Dedicated

by Clara Jenkins

  THE END

  Bonus Short Stories

  20 Stories

  Please see the next page to start the bonus. Enjoy!

  Bonus 1 of 20

  On the Clock

  Description

  Tyler Anderson is a cutthroat business man in Los Angeles and does whatever he has to do in order to stay in power, even if it means screwing over people who care for him. Karen Landers is his personal assistant who has been occupying his naughtiest dreams as of late. These two partake in a steamy, secret office romance that turns out not to be so secret. Soon, an old enemy will find her and use her to his advantage, putting her in danger of being killed over their battle for money and in danger of falling in love with the wrong man.

  Chapter 1

  Tyler Anderson stared out his floor to ceiling office windows and smiled. All was well in his world. He had just acquired a new company. Tyler had stolen it right out from under the nose of Nick Malone, the head of a nefarious group that caused most men to quake with fear. Tyler wasn’t afraid. Power was easy to come by and just as easy to lose. Nick would lose his company and Tyler would be waiting to grab it. Besides, he knew Nick from long ago. They were once college buddies. Nick was still in the mob mentality, whereas Tyler had grown up and gone legit. Their differences in business dealings caused their friendship to explode. Former friends were now enemies.

  The office door opened and Tyler turned to see his personal assistant, Karen Landers. Tyler suppressed a moan. Karen was gorgeous, smart and fun in bed. Tyler knew firsthand. He and Karen were secret lovers. They never allowed their relationship to show at the office. It was bad for business morale and could be used against Tyler in his business dealings. Karen tossed back her long blonde hair, winked one blue eye, and handed Tyler a stack of papers. She announced, “Your next client has arrived. He seems to be in a big hurry.”

  Tyler sighed and replied, “I’m ready. Send him on in.”

  Karen turned to leave, but stopped at the door to say, “Too bad. I was hoping he could stay in the waiting area a little longer. The man is definitely hot.” She laughed at the expression on Tyler’s face. She enjoyed teasing him about other men. It kept him interested and uncertain.

  The man who entered the office was indeed hot. His dark blonde hair and blue eyes complimented his chiseled features, and his muscles caused his dress shirt to pull tightly over his chest. He held out a powerful hand to Tyler for shaking and announced, “I’m Caleb Rogers and I’m here to make you the offer of a lifetime.”

  Tyler was instantly intrigued. He was already rich, powerful, great looking and on top of his game. What could Caleb possibly have to offer him? He invited Caleb to sit and explain. Who knew? Maybe there was more money and power to be had. It couldn’t hurt to listen.

  Caleb started with, “I hear you just pulled off the deal of the century. Outsmarting Nick Malone is almost impossible and has the potential to be deadly. I guess that makes you smart and courageous. I could use a partner like you.”

  Tyler swept his hand through his dark brown hair and narrowed his green eyes before replying, “I don’t know what you think you heard, but I admit I’m doing quite well with my business. I don’t work with partners. I had one once and that didn’t go well. So I guess this meeting’s over. Show yourself out.”

  Caleb was not to be deterred. Tyler acted tough, but Caleb was tougher. He looked Tyler straight in the eye and stated, “You need me. You want to take down Nick. I can make that happen. Call me when you come to your senses.” Caleb walked out and slammed the door.

  Tyler looked thoughtful for a minute, then booted up his computer. He used his illegal software to start an extensive search on Caleb Rogers and his businesses. While the computer worked its magic, Tyler made some phone calls to his informants. There was a leak somewhere in his company or Caleb couldn’t have heard about the takeover so quickly.

  Caleb stepped outside the building and hailed a cab. He was both angry and elated. He had pulled it off. Tyler hadn’t recognized him. All the plastic surgery, hair dye and body building had paid off. Nick Malone had stayed out of sight for two years and had now emerged as Caleb Rogers. He had lost another business to Tyler, but that was okay. Caleb would get it back, along with everything Tyler had. It was payback time. He just needed Tyler to take the bait. Caleb intended to play dirty and use Karen against Tyler if necessary. They believed their affair was a secret. That was laughable. Nothing was a secret in Caleb’s world. He had spies everywhere. Information was the key to success and Caleb intended to succeed over and above anyone’s dreams.

