by India Kells
Chapter 9
“Why?” It may have sounded like a stupid question, but Zoe knew that it was one the male species feared. Most of all, because it required them to lay their emotions on the table. The logical part of her brain hoped he would clam up. The crazy side wished for something else entirely.
It seemed that he wasn’t the kind of man to answer harshly, or without thinking as another bout of silence stretched between them.
“I don’t know. I’ve always followed my instinct; it’s what kept me alive, made me succeed. When I rebelled against it, I paid a dire price.”
Zoe wondered if he thought about his wife when he spoke those words. If he believed that another course of action, one he hadn’t followed, would have saved her and his child. She knew after reading the coroner’s report that even the best doctor in the world wouldn’t have been able to save her.
“So, you only rely on your instinct? It’s contradictory to how you act.”
“No, it’s not.” His voice was rebellious, determined, but it didn’t stop her.
“Yes, it is. You follow your instinct, but you block everybody out using contracts. What if one of those persons, women, could offer you more? Not necessarily as a lover, but as a friend, or a partner, or a business ally with an awesome idea? The contract will put them off.”
“I’ve never had any problem having ideas, connections, or contacts so far. And I realize that if that was the case, the contract wouldn’t matter to me. That’s why I’m here.”
Zoe swallowed hard. “I can’t be your friend, you’re my boss.”
He grumbled behind the door. “Stop that.”
But, of course, she didn’t. “I can’t be your business partner; I don’t have any fabulous ideas for your company. And I don’t think you need more money. You’re filthy rich.”
The smile returned in his voice. “One can never have too much money. But again, it’s not the option I would choose for you.”
Her heart sunk, and she closed her eyes. “I can’t be that last option either. I’m not...” She didn’t want to be self-deprecating, but she knew the world was far from perfect, and even if she had fought hard to regain who she was, they would never be a match. “Let’s leave it there, okay?”
“You’re not what?” His tone was low and so soft, so unusual for him.
“You’re stubborn, you know that?”
“I’m hard-headed, same as you. Just answer me, Zoe.”.
“And you’ll leave my apartment?”
“No. But answer me anyway.”
Maybe she ought to blurt it out and get over with it. “You need someone like Cynthia in your bed, by your side. Don’t get me wrong, I like what I see in the mirror when I look at myself, but I can’t compete. Not in your world.”
Again, an instant of silence before an annoyed growl. “You’re mad!”
“I’m sane. I don’t despise myself, it comes from experience.”
“Who’s the fucker...”
“Please, give me some credit! I’ve lived and seen things. I’m not some sort of princess perched in her high castle. Men like you don’t even look at women like me.”
“Is Zoe still in there or has she been replaced by some sort of crazy woman?”
“I’m serious here.”
“And I’m pissed here! Don’t you see yourself?” Something banged hard on the wall on his side.
“Duh! I see myself, I live in this body, you idiot!”
“Then, you don’t fucking see what I see!”
And now they were shouting at each other. This thing was spiraling out of control and the bath was cooling. She was about to call him off when he started talking again. His tone was calmer, low and rough.
“When I saw you, looking annoyed behind your glasses, it was like a jolt. It was the first time I’d felt that way. With my wife... Julia, it was like a slow burn, the feeling of knowing each other all our lives. Something sweet and sincere. You were like a kick in the arse. You stood up, and the light caught in your hair and all I wanted to do was remove all the pins and run my hands through it. Catch it in my fist. Your pale skin draws my eye every time I’m close to you. And your scent, hell woman, I get hard just thinking about it.”
Zoe wasn’t bothered by the tepid water anymore as a fire was running through her veins and pooled deep in her belly at his words.
“And your curves... I’m only human, Zoe. And all I want to do is open this door and see for myself how beautiful you are naked. Feel your skin and see you move under my fingers. I want to run my hands over your hips and cup your breasts.”
