by Tina Folsom
14
Zach had spent a sleepless night alone in his bed. Quenching his carnal urges with his own hand had left him even more unsatisfied. He wanted Rochelle like he’d never wanted a woman before. But he’d promised her not to pressure her any more, and he was determined to keep his promise.
He felt somewhat tired and worn out when he sat at his desk and tried to concentrate on the contract in front of him. His gaze wandered to the clock on his computer. Already past three p.m. No wonder he felt exhausted. He needed caffeine.
Zach rose, walked to the door and popped his head out. “Jessica—” But his assistant wasn’t at her desk. Well, maybe it would do him some good to move a little and get his coffee from the little coffee shop on the first floor of his building.
He took the elevator down and crossed the entrance hall. The security guard nodded at him, and Zach returned the greeting, before entering the café and standing in line. Judging by the length of the line, he was clearly not the only one who needed a boost of energy in order to stay awake.
While the line moved slowly, he got lost in his thoughts. He’d seen Rochelle only briefly this morning when she’d arrived with her two colleagues and entered the conference room. He hadn’t exchanged a single word with her. After all, what should he have said? He’d apologized the day before, and even though there’d been a brief moment between them, where he’d thought she’d kiss him, he’d probably only imagined it. Wishful thinking.
Now he could only hope that the investigation would be completed swiftly, so he and Rochelle wouldn’t be on opposing sides any longer. Maybe then they could try again. If he managed to scrape together enough patience until then.
When it was finally his turn in the line, Zach ordered a large, black coffee to go. The barista handed him the hot paper cup, and he took a quick sip before turning to leave.
But he didn’t get far.
“Oh Zach! What a coincidence.”
The voice belonged to none other than Emily Grover. Zach forced a smile onto his lips and turned to face her. She sat at a small round table near the window, waving at him.
He had no choice but to approach. “Emily, what brings you here?”
She smiled sweetly and motioned to the empty chair opposite her. “Please, why don’t you join me?”
“I really don’t have much time. My next meeting—”
“Just a few minutes.”
Reluctantly, he sat down and placed his cup on the table.
“I just wanted to talk to you briefly,” Emily started and leaned across the table, lowering her voice as if she didn’t want to be overheard. “I’ve heard rumors.”
Instinctively, Zach’s pulse kicked up. “Rumors?”
Emily looked around, before she answered, “Is it true that the SEC is investigating you for insider trading?”
Zach stiffened. “Who says that?”
“Listen, Zach. I know you. You’re not the kind of man who needs to enrich himself by doing something illegal.” She put her hand on his forearm. “I’m on your side. Whatever you need, I’ll support you.”
He pulled his arm from her grip and reached for his coffee so it didn’t look like he wanted to avoid her touch. “That’s very nice of you, Emily, but that’s really not necessary. As you said yourself, I don’t need to conduct any illegal business to enrich myself.”
“Then let me help you.”
Was he imagining it or did she lift her eyelashes deliberately every time she looked at him? Or rather, gazed at him adoringly.
Did Emily really think that by offering to help him they would grow closer?
“You and I, together, we could achieve anything,” she added.
It was clear what she meant by that. “Emily, I don’t think that would be a good idea. I respect your opinion as a member of the board and appreciate all that you’re doing for Ivers International. I would hate to see our professional relationship destroyed. You know yourself that neither you nor I have been very lucky when it comes to personal relationships. It would be foolish to risk tainting our relationship by trying to make it into something it is not.”
Particularly when it was evident that he could never be with a self-centered woman like Emily. She didn’t need a man, she needed a lapdog that jumped at her command. And he was no lapdog. His encounters with Rochelle had made it clear that he wasn’t tame. Far from it.
“It’s a shame that’s your opinion. I never thought of you as somebody who threw in the towel so quickly.”
Threw in the towel? Hardly. Because when it came to the right woman, he had no intention of giving up so quickly. No, when it came to the right woman, he’d do anything in his power to get what he wanted. What they both wanted.
“Excuse me, please, Emily, but I’ve gotta go to my meeting,” he lied and rose. Another minute in her presence, and he’d probably say things that weren’t as polite or diplomatic as his explanation from before. And even though he didn’t want Emily to be part of his private life, she owned too many shares in his company to risk pissing her off.
“Have a nice afternoon. I look forward to seeing you at the next board meeting,” he said politely and turned away.
Quickly he marched toward the exit, when something gray caught his attention. He turned his head toward the coffee bar and saw Rochelle, wearing her gray suit, coffee in hand, also walking toward the door.
He caught up to her at the door. “Miss Wright.”
She seemed to hold her breath, before looking over her shoulder. “Oh, Mr. Ivers.”
The surprise on her face was fake. So she had seen him too and tried to get away as quickly as possible. Could he really blame her?
“Going back to the conference room?”
She nodded and headed for the elevator. “Yes, if you’ll excuse me please. I don’t want to keep you.”
But he didn’t allow her to ditch him that easily. “I’ll take the elevator with you.”
