clapped with her fingertips. Jasmine then rubbed her thumb against the tips of those fingers in a contemplative circular motion.
"May I ask what you're doing?"
"I was testing to determine if you had a greasy, oily, dusty, or dirty spot on the shoulder of your uniform."
"Do I?"
"Alas, no. As I suspected, you're clean."
"What possible reason could you have for checking such an odd thing in the first place?" Mick demanded.
"Because, Mr. Loneshark, I believe it's only right to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and presume a man is innocent until proven guilty," Jasmine declared. She turned to leave.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mick threw the question at Jasmine's departing figure.
"I thought you would be familiar with those concepts. Didn't your instructors mention some such notion in detective school?" Miss Jade coolly offered as she sleekly slid away, leaving the two men in a state of silent bewilderment . . . each searching his own secrets for clues to her implications.
The woman of Dweeb's dreams gained entrance to her suite two hours later by means of an electronic key card decorated with paired hearts. Jasmine was instantly overwhelmed by the suite's magnificence. She took a luxurious bubble bath in a red-rimmed, mother-of-pearl, heart-shaped Jacuzzi that was obviously large enough to accommodate a close couple.
Fortunately for Dweeb, Miss Jade was still in a state of induced relaxation from the hot, whirling soak when she pulled the satin ribbons off the petite package. She uncovered the astounding accouterments and was simply in a much too mellow state to violently react over the tantalizing trappings. Miss Jade didn't worry about the whole television-watching world's opinion of her upcoming appearance in that rapturous apparel. She had no aspirations of stardom. Unfortunately for Dorky, Jasmine found herself only wondering what Mick's reaction to her new look would be.
"Holy God," Mick softly hissed in an involuntary exhale the next morning when Jasmine stepped enticingly from the elevator into the lobby, arrayed in supremely short and exceedingly elegant splendor. Loneshark's current assignment was to restrict any other spectators from entering the various locations being filmed. Dweeb had chosen Mick to provide security for the production as a subliminal slap in the face. Dorky's jealously over Mick and Jasmine's pleasant conversations had inspired him to give his low-level rival a close-up aspect of the program director's mastery over her.
Jasmine stood extremely relaxed from her second early-morning bubble bath. Miss Jade's placement was directed by Dorky. Dweeb was equipped with a wireless microphone and ear-
