"And who’s paying for your school when you go?" He paused. "Better yet, who supports you now?"
"My mom?" I guessed. I still wasn't sure where he was going with the conversation, but I had a feeling I wasn't going to like it.
"If your mom is, then my uncle is most likely the one paying for it."
I drew in a sharp breath and clenched my fists. "My mom works," I snapped defensively. I was so sick of them thinking my mom just sat around eating bonbons while Kenneth paid for everything. My mom didn't make millions, but she worked her ass off for what little we did have.
His face dropped at my tone. "I didn't mean it like that. I was just saying my uncle helps support you, which is a normal thing for stepparents to do," he quickly added. "I want to warn you that if you do quit, my uncle will most likely cut you off because my dad will pressure him to do so. That will then create a problem for your mom and him. Not to mention, I plan on this being my career, and I want to eventually take over. This is my first assignment, and for some reason, we got stuck together. You don't have to do anything. I'll do it all, just keep your comments to yourself is all I ask."
Dammit, he had a point. My mom was finally happy. She loved Kenneth, and he treated her how she deserved to be treated. We also didn't have to worry about our electricity being cut off or an eviction notice on the door when we came home from the food pantry. "This is wrong," I whispered. I had to throw that out there before I gave in. I didn't agree with it, but I was doing it for my mom.
"Maybe, but we do help people, whether you want to look at it that way or not. How do you think your mom and Kenneth's affair didn't end up blowing up into some huge media circus? A millionaire VP cheats on an heiress with the woman his wife hired to design his new office. That would've made one hell of a story. You want to know why? This company. Otherwise, your mom would've been made out to be an evil home-wrecker, and her face would've been plastered onto every news outlet in the country." And the jackass had another point.
"Weird, your family seems to make up for the ridicule you saved her from by treating her like shit every time you're around her."
He frowned. "I've never said anything bad about your mom."
"Whatever," I grumbled, getting up from my chair. "Let's get this whole life-ruining task over with."
He breathed out an air of relief. "Thank you."
My gaze flicked to him, and my eyebrows pinched together. "I'm not doing this for you."
He looked up at me through dark lashes and blinked. "I know."
I snapped up from my chair, ready to get this over with. "So what now? We find some juicy dirt and launder it out to the highest bidder?" I obviously needed a How to Blackmail People for Dummies book, pronto.
"First, we try to negotiate with her. We show her what we have that could be leaked if she goes forward. If she won't budge, we offer her money, but nowhere near ten million." He snagged the folder off the desk, opened it and his eyes scanned the papers inside. "Looks like he won't pay anything more than two."
"Two? As in two million dollars?" I choked out.
He nodded. "Reputations are an expensive thing.
"Some people have more money than sense," I commented, shaking my head. "What if she won't take the two million?"
"Then we go into fight mode. We can make her out to look like some obsessed stalker and ruin her reputation in the process. The girl will become the butt of jokes on all the late-night talk shows."
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," I muttered. I didn't know the girl, and it was wrong for her to sleep with a married man, but I thought ruining her life if she didn't do what they wanted seemed a bit drastic. My mom had an affair, and she wasn't a total slut or a bad person. Some women were just confused and looking for love in all the wrong places. Love made people do some stupid shit. I would blame it on daddy issues, like a lot of people did, but I had plenty of daddy issues, and you didn't find me sleeping with married men.
"Rule number two of this job: be prepared for anything," he revealed.
I looked over at him. "What's rule number one?"
"Don't insult the person who’s paying us. Haven't you ever heard the phrase 'don't cut off the hand that feeds you’?”
"Have you ever heard of the phrase 'don't piss off a girl with heels she can ram into your balls’?” I threw back.
He laughed and pulled himself up from the chair. "Nope, never heard that one. Let's go see what we've got." He held his arm out for me to grab, but I ignored it, pushing forward by myself instead.
