Yes, Chef

by Linda Verji

  Joel smiled. “Just the man we were looking for.”

  “Ransom!” Masterson greeted him with a curt nod.

  Everything about the woman was understated; from her neat bob-cut to her slightly masculine facial features, from her averagely tall but muscular frame to her white shirt and denim pants. She wasn’t the kind of woman who drew attention – until you crossed her.

  “What’s going on here?” Worth strode deeper into the office and took a seat beside Masterson. “Are you already done with the job?”

  “Yup!” Masterson turned to face Worth with a curious expression. “How the hell did you get in this woman’s cross hairs?”

  Worth’s eyebrows rose. “Is she someone I should be worried about?”

  “Definitely.” Masterson nodded. “She’s the worst person someone with your kind of money could’ve met.”

  Worth frowned. “What?”

  “You just met the one woman guaranteed to leave you broke,” Joel piped in. His expression concerned, he asked, “Speaking of, have you met her yet? You were having the interviews today, right?”

  “Right.” Worth nodded. “Actually, I just left her in my office a minute ago.”

  “Sure that’s a good idea?” Joel asked. “You might walk into your office and find it completely empty.”

  Worth’s eyes widened. “She’s a thief?”

  “Yes, she’s a thief. But not that kind of thief. She doesn’t empty rooms, she empties bank accounts.” Masterson handed the file she was carrying to Worth. “In a nutshell, you’re up against Tamsin Jacob; con-woman extraordinaire. Only twenty-eight but already married three times plus seven engagements under her belt. This woman has transformed gold-digging into an art. Once she sets her eyes on you and your money, you’re done. Might as well just hand her your ATM card and be done with it.”

  “Con-artist, huh?” Worth mumbled as he flipped Sin’s file open. He’d expected something along these lines but he was still surprised that Claire had found herself a pro this time.

  He thumbed through the contents of the file, reading aloud as he went. “Tamsin Jacob. Born to Norman McCarver and Sharon Jacob-McCarver…” He frowned. “Norman McCarver? Why do I feel like I’ve heard that name before?”

  “Me too,” Joel said. “Wait… wasn’t he on TV?”

  “You’re right.” Masterson nodded. “He was a famous plastic surgeon – did a lot of celebrities most of them on his shows. He died five years ago.”

  “If he was a surgeon with his own TV show, then he must’ve been loaded.” Worth’s frown deepened. “If Sin’s family was well-off, she didn’t need to steal. Why is she a con-woman then? Did they lose their money or something?”

  “Nope.” Masterson shook her head. “In fact, when her father died, he left her a massive fortune. And you know what the lady did with it? She donated it.”

  “All of it.” Joel’s eyes were wide with surprise.

  Masterson nodded. “All of it!”

  “This keeps getting more interesting by the minute.” Worth’s lips crooked in a reluctant smile. “What is she doing with Claire though?”

  “That’s what’s confusing.” With a frown, Masterson leaned forward to place her elbows on her knees. “Sin doesn’t just pick men with money. You also have to fit other criteria. She typically goes after men who’ve ditched their wives for younger models.”

  Masterson went on, “In all the cases I could find, the ex-wives of these men were kicked out of their marital homes without even a cent to their names because of unfair pre-nups or compromised lawyers. Sin works to get them their fair share of alimony and takes a cut for her efforts.”

  “How noble!” Worth’s tone dripped with barely veiled sarcasm. “So she thinks she’s an Avenging Angel?”

  “Or a female Robin Hood,” Masterson agreed.

  “You say she’s a notorious gold-digger. Then surely the authorities know about her.” Joel asked, “Why haven’t they put her away?”

  “Because she does everything by the book,” Masterson said. “She makes sure all the right documents are signed and that all her T’s and I’s are crossed.”

  “Figures!” Worth wasn’t surprised that Sin had managed to avoid the cops. If he wasn’t already suspicious of her, he would’ve fallen for her exemplary résumé and smart responses to his interview questions.

  “However,” Masterson said, “she’s been in jail.”

  Worth sat up straighter. “For what?”

