The Queensbay Series: Books 1-4: The Queensbay Box Set

by Drea Stein

  There didn’t seem to be too much more to say, and he didn’t want to start a fight before he had to leave. She wanted to keep things quiet, simple, she said, but the sneaking around was wearing on him, as was her refusal to talk about anything but the present. Their past, except for jokes, was off limits, and she hadn’t so much as asked him how long he planned on staying or what he wanted to do with the firm.

  “Have a safe trip,” she said, giving him a warm smile. Since he had closed the door and the office was reasonably quiet, he walked the few feet to her desk. She rose as he came to her, and he kissed her, a long, deep, lingering kiss that had her pulling up to her toes, twining her hands around his shoulders and moaning his name.

  He broke away, shot her a light grin and said, “Something to remember me, babe. See you in a week.”

  Noah left before she could think of anything else to say.

  Chapter 41

  It was after Noah had left and almost the end of the day before Caitlyn picked up her message slips and finally touched base with one of her favorite clients.

  “How are the horses?” Johanna treated her horses like her babies, and Caitlyn did her best to remember most of their names.

  “Fine, fine,” Johanna said, but she offered no more details.

  “Well then, what can I do for you?” Caitlyn asked after she had exhausted the weather and what Johanna’s plans were for the holidays.

  “Look,” Johanna hesitated, and Caitlyn felt her pulse quicken like a harbinger of disaster.

  “What is it, Johanna? You can be straight with me.”

  There was another pause, and Caitlyn could hear Johanna take a deep breath before she plunged in.

  “I’m going to be moving my accounts elsewhere.”

  “What?” was all Caitlyn could manage to say. Of all the things Johanna could have said, this was the most unexpected.

  “I’m sorry; it’s nothing personal. It’s just that I feel that my money would be best served somewhere else,” Johanna said brusquely, rushing through it, so she could be done with the unpleasant task.

  Fear, anger and dread created a curious brew in Caitlyn’s stomach as she rushed to her own defense.

  “But, Johanna, the firm has given you a great return on your money, and I managed to find the money to finance your growth and buy out your competitors. You wouldn’t be where you are today without Queensbay Capital’s work.”

  “I know that.” Johanna sounded miserable. “But I just don’t feel it’s right anymore. “

  Suddenly Caitlyn knew. It was the same kind of phone call she had received in London – the ones from her clients, ones who had been happy with her, who had suddenly changed their minds, all without explanation.

  “I am sorry to hear that. You said it wasn’t personal, but I am wondering, would you feel more comfortable if someone other than myself was handling your money, or is it the firm?”

  “Caitlyn, it’s just....”

  Caitlyn held her tongue. She wasn’t going to make this easy for Johanna, not after all the hard work she had done for her.

  “I know you have worked so hard, but certain ... things...” Johanna stopped, then added, “I’m sorry.” Johanna’s voice rose as she seemed to gain back her resolve. “I would like to wind down my account as soon as possible.”

  “I understand, but I would hate to think that you’re making this decision based on some rumors you might have heard.”

  There was silence on the other end of the line, and Caitlyn knew she had gotten to the heart of the matter.

  “Tell me the truth, Caitlyn. Were you fired from your job in London?”

  It was Caitlyn’s turn to pause. She hadn’t been fired, technically. Everything had been murky, and there had been a lot of covering up. She had hoped not to address her time in London by leaving there. Everyone involved had wanted the whole incident to stay buried. Even Michael had enough sense to keep quiet about it, since he’d come off the worst.

  “Where did you hear that from?” Caitlyn countered. It was important to know.

  Johanna hedged again. “Just some people have been talking.”

  Caitlyn nearly slammed the phone down on the desk. She couldn’t believe this was happening again. When you took care of other people’s money, your reputation was essential. And now, again, someone was trying to ruin her.

  “And you’re going to base a decision this big on something you heard over cocktails?” Caitlyn was desperate. Perhaps having Johanna question her own judgment would get her to rethink her decision.

