by Lynn Emery
“Yes, I was going to surprise you, baby.” Aliyah strolled over to Russell.
“Surprise,” Nicole said in a glacial tone. She crossed her arms and looked at Marcus.
twenty
Aliyah leaned close to Russell. “I think they need to talk,” she whispered.
“Definitely. Goodbye.” Nicole spat without looking at either of them.
“Wait for me outside, Aliyah,” Russell said.
“But baby—”
“This is business. I won’t be long.” Russell led her out and came back. “The board knows everything, including your attempt to put the blame on me. It won’t work. I’ve given them a report of the decisive actions I’ve taken.”
“Such as?” Marcus turned from Nicole’s hostile scrutiny to look at him.
“I have fired staff and hired replacements already. Jesse had his hands full with other things. I’m going to contact my college roommate in the attorney general’s office. He might help speed up criminal background checks.” Russell lifted his chin.
“The attorney general’s office doesn’t have anything to do with background checks,” Marcus replied.
“He knows people. That’s how business is done at a certain level, Marcus.” Russell gave him a brief, dismissive glance before he looked at Nicole. “Marcus doesn’t have connections and you don’t have ability. I’d say my chances are good.”
“Don’t redecorate my office just yet,” Nicole answered.
Russell ignored her and looked at Marcus again. “Stay away from Aliyah.”
“Aliyah wandered into my office. I suggest you keep an eye on how often your girlfriend gets ‘lost,’” Marcus snapped, the words flying out like steel-tipped darts.
Judging from the loss of color in his tan face, Russell got the message. “Just wait until I’m in charge.” He marched off.
“What an ass!” Marcus went to his door and slammed it. He faced Nicole and waited.
A good sixty seconds went by before she spoke. “I have a question.”
“Yes, Aliyah made a play for me. I refused the offer.” Marcus folded his arms across his chest.
“Okay, not that I was all that interested.” Nicole’s nostrils quivered.
“Uh-huh.”
Marcus let his expression communicate how little he believed her. Then he waited for the follow-up questions. Women always had them when it came to another woman. What she said next hit him like a punch in the gut.
“Were you planning to steal clients from this company and start your own business?”
Nicole stood very still. Her lovely brown eyes burned with suspicion and anger. Walking in on that scene with Aliyah had surely added gasoline to a raging fire. Marcus let his arms fall to his sides.
“What—” He walked to his desk. Marcus could feel her gaze boring into his back.
“Did those few seconds give you time to come up with an answer I might believe?” Nicole did not move.
“I told your father I was considering other options,” Marcus hedged.
“We were talking about other job offers, damn it. This company opened doors for you that you couldn’t have gone through otherwise.” Nicole walked toward him as she spoke.
“Right. I had the great privilege of being saved from the gutter by the magnanimous Summers clan.” Marcus glared at her.
“I didn’t mean it that way,” Nicole shot back.
“Yes, you did. I worked twelve-hour days, took his crap for two years, and earned every penny in my paycheck. Sure I was grateful when he made me vice president. But let’s get this straight, I had it coming and more.”
“So, you decided to stab him in the back for not stepping aside and handing you the keys to the company.” Nicole’s mouth curved into a sneer.
“Mr. Summers told me he would sell me the business. I go to his funeral and out comes this video will. He lied, had me work like a dog knowing all the time he had no intention of honoring our agreement.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Nicole gazed at him through narrowed eyes, as though she could discern his veracity by doing so.
“I didn’t have anything in writing. Your family has a reputation for being ruthless. You people weren’t at your best at the funeral.”
“Yeah, well…”
“I’m sure your family would have wanted me out of here. Who needs a resentful employee hanging around? Especially one with access to sensitive company data. I was going to leave on my terms.” Marcus met her gaze without flinching.
“I see. Guess you’ve got a chance now.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I was dumb enough to be flattered that you seemed to accept me as CEO. You made such a show of deferring to me in front of our biggest customers. Deniability. You can walk away and tell everyone I made the mistakes.” Nicole’s eyes flashed again.
“That’s not true, Nicole. I didn’t count on loving you.” Marcus started toward her, but the antagonism in her expression stopped him.
“Oh, right. I guess this is where I melt into your strong arms and beg you to swear your love is true.”
“Trust would be nice,” he said quietly.
“Cuts both ways, doesn’t it? After we got closer, made love—” Nicole looked away.
“I didn’t think it mattered anymore. We were a team. I felt ownership working side by side with you. I’m not lying to you.” Marcus spread his arms out.
“I don’t know.” Nicole pinched the bridge of her nose.
After a cautious sounding knock, Shelly opened the door. She glanced from Nicole to Marcus. “Uh, I hate to interrupt.”
“What’s up, Shelly?” Marcus answered when Nicole didn’t respond.
