Alex sighed. “It’s a car, Luther, not a horse, and a car has a lot of hiding places.” He headed for the door, but Luther was intent on arguing.
“If the man isn’t stupid enough to leave that file in his apartment or his girlfriend’s place, do you really, actually, think he’d be stupid enough to keep it in his car?”
The P.I. had a point, but Alex was just stubborn enough to keep it to himself. Stubborn and frustrated. “He might. Come on, let’s get out of here before Miss Clevenger returns.”
Grumbling, Luther followed Alex from the cluttered apartment. Alex carefully locked it behind him.
They drove to the factory in silence. Spotting Kyle’s Corvette in the VIP parking slot, Alex instructed Luther to pull into the empty slot beside it. He looked carefully around to make certain the parking lot was empty.
When he was satisfied, he turned to Luther. “I’m going inside. Join me when you’re finished.”
“You mean, if someone doesn’t catch me ransacking the boss’s car and make a citizen’s arrest first?” Luther drawled bitingly.
Alex shrugged. “Okay, you go in and keep everyone busy while I check the car. How hard can it be to break a window?”
“Break a—” Luther smothered a curse. “All right, I’ll do the car. You keep them busy.”
Reaching for the door handle, Alex said, “I’ll be in Lotus’s office. Come in when you’re done here, and if you’ve found the file, just nod. If not, put your hands in your pockets.”
By the time Alex reached the entrance to the factory and looked back, Luther had used his impressive talents to open the driver’s door of the Corvette. Alex gave Luther the thumbs-up sign and went inside, choosing not to speculate on just where Luther had learned his skills.
The lobby of the factory was a maze of partitioned walls divided by a carpeted hallway. Through several of the dividers he glimpsed family pictures tacked above computers. There were four cubbyholes in all, and all were empty. At this particular time of the day, the day shift supervisors would probably be on the floor, he surmised, wishing he had time to check out Brooke’s own personal work space.
At the end of the hallway, he came to a glass door with PLANT MANAGER, KYLE LOTUS stenciled in big black letters, but he knew from what Brooke had told him about the layout of the factory that he would have to go through the secretary to get to Lotus’s office.
The door to the right of the office led to the testing lab where Brandy Clevenger worked—or made a show of working. Alex’s mouth tightened. If Brooke’s suspicions were right, he doubted Brandy did much testing these days.
Without knocking, Alex opened the door and barged into the secretary’s office, catching Peggy Osmond by surprise. Her head came up sharply. She gave him a disapproving frown from over the rim of her glasses. Middle-aged and full-figured, she reminded Alex of a librarian he’d had in grade school.
“May I help you?”
Anticipating her shock, Alex drawled, “I’m sure you can. I’m Alex Bradshaw—”
Her gasp interrupted his introduction. She leaped to her feet, knocking her glasses astray. Making a frantic grab for them, she caught them in midair and settled them onto her nose again. “Mr.—Mr. Bradshaw! We weren’t expecting you...were we?” Her voice ended on a squeak.
Keeping in mind that Brooke believed Mrs. Osmond was an innocent pawn in Lotus’s devious scheme, Alex forced a smile. “No, you weren’t expecting me. I’m just arrived by private jet after getting the disappointing news about one of my supervisors.” Despite himself, Alex was impressed with the way the lie rolled from his tongue.
Clutching her chest, Mrs. Osmond said, “You mean Brooke Welch? It’s true, then? I just can’t believe it! Brooke’s such a hard worker, and a very likable person. Why, she worked two Saturdays in a row for my niece when her baby had pneumonia. So when Mr. Lotus told me, I thought to myself, ‘There must be some mistake!’” She drew in a fortifying breath, her expression hopeful. “Is there a chance there’s been a mistake?”
The secretary’s reaction surprised Alex and confirmed Brooke’s insistence that Mrs. Osmond wasn’t involved. “That’s what I’m here to find out, ma’am. Would you inform your boss that I’m here?”
“Certainly, Mr. Bradshaw. I’ll tell him right away.” Plucking nervously at the opening of her pristine white, conservative blouse, the secretary jabbed at the intercom button. Her words came out in a breathless rush. “Mr. Lotus, Mr. Bradshaw is here to see you.”
