Mark: BWWM Romance (Members From Money Book 11)

by Katie Dowe

  "However, because you're my client, I won't tell him who it was. And I doubt he's going to look too hard because that is publicity he doesn't want." She narrowed her eyes at Joanie, who looked relieved that she wasn't being sold out. "But just keep away from Jason Liu until I've got what I need for you."

  Joanie nodded. Satisfied that the point had been put across, Carla turned to leave. She was at the door when Joanie's voice stopped her.

  "You're going to fall for his spell as well. I know it." Carla turned back and saw Joanie's mouth twist in a sneer. The woman snorted. "He charms them and then he casts them aside when they're well and truly under. He doesn't have a care for human life."

  Carla didn't believe this. The Jason Liu she had met did care for human life and he wasn't the debonair playboy that he made himself out to be. But she had only known Jason a day, and not much of it at that. She was in no place to judge.

  "I've never fallen for any spell and I'm not going to start now. I'm immune."

  But Carla wondered if she really was immune as she left the condo. If she wasn't, she was going to be in big trouble.

  *****

  "You okay, Jason?"

  Jason looked up.

  "Huh?"

  Richard waved his arms in front of his face, causing Jason to jerk back before Richard's head guard hit him in the head.

  "Hello? Anyone in there?"

  "Sorry, Rick." Jason gingerly touched the bandage taped to his head. "I guess I'm a little out of sorts."

  While he was adamant that he was fine to everyone else, Jason would tell Richard the truth. And the truth was that his head hurt like hell and it had knocked him for six. But that wasn't going to stop him from his daily workout. He would just have to make sure there weren't any head shots.

  He had replaced Carla's bandage with a fresh one that morning, having a look at the damage in the bathroom mirror. The cut looked to be already healing although it still looked ugly and there was a lovely bruise coming up around it. Everyone in the building had become concerned when they saw what had happened but Jason had brushed them off, assuring everyone that there was nothing to worry about.

  He wished he knew who the bastard was that hit him. Once he got hold of them Jason was going to give them a piece of his mind. And possibly a similar headache.

  "I can tell." Richard sat beside him and peered at him. "How did you get it? Dan from Security said you had a fight with a mugger and they came off worse."

  Jason grunted.

  "I wish. I was walking Carla back to her car and was attacked from behind. I didn't even see who it was."

  "Carla?"

  "The journalist I was going on a date with."

  "Oh, that Carla." Richard grinned and nudged him. "So, how was the date?"

  Jason thought back to the previous evening. Apart from the bang on the head, he couldn't remember an evening where he had found more enjoyment. A smile crept across his mouth.

  "She was lovely. A really lovely woman."

  And she had been. Carla was witty, smart and she could counter Jason easily with her teasing and her charm. If Jason was the settling down type he could easily see himself coming home to Carla, curled up on the couch with him watching a movie and cooking him a Sunday roast.

  But he wasn't the type to settle down and she should be completely unsuitable for him. So why was his head telling him that he was in denial?

  "I bet she was 'lovely' in bed as well." Richard chuckled.

  "I wouldn't know. I didn't go to bed with her."

  Richard looked at him like he was mad. And Jason couldn't blame him. This was the first time he hadn't slept with a woman on the first date.

  "You what?" Richard spluttered. "You were in her apartment and you didn't take the chance to get her panties off and her legs spread?"

  "Tony was there!"

  "He could've watched."

  Jason shuddered. The thought of his driver watching him have sex with anyone, never mind Carla, was stomach churning. He wasn't into being watched; that certainly killed the mood.

  "You really are crude, Rick. And given that I had just been whacked over the head, I was hardly in a position to seduce anyone, let alone fuck them."

  "You could've said it was the best treatment for you." Richard suggested with a chuckle.

  Jason shook his head. Sometimes his best friend was like a child stuck in a man's body; his mentality was like that of a horny teenager's.

  "Carla's not going to fall for something like that. She's too smart for that."

