A Covert Conquest

by Ravenna Tate

  He sounded like he’d had enough coffee for ten people already. “I’ve had both, but thanks for offering.”

  She followed him through an apartment that was decorated in warm tones. It looked and smelled ridiculously expensive, and she swore it was as large as the entire building in which she lived. There were at least two floors because she spied a staircase.

  “My home office is this way.”

  He led her into a room with three walls of windows. The fourth wall was glass, and when she peered into the room beyond it, she realized there was a swimming pool inside. “That’s a nice touch. You get tired of working, you can go for a quick swim.”

  He chuckled. “I do enjoy it, although I don’t work from home very often.”

  “What’s next to the pool room?”

  “It’s surrounded on three sides by windows. The glass is special, though. I can see out but no one can see in, even when the lights are on inside that room.” He walked over to the doors and opened them. Rissa followed him inside. Once they were in the room, she was able to see out the windows.

  “I’m told it’s because I have glass reflecting on this special glass. Being in the office blocks the view out these windows. You have to step inside the room to see it.”

  “It’s breathtaking.” The entire room was decorated to look like the beach on the Gulf of Mexico. “And it makes me homesick.”

  “I know, but that’s why I had it done this way. I wanted to be reminded of home so I never forget what I’m doing here.”

  She gazed into his handsome face and smiled. “I have to say I never realized how passionate you all were about what you were doing. I mean I knew you were looking for the hackers, but I didn’t realize the depths of your interest in it.”

  “Our businesses ensure we can do this. Look this hard, and spend this much money on staff to help us do so.”

  “I see that now.”

  He led her back into the office, and she glanced out the windows. One wall of them overlooked the fake river. She walked over and gazed at the water, sparkling like diamonds in the fake sun. It might not be a real river in the sense that a computer controlled the water flow so it appeared to be moving, but it was very pretty.

  “It will never be the real thing, will it?”

  She nearly gasped at the sound of his soft, sexy voice directly behind her. She caught the subtle scent of his shampoo, and it sent tiny jolts of electricity racing through her body as she imagined being naked in a shower with him. “The river or the skyline?”

  “Both.”

  “No, they won’t.”

  “Then let’s find these bastards so we can return to the real thing.”

  She turned to face him. They were inches apart. She’d never been this physically close to him before. She could practically count his eyelashes. His very long eyelashes. “I was thinking about that on the way here. I mean, what are you all going to do with the hackers once you find them? How will you force them to give you the code, or deactivate the virus?”

  His grin sent a gush of wetness to her pussy. How was she going to get any work done when she couldn’t be in the same room with him without wanting to fuck him into next week?

  “That’s why I knew you were right for this project. You think ahead, like we all do. We have discussed that very subject many times, but you might not like the solution.”

  A shiver ran down her spine. These men had conspired to steal a laptop and make it appear like a common burglary. What else were they capable of?

  “Tell me anyway because now my curiosity is piqued.”

  He brushed a stray lock of hair off her face. The gesture caught her off guard, and she had to bite back a moan at his touch. “You know what they say about curiosity.”

  She shook her head because her voice seemed to have disappeared.

  “It killed the cat.”

  “What cat?”

  He chuckled softly. “It’s an expression. An old one. Cats are so curious they get themselves into trouble at times because of it.”

  “Meow.”

  His hearty laugh made her want to kiss him, right then and there. “All right, kitty cat. To answer your questions, let’s just say we’re going to show the hackers a bit of old-fashioned Texas justice before we let our friends at HSC know we’ve found them, and leave it at that.”

  She smiled. “I love it. You all have the power, and you’re not afraid to use it.”

  His eyebrows lifted. “That doesn’t bother you? That we would leverage that power to get what we want?”

  “Hell no. These people ruined it for everyone. They did it to themselves, too, and I realize that, but look at this place. From what I’ve heard, all the cities are like this. No rain, no wind, no snow, and no changing seasons. How long will it be before we forget what it was like up there?”

  His expression turned dark. “Exactly. Think of all the kids born underground. They’ll never know anything but this. I don’t know if I’ll ever be lucky enough to be blessed with children, but if I am, this is not how I want them to live.”

  “I agree.” Standing this close to a man like Barclay, talking about children and the future of mankind with such passion was too much for Rissa’s raging hormones. She pushed past him, knowing the gesture bordered on rude, and headed for the large table in the center of the room. Two laptops were open on it, and she could only assume one of them was Rob’s. “So, we should get started then.”

  She took a seat in one of the chairs. He sat next to her, gave her a curious look, and then refreshed both laptops. Moving the one closest to her so she could see the screen, he pointed. “This is a list of all the software on Rob’s laptop. I wanted to make sure you didn’t notice anything that would suggest he can access this machine remotely.”

  “Shit. I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “We did, but it was a risk we were willing to take. The man who brought it to me didn’t notice anything when he did a quick scan on the train, but I’d like your opinion.”

