by Tia Siren
She burst into laughter. “You’ve been watching too many spy movies.”
I shrugged. “Hey, a girl can’t be too careful.”
I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and went outside to hail a cab. I would have about fifteen minutes to pilfer my closet and shove as much as I could into my other suitcase. I didn’t want to be late. The man could still fire me if he wanted, and then I would have burned my only way to the inside of his company.
Chapter Nine
Dylan
Saturday night
I was pleased to hear her come through the door right on time. That was a trait I appreciated and expected of my people. While I knew she wasn’t really my employee, I was still glad she was making an effort. I didn’t bother leaving the den to find her. I was expecting a return call and didn’t want her asking questions.
When my phone vibrated on my desk, I quickly answered it.
“Jonathan?” I asked in a low voice.
“Yes, Mr. Parks. What can I do for you?”
I shut the door and flipped on the surround sound to add another layer of privacy.
“I need to find out what Scott Adams is doing. He’s got his daughter working for me, and I want to know why. I need to know what he’s up to and how it involves me.”
The man was silent for several seconds “All right. I can do that. I’ll give you a report in a few days and let you know if I find anything. The man is notorious for covering his tracks. My years on the force led me to his office on more than one occasion. He is pretty well-insulated.”
“You’ve investigated him in the past?” I asked, suddenly wary.
“Not him, but we had a couple cases that led us back to Adams Enterprises. It never led anywhere. We always hit a rock wall when it came to him and his people.”
“What kind of cases?” I asked, very concerned I had moved his daughter in with me.
Jonathan cleared his throat. “Oh, this and that.”
He was being vague for a reason. “What department did you work in?” I asked, hoping to get a clue as to what I was dealing with.
“Organized crime.”
The words dropped like a lead ball.
“Oh.”
“I’ll get back to you,” he said and hung up the phone.
I sat in the den, the sounds of Yo-Yo Ma filling the dead air. I felt like I had sour milk in my stomach. I had known the guy was bad news, but I could have never guessed he was that bad. I wondered if Kendall knew about her father’s dark side. Was she involved?
There wasn’t much time to think about it. The car would be picking us up in about an hour. I planned for us to get to the restaurant for dinner a little early so I could pick Kendall’s brain and see if she would reveal her true motive for coming to me.
When she stepped into the sitting room wearing a little black dress, I was stunned.
“I’m not late, am I?” she asked.
I shook my head, still speechless. She approached me, and I smelled that perfume she seemed so fond of. It worked for her. It reminded me of lying on a sunny, sandy beach, which conjured up images of her in a skimpy bathing suit.
“The car’s waiting,” I croaked out.
“Are you okay?” she purred. “You look a little flushed.”
She knew exactly why I looked flushed. My heart was pumping blood faster than it should have been. I inhaled through my nose, taking a brief second to calm the desire burning in my belly.
“I’m fine.”
Strolling through the lobby of my building with her next to me made me feel empowered. I had a beautiful, smart, and driven woman beside me. I only wished it had been for a different reason.
“Are we early?” she asked as we were shown to our private table in a secluded area of one of the top restaurants in the city.
“A bit. I like to be the first one to these things. It gives me the upper hand.”
She giggled. “How’s that?”
“I’m here first. It’s my table. They are joining me.”
She raised a brow but didn’t say another word about it. I ordered a bottle of white wine, hoping to loosen Kendall up enough to get to the bottom of her little mission of seduction and deception.
“Tell me again why you chose me to shadow?” I asked.
“Because you are Dylan Parks. You’re the youngest CEO of one of the biggest companies in the world, which you created. I want to learn from the best. I’m going to be you one day soon.”
I chuckled. “If you’re going to be me, who am I going to be?”
“I’ll be the female version of you. I’m going to be your competition.”
“That makes me question my decision to bring you on. I don’t want to be in bed with the enemy,” I said, staring into her eyes.
“No one is in bed—yet. This is just me getting to know the ropes. You’ll know when I’m ready to make my move.”
This dance we were doing was driving me a little mad. I wanted her more than I had ever wanted another woman in my life. But I was convinced it was only because I couldn’t have her. She was the enemy until I could prove otherwise.
“Where did you go to school?” I asked, wanting to see how much of the truth she would reveal.
“Harvard Business.”
“Wow, that’s prestigious.”
I saw the alarm in her eyes when she realized she may have revealed a little too much.
“Scholarship,” she blurted out, quickly recovering.
I nodded. “Ambitious.”
“What about you? Where did you go to school?”
“I did a couple years at a community college and then finished up at a small school.”
I hadn’t had the pedigree or money to attend Harvard. At first, I had been embarrassed by that fact. Now, I loved to flaunt the information. I had made it to the top without a fancy education. I had instinct, and that couldn’t be taught.
“That’s pretty amazing,” she said, a genuine smile on her face.
“Did you meet your friend at college?” I asked, hoping to glean a little more information.