  “I...” She could hear the quaver in Johanna’s voice, so Caitlyn went in for the kill.

  “Johanna, please. Just give me another two weeks. And then if you’re still not comfortable, no questions asked. You can close your account, and you won’t ever have to speak to me again.”

  There was a tense pause between them, and Caitlyn could almost imagine what was going through Johanna’s mind.

  “One week,” Johanna said finally. “I will think about it and let you know in one week.”

  Caitlyn breathed a sigh of relief. One week. It wasn’t what she wanted, but it was something.

  “Thank you,” Caitlyn said, but Johanna had already hung up.

  Caitlyn looked at the phone, trying to steady herself. She had felt the panic rear up and knew it was exactly the wrong response. It was like a game of poker. Someone was trying to bluff her. Someone who knew just enough about what had happened in London to get the rumors started. Someone who wanted her to fold.

  She thought about Michael and then dismissed the thought. The two of them were both under strict gag orders not to speak about the incident. He because of what he had done to her, and she because Michael was too powerful. No one had wanted to go against him.

  But Sam Harris knew. He had said as much. She propelled herself off of her chair and was almost out of the door before she stopped herself. He hadn’t wanted her here from the start. And now he was playing dirty. Maxwell wouldn’t have heard a bad word against her. But Noah ... Noah just might.

  Caitlyn walked back into her office and shut the door. It was quiet. She needed it, the quiet, the time to think. There was no way she was letting Sam Harris push her out of the way.

  Chapter 42

  Noah had returned from California after Thanksgiving, and they had picked up where they left off. They had both been invited to Adriana’s holiday party, but Caitlyn insisted that they take separate cars, the better to pretend that they were not a couple. He had agreed only after he told her that he intended to meet her and follow her from the house.

  “Make sure you wait a moment or two before following me in,” she reminded him, as he opened the door for her in front of Adriana’s house.

  “I don’t see why it matters,” he said, pulling her towards him, kissing her deeply, running his hands through her hair. “Who cares who knows about us? What’s the matter? I’m not good enough for you?” His voice was teasing, but there was an edge to it.

  “No, Noah. Of course you’re good enough for me. I just want to keep things private for a while longer.” Caitlyn didn’t want a repeat of what had happened in London.

  He looked at her, holding her close on the path. Caitlyn was aware other cars were pulling up, that they were in full view of the wide bay windows, lit up, festooned in ropes of evergreen.

  “So, if you’re not embarrassed to be seen with me, why won’t you be?”

  Caitlyn sighed, looking into his eyes. “I told you. I don’t want to be that girl.”

  “What girl? My girl?”

  “No, the type of girl people think got ahead by sleeping with the boss.”

  “As I recall,” he said, his head just inches from her lips, “we haven’t been doing much sleeping.”

  Caitlyn stepped away. “My point exactly. Just for now, please, can we just keep it…?”

  Noah took a step back, and she could see the flash of wounded pride. “Sure, I get it. We’ll keep it light. Whatever you want, Caitlyn,
right? Your way, right?” he said, and his tone was bitter.

  “Noah!” she said, but he was gone, already walking to the front door, ringing it and walking in, without a backwards glance, leaving Caitlyn to wait a moment or two before following him up the path.

  <<>>

  Noah had watched her the whole evening, one half of his mind listening and making small talk, meeting people, discussing business, just as Adriana wanted him to, the other watching her. Caitlyn moved with the crowd here the same way she had at his father’s funeral, with graceful self-assurance, her black dress a little less discreet, with a neckline that plunged just enough to keep him looking and a back that was barely there, exposing the smooth ivory of her skin, the fall of her black hair a contrast in ebony.

  She smiled, laughed, complimented the wives, made nice with the husbands, deftly turned down offers from the single men, all while discreetly collecting business cards and making friends.

