Dangerous Attraction Romantic Suspense Boxed Set (9 Novels from Bestselling Authors, plus Bonus Christmas Novella from NY Times Bestselling Author Rebecca York)

by Kaylea Cross

  His eyelids heavy with pleasure, Alex glanced at his watch. His next meeting was in twenty minutes. Georgiana would surely be done by then. After all, having sex in the office was one of the perks of a high-ranking government job. Even the president had done it. Alex slid lower in his chair and closed his eyes.

  The ecstasy of Alex’s climax was rudely interrupted by a knock on the door of his office. “Who is it?” Alex strained to keep his voice controlled.

  “Dennis Walker. We have a ten o’clock.”

  “Just a minute.” Alex motioned for Georgiana to get up as he hurriedly zipped his fly. That damn Dennis Walker was turning out to be an even greater nuisance than Alex had anticipated.

  After he had made sure that he looked presentable, Alex whispered to Georgiana to open the door.

  “Thank you, Georgiana. That will be all,” said Alex as Georgiana ushered Dennis into the office.

  Dennis’s eyes shifted from Alex to Georgiana in an impertinent manner that Alex did not like at all. “Am I interrupting? I could come back.”

  “That’s quite all right, Dennis. I was on a confidential conference call with the DA’s office, but it’s finished now. You can come in. We have a meeting at ten o’clock, don’t we?”

  “Yes, that’s correct,” Dennis confirmed with his eyes still fixed on Georgiana.

  Alex found Dennis Walker’s demeanor vexing. Of course Georgiana was not helping matters either, standing there like a transfixed idiot. Could it be that she fancied Walker? The mere thought made Alex’s blood boil. “Thank you, Georgiana, that’s all for now,” Alex repeated.

  “Yes, Mr. Kingsley.” Georgiana finally got the hint and left the office.

  “Now, let’s get right to it, shall we?” Alex cracked his knuckles and motioned for Dennis to take a seat.

  “Which case would you like me to start with?” Dennis asked. He had several thick binders under his arm, which he placed onto an empty chair next to him.

  “Let’s see here.” On his desk Alex had a list of cases that had been assigned to Walker. The only case he really cared about was the Bostoff Securities / Emperial case. “Why don’t we start with the Bostoff Securities / Emperial case?”

  Dennis selected one of the heftier binders. “As the name of the case suggests, the investigation involved two entities, Bostoff Securities and Emperial hedge fund. Emperial hedge fund was one of Bostoff Securities’ top clients. The Treasury Investigations department had been investigating Emperial hedge fund for several months when an opportunity for an undercover operation presented itself at Bostoff Securities, and I was selected to assume employment at Bostoff Securities as an undercover investigator.”

  “Had the court order for the undercover operation been obtained?” Alex asked sharply.

  “Yes, all the supporting documentation is in the file.” Dennis placed the binder on Alex’s desk.

  Alex pushed the file back in Dennis’s direction. “Then perhaps you will be able to explain to me who at the Treasury sanctioned your drugging of Tom Wyman, Bostoff Securities’ retained legal counsel, as well as abducting Wyman’s laptop and stealing privileged and confidential documents from said laptop?”

  “I am not certain which incident you are referring to,” Dennis replied. “It is true that I was able to obtain documents from Mr. Wyman’s laptop, but I was able to obtain said documents through the technology tools that I had as part of IT at Bostoff Securities. Gaining access to Wyman’s files was part of the assignment.”

  Alex clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white. That maggot Walker had some nerve! Not only had Walker been impertinent enough to interrupt Alex’s pleasure that was being so expertly delivered to him by Georgiana, the bugger had the audacity to sit there and lie straight to Alex’s face.

  Alex placed his fists on the table and leaned forward. “Now, I think you know exactly what I’m referring to, Mr. Walker. I am going to cut right to chase here. I do not know what kind of operation the former department head was running here, but I will tell you this: there will be zero tolerance of protocol violations under my watch.”

  “With all due respect, sir—” Dennis began, but Alex cut him off.