She wanted him to stop talking, but her mouth was dry. Her treacherous body turned against her as her hands went to her full breasts and cupped them like he’d described doing. The sound of water and her shortening breaths were all that could be heard in the room.
“Are you touching them, Zoe? Are they as soft and round as I imagine them? Heavy in the palm? Damn, I wish I could see your nipples right now. Are they sensitive? I dream about running my tongue around them as I hear you moan. Before I close my teeth, sucking them hard.”
Her hands followed his lead, and she couldn’t lie still. She squeezed her thighs, now aroused and restless.
“I’m hard now just thinking about you, naked in that bath. It’s taking all my willpower not to open the door. I want to see your pale skin, the flare of your hips, your thighs. Hell, I wish I could have your thighs around my waist, Zoe. Do you have the same fantasy?”
She would have to be dead to not have a fantasy about him.
“Talk to me, Zoe. I’m alone in the dark, here.” The same desperation invaded her body.
“I...” Her courage was nearly faltering, but after all it was only a fantasy. “If you promise not to open the door, I’ll tell you mine.”
“I promise you, darling. I won’t open the door. But I’ll only leave when you finally say my name.”
Her heart whooshing in her ears, Zoe closed her eyes and let her imagination wander. “From the first moment I saw you, you were a puzzle to me. Cold, hard, uncompromising, so curt, almost unpolite, but I couldn’t help but imagine how you looked without your suit, without that armor. Despite your detached behavior, there was a heat in you. When you touched me, electricity coursed through my body. Each time I confronted you with what you’d said, and your eyes lit up, I wondered if you would lose control and imagined you pinning me against the door of your office, or even better, lying me down on that conference table, spreading my legs for you.”
Of its own volition, her body arched, and she draped one of her legs over the edge of the bath, her hand starting to tease herself, lightly, slowly.
“Please don’t stop Zoe, continue.”
“Are you hard? Is your cock straining against your pants? Because I can feel myself trembling when I slide my fingers between my legs. Just the sound of your voice makes me shivery. Are you touching yourself too? I wonder how you taste...”
The grunt that came from the outside was confirmation that she wasn’t the only one on the verge.
“Please, are you taking yourself in hand? Stroking yourself as I’m teasing my clit. Slow at first, then increasing the pressure. When I close my eyes, I imagine your face, tortured with pleasure, your fist tight around your cock. Oh, I wish it was inside me.”
Her fingers increased the pace, water splashing around her as her hips undulated. “Please, I want to hear you.”
When he spoke, his voice was breathy, as if he was speaking through a clenched jaw. “I wanted to tear that cream dress off you and see for myself if you wore garter belts. I wanted to see you naked on my desk as I ordered you to spread your thighs for me as I stood admiring you.” He groaned but continued. “And when it would get to be too much, when I couldn’t stand it anymore, I would have fallen to my knees and buried my face between your legs.”
It was her turn to sob as she finally stroked her clit gently. She was almost ready to ask him to come through the door and do exactly that. His mouth,
his tongue would feel so much better. At the image of him on his knees, pleasure spiraled in her belly, tremors coursing through her limbs. Zoe didn’t even care about the tell-tale sound of her hand treading water as she masturbated even faster.
“I want to feel you come on my lips, to come undone as I stretch your pussy with my fingers, as you spasm around them, and just as you come down from ecstasy, I would stand and shove my cock deep inside you, bottoming out, beating you raw until I hear you scream again. Can you see it, Zoe? Can you feel how you affect me? I’m almost ready to come, just imagining your pleasure in my head. I want to hear your voice too, to hear you scream as you come. And I will come with you.”
“Oh... damn... Archer!” Her body seized as pleasure erupted. Gulping for air, she shouted, and pleasure crested. Even with her buzzing ears and her heart pounding hard, she heard a scratch and a thump followed by a low, but powerful growl. Zoe was trying to catch her breath, her body on fire and trembling.
Returning to herself following the afterglow, Zoe straightened in the bathtub and turned to the door. “Archer?”
