Susan Mallery Page 0,85
her brain offered her the thinnest of lifelines.
“You have a package! I signed for it when I came in and left it on your desk.” She pointed back toward his office. “It’s kind of small so maybe not documents, but I had to sign for it, so you should probably go check it out.”
He studied her for another second. She was about to bolt when he said, “Why don’t you come with me? I think you’ll find the contents unexpected.”
Which wasn’t the same as Hey, I think you’re smart and kind and funny and sexy, which wasn’t on my list, but you are and let’s go make love, but it also wasn’t him running away from her, so good.
They went into his office, where he opened the small package. Inside the shipping box was another, smaller box, then tissue paper. Alec pulled out a tiny wooden carving of a rabbit. It was obviously very old and detailed. There was an odd open space between the rabbit’s front feet.
“What is it?” she asked.
He took her hand in his and then placed the small figurine on her palm.
“Netsuke,” he said. “It’s Japanese. Men’s kimonos didn’t have pockets to store things like tobacco or other small items, so the men hung stylish boxes from their sashes or obi. The netsuke attached to the other end of the cord as a counterweight to keep the boxes in place.” He nodded at the carving nestled on her palm. “This is a lunar hare.”
“It’s beautiful. The carving is so intricate. I’m assuming netsuke is an art form?”
“It is.”
He crossed to the large cabinet behind his desk and opened it. Dozens of netsuke lined the narrow shelves across the entire length of the cabinet.
“You’re a collector,” she breathed, moving closer to study the tiny pieces.
“I am. Most netsuke are carved ivory—not a practice that we would approve today, of course. But back in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, ivory and wood were popular materials.”
He took the rabbit from her and put it on a shelf, then handed her a carving of a dragon. “There were famous netsuke craftsmen who signed their work. Those are the most valuable.”
The dragon was coiled in a circle and maybe two inches across, but the details were exquisite. She could see the individual scales and tiny claws. There were even little dragon teeth.
“I love him,” she said with a smile, handing him back to Alec. She looked at the cabinet. “You have a wonderful collection.”
She examined the different shelves. There were more dragons and rabbits, a few monkeys, even a couple of carved men. She was about to pick up a gourd when she realized there was something off about the cabinet. The depth of the shelves didn’t match the depth of the side.
A false front, she thought, immediately looking for the release mechanism. It had to be something accessible. A cabinet this large couldn’t be moved easily to reach in from behind.
She studied the construction, especially on the sides, and immediately caught sight of two corner pieces that looked out of place.
“Is this it?” she asked eagerly, pushing first one corner, then the other.
“Wait!”
Alec sounded insistent, but it was too late. The entire front of the cabinet swung forward. Behind it were more shelves, just like the ones in front, and there were more netsuke on display. Carved people who... People who...
Margot stared, not sure she could believe what she was seeing. She reached out and picked up what looked like a couple kissing. But as she studied the carving, she realized they weren’t just kissing. And there weren’t just two of them. There were in fact four people, um, doing each other in very interesting ways. In fact all the hidden netsuke were people indulging in various erotic exploits.
“Oh,” she said, putting the piece back where she’d found it. “It’s a different style, isn’t it?”
Alec stared at her without speaking. Not that she could blame him. What was there to say that wouldn’t make things more awkward?
She started to tell him she wasn’t offended. That she got this was art, too, and it was as beautifully carved as the other pieces. She realized that, in a way, he was like the cabinet—all formal and forbidding but with wonderful secrets on the inside.
The longer they stood there, the more stupid she felt until she realized she had no choice but to make her escape.
“They’re lovely,” she told him. “Very original. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get something in my