Down, boy, Malcolm mouthed.
Nothing slipped past the old man. Damn.
Sophie had sensed the interchange, too, and she flashed them a swift, puzzled look while never missing a beat with her interpreting. Thank God they were wrapping it up. They were at the stage of congratulating each other for reaching a mutually satisfactory accord. Zhang Wei had been at it for forty minutes now.
An hour after the meeting concluded they met again for the reception on the observation deck, where the restaurant had laid out a buffet. Sophie was already there when Vann arrived. He stood next to Drew, making conversation with Zhang Wei’s grandson while trying not to stare at her. She was dramatically silhouetted against a sky streaked with sunset colors, translating for Hendrick and the elder Zhang Wei. He loved the flounced ivory silk skirt. How it hugged her shape.
Look away from the woman. Damn it.
The atmosphere was finally relaxed. The food and wine were good. After they’d eaten, the younger Zhang Wei was congratulating Drew on his upcoming wedding when Malcolm interrupted, beckoning to both of them imperiously. “Vann! Drew! Come here! I have an idea!”
Vann followed Drew over, careful not to meet Sophie’s eyes.
“Mr. Zhang should come to the wedding along with his grandson,” Malcolm announced. “They’ll both be in the States until the middle of next week, so why not?”
Drew smiled in cheerful resignation. “Great idea, Uncle. The more, the merrier.” He gave the elder Mr. Zhang a short bow. “I’d be honored to have you there, sir.”
“Damn straight,” Malcolm said. “You already have over two hundred and fifty people coming. What are two more? I’ll tell Sylvia to arrange a suite. Sophie, too. Mr. Zhang will need to have an interpreter on hand.” He turned on Sophie. “You’ll make yourself available this weekend? You can go back to the city on Monday.”
“Ah...yes, of course,” she said after a startled pause. “I’ll let them know back at the office.”
“Excellent,” Malcolm said. “Vann, you didn’t have a plus-one for this weekend’s extravaganza, right? I remember Ava complaining about it. Now you have one, so it’s a win-win for everyone, eh?”
The younger Zhang murmured in his grandfather’s ear. “Grandfather is tired,” he told them with a smile. “I will escort him to his room.” He turned to Drew. “Will you meet me downstairs at the bar later? I must drink to your last days as an unmarried man.”
“With pleasure.” Drew turned to Vann. “Join us there?”
“Sure,” Vann said.
After the Zhangs made their way out, Sophie spoke up. “Since Mr. Zhang no longer needs me, would you gentlemen excuse me?”
“What for?” Malcolm demanded. “Where are you going?”
Sophie’s smile was utterly serene. “The call of nature, sir.”
Malcolm harrumphed. “Oh, fine. Off you go.”
Malcolm, Drew and the others kept talking after Sophie left, but Vann couldn’t follow what they said. His entire attention was on Sophie as she retrieved her purse.
She left the room, and after a decent interval, he excused himself and grabbed his jacket from the chair where he’d left it. He slipped out the door just in time to see Sophie at the end of the corridor, turning the corner.
He followed, peering around the corner when he reached it. She’d gone right past the ladies’ room and was approaching the office suite that had been assigned to Malcolm.
She started to look back to see if anyone was watching. Instinctively, Vann jerked back behind the corner.
When he peered around it again, Sophie was gone, and the door to Malcolm’s office was closing behind her.
Vann’s stomach plummeted into a cold, dark place. He strode after her, wondering if Malcolm had left his laptop in there, unprotected. The old man couldn’t quite wrap his mind around the realities of modern corporate security.
Various other Maddox Hill project specs were on it, brought along to illustrate possibilities for the Nairobi Towers project for Zhang Wei and his team. That data could be of great value to an IP thief.
He was almost running. Running toward pain, like Dad had coached him to do in his football days. He pushed open the door of the office, looking wildly around.
The room was dark and empty. Malcolm’s laptop sat undisturbed.