  “She stabbed the last man she was working on. I think his name was Marvin Dubner or something.”

  Joel’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. “So she’s a murderer too?”

  “Not quite.” Masterson explained, “After she ripped him off, Dubner tracked her down then tried to kill her. She only stabbed him in self-defense. If it was any other case, she would’ve walked away. But everyone knew that the only reason Dubner had come after her was because she conned him. Unfortunately, investigators couldn’t prove any wrongdoing on her part. The official papers said that Dubner had freely transferred half his property to her.”

  Masterson added, “To make matters worse Dubner refused to testify against her. The cops suspect that she had something on him that would’ve sent him to jail for even longer than the attempted murder charge he was fighting. Eventually, Dubner went in for five. Since the D.A’s office had been after Sin Jacob for so long, they couldn’t just let her go. They turned her case into an aggravated assault, but even then she only got two years.”

  Worth was impressed. The woman had stolen from a guy then sent him to jail. “She’s obviously an expert.”

  “She is.” Masterson looked troubled as she added, “Which still leaves us with the question of why she’s after you. You don’t have an ex-wife I don’t know about, do you?”

  “Him? An ex-wife?” Joel, who knew of Worth’s aversion of marriage, guffawed. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Hey, you don’t know me,” Worth teased. “I could’ve gotten married while you weren’t looking.”

  “Yeah, right!” Joel harrumphed before turning his attention to Masterson. “No, he doesn’t have an ex-wife. What he has is a sister-in-law who’s always trying to take him down.”

  “Claire?” Masterson asked. When both men nodded, she said, “Interesting. But how did she and Sin get mixed up? Sin only works with women who’ve been screwed over by their exes or to-be exes.”

  “Maybe she’s changed her M.O,” Worth suggested. “Decided to be more ambitious.”

  “Maybe,” Masterson said, but she didn’t look convinced. “Either way, it seems like you’re her new mark. You need to be careful, my friend.”

  Long after Masterson left, her warning still rang clear in Worth’s mind. You need to be careful. It seems like you’re her new mark. Of course Worth had run into several con-artists in the course of running his business. But he’d never been specifically targeted. Not like this.

  “We should turn her over to Portland P.D,” Joel suggested. “At the very least they should be able to get her for identity theft or impersonation.”

  “We should, we should-” Worth tapped his chin as he thought over his friend’s suggestion. It was a rational suggestion, something any sane man would do. Strangely, Worth couldn’t bring himself to turn her in. “-but we won’t. No, let’s not turn her in.”

  Joel frowned. “Why not?”

  Worth mulled over it for a few moments but still couldn’t come up with a reason why he was so intrigued by the thought of being around Sin. So he made up an excuse. “I want to know Claire’s long game. If we keep Sin around, we can figure out what Claire wants from me.”

  “Isn’t that obvious?” Joel eyed him. “Claire wants your money.”

  “Claire doesn’t want my money,” Worth disagreed. “She’s got plenty of her own. She’s looking for power. Keeping Sin here will tell us how she plans to get it.”

  “So I guess that means we’re keeping the con?” Joel asked.

  �
�That means we’re keeping the con.” Worth nodded. “For now.”

  Sin might be an expert at gold-digging, but not even the best con-artist could win in a rigged game. Worth already knew all her cards. Still, he’d let her try to play him. Of course she had no chance in hell at winning but it would be fun as hell to watch her try.

  * * *

  “SO HOW IS the plan coming along?” Claire spoke over the phone. “Did you pass the interview? Did you manage to get the job?”

  “They don’t tell you whether you’ve passed the interview immediately,” Sin answered. “But I’m sure I did well.”

  Ten, who was sprawled out on the sectional couch, harrumphed at the blatant lie.

  Sin sent her friend a threatening look before turning her attention back to her conversation. “Don’t worry, Claire, I’ve got this.”

  “Are you sure? What if you didn’t do well in the interview?” the lady whined. “You’re not lying to me, are you?”

  “Why would I lie to you?’ Sin soothed. “We’re in this together.”

  “You’re sure you’ve got the interview in the bag, right?” Claire asked.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Sin hedged.

