by Karen Booth
“Is something wrong? Can I help?” Liam couldn’t help it. When he saw a woman who was upset, he wanted to fix the problem. Make it go away. Perhaps it was a conditioned response. He’d been doing precisely that for his mother since he was a little boy.
Teresa shrank back from the door. “Just go, Liam. Why would you want to help me? You don’t even like me.”
He took his chance and pressed on the door. Teresa was walking over to the window. Her office was mostly dark, the only light coming from the golden glow of the city and a lamp on her desk. “That’s not true. I like you. We just have a lot of history for two people who hardly know each other.”
She sniffled. She’d been crying, which was such a stark contrast to her nut-hard exterior. “You don’t want to hear my sob story.”
“What kind of man would I be if I walked away from someone who is clearly upset?” He ventured closer to her and placed his hand lightly on the center of her back. Just like during their dance, she leaned into him. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“It’s my brother. He got mixed up with some terrible people. Two weeks ago I got a call from someone claiming my brother owed them seven million dollars. Turned out not to be true. Or maybe it was true because I just got a call saying he’s been kidnapped and they’d call back with demands soon. It sounded like the same voice, but I’m not sure.”
“Is this your brother, Joshua?” The instant the words came out of his mouth, he realized he’d made a huge mistake.
Teresa quickly turned her head and narrowed her sights on him. “How do you know my brother’s name? Nobody is supposed to know about him.”
Liam cleared his throat. It was time to come clean. “That day at The Opulence. When I first ran into you. I decided to have an investigator in my employ do a bit of digging.”
“You did what?”
“I know. I know. It sounds horrible, but you have to understand I believed one thing and you were staunchly denying it. I had to know whether or not I could afford to believe you.”
“And you were able to find out about Joshua? That shouldn’t happen.”
“Only a little bit. Only that you have a brother by that name. There was a record of his graduation from high school, but after that, it’s like he disappeared. To be honest, I wondered if something happened to him.”
She drew in a deep breath, seeming no less troubled. “It’s a long story, but Josh got into trouble in high school, then went to Vegas and got into even more trouble. Drugs. The wrong people. By that time, I was working with Mariella Santiago-Marshall at MSM Event Planning in Santa Barbara. Your dad helped me get that job. I shared my problem with Mariella and she told me about a man her husband worked with. A man called The Fixer.”
This was not a shock. The Marshalls were an immensely powerful family of considerable wealth. “I’ve heard of him. Unfortunately, most people in my world need somebody on their side to make problems go away.”
“I was desperate. I had to get Joshua out of jail, out of Vegas, and away from these people. They were very dangerous. He took care of everything. He was supposed to make him invisible.”
“Honestly, he did a really good job. My guy took two weeks to find what he did and it wasn’t easy.”
“The Fixer does a fantastic job. The problem is I want to call him and see what’s going on with Joshua, but I don’t have the money to pay him and I already owe him a favor that’s to be determined. That’s a scary proposition in its own right. There’s no telling what he’s going to ask of me.” Teresa began pacing back and forth across the hardwood floors.
Meanwhile, Liam was hard at work thinking of a way out of this. “Let me call my guy. He’s not familiar with the situation, but I’m sure you can get him up to speed quickly and you won’t need to worry about paying him or owing anyone a favor.”
“Not even to you?”
It would have been so easy to take advantage of this situation, but Liam’s heart truly went out to Teresa. “Not even to me.”
Teresa dropped her head to one side in doubt. “Now why would you do that for me? Two weeks ago, you hated my guts. You tried to get me fired.”
Liam swallowed back his pride. He’d messed up. He knew that now. He should have cleared the air with her first before he’d gone to Matt. “So give me a chance to make it right. I’ll call him. Let’s make sure your brother is okay.”
Teresa pressed her lips together, regarding him. She scanned his face like she was searching for something she desperately needed. What was this pull that she had on him? Why was his only desire to gather her up in his arms and see where a kiss could go?
“Okay. Do it.”
Liam pulled out his phone and called his guy, who answered right away. “Liam. Nice to hear from you.”
“Thanks. I have a friend who’s in a real bind and we need your help. She received a phone call saying that her brother has been kidnapped, but she’s not sure it’s real. We need to find out what the situation is.”
“Yeah. Of course. Can you put me on the phone with her so I can find out the details?”
Liam offered his phone. “He wants to talk to you. Get the info on your brother.”
She seemed unsure at first then snatched the phone from his hand. “Hello?” She nodded and walked behind her desk. After a minute, she started to rattle off everything she’d said to Liam, along with Joshua’s last known address, his cell number, a current photo and the name of a friend he spent time with. “Okay. Thanks.” She stared at the phone for an instant, then turned her gaze to Liam. “He’s going to call back.” There was something so vulnerable in her eyes. She was genuinely petrified. It made him want to protect her from everything. “He said he has a contact where Joshua is. He said it could take anywhere from a few minutes to a day.”
Liam nodded, understanding what a delicate situation she was in. Hell, they were in. He was involved now, too. He wanted this to work out okay. “It’ll be okay. You just need to find a way to relax.”
