“So let me see if I have this right, you’re telling me you had such a good time, you don’t want to do it again?”
“Oh, I will be dreaming of this weekend for the rest of my life but, I don’t know, I guess you’re too far out of my league. I think we should stop here and not see each other again. This has been great, but for a fantasy weekend. In the real light of my real world, this is too much, too fast.”
He studied her and then shrugged. “I’m sorry you feel that way, but I respect your decision. Thanks for a memorable trip to Monterey, Thia. I wish you all the best.”
“Thanks for understanding.” She turned to watch the traffic on the shore. She knew she’d made the right decision, not to see Derek again. But she feared she had a long life ahead of her in the sex department. Despite Derek’s good wishes, she had the nagging suspicion she’d already had the best.
Chapter 6
Thia sat straight up in bed before slapping the snooze button. After several seconds, her heart slowed and she controlled her breathing. Monday. Yes, it was Monday. Or was it Saturday and she was waking from the wildest dream she’d ever had? She looked at the other side of the bed. The clothes she’d left out Friday night weren’t there, so it couldn’t be Saturday, and the tingly, delicious aches she felt below the waist proved her “dreams” weren’t dreams.
Gripping the sheet, she pulled it over her head. What have I done?
Slowly she lowered the sheet and smiled into the empty room. Ohhhh, wow. What have I done? She’d had the best sex of her life, an adventure that made her feel alive, discovered a mystery with a stranger, and—lest she forget—had the best sex of her life. Sex made every nerve ending tingle, and sensation explode and radiate through her body.
What a weekend!
Getting out of bed, she grimaced when muscles she’d forgotten she had screamed in protest. She did a few extra stretches before climbing on the treadmill. Watching the early news, she started at her normal pace but soon realized she wasn’t up for running. She used those extra minutes in the shower, letting the hot water work out her aching kinks.
By the time she rushed out the door, she felt human again. Alive in a way she hadn’t known in years. Sexy, bold and in control. Life was good.
* * * *
July looked up as Thia crossed the office trying to balance her briefcase, a cardboard cup of coffee and a paper plate holding a bear claw pastry.
“Did we get dressed in a hurry this morning?”
Setting her mouth, Thia tried to breeze past. “I know I’m running late and I don’t want to talk about it.”
July followed Thia, her own coffee cup in hand. “Fat chance. I tried to reach you Saturday night and again yesterday afternoon, and now you come in here looking like something the cat dragged in. I want to hear all about it. Start with, do I know him?” July closed the office door behind her and then settled in. “Spill girl.”
“There’s nothing to spill.” Thia dropped her briefcase on the floor and the bear claw on the desk. She sighed and took a sip of the hot French roast. When she looked up, she couldn’t keep a straight face. “Okay, but it’s really stupid. If you tell anyone, your friends will be visiting your grave.”
July sat forward. “What in the world are you talking about?”
“Remember the artist I met? We went to Monterey on Saturday.”
“What?” July practically screamed the word. “The artist you don’t know? The one you already swore you weren’t seeing again?”
Thia felt her cheeks heat with a blush. “That would be the one, yes.”
“But, that doesn’t explain–” July’s eyes narrowed. “You spent the night. Oh my God, you spent the night with him. Again.”
“I know.” Thia fell into her chair. “We went by boat, a big boat. With a big berth. That’s a nautical term Derek taught me.”
“I’ll bet that’s not the only term Derek taught you,” July muttered. “Thia, my God. It’s bad enough you went away overnight without telling anyone, but by boat? What were you thinking?” July studied her. “Or is there something about this guy that makes you not think? That’s pretty dangerous. When I suggested you start seeing people and get a life, I didn’t mean to risk your life doing it.”
“I told you it was really stupid. But just so you don’t think I’m a complete idiot, I called my answering machine and left all the information about the trip. This time I told him I definitely wouldn’t see him again, so don’t worry.”
July settled her face into a pout. “Well, I’m still going to worry if you run off to unknown places with strange men.” Then her face cleared and she looked at Thia with real interest. “Of course, he’s not a stranger anymore. Not after two dates.”
“One date, two dates, makes no difference. I told you, I’m not going to see him again.” She leaned across her desk with a dreamy smile. “But July, I have to admit, I had the greatest time. He pushed my emotion button over and over. I was exhausted by Sunday afternoon but I’ve never been so relaxed.”
July fanned herself. “Wow, you lucky woman. So, tell me more about him.”
“His name is Derek Anderson, and he’s an artist.”
“I hope you know more than that. He can’t own a yacht like that and only paint for a living.” July raised her brows.
“Well, that’s what I know. He said his patron owned the boat, not him, and he’s not a ‘painter’ who sells canvases to tourists on Union Square
, we went to Monterey to talk to someone about a large commission, over in Marin somewhere.”
“You know one more thing.”
“What?”
“He knows how to deliver great sex.”
Thia covered her face to hide the blush she felt heating up and July laughed. When she looked up at the expectant expression on her assistant’s face, she fought a smile, but lost.