It was eerily silent on the other side. Worried, she got out, grabbing the largest towel she could find, which didn’t cover half of her body. Then she heard the front door. Peeking out, she saw nobody was there but her eye caught movement outside. Archer was going down the stairs as if his pants were on fire. And on the sidewalk Lance was waiting for him by the car. Once his boss was inside the town car, Lance risked a glance in her direction, but hopefully only her face was visible. And they immediately drove off.
Like a zombie, Zoe grabbed her pajamas and quickly put them on as shivers crept up her spine. Had she imagined it all? If not for seeing Archer Blackwood fleeing her apartment, she may have very well thought so.
To be honest, Zoe wasn’t sure exactly what had happened. Fatigue clouded her mind and she decided to sleep on it. When she slid between the cool sheets of her bed, it was obvious that slumber would be hard to come by, and she remembered what happened, and replayed what was said and done until finally, her body shut down.
Chapter 10
When she woke up the next morning, Zoe felt fuzzy and unsettled. Pushing the previous night out of her mind, she made the decision to act as if nothing had happened. Archer Blackwood clearly regretted what had occurred and bringing it up would only put additional strain on them both. After all, they hadn’t had sex per se. She decided she would go to work as she had before, keeping an eye on him and any possible threats, and reporting everything to Gabrielle as planned. Even if the painful pang of rejection still made her uncomfortable.
Archer had indeed dropped her new clothes on her couch the night before. Zoe carefully removed them from the protective bags and took a good look. There were more items than she’d noticed last night. Would it look like she was pining for him if she wore one of those? Would it anger him more if she didn’t?
After much debate, she decided to try one on, a shirt dress in a jade color. The cut was demure, but it hugged her figure to perfection. A rare feat as she had tried truckloads of dresses before and either looked like a potato sack or a tied up tight like a roast. It lifted her spirits and she smiled at her reflection. If Blackwood regretted what happened the day before, she sure didn’t. It would go in her fantasy file for a long time to come.
She curled her red hair and let it flow past her shoulders. Loose hair obviously required contact lenses. After putting her makeup on and a pair of high heels, she felt like herself again. And banging!
Zoe grabbed her bag and opened the door. The sun was beaming, the air was warm and fragrant, and a blond chauffeur was waiting for her on the curb. Seeing him, her good mood immediately went down the drain.
Locking her door, she walked to the town car and smiled at Lance who was leaning against it, waiting for her. “Hello, Mr. Sorenson. You’re bright and early. Especially since you didn’t get to bed early, chauffeuring our boss around into the late night.”
He smiled back at her, but didn’t move, an inquisitive gleam in his pale blue eyes. No need for beating around the bush on this. “No, I didn’t have sex with Archer Blackwood, so you can wipe that smirk off your face.”
“Hey, I didn’t say a thing!”
“Yeah, but you broadcast it loud and clear.”
He lifted his hands. “No judgment here. But didn’t you sign a contract forbidding you to make any type of advances toward the guy?”
Gritting her teeth, Zoe rolled her eyes. “Why are you here? I have a bus to catch.”
“Nope, my dear, I’m your ride. Those are the boss’ orders, remember?”
“Thanks, but no thanks.” Before she could walk past him, Lance circled her wrist.
“Zoe, Cynthia’s body was recovered early this morning.”
All blood drained from her face as she saw the truth on Lance’s face.
“Please, get in the car, Zoe. I’ll tell you everything on our way.”
Lance opened the back door, but she ignored him and went to sit in the passenger side. She heard him sigh in defeat but didn’t care. No way was she sitting in the back.
Lance slid behind the wheel and off they went. “I bought you a coffee; I thought you would need one.”
Grateful for his thoughtfulness, she grabbed the cup and almost whimpered at the scent of caffeine. Taking a tentative sip, she let her head fall back. “So, what happened?”
“Wait, I’m gonna put Gabrielle on too.”
