“I was well aware of the consequences of my actions, but none of that mattered, because I knew it was the right thing to do,” I insisted. Mr. Renly eyed me for a long period of time. It was clear he didn't believe me, but I didn't care. I knew the truth, and that was enough for me now. Slowly, my wounds were healing, even as I poured my heart out to this stranger. Telling the truth, revealing everything in its simplest elements, there was something cleansing about it, something redeeming.
Renly rubbed the bridge of his nose. He looked tired. “That didn't happen though, did it? You never played the recording for Ian.”
I shook my head. “No.”
Renly nodded. “So why? If it was, as you said, 'the right thing to do,' then what stopped you?”
I swallowed hard. “Certain unforeseen events intervened,” I said.
Suddenly, a spark of understanding illuminated in the depths of Renly's dark eyes. “You found out about his wife before you were able to show him the recording, didn't you?”
I nodded. “Yes, among other things.”
“Ian's marriage was a subject of the utmost confidentiality. How was it then that you found out about her on your own?” Mr. Renly asked.
I reached for the little black diary on the table top. “Here,” I said. “Let me show you.”
Entry #18
“Ian? Has anyone seen Ian?” I asked for the fifteenth time. The estate was unusually empty, no staff, no scientists; I had scarcely seen even a maid or a butler. The butler I did stop only gave me a wary look as he walked past. Did I seem as manic as I felt?
“Ms. Potters. Is something the matter?” a familiar voice asked.
I turned to see Mrs. Mabel's warm face. Instantly, my coiled stomach relaxed. “Oh, Mrs. Mabel. Am I glad to see you.”
Mrs. Mabel's face twisted in concern. “Is something the matter, dear? You seem flustered,” she said.
I took a deep breath. “Yes. I need to see Ian immediately, to tell him something important. Yet I can't seem to find him anywhere,” I said, not sparing the exasperation I felt in my tone.
Mabel nodded, smiling faintly. “Oh to be young again. Listen, Ms. Potters. Nothing is ever as urgent as you think. Ian is away on business, but he will return, he always does. And when he does, you can tell him everything you want to tell him.”
“But you don't understand,” I insisted.
Mabel shrugged. “I don't have to. What I do understand is there is no sense in working yourself up into a tizzy over something you have no control over.”
My inner anger was building now. Mabel's vacant smile and lackadaisical attitude was irritating. She had no idea about the gravity of the situation she was in, they were all in. If Logan was in control of the company, everything would change. People would lose their jobs, maybe even Mabel herself. I wanted to scream, to tell someone...anyone. I realized however that if I did tell Mabel, it would only put her in jeopardy as well. No, there was no need to get her wrapped up in all of this. She didn't deserve it.
“It's just very urgent,” I finally said.
Mabel rested a hand on my shoulder. It was warm, soft. Her touch seemed to melt the tension around my neck. “I'm sure it can wait, honey. Most people worry so much about the past or the future, they never consider the present. A shame too, because that's really the only one that matters. The here and now. I mean look at you, Ms. Potters. You look like you ran through a gauntlet of balloons,” Mabel said with a chuckle.
Self-consciously, I ran a hand through my hair. It did feel rather knotted. I smiled sheepishly.
“A woman is stronger than a man,” Mabel said with a thin smile. “But even we have our breaking point. I think you would do well to relax, Ms. Potters. The other assistants were just like you, you know, running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Always biting off more than they could chew. Not a single one of them ever had the sense to just sit down and shut up for a moment.”
I couldn't help but laugh. “So you're saying I'm senseless?”
“Don't feel bad. All women your age are,” Mabel said with a wink.
I shook my head and grinned. Mabel always had a way of putting things into perspective. “And what would you suggest?” I asked.
“Well how about I run a bath for you? There's nothing like a hot soak to make all your aches melt away. And trust me, when you get as old as I am, you know how to get rid of an ache,” Mabel said. “Besides, between you and me, Ian's tub is huge, and neither of us pay the water bill around here.” Mabel winked.
I laughed again. “That sounds wonderful,” I admitted.