  He swallowed more champagne, telling himself that he couldn’t do what he wanted to, which was to walk over in the middle of the room and kiss her, possessively and passionately, until no one there was unclear that she was his.

  But Caitlyn wasn’t, was she? He knew that she wasn’t seeing anyone else, but she refused to be seen with him, refused to take their relationship seriously.

  “So, you think solar panels are the wave of the future, eh?” Some old gent, in a tux jacket and plaid vest, with a mustache and large tufts of hair jutting from his ears, had cornered him, literally, allowing him to watch Caitlyn’s every movement.

  With an effort, he turned his attention back to the man. Adriana had whispered that he was rich, always looking for new investments, and loved new technology.

  Noah found a way to answer, promising to call the man on Monday to discuss more. Caitlyn had disappeared from the room, towards the solarium, and he needed to catch her, to talk some sense into her. He needed her, wanted her, wanted her to want to be with him, and if she couldn’t commit, well, then … Noah almost stopped, knowing that he couldn’t leave her. No, Caitlyn Montgomery was the woman, the only one for him.

  “Noah, you okay? Look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Sam Harris was there, a drink in one hand, looking festive with a red tie.

  Brought up short, Noah stopped, shaking his head. Caitlyn had been right about one thing. They were being watched. And he was, technically, her boss. It didn’t matter to him. He knew that she was one of the smartest people in the room, deserving of everything she had earned, but he could see her point now. Caitlyn had worked hard to make a name for herself based on her own merits. It was exactly what he had wanted to do, why he had left Queensbay, why he had worked so hard to get it right, vowing never to give up, not on his own dream and his desire to prove that he was man enough for Caitlyn Montgomery.

  “Sorry, slip of the tongue.” Sam laughed, and Noah realized that maybe he’d had a bit too much to drink.

  “It’s okay, Sam. This house just brings back some memories, you know?”

  “Well, I’m glad I caught you. Haven’t seen you around the office much, and there was something I needed to talk to you about.”

  Noah started to excuse himself, but Sam caught his arm, stopping him.

  “What is it?”

  Sam cleared his throat, and Noah felt the need to tamp down his impatience.

  “I’ve been getting a few calls lately. From clients. They’ve had some issues with getting money from their accounts. They’ll write a check against it, only to get an embarrassing call from the bank saying that the funds weren’t available.”

  Noah felt restless. These were the kinds of details he didn’t like to be bothered with. Who cared if the bank was having problems with its accounting software?

  “I assume the bank found the money and returned it to them?”

  “Well,” Sam’s voice dropped. “It’s not quite as simple as that. The money wasn’t actually in their Queensbay Capital accounts. There was less than there should have been. Of course I authorized the firm to cover them, to keep the clients happy.”

  “Of course,” Noah said, but he suddenly had an awful feeling of where this was going.

  “Are you saying…?”

  Sam’s eyes darted around as if he couldn’t bring himself to say it. “I don’t want to be premature in raising any alarms, but it appears as if the problems began about a year ago. And so far, the amounts are small, on accounts that don’t have a lot of activity. I am looking into this, carefully, but I just wanted you to be aware of the possible situation.”

  “Of course,” Noah said. He tried to not look for Caitlyn, not to try to search her out as his first instinct. Sam was watching him carefully, and Noah nodded. “Thanks for the heads up. Please keep me posted.”

  With a curt nod, Noah excused himself before Sam could say anything more.

  Chapter 43

  Something was bothering him, she could tell. It was Sunday evening, the day after Adrianna’s party, and though they’d been together the whole time since, his mind had been elsewhere.

  “I don’t understand what you’re getting at,” he said.

  She was having trouble explaining it herself, but more often than not, she felt like Sam Harris was becoming more and more critical of her work. No idea, no proposal she presented met with even the barest hint of approval.

  They were sitting on the couch at his house, in the study Noah had taken over from his father. He’d made it his own, papers and folders stacked around, not one, but two laptops set up on the desk.