A few clicks later, her boss was on speakerphone. “Zoe, it’s getting serious here, you need to keep your head in the game.”
“I have, from the get-go. What are you insinuating?”
A quick look at Lance and she could almost discern the faint blush on his cheeks. “Damn it! I didn’t sleep with him! I don’t know what gossip girl here told you, but it didn’t happen.”
“Calm down. All I said is keep a level head. I’ve got no doubt that you’re a strong and intelligent woman. Don’t let your judgment be clouded. Fuck him all you want, but his protection is paramount. Understood? Remember your job.”
Zoe knew she had a point. And what had happened last night might tip the scales in a way that would compromise Archer’s safety.
“I will. Promise, Gabrielle. Now, what happened to Cynthia? Lance just told me about it.”
Gabrielle sighed. “She was found this morning in a container, five miles from Blackwood’s head office. Two bullets in the head. Nothing had been stolen and she was still dressed. I’m waiting for my contact in Chicago PD to update me as soon as any information becomes available.”
“That contact is Detective Liam Harker, isn’t it?” And there was another brother implicated in this game.
Lance frowned tipping his head slightly as he turned and slowed down for the incoming morning traffic. “So, Harker’s in on this?”
“Yes, Lance. He may not be assigned to her murder specifically, but he’s close enough to get us the information quickly.”
“Any idea what happened to her afterward? After the kidnapping I mean.”
“So far, I have a team screening all the cameras from the moment she was taken until she was put into that van. At some point, we lost them. I also checked her background and I don’t see anything suspicious. I know you had doubts about her, or about something that could be linked to her, but I don’t see anything out of character.”
Out of character. Why did bubbly, hared-brained bimbo receptionist make her want to grit her teeth. She was a victim, an innocent.
“When I checked her station, she had access to cameras, and I checked the one in Blackwood’s private elevator. Nothing suspicious, she was just playing with her phone.”
Gabrielle typed something in the background. “What was the angle?”
“From over her right shoulder, but too far away to read the screen.”
“I’ll check it out. Maybe the screen will give us a clue. On another topic, Finch is visiting Blackwood Corp this morning.”
Zoe locked eyes with
Lance. “Why? The sale starts in a couple of days.”
“I’m not sure, but he’s not going alone. It was a last-minute decision among the most prominent buyers. Like a final friendly tour before the shark attack.”
Zoe remembered the photo of Jamieson Finch from his file. Very handsome. Archer and Kai had features from him, and his unique silver irises. But beyond the polished air, the infamous politician and businessman, was the deadliest monster. He had the talent for bringing you into his web, finding your weakness and using it against you. The rush that rose inside her could have replaced the caffeine kick.
“He’s not one of the main buyers.”
“No, but he’s one of the senior advisors of one, giving him the right to be there. The list of the final buyers was kept secret until now. We’re still working on completing it. You’ll have the opportunity to meet them first. On our side, we’ll watch them on the building cameras and build their files.”
Lance leaned forward, and Zoe could see that they were almost there. “What about the security? What’s happening on that front?”
Gabrielle obviously smiled when she replied. “You’re a genius Zoe for giving Blackwood Beatrice’s information. He did call and has arranged for on-site protection for the entire duration of the event. Lance and Kai will remain as close guards. That way, we can surround and protect Archer Blackwood the best way possible.”
Lance slowed down. “We’re on site, Gab. We’ll keep you posted.”
“Good. Be careful. Both of you.”
Zoe thought at first that Lance would drop her off, but instead, he ignored the no-parking zone and stopped the car there. Zoe was fascinated when he hopped out of the car and came to her side to open the door. He was scanning the area and she knew that under his well-tailored suit was a weapon of some sort. Hell, more than one probably.
Gallant, he offered his hand which she took. People leaving the building were looking at them as they went past. Well, most probably looking at the blond Viking beside her. Lance called the private elevator and as they waited, his eyes restlessly checkout people coming in and out. He was obviously in watchdog mode which amazed her. Did he ever relax?