We walked out of his office and into a room full of people sitting around rows of computers. There were probably twenty desks in the room with everyone’s attention engrossed onto the screens in front of them while they worked. “This is where our tech people do all their work,” he explained and I nodded.
I scanned the room, looking for the familiar face as fingers tapped on keys. I grinned wide when I spotted him. “Hey guys,” Asher called out, waving us over.
I skipped over to him, happy to have someone I liked around. “Got this for you,” Dalton said, handing over the folder Wilson had left us to Asher.
Asher grabbed the folder and opened it. “Your dad emailed me a few minutes ago about this,” he said, flipping the folder shut. “I’ve already managed to get some good stuff.” He reached over and snagged a sheet of paper from the printer beside him. “Here are text messages and emails they sent back and forth, including naked pictures.”
“Naked pictures from her?” I asked. Were they really going to use naked pictures to blackmail her?
"From both of them," Asher answered. A sour taste filled my mouth, and I swallowed back the impending vomit wanting to force its way up. Images of John naked were the last thing my eyes wanted to be scorned with. "But don’t worry, I didn’t print any of John.” I breathed out a breath or relief. “I just want to throw this out there," Asher added, smiling wide. "Our governor has some Grade-A taste." I rolled my eyes, and he shot me a grin. "Nowhere near your beauty, babe. You know you’re my favorite.”
Dalton snatched the papers from Asher's hand. "What else you got?" he asked, wedging himself between the two of us.
"She needs money; she's in debt. The girl has a serious shopping problem with the majority of it coming from sex shops and Victoria's Secret.” His lips formed a sly grin. “Although, I think that's a pretty good investment."
Dalton snapped his fingers. "Jackpot. She'll take the money." Thank God. I was ready for this to be over, sans the blackmail and threatening.
"Unless someone offers her more," Asher cautioned. "She has some pretty decent proof, including pictures of them together. Oh, and take a look at this shiny new Mercedes," Asher clicked on the computer screen, and the three of us leaned in to see. "Brand new C-Class purchased by our good ol' governor."
"What an idiot," I mumbled. "Aren't these guys supposed to be good at hiding this kind of stuff? These things seem pretty obvious to hide.”
"Some guys are fucking idiots and think they’re indestructible. But I can’t blame the guy. It’s hard resisting sexy-ass women,” Asher replied, his eyes shooting from the screen to me, and Dalton snorted. “Be ready for dinner by seven, gorgeous. We need to try that new burger joint that just opened up around the corner.”
As much as I acted like Asher annoyed me, I actually enjoyed spending time with him. Every night since he’d arrived, we’d gone to dinner together then hung out afterwards. “Be sure to wear something sexy for me, preferably see-through,” he added, winking.
I slapped his shoulder and shook my head, grinning. "I'll see you tonight, Casanova."
Dalton darted out of the room, clearly pissed off, and headed back to his office. He waited until I shut the door back in his office before deciding to open his big, obnoxious mouth.
"Sit," he demanded, instantly reminding me of his jackass dad. Ignoring his rude command, I turned around and wandered around his office without saying anything. I was already taking orders from one douchebag Dougla
s, which was enough for the day.
"Nice office," I commented. I hadn't had the chance to take in the room last time I was in there because I was too busy getting verbally abused by his dad.
I walked to the corner of the room, picking up a few magazines sitting in a rack and studying them before dropping them back down. He shrugged his shoulders. "It's plain." I noticed his eyes following every step I made, never once glancing away.
I laughed. "You should see mine." The only 'personalization’ I had in my great cubicle were two pictures frames shoved into the tiny corner; one with Cora and me and the other with my mom.
"You work in here from now on," he said, his blue eyes still studying me.
I stopped in my tracks. "Huh?"
"You work in here from now on. We're partners. I don't want to go on a search mission every time I need you for something." He was still pissed about our meeting with John. Jesus, I'd agreed to go through with the damn job and keep my mouth shut, what more did he want from me? I was definitely not apologizing to him or his dad for my outburst.
