! You certainly know your job, Gayle.'

'My equipment's never let me down yet.' Seeing his amused look, she blushed. 'Oh God, you know what I mean!'

Harvey's eyes sparkled back at her. 'I'm sure you have wonderful equipment, perfectly maintained. Now, here's my schedule for the evening.'

Gayle realised he'd be backstage while she was mingling with the crowd in the hall. Once the show was over, however, she'd get her chance to ask for an audience. Harvey had found out that Stephen always stood at the front of the house afterwards to pick and choose from the queue of young women who were keen to see Paul Goodman personally. It was up to her to impress him, but Harvey was confident that she would.