Chapter Ten
Riley sat at his dining room table with his laptop open. He reviewed a final contract for a merger his group tried to settle for the last year.
He heard the shower shut off upstairs and after a few minutes, he looked up to see Sophie come down the stairs. She wore a pair of sweat-shorts and white tank top. Her hair still dripped and she rubbed the ends with a towel.
Riley’s cock twitched and he thought Sophie had no idea she’d wrapped him around her little finger. He’d never met or fucked a woman as smart and brave as her. He wanted her with him for a very long time.
After her father injured her seven weeks ago and put her into the hospital, he knew she felt let down by the man. Her mother and brother were being supportive and she’d gotten to spend several weeks with her mom. Sophie said they’d gotten caught up and she felt up-to-speed on what occurred with her parents in the past.
Her father made no attempts to contact her or apologize.
Riley didn’t think she’d admit it, but he knew she felt hurt. He could read it in her eyes. He heard her pour a cup of coffee in the kitchen and she came out and sat across from him.
“So, Mr. Frost, what’s in the play book this weekend?”
“Let me think.” He closed his laptop. “We could drive out to the coast and find a beach or head into the mountains and hike. There is a concert in the park this afternoon, but they’re playing Bartok...” He saw her grimace. “Yeah, not my favorite music, either. We could do Club Frek tonight or stay home and fuck like rabbits.”
She laughed and stood. She put her hand on his shoulder and straddled his legs. “Those damn rabbits. Do you think it’s their fault I want you to fuck me twenty-four-seven?”
“I suppose it could be.” He laughed with her and moved his fingers under the edge of her shorts.
She looked into his eyes. “Tell them I don’t want to be interrupted.” She leaned down and licked his bottom lip.
Their lips locked and he felt her tongue swirl with his. He put his hand on her neck and forced her lips down harder.
A buzzer went off that they didn’t pay attention to until it rang again. Riley pulled away and growled. “I’ve got to get that thing disconnected.”
“What is it?”
“The front door buzzer.” He reached around her and opened his computer again. He hit a button. “Yes,” he said.
“Riley, it’s me. Jeff Pantagen. Is my sister with you?”
He looked at Sophie and pouted. “I’ll let you in.”
She moved off his lap and looked at the screen. “I wonder what he wants. Is it legal for me to talk to him since I have to testify in front of the S.E.C. soon?”
“It’s legal. They’re after your dad.”
“I’d better put on some clothes.” She went back up stairs and he heard her hair dryer come on. Riley stood and went to the elevator.
When it opened, Jeffrey Pantagen walked in and shook Riley’s hand. He looked like Sophie with brown hair and eyes, but was much taller. He wore a suit that looked like it was worn for several days.
“Where is she?” he asked.
“Upstairs. She’ll be down in a few minutes. Can I get you some coffee?”
Jeff went into the living-room and sat on a couch. “Yeah, that would be good.”
* * * *
Sophie could come up with no idea of what her brother could want. She’d been fired from Pantagen Industries seven weeks ago by her father and got subpoenaed by the Securities and Exchange Commission to testify against her father’s illegal stock trades.
She put on a pair of jeans and pulled a sweatshirt on. She walked bare foot down the stairs and retrieved her coffee from the dining room table. In the living room, she found the men sitting across from each other.
“Hey, Jeff. What’s up?” she asked as she down next to Riley.
“Soph, hi. There are a few things that have come up. I thought you’d want to stay in the loop a little. Father has disappeared.” He set a manila folder down on the coffee table and sent it across to her. “He’s also cleaned out Pantagen. The S.E.C. asked me to take over in the interim and the board agreed that we could use your help.”
She opened the folder and looked at the spread sheets. What she saw made her stomach knot and thought she’d throw up. She looked at Jeff. “This isn’t right.” She flipped through the pages and looked at her brother again. “All of it?”