Water rushed in the sink in the suite’s bathroom. Sophie was in there.
Vann let the door fall shut behind him. He felt almost dizzy with relief. Sophie hadn’t opened the computer. She couldn’t have, in the little time it took him to sprint down the hall. She might have planned to do so after emerging from the bathroom, but a smart spy would take her opportunities fast. She wouldn’t dawdle for one...two...three minutes in a bathroom. Almost five minutes now. He waited until the water stopped running.
Light blazed out as the bathroom door opened.
* * *
Sophie’s fingers shook as she tucked the fork she’d seen Malcolm use to eat fruit trifle that afternoon into the plastic bag and shoved it in her purse. It had been hard to interpret Malcolm’s and Zhang’s conversation while simultaneously following Malcolm’s fork with her eyes, memorizing exactly where it ended up on the tray when he was done using it. Hoping desperately that it would still be there, untouched, when she had a chance to get back in here and swipe it. He’d left it laying crosswise over his dessert plate, while the other forks lay scattered around on the tray.
And they were all still that way, thank God. The cleaning staff hadn’t taken anything away yet. A stroke of pure luck.
She tucked the plastic bag down into her purse and headed for the bathroom, setting the water running as soon as she locked the door. No toothbrush or razor in here. She’d only find those items in Malcolm’s hotel room, and she couldn’t risk trying to get in. She simply didn’t have the nerve. But she’d seen him take his blood pressure meds and wash the pills down with a glass that he left in the bathroom. That would work.
Two DNA samples ought to do the job. In truth, it was all unnecessary. She’d already tested Ava’s DNA from a champagne glass at the company-wide reception celebrating Drew’s engagement. The test had demonstrated an overwhelming probability that they were cousins. The geneticist assured her that the test was conclusive.
But even that wasn’t strictly necessary. Her mother had no reason to lie to her. Not on her deathbed. She’d always refused to talk about Sophie’s parentage. It was one of the few things they had argued about.
Mom had never given in. Not until the very end.
But it wasn’t about doubting Mom’s word. Sophie needed objective proof for the Maddoxes that she wasn’t an opportunistic scammer.
Sophie snapped her purse shut, washed her hands and unlocked the door.
“What are you doing in here?” It was Vann’s voice.
Sophie shrieked and jerked back, heart pounding. “Oh, my God! You scared me!”
He just stood by the door, his dark eyes gleaming. The only light in the room came from the bathroom, and the city lights outdoors.
“Why are you here?” he asked again.
“I came in to use the bathroom,” she said. “Given a choice between a public bathroom and a private one, I’ll always choose the private one.”
“This is Malcolm’s office,” he said.
Sophie felt defensive. “I was in and out of here all afternoon, and I watched people from our team come and go the whole time. I was under the impression that the office was available to all of us. But if it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll leave. Excuse me.”
She strode past him, chin up.
Vann reached out and gripped her wrist. “Sophie.”
It was happening again. The slightest touch of his big hand released that feverish swell of heat, the roar in her ears. That clutch in her chest of wild excitement. “What do you want?” She tried to keep her voice from sh
aking.
“I didn’t mean to offend you. I was surprised, that’s all.”
“Were you following me?”
He just stood there silently, not admitting it, not denying it. She tugged at her wrist, but he wouldn’t let go. “Answer me, Vann.”
“Yes, I was following you,” he admitted.
“What for?” she demanded.
No part of her could resist as his arm slid around her waist. As his hand came to rest at the small of her back. The heat of it burned through the fabric.
“For this,” he said as his lips came down on hers.
Eight
Sophie had spent two nights imagining how it would be to kiss that man. Her imagination hadn’t come close to reality.
Her body lit up. A blaze of raw power rushed up from her depths, blindingly intense. His lips coaxed her, drawing her deeper into the seductive spell of his kiss. His fingers twisted into her hair. Her arms wound around her neck. Her heart thudded frantically. She came up from the desperate tenderness of that wild, sensual kiss for a quick, whimpering gasp of air, and then she went right back for more.