She tossed him a forced smile and pressed the button to call for the elevator. When she entered it a moment later, he followed her. He could barely wait until the elevator doors closed and it started ascending. They were alone.
Zach faced her. “Were you trying to avoid me?”
Rochelle tilted her head to the side. “Why would you think that?” She took a sip from her coffee. “I just didn’t want to bother you. You seemed to be busy with that lady.”
A grin tried to steal onto his lips, but he pushed it back. “That was a conversation I was only too happy to escape.”
She lifted an eyebrow in inquiry. “Oh yeah, how come? She looked rather attractive.”
“She is.” He paused on purpose to wait for Rochelle’s reaction.
He didn’t have to wait long for it either. A sucked-in breath told him that she was both surprised as well as disappointed by his answer.
Smiling, he continued, “However, I’m not in the mood to become husband number four. Unfortunately Emily has a hard time interpreting my subtle hints on that matter.”
“Husband number four?” Rochelle shook her head in disbelief. “Then why don’t you tell her straight out that you’re not interested in her? When it comes to other things you’re pretty direct.”
“Ouch. That hurts. So I’m direct?”
She shrugged. “Your interactions with me aren’t quite as diplomatic as your dealings with this Emily.”
Zach leaned in. “If you’re trying to tell me that I’d rather say what I mean, then you’re right. Because I don’t want any misunderstandings between you and me when it comes to what I want from you.”
He couldn’t help but notice how Rochelle eased away from him. She swallowed hard. “Apparently with Emily you’re behaving a lot more subtly.”
“Only because she’s one of my biggest shareholders, and I need her vote. If that weren’t the case, I would have told her long ago that there’ll never be anything between me and her and wouldn’t have left it at some subtle remarks.” Although he’d been a little more direct today.
“Even though she has everything a man wants? Wealth, good looks, and she’s probably part of the right circles.”
Zach moved in closer, decreasing the distance between them. “It seems that way, doesn’t it? But do you know what she doesn’t have?”
Rochelle’s head moved from side to side.
“She doesn’t have the skill to turn me on.” He let his eyes wander over her. “While in your presence I constantly find myself getting hard.”
Rochelle’s mouth opened, and a gasp escaped. “Zach, you shouldn’t talk like that. We can’t…”
“Damn it, Rochelle. Do you think I don’t know that? But it doesn’t change the fact that I desire you just as much now as I did that night in the hotel.”
She avoided his gaze.
“I still want you. And I don’t give a rat’s ass who you work for.”
She shook her head, without looking at him. “I’m risking my job if I’m seen with you. I can’t afford that.”
“Then meet me somewhere private, where nobody will see us.”
She huffed. “Like in that restaurant, where my boss nearly caught us?”
“That was bad luck, an unfortunate coincidence. Next time I’ll be more careful.”
“There won’t be a next time, Zach. Don’t you understand that? My life is complicated enough. My boss is breathing down my neck and my brother needs my help. I can’t afford to lose my job. Perhaps you don’t have to worry about money, but the rest of the population is sitting in a different boat.” Her voice became more agitated with each word.
“Then let me help you.”
“That would only make it worse. Don’t you see that it would look like you’re trying to bribe me if somebody ever found out?” She vehemently shook her head. “I have to solve my problems and Steve’s on my own.”
The elevator came to a stop and a soft ping sounded.
“Then at least let me be the shoulder to lean on.”
“No, that—”
The doors opened and Zach’s gaze instantly fell on one of Rochelle’s colleagues waiting for the elevator.
“Hi Miss Vasquez.” He gestured with his coffee cup. “On your way to the coffee shop?”
“Hi Mr. Ivers. Is the line very long?”
Rochelle’s head whipped in Miss Vasquez’s direction. “Nicole, if I’d known you wanted some coffee, I would have brought you some.”
“No worries, I needed to move a little anyway.”
Zach let Rochelle exit the elevator ahead of him, then held the doors open for Miss Vasquez. “I wish you a good afternoon, ladies.” He nodded at Rochelle. “And, Miss Wright, do you already have an idea how long the investigation will take? Only so I can plan ahead a little.”
A non-committal smile lay on her lips, while she exchanged a look with Miss Vasquez before shrugging. “I’m afraid I can’t say.”
He nodded. “Well, I guess then I don’t have any choice but to wait.”
Rochelle obviously understood what he meant by that, because she turned abruptly and walked toward the conference room, while the elevator doors closed.
He watched Rochelle disappear around a corner. Yes, he could wait, because Rochelle was worth it. But he wouldn’t be idle. No, there were a few things he had to take care of to pave the way for him and Rochelle to be together again.
15
Rochelle sat down on the chair her boss had offered her, while he remained seated behind his desk. Todd Yochum wasn’t unattractive by any stretch of the word. On the contrary: he was good looking and even in his early forties he still looked rather young. During the ten years she’d been working for him at the SEC, she’d noticed that he often had girlfriends who were much younger than he. Apparently he considered himself to be a desirable bachelor. But in her eyes, he wasn’t. Because she knew him better.