  “Okay. Okay. If you say so.” The other woman dragged in a deep breath before adding, “Don’t forget to give me an update once they call.”

  “I won’t forget,” Sin said. “Bye, Claire.”

  “Bye.” The woman ended the phone-call.

  “Well, that was awkward,” Ten said as she sat up.

  “You don’t say.” Sin made a face as she set her phone on the coffee table.

  “When will you tell her that you don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of being hired at W Sport?”

  “Not yet.” With her eyes closed, Sin sighed and leaned back into the couch she was seated on. “Not until I know for sure.”

  “Not until you know for sure? Girl, stop playing. The man let you fall on your ass then walked right over you.” Amusement dripped from Ten’s voice as she added, “Do you need more confirmation that he won’t hire you?”

  “He didn’t walk over me,” Sin corrected. “He walked around me.”

  “That makes all the difference,” Ten teased sarcastically.

  “You never know. He might still hire me,” Sin offered but deep inside she knew that Ten was right. After that disastrous interview, she’d bet her organs that Wentworth Ransom wouldn’t hire her.

  “All right, okay. Stay hoping!” Ten snorted in disbelief. But a second later she let out a sharp breath, “Hey, hey, Sin?”

  “What?” Sin opened her eyes to find that her friend had scooted closer to her.

  Anxiety shone in Ten’s eyes as she asked, “Do you think Claire will kick us out of the apartment when she finds out you didn’t get hired?”

  “That’s what you’re worried about?” Sin glared at her friend. “That we’ll lose the apartment?”

  “Um… duh! Look at this place.” Ten waved her hand around to draw Sin’s attention to the apartment.

  If Sin didn’t already know that Claire had money, the spacious two-bedroom apartment she’d leased for them would’ve been clue enough. The place screamed luxury; from the designer plank flooring to the quartz countertops of the kitchen that adjoined the living room. From the crystal chandeliers that hang in the living room to the expensive white sectional Sin and Ten were now seated on. Then there was the fitness center and pool that added a resort-like feel to the building. In the course of her illustrious career, Sin had stayed in better places, but this was pretty sweet too.

  Ten said, “This place is too nice for us to lose.”

  “Hey, lady! You have your priorities screwed up.” Sin shook her head. “You should be more worried about us losing our fee if we don’t complete the job.”

  “I’m still pissed off that she’s only giving us a million.” Ten frowned. “I looked up how much RGC shares are worth and what you’re getting her is worth more than twenty mil.”

  “We’re not doing this for money,” Sin reminded her. “We’re doing this to help a fellow woman.”

  “Correction; you’re doing this to help some woman you just met at a swimming pool. I’m doing this for money,” Ten clarified. “And we’re being ripped off by Claire. Speaking of– will she keep monitoring you like that? Cause her constant whining is beginning to annoy me, and I’m not even the one she keeps calling.”

  “Even without the calling you’d still be annoyed at her,” Sin said. “You don’t like her.”

  This was one of those moments she was glad that Ten hadn’t met Claire face to face and that Claire didn’t even know of Ten’s existence. Already Ten couldn’t stand Claire; who knew what she’d say if they ever met.

  “True. I don’t like her.” Ten made a face. “But the monitoring makes me dislike her even more.”

  “She’s just a little anxious,” Sin said. “You’d be too if you were in her shoes.”

  “Stop trying to fit me into that woman’s shoes,” Ten protested. “I’m too much of a bitch to end up being blackmailed by a randy brother-in-law.”

  “This coming from a woman who was blackmailed by her own father,” Sin reminded her.

  That was enough to silence Ten but the sharp look she sent Sin left no doubt that she wanted to say a lot more.

  “In any case, you don’t need to worry about losing your precious apartment or your pay,” Sin continued. “I’ll find another way to get closer to Worth Ransom even if he doesn’t hire me.”

  Despite the best planning, things sometimes don’t work out during a con. That’s why you have to have a Plan B, C, D and maybe even an M. A true artist must have the ability to change directions swiftly in the face of obstacles. Sin would find a way to get to Worth, of that she had no doubt. Besides, after meeting him, she was even more eager to get her hands on his fortune. His rude behavior had made it clear that he needed trimming.