  She cut her gaze toward him quickly. Surely he knew more about every piece of software on this list than she ever would. Was it a test, or was he trying to flatter her? Rissa glanced over the list, taking her time, but there was nothing on there to give them any concern. “Truthfully, I’m surprised,” she said. “I’d have thought something this important to him would have safeguards.”

  Barclay grinned again, then reached into his laptop case and pulled out two external hard drives. He placed them on the table in front of her. “I imagine these were his safeguards.”

  She couldn’t help laughing. “You’re kidding. You took these, too?”

  “The people who staged the burglary took high end gadgets and then made it look as though the robbery was interrupted. One of them was in there specifically to search for anything he could find where data might be stored.”

  “We know from what I heard that he has his second laptop with him, and he might have smaller drives stashed somewhere in the house.”

  Barclay nodded. “All true, but if he’s anything like the rest of us computer geeks, he backs up the same info on each of his devices. You told me that Olivia did say the same info was on both laptops.”

  “That’s right, she did. Where should we look first?”

  “The laptop, just in case we’re wrong and he can get into it remotely. They’re driving home, so—”

  “How do you know that?”

  “They were seen leaving their house in a car, so we’re banking on the fact that he’ll wait until he’s home to try anything complicated.”

  “Do you have to run these plans past the others first?”

  “Already done.” He pointed to the keyboard on Rob’s laptop. “Would you like to do the honors while I start on one of the externals?”

  She smiled. “My pleasure.”

  ****

  Barclay hooked up the external to a laptop he only used for such projects. Since it was likely they’d be looking at the same info on both the externals and R
ob’s laptop, he asked Rissa if she wanted to section off the data so they each had separate areas to work on. She told him that was a great idea, so they compared the lists in the code and took care of that first.

  As they worked, Barclay made excuses to glance over Rissa’s shoulder or move closer to take a look at something she’d found. So far, it was routine stuff, including a decent selection of porn. Rissa told him that since meeting Rob in person, finding his obsession was even more disturbing.

  “He’s such a weasel of a man,” she said.

  “Not your type, eh?”

  “Not even close.”

  His father had always told him never to ask a question unless you already knew the answer. It was sound advice, but that still hadn’t stopped him from plunging head-first into unchartered territory whenever a pretty girl rendered his brain incapable of rational thought. Like right now.

  “What is your type?” He didn’t look at her on purpose, but it was killing him not to gaze into her eyes at that moment. When she didn’t answer for several seconds, he finally glanced toward her. “I’m sorry if my question was out of line.”

  You were out of line when you touched her hair earlier, but she didn’t say anything about that.

  “It wasn’t.” Her attention was on the screen in front of her, but something in her voice tugged at his heart. It was plaintive, and gave the impression she wanted to say more. He knew next to nothing about her life other than the most basic things. Unlike most of the Weathermen, he didn’t dig into his employees’ backgrounds personally. He left that to his HR department.

  “Want to talk about it?” he asked.

  She shot him a sharp look, as if she was afraid he knew something about her that she hadn’t previously thought he did. What the hell was going on? “You weren’t out of line.”

  “You said that, but the look on your face and the tone of your voice tell me there’s a story there. Would you like to tell it to me?”

  She sighed and turned in her chair to face him. “Not many people know this, and I’d like it kept quiet. In other words, I don’t want my coworkers to know. It’s not that it’s anything horrible, but I’m kind of a private person.”

  He shifted his weight toward her. “Agreed.”

  “I was engaged before we all moved underground. We’d known each other most of our lives, and had been dating since we were fourteen. He died in a flood when the storms started.”

  Barclay had not been expecting that. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Thank you. It was a long time ago, but I … I haven’t really dated much since then. I kind of measure every man against Harry. I know he wouldn’t want that, but it’s what I do.”

  This woman had grieved seven years for the only man she likely had ever loved. He was suddenly ashamed of his life. He was so careless with women, but the tabloids had it all wrong. He was very lonely because of the way he tossed away relationships. He wasn’t having nearly the amount of fun the pictures made it appear.

  He was with a different woman every week because none of them filled the empty places in his heart. None of them filled his need for both companionship and intelligent conversation. He wanted someone who cared about this planet as much as he did, and so far he’d only found women who saw him for what he could give them in terms of jewelry or other luxuries.

  His unattached friends told him he expected too much, but Ace, Emmett, Dominic, Kane, and Damien had found true love. If recent rumors were true, Addison was close to becoming engaged to a woman he’d known all his life. Barclay wanted that, too. He wanted the same kind of love they had already found. Nothing less would do.

  He wanted someone who challenged him, and with whom he could share every aspect of his life, including his day to day work. Rissa filled all those requirements, but he’d never measure up to a fiancé whom she’d known all her life. He couldn’t compete with a ghost. No man could. He was wasting his time trying to imagine any kind of a relationship with her outside of work.

  “I’m sure he’d want you to be happy.” It was a trite thing to say, and the way she shrugged slightly told him so.

  “I agree. Maybe one day I can be.”