  “I shouldn’t be talking to you about this,” she said, throwing a pillow at him. He caught it and laughed.

  “No, I want to hear about your workday. Tell me.” He slid across the couch and picked up one of her bare feet.

  “That tickles,” she said, but didn’t move. All of a sudden, their relationship had slipped into a sort of easiness, something comfortable, like they really had known each other all of their lives. It had taken her by surprise, the way she expected to see him, hear his voice on the phone.

  “Sam Harris is acting strangely.” She paused and then followed up, “Not strangely. Just different.”

  Sam was checking up on her constantly, nitpicking everything she did. She was almost certain he was behind the rumors about her, the ones that had Johanna Temple doubting her.

  “Maybe he’s just being conscientious,” Noah suggested, but there was something in the way he said it that made her look more closely at him.

  “Maybe.” Sam was taking accounts away from her. She had signed two more small ones last week, but he had already reassigned them, telling her that she should focus solely on finding new business.

  “So, you think he’s giving you a hard time on purpose?”

  “No, no, it’s not that.” That was the last thing she meant to suggest. It was too difficult for her to speak to Noah about work, sounded too much like she was complaining.

  “Are you sure you’re not just getting too worked up about things? I mean, all you seem to do is work.”

  “That’s not true,” Caitlyn said, stung. “I’m right here now, with you.”

  “You’re talking about work now.”

  “I’m sorry. I guess it’s just natural for me.” It was out of her mouth before she could stop it. She had meant it had been natural for her to speak about work with Michael. They had talked about work all the time. “Old habits die hard,” she said, hoping Noah wouldn’t notice.

  “It’s okay. I know there was a life before me,” he said with a smile, but it didn’t linger.

  “Sorry. Let’s talk about something else. How’s your new opportunity going?” Noah had been busy with his new company, meeting with people, finalizing plans.

  He looked at her. “When are you going to tell me?”

  “Tell you what?”

  “What really happened? With him. Why all of a sudden you left your life, your perfect life in London, and came back here? I know he cheated on you, but London’s a big city. Sure
ly that wasn’t the only reason you left.”

  “You don’t really want to know,” Caitlyn said, but knew it was because she didn’t want to talk about it.

  “I think I do. Caitlyn, we spend all of this time together, yet we never seem to talk.”

  “I thought that was never a problem for men,” she said lightly.

  “You know what I mean. We never talk about us, about what happened then, or why you’re here now.”

  “We never talk about the future either. Don’t you have to go back to California? For a man in demand, you seem strangely able to leave your life behind.”

  “I can work anywhere I want. I’m not tied to any one place, and I intend to stay here.”

  They were almost shouting.

  “You are?” Caitlyn asked, her voice softening.

  “Caitlyn, I don’t talk about the future because you don’t. You’re too busy dealing with the past, which you won’t talk about either.” Noah ran a hand through his hair. She had moved away from him as their discussion heated up, and now she watched him carefully.

  “Would you want to talk about it?” she asked.

  “Yes, I would, because I need to know if you can forget him, before I can talk about the future.”

  Noah waited, the silence loud, marked by the ticking of a grandfather clock in the hallway. She stared at him, debating, and then she began.

  “I got an internship right after college in London. Maxwell asked me if I wanted to work at the firm, and I said no. I didn’t want to do that. Anything to avoid coming back here, possibly seeing you. A week later, someone from a bank in London called and said they had ‘happened’ upon my resume. I am now sure that Maxwell was behind it, helping me out, but I never did find out for sure.

  “So I went to London. At first, it was a job in the marketing department of the bank. It wasn’t very time-consuming, and I spent a lot of time going out. There was a young woman there, Zoë, who was my age, recently graduated from Cambridge. She was one of those people – you know, old, old money. She was playing around at the bank and spending most of her daddy’s money going to clubs and dinners. I went with her most of the time, though I took work seriously, too.