He nodded. “Some of the shareholders called this morning. Their accounts have been hacked. Have you checked your statements this week?”
She looked at Riley. “Babe, can I borrow your computer?”
“Of course.”
They all rose and went to the dining room table. Sophie sat down and started to type.
“What’s going on?” Riley asked.
Sophie’s stomach turned, again. “I’ll tell you in a minute.” She found her stock account, typed in codes and a password, and sat back on the chair as her account information came up. “Shit,” she hissed.
Riley moved closer and sat in the chair next to hers. As she typed in another account and found the same results, she felt Riley put his hand on her thigh.
“Jeff, father has cleaned me out, too. I have one dollar to my name.”
“The board is holding an emergency meeting this afternoon and want you there,” Jeff said.
“I was fired weeks ago. I don’t see what I can do.”
“That’s all moot now. If we don’t get some of that cash balance back, Pantagen will be closed at the end of the month and the subsidiaries will be auctioned off. I have an appointment Wednesday with the S.E.C. and they want you there, too.”
“What time is the meeting this afternoon?” She looked at him and could see he was worn out. Dark circles ringed his blood-shot eyes.
“Two o’clock.”
She looked at Riley. “I think I just screwed up our weekend.”
“No you didn’t. I think you will need your attorney with you and”—Riley looked at his watch—“I’m going to call Hejazi. If I’m not near you, I want you protected.”
She smiled at Riley. “Babe, that’s not necessary. I’m sure it will all be fine over at Pantagen.”
She saw Riley’s nostrils flare. “Are you arguing with me?”
“No, I just know you have better things to do than follow me around like a puppy.” She batted her eyes at him. Jeff coughed and looked at her. “Jeff, don’t you think it will be okay?”
She felt Riley tighten his grip on her thigh and she saw his lips slightly curve.
“I know what you’re doing and we’ll discuss it later. Now you will follow my instructions or...”
Her brother stood up. “I think I’ll wait in the other room.”
Sophie continued to stare at Riley. “Or what, sweetheart?”
“Or the clit clamp goes on now and a large bullet goes into your pussy on high pulse. It could make your meeting rather difficult.”
“Fine, come along, but don’t blame me if you’re bored to death.”
He leaned closer to her and she felt his hand slip under her sweat-shirt. He pulled the hoop in her nipple and twisted. “As I said, I know what you’re doing, baby,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m going to have my St. Andrew’s cross brought up from storage and you ass and this night are mine.”
“Okay.” She winked at him. “I’ll go change into work clothes.”
Chapter Eleven
Sophie brought some of her clothes over to Riley’s and he loved to watch her dress. The way the pencil skirts and blouses hugged her body would keep him hard forever. When she’d mentioned getting vests or sweaters to wear over her blouses due to the nipple hoops showing, it had sent him into a tizzy and he’d cuffed her to the St. Andrew’s cross for a couple of hours. He’d brought her up to the edge several times and didn’t let her come until she promised never to wear vests or sweaters.
They’d had a long discussion a week ago when Sophie became concerned about their growing need for ea
ch other. She felt uneasy that it might not be healthy and would turn her into a sex maniac.
Riley took her very seriously and assured her they would take care of each other and make their life together the way they wanted it to be. She seemed satisfied and agreed they should do their own thing.
As she put on lavender button-up sweater with black slacks he tilted his head. “Babe, why don’t you wear the sheer black top I saw in your suitcase?” he asked and sipped his coffee.
“Riley, if I have to speak in front of the shareholders, I’d rather they didn’t drool at my nipple hoops. Those are for you only and I want to wear that top to Club Frek.” She brushed her hair and tied it in a knot, and then pinned it on the back of her head.
He smiled. “I love the way you move. I could watch you all day.”
She smiled back at him and checked her makeup. “I hope you’re not turning into an old romantic. You know, I prefer to watch you take your clothes off.”
He stood up straight and stretched. “Damn, I want to fuck you. We have six weeks to make up for.”