The world rocked, shifted. She felt a hard surface under her bottom. He’d lifted her up onto the mahogany desk. One of her shoes dangled off her toe. She kicked it off, then the other one, and wrapped her legs around his. He cupped her bottom, pressing her against the stiff bulge of his erection.
She twined around him, bracing her legs around his as their tongues touched. She loved his taste. The hot, sinuous dance of lips and tongue that promised every possible pleasure, multiplied infinitely. She’d never responded to a man this way. She forgot where she was, who she was, what she was doing, what was at stake. All she felt was him.
The door flew open. The light flicked on. Sophie blinked over Vann’s shoulder.
Malcolm Maddox stood in the doorway. He looked horrified.
* * *
Damn. Vann felt Sophie go rigid and shrink away.
“What in God’s name is going on in here?” Malcolm sounded furious. “Vann? What’s the meaning of this?”
Vann pulled away from Sophie’s warmth, and turned around to face his boss.
Sophie slid off the desk, shaking her skirt down. She knelt to retrieve her shoes, slid her feet back into them and picked up her purse from the floor, shaking her hair defiantly. “Good night, Vann,” she said.
She paused near the doorway, waiting for Malcolm to step aside to let her pass.
“My apologies for the spectacle, Mr. Maddox,” she said when he didn’t move. “We shouldn’t have been in here. But I’d like to go now.”
“For damn sure you shouldn’t have been in here,” Malcolm said. “After two days of watching you work, I expected better judgment from you, Ms. Valente.”
Her lips tightened. “Agreed,” she said. “Excuse me. I’d like to go.”
Malcolm stepped aside to let her pass, then closed the door behind her sharply.
Vann braced himself. This was going to hurt.
“And just what the hell do you have to say for yourself?” Malcolm demanded.
“Nothing,” Vann said. “I apologize that it happened here. For the record, I initiated what you saw, not her. She never behaved unprofessionally. That’s on me.”
Malcolm let out a dubious grunt. “Gallant words, but that looked like equal opportunity bad judgment to me. She should have slapped your face and told you to take a cold shower and grow up. You are her superior. This kind of thing is messy and stupid.”
“I understand,” Vann said stiffly.
“Only when it’s convenient for you,” Malcolm snapped. “I never expected you to live like a monk, but think long and hard before you indulge with my key employees. Because it will not play out well for you.”
“Yes, sir, I understand,” he repeated.
“I doubt it,” Malcolm said. “You could hurt her, you know. And when it comes to that, she could hurt you, too. There are very few possible happy endings to a story like this. And all of the unhappy ones reflect badly on my company.”
That was true, but Vann didn’t want to dwell on it. “I understand,” he repeated. “Can I go?”
“That girl,” Malcolm said slowly. “She reminds me of someone I knew long ago. Decades ago. Mistakes I made that I still regret.”
Vann felt trapped. “Sir, I’m really not sure what that has to do with me.”
“I hurt someone back then,” Malcolm went on. “I was a selfish dog, thinking of my own enjoyment. I paid the price. I didn’t appreciate something special when I found it, and then it was gone. I don’t even know why I’m saying this. But I don’t want you to make the same...oh, hell. Never mind. Forget I said it.”
“If you say so, sir,” Vann said.
Malcolm laid his hand on Vann’s shoulder. He stared into Vann’s eyes with unnerving intensity. “Don’t be like me,” he said roughly. “Be better than that. You’ll thank yourself later.”
“Okay,” Vann said, bemused. He’d never seen that look in Malcolm’s eyes, or ever imagined his boss displaying pain or vulnerability. It was painful to witness. “I will, sir.”
Malcolm broke eye contact with a snort. “No, you won’t. You’ll do as you damn well please. I know it, and you know it.”
Vann sidled past him. “Good night, Mr. Maddox.”
