“Yes,” I said. “It seems these are consistent each month and I just need to verify they are in fact bank fees.
The girl nodded and I took my leave. An hour hadn’t elapsed before the clerk’s supervisor showed up at our conference room door. I was expecting this, hence why Kevin not being here was important. The guy had the list I’d given the girl in his hand. “Nelly tells me that you requested documentation for all of these.”
I nodded while he loomed over me as I sat at the conference table. Then he leaned in, like we were buddies and pointed to that same group of immaterial yet suspicious, at least in my mind, transactions. “And you want these?” he asked.
Nodding again, he looked in my eyes. We were so close at this point, he only had to lean in a few more inches and we’d be touching. “Nelly’s really busy and I don’t see the point. In my previous years as an auditor, I’d never request such a ludicrous transactions.”
First, I didn’t like the smell of his breath or that he was close enough for me to smell it. Second, I didn’t like his tone or suggesting that I didn’t know what I was doing. So, unlike how I’d been raised, I said in a dismissive tone, “Times have changed, deal with it.”
The guy’s eyes burned with hate. He huffed, stood up and said, “Some of these are handled by international offices. We just consolidate these accounts on our books. It may take a few days.”
I nodded and he strode out of the room. Anna peeked up over her laptop. “What was that about?”
Shrugging, I said, “The usual.” Being an auditor, you needed thick skin because you weren’t well liked wherever you went. What I liked about my current team I worked with, they didn’t ask a lot of questions. Anna left things at that and Jim had barely glanced our way.
By the end of the day I was exhausted and headed straight home. I walked in the door to find Lizzy dressed for a night on the town. “Where are you going, butterfly?” I teased.
“Date,” she said.
“I have to say, you sure have been spending a lot of time with this model.” I gave her a knowing stare. He wasn’t her normal type. Lizzy liked them a lot rougher around the edges.
“I’m trying something new. You know, Matt’s been giving my parents heartburn, especially when he didn’t go see them when he came into town. Mom is just devastated.” I saw Lizzy pain for her parents and felt it. “He asked mom to meet him for lunch without dad and she refused. I don’t know, Bails. So, I’m trying to be the good daughter, I guess.”
Trying to lighten the mood, I asked, “And how long will that last?”
“Who knows,” she said. She seemed not to know a lot. “But he’s fun and he’s always taking me to all of these industry events. I see the most interesting people. The other day, I saw,” and she rattled off the names of a few celebrities known to live in New York. “Anyways, so he’s not a ton of fun in bed. I can work on that.” She shrugged. If I’d still been with Scott, I might have understood. But I’d seen the light. I wasn’t sure I could stay with someone forever anymore and not have great sex.
Peeking out from searching the refrigerator for food, I had to admire her frankness. Lizzy had no problem sharing all details of her sexual exploits. And even though I wasn’t one for a blow by blow play list of what happened in mine, she respected that. “So why stay with him?”
“Oh honey, all men can be taught. So he won’t be a natural. I’ll still get mine.” And she winked.
Shaking my head, I went back to foraging for food. “Well, I’m off. You can scream your head off without notice from me tonight.” And she winked again. Clearly she’d heard me last night. Not that I didn’t think she would have. But I’d forgotten that little faux pas until that moment.
Not sure what Kalen would want to do because I hadn’t heard back from him, I ate a salad and waited on the sofa with my latest historical novel. This one featured a cover of a sexy Highlander in a kilt holding a sword. I couldn’t help imagining Kalen in one. The hero was in the middle of savaging his woman when my phone rang.
Setting the book down, I answered with a “Hello.” I knew it was Kalen because of the Unknown Caller on the display. It didn’t seem to matter that I’d programmed his number in. The privacy feature didn’t register the Unknown.
“Hey beautiful,” he said. My body tightened in response to his voice.
“Are you on your way?” I asked, hopeful.
“Sorry, Lass, I stepped out of a meeting to let you know that things are going to run late and not wait up for me.”