“Lord, you’re so right.” Her cheeks heated even more when she thought of all they’d done on the trip.
With Derek she seemed able to let herself go. Inhibitions flew out the window, or porthole in his case. Even so, to allow a man to spank her as though she were an errant child should have been humiliating. Instead, it had turned into something erotic. Being blindfolded and tied, then fucked until she couldn’t have moved a muscle if she’d wanted to, should have set her independent-woman teeth on edge and made her rail against the man who’d done it to her. But that, too, had carried a dark eroticism with it.
Moisture dampened her panties now, and her nipples peaked, sitting at her desk and rethinking the night. Derek had turned caveman, forcing her to his will. She shouldn’t have enjoyed it, but she had. She definitely shouldn’t want to do it again, but she—
“Earth to Thia.” July’s voice cut through her memory.
“What?” Thia gave herself a mental shake of the head. She wouldn’t be seeing Derek again. She’d as much as told herself that. Not if she could only convince herself she didn’t want to see him again.
“You were off in a world of your own, and I want to know more of what happened the other night. Where did you spend the night?”
“I have no idea. On the boat, moored at one of Derek’s friend’s places.”
Undisguised disapproval covered July’s face. “If one of my daughters went out with someone they knew nothing about and spent the night in a strange place, I’d lock her in her room until she proved she’d developed better sense.” She harrumphed. “Next you’ll be telling me he blindfolded you and tied you to the bed.”
Thia’s mouth dropped open and her eyes felt the size of saucers.
“Oh, my God. You didn’t really let him do that?”
Thia nodded. “I’m afraid I did.”
July heaved a huge sigh. “I’m here if you want to talk, but just know this, I’m worried about you. You used to be so grounded. I thought you'd dip your foot in the 'getting out more' pool but you’re jumping off the deep end.”
“I know, and like I said, I’m never seeing the guy again. I told h
im and I’ve told you. No need to worry about me anymore. I’ve had my romp on the wild side, and now I’m back to being plain, boring Thia.”
Standing, July said, “I don’t think you’re boring, and no one in their right mind would call you plain. I just want you to be happy and fulfilled. You’re young yet. You should be out having fun. But responsibly, you know?”
“I know, and I appreciate your concern. I’ll be fine.” She frowned at her computer monitor. “But not if we can’t find what’s happening in this company. I’d better download the weekend file report so you can see if any of the accounts need adjusting, and I need to get ready for the sales presentation on Wednesday afternoon.”
After Thia retrieved the file for July, they started their respective tasks.
Shortly after lunch her phone rang. “Thia Williams.”
“Hello Ms. Williams, this is Mr. Jackson from Hawk Investigations. We have determined a pattern of file access that points to one individual. The next step is to determine if there’s anything in his personal life that might help confirm the suspicion.”
“Who is it?”
“John Bates. I’ve checked the building security logs against the pattern we’re seeing from the reports you’re sending. He’s the only person who has official access to the sysroot account and has also been in the building each time the offending program was started.
“But-but, John is one of my most trusted employees. He’s been with us from the beginning. You’re sure he’s the one?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“What are our options that wouldn’t expose the investigation?”
“I’ll look into his finances first, and then phone records. After that there are other measures we can take, but really, the less you know the better. You can trust us.”
Thia worried her bottom lip. “I do trust you, Michael, it’s just hard to process”
“I understand your hesitation. You’ve known this man for a long time and you’ve placed confidence in him. Believe me, I’ve seen this same situation often. In these cases, it’s usually the person least suspected. I feel certain a bit of poking into Bates’ personal life will confirm my suspicions. All I need from you is a written statement you want me to continue. You can fax it to me.”
“How long will it take to check his financial records?”
“We could have something this week if we don’t run into anything unusual.”
“Oh. Okay. Let’s see where your investigation takes us. I’ll write something up and get it faxed to your office right away.”
He gave her the number, said he’d get back with her at the end of the week, and hung up.
* * * *
Derek Hawkins, the owner of Hawk Investigations had been out of the office for most of the past two weeks. Now he sat at his large mahogany desk and scanned his e-mail inbox for any high priority messages. When his eyes landed on a possible link between the C&H and Falkner cases, he stopped to read the message.
Edwin Falkner was a murder victim who’d led the government to a large drug smuggling organization in the Bay area. As a former DEA agent, Derek knew how to perform undercover and what to look for, but was no longer constrained by agency restrictions. In that regard alone he had a huge advantage over his former colleagues.
The Falkner case had required his being out of the office all week, and he was playing catch-up on his firm’s ongoing cases. He struggled for a moment to remember the C&H case, and then recalled it was the accounting firm Jackson was working. What could they have in common? A double click opened the e-mail message.
I researched the telephone records from several persons of interest in the C&H case. The computer indicated that several calls from our primary target matched one in the Falkner case. How should I proceed?
Derek picked up the phone. “Mr. Jackson, will you come in, please?”
“Yes, be right there,” Jackson said crisply.