  Sin turned back to her friend. “Have you managed to get into his apartment?”

  “Not yet.”

  “I thought you said you were a pro,” Sin teased. “You’re losing your touch, girlfriend.”

  “Hey, it’s not an easy job,” Ten protested. “You should see the security in that place. It’s a wonder that I even got hired as part of the building’s cleaning crew.”

  “But you’ll be able to search his place soon, right?”

  “Right.” Ten nodded. “I just need to get the lady who has his apartment to trade with me.”

  “Good.” Sin pushed out a relieved breath. “Because we really need to get something on him so he doesn’t come after us when we’re done with him.”

  “I know, I know,” Ten said.

  Most people stored the evidence of their sins in their homes. If – no, when Ten got into Worth’s place, she’d hopefully be able to find something they could hold over his head; a crime they could rub in his face and threaten to go to the police with. Given his asshole-ish behavior today, Sin suspected that it would be something super-delicious. Bribery, assault, hit and run… he looked like the kind of man who had violent bones buried in his closet.

  Almost as if on cue, Sin’s phone rang again. When she leaned over to look at the screen, her eyes almost popped out of their sockets and her blood suddenly turned icy cold. The number was familiar. It was the number W Sport had used when calling her for her interviews.

  Ten quickly caught on to her friend’s anxiety. She asked, “Who is it?”

  “W Sport.” Heart beating rapidly, Sin reached for the phone. “Hello?”

  “Sinclair Johnson?” A familiar female voice asked.

  “This is she.”

  “This is Diana Battle from W Sport. I’m calling to let you know that you passed the interview,” Diana said. “W Sport would like to offer you the position of Executive Assistant to the CEO?”

  “Really?”

  “Really!” Diana asked, “Can you come in on Monday to discuss the terms?”

  Sin still couldn’t quite belie
ve that this phone-call was actually happening. “I’m really hired?”

  “Yes,” Diana stated in a matter-of-fact tone. “How’s Monday for you?”

  “Monday is fine,” Sin returned breathlessly.

  Though Diana took a few moments to brief her on what would be happening on Monday, Sin barely heard anything. She was still in shock. Even after Diana ended the call, she was still holding the phone. Really? Worth had hired her? After all the rudeness? How was that even possible?

  Maybe he was more charmed than he’d led her to believe. Damn! She was good. Better than even she thought.

  Sin turned to Ten with a wide grin. “I told I had this.”

  Ten’s eyes widened. “You got hired?”

  “Girl, I got hired.” Sin squealed in delight.

  CHAPTER 5

  The silence in the crowded elevator was stifling and the tension thick, like a looming thundercloud. So deep was the silence that had a pin dropped, the sound of its fall would’ve echoed thunderously in the small space. Why was it so silent? Because the boss was in the elevator. The employees who were there with him kept sneaking glances over their shoulders as if to confirm that he hadn’t transformed into a monster back there.

  Usually the silence and the sneaky glances would’ve annoyed Worth. Today? He didn’t even notice them. He was too busy wondering if Sin had actually dared to take them up on their offer to employ her.

  According to Diana, Sin was supposed to start training to be his assistant today. Though he would’ve loved to pretend otherwise, he was both anxious and excited at the thought of seeing her again. Anxious because he still hadn’t completely figured out what she and Claire were up to. Excited because, despite his wariness, he was intrigued by the woman.

  A con-artist with a heart of gold? He chuckled.

  Though his chuckle was low, the sound reverberated in the silent elevator attracting the attention of his employees. Worth barely noticed the confused looks they traded amongst themselves. He was too busy wondering what had driven Sin into her line of her business. It was obviously wasn’t money. So what was it?

  He didn’t get the time to figure it out because right at that moment a ping sounded and the elevator doors opened. The hurried shuffle as his employees got out of – or more accurately, escaped the elevator was enough to jolt Worth’s attention back to the present. He glowered fiercely making them rush out even faster.