“Fine. All I can tell you right now is we’re pretty sure she’s the mole. We think she’s feeding Taylor and his associate’s information about the operation. She can’t find out you’re working for us. She already suspects you are.” Irritation is the only emotion I hear when he first starts to speak. By the time he’s finished all I hear is defeat.
“Thank you. I know that was hard for you, sharing information which you think might compromise the assignment. I promise, Montgomery, I won’t let you down.”
I hang up because there is nothing left to say. I have the information I need to start my day and he needs to go have a beer or do something to calm down.
It’s getting close to the end of the work day when I hear my office door open. I’m about to turn around when I smell him. There is no mistaking who just walked into my office. I shouldn’t be able to tell it’s him, but I would be lying to myself, and everyone else, if I didn’t admit his amazing smell is hard to forget.
I continue organizing the binders on my shelf. Alphabetically. Yes, this is what I’ve spent my day doing. At one point, I was reading through a few of them. There is a file on every client. I will have to read them all, eventually. Not just so I’m prepared when they call, but so I can report back to Montgomery regarding who Taylor’s clients are and who I think we might need to dig deeper on.
“Nice legs,” he says. His voice is deep, raspy, and causes me to shiver from head to toe. It’s happened before I even have time to think about controlling it.
I turn and smile at him, trying to look shocked to see him. I’m not. Not after the call I had with Montgomery this morning. I knew he would be back here sooner than planned. I just didn’t think it would be today. It’s a good thing I wasn’t in his office just now.
“Hi. You’re back early, Mr. Taylor.” I try to sound as professional as possible, ignoring his comment about my legs, but my voice cracks, giving away exactly how much of an effect he has on me.
“I am. What are you doing right now?” I’m guessing he doesn’t want to talk about how his trip went.
I humor him. “I’m organizing the client binders. What are you doing here? I figured you would need time to unwind after your trip. Did you come straight here?”
“I did. I thought we could go shopping tonight since I arrived back earlier than planned. Do you have plans?”
“No, actually I don’t. Give me a few minutes to finish this up and then we can go if you like.” I turn so my back is to him, ending our conversation. I need to try and keep things strictly business right now. My body is humming from the sound of his voice and my brain is going cloudy. I need to get things back in perspective.
I hear my office door close, but when I turn around I see Taylor is still standing inside the door. He removes his suit coat and loosens his tie, never taking his eyes off of me. My eyes begin to wander, wondering just how much he’s going to be taking off.
Now, he’s unbuttoning his vest. I’m watching his hands, transfixed. Each button has me taking a deep breath in and slowly letting it out. He tosses it on top of his coat which is draped over the arm of the couch. He’s also moving closer to where I’m standing. I can’t look up at him and make eye contact. I’m focused on his hands.
He places one hand under my chin and lifts my eyes to his. They’re dark and stormy. Either I have pissed him off or turned him on. I’m hoping for the latter. I’m hoping I’m affecting him the way he’s affecting me. That would be safer for me right now.
“I think,” he starts, as his eyes take me in, “we should grab a bite to eat and then we can shop.” I nod, causing his hand to release my jaw. I can’t take my eyes off of his. I can’t look away, even though I know I should. I know how dangerous he is, how scared of him I should be, but I can’t make myself feel anything for him except lust.
“Sure,” I manage to squeak out.
He takes the binder I’m still holding out of my hand, lays it gently on my desk, and laces our fingers together. “Let’s go then.”
I hear the excitement in his voice and I feel it radiating off of him. My heart is beating loudly, drowning out all rational thinking, as I allow him to pull me out of my office, down the hallway and into the waiting elevator. He spins me around and pulls me gently into his arms as we enter the elevator.
I almost close my eyes and relax into his embrace when I feel a set of eyes on me. I look up to find Jessica staring directly at us with a look of pure hatred in her eyes, directed towards me. I grin at her, deviously, as the elevator door close. Take that!
“That wasn’t very nice. You want her on your side.” Taylor whispers in my ear as he trails kisses down my neck.
I pull out of his embrace and turn to face him. As if all my senses kick in at once, I know how I’m going to get him. I instantly know how to bring him down and Jessica is going to be the one to do it.
I smile at him and brace myself. He’s not going to like this. He’s going to try and fight me on it. I can see it coming. It has to be done.
“I have something I want to say and I need for you to listen, without interrupting if possible, so I can get it all out. Can you do that for me?” He looks confused. He reaches his hand out to take mine as he nods his head, but I take a step back. Now he looks beyond confused.
“I know I need her on my side. She works hard and keeps things running. I also know the reason my office looks like it does and the reason she was glaring at me is because she wants you. I’m standing in her way in her eyes and she’s going to make my life a living hell until she gets what she wants. In fact, I think she’s going to make my life a living hell regardless of whether or not you and I become something more. She doesn’t trust me, she doesn’t want me here and she’s made it well known.” The elevator dings, announcing our arrival in the parking garage. I turn and begin walking to my car when I realize I didn’t grab my purse.
