Play to Win

by Tiffany Snow

  But I didn’t have McClane. All I had was me…and Ryker’s gun. As for my bodyguard…

  Should I call Parker? I hadn’t seen him in the apartment when I’d left this morning and hadn’t heard from him. Where was he? Was he with Natalie? Were they even now back at his apartment? Alone?

  But no, Parker said he didn’t feel like that about Natalie. My head told me to hold on to that while the ache in my gut said that it wasn’t so easy to cast aside a woman with whom he had a history.

  I went to bed staring at my phone and willing it to ring…but it remained stubbornly silent.

  * * *

  I blinked blearily and looked at the clock when I woke the next morning. It was after nine, but since it had been well into the wee hours of the morning before I’d fallen asleep, it felt like the crack of dawn.

  I had three missed calls on my cell, all from Megan. But before I could listen to her voice mail, the phone rang in my hand. She was calling again.

  “Oh my God, you gotta tell me the dirt,” she hissed when I answered. “What happened?”

  I blinked in confusion, rubbing my eyes. “What are you talking about?”

  “You mean you don’t know?”

  “Know what?”

  “Parker quit.”

  My jaw dropped. I couldn’t speak.

  “Are you there? Did you hear me? I said Parker—”

  “I heard you,” I interrupted. “But-but that’s impossible. He loves his job. He’s good at his job. Why would he suddenly up and quit?”

  “I have no idea but it’s all anyone’s talking about over here. I thought you would know.”

  “I haven’t seen him,” I said, my mind spinning in shock.

  “He left instructions to clean out his office,” Megan continued. “And we’re supposed to send his things to his new office.”

  “New office? So he has a new job?”

  “Guess so.”

  “Where?”

  “Someplace called SLS Enterprises.”

  And now my shock turned to full-blown panic. Parker was going to work for Steven Shea? This was bizarre, incomprehensible. I had to find him. Now.

  “I gotta go,” I blurted, and ended the call. I immediately tried Parker’s number, but he didn’t pick up and the voice mailbox said it was full. “Shit!” I exploded.

  I took a record-breaking fast shower and hit the door running, catching the bus just as it was pulling away. Collapsing breathless into a seat, I checked my phone again.

  No missed calls. No texts. No messages. Which made no sense.

  Parker had been worried for my safety yesterday…and today he was MIA.

  The doorman knew me on sight and let me in to Parker’s building. Although I’d been remiss in “remembering” to return my key to his apartment, I didn’t use it. I knocked politely instead. Okay, maybe not politely. I may have pounded on the door. Several times. Finally, it opened.

  And I got another shock. My second of the day.

  Natalie stood there, again wearing Parker’s shirt and nothing else.

  “Oh, it’s you,” she said with a slight sneer of distaste. “What do you want?”

  “I’m looking for Parker,” I said stiffly.

  “He’s at work,” she said with a shrug of one delicate shoulder. “I wouldn’t go there, though, if I were you. The boss doesn’t like you much, and I don’t think Parker’s looking for a new secretary.”

  “Executive Administrative Assistant,” I ground out.

  “Whatever. And incidentally”—she leaned closer—“he’s not looking for a girlfriend anymore either.”

  My blood ran cold. “What are you talking about?”

  “Parker and I…rekindled the flames, so to speak,” she said, her lips twisting into a smile. “I must say, it’s like not a single day has passed. We connect just as well now as we always did.”

  “You’re lying.” The words burst out of me, but I knew in my bones I had to be right. Parker wouldn’t do that to me.

  “It’s sad, how women never want to believe the truth, even when it’s staring them in the face. You are, or were, his secretary. He deserves better than a cliché romance.”

  I felt sick to my stomach and clenched my hands into fists so I wouldn’t attack her, though I desperately wanted to tear the smile from her face…with my fingernails.

  It couldn’t be true. The problem was, she didn’t look like she was lying, not standing there in his shirt, in his apartment, smelling like…his cologne.