  "Even smart women fall for it."

  "But at least they know up front with me if it's going to happen." Jason looked down at the floor. "I went in that apartment with no thoughts of sex in my head."

  That was partly true. He went in the apartment with no thoughts of sex or seduction but came out thinking all sorts of possibilities.

  Richard grunted, putting on his head guard.

  "Sounds like she didn't press any of your buttons."

  "Oh, trust me, she did. She pressed all of them." Jason picked up his head guard from his gym bag. "But she's a special kind of woman, Rick. She deserves more."

  "Special?" Richard turned on the bench and stared at him like he had grown an extra head. "I've never heard you talk like this, Jason. You found a woman special, and a journalist of all people?"

  "I know." Journalists weren't Jason's favorite people. But Carla couldn't help what profession she had. "She's special to someone." He turned his head guard over in his hands. "Probably just not to me."

  That rankled him, which surprised Jason. Why was he upset that Carla wouldn't be special to him? He didn't want anything long-term. Did he?

  He needed to get laid. Once he had sex with Carla he would have her out of his system and he could move on.

  "But you like her." Richard chuckled. "Wow. I never thought I'd see you caught by a woman."

  "I don't think I've been caught." Jason said quickly, inwardly wincing at how fast he responded to Richard's teasing. "I'm interested, yes. But Carla's way out of my league. She'll choose someone nearer her pay grade, someone who has the same ideals. She balks at the idea of so much money you don't know what to do with it. She doesn't like going out to big parties, preferring to stay at home. She wouldn't fit in with my lifestyle."

  "But you're always complaining about going out to big parties you're forced to attend, saying you'd rather be at home." Richard reminded him. "Sounds like she'd be perfect for you. If you're looking to explore a proper relationship, that is."

  Jason wasn't looking to have a proper relationship. Or so he thought. But the more he thought about it the more he realized that having a proper relationship with Carla Romaine sounded like a really good thing.

  He was in trouble. He really needed to get laid.

  *****

  Jason was still deep in his thoughts when he left the gym, barely watching where he was going. His shoulder was bruised after bumping into several people, which had resulted in several apologies. He made a mental note to send each of them a bottle of wine for apologies.

  No one couldn't say he didn't look after his employees.

  His personal assistant was seated at her desk when he arrived, her manicured fingers flying over the keys as she stared at the screen with a frown, squinting at what she was doing. Jason had told her many times to get her eyesight checked or her eyesight was going to deteriorate but she was too stubborn to go, saying glasses didn't look sexy on her.

  "Any messages for me, Danielle?"

  Danielle McLaren looked up and the frown disappeared. She nodded, her brown ringlets bouncing around her face, and reached for her notepad at her elbow.

  "Just the usual, sir." She began to read from the page, her squint coming back. "Mr Lamb wants you to call him back about his client."

  "Which one?"

  "Didn't say. Just said that you'll know who he's talking about."

  "And I don't."

  Ryder Lamb was an agent Jason worked with. While he was
a complete and utter bastard he was a damn good agent and sent a lot of really good writers Jason's way. He had to put up with his behavior and his cryptic talking so he could keep the royalties coming in.

  Danielle shrugged and scanned the page.

  "Also a few people want you to endorse them and the such. A writer saying they're available for that meeting later in the week and a couple of job applications for the editor spot that was freed up when you fired Joanie Oldham."

  She tore the page off and handed it to Jason. Jason took it, knowing that most of the messages would have already been dealt with. Danielle was efficient. Even at only twenty-two she had proven to be a hard worker and had figured out pretty quickly what Jason wanted and liked, from his food preferences to his replies to certain things asked of him. She had caught on a lot quicker than his previous personal assistant, who chose to sit at her desk filing her nails instead of actually doing anything.

  People had been concerned that Jason had hired the daughter of Jesse Taga but Danielle had proven herself without using her father's name, even using her mother's maiden name to stop any preferential treatment. Jason was happy with her work and wasn't planning on replacing her anytime soon.

