Power Play

by Tiffany Snow

  I called the travel desk for the firm and had them switch Hinton’s ticket to New York into Parker’s name as well as the hotel, then had them add me. Since I wasn’t an executive, I’d be sitting in coach rather than first class like Parker, but that was okay. I was still going to New York.

  Parker hadn’t returned by the time that was done, which meant it was a perfect opportunity to finish the files in his office. Yeah, this skirt had been a bad idea. I had to hike it up past my knees just so I could bend. Now it was going to wrinkle.

  I shook my head. Whatever. I just wanted this day to be over.

  It took me several hours and it was pushing five o’clock by the time I was finally done. I’d just finished brushing myself off when the phone rang at my desk. I sighed as I hurried over to it. That was one nice thing about doing files after hours—the phone didn’t ring. It had rung all afternoon and I’d been up and down enough times to count it as a workout.

  “Sage, it’s me,” Parker said after I’d answered. “I won’t be coming back to the office tonight. Take the cleaning by my place, if you would, and bring the ZNT file with you.”

  “Um, okay,” I said, closing my eyes and rubbing a hand across my forehead. “Sure.” I didn’t have to do this very often, but tonight I’d really just wanted to go home and sleep.

  NewYorkNewYorkNewYork.

  Okay, I could suck it up for a three-day trip to New York.

  “You have a key, right?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I do. I’ll drop off your things.”

  “Thank you, Sage.” He disconnected.

  Hmm. Another thank you. I could get used to that.

  My arms were full when I left and it took a few minutes to hail a cab. “Yuck,” I muttered, using my foot to shove aside some food wrappers on the floor. I gave the driver Parker’s address.

  I lived in a nice part of town. Parker lived in the expensive part of town. The rent for his condo cost thousands each month and I secretly envied the place. It was a gorgeous, two-bedroom with granite counters, a gas stove, and corner windows that overlooked downtown on one side and Lake Michigan on the other.

  I juggled the clothes, my purse, Parker’s briefcase, all while trying to unlock the door. Finally, I managed to get inside. I promptly dropped everything on his sofa, because my arms were aching. There were even indentations in my skin from the damn hangers.

  “Oh, Parker! It’s about time you got home! Have I got a surprise for y—” The singsong feminine voice abruptly cut off as I turned to see a woman come around the corner, clad in nothing but a thong and one of Parker’s ties. She screamed, crossing her arms over her ample breasts. “Who the hell are you?”

  With a sinking in my gut, I cursed Parker. He didn’t have a girlfriend, no, but that didn’t mean he didn’t sleep around. Some women could be really persistent in trying to have a relationship with him, despite his near-brutal brush-offs. This looked like one of them.

  “How did you get in here?” I asked. It wasn’t as if Parker would ever give his key to one of them.

  “None of your business,” the blonde spluttered, her face beet red. “You didn’t answer my question. Who are you?”

  I raised an eyebrow. “I’m Mr. Anderson’s assistant, and unless he gave you a key”—I could tell by her face he hadn’t—“you’re trespassing and need to go.”

  She tossed her long hair and straightened her spine, her brown eyes flashing. “I’m his girlfriend,” she insisted. “This was a surprise for him.”

  “I’m sure him having a girlfriend certainly will be a surprise,” I said, especially since he’d just told me last night that he wasn’t dating anyone. I brushed past her into the bedroom. Seeing her clothes on the chair in the corner, I snatched them up. “Here’s your clothes. Now, leave.” I pushed them into her chest. Grabbing her arm, I started hauling her to the entry.

  “He’s going to fire you when I tell him what you did,” she spat as I pulled open the door.

  “Awesome,” I said, shoving her through. “I could use a vacation.” I reached for her, slipping the tie off her head quick as a wink, then slammed the door shut in her face.

  I was going to have a talk with the doorman about this. Hell, maybe I should have a talk with Parker about this, not that it was really his fault. Guess he must be so good in bed he was beating them off with a stick. And no, I totally was not jealous. It was just…irritating, that’s all.