“Just you wait,” Mabel said. “We will have you fixed up in no time.”
Several minutes later I was slipping my tape recorder under my desk when Mabel returned. Her voice startled me.
“Okay. You're all set, sweetheart,” Mabel said, holding up a folded towel and a bathrobe.
I took them both. “Words can't express my gratitude,” I said. I meant it, too.
“Well then save 'em. I never was a fan of idle chit chat. The bathing room is down the hall, third door on the right,” Mabel instructed.
“Bathing room?” I asked. “Don't you mean bathroom.”
Mabel grinned. “Why don't you go see for yourself?”
When I entered the bathroom, I understood why Mabel had made the distinction. The room was bigger than my entire suite in the city. It had vaulted walls with ivory pillars, styled like ancient Greek architecture. Gold-leaf trim wrapped around the bases and tips of the columns that ran to an arch. A scarlet carpet, rich and thick, led to a set of stairs and encircled an ivory tub set into the marble floor.
Bay windows set near the ceiling allowed the light from outside to leak in, bathing the scene in a golden glow. The result was breathtaking. As I approached the tub, I heard a faint gurgling. It was a whirlpool, I realized, a Jacuzzi with heated jets.
I let the bath robe fall to my knees, revealing my pale skin beneath. I could see curls of steam coming off of the surface of the water, beckoning to me. I took a deep breath and sank a foot into the pool. The steady heat of it sent shivers up my spine. I then put in my other foot, and finally sank deep into the bath, letting the warmth envelop me.
I lay back as my muscles melted. The gentle scent of lilac sneaked into my nostrils, caressing them. It must have been scented water. Mabel had thought of everything. The room was so blissfully quiet, so warm. It was utter bliss. I could feel the warmth traveling from my core to my extremities, making my toes tingle.
I shifted my weight, and something brushed up against my thigh, sending a sensual pulse up my back. It was the water jet, I realized. The low rumble of the pump was hypnotic, lulling me into a dream-like state. I let the geyser of warm water pass over my thighs again, brushing up against my slit. Another surge of sensation coursed through me, sending waves of pleasure radiating through my body. I pushed my opening closer still to the jet, letting the water cascade around me, hammer into me. The pleasure from it caused my toes to curl.
Suddenly I was overtaken by a throbbing lust awakening inside me, like a hungry animal. That's when something caught my eye. It was a shower head, one mounted on the side of the bath. I took it in my hand and pressed the button. A pressurized stream of water spewed forth from the nozzle. You'll do nicely, I thought to myself.
I submerged the shower head and brushed the warm jet against myself. The sensation felt like smoldering coals traveling through my bloodstream, hot and steady, throbbing. I felt the pressure building inside me as I gripped the nozzle tighter.
“Hard at work, I see,” a melodic voice said.
I jolted upright in the bath, jerked from my fantasy. The effect was like being doused with ice water. I looked up to see Ian, naked. His chiseled, bare chest was rising and falling rapidly. His thick cock was engorged, hard and long. He was the perfect male specimen, lean, muscular, with an angled jaw. Suddenly I felt guilty, like a child caught scribbling on the walls with cray
on. “What are you doing here?” I asked dimly. My mind was still fogged from the near climax. Even now my stomach was throbbing with lust. The naked sight of Ian was certainly not a very good deterrent.
Ian grinned. “A man can't bathe in his own house?” he asked, walking towards the tub.
My face flushed scarlet as I realized I was still holding the shower nozzle. Quickly I put it away and stood up. “Of course you can, sorry,” I said.
“Sit down,” Ian said. His voice was firm, commanding, but not forceful. I did as I was told. The slickness between my legs had returned. “Good girl.” Ian then sat on the side of the tub, dipping his feet in the steaming water. I watched as his hard cock stood erect, thick and long. My insides ached for it, more than I ever would have wanted to admit.
“Come here,” Ian beckoned. I obeyed again, as if I had no real choice. I could feel the fire in my veins.
When I reached him, I grabbed a handful of his cock. I could feel the blood pumping to it, the throbbing of it under my fingertips.
Ian suddenly climbed down into the bath, pressing his firm body against my own. “Turn around,” he said.