  Karen left the building only minutes after Caleb. It was time to get ready for a night with Tyler. The small apartment where they met was just five blocks away. Karen usually walked there. She often stopped to pick up wine, flowers and food on the way. Karen brought the necessities and Tyler brought the fun. Nights spent in Tyler’s arms were ecstasy. He never made statements of love, but Karen was hopeful. She had never cheated on him and she liked to believe that he hadn’t cheated on her either. For now, Karen bided her time. If Tyler wanted to keep her, he would have to make a move soon. She was getting restless and felt a little used. Marriage to Tyler was her goal. Karen was doing everything she could to plant that thought in his mind. Surely the thong and half-bra combo she was wearing under her conservative suit would be an incentive. If not, she had a few more tricks up her sleeve.

  Tyler sent the search results on Caleb to a thumb drive. He would study the information in depth at a later time. Tonight was date night with Karen. Tyler was already hard just thinking about her. He was thinking a lot about taking his relationship with Karen to a deeper level. He hadn’t decided whether what he felt for her was love or lust yet. Tyler gave himself a few more weeks to figure it out. He had too many business issues to contend with. For now, he looked forward to an evening of mindless sex with Karen.

  Chapter 2

  Caleb was ready for the extensive search that he knew Tyler would run. He made sure all bases were covered. There were birth records, school records, college degrees and business deals—all faked—for Tyler to discover. Caleb had even put in fake marriage and divorce certificates along with death notices for his parents. He knew from experience that Tyler would search every corner of the world for information on him. If Caleb were in Tyler’s shoes, he would do the same.

  Caleb’s throwaway phone rang. It was the tail he had put on Tyler. Caleb answered with a terse, “Tell me.” The informant assured him that Tyler was indeed at his little love nest with Karen. Caleb’s next move was to call his inside man at Tyler’s company. He ordered, “Copy every file you can find. I need information to convince Tyler that he needs me. I also want to know how to cause havoc with his business deals and bank accounts. Send everything that you find to the encrypted account.”

  Caleb wanted and needed to be indispensable to Tyler. His plan to take over all of Tyler’s assets depended on it. Caleb hated research. It was time consuming. He was ready to destroy Tyler now. After all, Caleb had been waiting for years. His mentor always said that the best things came to those who wait. So, Caleb was waiting.

  Karen was the subject of many fantasies and dreams before Tyler took a chance on making the affair a reality. Her long blonde hair, big blue eyes, and luscious body were some of the reasons he had hired Karen over more qualified applicants. To Tyler’s surprise and delight, she turned out to be extremely intelligent and efficient as well as hot. Karen was still in college, working on a business degree. By the time she graduated, Karen would be a force to contend with. Theirs could be a twofold partnership unless she betrayed him. If that happened, she would go down just like Nick.

  Karen stepped out of the bathroom wearing absolutely nothing. Her hair was still wet from the shower. Oddly enough, though Tyler wanted round two of sex, he wanted Karen’s opinion more. He asked, “Besides the fact that you found Caleb hot, what other impression did you get? Did you think he was intelligent and truthful or did your instinct sa
y something else?”

  Karen was careful to find the right words before she replied, “He appeared intelligent and capable. I’m not so sure about truthful. My instincts say he had ulterior motives and was hiding something important from you. But as long as you are aware of that, I’m sure you could use him to your advantage.” Karen loved it when Tyler asked for her insight on someone. It proved that he respected her and she wasn’t just a good roll in the hay.