“Tonight, Club Frek?” She arched her eyebrow. “We could tie me up to the cross. It might be fun to face forward this time.”
He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “Thank you for reminding me. The ice maker isn’t working in the new suite and I want it fixed before tonight.”
Riley saw his security man, Jarrah Hejazi, stand outside the condo with the back door of a Town Car open. He assisted Sophie into the back seat and Riley settled in next to her. Riley had one-hundred percent confidence in Hejazi. The man was ex-military and secret service and knew security better than anyone Riley had ever met.
The security team was brought in to protect Sophie during the last six weeks. On days when Riley went into his law office and couldn’t work from home, he felt comfortable Sophie was protected.
He hadn’t let her know she was being watched and hoped she wouldn’t be too pissed off or he might end up on the St. Andrew’s cross with a tight cock ring on his penis.
The ride was uneventful and they pulled up to the front of the Pantagen building. Three of Hejazi’s men stood on the sidewalk and one opened the door. He offered Sophie his hand to help her out. Hejazi joined them on the sidewalk and handed the keys to the car to one of the men who stayed outside. Hejazi walked in front of Sophie and Riley, and the other two men walked behind them.
“Riley, darling, please remind me to ask you how much all this security is costing,” she whispered.
“It’s none of your concern, sweetheart.” He clasped her hand and held it tight.
“I have a dollar to my name and it is a concern. You have some explaining to do.”
They met Jeff in the hallway and he went with them to the auditorium. Riley thought he looked exhausted. The last weeks couldn’t have been easy.
When they stopped outside the auditorium doorway, Riley looked in and frowned. “I thought this was board members only. Who are all those people?”
“The meeting we’d scheduled somehow got out to the share-holders and employees union. They’ve insisted they be kept in the loop. I should have warned you this morning.”
Riley looked at Hejazi and he was conferring with the men in his team. The chief looked at him and nodded.
Sophie pushed her way through the doors. “Let’s get this done. I don’t want to spend any more time here than is necessary.”
Riley and Hejazi stood at her sides and watched a woman approach Sophie. Hejazi put his arm out and tried to block the woman’s way.
“It’s okay, Tara used to be my secretary.”
The small woman walked up to Sophie and, without preamble, asked, “What do you need, Miss Pantagen?”
Sophie smiled and put her hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Tara, it is very good to see you.”
Riley watched the two women confer and admired the way Sophie handled herself. There was no panic or ringing of hands. She’d glanced at him periodically and either arched her eyebrows or nodded.
The secretary disappeared and then returned with a red folder and showed some of the pages to Sophie. Tara handed her a pen and then went and sat in the front row of seats.
Sophie walked up to the podium and tapped the microphone. She put the folder on top of the platform and opened it. Her brother stood to her left. Riley and Hejazi stood to her right.
He heard the security man speak quietly and knew the other men were somewhere in the room.
“Everyone, if I could have your attention,” Sophie said into the microphone. Slowly, the conversations stopped and the room went silent. “Thank you. I’m Sophie Pantagen for those of you I’ve never met. Six weeks ago, I was vice president of Pantagen Industries and the board of directors has asked my assistance to help get things back on track, since my father—Rupert Pantagen—has disappeared.”
“Miss Pantagen, where is your father and the company’s assets?” A male voice, halfway up in the seats started. The man stood and continued a litany at Sophie. “Where is the two-hundred thousand dollars stolen from my shares in the company...”
Jeff leaned to her and whispered in her ear. “Mr. Spencer,” Sophie said calmly. “Please, sit down and shut the fuck up. I don’t have answers to your questions yet. My brother and I have only just started to look into several reports. If someone could tell me where the twenty-billion went, we could call it a day. However, until we figure out where my father went and what lead him to steal the stock funds, I’m afraid I may not answer your questions today.”