I shook my head. “No.”
Ian raised an eyebrow. “That wasn't a request. If you want to keep your job, turn around.”
My stomach twisted. He was playing a game? Wasn't he? We had pushed the envelope so often sometimes the lines between fantasy and reality blurred. The uncertainty only fed the fires of my lust. Again, I obeyed.
I moaned as Ian's cock slipped inside of me. Ian grabbed a handful of my wet hair and tugged as his cock sunk deeper inside of me. I tried to grab the edges of the tub as Ian hammered into me, but they were wet, and I kept slipping back into the water. Each time Ian slammed into me I felt the pressure mount, like a geyser about to erupt. “Ohhhhhhh, Gooooooddddddd,” I moaned.
“Shut up,” Ian growled, dunking my head into the water. Then all I could hear was the dull roar of the water jets as foam shrouded my vision. The only sensation was heat, heat and Ian drilling into me mercilessly. I thrashed uselessly in the water as my lungs roared for oxygen.
Ian's cock continued, unrelenting, opening my insides. Meanwhile his forceful grip kept my head just below the surface. I was drifting away now, my focus fading. All I could feel was the raw sensation of the orgasm wracking my body. Then, just as the fringes of my conscious began to blacken, Ian pulled my head out of the water and I gasped, and I came, and I cried into Ian's chest.
“I'm sorry,” Ian pleaded as he stroked my hair. “I'm so sorry.”
“Not yet you're not.” Another voice rang out, an unfamiliar one. Startled, I looked up. There was a woman there, her pretty face twisted in disgust. Her auburn hair was as red as her cheeks, and her eyes burned an emerald green. “You will be though. I can promise you that!” the woman barked, then stormed out of the bathroom.
Ian got up. “Cassie, wait.”
I got up as well, my mind so muddled I was hardly sure what had even just occurred. “Who is Cassie?” I asked when my clarity returned. “Who the hell is Cassie?” I said again when Ian didn't answer.
Ian's eyes regarded me with pity, a pity so deep it took me aback for a moment. “My wife,” Ian said breathlessly. “She's my wife.”
* * *
Mr. Renly's face was impassive, or at least attempting to be. I could tell he wanted to ask a million different questions. He was hesitating though, most likely because he could see the fresh tears flowing down my cheeks. It was all so real right now, so immediate. The expo outside was just a painful reminder of how close it all still was. The expo would run for the rest of the week as well. There was simply no escaping it.
“So what happened next? What did you do with the recording?” Mr. Renly finally asked when I had dried my tears.
“What I thought was right,” I said, swallowing hard.
* * *
My mascara was smeared now, running from the hot stream of fresh tears. At least I was clothed now. At least I had some semblance of my dignity now.
“Penelope, please. Let me explain,” Ian said, grabbing my arm as I made my way to the exit.
“Don't touch me!” I howled. My reaction caused Ian to recoil in horror.
“Penelope,” he pleaded. “It's not what you think.”
“How do you know what I think? Huh? Did you invent something that can do that too?” I roared. I felt sick, enraged, betrayed, confused. This cocktail of emotions ran through me like venom, volatile and lethal.
“Don't go,” Ian said as I reached my desk, stuffing my things furiously into an Armani suitcase, one Ian had purchased for me himself. “I love you.”
This statement stopped me. “You're a liar! That's what you are. All of you are. You deserve everything you get,” I growled.
Ian's eyes fell to the floor. “You're right... Goodbye, Ms. Potters,” was all he said. Then he left the room. He left it without a single tear shed, or a single apology. He just left, not even so much as offering me a ride home.
The tears welling behind my eyes burst forth again. I began to sob, sob like the child I was. I hadn't learned anything, not a thing. I fell for every stupid line Ian had told me since the beginning. I had never been anything to him, anything more than a toy, a project. Ellie had been right all along. That was when my eyes fell on a folder. Written in bold across the top of it were the words 'Genesis Drive.' Suddenly, I had a purpose again. I stuffed the schematic in my bag.
