Ella tilted her head, fascinated by his answer. “I would have thought that our jobs were pretty similar. I find out a small bit of information, a thread of mystery. I keep tugging on that thread, discovering those mysteries and bring them to light. In your line of business, you find a clue that a previously strong company has been mismanaged, am I right?” she asked.
“I hunt down companies that are struggling financially,” he confirmed.
“And then you keep tugging, looking at data and financial records, checking on the company’s sales and stock values.”
“You’ve done your research well,” he replied, setting the now-empty plate on the table. “And you think that this symbol,” he pointed his chin towards her notebook still open on the low coffee table, “involves something nefarious, dark, and evil?” he asked. “This is the string at which you are pulling, looking under rocks and behind the curtains to find out what’s going on.”
She stood up, feeling the need to get away from his distractingly handsome smile. “I’m going to find out what this means, Malcolm,” she warned, stuffing her notebook back into her messenger bag. “And I’m going to treat you exactly as you treated my mother when she told your family that she was sick.”
He’d stood as well, moving closer to her. “I’m very sorry about what my father did to your mother,” he said.
Ella jerked, startled by his words. Looking up into those blue eyes, she felt…something strange again.
Pulling back, she blinked and stepped away from the chair. “Right. Well, it’s in the past.”
“Is it?” he asked gently. “I remember the day that my mother passed away.” His jaw clenched and he shook his head slightly. “My father announced that she’d passed and that the funeral was in three days. He ordered me to wear my dark suit.” Malcolm’s hands slid into his pockets. “I don’t think one ever truly gets over the death of a parent, do we?”
Was he closer now? Ella realized that she’d been staring up into his eyes and hadn’t noticed him walking towards her.
“It was…years ago.” And yet, she could still remember holding her mother’s hand in the hospital, seeing the pain in her eyes as the cancer slowly destroyed her.
Malcolm reached out, brushing a light finger down over her cheek. The touch both burned and soothed…it short-circuited her brain.
“You’re quite lovely, Ella,” he murmured, almost as if he were talking to himself.
Startled, she looked up into his blue eyes, not sure what to say. Never in her wildest imagination would she have expected him to say something like that. Lovely? She wanted to snort with disbelief. Naya was lovely! Cassy! She was a gorgeous woman! Ella knew that she wasn’t ugly, but…she wasn’t lovely.
But standing here, in front of Malcolm, for some strange reason, she did feel…oddly beautiful. For all her life, she’d pushed to be smart and brave, to confront the injustices in the world. Never had she felt beautiful. This man… his eyes and his electric touch …caused her to feel pretty.
Why wasn’t she leaving? They were standing there, the silence and tension expanding as they stared into each other’s eyes. Ella told herself to walk away. But her feet didn’t move.
That’s when he did something even more astounding.
Ella watched in stunned fascination as he leaned in and kissed her! His lips, so firm and temptingly commanding, brushed over hers, eliciting a startled response from her own. The tingling in her lips was so astonishing that she forgot to pull away. He did it again and again, his lips brushing back and forth against hers and Ella stood there, taking it. No, not just accepting the kiss…her lips actually moved, actually participated in the kiss!
The ache in her belly and the burning sensation against her lips was so new, so strange that she finally pulled away. For another long moment, she just blinked at him, wondering what the hell had just happened!
“Right,” she whispered into the silence.
With that, she turned and walked out of his office, feeling stunned and…tingly. And ashamed! She’d just kissed Malcolm Reynolds! What in the world? Why? Why had she simply stood there? Why hadn’t she slapped him and given him some pithy set-down that would humiliate him?
Ella stepped into the elevator, too stunned and confused to even fear the glass-enclosed space as it whisked her silently down to the lobby. Down and away from the man she wanted to see in prison.
The man she’d just…kissed!