She looked at Riley and he winked at her. He really enjoyed watching her and the deep desire he felt for her continued to grow every day. As she spoke, he found it interesting that the tone of her voice never changed. She didn’t rely on dramatic inflection and her gentleness soothed rather than annoyed. It was apparent even when she told that man to shut the fuck up. Mr. Spencer wore a small smile on his lips.
As Riley’s glanced around at the audience, he saw Hejazi move fast in his peripheral vision. By the time he realized something was happening, Hejazi had Sophie around the waist and down behind the podium.
Several shots were fired and after Hejazi was certain she was safe, he pulled a gun from under his coat and glanced around the podium.
Riley ducked down on the other side of the security man and looked at Sophie. “Baby, are you okay? You didn’t get hit?” he asked.
“No, I don’t think so.”
Shots fired and hit the podium. Hejazi fired off a couple of shots and all hell broke loose in the auditorium as people reacted to what just happened. There were screams and another couple of shots.
Riley reached for her hand and she latched on tight. He could feel her shake for the first time since they met and wanted to hold her, but she was covered mostly by Hejazi’s body and the podium. He didn’t want her to move. He glanced to his left and saw her brother lay prone on the floor. There was a pool of blood by the man’s head spreading and his eyes stared straight up.
He looked back at Sophie who seemed to read his mind and pushed on Hejazi so she could see.
The scream that came from her was like nothing he’d ever heard and when she started hitting the security man’s body, she moaned, “No, no, no.”
Riley kept hold of her hand. He heard another shot and then Hejazi said, “Copy that.” He turned to Riley. “All clear, sir.” He moved away from Sophie, so Riley could reach her.
She became wild and it took him a minute to get her to stop hitting him. She leaned against his chest and he’d caged her arms with his. He whispered in her ear and told her to breathe. She started to cry in hiccupping sobs. Riley never thought he’d have it in himself to be so hearth broken, but it felt difficult to keep his emotions under control.
“Hejazi.” Riley looked at the man. “Mrs. Pantagen in Seattle.”
“I’ll see to it, sir.”
When the police arrived, the auditorium emptied out. The medical examiner and his team arrived and began marking off the area. They had two b
odies. Jeff Pantagen and the man who’d shot him. One of Hejazi’s men got the guy cornered just outside the room and took him out.
Riley was able to get Sophie to her feet and into the hallway. He sat on the floor with her head in his lap. She’d gone silent and barely responded if asked a question. A detective tried to talk to her, but got no reply.
When the cops said they could leave, Riley carried her out to the car.
Once they were on the road, Hejazi handed him a plastic bottle of water and two pills. She took them without complaint and continued to stare.
“I had the condo checked, sir, and called in a couple more men. Mrs. Pantagen is being taken to a safe house.”
“Thank you.” Riley held her in his arms and felt her relax a little. The pills kicked in.
When they got back to the condo, Riley helped her settle in bed. She immediately fell to sleep. He watched her through the night and eventually dozed off.
Sometime before dawn, he felt her move and get up from the bed. He waited and thought she might be in the restroom, but when she didn’t return he went to look for her.
In the living room he found her standing by the glass slider. The window was covered with a plastic covering so no one could see in. Riley wasn’t worried she’d get shot. He walked up behind her and put his hands around her waist.
“Come back to bed, babe. You need to rest,” he whispered.
“I’m not in the mood.”
“I’m not talking about sex, just rest. That is all.”
“I’m not tired, Riley. I should go to my apartment.” She pulled out of his arms.
“What do you need, sweetheart?”
She turned around and looked at him. “I need to be alone.” She headed for the stairs.
Chapter Twelve
Sophie walked into the room she’d shared with Riley for the last seven weeks. It annoyed her that she couldn’t remember where her suitcase was stored. She opened the walk in closet he’d cleared out space for her and looked up on the shelves and around the floor, but it wasn’t to be seen. She sat on the end of the bed and tears started to stream down her cheeks.
A Risky Dance Page 8