He chuckled.
“Well, I think we can help each other out.” He finally looked up at me.
“I do too.” I pushed myself up out of the chair and walked to the back of his office. He had a beautiful view. At the far end of his office was a loveseat against the window and a round coffee table in front of it.
I knelt down on the cushions and looked out the window like a little girl might do.
“You have a pretty view,” I said.
“You should see it from where I’m sitting.” He was starting to feel more comfortable. This was going to be a game of give and take. He wasn’t as dumb as I thought he was.
My heart was pounding in my chest. But I couldn’t just talk with him or I’d be here all night.
“Can we listen to some music?”
Potter’s eyes popped like he’d just spotted a twenty-dollar bill on the floor. He pulled an iPod from the top drawer of his desk, obviously having had the same idea I did. Within seconds I was listening to a rolling beat of some song I’d never heard before but that sounded like all the others I’d heard at Lacey’s.
Potter wasn’t going to dive right in. I was thankful for small favors. He wanted to see how far I’d go, first.
“That’s nice music,” I lied.
“I thought you might like it.” He sounded so sure of himself.
I began to rock to the rhythm that was pulsing from the tiny speakers while I looked out the window. Judging from Potter’s silence, I knew this was exactly what he had envisioned when he’d first found out about me.
Without a pole, I had to improvise my routine. Not that there was much to it. I closed my eyes and began to caress my body carefully, pulling up my skirt higher and higher to reveal the tops of my thigh-high stockings.
I stopped and looked at Potter, who was in a completely different world. His eyes had glazed over with a lustful fever.
I began to unbutton my blouse, staring into Potter’s eyes and watching as he became shinier and shinier with sweat. Pulling the fabric apart, I revealed a black satin bra that was too tight, causing my cleavage to pour generously over the top. When I pushed my breasts together, Potter groaned.
I rolled my hips and strutted around his desk. He quickly swiveled his chair to face me.
“I’ve done plenty of lap dances before,” I teased.
“I’ll bet you have.” Potter’s oily voice made my skin shudder. But I’d been in the laps of greasier men than him, as much as I hated to admit it.
“You know the rules.”
“What?”
“No touching,” I whispered as I eased my ass down into his lap. He let out a high-pitched groan. For a minute I was sure he’d achieved his little death but as soon as my ass touched his thighs I could feel the stiffness still in his pants.
“No touching? That’s no fun,” he grumbled in my ear.
“That’s the rule. For now,” I teased.
As I gyrated my hips and eased my back into Potter’s chest, I wondered when this was going to be interrupted. I didn’t dare look at the door and give myself away. But if I had to wait much longer, Potter was going to expect a lot more. A lot more.
“I imagined you doing this since the first minute I saw you,” he whispered in my ear.
“Oh, yeah?”
“I saw you dance at Lacey’s. I never imagined I’d have you all to myself like this. You’re so beautiful. You’ve got a body made for this. You know that, don’t you?”
“Made for what?” I goaded.
“Made for fucking and worshipping. I can give you anything you want, Candace. Anything at all.”
“Really?” I pushed myself up off his lap, bent over with my hands on the armrests, let my hair fall over my face. “Anything?” I flipped my hair back and looked him in the eyes.
That was when I saw it. A dark shadow came over him. It was like something floated to the surface, a dangerous, insidious thing that had been dormant for some time had decided to show itself.
I was in trouble.
His hands clamped down on mine, holding me bent over in an awkward position with my breasts hanging inches from his face. My first instinct was to immediately pull back but I was playing a role. I had to go along with this as if I were really into it and willing to play ball. He was looking for me to flinch or to blink. He was searching for hesitation.
I decided then that this was going to be an Oscar-worthy performance.
I ran my tongue across my lips slowly before I leaned in. I could smell the sweat and musk coating Potter’s skin. His breath was hot, hitting my face in pants as I lowered my eyes. Just before my lips touched him, the phone in my purse rang.
Chapter Sixteen
James
“Are you all right?” I hissed quietly into the phone.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Get out of there. Whatever you have to do. I’ll be right behind you down the hall.” My heart was pounding. I should have never left her with Potter for so long.
“Wait, Mom. Calm down. Who got arrested?”
“You’re beautiful. Just get out of there and get to the elevator. I’ll be right behind you like I’m working a double shift.”
“All right. All right! I’m on my way. Just stay calm and put the baseball bat down. Don’t hit anyone. Mom! Did you hear what I said? I’ll be there as fast as I can.”
I listened outside Potter’s office.
“I’m sorry, Larry. We’re going to have to finish this some other time.”
“What?” he barked.
“That was my mom. My cousin Albert got arrested again.”
“So?”
“So, I have to go bail him out.”
“Why doesn’t his mother bail him out?”
“His mama’s in jail too. Three years for battery against Albert’s father.”
I would have loved to see Potter’s face as Candace wove her tale of woe.
“No. We had a deal. You’re not going anywhere.”
“Larry, these things happen.” Candace was playing her part, but I was afraid for her. “Let’s just reschedule.”