  I sniffed. Something smelled good. Had the blonde cooked dinner? No, it had probably been Deirdre, Parker’s maid. She came by daily to straighten things and made dinner for him several times a week. I needed a Deirdre.

  Wandering into the kitchen, I saw a covered dish on the stove. Lifting the lid, I took a whiff. Coq au vin. Yum. My stomach growled. Mashed potatoes sat in another dish. Maybe Parker wouldn’t notice a little missing?

  I spooned a bit of each onto a plate, eating it fast, afraid I’d get caught. Parker probably wouldn’t say a word, just raise an eyebrow at me if he did catch me. My eyes drifted shut as I chewed. Deirdre was a really good cook.

  After carefully washing the plate and fork, I grabbed the suits from the couch and headed into his bedroom. Now that Naked Girl was gone, I noticed she’d tried to set a “mood.” Half a dozen candles burned around the room and for-real rose petals were sprinkled over the turned-down bed. Music played softly from the living room, drifting into the master bedroom. I snorted. Like a man needed any of that to want to get laid.

  Opening the closet, I hung the suits, carefully removing the plastic coverings. Parker’s closet was very organized, so I was sure to put them in the right order according to color and fabric weight. I hadn’t known he’d been in the military, but now his compulsive closet organization made more sense.

  Parker as a Marine. Okay, that was hot. I wondered if he still had his dress uniform. I’d pay a heck of a lot of money to see him in that. My imagination painted the picture in my head. Gorgeous in a suit, in a full Marine dress uniform, Parker would be…heavenly.

  His bedroom smelled so much like him, it was like nirvana. Closing my eyes, I breathed deep the smell of spice and sandalwood and…Parker.

  The sound of the front door opening and closing jerked me right out of my trance. I hurried to finish arranging the suits, unknotting and hanging the tie the girl had used when Parker appeared in the doorway.

  “I was just finishing up,” I said. He looked good today, as he did every day, no matter that he’d had about as much sleep as me last night. On him, you couldn’t tell, of course.

  “That’s fine,” he said, removing his cuff links as he headed for the armoire. “I finished earlier than—” He abruptly cut off. “Sage, why are there rose petals in my bed?”

  Glancing around, I saw him holding one of the petals as though it were a dead insect. His gaze met mine and he raised an eyebrow.

  “Oh yeah,” I hurried to explain. “Funny story. Some girl was here, said she was your girlfriend. I…asked her to come back some other time.” Euphemisms weren’t lying.

  “Girlfriend?” he asked. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

  My smile was thin. “That’s what I said. Hope you don’t mind me showing her out.” Maybe I should’ve let her stay? Parker might’ve wanted some…companionship tonight. I ignored the little green imp on my shoulder at that. No sense feeling jealous over something I shouldn’t want and could never have.

  “No. Thank you for doing so. If it was who I think it was, then she’s the last person I want to deal with tonight.”

  I bit my tongue to keep from asking who the girl was, instead turning my attention back to the closet. Parker continued on his way to the armoire and I heard the slight sounds of him discarding his cuff links and wristwatch.

  It was oddly intimate, being in his bedroom while he did that. Though I supposed it was also kind of insulting that he didn’t even notice or care that I was there. Let’s not think of that. I heard the slide of silk that told me he was unknotting his tie. Parker…sort of und
ressing…in his bedroom. Yum.

  I finished the closet, closed the doors, and turned to leave when the rose petals on the bed caught my eye. They’d stain the linens if they weren’t picked up, so I started gathering them.

  “You don’t have to do that,” Parker said. “I’ll do it later.”

  “No, they’ll stain,” I said, setting a knee on the mattress and reaching for the ones scattered on the pillows. “If you break them at all or squash them, that red color is a total pain to get out.” The minute I said it, I prayed he wouldn’t ask me how I knew that.

  “Sage—”

  “I’m almost done,” I cut him off, scrambling to grab the petals before he could stop me. There. That was all of them.

  My hands full of velvety petals, I scooted back off the bed and stood, turning to find Parker right in front of me. I nearly fell backward again, but he caught my elbow, righting me.

