* * *
JUDD ROLLED UP his motorcycle jacket and stuffed it into one of his bike’s saddlebags. Leaning forward, he ran one hand through his helmet hair and then tugged on the lapels of his suit jacket.
Sean had helped him pick out the suit. As fastidious about his clothes as he was about everything else in his life, his brother knew a good suit and a good tailor. Judd felt at ease that he’d fit in with any of these financial types at Breck Global Enterprises.
He ambled from the parking garage into the lobby of the building where BGE occupied the top four floors. He parked himself next to a potted plant and watched the twirling glass doors from the street to the lobby.
A tall, cool blonde with her hair in a loose bun sailed through the doors. London shoved her sunglasses on top of her head and hoisted the soft-sided black briefcase over her shoulder.
When Judd stepped into her path, a hitch hampered her long stride but didn’t stop her. He matched her step for step on the way to the elevator.
She pressed the button and cranked her head to the side, her gaze scanning him head to toe. “Nice suit. You look like Secret Service with those sunglasses.”
He took them off and slipped them into his front pocket. “Better?”
“How’d you sleep last night? I didn’t think you’d be gone when I got up.”
His pulse quickened. “Everything okay this morning?”
“Fine.” She stabbed the button again. “So were the accommodations satisfactory?”
“Fine.” He’d slept lightly. A few bumps in the night had had him bolting upright, but he’d put them down to the settling of the building.
A few other people joined them in the elevator.
London shifted toward him, close enough for him to see the sparkle from the dusting of powder across her nose.
“Here’s the agenda for the morning. I’ll look over my email and return any calls. The meeting starts at nine o’clock. I’ll try to point out all the players to you beforehand, and maybe you can hang out in my office during the meeting and go through some company files.”
“Sounds good.”
The doors to the elevator swished open, and Judd stepped back and held the door for the others. Silence reigned as the car delivered the other three to their destinations.
When the doors closed behind the last person, London turned to him. “If anyone asks, you’re just additional security.”
“Got it.” He saluted. “Nice to meet you, I’m additional security.”
She drummed her fingers against his biceps. “Very funny. Did you hear anything more about Griff? Is it in the paper?”
“I haven’t heard anything, and I didn’t see it in the newspaper, but it’s probably online.”
“I know nothing.” She traced her fingertip along the seam of her lips.
Sleeping downstairs last night had been the best move he could’ve made. This woman, with her hard shell on the outside and squishy, soft insides, had gotten under his skin. Her reputation as a hot party chick had hooked him, but her wit and self-deprecating humor were reeling him in.
The elevator took them to the very top of the building and spit them out onto plush carpet, facing a glass-block wall with the BGE logo shimmering on it.
London exited to the right and he followed her to a reception area adorned with fine art, a couple of chairs, a few exotic plants and an even more exotic receptionist behind a mahogany desk.
“Good morning, Arianna.” London flashed a smile at the receptionist, who could moonlight as a model.
“Good morning, London.” Her dark eyes flicked to Judd.
“This is Judd Brody. He’s going to be providing some extra personal security for me in the next few months.”
Months? He had to maintain a professional demeanor with this woman for months?
He nodded toward Arianna, who smiled serenely, as if a personal bodyguard was the most common accoutrement in the world.
London continued to the back of the building, where individual offices lined the walls and buzzing office staffers guarded their ground.
London nodded and waved her way through the maze until she reached the back office. Another impeccably coiffed and dressed woman sat with perfect posture behind a desk.
“Good morning, London.”
“Good morning, Celine. Everything ready for the meeting this morning?”
Celine’s gaze darted toward Judd and back to London’s face. “All on your desk. Roger has already been by this morning.”
“Thanks.” She tilted her chin at him. “This is Judd Brody. He’s...uh, with security.”
Celine smiled brightly. “Good morning. Would either of you like some coffee?”
“I would. Judd?”
“Black.”
Celine scooted back from her chair and scurried out the door.
An older gentleman—silver hair, impeccable suit, moneyed ease—strolled into the outer office. “Nice to see you here, London. Are you ready for the meeting?”
“I am.”
“I’ll be seated to your right, and I can guide you through anything that throws you for a loop.”
“Thanks, Richard.” She made a half turn toward Judd. “Richard, this is Judd Brody. He’ll be providing some additional personal security for me. Judd, Richard Taylor, executive vice president of BGE.”
Richard nodded, a tight smile on his patrician face. “Welcome aboard.”
Richard must have thought Judd was a new BGE employee or something, but if London didn’t see fit to correct him, far be it from Judd to do so. He nodded back.
Did the vice president have a hankering to be CEO?
“I’ll see you at the meeting, London—nine sharp.” He pivoted out of the room, almost colliding with Celine carrying two cups of coffee.