  “Precisely my point: I am your new boss and you will respect me. There will be none of that vigilante nonsense that you used to pull under the previous management. We are here to enforce the law, which means that we too are bound by law.” Alex paused, studying the expression on Dennis’s face. He had hoped to spot a glint of fear but came up empty. The man seemed to have nerves of steel. “Considering your past record, I can understand how you could think it justifiable to use unsanctioned means during an investigation. I will even give you the benefit of believing that you were acting out of your best intentions, but that does not absolve your wrongdoings. Because of the illicit manner in which the evidence was obtained, all allegations against Emperial have been dismissed.”

  Finally, Alex got a reaction out of Dennis. “But, sir, this is ridiculous. There is concrete evidence against Emperial. If you let Muller off the hook for what he did at Emperial, he will simply reopen another company to continue his fraud.”

  “Concrete evidence?” Alex raised his eyebrows. “I have already familiarized myself with the case, and the legitimately obtained evidence indicates that all of the infractions were the fault of Bostoff Securities.” Here Alex had to struggle to keep a neutral face: compared to Emperial, Bostoff Securities was an exemplary firm, but unlike David Muller the owner of Bostoff Securities did not have the protection of Cornelius Finnegan.

  “But sir, there are numerous records—”

  “Listen to me, Dennis. Bostoff Securities was fined for its corrupt operations. The case is now closed. There is no legitimate evidence to support the allegations against Emperial or Muller, and I do not want you wasting the resources of this department on this matter any further. Is that clear?”

  Dennis nodded. “Crystal.”

  Alex thought he detected freshness in Walker’s voice, but decided to let it go for now. “Good. For our next meeting, I would like you to think about how you could better reallocate your time to be more involved in data analytics. More attention should be paid to the leads that we receive through our surveillances. I am very impressed with Peter Laskin’s work. I’d like you to work more closely with him. There are many things you could learn from Laskin, like how to gather evidence the legal way. That will be all for now. Thank you.”

  Watching Dennis Walker leave his office, Alex could barely resist bursting into laughter. He had met with Laskin yesterday. Their meeting had been brief, but it had been long enough for Alex to understand that Laskin spent countless hours behind the computer screen, sifting through data, while Walker reaped all the accolades. Divide and conquer had been Alex’s motto since he had been old enough to walk, and from kindergarten to college to law school to the DA’s office, this strategy had never steered him wrong.

  Chapter Five

  Janet stared at her computer screen, doing her best to appear busy. Her mind was consumed with thoughts of Alex. Even though she had not seen Alex all day, she felt as though she could sense his noxious presence seeping through the walls of her office. The man she had hoped never to see again, was now in the same building, watching her, waiting for his chance to ruin everything she had worked for, just like he had done before.

  Janet’s thoughts were interrupted by Dennis Walker bursting through the door of her office. “We need to talk.”

  Dennis shut the door behind him and plunked himself into a chair opposite Janet’s desk. “I need you to tell me everything that happened during your meeting with Kingsley.”

  “Hello to you too.” Janet crossed her arms on her chest. She had not seen Dennis all day.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be so abrupt,” Dennis replied with mock politeness. “It’s only that our new boss ripped me a new one this morning, and I would like to know why. Since you have a history with the man, I’d sure appreciate some insight.”

/>   Janet blushed. Her history with Alex had been extensive to say the least, but she certainly did not care to share it with Dennis.

  “I tell you what,” Dennis said, slapping his knee, “how about a drink after work? My treat. I think we could both use a night on the town.”

  Janet hesitated. A night out with Dennis Walker could lead to all sorts of risky outcomes.

  “Come on, I know you want to say yes.”

  That was the trouble: she did want to say yes, just like she did every time Dennis asked her for a drink.

  “All right,” Janet replied brusquely. “It’ll be nice to get out. Five thirty at the Bull and Bear?” She named the neighborhood bar where they usually went for a drink after work.

  “Save the time, but change the venue,” Dennis replied, eyeing her meaningfully. “How about The Vine instead? It’s on Houston and Mercer in the Village.”

  “Meet you in the lobby at five?”

  Dennis merely stared back at her, and Janet understood her mistake immediately. With Dennis Walker things were never simple. Apparently, he considered their meeting to be worthy of undercover protocol. “I’ll meet you there,” Janet corrected herself.