“Reschedule nothing. Your little act isn’t fooling anyone. Who was that really on the phone?”
“That was my mother and she needs my help.”
“I don’t believe you, Candace.”
“Well, it’s the truth. Larry, I’m sorry. I really am. But I’ve got to go.”
“No. You’ll finish what you started.”
“Larry, relax. There’s no need to …”
“If you leave now, I’ll make things very difficult for you.”
“What?”
“Oh, yes. I can do that. No one will believe anything you say.”
“Larry, I need this job. I thought we were going to work together. This is just a minor setback. We can work something out. ”
“You need to decide right now.”
“I will. I promise next time …”
“Shut up and get on my cock.”
“Larry! Stop!
“You heard me, you bitch.”
“Larry, you’re hurting me!”
“Candace?” I couldn’t stay in the hallway. I pushed the door open and saw Larry let go of her hair. He cleared his throat, ran his hand through his hair, and started toward his desk.
“James, this doesn’t concern you.”
“Candace, are you okay?” I didn’t look at her when I asked the question. I stared at Potter, who was grinding his teeth.
“Yes, James. I’m fine. I just need to go. My mom needs me.”
“Larry, are you all right?”
“Fine,” he snapped. “Just go, Candace.”
“We’ll talk later?”
Potter didn’t answer her. But his eyes dug into her. Relief washed over her face as she looked at me and grabbed her purse off the chair.
“You’ve got unfinished business, Candace. I won’t forget about this,” Potter said as she slipped out the door. “James, none of this concerns you.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. I watched him pull out five twenty-dollar bills and stretch his arm out to me.
“No worries, Larry.” I waved him off.
“Come on. Take it. You didn’t see anything here.”
I knew that if I didn’t take the payoff, it would look suspicious. With my head hung low, I stepped up and took the cash.
“I didn’t see anything, Larry.” I had my teeth clenched. The money burned into my hands. I stuffed it into my pocket and turned to leave.
“Thanks, James. Women, right?”
I snorted and shook my head as I walked out the door. Once it was shut behind me, I took off running down the hallway toward the elevators. Candace stood there, her eyes wide.
“I thought you were Potter,” she whispered.
“I’m so sorry.” I took her in my arms. The elevator pinged, so I shuffled her inside. Nervously, she pressed the door close button until they finally slid shut.
“I’ve never been so happy to be in an elevator as I am now.” She sank into me.
“I’m so sorry about that.”
“What happened?” Candace looked sternly at me. “I thought you were going to call before things got too far.”
“I was arguing with my boss. He declined my request for backup. He said it would have cost too much money for an investigation he said wasn’t going to produce anything but a couple small fish.”
“Well, I’m afraid I ruined things with Potter. He’s never going to trust me enough to get close to him again. In fact, I’m sure I’m going to be in for a bumpy ride.”
“Did he touch you, Candace?”
“Not until I said I had to leave. What you saw was the worst of it.”
I looked at my hands. What was I doing putting this girl in the exact kind of trouble she’d worked so hard to avoid at the club she had danced at?
“James, I don’t regret this.” She slipped her hand into mine. “I want to help. I do. Potter is used to paying people off like he did with you. There has got to be more to what you are looking into than you think.”
“I know there is. But it’s just a matter of getting into those records. I’m just the janitor. There is no way they’ll let me anywhere near them.”
The elevator doors shushed open in the building lobby.
“Can you make it home alone?” I hated to ask that question. I wanted to go with her and soothe her frazzled nerves by bringing her to orgasm after orgasm. But there was work to do.
“Yes. Will you walk me to a cab?”
“Of course.”
Once Candace was safely on her way home, I waited. It was half an hour later that I saw Potter leave the building. His face was red and he looked nervously around the lobby. I was sure he was looking for me but I stayed out of sight. I didn’t want to talk to him and risk breaking his nose with a right fist to his face.
“I’ve got to get that guy. He’s the key. I can feel it.”
Going off script was one of the character traits that rubbed my chief raw. But there were times when the rules worked for the good guys and there were times when they looked for the bad guys. Potter was one of the bad guys, and he was protected behind a huge bankroll, a fancy title, corporate lawyers, and a dozen other firewalls I was just scratching the surface of.
“It could mean you get fired from this job and the force,” I mumbled as I walked down the corridor to the maintenance room. “You won’t get hired in law enforcement ever again. Even a security guard gig would be unattainable.”
I went to my locker and pulled out my lunch pail. It was a small cooler with a false bottom. Underneath my apple, there was a small tab that I pulled up with my thumb and forefinger.
Inside was a small silver disk about the size of a dime. There was a red wire sticking out from one end and a black one sticking out of the other. I slipped it into my pocket and headed toward the service elevator. Just then, Sean came stumbling in.
“What are you still doing here?” I asked him quickly. It was obvious he had been drinking.
“Oh, there were a couple of girls from upstairs at Blu. I stopped to have a couple drinks with them.” He blinked and put his hands on his hips.
“Who’s buying?” I needled him.
