The Secrets of Seduction (The Ladies of The Burling School Book 7)

by Elizabeth Lennox

  She was so damn beautiful! And so filled with energy. He wanted that energy! He wanted to hold her and feel her body press against his. But he also wanted to see where her energy and determination would lead them.

  “What did you find?” he asked, smiling despite his memories of this room. With Ella in here, the bad memories were held at bay. He could simply look at her and know that there was good in the world.

  “Malcolm!” she gasped, as if she’d forgotten that she’d just called out to him, letting him know that she was in here. He almost laughed, but then paused because he wasn’t sure how long he’d stood here in the doorway watching her.

  “I just came from the hospital,” he said, not sure what relevance that had at the moment.

  She blinked, then tilted her head. “Your father is still hanging on?”

  Malcolm pushed away from the doorway. “Edward is still alive,” he clarified, preferring to distance himself from the old man, refusing to acknowledge the relationship.

  She seemed to understand. “Right. Well, come here and look at this. Beth trusted me enough to show me Edward’s secret hiding place for his journals. He didn’t keep things on his computer, like most people these days. There’s a secret panel over there by the window,” she told him, waving her hand towards the middle window. “And I’ve just started going through it all. Edward had a code, but it wasn’t particularly difficult to figure out his system. Here’s what I’ve found so far,” she said, pointing to a spreadsheet.

  Malcolm came around to the other side of the desk –an area that had previously been forbidden to him, as it was the place where Edward reigned supreme– and looked at the old journals spread out on the desk. Some were accounting journals, more like ledgers, and others looked like diaries, but as he skimmed through a couple entries, he realized they were explanations for the man’s crimes over the decades.

  “He actually wrote this stuff down?” he asked, incredulous as he leaned forward, looking more intently at the information scrawled with Edward’s personal handwriting. The page currently displayed detailed a blackmail scheme for…Malcolm looked up at Ella, stunned. “He blackmailed the prime minister?”

  Ella sat back in the enormous leather chair. “Not the current one,” she clarified. “It appears that Edward was even worse than we’d thought.” She flipped through several other pages. There were lists of illegal shipments containing animals, humans, drugs, and even a few arms shipments. But there was also a notation that Edward didn’t like the arms shipments because the power wasn’t in his favor. Another page detailed bribes to government officials, both in London as well as in countries all over the world.

  “We’re going to have to cross reference these amounts against his bank accounts,” Malcolm commented grimly. “I’ll get my accounting staff in here to help. They can work on the financial end of things, while we work on the details.” He turned and looked down at her, then couldn’t resist pulling her into his arms. “Damn, Ella! What have you uncovered?” he breathed, resting his cheek on the top of her head as they stood there, stunned by what they had found.

  “It’s pretty bad,” she agreed.

  Over the next three weeks, Ella worked with Beth and Harvey at the estate while Malcolm hired a private accounting firm. At the advice of his legal team, the private accounting firm would keep everything separate from Malcolm and his private businesses, just so that there was no possibility of anyone associating his efforts at unraveling Edward’s misdeeds with Malcolm’s more legal businesses. This way, no one could claim that Malcolm hid anything once Ella’s story was published.

  They worked side by side to piece together the details of Edward’s crimes during the daytime hours, but as soon as the sun set, Malcolm would collect Ella, lock everything up, and take her back to his place.

  He wouldn’t touch her immediately though. Not until they’d both showered. It wasn’t a question for either of them. They simply stepped into his large, light-filled house…so completely different from Edward’s dark and heavy estate…and both of them silently headed up the stairs to the huge shower in the master bedroom, needing to wash off the smell of Edward’s crimes.

  But as soon as they were both clean, Malcolm took her into his arms and made love to her. Sometimes, he took her slowly, kissing every inch of her until she was writhing beneath him, screaming out for him to give her that beautiful release. And other times, they couldn’t wait. She’d grab him and kiss him. He’d lift her into his arms and set her down on the bathroom countertop, taking her there, fast and furious. Sometimes, they didn’t even make it that far. The wall of the shower was closer and their need to touch and explore, to surge towards that blissful release, was more important than a horizontal surface.

  Some nights, after they’d made love and eaten, satisfying all of their hungers, both of them would work a bit longer. Ella was frantic to get the story written as quickly as possible. There was the fear that someone else would discover the criminal activities that Edward had perpetrated over the years, and Ella wanted that scoop. She wanted to be the one to bring it to the world. But there was also a sense of closure. So many crimes needed to be punished. And until they worked through all of the details, discovered all of the officials that had taken bribes over the years, they couldn’t go to the authorities. Their concern was that one of those unethical officials would sweep all of the crimes under the rug.

  Three weeks into their discovery, Ella leaned back against the deep cushions of Malcolm’s sofa, watching him. He was working at his desk, set up off to the side of the magnificent room. She smiled, noticing the crease between his eyes as he worked. He was holding bank statements, using a pencil to tick off line items as he cross checked them against something in the journal.