"Do you and Asher have something going on with each other?" he asked suddenly, his face turning cold.
I tripped on my feet. "What? Asher's my stepbrother."
He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "That doesn't answer my question."
I perched my hand against my hip. "I would think me pointing out the fact he's my stepbrother is answer enough," I fired back.
"No, it's definitely not, and your bland attitude has already given me the answer I need."
I groaned, throwing my hands down to my sides. "Oh, my God! No, there is nothing going on between us." Even if there was, I didn't need to explain myself to him.
He huffed. "Sure looks like it."
"Then you need to get your eyes checked because you're clearly seeing things."
He pressed his lips together in a tight line. "I'm just looking out for you, but do whatever the hell you want. You wanna fuck my cousin, Gabby, have at it," he snarled, his skin bunching up around his eyes. "Go screw everyone in my damn family for all I care." He snatched the notebook from the top of his desk, threw it down into a drawer and slammed it shut.
I narrowed my eyes at him, glaring daggers. I couldn't believe the nerve of him to say that to me. "What the hell is your problem?"
"I just don't think it's cool, you and Asher."
"I just told you there's nothing going on between us!" How much longer were we going to keep up with the whole back-and-forth game before he realized I was telling the truth? And why did I even care if he believed me?
"Just like there's nothing going on between us?"
My pulse sped up as I charged toward him. "Oh, there is absolutely nothing going on between you and me."
He snapped up from his chair, his chest only a few inches from mine. "I beg to differ. If there's nothing going on between us and nothing is going on between you and Asher, does that mean he's been in your panties, too?"
"You're an asshole," I yelped, pushing my palms against his chest, but he didn't budge.
I noticed his nostrils flare and his eyes were cold. "Then don't fucking lie to me."
I stiffened, my defenses rising with every passing second. "Not that it's any of your goddamn business," I spat, poking a finger into his chest. "But no, Asher hasn't been anywhere near my panties."
He gaze leveled down on me. "Has anyone?"
"Has anyone what?"
"Has anyone else had their fingers in your panties? Inside of you?" My insides trembled, and I felt my cheeks instantly begin to warm.
"Again, that's none of your business," I breathed out, feeling my heart kick.
He stepped an inch closer, almost stepping on my toes. "Be honest with me," he whispered, capturing a strand of my hair and swiping it behind my earlobe. I wanted to push him away, but I couldn't find the energy to do so. "Have you let anyone else in there besides me? Have you let anyone else have what you gave to me? What's mine?"
I gulped, begging my brain to come to its senses. "I'm not yours," I rasped out.
He moved his head closer to mine. If I moved just an inch, our heads, our lips, would be connected. "You sure gave it to me like it was."
"I was drunk," I choked out, reusing the same excuse as last time we had this same discussion. ‘Always blame it on the alcohol’ was my new motto.
"You still gave it to me, baby. You handed it over, no fucking questions asked. You spread your beautiful legs wide open for me and let me have it. You let me own you." His words were beginning to make me light-headed.
"It wasn't yours, and you don't own me," I hissed.
"Then why'd you do it?" he asked, grabbing my face, lifting my chin up so I'd have to look at him.
I pushed away from him. "I was lonely, okay? You happy now?"
His eyebrows scrunched together. "Lonely. How in the hell could a girl like you possibly be lonely?" A girl like me?
I felt my blood temperature rise. "Just because my mom was a mistress does not make me a slut, you arrogant asshole. I was a virgin before we had sex, in case you forgot." I snarled, the words ripping out of my mouth.
His hands raked through his hair. "Fuck, babe. I didn't mean it like that. I was just surprised you could be lonely. You're fucking gorgeous, and I remember how beautiful you were when you first moved here. I wasn't the only guy to notice it, either. That's why I couldn't believe you were lonely. It had nothing to do with thinking you're a slut because, baby, you're far from being a slut."
