He picked up the picture in one hand and studied it closely. This Delaine was a fine-looking woman. Her résumé said she was an expert in systems, database and process analysis. Very impressive. Very beautiful.
A hand found its way down to his crotch and stroked his burgeoning erection through his trousers as he eyes moved over her photo. He noted the intelligence in her dark brown almond-shaped eyes and her flawless cinnamon skin. Imagining his fists knotting in the long natural curls of her hair, he leaned his head back in his chair, her photo in one hand, and unzipped his pants and freed his rock-hard cock.
Baker closed his brilliant green eyes, the image of Delaine Jeris etched firmly in his mind. He spilled his seed into one of the handkerchiefs he kept in a drawer for these occasions and wondered if the woman could be bought or, depending on who she worked for, sold.
* * * * *
Justin Cooley flipped the secure cell phone closed and grimaced at the new intel he’d just received. So a new investigator was stepping into his case, eh? It was a woman who was coming in as some kind of techno-geek. Her cover was to map out the production process and data sources for the new medicine that Brian Baker’s team was developing. So was Baker her target? Justin had no idea. He also hadn’t a clue who she was or what she looked like. But since he wasn’t supposed to know anything about her at all, it was no surprise the information he’d been given was sketchy. His partner Derrick was trying to find out more. Justin would check in with him later.
Thankfully, the manufacturing and corporate facilities at Astin Pharmaceutical were huge. He blended in with everyone else, surveyed who came and went and who had access to what.
Keeping an eye out for this new agent should be easy enough. He was finally closing in on Baker. The last thing he needed was a newbie coming in and spoiling what had taken him months to set up.
Chapter Two
Delaine circled the parking lot at the Arboretum Mall for the third time, relieved to finally luck out on a parking space close to the restaurant. She flew into the spot, jumped out of her sleek black Jag and hurried to the door. She was supposed to meet Pam more than ten minutes ago. Her fingers closed around the door handle when she was nearly tackled by a very excited female.
“I really missed you,” Pam said with a toothy grin. She released Delaine and dragged her through the door to the table where their breakfast waited. “Hey, I ordered some of that frou-frou food I know you like, so eat up.”
“Thanks, woman. Sorry I’m late,” Delaine said, quirking a brow at her friend as packet after packet of sugar disappeared into Pam’s coffee cup. Ick! She shuddered visibly then laughed when Pam stuck her tongue out at her. Delaine took a healthy bite of fruit, yogurt and granola Breakfast Banana Split. Her eyes rolled heavenward in appreciation then her nose wrinkled in distaste when Pam took a gulp of syrupy coffee.
“I’m so excited to see you, Delaine! Girl, I still can’t believe you’re here!” Pam exclaimed, squirming in her chair like a little kid with a new toy at Christmas.
“I know, I can’t believe it either!” Delaine beamed, just as happy to see Pam. It had been eight years since the two women had left their homes in California. Delaine had moved to Denver, and Pam had been all over the place. She still couldn’t believe they’d both ended up in North Carolina at the same time.
“So tell me again why you didn’t like Houston?” Delaine asked around another bite of yogurt heaven. “You were there for, what, two years?”
“Too hot, too humid. Not enough gorgeous men,” Pam jested as she leered over her shoulder at the butt of a nice-looking man being seated across from them. “I had a pretty good clientele, but it got old fast.”
Delaine tilted her head in question and said, “But why Charlotte, of all places? It’s just as hot and humid as Houston. Besides, last year you said you were going back home to Cali.”
“I know, but I changed my mind. You know I’ve always wanted to live on the East Coast somewhere. I didn’t want to live in New York. Too crowded, too expensive. But I didn’t want to live in Florida either.”
“Too many hurricanes,” Delaine mumbled around the napkin she wiped her mouth with.
“You’ve got that right. So I settled for Charlotte. It’s almost right in the middle of the Atlantic states. Close enough to New York to get in plenty of shopping and close enough to Florida to get plenty of sun. And, baby, the Miami strip is just waiting for me.”