Lotus’s disbelieving voice crackled over the speaker. “If this is your idea of a joke, I do not find it funny!”
Casting Alex an embarrassed glance, Mrs. Osmond said, “I’m not joking, sir.” She paused significantly before adding, “He’s waiting in my office.”
The silence stretched for a few taut seconds before Lotus snarled in a low, angry voice, “Get me off the speaker and pick up the phone.”
As Alex looked on, the secretary’s face turned pale, then red again as she listened to the dressing down Alex was certain Lotus was giving her. Finally, she nodded and replaced the phone. She looked at Alex, her expression reminding him of a wounded dog.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Bradshaw. As I said, we—we weren’t expecting you.”
Alex nodded, holding onto his temper. “Quite all right. Thank you, Mrs. Osmond.” With a polite nod at the flustered secretary, Alex entered Lotus’s office.
Lotus jumped from his seat behind the desk and came forward, his face tight with the effort to keep a crocodile smile in place. He thrust out his hand. Alex shook it, not because he wanted to but because he wasn’t yet ready to rip Lotus to shreds.
He needed evidence first.
“Mr. Bradshaw! This is a surprise. I mean, I know you’re a busy man, so I wasn’t expecting you to handle this little problem yourself.” Lotus paused a beat, feigning concern. “This is about Brooke Welch, isn’t it?”
“In a roundabout way,” Alex drawled, disengaging his hand and giving it a subtle wipe against his jeans. Lotus was sweating. Alex hoped like hell he’d be sweating a lot more before the day was over.
“Sad thing, isn’t it? She’s been a supervisor here for going on six years.” With a sad shake of his head, Lotus sighed. “Caught her red-handed, though, so I don’t guess there’s any doubt about her innocence.”
Although he knew he shouldn’t, Alex couldn’t resist making the slime-bag squirm a little. “Yeah, I guess there’s no chance that someone’s trying to frame her by dumping a shipment of condoms in her house, huh? Someone would have to be pretty desperate for that.”
Lotus’s smile faltered, then picked up again, his arrogance overriding his instincts. “Yeah, guess that’s a little farfetched. Have you talked to her?”
Alex shook his head, amazed at the man’s confidence. “No, I thought I would get the scoop from you first.” Or the lie, rather.
“Good idea—”
“And take this opportunity to take a tour of my factory,” Alex added casually. “Starting with the testing lab.”
The expression on Lotus’s face was comical—a mixture of irritation and alarm. Alex suspected the irritation stemmed from the fact that he’d referred to it as ‘his factory.’ It didn’t take a genius to figure out the reason for his alarm.
Luther chose that moment to step inside the office. Both men glanced in his direction, Lotus in surprise and Alex with expectation. When Luther stuffed his hands into his pants pockets, Alex swallowed a frustrated oath. No file, which meant he would have to bluff his way through the next plan in the hopes of forcing Lotus into a confession.
Nodding at Luther, Alex said, “I believe you’ve met Luther.”
“Yes, we’ve met.” Lotus cast Luther a puzzled glance. “But I thought he’d left town.”
Alex could have kissed the P.I. when Luther shrugged and said, “Thought I’d hang around a while longer, after I saw that truck delivering a shipment of boxes to her house.”
Lotus swallowed visibly. “You—you saw the truck?”<
br />
Luther’s wicked smile would have scared a rattlesnake. “Yep, and I’d know that driver, too, if I happen to run into him again. Reckon he was on her payroll.”
“Yes, he must have been,” Lotus agreed quickly.
Alex could hardly contain his own feral smile. Without realizing it, Lotus had just confirmed that a man was driving the truck. After exchanging a smug look with Luther, Alex turned to Lotus. “I’d like to see the testing lab now, if you don’t mind.”
“Sure, sure. I’ll just give Brandy a buzz and let her know we’re coming—”
“Don’t bother,” Alex interjected in a steely soft voice, halting Lotus’s movement toward the phone. “It’s just down the hall, isn’t it?” Without waiting for Lotus to protest, Alex took the lead. Luther followed, with Lotus hastily bringing up the rear.
In the outer office, Alex paused at the secretary’s desk. He gave her a warm, reassuring smile. “Mrs. Osmond, does this company offer an eight-hundred number for customer service?”