“I don’t think I can do that. Not until I know he’s okay.” Teresa began pacing and Liam took the chance to remove his jacket and sit on the sleek black leather sofa in her office. The appeal of her form in motion was impossible to ignore—shapely legs that seemed to go on forever, hips that filled out her slim black skirt perfectly and just enough hint of the rest of her figure through a sheer white blouse to make him a little crazy. “What if it really takes a whole day? I won’t be able to sleep at all. Not a wink. You don’t have siblings, do you?”
Liam shook his head. “Nope. Only child. I always wanted a brother or sister though.”
“Careful what you wish for. They can be wonderful, but they can make you crazy. I swear.”
Just then, Liam’s phone rang. They both jumped. Teresa ran out from behind her desk to Liam. Sure enough, the caller ID told Liam it was his guy. “Is there an update?” Liam answered.
Teresa held on to his arm, her eyes darting back and forth over his face. “What is he saying?”
Liam closed his eyes and tried to concentrate while his guy told him everything. “Okay. Thanks. I’ll let her know.” He stuffed his phone into his pocket. “He’s okay. They tracked his phone’s GPS and then got visual confirmation. He was with his friend at some bar. Not sure why he doesn’t answer his phone, but I figured you can find that out later.”
She dropped to a crouching position, dug her hands into her thick blond hair and began to sob.
Liam dropped to his knees. “What is it? Are you okay?”
No answer came. She was crying so hard that she was gasping for air.
Liam did the only thing he could think to do. He took her in his arms and rubbed her back. “Shh. Shh. It’s okay.” She sagged against him, crying and trembling. It was as if it was the most natural thing in the world. The only thing that made sense. She held on to him like he was the only thing worth having. He loved the feeling of being th
ere for someone. He always had.
* * *
Being in Liam’s arms on the floor of her office was the last place Teresa had expected to end her day. But here she was, desperate for air and swallowing back her tears. Liam had been a rock for her. Joshua was okay. She still didn’t know what was going on with him, but he was safe. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I’m just so relieved. I know we only had to wait a few minutes, but it felt like forever.”
“I can only imagine. The important thing is he’s safe.”
She eased back her head and looked at him. Liam was a puzzle if ever there was one. Who knew there was such a deeply sweet and caring side of him? “Thank you for helping me. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been here. I really didn’t want to have to call The Fixer. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
“I don’t care about evening the score, Teresa. You can repay me by allowing me to call a real truce. I don’t want our relationship to be contentious anymore.”
A smile played at the corner of her lips. “Are you saying you want to be friends?” She sat a little straighter and smoothed her hand over the lapel of his jacket, wishing she could explore everything that was underneath it. “Friends don’t kiss each other on the dance floor. Especially not the sort of kiss we had.”
“Unless they’re friends with benefits,” he quipped.
They were both taken aback by his comment, eyes searching, neither speaking. Liam did not let down his guard like this, at least not that Teresa had ever seen. Was he caught up in the moment? Or was there something else going on here? Was this a dream?
“I’ve never had a friend like that. Tell me how that works.”
Liam’s eyelids became heavy. He reached over and threaded his fingers between hers then lifted her hand to his lips, leaving behind a tingle that managed to find its way to the most sensitive parts of her body. He didn’t take his eyes off her. He merely left their connection to smolder. “I imagine it’s like any other friendship. You make each other happy. You blow off steam together.” He turned over her hand and kissed her wrist, closing his eyes and savoring the moment as if her skin was the most heavenly thing his mouth had ever touched.
Teresa sucked in a breath, mesmerized by his lips, his dark features, the boundless sexiness of Liam. She did not consider herself a seductress, but damn, she felt sexy, like an entirely different woman when she was around him. Between the intense relief she’d felt at knowing Joshua was okay and knowing that Liam wanted to be friends, that he didn’t hate her, she had no reason to leave up her defenses any longer. She could finally follow through on everything she’d started with that kiss.
“I want you, Liam.”
“I want you, too.” He cupped the side of her face and drew her closer, kissing her. Their tongues found each other, tentatively at first. Gently. Softly.
It was quite possibly even sexier than their first kiss, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted more. She wanted to flatten him against the floor and tear off his clothes. She wanted the same from him. She shifted to her knees. He followed, not allowing their kiss to end. They held on to each other, standing for only an instant before collapsing on the couch. Teresa scrambled to straddle his lap, hiking her skirt up to her hips. Liam sat forward and hurried his shoulders out of his charcoal suit coat, tossing it aside. Finally she could get him out of that crisp white shirt, her hands going faster than they ever had before. She tore back the garment, lowered her head and kissed his chest, letting her hands roam his warm skin and firm muscles, twitching with electricity. Liam had both hands on her bottom, bunching her skirt up at her waist and sliding his fingers into the back of her panties. They curled into her flesh, pulling her closer. She spread her knees farther, sinking forward until she could feel his hard erection against her apex.