Delaine almost laughed at Pam’s screwy logic, but for her friend, it made perfect sense. Pam moving to North Carolina because it sat between New York and Florida fit her personality perfectly. Sun, fun, shopping and hair were her life.
“You’ve been here six months. How long before you’re off to somewhere else, girlfriend?”
“Well, I’ve always wanted to see the South of France. Hey,” Pam exclaimed, changing the subject. The woman was like a gnat, flying from one subject to another and never in a straight line. “My salon is right on the other side of the mall. You only live about fifteen minutes from here. Why don’t we meet here for breakfast again? Afterward, we can walk over to the shop and I’ll do your hair, just like old times. And while I’m hooking you up, you can tell me what you’re doing here without your husband.”
Delaine grimaced. Other than her kids, she’d shared her situation with nobody but her boss Geri, and even that conversation hadn’t been too deep. At the time, Delaine just couldn’t handle getting into the morbid details. She hadn’t wanted to think about how her husband had abandoned their family for the most unbelievably dumb reasons. He’d claimed she wasn’t supportive around the house, but what wife would support a total nag? Especially when he’d nagged her and the kids around the clock. And god forbid there be a dish in the sink! Or a dryer sheet left on top of the clothes dryer. In all his selfish whining, he’d never thanked her for buying him whatever he wanted and standing by him in anything and everything he wanted to do. Not to mention the endless years of boring, uninspired sex. Funny, he was always the one with a headache. It was a wonder they’d ever had children.
She’d been too ashamed to talk about it before, but now she felt stronger. Maybe she should talk to Pam and release the disappointment and hurt once and for all. Besides, she’d known Pam since the Stone Age. If anyone could be trusted with her private business, it was the woman sitting on the other side of the table.
Delaine took a steadying breath and let the words tumble from her mouth.
“Gary and I are divorced, Pam. We’ve been separated for more than a year and the dissolution was final last week.” She watched Pam closely, not realizing she held her breath until her chest started to ache. To Delaine’s surprise, Pam looked relieved.
“Oh thank god! It’s about damn time,” Pam said, sticking a finger up in the air while doing a seated version of the happy dance. “I never told you this in all the years we’ve been friends because I didn’t want to speak against what made you happy, but I’ve never liked Gary. You gave and gave and gave to him, but he always made it seem like he was some kind of martyr for being married to you. It’s about time you cut that loser off your apron strings.”
“He left us, Pam,” Delaine said, the heat in her voice directed at her no-good ex rather than Pam’s revelation that she’d never liked him. When Pam’s face fell, Delaine giggled at her friend’s incredulous expression. She obviously hadn’t been expecting to hear this. But Pam, being Pam, recovered from the shock quickly and was as pissed off as Delaine had ever seen her. But she didn’t miss the hint of sadness in the woman’s dark brown eyes.
“After all you’ve done for him, he left you? Left your children? I don’t believe it! The bastard! That son of a …”
Delaine quietly cut her off mid-rave.
“Pam, it’s fine. I’ve moved on. It’s been tough being alone after so many years, but I’m fine. Really.”
“I know exactly what you need. You need to get out and meet some new people.”
Delaine immediately shook her head, adamantly mouthing the w
ord no. Pam kept right on talking.
“Hey, I have an idea,” Pam squealed, setting her cooling cup of coffee down once and for all to silently clap her hands. “There’s a group called The Charlotte/Mecklenberg Professionals Group. It’s where folks who are new to the area can meet other professional singles to hang out with.”
“Look, I’m not interested in the meat market thing, okay?” Delaine said firmly, pointing a single finger at her friend.
“No, girl, it’s not like that. It’s a place for professionals, like yourself,” Pam said, warming to the topic. “They do a lot of recreational stuff, you know, they network, go boating, dancing, take trips to the mountains and junk like that—not a teeny bopper, get-me-some-coochie type group.”
The lioness had been content to doze in the back of Delaine’s mind. Now, Delaine felt Sapa sit up on her haunches, fully alert, her ear pricked forward as she listened closely to what Pam was saying.