  "Thanks, Danielle. You're a star."

  "Oh, you." Danielle rolled her eyes. Then she cast a look towards Jason's office. "And that's a fed in your office."

  "A fed?" That had Jason's attention. "Did he say what he wanted?"

  "Something about a rumor regarding you that he wanted to check out." Danielle bit her lip. "Did I do wrong letting him wait in your office?"

  "I don't know yet." Jason softened when he saw Danielle's nervous look. "Don't worry about it. He wouldn't find anything. Everything's just boring paperwork in there."

  Jason really wanted a shower before he faced a visitor but there was no choice here. He pushed through into his office and saw a huge black man in his early thirties sitting behind his desk looking through a file. Jason could see it was a profile on one of his writers. A chic-lit specialist. Nothing to really worry about.

  He closed the door a little louder than necessary.

  "Can I help you?"

  The visitor looked up. He was handsome in a rugged sort of way, his hair styled in a regulated crew cut. Ex-military, for sure.

  "Mr Liu?"

  "That's me."

  The visitor stood up and came around the desk. Standing he topped six-five at least. His body could have rivaled Richard's. Dressed in a charcoal-gray suit he looked like a federal agent. There was no way around it; he couldn't disguise himself as anything else.

  The other man held out a badge in one hand and his other hand out to Jason for a handshake.

  "Special Agent Luke Whitely. White-Collar Crimes Division."

  "White-Collar Crimes?" Jason shook the offered hand, noting his strong grip. "Have I done something wrong?"

  "I don't know yet."

  That didn't bode well. Dumping his gym bag on the floor by his chair, Jason took a seat behind his desk, offering Whitely the seat opposite.

  "Then why are you here?"

  Whitely sat, looking far too big for the chair.

  "There have been a number of rumors going around that an employee in your publishing house is laundering money. Your name came up a few times."

  Jason blinked. Money laundering? In his building? He couldn't believe it.

  "And you think I'm laundering money through my own company?"

  Whitely didn't blink.

  "It wouldn't be the first time a CEO did something illegal."

  "Well, not here." Jason didn't like the implication. "I've never laundered money. Why would I? I earned everything here through hard work, not by cutting corners."

  "Maybe one of your employees? They used your name to cover themselves, perhaps?"

  Jason didn't like that, either. He trusted his employees. They wouldn't do anything like that; he made sure they wanted for nothing. But he had to be objective.

  "It's possible," he said dubiously. "But I refuse to believe that anyone would do that."

  "Is there anyone you fired recently or pissed off?"

  "I fired a couple of people in the last month. Both of them were not up to scratch so I got rid of them." One had been so drunk he hadn't realized what was happening until he was driven home with his belongings and the other had threatened a lawsuit for unfair dismissal. That had easily been thrown out within hours. "Danielle can give you their names and addresses."

  "I'll ask her." Whitely sat up and rolled his shoulders. Sitting in the chair was clearly not comfortable. "I just thought I'd give you a heads up that there may be a few more of my men wandering around. If someone's laundering money here, we need to find them quickly. And if someone is just trying to blacken your name it'll be easier to find the source and shut it down as quickly as we can."

  "I'm all for that." Although Jason had a feeling Whitely clearly didn't think the second one, merely saying it to pacify him. He'd go along with it for now. "Do what you need to do. Just run things by me and my associate Richard Stevens when you do."

  "No problem." Whitely stood, giving Jason a long look. "I do hope you haven't been involved in anything, Mr Liu. Money laundering is an automatic prison sentence. And they are lengthy."

  Jason tensed. He recognized the veiled threat. But he had nothing to hide; he hadn't done anything wrong.

  His employees, on the other hand, needed to prove they hadn't been hiding behind his name.

  Moments after Whitely left Jason buzzed Danielle.

  "Call Mr Stevens and tell him to get in here now."

  Chapter 5

  "Carla? Is that you?"