  Bile rose in my throat and I swallowed it down. Tears threatened but I blinked them back. I absolutely would not cry, especially not in front of Natalie.

  “Parker will tell me the truth,” I managed. My insides felt like I was being torn into a million pieces. “He wouldn’t lie to me, whereas everything that comes out of your mouth is a lie.”

  I had to get out of there. I couldn’t stand seeing her like that, looking at me with both pity and triumph in her eyes.

  Spinning around, I made a beeline for the elevator, punching a finger blindly at the button because at this point I could no longer hold back the tears. They flowed unchecked down my cheeks and I just wanted to get out of there before anyone saw.

  The elevator doors opened and I rushed inside…straight into Parker.

  “What the hell?” I burst out, pushing him away with one hand and swiping at my face with the other. Was it too much to ask of the universe that I could’ve gotten out of here without him seeing me like this? And to make matters even better, Natalie still stood at the door, watching.

  “Sage, what are you doing here?” Parker asked, reaching out to steady me.

  “Tell me the truth,” I said, beyond caring that we had an audience. “Are you and Natalie back together?” Pain streaked my voice and I knew my heart was in my eyes, pleading with him to contradict me and tell me no, of course he wouldn’t be with her. That he loved me.

  Parker’s face took on that expressionless one I knew so well from too many weeks and months working for him, and my heart squeezed inside my chest.

  “We have a history,” he said. “You knew that.”

  “You told me you were over her,” I said. “And I believed you.”

  “I’m sorry—” he began.

  “You’re sorry?” I interrupted, anger rising to swallow the hurt burning inside my chest. “I was right not to trust you, not to trust what you said you felt for me. You would’ve just tossed me aside. Again.” I was seething now, which was way better than giving in to the heartbreak waiting to split me apart.

  “And to add insult to injury, you’re working for Shea,” I spat. “Are you out of your mind?”

  “His company didn’t break the law,” Parker said, his eyes narrowing. “I’ve seen with my own eyes evidence of collusion by your father’s company.”

  “You know why he had to do that. Leo was threatening people’s lives! It wasn’t like my dad was doing that just to get ahead.”

  “It was unethical and illegal,” Parker said.

  “So your solution was to go work for him?”

  Parker’s eyes were fathomless, his voice even. “He made a very persuasive argument for my employment.”

  “Enough,” I said, pushing past him into the elevator. “I’ve had enough.” I punched the button for the lobby. “You’re a fickle bastard, Parker, always wanting what’s just out of reach. Stay away from me, and stay away from my company.” The door slid shut between us.

  I sagged against the wall of the elevator. I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. Everything I’d been telling myself about why I shouldn’t give in to Parker was true. Every warning signal inside my head had been proven right. I should feel vindicated. I’d been right to hold out.

  So why did I feel like my soul had broken?

  The ride home in the taxi was a blur. I tossed a twenty at the cab driver and hurried inside, desperate to get to my apartment and have my private breakdown. Natalie had gotten exactly what she’d wanted: Parker.

 
A sob escaped and I clapped a hand over my mouth as I unlocked my apartment door and pushed it closed behind me. The ache inside my chest spread like tentacles until it felt like every part of me hurt. I didn’t have to stand any longer and pretend, so I sank to the floor, my purse falling unheeded to the side.

  I buried my face in my hands as deep, wrenching sobs tore from me. I’d trusted him. I’d trusted Parker that Natalie no longer held the same appeal she once had. Though physically I’d kept him at arm’s length, I hadn’t on the inside. I’d let myself think there was a future for us, that I might’ve found the man for me.

  I just couldn’t understand why he’d make such an about-face. Parker wasn’t that much of a flake, not even in his relationships. He was acting more like a jerk with me than with any other woman I’d seen him with, but he’d professed to feeling more for me than for anyone else. So why would he just ditch everything without any kind of explanation?

  Now that I’d gotten past the shock of it, my mind was twisting in confusion, trying to make sense of his actions. It was easier to believe he was an asshole, dumping me and taking up again with Natalie, but it just didn’t ring true. But try as I might, I couldn’t think of another reason other than the one he’d said.