“Behave yourself,” the old man snarled. “Get out of here.”
Vann wasted no time in doing so.
Nine
Sophie was surprised at herself. She wasn’t in the habit of shedding tears, but getting scolded by Malcolm Maddox when her guard was down—it shook her to her core, and now here she was, blubbering in the shower.
God knows Malcolm was in no position to judge her. But men held women to different standards. Even women they cared about. And she was not in that category.
Nor would she ever be, at this rate. He’d probably written her off already. Decided she was a silly piece of man-crazy fluff who would just wind up embarrassing him.
And that kiss, oh, God. She’d gone molten with desire. She was still dizzy, even after the humiliation of the scene with Malcolm.
What a mess. And she’d thought she was being so slick, whisking away DNA samples. She’d dropped her purse when Vann kissed her. Ker-plop, down it went on the floor with a glass tumbler inside it. Would have served her right if the glass had shattered.
Sophie toweled off, shook her hair down from its damp topknot and wrapped herself in the terry-cloth robe that the hotel had provided. She brushed her hair and teeth, wondering if she should check on the honeypots, traps and snares she had laid out for the corporate spy. She’d been too busy and exhausted yesterday to monitor them. She was too tired tonight, too.
She’d nab that thieving son of a bitch eventually, but it looked like her fond fantasy of impressing Malcolm with her smarts and her skills had just gone up in smoke.
In her own defense, it wasn’t a fair fight. Vann Acosta was so gorgeous no one could blame her for getting swept away.
The low knock on the door made excitement flash through her like lightning.
Calm down. Could be housekeeping, bringing fresh washcloths and body soap. For God’s sake, breathe.
The knock sounded again.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“It’s Vann.”
The seconds that followed were charged with uncertainty. Images, sensations and memories swirled through her. She felt Vann’s big, hot body pressed against hers. His lips, demanding sensual surrender. That vortex of need pulling her down.
If she gave in, it would pull her in so deep and fast she might never get out.
She opened her mouth to ask what he wanted, and then closed it. There was no point in playing dumb. She either wanted this, with all the risks and potential consequences, or she didn’t. She wasn’t going to make herself decent.
That would be silly.
Vann hadn’t come here to see her decent. He came here to get her naked.
She opened the door.
Vann just looked at her. She was acutely conscious of how unprepared she was for this moment. Naked under the robe. Hair damp, flowing loose and wild over the bathrobe. Flushed from the shower. Her face bare of makeup.
No need to state his purpose. She’d stated her own by opening the door. Sophie stepped backward without a word, making room for him to enter.
Vann walked in and turned to face her. “I’m sorry about what happened.”
“It wasn’t completely your fault,” she said. “I didn’t exactly shove you away.”
“That’s why I’m here,” he said. “To see if you want this. Because I do. If I read you wrong, or if you’ve changed your mind, just tell me.”
She couldn’t speak. Words just wouldn’t form in her throat.
“Say something,” he insisted. “Please. Tell me where we are with this.”
She licked her lips. “It’s...a little soon,” she said. “Hookups with virtual strangers...it’s not my style. I barely know you.”
Vann let out a jerky sigh. “I understand.” He turned to the door. “I’ll go.”
“Don’t!” she blurted.
He turned back. They gazed at each other in the yawning silence.
There were so many ways to start this. Her breath came quick and shallow, and the air between them felt thick. Time slowed down.
Vann drifted closer. He reached out, touching her lower lip with his forefinger. Stroking it. She vibrated like a plucked string as he slid his hand downward, tugging at the tie of her bathrobe. It came loose and the bathrobe fell open, revealing just a shadowed, vertical stripe of her naked body. Her centerline. Throat, chest, belly, mound.
He had made his move, and now he was waiting for her countermove. Now would be the perfect time for her to say something provocative. To grab his tie, yank him closer. To throw off her robe with a flourish. Ta-da. Take that.
Corner Office Secrets Page 6