“Is it safe?” Delaine asked. The lioness and she both tilted their heads thoughtfully.
“Definitely. You won’t find anybody like me in the whole place!”
Delaine’s laughter drew the gaze of a few nosey folks seated at the table next to them. She pulled her outburst down to a chuckle and looked up at Pam through lowered lashes as she thought about her suggestion. So there was a place for professionals looking to meet up with others? Definitely not Pam’s style. She’d be more comfortable at a titty bar. One-stop shopping, no intellect required. The woman had always been a free spirit, not afraid to tell a man she wanted a good lay and a good bye. Not like Delaine, who’d settled for less than mediocre sex for the entire length of her eighteen-year marriage. But now the divorce was final. Was there a reason she shouldn’t get out and meet people, get on with her life?
“It’s an exclusive, invitation-only group, Del. I’ll try to get you into the social this Friday night. I put you down to get your hair done on Saturday so you can fill me in on how it went. Oh, and wear something nice. They’re meeting at the Duke Mansion this time. Real swanky place.”
When Pam pulled out the appointment book she never went anywhere without, flipped it open and penciled her name in, Delaine resigned herself to her fate with a sigh. She entered both her hair appointment and the social into her PDA and packed it back into her briefcase.
“If it’s not your type of thing, how do you know so much about it?” Delaine asked, pulling a few dollars out of her wallet for the tip.
“A client of mine runs the outfit. She’ll arrange VIP treatment, so no worries.”
“All right then. I’ll see you Saturday. And this social thing better be fun or I’m gonna talk about you bad when I walk into your shop.” She smiled, kissed her friend on the cheek and rose from the table. “I’ll see you later. Gotta go to work.”
“Work? At seven a.m.?”
“I like to get a head start on things. Thanks for the breakfast, Ms. Pamela.”
* * * * *
It had taken her most of the day, but she’d finally slipped away from the annoying Sarah Ann person from R&D. When Delaine arrived at work this morning, she’d been surprised to find the woman waiting for her, looking rather uncomfortable as she sat in a chair outside her office. The cute little dark-haired woman behaved as if her interest in Delaine was simple Southern hospitality for the new kid on the block. But Delaine was no idiot. The woman was shadowing her, but on whose orders? Perhaps her target, Baker, whom she’d met her first day on the job just yesterday.
She shuddered at the memory of meeting Brian Baker, a handsome Englishman with a chilling smile and the coldest green eyes she’d ever seen. The moment they met, Delaine heard the lioness growl deep in her throat. Sapa had kept it up the entire time Delaine was in his presence. And when they’d shook hands, the way he looked her over and held her hand much too long had totally creeped her out.
Delaine had always been a fair, “innocent until proven guilty” agent, no matter what. But something about this Baker character made her want him to be guilty of what he was suspected of.
She pressed her identification badge against the card reader and the doors to the elevator slid open. She pushed the button for the basement and scanned the hallways as they closed, thankful Sarah Ann hadn’t popped out from around the corner. Removing a small silver tag from the hidden pocket on the inside of her waistband, she held it against the digital lock on the control panel. In seconds the little device deciphered the encryption and the elevator began to drop rapidly.
The labs were much deeper than she’d thought. When the elevator reached the floor indicated by the last button on the panel, it just kept going. There were no buttons on the panel for these floors and she had no idea how far down she’d traveled. She took a deep breath and steeled herself for whatever and whoever might be down in the subterranean labs. The doors slid open with a quiet hiss.
‘Okay, Sapa, we’re on high alert now,’ Delaine thought.
*I am one step ahead of you, Suta.*
She poked her head out and looked around before stepping out. The doors swished silently closed. Delaine stood in the near darkness and allowed her eyes to adjust. She stood in what looked like a maintenance area. Little pathways led through and between what looked liked large water or sewage pipes.
Walking softly on the outside edges of her feet, her high-heeled boots made no sound. Halfway down the path she’d chosen, the lioness’ ears pricked up. Someone was watching.