“Vanessa? Actually, no. We’ve known each other since we were in grade school. Our parents knew each other. It started with those obnoxious parties we were forced to go to, and then we found ourselves at the same school,” she said.
“Private school I imagine,” I commented, making assumptions about the woman. I made it a point to remember the name of her friend. I’d do a little research on her and her family as well. If she was a friend of the family, it was worth investigating.
She looked a little embarrassed. “Actually, yes. Don’t hold it against me. My dad worked really hard to be able to afford it. He knew it was the only way I would get into one of the Ivy League schools.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to be judgmental. I remember envying kids like you when I was younger.”
“I’m sorry. I guess you are a genuine rags to riches story. I bet that has to feel good. Do you ever talk to anybody from your childhood?”
“No. I burned a lot of bridges,” I said, not wanting to go down that dark road.
She didn’t get to say anything more.
“Don,” I said, standing and extending my hand. “This is Kendall.”
“This is my wife, Mary,” the older man said, shaking my hand. “Thank you for meeting me like this. Those boardrooms make me nervous.”
We all sat down. The waiter brought another bottle of wine, and we made the usual, polite small talk. I was amazed at how well Kendall got along with the couple. I shouldn’t have been surprised by how comfortable she was. This was the world she had been raised in.
I watched her laugh and chat, growing more turned on by the minute.
“You’ve got yourself a keeper here,” Don said with glee. He looked at Kendall and winked. “You are going to be the envy of every woman in the city. This one has been hard to catch.”
Kendall giggled and properly blushed. Neither of us bothered to correct Don’s assumption.
I s
miled. “Thank you. She definitely keeps me on my toes.”
Kendall smiled and looked at me before putting one of her dainty hands on top of mine. “He’s a good man. I couldn’t be happier to have him in my life.”
The woman was laying it on thick.
“And I’m happy she walked into my life, seemingly out of the blue.”
She jerked her hand back, giving me a strange look. “I guess it was written in the stars.”
I turned back to Don and did my best to pay attention to what he was saying. Her hand on mine had been the first time we had physically touched. It had sent a spark through my body, and now I couldn’t think of anything except her naked and in my bed.
“I think it’s a great idea,” I heard Kendall say.
I looked at her, trying to replay the conversation but still feeling lost. Once again, her hand reached out to touch mine. The familiar electric shock zipped through my body, tickling nerve endings and making my breathing faster.
“Don was talking about donating to that charity you’re so fond of,” she said, her fingertips brushing over my palm. “Isn’t that awesome?”
“Oh, that’d be great,” I managed to say, feeling my blood rush south with every one of her strokes over my sensitive palm.
Kendall was smiling. She knew exactly what she was doing.
“I’ll call you on Monday,” Kendall said to Don. “I’ll get you that information you need.”
“I’m so glad we got to meet you, Kendall,” Mary said with a smile. “You seem like an intelligent young lady. You two make a beautiful couple. I imagine the two of you will do great things together with all that drive and ambition.”
My brain was mush. All I could think about was fucking her in every way imaginable. I looked over at her, and she was watching me. I gave her a heated look. Two could play at this game. Her finger stopped circling my palm as she sucked in a breath.
I wished like hell we were anywhere but in that crowded restaurant. I wanted to get home, with her. I could convince her to sleep with me. Hell, she was halfway there already. I was used to this dance. She was playing a little hard to get. That would make the coming together all the better.
“We should let you two enjoy the rest of your evening together,” Mary said with a huge smile.
Don stood and we shook hands once again. With the two of them gone, it was just me and Kendall again.
“Ready to go home?” I asked her.
“I was thinking we could have another glass of wine.” She stalled, drinking from her glass.
Now that the threat of being alone with me was real, she was pulling back. I liked that she was the one on the other side this little dance we had been doing all night. I wanted her to be uncomfortable, on edge, and feeling like her skin was too tight for her body. It was like being on the verge of an orgasm for several long and grueling hours. I wanted her to experience a modicum of the torture she had put me through.
“I’m ready to go home. There are things I’d like to do.”
“Oh?”
I stared her in the eyes. “I want to go home and go to bed. What about you? Are you ready for bed?” I asked, my voice husky.
She slowly nodded her head.
“Then we should go.”
I stood, grabbed her hand, and pulled her from the chair. As we walked out of the restaurant, I walked behind her, my hand on her lower back. I was tempted to drop it lower and cup her fine ass. She was going to be quaking in my arms soon enough. I instinctively knew sex between us was going to be mind-blowing.
Chapter Ten
Kendall
Monday
My body ached. I had been hyper-sensitive since Saturday night. Every look between us made me feel goosebumps all over my skin. I had gotten it in my head he was going to make a move when we got back that night. He didn’t. I had gone to bed sexually frustrated and very unsatisfied.
I walked through the penthouse, looking for Dylan, and found he was preoccupied in the shower. That gave me a few minutes of privacy. I went into my personal bathroom, shut the door, and turned on the water before calling my dad.