“Sorry, Mr. Taylor.” Celine rolled her eyes at London and handed them the coffee.
London waved Judd through another door. “My office.” She shut the door behind them and sighed. “You don’t know how much I hate walking through that gauntlet of employees.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. They all work for me. Their livelihoods depend on me and my decisions. I feel like they’re out there sizing me up.”
“They probably are.” He perched on the edge of her desk and folded his arms. “Why does my job title keep changing for every person I meet?”
“They’re all the same, aren’t they?” She dropped her briefcase on the floor by her chair.
“It all sounds vague.”
“I don’t know.” She eased into the big leather chair behind the desk. “You want me to keep quiet about the threats, and I don’t want to come across as paranoid.”
“What’s the saying? If someone really is trying to get you, it’s not paranoia.”
Tapping the keyboard of her desktop computer, she said, “I thought I wasn’t giving anyone the full scoop.”
“Might be fun just to see their reactions. I wonder if anything could break the mask that Richard Taylor wears. He’s one smooth SOB, isn’t he?”
“Always has been. Do you want to meet the rest of the likely suspects?” She twisted her monitor to one side. “I’ve got the rogues’ gallery right here.”
He stepped around to the other side of the desk and leaned over her shoulder, taking in a webpage with an org chart and photos. He tapped a finger on the top picture—Spencer Breck. “Looks like it needs to be updated.”
&nbs
p; “Putting my picture up there will make it seem so final.” She scooted her chair to the side. “Have a seat.”
He pulled a heavy chair as close to the desk as he could get it and hunched over.
She rattled off names and positions. He’d have to print out this chart and study it more closely, maybe do a little background on these people.
He held up his hand when she got to her cousin Niles. “Tell me about him.”
“He’s not much for business but loves the trappings. My father and his had their issues, and Dad never much liked Niles. Left him some money and property in his trust, but not much responsibility at BGE.”
“Is Niles an only child, too?”
“Too?”
“Like you.”
“I thought I told you at the bar, I’m not an only child.” Her finger drew a circle around the picture of a serious-looking dark-haired man in his mid-thirties. “That’s my half brother, Wade.”
“You did mention a half brother.” Judd squinted at the name beneath the picture. “Wade Vickers. He’s not a Breck?”
“Vickers is his mother’s name. He never took the Breck name.”
“Bad blood between his mother and your father?”
“You could say that. Wade was born before my parents married, so my father could’ve married Wade’s mother. He didn’t.”
“But your father still gave him a place in the company.”
“No reason not to.” She shrugged. “He’s smart, has a good head for business and likes this stuff a lot more than I do.”
“Your father still left you in charge.”
“Go figure.”
Wedging a knuckle beneath her chin, he turned her face toward his. “Why are you here, London?”
“Because my father left me in charge, and I have something to prove.” Her bottom lip trembled. “It was his last ditch effort to...to...”
“Turn you into him?” He waved his hand around the office with its gleaming surfaces and dark leather. “This is him, not you.”
She wrinkled her nose as she glanced around the room. “I plan to redecorate.”
“I’m not talking about the decor. I mean all of it—the corporate world, shareholder meetings, the bottom line.”
“This is me.” She jumped up from her chair and smacked her palms on the desk. “I can do this. You don’t know anything. You don’t know me, Judd Brody. I’m not that girl in the tabloids. Not anymore.”
She was right. What made him think he could give her advice, judge her? And why did he care?
“Okay, okay.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe this is you. What the hell do I know?”
“Let’s get back to what you do know. Anything about any of these guys that jumps out at you? Honestly, I can’t imagine any of them going to such lengths to threaten me. A few of them have told me straight up I’m in over my head and to give it up—sort of like you.”
“Wait a minute. I never said that. You can probably do whatever you set your mind to. I just didn’t think the corporate world was a good fit for you, but you set me straight.” He steepled his fingers. “Any one of them has motive enough for getting rid of you, I suppose. How do you and your brother get along?”
Walking to the front of her desk, she smoothed back a piece of hair that had slipped out of the bun—another affectation. The bun didn’t suit her, either.
“Wade is more like my father than I am. He’s almost ten years older than I am—wife, couple of kids. He’s a good guy, if a little dull.”
He took in the four walls of the office. This environment could make anyone dull. “You two are on friendly terms?”
“I’d say so.”
“Did your father take care of him in his will? Is your brother satisfied working for you?”
“Wade is very comfortable, thanks to Dad, and he’s happy with his numbers.” She sighed and perched on the edge of the desk. “I wish there was one villain to point to, but BGE has no villains.”
The door to her office burst open and a stocky man with dark hair charged through, with Celine on his heels. “I asked him to wait, London.”
The guy bounded across the room, landed in front of London, grabbed her shoulders and planted a kiss on her mouth. “La-La, I missed you so much. I came straight here from the airport.”