They began to rock against each other. Just this limited amount of touching left Teresa feeling like she might come. She could only imagine what it was going to be like when she finally had him out of those pants. Breaking their kiss, she sat back and began to unbutton her blouse. Liam’s hands shifted to her hips and he slid a little lower on the cushion, letting her put even more of her body weight against his length. The tension between them was such a delicious form of torture, Teresa was caught up in the push and pull of wanting him inside her so badly she couldn’t think straight, and wanting to draw this out for as long as it could possibly last.
As soon as her blouse was residing on the floor, she reached back and unhooked her bra, then let it fall forward, ruffling it from her arms.
Liam shook his head, his eyes admiring. He was pleased. “You are so beautiful. Truly beautiful.” He took her breasts in his hands and rolled her nipples between his fingers.
“And you’re making me crazy, Liam. I want you. Now.” However much it pained her to do it, she climbed off his lap and quickly rid herself of her skirt and panties. She grabbed her purse and pulled a condom out of an inside pocket. Meanwhile, Liam had unbuckled his belt, unzipped his pants and raised his hips to wriggle his remaining clothes to the floor.
He sat, waiting with knees apart, his impressive erection on full display. Even from a few feet away, she could see how hard he was for her and she couldn’t wait to have every inch of him. She stepped closer and took him in her hand, stroking firmly from base to tip. Every part of him she touched was hard and hot. She wanted that fire. She needed it. He closed his eyes and knocked his head to one side, drawing a slow breath through his nose.
“Never stop touching me like that,” he muttered, his voice coming from the deepest parts of his throat.
“Something tells me you’ll like this even better.” Teresa had other plans. She tore open the packet, rolled on the condom and straddled his lap, guiding him inside. She sank down onto his body, her mind a riot of thoughts about how good he felt and how unlikely this scenario was. She never thought she and Liam would be having sex in her office. Fantasized, yes, but reality? She would have put money on it never happening.
They began to move together, falling into sync, a perfect rhythm. Teresa knew this wouldn’t take long. Liam kissed her neck then angled his head lower, swirling his tongue around her nipple. She curled her fingers into his firm shoulders, rolling her hips against him, over and over again.
“You feel amazing,” he said, his breaths already shallow. “But I need you to know something.”
“What?”
“As soon as I make you come, we’re putting our clothes back on and we’re going to my place. I want you in my bed.” It wasn’t an invitation or a suggestion. Liam was issuing an order. Teresa, despite never wanting to take directives from any man, couldn’t have been more turned on.
“We were supposed to get some work done tonight.” She kissed him, knowing that work was the absolute last thing she cared about.
Liam laughed quietly against her lips. “You think I care about that? Because I don’t. Not when I know I can have you at my mercy all night long.”
Twelve
Two days after his run-in with Zach, his brother made good on his not-so-subtle threat to sabotage Matt and Nadia’s chances at happiness by planting a story on TBG. The headline was so much worse than Matt could have ever imagined: “Beauty and the Boss Part Two: Playing Every Angle.”
This time, the story was all about smearing Nadia and her name. Everything was twisted to show her in the most negative light imaginable. It talked about her beauty-pageant days, and how no one would have ever thought a woman like that would end up with so much responsibility and such a high-pressure job. It suggested that she was playing Matt and Hideo against each other and included photos from the night of Gideon’s party, showing her in what could be construed as romantic situations with each of them. It mentioned the car Matt had given to Nadia as a bonus, suggesting, exactly as they’d feared, that it was given to her in exchange for sexual favors. It said that Matt was consi
dering Nadia for a huge promotion and bonus, both of which were absolute lies, but he knew now that Zach would do anything to get back at him.
To make matters even worse, the story had gone live at 8:59 a.m., Seattle time, precisely when everyone at Richmond Industries would be sitting down at their desk, most of them checking email and online news before digging into the meat of their day. Matt could already hear the commotion out in the hall. His employees were milling about and talking, unsubtly walking past his corner of the office and glancing over before offering a phony wave and making a quick escape. Nadia had gone to the ladies’ room and would likely be back any minute now.
Matt had to act, and quickly. He picked up his office phone and buzzed Shayla’s extension. “Let me guess. The TBG story. I just finished reading it.”
“What the hell, Shayla? How can they run this stuff? Am I going to have to call my lawyer?”
“It’s not a bad idea, but you know that they can get away with saying a lot of stuff. And I mean, how much of the story is inaccurate? From where I’m sitting, most of it is pretty well on the mark.”
“I am not considering Nadia for a big promotion or raise. That part is completely fabricated.”
“Can you prove that you’ve never talked about it?”
“How do I go about proving that?” Plus, Matt knew the reality. He had discussed a raise with Nadia and she’d said no, wanting to avoid a situation exactly like the one they were in.
“You don’t. Which is exactly why they published it.”
Matt grumbled, beyond frustrated. “Can you make it go away?”
“I can try. But perhaps you should consider the fact that Nadia has become a liability. That’s one way to make the problem go away for good. She’s already worked for you longer than any other assistant. Nobody will bat an eye if you hire someone new. TBG will move on to the next story.”
Matt glanced at his laptop and that’s when he saw new email messages start to pop up, all from Richmond Industries board members, all with subject lines pertaining to the TBG story. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that. Just please do your best, okay?”