Logan had been right after all. This was the only thing left to do. The schematic would give me everything I ever wanted, and more. I took out the tape recorder as well, my hand hovering over the delete button. Once I pressed it, there was no going back. I was at the crossroad. Down one, everything would be back to normal. I would return to my old position, my old life. Down the other, I would have everything I ever dreamed of, everything except Ian. Because to get everything I ever wanted required me to betray Ian, like he had betrayed me. When I pictured the hurt on Ian's wife's face when she saw me, suddenly, the decision became simple. I took a deep breath and pressed the delete button, and just like that, everything was over.
* * *
Mr. Renly winced as I finished telling him the fate of the file. “And this schematic, what happened to that? Did you ever give it to Mr. Lambert?”
I sighed, rubbing my eyes. It all felt like some distant dream now. I looked outside; the sun was setting now. “If it's alright with you, Mr. Renly, I think that's a story for another time.”
Mr. Renly looked at the clock. “6:45 already! Forgive me, Ms. Adams. I didn't realize what time it was. It's just this story, it is quite remarkable. So much so it's hard to believe it's true.”
I smiled weakly. “I couldn't make something like this up, not in a million years. I never was very creative.”
Renly cleared his throat and straightened his suit as I made my way to the door. “Do you still have it?” he finally asked, as I lay my hand on the knob. “Do you still have the schematic to the Genesis Drive?”
“Goodbye, Mr. Renly,” I said, and pushed through the door. Some things a girl just has to keep to herself.
A Betrayal Uncovered
“Ms. Adams!” Renly jumped as he turned on the lights to his office, seeing me already there with all of my items unpacked. “You’re early,” he said after a brief pause.
It was true. I had been in his office for the last twenty minutes now, and there were still another fifteen before the actual interview was scheduled. Truthfully, I was anxious. We were almost done now, closing in on the end of the story. Soon it would be finished, and my heart would be free; even if I ended up in jail for it, there would be closure now. This was going to be the last interview. The whole story would finally be unveiled. No more mysteries, no more uncertainty, just untarnished truth. I took a deep breath, ready to take the final steps of one of the longest journeys of my life.
“How did you get in here?” Renly asked. “It’s supposed to be locked at n
ight.”
I smirked. I couldn’t help but enjoy how unnerved my interviewer looked. “It was. Thankfully, your secretary let me in.”
I saw a distinct look of relief wash over Renly’s face. “Oh. Of course,” he said before sitting down.
It was strange. What would he care if I was in his office alone? Was he hiding something? Then the realization hit me. Of course he would be afraid of me: I was a sleuth. There was probably more dirt in this office than anywhere else in Renly’s life. Men were creatures of habit, and all of them the same. They hid their secrets at work. That way, they never had to take them home, or so they thought anyway. But it was impossible to get off all of the dirt, and they would always track some in when they got home. Luckily for Renly, he wasn’t my target. I had my sights set on Ian Payne, the billionaire inventor who stole my heart, then crushed it beneath his designer shoes. Today was the culmination of everything that had happened to me over the past few months. We were reaching the peak now, I could feel it.
Mr. Renly adjusted himself in his seat. There was an eagerness in his eyes. He could feel it too, how close we were to the end. Eagerly, he placed a tape recorder on the table, then looked up at me. “So,” he said after a long pause.
“So,” I responded.
“We’ve come a long way, haven’t we, Ms. Adams?” Renly asked.
I nodded. The heaviness in my heart couldn’t be ignored. Soon though, I would shrug the burden off. It would no longer be mine to have, which was good, because I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold it up. “After today, you’ll have your story,” I said. My own statement helped me make the realization myself. That meant when I woke up tomorrow, I would see it on the news. There would be no more hiding. No one could hide from the public eye, not when they were after something they really wanted. There were simply too many of them. I knew because I had been one of those eyes, sharper than most too, and twice as persistent. If there was someone out there with half the talent I had, the whole world would know where I lived before noon tomorrow. I sighed deeply. That was the price I would have to pay for freedom.
Rich Man's Deception: Complete Boxed Set Bundle: Billionaire Boss / Corporate Espionage Romance Page 9