  She returned to her work so he did, too, but the atmosphere in his apartment was suddenly too raw. He was hyper aware of her scent, and of every little gesture she made while she worked. If only her very presence didn’t call to him like a siren. Why hadn’t he been more cautious before asking her to help him with this? Why hadn’t he looked into her background so he didn’t put his foot in his mouth?

  He’d jumped into this dick first. The fact that she was more than qualified to help him was immaterial. He should have slowed down, looked into her HR jacket, and thought it through before asking her.

  What the hell was he supposed to do now?

  Chapter Six

  Rissa wanted desperately to say something else, but one didn’t simply blurt out how much one wanted to kiss one’s boss, even under these circumstances. She’d all but told him that no man would ever compare to Harry, and she wanted to clarify that statement, too, but couldn’t seem to find the right words.

  Besides, she shouldn’t be fantasizing about him anyway. She was not going to end up as one of his discarded girlfriends. She wouldn’t be able to handle that. Her firm resolve from yesterday had slipped away as soon as she’d walked into this apartment. It would be easier to keep him at a distance once they were working at the office. She was certain of it. All she had to was get through this day.

  When they’d been working nearly two hours non-stop, Barclay asked if she’d like a break and a tour of the apartment. It would be good to walk a bit, so she said she’d love that. He grabbed a bottle of water for each of them from the fridge as they walked into the kitchen.

  She took a long drink from hers, then whistled as she surveyed the space. “Impressive. Don’t tell me you cook, too.”

  “Well, I have a small staff, but Sundays are their day off. I do all my own cooking on that day, and sometimes during the week when I have time.”

  She took another sip to cool down her insides. A man that cooked… No wonder he had a string of women a mile long. “What do you like to cook? Any specialties?”

  There was that damn sexy grin again. If he’d stop doing that, she might be able to keep the erotic thoughts at bay.

  Sure you would.

  “Anything Mexican.”

  “Oh, my favorite.”

  “Then you’ll have to stay for dinner. I’ll cook us a feast.”

  How could a girl refuse that? “I’d love to.”

  He led her through the rest of the main floor, which included a guest bedroom and full bath, plus a media room. The staff quarters were on the main floor as well. Rissa had never been in a place that boasted staff quarters. It was like being led on a tour where royalty lived.

  Upstairs, there were three more bedrooms, each with its own bath. He saved his own room for last, and she wished she had a second bottle of water as she stepped across the threshold because her entire body was suddenly molten.

  No wonder the tabloids loved him. If this wasn’t a room perfect for seduction, she didn’t know what was. “This is really beautiful.” It was a bland thing to say, but the place had her heart racing and her pussy soaked within seconds.

  “I’m glad you like it.”

  She moved away from him because images of lying back on that huge bed with the royal blue spread and all those pillows played through her head. Soft jazz filled the room, from where she had no clue. Had he done that on purpose? Who kept music on in their bedroom all the time?

  The entire space smelled like sage and lavender, and the combination was surprisingly arousing. The drapes were open but they were heavy, and she imagined the room dark, lit only by candles. It would be very romantic and totally secluded.

  “The bathroom is this way.”

  She followed him into a room that resembled the bedroom in décor. It was unlike anything she’d ever seen, from the ornate fixtures to
the sunken tub that looked large enough to hold a small army.

  “I had these two rooms designed to resemble the Castillo de Chapultepec in Mexico City. Have you ever seen it? I mean did you ever see it?”

  She shook her head.

  “Oh, Rissa, it’s incredible. The height of decadent living in a city that had areas where people lived in poverty, but so freaking beautiful. It left a lasting impression on me when we visited every year. I don’t mean only the castle. The entire city and surrounding countryside.”

  “Did you have family there?”

  “Yes. A cousin on my mother’s side. She didn’t make it underground.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  He gave her a tender, thoughtful look that almost made her want to cry. “We all know people who didn’t make it.”

  “Yes, I suppose we do.” Her stomach rumbled, and she laughed to cover her embarrassment, and from relief at having a reason to change the subject. What he’d said about them both knowing people who hadn’t made it underground hit too close to her emotions. “Guess I shouldn’t have eaten so early.”

  “I’m hungry, too. How about if we make a meal now?”

  “I’m fine with that as long as you are.” Anything to avoid answering questions about Harry’s death.

  “The work isn’t going anywhere. I knew this would take time, so we might as well enjoy each other’s company while we search for data.”

  If he’d stop flirting with her, it would be easier not to fall under his spell. Why the hell had she agreed to this?

  She followed him back downstairs to the kitchen and asked if she could help, but he shook his head and pointed toward the stools at the counter. “Have a seat. Would you like a drink while you watch?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  His grin nearly forced a moan from her. “That’s the spirit. After that stash of porn you found, you probably need one. He’s a sleazy little man, isn’t he?”

  “It’s not that watching porn is sleazy in and of itself. It’s everything about him taken together. The porn merely completes the picture. I don’t have the highest opinion of Olivia, but I don’t understand why any woman would put with being called a stupid bitch by her husband, or let him speak to her the way he does, degrading names or not.”