*Shall I see who watches?*
‘No worries. As long as they stay hidden, we’re all right,’ Delaine replied. She kept walking, not wanting to alert whoever watched that she was aware of their presence. She flipped through a small stack of quality reports in her hands and busily reviewed them. She painted on an intent expression and confident body language that said something was important on the papers she rifled through. Anyone looking should believe she had every right to be down here. The lioness remained alert, but no one appeared.
The dimness of the little pathway gave way to a large room lit by blue lamps mounted high on the walls. The room led to a series of tunnels that ran off in all directions. Which way should she go? If she picked the wrong tunnel, she could end up at a dead end, or worse, at the entrance to one of the labs where Baker was reported to spend most of his time. He wasn’t supposed to be down here this early in the morning but she couldn’t be sure.
‘Come to me, Sapa. I need your guidance.’ She silently called the great cat onto this plane, and the large body of the black mountain lion shimmered into existence.
Delaine would never get used to how big Sapa was. The top of her muscular back was higher than Delaine’s waist when she reached out to ruffle the soft, wiry hair between the lioness’ ears, glad no one else could hear or see the big cat, even in her physical form.
‘Sapa, I don’t know which way to go,’ Delaine said softly into her mind. Immediately the hunter rose up, calm and sure of her power, ready to aid her charge.
*Take what I offer,* Sapa spoke along the bond.
The black cat lent Delaine her keen sense of sight, smell and hearing then shimmered away. The aura of the lioness prowled ahead and explored each passageway. Within moments, her thoughts flashed through the bond, telling Delaine which way was clear before fading away.
Delaine took off at a silent clip down the tunnel farthest to her right.
* * * * *
What the hell is she doing down here? Justin wondered as he watched Delaine make her way through the maze of pipes and pathways. She had to be lost. In fact, he couldn’t think of a single female on the list of those allowed into The Vault. Hell, he wasn’t even supposed to be down here. He had an hour, correction, forty-five minutes, to get back up to the locker room and slip the badge and encryption key back into the lab coat pocket of the scientist he’d nicked it from.
He remained in the shadows, hidden behind one of the large steel and PVC units that delivered fresh air, electricity and water to these floors. Her height was average, but that�
�s where average stopped. Her features were exquisite, her skin smooth and clear. Even in the dim lighting her dark brown eyes held a depth of intelligence and ruthlessness that caused his lips to draw down in a pensive frown. What caused a woman this fine to have a look like that in her eyes? Like she was after someone, and if the person was smart, they’d be running for the hills.
He let her pass by and then poked his head out from behind his hiding place to get a good look. He almost gave himself away.
Dayum! He exclaimed silently, his eyes glued to her firm, round butt. His mouth fell open as he watched her move into the room that led to the maze of tunnels. He could tell she was athletic by the nicely formed biceps and shoulders under the fine gauge of her coral pink short-sleeved top. The contrast of her tasteful sweater against her mocha skin made him think of chocolate-covered strawberries.
But fine or not, he’d better find out who she was and what she was doing in The Vault. Was she the investigator he was looking for?
The beauty disappeared down one of the tunnels off to the right that led to the quality lab for Baker’s secret little projects. As soon as she rounded the corner and disappeared from sight, Justin popped open his secure cell phone and dialed.
“Derrick, it’s me. We might have a little problem.”
* * * * *
“Mr. Baker, I’m so sorry. I followed her to the ladies room on the fourth floor then I lost her. I tried to keep an eye on her, I swear I did.”
Sarah Ann flinched when he pierced her with a malevolent glare. Such a wicked look shouldn’t have been possible from such a handsome man. Blond hair, green eyes, perfect white teeth. And brilliant. She was surprised to realize she didn’t even like him, and hated herself for needing him.
“You know, Sarah Ann,” Baker said, rising and circling around his desk to stand directly in front of her chair, “you’re assigned as the R&D specialist to my project. If you can’t carry out simple tasks then perhaps I should have your boss assign you to someone else.” He almost smiled when she blanched.
Eternally Bound: Paranormal Romance Boxed Set Page 2