  I don’t know how long I sat there, feeling sorry for myself, before I finally pulled myself together. You can only cry for so long before the headache becomes unbearable and the nausea in your stomach threatens to overwhelm you.

  Even when your dreams fall apart, you still have to go to work.

  I was a woman in sole charge of a multimillion dollar company, and my father was counting on me to keep it going. Even if he was in a coma, I wasn’t about to disappoint him when he woke up…and he would wake up.

  It’s amazing what a change of clothes can do for your self-esteem. I pulled my hair up into a French twist, and wore a high-neck sleeveless silk blouse tucked into a pair of black slacks. The blouse had a thin gray pinstripe interwoven with a pink floral pattern, so I added a pink belt and pink sparkly earrings. Shrugging into a black blazer, I felt more like the businesswoman I was supposed to be rather than the ex-secretary who’d just gotten dumped. Again.

  When I made it to the office, I had a surprise. Megan was waiting for me by the door, holding a grande Starbucks cup and a little brown bag.

  “I thought you could use a donut and caffeine,” she said.

  I gave her a tight hug. I really missed seeing her every day. “You’re a lifesaver,” I said, heading inside. “I’ve had neither one yet today.” Megan followed me into the elevator.

  “Figured as much.”

  “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” I asked, taking a big bite of the cinnamon sugar cake donut. The elevator dinged and I led her toward my office.

  “I’m taking a break,” she said with a shrug. She took a seat in one of the chairs in front of my desk.

  I glanced up from sucking down way too big a gulp of caramel latte. “Is this a pity coffee?”

  “It’s a you’ve-got-a-friend coffee,” she said.

  I swallowed, the latte swirling uneasily in my stomach. “What kind of offer did they make him? It had to be astronomical. He didn’t need money. His job at KLP made him millions.”

  My phone buzzed, interrupting me, and I hit the button to hear Carrie on the speaker. “Yeah?”

  “Something bizarre just happened,” she said.

  “What?”

  “The lawyers just called. The inquiry has been put on hold indefinitely as they found no merit to continue at this time.”

  Relief unknotted my stomach. “Seriously? This isn’t just a bad joke?”

  “Seriously. They’re sending over e-mail confirmation now. I’ll forward it to you.” She paused. “Looks like we dodged a bullet somehow.”

  I shut off the intercom, looking at Megan with what I knew had to be an openmouthed expression of shock on my face.

  “I didn’t expect that,” I said. “That’s…fantastic news. That was a criminal inquiry brought against us, orchestrated by that asshole Parker went to work for. Which is yet another reason I just don’t get why he’d do that.”

  Megan looked at me as if I’d grown two heads. “You’re not serious, are you?”

  Her reaction took me back. “Serious about what?”

  “You really haven’t figured it out?”

  I just stared at her, the sick feeling in my stomach confirming that a shot of caffeine-loaded milk had been a bad idea.

  “He took that job because of you, Sage. He had to have. It’s obvious now. The inquiry was dropped? The criminal one where someone here might’ve gone to jail or you’d lose your business?”

  My mouth was hanging open and I closed it with a snap. Megan just sat there, waiting for me to say something, a grim expression on her face.

  “That-that’s not possible,” I stammered. “Parker wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t toss aside his whole career for me. And why would Shea want him, anyway?”

  “Oh, gee,” Megan said, rolling her eyes. “Why in the world would he want the best investment banker in town, who also happens to be the same guy who handles all this company’s assets and holdings? It’s a real mystery.”

  “But—” I cut myself off as the pieces fell into place—how off Parker’s sudden betrayal had seemed, coming out of left field the way it had. Even if Megan was right and Parker’s sudden job switch was a martyr’s sacrifice on my behalf, that didn’t explain why he’d hooked up with Natalie again.

  “You take your time,” Megan said as she rose, glancing at her watch. “I’ve got to get back to work.”