She knew of his temper tantrums, the rage he often unleash on others, and she’d seen that he lacked ethics, though he expected his employees to adhere to the rules. Unfortunately, those same rules didn’t seem to apply to him. She had a hard time respecting such a man. She hated people who applied one set of standards to themselves and another set to others.
Yochum steepled his fingers and hummed against them. His eyebrows snapped together, while he studied her.
“Do you know why I asked you to see me, Rochelle?”
She shifted on her chair, ill at ease. “I’m assuming you want to be brought up to speed on the Ivers International case?”
“I’m already up to speed on it. I read your daily reports.” He motioned to the computer monitor on his desk. “Nothing! Absolutely nothing!” He bent over his desk. “How do you expect me to prosecute Ivers? You’ve gotta give me something to work with.”
“But my team and I haven’t found anything so far.”
“Is that so? You normally don’t come to me with empty hands. Have you lost your touch? Normally, you find out if somebody has skeletons in the closet. Or am I wrong about you?” He lifted his chin in a show of superiority.
She felt her chest rise and tried to calm herself down. “Maybe Mr. Ivers has nothing to hide.”
Clearly surprised, Yochum leaned back a fraction. “What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said. Nicole, Antonio, and I have been going through all his files for days now. We can’t find any evidence that he was involved in these trades.”
“That’s impossible.”
“We’ve checked all his accounts. And Mr. Ivers gave us access to all his online data.” And they’d found nothing. More and more she started to believe that the tip the SEC had received was bogus. Zach didn’t behave as if he was guilty, nor had they been able to find evidence of such guilt. “He’s clean.”
Yochum jumped up from his chair. “You wouldn’t by any chance be succumbing to Ivers’ well-documented charm, would you?” He narrowed his eyes and glared at her. “You wouldn’t be the first.”
Rochelle jumped up, outraged. “What are you trying to accuse me of?” With trembling hands she straightened her skirt. “I do my job without letting anybody influence me. I’m working according to the rules.”
Her boss walked around the desk. “Sometimes you have to bend the rules a little to get what you want.”
Automatically, she took a step back and felt the back of her knees press against the chair, preventing her from avoiding her hotheaded boss. Now he stood in front of her, entirely too close.
“The department needs a win. We have to give the public a conviction. After the way the last case went, we can’t afford to fail. Everybody’s watching us.”
She nodded automatically. The evidence they’d had for the last case had been picked apart by the defendant’s attorney and he’d been acquitted as a result of it. The SEC had been publicly embarrassed. “I understand, but I can’t find something that doesn’t exist.”
“It has to exist,” he insisted. “He’s just hidden it too well. Somewhere there is proof that he’s the one behind those trades. And you’re going to find that proof.”
“And how do you expect me to do that?”
“Put him under pressure.” Yochum huffed. “You always have your methods when you want something… or don’t want something.”
His words were like a slap in the face.
His annoyed gaze only underscored his statement. He still held it against her that she’d never given into his attempts to get her into bed.
Her hands curled into fists in order to resist the urge to slap him. The only reason she hadn’t filed a sexual harassment complaint against him was because Yochum had the power to destroy her career. One word and he’d drag out an old case and make it look like she’d acted against the rules in order to get a conviction. In fact, it had been Yochum himself who’d forced her to ignore the law to get sufficient evidence against the suspect. And then it would be his word against hers.
“Unless you’ve changed your mind. Then maybe I’ll be more lenient.”
She felt bile rise at the thought of Yoch
um touching her. She would never stoop that low. This man made her sick to her stomach.
She had no choice. If she didn’t want to lose her job then she had to deliver Zach Ivers, because the other alternative was out of the question.
And as much as it hurt her to bring in the heavy artillery against a man whom by now she believed to be innocent, and whom she desired beyond all reason, she had to do it.
She’d just this week emptied not only her savings account, but also tapped into her retirement fund to help her brother out of his predicament. If she lost her job now, she wouldn’t be able to stay afloat for even a month. She needed this job.
“If there is evidence of his guilt, you’ll have it on your desk in a few days.”
Yochum nodded. “Then we understand each other.”
Rochelle turned on her heel and rushed out of Yochum’s office. When the door fell shut behind her, she sucked in a breath of air.
She suddenly knew exactly how she could force Zach’s hand so he would reveal what he was hiding—if he was hiding something. But she also knew that doing so would deepen the rift between them and draw Zach’s rage onto her.
16
“Send Miss Wright into my office. Right away!” Zach ordered his assistant and slammed the receiver back on the phone.
He was fuming and could barely keep himself in check. Bad enough that the investigation was dragging on over a week already, but now the SEC had gone too far. What they were doing now was an infringement on his rights and his ability to run his business. He couldn’t let anybody get away with this. Not even Rochelle.
A knock at the door made him bark, “Come!”
The door opened.
“Mr. Ivers?” he heard Rochelle ask. “You wanted to see me?”
“Come in, Miss Wright,” he ground out from between clenched teeth. “And please close the door behind you.”
When he heard that she’d followed his command, he turned to her and glared at her furiously, every ounce of friendliness drained from his voice. “What the fuck were you thinking?”