  “I’ll be waiting at the bar.”

  Great, Janet thought after Dennis had left her office, another meaningless pseudo-date with Dennis Walker. The man was a womanizer and a flirt, but somehow Janet’s knowledge of Dennis’s flaws did not make it any easier to resist him.

  * * *

  At five twenty p.m., Dennis Walker was seated behind the bar stand of The Vine. As he waited for Janet, Dennis eyed the crowd, looking for pretty women. This was a habit of his, and even though at the moment his heart really was not into flirting, he thought the distraction would do him good.

  His attention was drawn to an attractive brunette surrounded by four suits pawing for her attention like eager puppies. Junior associates, Dennis thought, probably marketing or consulting of some sort, but she’s way out of their league—she’s the kind of girl who goes for the top brass.

  The brunette seemed oblivious to her companions’ inept attempts at conversation:

  “You nailed that account today, Roxanne.”

  “Hugh is going to be thrilled.”

  “I bet you’re going to get an office soon.”

  Dennis’s assessment had been correct. He spotted two middle-aged men making a beeline for the brunette siren. One was rail-thin with sour complexion, and the other had ruddy cheeks and a chubby stomach hanging over the belt of his pants. From the pompous and proprietary way the two carried themselves, it was clear that they belonged to that highly coveted club called Senior Executives.

  At the sight of the older men, the puppies obediently dispersed their circle, disappearing into the background. The two old goats practically dribbled when the young beauty didn’t reject their oily gazes.

  The thin one droned on, “Yes, surely, teamwork is important, and today you have proved just how important it is, Roxanne.”

  “A job well done,” the fat one chimed in.

  The girl widened her eyes as though she was being imparted some great wisdom, looking at the two imbeciles with expertly crafted adoration.

  Dennis was enjoying the spectacle so much that he forgot his usual reticence and stared openly, unwilling to miss a piece of this circus.

  Sensing Dennis’s glance, the brunette shot him a direct look and their eyes locked for a moment. If he had not been waiting for Janet, Dennis might have explored this highly enticing opportunity. As it were, he would have to pass. But then whom was he kidding? Ever since he had met Janet Maple, all the women he knew and any new women he met became just that: random women. Of course he knew that he had no one to blame but himself. Janet liked him; he was sure of it. The only problem was that he liked her too. The intense sensation he felt whenever he was in the presence of Janet Maple was an emotion that ran much deeper than mere attraction. Such emotions were against Dennis Walker’s code of conduct. When it came to women, he liked to keep things simple, with no strings attached. Besides, Janet and he were coworkers, and no other combination had the makings of disaster written all over it like two dating coworkers.

  Dennis had hoped that his latest conquest, Shoshanna, would free him from Janet. An heiress to a gym chain, Shoshanna was a twenty-seven-year-old voluptuous brunette. Dennis had met her in one of those swanky lounges. Surrounded by a pack of girlfriends, she was obviously bored by the types of men who were trying to gain her attention. Most men would have been intimidated to single out a woman surrounded by a fleet of girlfriends, but Dennis Walker was not most men. He had a gift when it came to picking up women in bars. A big part of this gift was his ability to guess a woman’s favorite drink—a skill that mostly consisted of keen powers of observation and generous tips to the bartenders. After supplying the bartender with a twenty, Dennis learned that Shoshanna had been drinking lychee martinis all night. Just as her glass was about to become empty, Dennis had the bartender place another lychee martini in front of her. As Shoshanna’s eyes lazily scanned the crowd for the source of this sign of attention, Dennis raised his glass to her from his corner of the bar. She smiled back, and within minutes Dennis was sitting next to her, chatting. That had been two months ago, and they had just returned from a trip to Turks and Caicos. The only problem was that Dennis had spent the entire vacation picturing Janet in a bikini.

  “Hey there.” Janet’s voice brought Dennis back to reality. He flashed her a smile, hoping that his face was not betraying his thoughts.

  “What will it be?” Dennis asked, drumming his fingers on the bar stand.

  “A Bloody Mary.”

  “Sounds like a good choice. I think I’ll join you.” He gave the order to the bartender.