“I don’t have my keys or anything,” I say as I stop mid-stride. “I need to go back upstairs.”
“No. We can come back for them.” His tone is demanding. He grabs my hand before I can step away from him and walks us towards his car. “We need to finish this conversation because there are things I want to say once you are finished.”
“Fine. So, she wants you and can’t have you. She thinks she can’t because of me and if that’s the case then we are never going to be able to work well together. I think it would be a good idea to not be together at work. To be honest, it’s unprofessional and the only person they are going to be looking down on is me. I don’t want everyone to think the reason I got this job was because you want to bang me. That’s not fair to me. I am more than qualified for this position. Plus…”
“Stop.”
The tone of his voice not only causes me to stop talking but also to stop walking. It was not a suggestion. It was a demand and my body responded to his voice instantly. He softly tugs my hand but says nothing until we are both inside his car and he’s pulling out of the parking garage.
“I know where you are going with this conversation and I don’t want you to go there. Yes, I agree things may look a certain way if we are seen as being together. I also agree Jessica may be acting a certain way because of some feelings she may have for me. What I don’t agree with is that we should hide our relationship. I have no intentions of flaunting it in front of people, especially at work, but I also have no intention of hiding it from anyone.” He pauses and checks to make sure it’s safe to merge onto the highway. I’m not sure where we’re headed, but it looks like we’re headed out of town.
“So, no, I will not pretend to not be involved with you while we are at work. I will always act professional and treat you with respect because you deserve it, but I will not be one person to you during the day and a different person to you at night.”
I wait a few beats to make sure he’s done. He seems to be paying complete attention to the road now, except for his right hand which is gently caressing my knuckles. I need to reel him in, but I need to do it care
fully. I need for him to agree to my terms.
I watch as downtown Seattle disappears out my window. I want to speak, but I’m scared. I have no idea where we’re headed. I have no idea what he has planned. I was under the impression we were going to get food and then shop. There were plenty of places to eat in downtown and plenty of places to shop.
“Does my opinion on the situation matter at all?” I ask softly. I know he heard me because he stopped caressing my hand.
“Of course it matters. I just don’t think that it’s fair to either of us to hide how we feel about each other. I don’t think we should have to, and not just because of Jessica. I will talk to her. She’ll come around.”
This is working out better than I planned. He cares what I think. I get a say, an opinion on how this is going to play out. I need that. I need for him to let me have some control of the situation. Now, let’s see if I can hook him, get him to talk.
“What if she doesn’t come around?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. If she needs to be relieved of her duties then I’ll handle it.”
The way he said it made my stomach turn. I think Montgomery might be on to something. If Jessica has turned, if she’s the mole, then Taylor wouldn’t take her out. Would he?
He pulls up in front of a restaurant just as I’m about to speak. When he looks over at me, I shiver. His stare penetrates me in a way I can’t even begin to explain. It’s like he’s peering deep into my soul.
“Why don’t we eat and then we can talk some more? I just want to enjoy this time with you right now. We can figure everything else out later.” There’s a hint of pleading in his voice, but he’s not one to beg so he’s trying to hide it.
I nod before breaking eye contact with him. If the saying is true, that the eyes are the window to the soul, I can’t let him stare into mine for too long. I don’t want him to figure out the things I’m hiding from him. My life depends on him never knowing.
After dinner, we head back downtown to shop for office furniture. I pick the first few things which appeal to me so we can head back to the office. I need my phone and I need to check in with Montgomery. He’s going to go apeshit if he doesn’t hear from me, especially after our phone conversation this morning.
Luckily, Taylor’s phone starts to ring as we pull into the parking garage. I try to listen in the best I can, but his replies are all one-word answers. Once I realize I’m not going to get anything from his conversation, I slide out of the car and head up to get my things.
As soon as I’m inside my office I grab my purse and head into the bathroom. I scan the area to make sure there are no cameras before quickly typing out a text to Montgomery, telling him I’ll call him later. I immediately delete the text and wash my hands.
I open the door to find Taylor leaning against the wall, waiting for me with a devious grin on his face.
“Hey. I figured I would give you some privacy. Plus, I had to grab my purse and use the ladies’ room,” I say, gesturing behind me towards the door I just came out of.
“Are you ready to go?” His tone, the way his body is slowly moving towards me, like a predator stalking their prey, is unnerving. My body isn’t having its normal reaction to him.
“Actually, I was going to go home and relax. Maybe drink a glass of wine or two. It’s been a little stressful around here the past couple of days.” I turn to walk towards the elevator, needing to put space between us. “I’ll see you bright and early, Mr. Taylor.”
I smile at him over my shoulder and shoot him a wink. I don’t want him to know he scared me. I want him to think I’m playing hard to get, just a little.