  She shivered, thinking about the way he’d touched her earlier that night. He was such an amazing lover. He seemed to find a new place to touch her every time they came together, a place that sent shivers with need through her body.

  Would this intense craving for him ever ease up?

  She caressed her stomach. Yes, she was positive that she was pregnant now, although thankfully, the morning sickness had eased up. There were still mornings when she moved a bit more slowly than usual, she hadn’t had a period in too long, her breasts were extremely tender, and…and she craved black beans. She’d never really liked them before, but now, she couldn’t seem to get enough of them. She even bought some black bean burgers, which they’d eaten for dinner this evening. Malcolm had only lifted an eyebrow when she’d taken the package out of the cotton grocery bag. But he’d heated them in the oven, while she cut up lettuce, tomato and onions for their “burgers”.

  “I love you,” she whispered. Not loud enough for him to hear her. Ella knew that he wasn’t in a place where he could handle that kind of a revelation from her. Nor did she believe that he loved her back. So, Ella hugged her feelings close to her heart, ignoring the slight pang at the idea of leaving him when this was all over.

  She needed to tell him about the baby, she thought. Ella kept looking for the perfect time to tell him. But it never seemed to come. They were so busy with this investigation and discovering everything they could. And yet, was it fair for her to know something so important and keep that news from him?

  No, it wasn’t.

  She needed to tell him. Now! Tonight!

  “Malcolm, I need …” The phone rang. He glanced at her, and then at the phone. It was after ten o’clock at night, it had to be important.

  “Reynolds,” he snapped when he lifted the phone. His lips tightened and he leaned back in the chair, sighing as he rubbed his forehead. “Yes. Fine. If he’s agreed to the surgery, then that’s fine.”

  There was another long pause, then Malcolm hung up the phone.

  “Your…” she paused and corrected herself. “Edward agreed to the heart surgery?” She saw the truth in Malcolm’s eyes.

  “Yes.”

  She didn’t say anything. Instead, Ella stood up and walked over
to him, curling up in his lap. She felt his arms go around her, tightening almost painfully. No words were spoken. She didn’t understand what he was feeling and Ella suspected that he didn’t either. That was okay, she thought as she turned to kiss his neck, then tightened her arms around him when she felt his shudder.

  Chapter 15

  Edward Reynolds recovered from heart surgery with astounding speed. In fact, he was shouting at one of the nurses when Ella’s news story was released into the world. The timing was perfect, the entire nursing staff was beaming when the police came by to handcuff him to the hospital bed.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Edward demanded. “Malcolm, call my attorney!” he roared when he spotted Malcolm standing by the doorway.

  “I’m sorry, Edward, but a judge has frozen your bank accounts. Your attorneys requested that you find alternative representation.” Malcolm tossed a newspaper onto his father’s lap. The headline screamed “Duke of Theeds a Human Trafficker!”

  What little color there was drained from Edward’s face as he touched the newspaper with his free hand. “What have you done?” he whispered hoarsely.

  Malcolm didn’t bother to explain. Instead, he stepped out of the room as a judge and a public defender stepped into the hospital room. Because of the seriousness of the reports, as well as the mountain of evidence that Ella’s editor sent to the authorities, the courts had sent over representatives to the hospital. The judge did a bail hearing right there in the hospital room. It was deemed by the hospital doctors that Edward Reynolds was healthy enough to be transferred to the prison hospital, where he would be remanded into custody until his trial.

  The public defender, one of the newest members of the system who had been assigned to represent the aging aristocrat since no other legal representative was willing to touch the case, was mostly ineffectual against the arguments of a much more seasoned prosecuting attorney.

  Malcolm watched with stoic interest when the nursing staff hurried to open the hospital doors as the old man was wheeled out of the hospital room on a gurney. After the blustering, furiously outraged old man was pushed out, a strange silence descended on the cardiac floor. And then there was a burst of applause. Malcolm turned, watching with a slight curve to his lips as Ella walked onto the floor.

  The entire hospital floor, nurses, doctors, visitors and even some of the patients, recognized her from the byline that had accompanied the story this morning. Everyone applauded, cheering for Ella.

  Malcolm chuckled softly when she stopped, stunned by the staff’s reaction. An adorable blush bloomed in her cheeks, and she smiled shyly. It was such a dramatic change from her normal “charge-through-life” demeanor…and he loved her all the more for it.

  She was such a complex woman, and yet, so simple as well. He touched her, she sighed with pleasure. She beamed up at him, the love she felt for him shining in those glorious eyes of hers, and his love for her increased by the moment.

  For decades, he’d gone through life knowing that his father hated him and his mother wasn’t capable of loving him through the agony her life had become. So feeling Ella’s love was like a balm to his wounded soul.

  And damn it, he loved her so much! Everything about her was like a freaking aphrodisiac. Her smile, her curves, her energy, and her gentleness. Even right now, he wanted her. He wanted to scoop her up into his arms and carry her to a private place where he could make love to her, show her how much he loved her. It wasn’t enough that he knew they would make love tonight. He needed her now!

