Any accusation of Janna not having self-control would have been refuted in those seconds after she met the new prospect. Maybe it was simply because it was easier to keep her wits as Jaqui, but the fact she didn't run like hell spoke volumes about her ability to maintain control. There was a small bandage on his forehead. She looked into his dark eyes, and then recognition came in a flash.

The squirrel.

The voice.

The stick.

She hadn't been wearing a mask.

"I do not believe we have met before," Jaqui replied, her smile still firmly in place. She stepped back, her hand sliding from his. He seemed amused in some way. Did he recognize her? And there was no way to tell what he was thinking. Oh hell. She should not have agreed to this. Not without her favorite telepaths to let her know what was really going on.

"I would swear that I have seen you before," the Conte replied. A tiny smile tinged the edge of his mouth. "I normally remember faces very well. You seem familiar from somewhere."

"I get that quite often," came the calm reply. Do not panic. Panic was not allowed in this situation. Jaqui kept her smile, feeling more natural now. "I have been on holiday several times in Italy. Perhaps we saw each other on the streets?"

"Perhaps," he agreed. That smile said he didn't believe it though. He couldn't have recognized her. He would have only gotten a flash of dark hair across her face before she whapped him with the stick. Play it cool, girl, she ordered herself. If he really knew who she was, he'd have the police there or something like that already. So why was he here? To demand the necklace's return? How did he even know it was them? Maybe he just wanted something stolen to replace what was lost.

"Would you care for a drink?" Jaqui asked, wandering over to the couch. This wasn't going to be hard at all. Tell him the clients were unavailable, and let it go. Besides, he was great eye-candy. She couldn't complain about that at all.

"No thank you," he answered, his eyes still focused intently on her. She refused to let herself squirm under his gaze and instead met it levelly. His smile widened just a bit more, and he looked around. "This is a charming little place. How ever did you find it?"

Jaqui smiled. One test of wills down, a few hundred left to go. "My car stopped working suddenly as I passing through town a few years ago. I had to stay somewhere for the night, and this seemed like a nice enough spot. I was pleased to have been right." She sat down on the couch. "Please, sit, monsieur. I am wildly curious as to what is so important that it cannot wait."

He sat down, and leaned back, watching her. This was going to drive Janna crazy. She almost wished the cops would break in and end this game. "You know why I am here," he said.

Her chin tilted up, hoping he couldn't tell how much faster her heart was beating. "Humor me then, monsieur." He really grinned at her then. Janna steeled herself from that smile. Okay, so he was really, really hot. He was not seducing any confessions out of her. Now other things…no, keep it focused.

"There are no police waiting for you," he said. "I am a man of some means, and to go through police would mean evidence and then extradition, and a host of other delays. I would prefer the direct method. I wish to employ your clients to perform the same task that they performed for whomever wanted my property."

Janna blinked. Well, that was a first. He was wired. He had to be. They were just waiting for a confession, and then the cops were going to swoop in and take her away. At least the twins weren't with her. They would find out where she was and get her out of there, and then it was running back to America for the trio. That was why they had never done anything there. The twins refused to do anything illegal where their sister might have to arrest them for it later, and it was good to know that they could always go home in case of real trouble.

"Monsieur," she finally said, "I think that you may be mistaken in the tasks that my clients perform. In any case, they are completely unavailable right now, and will not be available to work for several months to come. May I suggest hiring a different investigative firm?"

His smile turned into a slight smirk. "So your clients only investigate? They have rather amazing investigative techniques then. If you want to dance around each other, then there are several clubs nearby that we would have a more enjoyable time at. I know what your clients do. They specialize in the impossible. That is why I know it was them. You're a businesswoman. I am simply offering a deal that your clients will not want to refuse." The smile widened. "No police. Your clients will get paid. Both of our problems are solved."

Jaqui crossed her arms. "Except for the fact that I deny knowing a thing about what you are saying. And in any case, my clients are not available. It would be months before they could start an investigation to find out where this property is now residing. Perhaps you should consider someone else to find it."

"I am more interested in hiring someone that can fall from a third story window and not get injured," he countered. He leaned forward slightly, his expression that of someone just putting together all of the pieces of a story. "They are unavailable because one was injured in that fall and it will take several months for her to heal, is that it?"