“It’s me,” I whispered.
“Kendall! I hope you have good news!” His voice boomed through the phone.
“Well, not exactly. I mean, I don’t know what I’m looking for, but I think there may be a mix-up. Dylan doesn’t seem to be the snake you described him to be.”
He growled, and I flinched. “Kendall, he is exactly who I said he is. You haven’t learned anything yet?”
“No, Dad, I haven’t. We’re getting ready to head into the office today. He has a packed schedule with several meetings that have been blocked out with no information written in. I’m hoping those meetings are what we’re looking for,” I said in a whisper.
“Maybe you need to try a different method.”
“Dad!”
“Men are pigs. Haven’t I told you that from the day you were born? You know how to get him to tell you everything.”
I shook my head, putting my palm to my forehead. “Dad! I cannot believe you are telling me to sleep with a man to get information. That’s kind of gross, Dad.”
“Now, come on. It’s not like that. This is important. You’ve always been a good girl, doing what was necessary. I know I can count on you to find out what we need to protect our company.”
He was purposely using the word we, dangling the company in front of me. It was how he kept me on a short leash. He knew how badly I wanted to take over the reins, but I wasn’t entirely convinced he would ever let me do it.
“I have to go, Dad,” I said, irritation in my voice.
“Check in with me again. I want to know what he’s doing over there. There’s a lot riding on this.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have a meeting with my investors in two weeks. I need to be able to show them something. Right now, we’re floundering,” he said, exasperation in his voice.
“Dad, is the company in trouble?” I asked, dread washing over me.
He sighed. “It could be if I don’t get something worth showing them. That little bastard has been stealing products right out from under my nose for months. I need a break.”
Damn it. I had no idea the situation was so dire. “Why did you wait until now to tell me there was a problem? I could have done something before now.”
“I didn’t know he was launching some big new thing. I’ve heard rumors he’s trying to make another deal with a guy I’ve been trying to do business with.”
I groaned in frustration. “Dad, can’t you find something else? I mean, don’t you have an entire staff that takes care of this?”
He sighed. “You don’t understand.”
“How could I? You don’t tell me anything!”
“This isn’t a game, Kendall. If you can’t get this done, I’m going to have to resort to drastic measures.”
“Drastic measures? You mean more drastic than sending your daughter in to be a whore?”
He didn’t say anything, making it that much worse.
Slamming the phone down, I hung up. I was hurt and angry. The man I knew and loved had changed in the last few months. I missed my daddy. I missed the man who would give me bear hugs and kiss the top of my head, telling me how proud of me he was.
I hated the idea of using my body to get what he wanted. I had come into this thing knowing full well sex could be my best chance at getting information. I had to get close to him, but I hadn’t expected him to be quite so guarded. He was a tough nut to crack.
With my makeup on point, my outfit sexy as hell, I was ready for my full day with Dylan.
“Hi,” I said when he came into the sitting room looking like he had stepped right off the pages of a GQ magazine cover.
“Good morning.”
“Are we going?”
He nodded his head and headed for the door, not giving me a second look.
“There is a meeting today that doesn’t have any notes by it,” I said, reviewin
g the schedule on the iPad as we were driven through the busy traffic.
“It’s fine. I’ll be taking that meeting on my own.”
“Are you sure? I can be present,” I said, not wanting to sound too eager but intrigued by the secrecy. It had to be the meeting my dad had been talking about.
“I’m sure,” he said, and then he went quiet.
The tension-filled ride was going to make me crazy. I couldn’t wait to get to the office and away from him. We walked down the hall, me trailing behind him, my heels and tight skirt making it almost impossible for me to keep up with his long strides.
“I’ll need about fifteen minutes,” he said, stopping at his office door and essentially telling me to get lost.
“Oh, uh, okay. I’ll be back. There’s a meeting in thirty minutes,” I told him before heading to my little office that resembled an oversized closet.
I reported for duty in exactly seventeen minutes. I didn’t want to be too prompt. He was the kind of man who needed a little defiance now and again.
“You can sit over there.” He pointed to the couch. “This is a meeting for the product launch party. I have most of the notes already. This is simply going over last-minute details.”
“Got it,” I mumbled, taking the iPad and sitting on the couch like a good girl.
“Something wrong?” he asked, standing in front of his desk and looking down at me.
I looked up at him, giving him a serene smile. “Not at all. I guess I should have asked how you like your coffee and where to pick up your dry cleaning.”
He smirked. “My dry cleaning is delivered, and I don’t want any coffee, thanks.”
I rolled my eyes. He knew I was being sarcastic.
Aaron and a woman from the marketing department showed up for the meeting. Like a dutiful PA, I took notes, highlighting things I thought he would want to pay particular attention to.
“Are we expecting any of our competitors to show?” the woman from marketing asked.
Aaron shrugged a shoulder. “There are a couple folks who are a little disgruntled. We managed to scoop the product, which has led to some finger-pointing and nasty rumors.”