Malcolm stared at the now-empty doorway, more intrigued than before as he replayed Ella’s soft, trembling response to his kiss. Ella was startlingly beautiful, but also tough and sexy with her tight jeans and black boots. Her messenger bag was scruffy and well worn, but was of obvious quality. Her clothes weren’t rumpled, as he’d expected. She was…lovely. Her blonde hair was straight and long, shining in the overhead lights. While other women of his acquaintance would have done something to bring his attention to their long hair, flipping it over their shoulder or twirling a lock around their fingers…Ella’s hair was brushed but forgotten.
She wore minimal makeup, just a touch of mascara and lipstick. Her skin was soft and creamy, making her appear youthful and strong. She was a capable woman wrapped up in soft femininity that, Malcolm suspected, the lovely Ella tried hard to hide and ignore.
An impossible task, he thought with a chuckle as he stood and walked to his desk. Ella couldn’t hide her beauty any more than she could ignore a mystery. It was all part of her lovely package and…he was determined to get to know her better. Ella Fleming had always intrigued him. But now, with maturity and bright determination, she got to him in different ways. She was more than simply a curiosity.
She was a challenge!
Damn, she was beautiful! And smart and didn’t give an inch! He liked that about her.
What he didn’t like was that she might be getting close to something that he and his friends had been working on for the past several years.
Picking up his phone, he dialed a number. “Jenna,” he replied as soon as his friend answered. “I just spoke with Ella Fleming and, apparently, she’s onto us.” He paused, listening. “Right. But we need to be a bit more discreet. Otherwise, the whole operation could be revealed, which would put our people in danger.”
Hanging up, he wondered if…was his father still countering the group’s efforts? Were his father and his cronies still active? Malcolm had thought that their efforts had been shut down, but perhaps it was time to make sure.
Chapter 4
Ella paced the confines of her tiny apartment. The whole place was really just two rooms – a combined kitchen and den area and her bedroom. Okay, maybe three rooms because she had a bathroom too. But do bathrooms really count as a separate room? Probably not. And why in the world was she debating the number of rooms in her apartment?
Because she didn’t want to face up to the issue that was really bothering her. Which was that she couldn’t understand why she’d reacted so intensely to Malcolm’s kiss today. Good grief, they’d argued…and she’d…!
Ella dropped onto her sofa, holding her head in her hands. “What in the world happened today?” she muttered. Throughout their conversation, she’d been distracted by his hands, his mouth, his eyes…just about every part of him. Then when they’d stood by the door…something had just snapped inside of her. So she hadn’t been able to resist when he’d lowered his head and…kissed her!
“It was crazy! Just an insane moment in time,” she said out loud. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anyone in her apartment to tell her that she was wrong.
“I need pictures,” she decided, looking at the blank walls. There was a sofa against one wall and she had some utensils in the drawers of her kitchen. A bed in her bedroom with sheets and a blanket along with several pillows. Shampoo in her bathroom, but other than that, she had nothing. Oh, she had a large bank balance. Her success over the years and her lack of expenses, lack of spending, had helped her grow her bank balance into a respectable amount.
“I re
ally should decorate,” she told herself. “Maybe if I added a bit of color here and there, I wouldn’t stay away so long.”
She stopped and looked around, startled by those words. “Stick around? Why in the world would I want to stay here?” she muttered. “The stories are out in the world! That’s what I do! I go out and find injustices in the world and tell everyone about them.”
Ella sighed and leaned back against the cushions of the sofa. “And still, not the issue that I should be facing at the moment.” Getting up, she walked into her kitchen, needing a beer or a glass of wine, something that would help her relax so that she wasn’t wound up so tightly. Unfortunately, she’d only been back home for a few days. She didn’t even have food in her fridge yet. Good grief, she hadn’t even turned on her fridge! Because she was gone for so many months at a time, she turned off the fridge and even unplugged it in order to save energy. Ella had been in too many places around the world that didn’t have electricity, so there was no way that she’d take it for granted or waste it when she wasn’t even around to enjoy it.