  Caleb’s inside man carefully entered the alarm code to the top floor. That number had proven almost impossible to get. The stolen key card to Tyler’s office had been a little easier. The cleaning service had lost one maid and the intruder’s gun was down one bullet. He plugged in the jump drive that held software he had programmed himself. It would circumvent any passwords or protection on the computer and allow everything to be extracted. It only took a few minutes and the intruder silently left the building. An hour later Caleb was retrieving all the data from the encrypted account.

  Tyler plugged the thumb drive into his laptop. While he drank his second cup of coffee, he checked out the search results on Caleb. Nothing stood out as alarming. In fact, everything looked too perfect. No one in the takeover game was that squeaky clean. There should be at least a few lawsuits or payoffs. Tyler sensed a fake profile. He was fine with that. He had one too. It wasn’t a deal breaker, just a red flag. Tyler had ties with many people who could dig into Caleb’s background and discover the truth. Until the answers came he would just remain cautious. Tyler picked up his cell phone and made his first call. “It’s me. I need you to dig into the fake profile of Caleb Rogers and rip it apart. I want to know the real man. Check out every business deal he claims to have made. Research his supposedly deceased parents and the ex-wife. Leave nothing to the imagination. Be fast.” Tyler hung up and sat back to enjoy his breakfast.

  Caleb was frustrated. There were hundreds of pages of information from Tyler’s computer in the encrypted account. Very little was relevant to the business. There were a few small acquisitions and unimpressive bank accounts, but nothing that could be used to destroy Tyler. Apparently Tyler’s real computer wasn’t in the office. The maid had died for nothing and Caleb had risked the discovery of his inside man. Where was the real information kept? Caleb needed to get closer to Tyler in order to find out. It seemed that Tyler had grown more devious and careful over the years. That was okay. Caleb liked a challenge. He would start with the unimpressive bank accounts and cause a little aggravation in Tyler’s life.

  Karen arrived at the office building shortly before Tyler. She was surprised to discover that the alarm code to the top floor was disabled. She knew not to touch it. Instead she called the building security and Tyler. The security team came immediately. They pulled all the security camera recordings, but several minutes were missing. Of course, they were the necessary ones. Tyler was going to be furious. His security team was the best. No one from outside could have done this. It had to be an inside job. Tyler’s company had a mole.

  Chapter 3

  Tyler was indeed furious. He was ready to fire everyone. No one was allowed to betray him without severe consequences. The keypad for the elevator code showed no fingerprints except his and Karen’s. The intruder had been smart enough to wear gloves. Thank goodness for fail safes. The intruder had been unable to cover his tracks completely because the code to lock the elevator was completely different from the unlock code. Tyler went to his office with the security team to figure out what the intruder had taken. When he opened his computer the screen flashed a warning that spy software had been used to extract information. Tyler laughed. The intruder couldn’t have gotten much. This computer contained the bare minimum of business information. It only served as a search engine for small accounts. His real computer was in a secret room, behind steel doors. Even Karen wasn’t aware that it existed.

  The security team found nothing else out of place. Tyler insisted on checking out the computer himself. Everything had been copied. The two small bank accounts were empty now and one business showed it was subject to a search and seizure order. Nothing would be found. That building had been emptied two days after Tyler bought the company. It was set to be torn down within a week, making room for a neighborhood playground near Tyler’s childhood home.

  As for the bank accounts, Tyler closed them and started new ones. He ordered new debit cards for Karen. Those accounts were for her use. She bought their wine, flowers and her sexy lingerie with them.

  The office phone rang. It was security. The building monitor showed that Tyler’s office door had been opened with the maid’s keycard. Tyler glanced around. The trash hadn’t been emptied and the bathroom wasn’t cleaned. He told security, “Call the police. Something happened to the maid. She wasn’t here. Someone took her keycard. Search the building. She could be tied up or hurt.” Tyler then called in Karen asking, “Please call the maid service. Find out if our maid showed up for work today. Tell them that there was a break in and the maid could be hurt.”