Judd rose from his chair, his hands curling into fists. Who was this guy and who the hell was La-La?
“London?”
She turned a flushed face toward Judd, her hands against the man’s chest.
The intruder glanced at Judd as if seeing him for the first time and raised one eyebrow. “Who’s this?”
Judd expanded his chest and took one step forward. “Who the hell are you?”
The man finally dropped his hands from London’s shoulders and turned to face Judd fully. “I’m London’s fiancé.”
Chapter Seven
London rolled her eyes. Here we go again.
She’d better say something, since Judd looked about ready to use Roger for a punching bag and Roger looked about ready to slap Judd across the face with a glove.
She sliced a hand between the two men. “Not exactly, Roger.”
“You mean, not yet.” He chucked her under the chin with his knuckle, a gesture similar to one Judd had used on her just a moment ago. Only when Roger did it, she felt about two years old.
“Roger, this is Judd Brody. I hired him for some additional personal security. Judd, this is Roger Taylor, CFO of Breck Global and Richard’s son.”
Judd thrust out his hand. “Sorry about the earlier antagonism. Ms. Breck never mentioned her engagement to me, so when a strange man burst in here and grabbed her, my adrenaline started to pump.”
Roger eyed the tattoos peeking from the sleeve of Judd’s jacket. “No worries. London could use a little extra security, but you’re not from BGE, are you? Unless you joined the staff while I was out of the country.”
“He did.” She met Judd’s gaze over Roger’s shoulder and put a finger to her lips. It would make her life easier if Roger didn’t know she didn’t trust BGE security—at least not with her life. She just needed to stick with the same story for everyone.
Judd dipped his head. “New hire.”
London let out a measured breath. “I’ll see you in the boardroom, Roger. Judd and I have a few things to review.”
Roger reached for her again, but this time she sidestepped him. She didn’t want him mauling her, especially under Judd’s watchful glare.
Roger winked and turned his fingers into a gun, pointing at her. “Don’t you worry about a thing, London. I’ll be right there beside you in the boardroom.”
She pasted a smile on her face and nodded.
Roger exited the office, calling out to Celine, “Grab me a coffee.”
London snapped the door closed and rested her forehead against the heavy wood. “Now I have to smooth Celine’s feathers since she absolutely hates it when Roger orders her around. He has his own executive assistant.”
“Fiancé?”
“No.” She turned, putting her hands behind her back and pressing them against the door. “He likes to think we have some understanding, but we don’t. I don’t. We dated a few times over the years, but we are not compatible in any way.”
“I can’t imagine how a guy like that with a stick up his...back could ever think he’d be happy with a woman with your wild ways.”
She opened her mouth and Judd held up his hand. “Former wild ways.”
“That’s just it.” She blew a strand of hair from her face for about the hundred
th time that morning. “He loves my former wild ways. He used to pretend my antics frustrated him, but that was an act. My mishaps allowed him to be paternal toward me, correcting and chastising me.”
“That sounds like a seriously creepy dynamic.”
“Part of it has to do with all this.” She spread her arms wide. “If I keep screwing up, it gives him greater control over me and BGE—at least he thinks so.”
“Does he want it enough to kill for it?”
“Roger? I don’t see him as a killer, but he wants it enough to marry me for it.”
Judd’s blue eyes glittered, almost slicing through her. “And that would be a great hardship for him?”
The warmth started in her belly and made a fast approach to her face. She snorted and made a beeline to her desk, ducking into one of the drawers. “For him, I think it would be, but I’m going to spare him the sacrifice.”
She retrieved a pad of paper from the drawer and smacked it on the desk. “You can work in here while I attend the meeting.”
“How long will you be?”
“About two hours.” She couldn’t stop the grimace that twisted her lips. “Then I’m going to stop by the hospital and visit Theodore. Do you want to come along?”
“Absolutely. I’m your bodyguard, remember?”
When he looked the way he did now, his raw power barely contained by his suit and his eyes hard and...possessive, she didn’t want to forget.
She’d hardly gotten one wink of sleep last night with him downstairs on her couch. She could understand he wanted to keep their relationship professional. He must have all his female clients throwing themselves at him, and he couldn’t accept every offer.
Hell, if he made good on the promise in his eyes, she’d be wondering if he bodyguarded everyone the same way.
Celine’s tap on the door broke the spell between them.
“C’mon in.”
“Meeting in ten minutes. You probably want to be one of the first people there.”
“Thanks, Celine. Sorry about Roger.”
“He’s so annoying.”
“I know. I’ll talk to him again.” She gestured to Judd, who had removed his suit jacket and draped it over the back of a chair. “Judd’s going to be working in my office while I’m in the meeting. After the meeting, I’m leaving for the rest of the day.”
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