  While they were waiting for their drinks, Dennis turned his attention back to Janet. She had taken off her suit jacket, unwittingly giving him a tantalizing view of her lovely breasts through the two opened top buttons of her blouse. It was more suggestion than an actual view, but Dennis enjoyed it when things were left to his imagination. Not wanting to be too obvious, Dennis quickly shifted his gaze to Janet’s face. He was glad to see that tonight they were a shade of deep green, which meant that she was happy. The color of Janet’s green-gray eyes always changed with her mood: when she was happy they were deep green, but when she was angry or upset, her eyes would turn almost gray. During the past few days, Janet’s eyes had been a bleak shade of gray.

  “Have you heard from Ham?” Janet asked, saving Dennis from the need to come up with small talk.

  “No. I tried calling him several times but kept getting his voice mail. I gave up after my third message.” Dennis sighed. Despite having occasionally butted heads with Ham, Dennis missed his old boss. And most of all, he was angered by the unceremonious manner in which Ham had been ousted.

  “Maybe he’s away on a trip or something,” Janet suggested, but the look on her face made it clear that she did not really believe her own suggestion. “Or maybe he doesn’t want to be reminded about everything that happened.”

  “I can’t say that I blame him. If I were in his place, I wouldn’t want to hear from any of us either. And that pompous prick they sent in to replace Ham!” Dennis clenched his fingers into a fist. “Do you know that he had the nerve to tell me that the evidence we obtained on Wyman was inadmissible and was the reason for the case being shut down? Does he take me for a complete idiot?”

  Janet hastily looked away, busying herself with her drink.

  “I, for one, am not giving up that easily. Kingsley reeks of foul play, and I intend to find out whom he’s working for.” Dennis fixed his eyes on Janet. “What exactly do you know about the guy? Please, I need to know.”

  Janet shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it, Dennis, okay? It won’t make any difference anyway.”

  Dennis halted. Ever since Kingsley became the new department head, Janet seemed constantly on edge. She said that she had worked with Kingsley at the DA’s offic
e, and Dennis intended to find out just what was it that Janet knew about their new boss, but he had to tread lightly. On several occasions he had tried to get Janet to talk but she had snapped at him, which was incredibly uncharacteristic of her. There had to be a reason for Janet’s reaction, and Dennis was determined to find out what it was. At the moment, however, it was difficult for Dennis to concentrate on the task at hand. It had been a while since he had been out with Janet alone. Usually, whenever they went out for drinks after work either Laskin or Ham Kirk would join in. But now, alone with Janet, Dennis was suddenly as nervous as a schoolboy. Objectively speaking, this was not a date at all, but this knowledge did not stop Dennis from wishing that it were.

  Dennis forced himself to focus. “Come on, Janet. Don’t you want to get back at the guy? If not for our sake then for Ham’s? We can’t let Kingsley destroy everything we’ve worked for. Granted, some of the evidence was not exactly procured by the book, but until Kingsley came into the picture no one gave a rat’s ass. And now, all of a sudden, all the blame’s been put on Bostoff, Muller’s been exonerated, and we’re being told to shut up. Don’t you want to know who’s behind all this?”

  Janet downed the rest of her drink in one long swallow. “Fine, I’ll tell you, but if you hate me afterwards, blame yourself.”

  After she had finished the account of her relationship with Alex, Janet felt Dennis’s searing eyes upon her. “You dated the guy, and you’re just telling me now? Don’t you think it would have been prudent to tell me ahead of time?” Dennis glared at her.

  “I didn’t think that my personal life was any of your concern,” Janet snapped, wishing she could disappear. It was not her fault that Alex had dumped her and while he was at it had taken credit for her work, but for some inexplicable reason she felt like someone stung with social leprosy. But then she knew the answer why: Alex was the victor and she was the loser. Alex’s career was soaring, and from the smug, cocky way he carried himself, Janet guessed that he was doing equally well in the personal life department. By comparison, Janet’s fortunes were bleak. The direction of her career was once again uncertain, and the status of her personal life was equally nebulous. A fact that was made painfully obvious by her spending Friday night in a bar with a coworker. A very handsome coworker, but still only a coworker.