He blushed and nodded his head. “I bought the first two rounds.”
“How many have you had so far?”
“Two.”
“So what are you doing in here?” I asked.
“Well, I … none of your business. What are you still doing here? I thought Bob said no overtime this week.”
“He did. I’m not working overtime. You better get back to those girls or they’re going to think you aren’t coming back and leave.”
Sean’s eyes widened for a second as if he hadn’t thought that perhaps he’d been duped. He stopped at his locker, grabbed something from deep in the back, and headed back out toward the lobby.
I knew Sean. He’d grabbed a couple of condoms that had been stashed back there for eight months or so and had gone to see if any of the girls were drunk enough to go home with him. That was usually how he got laid.
I wasn’t worried about him seeing me. He’d get so drunk, especially if the girls bailed on him, he wouldn’t remember seeing me at all.
With the bug in my pocket, I took the service elevator to the ABF office. Potter had locked his door. He had no idea that the locks on these doors were easy enough for a toddler to finagle their way into. It only took an eyeglass screwdriver and a hairpin to snap the rollers and get the door unlocked.
I walked into the dark room. Holding a penlight, I walked around his desk. Potter kept pictures of his wife on the far end of his desk.
“Out of sight, out of mind,” I muttered. The woman was pretty. Sure, she wasn’t anything like Candace. But no one was like Candace. It was like asking an apple to become a banana. Still, Potter had a woman prettier than he deserved. I didn’t see any pictures of any children. For that, I was thankful. His wife would rebound. When kids were involved, well, the damage that was done reached a level of sinfulness I didn’t even want to think about.
I got down on my hands and knees and scooted myself underneath the desk. You can imagine how surprised I was to see a small camera there. There was no way of knowing when it had been installed, but I had a feeling it had been recording when Candace was in the room. My blood boiled. I installed the bug underneath the far right-hand corner of his desk blotter. I figured it was safe enough attached there. This guy didn’t do any real work other than meetings and emails.
Now I had to take care of the camera. It didn’t take anything to disable it. He’d know someone tampered with it. But what would he do? Report it? Filming someone without their knowledge or consent was a minimum of five years behind bars and a guy like Potter wouldn’t last ten minutes in the general population of a prison. I wouldn’t feel sorry for him. I was just taking note of the obvious.
Once I was finished, I tried to jiggle some of Potter’s desk drawers open. They were locked up tight. I had the feeling I’d find nothing more than a couple airline bottles of booze, some candy bars, and half a dozen girlie magazines.
I scooted out from underneath the desk and walked around to the door. In the hallway, I secured the link between the bug and my phone. I’d be able to hear anything Potter said with perfect clarity.
There was nothing to do now but wait.
I never imagined that I’d only have to wait a matter of forty-eight hours before the bug slipped into Potter’s office would produce a valuable leveraging tool. Her name was Ruth.
Chapter Seventeen
Candace
James told me he was not going to be available for two or three days. He and Rodriguez were debriefing the chief about the things they’d been uncovering at ABF, hoping it would convince the top brass that they could continue their investigation for a little longer.
In the meantime, I did my best to avoid Potter. It turned out not to be so hard. He was coming in later in the afternoon
and staying until long after the staff had already left.
The sky hadn’t fallen on me as Potter had threatened. But, I wasn’t about to let my guard down. I was sure James would get the necessary time he needed from his boss. He was intelligent and persuasive and he was within reach of really putting the screws to the person he had rightly chosen as the weakest link in the firm.
“Hi, Patty,” I said as I walked off the elevator on Wednesday morning. There were three guys waiting in suits sitting in the lobby. They looked like cookie-cutter images of each other. “What’s up with the men-in-black?” I asked quietly as I leaned over the front desk.
“Audit. They’re getting ready to do a document dump.”
“What’s that?”
“They’re going to shred the older records upstairs to make room for the past couple years. You know how careful people are nowadays. They have to record everything and then they have to incinerate it when they don’t need it anymore.”
“Don’t they have these things in a digital file?”
“Only some of it,” Patty replied before answering the phone. I gave her a wave and headed down the corridor to the stairwell James had shown me. Without anyone around, I slipped inside and made my way to the records room.
It was set up like a police evidence room. There was a door with a window and a long counter. I looked around, didn’t see anyone, and wondered if I could just walk in.
As I approached the counter, I saw a young man with tattoos up his neck and a loop spreading out the lobe of his left ear bobbing up and down with earbuds planted deeply inside each ear. He didn’t know I was there. Part of me thought of picking up a stapler and cracking him over the head. But, thankfully, my more ladylike side overruled that idea.
I knocked on the counter to get his attention.
“Yeah?” he said, eyes wide with surprise.
“Hi. My name is Candace. I’m new here. Patty at reception told me that there was going to be a document dump today?” I leaned over the counter pushing my breast together. “Is that true?” I bit my lip.
“Well, not until tonight when everyone is gone.”
“Oh, good.” I sighed. “What’s your name?”
Virgin's Passion Page 10