  Carla sighed and looked up, prepared to tell whoever it was to leave her alone. After getting a lecture from her boss about her current lack of information - in his eyes - she had decided to escape the office and work in her favorite cafe. Her table was taken so she had been forced to sit by the window where people could gawk at her. Sitting at the back made sure that she could see everyone and no one could see her work. Being right at the front took that away from her.

  So she was worn out, frustrated and cranky when she looked up into the dark smiling eyes in a familiar face. She blinked and stared as she recognized him.

  "Oh, my God. Luke!"

  Luke Whitely chuckled.

  "I thought it was you through the window. You look really different without long hair. That short mop suits you."

  "Thanks."

  Feeling better for seeing him, Carla stood and hugged him, which was returned. She stepped back and surveyed him. Luke had filled out; he had lots more muscles than he had in high school. His hair was still cut military-style as if he had never really left it. He looked good.

  "Wow! I never thought I'd see you here. I thought you were in Nashville."

  "I got reassigned." Luke winked. "Thought the sea air would do me some good."

  Carla laughed.

  "Liar. You've always hated the sea."

  "Okay, okay. My wife got a new job teaching at a high school in the area and I transferred to the Miami branch when we moved here." He chucked Carla's chin affectionately, something left over from the old days. "So, how long has it been since we were face to face?"

  "Well over ten years." Carla indicated the chair opposite hers. "Come sit down."

  Luke obliged, easing his large frame into the seat. Carla sat opposite and surveyed him. They had been neighbors as children and had attended high school together. Luke's frame had earned him a spot on the football team. People took one look at him and thought he was a little slow. But Luke had been the smartest in his class, graduating as the valedictorian, which had surprised and annoyed several of the girls expecting to take the top spot. He had been with his childhood sweetheart Amy since they were sixteen and were parents to eight-year-old twins.

  Carla had kept in touch with him after they graduated, tracking his progress in the navy SEALs before heading into the FBI. While they used Facebook and phone calls to catch up
they hadn't seen each other physically since Luke's wedding twelve years ago.

  "Are you still with the FBI's drug squad?"

  "Not anymore." Luke sat back in his chair. His jacket fell open and Carla saw the flash of his gun. "I'm in white-collar crimes now. The only position available."

  "That can't be as exciting."

  "It's more exciting than you think. I've got a case right now and it's looking like there will be a good arrest shortly."

  They always talked about Luke's cases. Sometimes they talked about Carla's but only without giving away names - Carla was bound by her confidentiality agreement. But she did pick Luke's brains when she needed a new line to go with. It had served them well over the years.

  "Who is it? Or are you bound by a confidentiality agreement?"

  "I never have been with you, remember?" Luke grinned for a moment before it disappeared. "Ever heard of Jason Liu, the publishing giant?"

  Carla's antennae prickled. Had someone mentioned something to the feds? They wouldn't be interested otherwise.

  "Yes. Why?"

  "He's under suspicion for money laundering. I've just been to see him. He was startled to know that someone thinks he's taking money for the mob and readily agreed to let us look at his company."

  "But you have your doubts."

  Carla knew Luke well enough to know when something didn't sit right with him. Luke shrugged.

  "He's a rich man and he's slick. He could have that money hidden anywhere. But we'll find it." Then Luke was frowning at her. "What's wrong? You've gone pale."

  "With my skin color?"

  "Don't play silly, Carla." Then Luke's frown cleared as he realized the reason. "My God. You're investigating him as well."

  Carla sighed.

  "You know I can't tell you much, Luke, but I've got an inside line into his company." How she got it she wasn't going to divulge. Not with the ribbing and the lectures she would get. "I'm going through the employees pretending to be a writer compiling an article on Jason. I've spoken to him already."

  Having the FBI involved was not going to make her job any easier. In the past they had hampered her investigation and she had even been arrested for getting in the way. But Luke was an old friend. And he might be of some use for her.