In that second, Janna mentally cursed her cousin for everything she was worth. Granted, she had to escape, but a less spectacular way would have been nice. They had to think that the thieves had ropes or something. He was just trying to rattle her. Without any video evidence, there was no way to tell that Liz had actually made that drop on her own. They would be looking for another way since a drop like that would have seriously injured a normal person. Okay. Change tactics here. Got to get him on the defensive. It would be bad to get caught. Worse to have it found out that it was a few little transgenics causing the problems. Janna didn't want to think about what Uncle Zack and Aunt Alicia would do to the twins if they found out what was going on.

She took a deep breath, and let out a slightly annoyed sigh. "Monsieur, I said my clients were unavailable. Why they are is their business. When they are available again for work, they will let me know. Until then, all potential contracts must be placed on hold, including ones made from men accusing them of theft."

"I am not accusing anyone."

"Then what has this been?"

"Stating facts."

Jaqui almost laughed. "Has anyone ever told you that you are a very stubborn man?" she asked.

There was that playfully sensual smile again. "That is why it is good that I inherited my title young. I like to get my way. And I always do."

Jaqui felt a little tingle go up her spine hearing those words while he was looking at her like that. She was playing with fire here. "Is that a threat or a challenge?" she asked her voice taking on a lightly mocking tone. "I do hope it's the latter. A challenge is always much more enjoyable to me."

"In that case," he replied without missing a beat, "it is a promise."

One elegant eyebrow rose. "Are you hitting on me?"

Antonio's smile dropped a notch, his expression taking on a note of surprise for the first time since he had walked in. "You're not French at all, are you? Very well done. I believed you were until you slipped on that phrase." He leaned back, that little smile back on his lips. "Now what are you really?" he murmured.

Jaqui managed to get her lips into a superior smile. "Of course I am French," she said airily with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Why do you think I have this outrageous accent?" Her tone almost caricatured her accent playfully. Inside, she was mentally cringing. Her French was excellent, and the accent was perfect, but sometimes she would slip and use some kind of slang. It was a holdover from all of the ghetto-speak she had grown up around between her mom and Aunt Cindy and their friends.

"Next time you want to convince someone of that, I suggest saying something more like 'serais-tu en train de me faire la cour' rather than use American slang." His smile widened seeing hers drop a bit, the lips tightening together. "Are you going to fling a large wooden rabbit at me now?"

She blinked, her face brightening with surprise. She had said that line plenty of times before and nobody had gotten the reference. Her smile returned. "No," she replied, "but I may taunt you a second time."

"You have yet to taunt me the first time."

"You have yet to give me the chance," came the pert response.

"Did you know that there is a Monty Python film festival at a cinema that is less than an hour from here? You can taunt me on the way there."

Plenty of contractors had checked her out before, but none of them had ever actually made a move on her before. Maybe if he wasn't so divinely gorgeous he would have been easy to blow off, but Janna found herself stumbling over the invitation. Half of her wanted to accept and then molest him in the back row of the theater, and the rest wanted to run very fast and go hide under her bed for a while.

"I…I do not date clients," Jaqui said quickly.

"You said that those who you represent are unavailable. I cannot be a client then. If you still do not wish to see the movies, we can discuss exactly where you are from," Antonio fired back. He had her and he knew it.

"That's blackmail," she accused.

"I told you that I am a man who gets my way."

Jaqui stood up, giving him an arch look. "Do not look so smug. I knew about it and was planning on going there at any rate once this interview was over. Now you are going to have to buy the popcorn, and I warn you know that I do eat a great deal of it. With plenty of butter. And you're not going to get anything out of me."

Antonio stood, his dark eyes lit. He did like a challenge. "Actually, I was planning on getting something in you, not out of you."

Her eyes widened. All that elegance and that was the line he came up with? She had heard better lines from horny boys in high school. "Pardon, monsieur, what did you just say?" she said, the outrage in her voice evident.

"My name is Antonio. And I was referring to getting dinner into you after the show. Whatever were you thinking?" The twinkle in his eyes said that he had gotten the reaction out of her that he was looking for.

She grabbed her coat off of the coat rack next to the door. "Lead on Antonio," she said in almost a challenging tone. Art could wait for one more night. This was finally something interesting.