  “Oops, sorry,” I said with a sheepish smile. He was looking at me oddly and I figured I had to look pretty ridiculous, crawling around his bed and now with a huge handful of rose petals. I lifted my hands slightly. “Got ’em. No stains.”

  “Yeah, rose petal stains on the sheets would have kept me up nights.”

  I blinked. Had Parker just made a joke?

  “I know, right?” I deadpanned. His lips twitched.

  For a moment, neither of us moved. His hand still lightly gripped my elbow as he looked down at me. His cologne had faded, but he was so close, I could still smell it combined with the scent of his skin. If someone could bottle that combination, they’d make a fortune. The fabric of his slacks brushed my bare legs below my skirt, sending a wave of goose bumps over me.

  I gazed into his eyes, unblinking. Acutely aware of the very available bed at my back, I wondered what Parker would do if I sank down onto the mattress and tugged him down with me. Did he find me attractive? Would he kiss me?

  Or would he push me away in shocked disgust at my forwardness? Would he be disappointed that I’d “gone there” and ruined the good working rapport that we had? There was nothing on the planet more cliché than a secretary and her boss.

  Either outcome would spell the end of my job and my relationship with Parker. He didn’t do relationships…and he didn’t sleep with his secretary. I refused to even contemplate losing what we did have, platonic though it might be, which meant there was really only one option for me.

  “So I’d better get going,” I said, sidling out from between Parker and the bed.

  He released me at once, although it felt as though the imprint of his hand on my skin remained.

  “Yes. Thank you for bringing everything here,” he said, following me as I headed for the kitchen.

  I dumped the rose petals in the trash, his comment reminding me. “I’ll just leave the file on your desk,” I said, retrieving the thick ZNT file and heading into the second bedroom, which Parker had made into an office. I set the folder on his desk and a moment later was grabbing my purse. Nearly at the door, I glanced back and saw Parker had poured himself a scotch.

  He stood with his back to me, staring out the windows at the city skyline, the crystal glass with an inch of amber liquid held at his side. As I hesitated, he tipped up the drink, emptying the contents in one swallow.

  Hmm. Parker rarely drank like that. Must’ve been a rough day.

  I felt a pang of sympathy and wished I was someone he confided in, someone he could unburden himself to, but knew I wasn’t that person to him. Did he have anyone he confided in? I wasn’t sure. He had guy friends, but guys had odd friendships, so I couldn’t say for sure.

  “Is there anything else?” I asked. All I could really do for him was to just do my job the best I could and try to anticipate anything he might need or want. I thought I was pretty good at both those things.

  Parker glanced around. “No, that’ll be all, Sage.”

  I nodded. “Okay. Have a nice weekend.”

  “You too.”

  The door closed softly behind me.

  Standing on the sidewalk outside, I glanced up the street for a taxi. Nothing in sight yet. I sighed. I couldn’t wait to get home and go to bed. People passed me by, but it wasn’t super busy. Parker’s area was nice and I didn’t worry about being out here alone at night.

  Glancing around as I waited, a man caught my eye. He was standing about ten feet away, dressed in a dark suit, and had just lit a cigarette. Unlike everyone else, he didn’t seem to be going anywhere and just stood there, leisurely smoking. There was something about him that made me abruptly decide I wouldn’t want to run into him in a dark alley. He was huge, with hands that looked like they could crush me into a fine powder. A tattoo of barbed wire crossed his knuckles. Nice.

  As if he sensed my gaze on him, he shifted and looked right at me. A chill went through me and I hurriedly glanced away, gripping my purse a bit tighter. Time to go.

  Lifting my arm, I stepped into the street, finally spotting a cab. I flagged it down and it pulled to a stop a short ways away. Hurrying to it, I opened the door and was just getting in when a voice said, “Mind if we share?”

  I had no chance to respond as I was forcefully shoved into the backseat. I scrambled to right myself, turning to give a piece of my mind to the jackass that had confiscated my ride, but my words died on my tongue.

  It was barbed-wire guy.

  Chapter Five

  The cab wasn’t yet moving so I grabbed the handle of the door on my side, wanting to get out. He could have this cab. I’d catch another one.