“I’m doing it again,” she laughed, shaking her head as she pushed the fridge door closed. “Okay, so I kissed him. That’s not a crime. A simple kiss isn’t going to skew my perspective at all!” Ella looked around, but the sofa didn’t agree with her. “It won’t!”
She sighed and shifted on her feet. “I’m really getting antsy if I’m talking to the sofa.” Grabbing her messenger bag and her keys, she pulled the bag’s strap over her shoulder. “I know exactly how I can move on. I’m going to find evidence that he’s involved!”
Leaving her apartment, she rushed down the stairs and jumped into her car. It was a tiny hatchback that didn’t take up much space or use a lot of gas. It was also easy to maneuver around the crowded city streets.
At this time of the night, there weren’t many cars around. It was the perfect time to do a bit of snooping, she told herself with a secret smile. It took her about a half hour to get out of the city. Heading towards the warehouse district, she looked around, glanced at the information she’d logged into her notebook and easily found the right warehouse.
Parking several blocks away, she stepped out of her car and looked around. It wasn’t the safest neighborhood in the world, but it wasn’t the worst she’d ever been in either. She pulled a wool cap out of her bag, tugging it down over her hair and tucking all of the blond strands underneath. She’d learned over the years that it was better not to be too obviously feminine when sneaking around in dangerous parts of the world.
She pulled open her bag again and checked her supplies. Flashlight, cell phone, extra batteries, Taser…everything was there along with her notebook and pens. She loved her job!
She slipped along the streets, keeping close to the buildings and aware of her surroundings. Thankfully, she made it to the right warehouse without running into anyone. Checking the door, she realized that it was locked with a magnetic lock and keypad. “Darn it!” she whispered. Can’t pick that lock, she thought as she bit down on her lower lip, her mind working to come up with an alternative plan. Stepping back, she scanned the building. There were windows, but they were all pretty high up. Walking around the building, she smiled when she spotted the dumpsters pushed up against one wall. The area around the warehouse was surprisingly tidy, and the dumpsters would help her reach the window right above it. Hopefully, the window wasn’t locked.
“Sir,” a big, tall man stepped into Malcolm’s office. “I’m sorry to disturb you so late at night, but there’s been a break-in at the warehouse.”
Malcolm turned and looked at the man. “At the warehouse? Why would anyone break in there? Everything is secured…” as soon as he spoke, the image of a gorgeous blonde woman popped into his mind. “Right,” he replied.
“I have video, sir. We’re tracking the person and…”
“Let me see it,” he grumbled and reached for the tablet. As soon as he focused on the figure, who was dangling by her fingertips from the balcony above the main floor of the warehouse, Malcolm knew it was Ella. He’d know that figure anywhere. Even as he watched her, Malcolm acknowledged that she looked hot in the black jeans and black jacket. Unfortunately, all of that blonde hair was tucked away underneath a cap, but he still recognized her.
“This is Ella Fleming,” Malcolm told his head of security. “She thinks that I’m involved in a secret society.”
John smiled. “The flaming hand?”
“Yeah, how’d you know?”
John chuckled. “She asked me about it yesterday. I didn’t tell her anything, sir.”
“Good. She’s not ready for the information yet. But eventually, I suspect that we’ll have to let her in on the plan.”
John nodded in agreement. “Just tell me when, sir.”
“Soon,” Malcolm replied with a heavy sigh, rubbing his forehead. “In the meantime,” he looked at the image on the tablet, “Let’s get her out of there. There’s nothing except machine parts. But still, that’s a dangerous…” he stopped when the tablet picked up another person. “There’s someone else in the warehouse!”
John turned the tablet, his sharp eyes taking in the various images on the screen. “That’s not one of our men, sir. I don’t recognize him.”
“Ella is in danger!” he growled. A moment later, he was out the door, racing down the stairs because the elevator would take too long.