In under two minutes, Michael Jackson sat in a leather visitor’s chair in front of Derek Hawkins’ large desk.
“Tell me about the connection between the C&H case and Falkner.” It was a testimony to Jackson’s competence and reliability that Derek didn’t question there was a connection. He didn’t know the details of the C&H case, nor did he need to.
Jackson gave as close to a smile as he ever did, in acknowledgement. “For the past several months, cash has been juggled between accounts at C&H. Not large amounts and nothing outside the company, but enough so the shuffling would be noticed sooner or later and cause trouble—perhaps dissolution—of the firm. The most likely suspect has no motive, so I determined an outside source must be instigating his actions.
“I found regular cash deposits into a hidden account in a bank in Napa, and, as I mentioned in my e-mail, phone calls suggest the connection to Falkner. Each of the incidents at C&H took place almost immediately after one of the calls, and the money deposited after the problems became known.”
“Put a tail on John Bates and charge it to the Falkner account so we don’t have to clear it through the C&H principles. I want you to join us in the Falkner case update this afternoon. Read the file so you’ll be up to speed.”
“Yes, sir.”
* * * *
Derek looked around the table at the Falkner case team members. There was no need to review the details of the case. These were his top people and he knew they had familiarized themselves with even the smallest scrap of information available.
“Two important things have happened. First, Jackson has found a connection between our case and one he’s working. By coincidence, his suspect has been making calls to your guy, Linda, so you two will be working together on this aspect. Make sure you both share notes, okay?” He waited for confirmation from Linda Brooks, the only female on the team. “Second, I’ve received an invitation to a party at the Oglethorpe’s. It’s a way into the mansion.”
“Wow, congratulations,” said a male member of the team. “Fast work, considering how paranoid those folks are about who they associate with.”
“They have good reason,” said the man sitting next to him. “This is a large ring. Lots of people will be doing lots of time when we close the net.”
“Right,” Derek added, “but we have a good bit of work ahead of us before we close the net.”
“So, once inside, what can you do during a party?” This came from Linda.
“That’s where you're going to help. The party is a masquerade ball, so there will be anonymity to a great extent. We’ll be able to wander around and no one will know who we are. Well, except the Oglethorpes themselves—they chose all the costumes. Evidently they want their guests to remain incognito to each other but they want to know who we are. But as far as anyone else is concerned this weekend, we’re merely a pirate and his lady, attending the party.” Derek made an affected bow.
Far from amused, Linda’s face took on a horrified expression. “I thought you received my e-mail this morning. I have to be in New York for the next week. The Sattler trial has been moved up and the DA has scheduled meetings for the whole weekend to prep for my testimony. Is there anyone else?”
Shit! Derek kept his consternation to himself. Linda couldn’t miss the trial preparation, but he couldn’t pass up this first chance to get inside that house. Thia’s face came to mind. “There might be someone else. If necessary, I’ll go alone, but we’ll see.”
He looked around the table. “What else has been going on with Falkner?” People gave their reports. Derek scribbled notes putting facts together in his mind as he wrote.
When he finally adjourned the meeting, he headed back to his office, trying to decide on the best way to approach Thia after the way they’d left things.
* * * *
Thia set her dinner plate in the sink the next night, when a knock sounded at the door. She looked through the peep hole and froze. The man she’d thought about on and off for two weeks, but who had featured in her dreams every night, stood on the other side.
&
nbsp; “Derek, I told you I couldn’t see you any more,” she said through the closed door
“I have something to discuss with you. May I come in?”
Her heart raced as she turned the knob. Blocking his entrance she asked, “What do you have to talk to me about?” Her gaze dropped. “What’s in the box?”
“You have to let me in before I tell you.” He smiled that killer smile, the one to which women were defenseless.
There should be a vaccine. She swung open the door.
Derek didn’t stop just inside. He marched into the living room as though he owned the place. “I’ll be direct, Thia. I need someone to go with me to a masquerade. The woman I thought would go, can’t. Will you accompany me?”
She laughed incredulously and shut the door. “The woman you invited first can’t go so you thought of me? You need to work on your pickup line.”
He smiled again. Another part of her insides melted. “I have to admit, that didn’t come out exactly right. I did think of you at first but then you said you didn’t want to see me again. I need a date for this, so I asked a friend. That’s the lady who bowed out.” He sat on the sofa then gestured to the place beside him. “Sit, and I’ll see if I can do better.”
Thia threw out her arms. “Sure. Why not?”
After she sat and turned toward him, he asked, “First, I understand what you said at the end of our trip, about losing control. But frankly, I thought we got along very well.”
“We did get along well. Too well, and that’s what scared me. Plus, I’m sure, that man you met with in Monterey wasn’t just talking about a redecorating job. You misled me, and I’m wary of those who can’t be honest.”
He seemed to consider. “I like that. It says a great deal about you. What I’m about to tell you has to stay between us. You can’t tell anybody.”
She Shouldnt, But She Will Page 9