As soon as I’m in my car and out of the parking garage, I dial Montgomery. His phone goes straight to voicemail and I have to wonder if everything is all right. I contemplate calling the office, checking in with them, but I don’t want to set off any alarms unnecessarily. The last thing I need is Montgomery blowing up my phone, yelling at me because I caused people to freak out and worry about him.
Taylor
She’s asking a lot of questions. Is it because she’s observant or is Jessica on to something? Maybe I’m noticing these things because Jessica planted the idea in my head that Maggie’s working for the agency. That’s probably it. Just to be safe, though, I had cameras installed at her apartment building, inside and out. Now I’ll be able to watch her closely at home the same way I can at work.
The next step is to figure out how to get at least one camera inside her apartment. Branch seems to think we should wait until we have a reason to attempt that. I agree, but I’m impatient. She just left me ten minutes ago, standing outside the women’s room, with a lame excuse about needing to relax. And all I can think about is seeing her again.
I’m shit up a creek without a paddle.
This girl is under my skin so deep I’m not sure she’ll ever be able to find her way out. I’m not sure I want her to try. Unless Jessica is onto something. I’m going to have her dig a little deeper. Now to figure out how to do that without giving her the wrong impression. I wouldn’t be in this position if Branch had kept his mouth shut for a change.
I dial his number and wait for him to pick up. Two rings and there’s no answer. I hang up and dial again. I don’t care what he’s doing right now or who he’s with. This shit is more important. This is about our livelihood. This is about surviving.
“Yeah,” he yells into the phone. I can tell he’s drunk, but it doesn’t matter. The good thing about Branch is he could fix shit like this in his sleep. Being drunk seems to enhance his skills.
“Branch, it’s Taylor. I need you to meet me at the office in half an hour.” I don’t bother to wait for his response. I’m sure it’s a string of curse words which I’ve heard before.
While I wait for Branch I let myself into Maggie’s office and start looking around. Nothing looks out of the ordinary. She hasn’t personalized anything yet. It looks like the only thing she’s really accomplished is to organize the client files…alphabetically? There has to be a good reason for that.
I pick up the one I left on her desk earlier and find its place on the shelf. How appropriate. McMann Securities. Maybe I should hold on to that one. I wouldn’t want her digging too deep into their file. She might find something worth sharing with the wrong person.
I hold onto the binder and return to my office. I turn on the security feeds from earlier that day and run through them. Nothing looks out of the ordinary. Everyone is accounted for. No glitches that I can see. However, it’s not my specialty. That’s what I need Branch for. He can spot the slightest imperfection in the feed.
He walks in and plops down on the couch just as I’m booting up the feed from yesterday. His disheveled appearance leads me to believe I interrupted more than just a night on the town for a few beers. No sooner has that thought crossed my mind when I get a whiff of the perfume he’s practically doused in.
“Sorry to interrupt your night. I need you to look at this and figure out what happened to the feed and then you can go back to whatever you were doing.” I don’t bother to look up at him and he doesn’t bother to say anything.
I turn the screen for him to view it from where he’s sitting. I play it once and then again. He looks confused for a second so I play it a third time. His back goes straight and he motions for the remote so I toss it to him. I watch as he plays it over and over again, moving forward and then rewinding.
He starts changing cameras and playing the feeds during the same time frame. More than ten minutes pass before he says anything. He turns off the monitor before tossing the remote on the table, then runs his hands through his hair.
“We got tapped.”
“What do you mean? I thought our system was invisible. I thought you set it up so no one even knew it existed. How can someone tap into a system which doesn’t exist?”
“I have no idea. I hate to say it, but it may have been an inside job.”
I immediately know he’s referring to Maggi
e and my blood begins to boil. Not only because he’s accusing her of something that I don’t think she did, but because there may be a chance he’s right.
“You’re referring to Maggie, but I think you’re wrong. I want you to review all the tapes for the past month and see if this has happened before. I also want you to figure out which cameras were affected and where those people were when the feed was interrupted. Then I want you to replace those cameras and upgrade the security on the system. I don’t care how long this takes, Branch. I want this done immediately.” I take a look at his appearance again and realize it might be best to at least wait until the morning. “I want you to start on this tomorrow morning.”
He nods and breathes a sigh of relief. I watch as he walks out of my office, defeated. The system is his baby. He created it and it pisses him off more than me that someone was able to hack their way in.
When I need information I call my private investigator. I run my fingers through my hair as I place the call, unsure of what I want him to find. I’ve only used him to gather information on Court in the past and I realize about halfway through our conversation that I really don’t care about finding her anymore. She’s part of my past and I need to start looking to the future.
Thoughts of Maggie creep into my head. Is she my future? Could she be? I want her to be, I know that much. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a woman: smart, funny, sexy. I asked my PI to run a check on her and wait impatiently for the callback. It doesn’t take long. He doesn’t find anything new on her, but it doesn’t matter. I already know what I need to know. No one has that clean of a past. She has to be working for them, but there may be a small chance I can break her, change her mind about me. If she truly cares about me, it’s worth the risk.
The Secrets Duet Page 25