“Oh,” I said, unable to mask the disappointment in my voice.
“You sound disappointed,” he said.
“Maybe,” I answered.
“I think I’m more disappointed than you.” And he sounded very sincere.
“It’s okay.”
“Would you mind if I came over after?” he asked.
“It’s late, I’ll be sleep,” I said.
“I know. But I just want to lie next to you. I promise to be good and not wake you.”
“Alright, call me when you get here and I’ll open the door.”
“Hopefully I won’t be too late.”
There was no reason to deny I wanted it as much as him. So I said, “Okay.”
When sleep called a couple hours later, I headed to my room, leaving my phone ring volume up on my bedside table. It felt like only moments after I’d gone to bed for the night that I stirred to consciousness when the bed dipped and arms came around me. I sighed.
“Go to sleep,” he murmured, pulling me tight against his chest. I felt his stiffness on my bottom and his hand land on my thigh. Part of my brain longed to wake up. How had he gotten in? Had Lizzy been home? And damn if all his hardness didn’t have much to offer. But sleep overcame me and tugged me back into its depths.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
My week pretty much followed the same pattern, with work being extremely busy. I created a spreadsheet to track all the weird transactions masked like bank fees I came across in my review of the accounts in case I needed support for what, in the back of my mind, I was really beginning to believe just might be fraud.
Kalen, too, was extra busy at work. He showed up late to my door each night after I’d gone to sleep. I’d yet to get a straight answer about how he’d gotten in. Lizzy said she hadn’t let him in. This left Matt. And I hadn’t seen him since our lunch.
On Friday, I made it home just in time to hug him goodbye. It was hard to have him come and go so quickly. I didn’t ask about Kalen. It seemed weird too. He had to be letting him in. And it didn’t seem right to spoil his departure by pouring salt in a wound by asking about the guy I was currently seeing. What I really wanted to ask was if he had been avoiding me. But I had no right to his feelings when I’d turned down his offer.
“I can’t believe you won’t stay for my showing tonight,” Lizzy protested to her brother.
Looking at his sister with much love, he said, “You’ll be fine. Peanut will be with you. You won’t need me. Besides, this isn’t your first showing.”
And with another round of hugs, he was gone. His cab was already waiting at the curb when we followed him down. Back in our place with the door closed behind us, Lizzy and I turned to each other. We both had a few tears in our eyes. “He’ll be fine,” I said.
“I know,” she said with a muffled sob. “I’m just afraid one day we’ll get that call.” I understood. His being a cop was amazing. But it was a tough and thankless job, especially for those who loved you, left to wait each time their loved one went to work. He knew this. There was no reason for me to say anything or he’d possibly cut me out of his life, too. That is, if I hadn’t done it already with my rejection of his offer.
Patting then rubbing her back, I said, “We just have to believe he’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, I know,” she said, straightening her spine. “Let’s get this party started. And don’t you dare bail on me. We’re going for drinks afterwards.” She threw her hands in the air and gave her hips a
little shake.
Smiling, I responded with, “And where is your supermodel?”
Waving her already outstretched hands, she said, “Another event tonight he had to go to. In the biz, it’s all about appearances.”
Shaking my head, I made my way to my room to get ready for the night. Talk about appearances—we were purposefully but fashionable late for her gallery showing. None of the artists were scheduled to be there, so Lizzy said our tardiness would be fine. The place was packed when we made our way in. It pays to know people like she and her family did.
Lizzy’s gallery was set up like a maze. It probably resembled an old-fashioned mouse maze from a bird’s eye view with one exception; it wasn’t a true maze because there was access to a main front and back corridor in each linear passageway. The walls were white, of course, leaving the art to make the space. The floors were bamboo. And I only knew that because Lizzy had pointed that out the first time I’d visited. Above, the place reminded you of a warehouse with exposed beams and pipes, painted so it was clear that they were made to be seen.