Her gaze darted to a second phone on her desk, then to Lotus. She gulped and focused on Alex. “Yes, sir. It’s—it’s routed through this office.”
“And do you answer this phone?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do you keep an accounting of these calls?”
There was an audible curse behind him, and Alex was fairly certain it wasn’t Luther. “Mrs. Osmond?”
“I—I did at first, but last week Mr. Lotus ordered me to unplug the phone. He—he said the ringing interfered with his concentration.”
“She doesn’t mean—”
Alex held up his hand, silencing Lotus. “May I have the records of these phone calls?”
Avoiding the livid gaze of her immediate boss, Mrs. Osmond opened a drawer and withdrew the small book Brooke had described to Alex. Her hands were shaking as she held it out.
“I won’t lose my job, will I, Mr. Bradshaw?”
“Of course not. As a matter of fact, you’re getting a raise starting immediately.”
Leaving the stunned secretary staring after him, Alex left the office and made his way to the lab. Over Luther’s smothered chuckling he could hear the sound of grinding teeth.
Kyle Lotus, it seemed, wasn’t a happy camper.
Brandy Clevenger wasn’t, either, when she looked up from her Style magazine to find the P.I. and a strange man entering the lab, followed by her fire-breathing dragon of a boss.
In fact, she was so startled, she dropped her magazine.
Alex wasted no time. “Miss Clevenger? I’m Alex Bradshaw.” He grabbed her limp hand and gave it a shake, smiling into her shocked face. “And I think you’ve met Luther, here.”
“Yes,” she said faintly, glancing over his shoulder to Lotus hovering near the door. Her gaze turned faintly accusing.
From the corner of his eye, Alex saw Lotus shake his head as if he were silently denying any involvement in this unannounced visit. Alex kept his gaze locked on the lab tech. “I hope we’re not interrupting your work.”
Luther snickered.
Brandy still looked dazed. “No—no.” She finally gathered her composure. Her chin came up in a defiant gesture. “I was on my break.”
“Then I apologize for interrupting your break,” Alex said with forced sincerity. “But I’m a little pressed for time...so if you don’t mind, I’d like a quick demonstration of how you test the condoms.” He glanced around the room with interest, his gaze landing on the familiar shape of the test model Brooke called ‘Hugo.’ Above the table where Hugo reigned supreme were shelves stacked with boxes of condoms.
Scooping her magazine from the floor, Brandy’s nervous gaze slid from Lotus, then back to Alex. “Certainly, Mr. Bradshaw.” Licking her lips, she moved around him and approached the table. “As you can see, we use an oversized model of a...penis to test the durability of the condoms.”
When she hesitated and glanced at the silently fuming Lotus, Alex ordered softly, “Show me.”
He watched as Brandy retrieved a box of condoms from one of the lower shelves and opened it. She quickly sheathed the condom on the test model and stood aside.
Alex folded his arms. “Do another one.” When Brandy reached into the open box, Alex stopped her with a tersely spoken, “Use a new box.”
Brandy grabbed another box and took out a packaged condom. Her jerky movements betrayed her growing agitation as she removed the previous condom and replaced it with a new one. With a flourish, she placed her hands on her hips and stood back. She couldn’t have been more obvious if she had shouted, “Satisfied?”
Lotus had been silent during the demonstration, but now he stepped forward with a relieved laugh. “As you can see, Safe & Secure continues to produce top quality condoms. I congratulate you on an excellent investment.”
Admitting defeat wasn’t in Alex’s vocabulary, and he wasn’t about to add the word now. He had a couple of aces up his sleeve. Opening the book Mrs. Osmond had given him, he quickly leafed through it, then thrust it at Lotus. “If we produce top-quality condoms, then why do we receive so many complaints?”
Barely glancing at the book, Lotus handed it back. He shrugged, looking so damned smug Alex wanted to punch him. “Prank calls. Kids with nothing but time on their hands.”
It was frustrating to know that Alex couldn’t prove him wrong. The secretary had not taken names or specified the nature of the complaints; she’d just taken numbers—something he intended to rectify in the future. And without that file, he didn’t have a leg to stand on.
“You saw for yourself,” Lotus gloated. “These condoms are the best in the country.”