  Karen was upset. The maid was a sweet older woman, with several grandchildren. She hated the thought that someone could have harmed her. She quickly called the maid service saying, “This is Karen Landers from the corporate offices of Tyler Anderson. Our office was broken into last night using the maid’s keycard. We are worried that she could have been harmed. Did she come to work this morning?”

  The maid service replied, “No, she hasn’t shown up. She is never late. We called her home and cell phone, but there was no answer. We were about to call her son.”

  Karen explained that they had already called the police. She agreed that the maid’s son should be called too. There was always the possibility that the woman was just ill and staying with family.

  The police arrived and questioned everyone in the building. They searched the entire premises, gathered fingerprints, and looked for blood stains. They finally found evidence of blood in the parking garage. There was only a drop, but it would be enough to match the maid’s medical records.

  Tyler questioned every employee himself. There was a traitor in their midst. They had also probably committed murder. Most of Tyler’s employees had been with him for years. He dismissed each of them after only a few questions. His newest employee was a different matter. The man worked in computer maintenance. He knew more than enough to get the information off Tyler’s computer. He looked mean enough to kill an old lady and he had been hired without Tyler’s approval.

  Tyler asked, “How did you manage to get hired without your credentials coming through my office? I screen every applicant.”

  The computer tech answered, “I was told that you had seen my resume and approved me. The complete background check and drug tests were skipped because you wanted the position filled immediately.”

  Tyler held back his disdain as he replied, “That’s not even remotely possible. I would never allow anyone access to this building without a deep background check and a comprehensive drug test. I have more than enough employees to cover any position so that there is never a hurry to fill a spot. Besides, the company records indicate that there was a background check and drug test. You supposedly passed both with flying colors. The fact that you just admitted to having neither proves they were faked. Who do you work for? What information were you searching for last night? Most importantly, what happened to the maid?”

  The computer tech was sweating profusely as he answered, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Yesterday I left early. My son had a baseball game.”

  Tyler’s anger soared. He hated liars. Tyler gritted his teeth and said, “Your profile clearly states that you are unmarried and have no children. Didn’t you take the time to read the false information your boss provided us with? I’m not sure who the bigger fool is, you or the man who trusted you with this job. You better be glad that I’m turning you over to the police instead of questioning you further myself. Their way of questioning will be considerately less painful than mine.” Tyler buzzed Karen and s
he sent in the policeman to arrest the tech.

  Tyler’s head was pounding. He grabbed a bottle of aspirin and tossed down two with a shot of whiskey from his office bar. He figured that this infiltrator was the least of his problems. More trouble was coming. He felt it. He would be prepared. He had to be.

  Chapter 4

  Karen knew Tyler needed a break from his concerns after such an awful day. She made reservations at a hotel in Las Vegas. Tyler’s plane was ready and waiting at the airport. Champagne and strawberries were on board for their consumption and maybe a little fun. She took Tyler by the hand, locked the office, and led him to her car. She was all set to pamper him.

  As the plane ascended into the night sky, Karen climbed onto Tyler’s lap. They were both nude and ready. Karen straddled Tyler and eased herself down onto his erect penis. He took her firm breast into his mouth and sucked deeply, rolling her nipple with his hot tongue. Karen threw her head back in ecstasy as she moved up and down. Tyler grabbed her hips to push deeper inside and move her faster. It still wasn’t enough for them. Tyler slid to the floor with Karen on the bottom. He urged her to wrap her long legs around his waist and pushed himself to her core. Karen reached down and squeezed Tyler’s tight buttocks as she screamed out a powerful climax. Tyler continued to pound until she climaxed a second time. He then exploded into her waiting body. Damn, Karen was good at taking his mind off of work. It was Tyler’s turn to pay her back. He slipped down her body until his tongue reached her center and licked her to another screaming climax.

  The plane landed in Vegas and a limo was waiting. Tyler and Karen gambled, ate and drank the night away. Sleeping was for old people. Their phones were off and they enjoyed the freedom of not hiding their relationship. A new day and reality came soon enough.