My muscles loosened. "I've never even had a serious boyfriend," I revealed, instantly wanting to take it back after the words left my mouth. I was still stuck on him thinking I was a slut and felt the need to defend myself. "Sure, I've messed around with guys, but I've never had anything serious." I'd had plenty of boyfriends, but they all ended up being major tool bags.
My mind drifted back to the only guy I'd dated after having sex with Dalton. His name was Ross, and he was a joke for a boyfriend. We'd just broken up a few weeks ago because it was summer break, and he was about to go off to college. In his opinion, we didn't need to make a commitment like that. I knew it was really because he wanted to be able to mess around freely at his cousin's vacation house and bang as many girls as he wanted without having to deal with the hassle of hiding the fact he had a girlfriend.
"I was miserable at that party. Not one person in your family talked to me. You did. I mean, it wasn't much, but you did. I remembered you said hi and asked if I was ready to graduate. I was sad and upset. I just wanted somebody, anybody, to acknowledge my presence. I wanted you to make me feel better, but you know what?" I didn't give him the chance to answer before I continued my rant. "I regret it! I should've never gone looking for you. I should've never gone into your room. It was a stupid mistake." I attempted to maneuver around him, but he stopped me, pushing me back against the wall.
"Don't say that," he demanded, his arm reaching out to level us against the wall as he leaned into me.
"It's the truth," I rasped out. His weight pushed into me at the same time his lips hit mine, not giving me the chance to elaborate why then and now was a really bad idea. My brain had completely shut down.
"That was one of the best nights of my life. I've never had someone trust me like you did. I've never had someone give me something so fucking special to them," he breathed out, breaking away from our kiss. His thumb ran along my jawbone, and I inhaled a breath before he kissed me again. The taste of peppermint seeped into my mouth, reminding me of our first night together, and numbed any intelligent thoughts of stopping him. My brain was screaming at me, telling me this was a terrible idea, but I couldn't pull myself away. The magnetic pull that had forced me into his bedroom was back, and I didn't have the strength to fight back; it was like fighting against gravity.
He swiped my hair away from my shoulder and began running his soft lips against my neck. I gasped at the feeling of a cold hand sliding up my dress and running across the inside of my thighs. His
fingers stopped before skimming the lace of my panties and slipping a finger under the thin fabric. I held onto his shoulders, my knees beginning to feel weak as he swiped his finger down my center. I whimpered, my legs parting wider to allow him more access at the same time a knock on the door interrupted us.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Dalton groaned against my neck, and Summer barged in before we had the chance to break away from each other. Her body stilled at the sight of our tangled bodies against the wall. Dalton dragged his hand out from my panties and turned around, covering my body while I adjusted myself embarrassingly behind him. God, I was so humiliated. I didn't want to be known around the office as the girl who bangs her co-workers.
"Future reference, Summer, wait for a fucking response before you just barge into my office," Dalton snapped. His arm rubbed down my thigh before patting it gently, like he was giving me a signal that everything was going to be okay.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know you’d be so occupied," she snickered. "Don't worry, love, my lips are sealed." If Summer told anyone, I was definitely quitting; I didn't care if it pissed my mom off or not.
"That would be smart on your part," he bit back, and I stayed crouched behind him. "What did you want that was so damn important you forget your fucking manners?"
"Your dad actually wanted to know if you were going to be joining him and the governor for lunch, but it seems you're busy getting your fill of something else," she giggled. "I'll let him know you won't be able to make it. By the way," she added, "you have some lipstick smeared on your face." She pointed to her cheek, threw him a smile and left the room.
"Holy shit!" I shrieked as soon as I heard the door click shut and pushed Dalton away from me. "What if she tells your dad? What if she tells Kenneth and then he tells my mom!" My mind was running through a thousand different scenarios, and I couldn't keep up. My mom was going to kick my ass, and Wilson was probably going to have me murdered.
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