  “You stay.” His huge palm wrapped around my upper arm and squeezed. It hurt and I winced. Now I was scared. He had an accent, but I couldn’t place it. Eastern European or something—German, maybe, or Russian. I was awful with accents. Really, I could only narrow it down to “not British.” He sounded nothing like Benedict Cumberbatch.

  “Forget it! Let me go!”

  He squeezed so hard¸ tears came to my eyes.

  “Cooperate and this will be a short ride,” he said, his voice a low growl. “Otherwise—”

  “Hey, where to?” the cabbie interrupted.

  “Tell him,” the man ordered, but I hesitated. I didn’t want this guy to know where I lived. “Tell him,” he repeated, and this time he didn’t sound as friendly. He jerked me, and I felt like my arm nearly came out of the socket. I gasped in pain, then blurted out my address. The car started to move and his grip eased.

  “Let go of me,” I said, trying unsuccessfully to tug my arm away, “or I’ll tell him to drive to the nearest police station.”

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he said. He lifted his jacket, revealing a gun tucked underneath his arm in a holster. I swallowed.

  “What do you want? I have money in my purse. Take it and go.”

  He laughed outright. “I don’t want money. Just to have a conversation,” he said, his accent thick. He finally let me go. He’d gripped me so hard it had cut off the circulation and now my arm tingled as the blood started flowing again. “You are Sage Reese, correct? Assistant to Parker Anderson?”

  How did he know my name? And Parker’s? Had he seen me come out of Parker’s apartment building? I pressed my lips together and didn’t answer.

  “We know everything about you,” he said, waving his hand. “So is not necessary for you to answer.”

  “Who is ‘we’?”

  “Mr. Anderson has inherited some very important clients. They like to keep a close eye on who handles their money,” he said. “They like their business to remain very…private.”

  My phone started buzzing in my purse, but I ignored it. I didn’t want to take my eyes off this guy, afraid of what else he might do to me.

  “Listen, I don’t know who you are or why you feel it’s necessary to…to accost me like this, but that’s not how we do business.” I tried to sound firm, but my bravado was short-lived.

  He shoved his face closer to mine and I jerked back, plastering myself against the door.

  “It’s
how we do business,” he hissed. “Remember that…Sage.” He smiled as he said my name, revealing a gold tooth.

  I barely breathed, my heart pounding so loud I was sure he could hear it. Fear made my palms sweat, and the acrid scent of his body as he loomed over me made my skin crawl.

  As suddenly as he’d gotten in my face, he pulled back. “Pull over,” he barked. The cabbie hurried to obey.

  “We’ll be watching. Be sure to tell your boss.” He flashed another sinister grin; then he was gone.

  I gasped a breath, sucking in air. My entire body was shaking and I struggled not to burst into tears.

  “Hey, lady, you okay?” the cabbie asked, turning around in his seat.

  “Oh, now you’re concerned!” I snapped. “Just take me home.”

  He said nothing further, just stepped on the gas. Time to add another entry to my list of Why I Hate Cabs: willfully oblivious drivers.

  I’d recovered somewhat by the time we pulled up to my building. I handed the driver money and hurried to the door, eager for the safety of my apartment. It wasn’t until I was ensconced inside that I allowed the mental breakdown I’d promised myself in the taxi.

  My hands trembled as I poured myself a stiff drink, bourbon straight up. My eyes were damp and I sniffed before taking a deep swallow. Glancing down at my arm, I saw the marks his fingers had left on my skin, which were rapidly turning into bruises. That made my eyes water even more.

  Nothing like that had ever happened to me before. No one had ever deliberately hurt me, not physically, and it shook me more than I’d have thought possible. I felt vulnerable and very much alone.

  A sudden pounding on my door startled me so badly that I dropped my glass. It shattered on the wooden floor. Glancing frantically around, I realized I had no weapon, nothing to defend myself. Spotting the butcher block on the counter, I grabbed the seven-inch-long chef’s knife.

  The banging came again as I cautiously approached the door.

  “Sage, are you in there? Sage!”

  I sagged in relief. Parker. I didn’t question why he was there; I was just glad he was, and I threw open the door. As soon as I saw him, I started to cry.