  “I need to talk to you,” he murmured as the cheers and applause slowed.

  “Your…Edward was arrested?” she asked as he took her elbow, leading her out of the hospital.

  “Yes. You passed him, didn’t you?’

  “Yes. But…how are you feeling? I know that…”

  “I don’t care about him, Ella. I’m relieved that justice is finally coming to him. I’m relieved that he wasn’t going to escape punishment for his crimes.” He pushed a button, calling for the elevator. But it didn’t arrive fast enough. Looking around, he spotted the stairway and gently, but urgently, tugged her through the fire doors. When they were alone, he pulled her into his arms and pressed her back against the wall, kissing her as if his next breath depended on it. And it was entirely possible that it did!

  Thankfully, she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around him. Even that simple gesture, the acceptance of his feelings for her, even though those feelings were cloaked in action instead of words, sparked his need for this woman higher. He felt an almost insane need to possess her, to announce to the world that this amazing, dynamic, energetic and crazy woman was his. All his!

  Pulling back, he noticed that her breathing was just as erratic as his. “Let’s go,” he said, taking her and leading her down the stairway.

  “Malcolm,” she said, and he slowed when he felt her tugging on his hand. “Malcolm, we really need to talk.”

  “I know. I’ve needed to tell you something for a while now,” he said to her, and kept pulling her down the stairs. They came to the lobby and he pushed out of the stairwell. Unfortunately, that meant that they were now surrounded by people rushing around. It was too busy here for him to kiss her again and he also knew that she was a celebrity today. After the astounding news article, everyone seemed to recognize her. Even as they walked through the lobby, he noticed several people point in her direction.

  He wanted to kiss her again, just to show her how proud he was of her efforts. But the need to show her was private too.

  “I’m parked over here,” he clicked the locks to his car. She dove into the passenger seat and he circled around to the driver’s side. As soon as they were safe in the relative privacy of his car, he turned to face her.

  “Malcolm, we really need to talk!” she whispered, putting a hand to his shoulder.

  “I know,” he replied, then chuckled.

  “Malcolm, I’m pregnant!” she blurted.

  He heard the words, but because he’d been inches from kissing her again, his finger wrapped around the diamond ring in his pocket, it took him several seconds to change gears.

  “You’re pregnant?” he repeated, waiting for the words to compute.

  Ella swallowed, looking down at her fingers on her lap. “Yes. I think I’m about seven weeks along,” she admitted. “I know that I should have told you. But the timing never seemed right.”

  She peered at him, trying to determine what he was thinking. But his eyes were skimming the parking lot, silently asking, “This was the right time?”

  “I know!” she burst out, unable to look him in the eye any longer. “I know that this is the worst possible moment. Edward was just arrested, the news just came out about everything he’d done, and…well, I just couldn’t wait any longer. It wasn’t fair of me to keep this to myself.” She lifted her head, staring straight out of the windshield. “I just…I wanted…”

  “Marry me.”

  Ella blinked and turned to look at him. Then she looked down at the sparkling diamond ring he held with his thumb and forefinger. Ella was speechless.

  “Marry me, Ella.” She stared into his blue gaze. He looked so intense, so sincere. For a brief moment, Ella allowed herself to feel the intense joy at his words.

  But then reality came crashing down around her, just as it always seemed to. “I can’t!” she whispered.

  There was another stunned moment, and he asked, “Why?”

  Ella hiccupped as the tears raced down her cheeks. “I love you, Malcolm.” She lifted her eyes to look at him, needing him to see the sincerity there. “I love you so much!” She lifted her hand to stop his next words. “Please, let me finish.” She sniffed, then wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. “I love you and I know that I will always love you, Malcolm. But right now, you’re on an emotional roller coaster. You don’t want to marry me, Malcolm. Not really. You’ve just witnessed your father being arrested and he will go to prison for everything he
’s done. And you’ve just been told that you’re going to be a father.” Another sniff. “But you don’t love me. I know this, and I respect your honor in proposing to me. That’s exactly what I knew that you’d do because you are so honorable. But I love you too much to trap you into a marriage that you’ll regret later.” She took his hand, ignoring the diamond ring he was still holding and looked into his eyes, blinking rapidly to see him clearly through the haze of tears.

  “I love you so much. Too much to marry you. But we’ll raise this child together. We’ll do the co-parenting thing and we’ll make sure that we do it right. You’ll be the best father! I know that you will! And I know that you’ll find someone that you’ll love to marry. I’m the one that took down your family, so I know that it can’t be me. But eventually, you’ll marry and we’ll work that out too. Our baby will be so loved!” She swiped ineffectually at the tears pouring down her face and sniffed. “We’ll work it out! I just…I won’t make it awkward either. I love you too much to do that to you.”

  With that, she jerked at the door and stepped out of his car. With a burst of energy, she ran away, back into the busy hospital and lost herself in the crowd. It took her another half hour to find her own car. The tears didn’t help, but thankfully, it wasn’t an odd sight to see a woman sobbing in a hospital hallway, so no one stopped her.