“That’s because they’re dated before Alex bought the factory,” Brooke announced from the doorway.
They all turned as she sauntered into the room, followed by Elijah and Sheriff Snider.
She was a sight for sore eyes—and egos—Alex thought, letting his gaze drift from head to toe. The woman gave jeans a whole new look, and she certainly looked none the worse after spending a few hours in jail.
He was so busy ogling her that he nearly missed the box she pitched in his direction. He caught it before it smacked him in the face.
“Try those on for size. I found them in Dee’s underwear drawer, and I think we all know the condition Dee’s in right now—and who’s to blame.”
Lotus found his voice. His face filled with angry color. “I’m going to call security—”
“Settle down, boy,” Sheriff Snider growled, effectively shutting him up. “Let Brooke have her say.”
Before Alex could open the box, Brooke plucked it from his fingers and thrust a flat package in his hands.
“Better yet, you hold this and I’ll do the demonstration.” She gave him a saucy wink that curled his toes and numbed his brain. “I’ll bet Brandy forgot to show you Hugo’s hidden talent.”
Forget Hugo, Alex thought. Forget the factory all together. He had a sudden, savage urge to clear the room and show Brooke his hidden talent.
Mouth watering, he watched as Brooke slowly unrolled the condom over Hugo, reviving erotic memories only hours old. By the time she was finished, his erection was at full thrust.
He was very, very glad all eyes were on Brooke.
Chapter Thirty
Brooke carefully unrolled the condom over Hugo, glancing at Alex to confirm that he was watching; she didn’t want him to miss the next step in the demonstration—one she was certain Brandy had conveniently left out.
Her fingers stilled at the familiar, thigh-quivering expression on Alex’s face. Her gaze dipped to below his waist, then jerked back to his face. Hot color flooded her cheeks.
Alex was aroused—fully aroused.
Slowly, she looked at her hands curled around the base of the test model, and knew with a sudden certainty that he was remembering their lovemaking.
The heat from her face spread downward, encompassing her entire body. Reminding herself that she was furious with him, Brooke tried to concentrate on her t
ask. It wasn’t easy to ignore the thick sexual tension that seemed to connect them physically. Her hands shook with the effort.
Keeping her head bowed to hide her flushed face, Brooke placed her finger over the hidden button at Hugo’s base as she explained, “When I push this button, air will fill the tip of the condom, simulating, um...” Her husky voice trailed away, and her face grew hotter. Sheriff Snider cleared his throat, and the P.I. stifled a laugh.
Brandy, Lotus, and Alex remained silent.
Brooke took a deep breath and pushed the button. Slowly, air filled the tip of the condom. It burst with a soft pop. Forcing herself to look at Alex, she said, “Open the package. I think you’ll find the evidence you’ve been looking for.”
Lotus stepped forward as if to snatch the package from Alex. “That’s tampering with U.S. mail!” he shouted, glaring at Elijah.
Sheriff Snider grabbed his arm and held him effortlessly. “You just stay still, Lotus. You’re in enough trouble as it is.”
“But you can’t open my mail!”
“I can,” Sheriff Snider growled, staring hard at Lotus. “Especially if I suspect you’re smuggling drugs.”
“Smuggling—” Lotus sputtered to a halt, so furious he could barely speak. “My lawyer will be talking to you.”
“He knows where to find me.” Unperturbed by Lotus’s threat, the sheriff nodded at Alex. “Go ahead, Mr. Bradshaw. Take a look inside.”
Holding her breath, Brooke watched Alex remove the contents and quickly scan the pages. When he finally looked up, his eyes were gleaming.
Brooke knew that gleam, and couldn’t resist grinning. She’d save her fury for later. Right now she wanted to enjoy the satisfying conclusion.
“Landco Synthetics, Inc.,” Alex stated, staring hard at Lotus. “Since when did I authorize this change? According to the invoices I receive, Safe & Secure is still contracted to purchase our latex from Superior, Inc., a company with an excellent reputation of long standing. Safe & Secure has been dealing with them since the beginning. Sounds like you’ve been practicing a little forgery, Lotus. Not only have you been buying inferior latex and pocketing the savings, you’ve been ruining this company’s reputation.”
A Perfect Fit Page 22