  “Thanks for coming by,” I said as she opened the door. Carrie was waiting on the other side, hand poised to knock.

  “No problem. Talk soon.” Megan flicked a finger wave and was gone as Carrie stepped inside.

  “Are we sure this has really gone away?” I asked, shoving thoughts of Parker to the back of my mind. I had to deal with the business first. Personal matters could come later.

  “I set up a two o’clock with our attorneys,” Carrie replied. “You can all go over it then. I’m sure they’ll have paperwork for you to sign and go over in your father’s stead.”

  “Has Mom called?”

  She nodded. “Condition still the same, but the doctors say he’s healing really well. They might be able to try and bring him out of the coma by next week.”

  My heart leapt. Finally. Some good news.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  Carrie motioned to a stack of files on my desk. “Those reports need to be looked over and you have a four o’clock with Jane regarding seasonal inventory and a five o’clock weekly managers’ meeting.”

  “Got it.”

  But Carrie was right and the lawyers confirmed it. The lawsuit had miraculously gone away. I didn’t know who Shea had paid off to do what he’d done, but I knew in some way Parker had to be a part of it, just like Megan had said. The timing was too coincidental and there was no way he’d just up and quit his job without a very good reason.

  I had to talk to him.

  The thought kept reverberating in the back of my mind as I sat through the meetings. I had to do double-duty as both my dad and Charlie, as the latter was keeping the former company at the hospital. For someone who’d just started officially working there—even as the boss’s daughter—it was a formidable challenge.

  Finally, I was free. I had a pounding headache and lunch had been a long time ago, but I still asked Schultz to drive me over to SLS Enterprises. My stomach churned at the thought of seeing Steven the psycho again, but I had a feeling Parker would still be there. At least, I hoped he would be. I didn’t think I could face showing up at his apartment again and seeing him with Natalie. Not like that.

  Jealousy twisted inside, along with the sick sensation in my gut that hadn’t gone away all day. My anger had faded as I tried to make sense of what he’d done and what had happened today. What didn’t I know?

  I had Shultz drive through the darke
ned parking lot as I searched the shadows for Parker’s car. No way did I want Steven to see me and would definitely avoid that at all costs, but I could wait by Parker’s car until he showed.

  “Please still be here, please still be here,” I muttered over and over under my breath. Wait…there. I checked the plates. Yep, that was his all right. “I see it,” I said to Schultz. He dropped me off by Parker’s car to wait and he parked several rows over, out of sight. I wanted privacy and the element of surprise.

  I leaned against the spotless driver’s side door and waited. It was getting late. Surely he’d leave soon. I wasn’t sure what I’d say, but I hoped something would come to me.

  Unfortunately, the butterflies in my stomach short-circuited my brain, because when he finally emerged about fifteen minutes later I still hadn’t come up with a good opening line.

  I watched him walk toward his car, his attention on the phone in one hand. In his other he carried his briefcase. God, he looked good.

  Pushing myself away from the car, I lifted my chin and squared my shoulders. I didn’t want to get emotional.

  Parker spotted me when he was about ten feet away. Surprise flashed across his face, quickly replaced by an expression I knew well. He was pissed.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked when he was close.

  “I needed to talk to you,” I replied. I hated that he was angry, but so was I.

  “So you came here? You could’ve met me at my apartment.”

  “And see Natalie wearing your shirt again?” I shot back before I thought about it. “No thanks.”

  His lips pressed together, his blue eyes hard to read in the dim light. A breeze ruffled his hair and I caught a hint of his cologne. The smell hit me like a fist in my gut, taking my breath away.

  “The investigation went away,” I blurted, wanting to get this over with and get away as soon as possible. “I find that and your sudden change of employment highly coincidental. Not to mention that you don’t seem concerned that Shea’s about to off me anymore.”

  Parker said nothing.

  “So what was the deal you made?” I asked, pressing on. “Because that’s what it was, right? Shea never wanted to put my dad’s company out of business. He wanted you.”