We walked the maze and each corridor progressed with synergy to the next. It was amazing what Lizzy could do with her art major and family money. Fresh out of college, she should have been someone’s assistant. Here, she was her own boss. Even though she had a leg up, she had an eye for art. Hell, her apartment looked like an ad in a home and garden magazine.
“Lizzy, this is great,” I said, giving her hand a quick squeeze as we looked around.
“I know,” she said in hushed excitement.
“All but this,” I said, when we stopped in front of a painting that was one of those things that didn’t fit with all the other pieces. qct
Giggling she said, “Yeah, I was confused by it as well, but it was the price I had to pay to get,” she spanned her arms out and looked side to side, “these. So I had to take it.” She pointed directly ahead of us.
Shaking my head, she added, “You don’t mind if I leave you for a bit and attend to my guest?”
“Of course not, go, I’ll be fine,” I said. Somehow, I was transfixed by the odd painting, trying to figure it out.
Nodding to me, she headed off, looking tall, sleek and statuesque in a stark white asymmetrical off-the-shoulder sheath. I wasn’t a jealous person by nature, but looking at Lizzy, I admired her height and beauty. I felt a little underdressed in the raspberry belted-at-the-waist number I wore, which shouldn’t work with my hair color but did. I wasn’t expecting to see anyone. Although in the back of my head, I secretly wanted Kalen.
After she disappeared, I turned back to the painting. It was tucked in the darkened corner with low light as if it hoped not to be noticed by anyone. Feeling the same way, I wondered how long I could look at this picture and nobody wonder if I was a crazy person. The background of it was a robin’s egg blue. And taking up most of the canvas space, as if it were coming at you from the right corner, was a red blob. As it didn’t create a full circle, one was left wondering exactly what the blob was. But what was shown and not shown off the canvas, so to speak, was the beginning of a round something. A ball, maybe?
Sucking in a breath, I nearly jumped out of my skin when strong arms came around me. “Don’t move.” I knew that brogue anywhere. Some things, however, were instinctual. My head began to swivel to look at him when his hand moved before I could stop him and pinched my nipple through the dress. I gasped. The pain was sharp but gone as quickly as it had come. “I said, don’t move.”
“Kalen,” I breathed. His name now came so easily and naturally off my tongue like it belonged there.
“Lass, I told you that you would pay for teasing me.” He pressed into my back and the long hard length of him was apparent. My teasing happened earlier in the week. And even though we’d slept in my bed for the past several days, we hadn’t had sex. He’d kept his word and just nuzzled me.
I could see in my periphery, the guest wondering around the place. “What are you going to do?” I asked a little timidly but excited all the same.
“Since that night, I’ve been dying to taste you again.” I sucked in a breath at his words. My dress was made of molded material, the kind that was meant to hug the body and not blow in a breeze. If he lifted it in any way, the rest of it was coming along for the ride.
Determined, he leaned in like he was putting his head on my shoulder in a romantic way. It must have appeared to prying passersby that we were studying the red blob. I waited. Heck, I was curious to see just what he was going to do. And the idea of getting caught, I hated to admit, was a bit thrilling.
His finger caught the front hem of my dress in the middle and tugged upwards. I could feel the rest of my dress dragging along. Maybe not at the same pace, but it was riding up as well. I thought for sure he would stop. Lizzy would kill me if I made a spectacle of myself. “Don’t worry. No one can see you behind me. His legs must be closed tight. He definitely dwarfed me. Still, I was ready to protest when his finger grazed my panties.
My eyes must have rolled back. I felt his shoulder when the back of my head made contact with it. “Easy, Lass.” And his finger penetrated my depths.
“Kalen,” I panted out in a strangled whisper.
His finger thrust in and out of me several times before he pulled it out and released my dress. Again, the material was stiff, so it didn’t succumb to gravity as easily as, say, silk. He crossed his arm over my body, licking his finger into his mouth. In it went and I was just about undone. “You still taste as good as you look.” He straightened and stepped back from me.