It took less than five minutes to reach the warehouse with Malcolm driving while John was on his phone with his security team and watching the progress of the two people stealthily moving through the warehouse via the video feeds. Each seemed completely unware of the other, but Malcolm wasn’t taking any chances. He sped through the nearly empty streets and screeched to a halt just outside the door of the warehouse.
“We need to go in quietly,” Malcolm said. “I don’t want to scare off the other guy. He might realize that Ella is there and do something stupid.”
“Agree,” John murmured.
“You go to the left, I’ll go to the right,” Malcolm ordered. “I’ll ping your cell phone if I find her.”
“I’ll do the same,” John silently opened the door to the warehouse, nodding when they both stepped inside.
Malcolm knew the direction Ella was heading and slipped through the piles of crates. Everything was neat and orderly and he moved ahead of where he suspected she was going, watching her on the tablet the whole time. It was eerily quiet within the warehouse and he looked around, wondering briefly where the other guy was. Malcolm focused on getting to Ella. John would take care of the other guy.
He glanced down at the tablet, then up at the aisle markings. Turning left, Malcolm watched when Ella headed right and he moved quickly. When he was finally in position, he tucked himself between two large wooden crates, and waited. Watching the tablet, he held his breath…then reached out. With one hand, he covered her mouth and wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her back against his chest between the crates.
She fought wildly, her nails digging into the skin on his forearm. But he gently tightened his hold. “Be quiet, Tiger,” he whispered into her ear. “There’s someone else in here with you and I don’t think he’s…” she stopped struggling and they both went very still. A moment later, a tall man dressed in black wearing a ski mask walked by their hiding place. He didn’t see them, but he was obviously looking for something. His flashlight came on and the light lit up the wooden crate opposite where the two of them were hiding.
They didn’t move until the man walked on, obviously still searching.
A moment later, there was a scuffle and Ella tensed. “It’s just my security guy. He’ll catch the other guy,” he whispered into her ear.
Ella let out her breath slowly and Malcolm felt every muscle in her body press against his. She was tense, but slowly the tension left her and he released her, knowing that she’d be quiet now. Ella leaned back against the wooden crate behind her, staring up at him, but he couldn’t see her eyes in the dim
light of the warehouse.
“All clear, sir!” his head of security texted to Malcolm.
Malcolm showed her the text and they both relaxed.
“What the hell are you doing in here?” she demanded a moment later.
Malcolm was stunned by her question initially, but after a pregnant moment, he threw back his head, laughing at her audacity. Only Ella could break into a building and then be furious that the owner was there as well. Damn, she was magnificent.
When his laughter was under control, he replied, “I own the building. Mind telling me what you’re doing in here? And just as important, how the hell did you get in? The locks to this place are state of the art!”
Ella shrugged. “The locks on your windows aren’t though,” she replied and he noticed that she didn’t explain what she was doing.
“And?” he prompted.
“And what?” she replied as if offended by his question.
Malcom wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or spank her sexy butt. Both, probably. She deserved both, he thought. Although the second might lead to something more than just a spanking.
And that, he thought, wasn’t such a horrible idea.
“Do you have any idea what kind of danger you put yourself into?”
She shifted, almost as if she were bristling for a fight. “Yes. Do you?”
He wanted to laugh again. Instead, he put his hands on her upper arms and shook her. “Ella! You could have been killed!”
“But I wasn’t!” she pointed out.
He stopped and looked down at her, then took a long, slow, deep breath. “Ella, you could have been hurt.”
“Yeah, and you could have been sent to prison,” she countered.
He looked down at her, those amazing blue eyes glaring right back up at him and he couldn’t help it. He laughed, shaking his head. He laughed so hard, he had to brace his hands on either side of her head. “Damn, woman! No one can spin this situation around like you can.”
“Thank you,” she muttered with a scowl. “I think.”
The Secrets of Seduction (The Ladies of The Burling School Book 7) Page 3