I was about to complain and say something vulgar when a couple saddled up to us and the red blob. “Interesting painting, isn’t it?”
My face flushed probably as red as the blob. “Yes, it is,” I answered automatically. I couldn’t help but think they’d seen what Kalen did. Therefore, I refused to look them in the face. When they stepped away, I turned, prepared to confront Kalen and maybe have a good laugh over our exploits, but he was gone.
My feet didn’t care how desperate I looked. I strode down the main hall, searching in each packed corridor for Kalen. He wasn’t going to leave me like this.
“Bails, there you are,” Lizzy said, stopping my search.
Looking in her direction, I remembered who I was here for. Oh, I’d find Kalen. He most definitely wasn’t off the hook. Still, this was her night. “How’s it going?” I asked. I’d tell her later about what went down. Again, this was her time. I wasn’t about to make it about me and share what happened with her at this moment. I’d tell her later and she’d have a good laugh at my expense.
“It’s great. Eva Ainston, Brooke Berry, Channing Gosling and Ian Reynolds were all here, or so my assistant tells me. Not to mention a billionaire Jeremy Glenn, the legendary rock star Paul Jackson, and the number one tennis player in the world.” Looking perplexed, she said, “I forget his name. I think he’s French. Apparently, they showed up on time. And I didn’t see any of them.” She laughed, so I did too.
“Wow, that’s just great.” I'd been busy staring at the blob and being happily molested by Kalen. Part of me wanted to celebrity stalk with my phone, but it might not look good for Lizzy. Her guests would be used to celebrities. So, I held back and figured I’d star gaze at a discreet distance, after I found Kalen of course.
“Yeah, and they bought things too,” she gushed. “I can’t wait for drinks later. I need to celebrate. I’ll just be a few more minutes. I’m trying to catch up with the Countess.”
She dashed off. I continued to walk the place and circled it again, wondering if I’d missed him leaving while I was talking to Lizzy.”
My phone chirped and I nearly broke the fastening on my clutch to get at it. “Hello,” I said, sounding breathless, and made my way into a little alcove.
When he didn’t speak, I thought for a second I might have lost the signal, but then I finally heard his voice. “Looking for me?” he teased, his voice rich and deep like chocolate.
“Tha
t’s not fair,” I said.
“You know what they say about pay back,” he crooned.
When I rolled my eyes, he said, “Don’t roll your eyes. We can always finish this at my place.”
He’d stoked a fire when he touched me, and I desperately wanted to go to his place but said, “I can’t. I promised a girls’ night after with Lizzy. We’re going for drinks.” I audibly groaned, letting him hear my disappointment. Then thinking that one turn deserved another, I added, “And we’ll probably go dancing.”
When he spoke, his voice was dark and utterly calm. “Now you’re playing with fire. I could come back in there, toss you over my shoulder and take you home with me. Or you can take care not to let any man touch what’s mine.”
There was no playfulness in his tone. The rules of engagement hadn’t been spelled out. “And what is yours?” I uttered, as if to say I was sure he wasn’t talking about me. Remembering his fire, I didn’t want to get burned. But each of us flirts with danger at some point in our life.
“My woman,” he growled. “You.”
“Is that so,” I smirked, liking the possessive way he spoke about me. I’d never been anyone’s woman. To Scott, I was his girl. But he’d always said it so causally, especially to his friends, as if he was hinting about the nature of what I’d really meant to him. In retrospect, things were clearer.
“Yes, so if you want every man that tries to talk to you tonight to live, you’ll shut them down. And quickly.”
“And what about you?” I asked, driving home the point. “Are you exclusive with me too, or is it just one sided?”
“It wouldn’t matter if I was so inclined to be with another woman. My cock only responds to you. Since New Year’s Eve, there has been no one else I’ve wanted or needed in my bed.”
Assets (Balance Sheet #1) Page 8