“That guy with the commission is on line four. I don’t think it’s good news,” Shelly mumbled, then made a hasty exit.
Marcus ground his teeth as he picked up the telephone receiver. Shelly was right. As he listened to the director’s assistant, his stomach muscles tightened.
“Yes, of course. Fifteen working days.” Marcus hung up the phone. “Mr. Phoung and three of our clients filed a complaint. We have to answer in writing.”
Shelly came in again. She handed Marcus a long envelope. “This certified letter was just delivered.”
“From the commission?” Nicole stared at him with a dismal expression.
Marcus nodded and opened it. “The allegation is that we didn’t follow licensing regulations in hiring or supervising staff.”
“I guess Russell is right. When my family hears our license is at risk—” Nicole closed her eyes. “Damn!”
“I’ll get y’all some coffee.” Shelly tiptoed out and eased the door shut as she left.
“I’ll call our attorney. Maybe when Russell hired some of the staff the regs were less stringent.” Marcus frowned and read the letter again.
“What does it matter? We should have done thorough background checks annually. No, we can’t spin our way out of this fix.” Nicole dropped into a chair.
“Let’s not jump to conclusions.” Marcus punched the buttons on his phone. “Jesse, come to my office.”
Nicole’s shapely eyebrows bunched together. “What are you doing?”
“I want to check something out.”
Jesse knocked once and came in. He nodded at Nicole. “Afternoon. I hear we got another problem.”
“Yeah. How many of the employees had criminal records?” Marcus got right to the point.
“Two had misdemeanor summons, no convictions. Russell didn’t do a great job of screening them, but these folks weren’t major gang bangers. Just less than squeaky clean backgrounds.” Jesse shrugged when Nicole let out a groan.
“Then we have a good defense against this complaint. Well, maybe good is too strong a word,” Marcus said when Jesse and Nicole looked skeptical.
“Please! I’ve been studying those regs. As a licensed security agency we can be held accountable for the misconduct of our employees,” Nicole said.
“But what if they lied to us? The l
aw says we have to make reasonable legal efforts to check them out.” Jesse glanced from Nicole to Marcus.
Nicole stood. “Call the lawyer, Marcus. We’re definitely going to need him.”
“I’ll be in my office. Got three more folks to hire. Just hope their fingerprint checks come back clean. The problem is not all of the police departments report to them. These dudes could have been arrested in some little town or other. How would we know?” Jesse started for the door.
“Stop!” Nicole shouted.
Jesse jumped, and his eyes popped wide. “What’d I do?”
“He’s right. The database on convictions is only as good as the reporting.” Nicole turned to Marcus eagerly. “Let’s run their names now. If nothing comes up, then we’re covered.”
Jesse nodded slowly. “I’ll run searches on the Department of Public Safety Crime Records Service.”
“Good. Get back to me.” Marcus waved at Jesse as though to speed him on his way. When the door bumped shut and they were alone again, he looked at Nicole. “You’ve done one helluva job studying the law and this business.”
“Thanks.” Nicole didn’t look at him. “I’m going back to my office.”
“Wait.”
She paused as though gathering strength, then turned to face him. Marcus stuck his hands in his pants pockets, unsure of what to say now that he had her attention. Nicole gazed at him for only a moment before she looked away. He cleared his throat.
“Don’t walk out without telling me something. Yell, curse, make smart-ass comments about my ghetto childhood. Anything.” Marcus spoke in a low, urgent tone.
Nicole gave a sardonic laugh. “First time I’ve been invited to verbally abuse someone.” More silence.
“I screwed up. Okay?”
“Yes, you did.”
“Tell me how to make it right.” Marcus stood close to her. He rested his forehead against hers. His hopes rose when she didn’t push him away.
Nicole gazed into his eyes for a few seconds, then moved away. “Let me get back to you on that one. I need time to think.”
“Sure. Just one more thing, make it tonight. Please.” Marcus watched her expression with a knot of anxiety in his chest. She nodded, and he was able to breathe again.
Do you believe him?
Nicole frowned at the oncoming traffic as she drove. The question her sister had posed kept bouncing around in her head. She’d called Helena for advice the way she had since childhood. Helena was not only wise but she also wouldn’t consider social status in judging Marcus. Not that Nicole was at all sure about herself in that regard. She was, after all, a product of her mother’s upbringing. Analine Darensbourg Summers was a social snob, though she’d hotly deny it. So was her father, and he admitted it. Was she a chip off the old block?
She took a deep breath, hoping more oxygen would clear her head. The apartment building where Marcus lived loomed ahead, and she still didn’t have an answer. Nicole parked, walked to his front door, and rang the bell.
When Marcus answered, her heart beat faster. He stood tall even in flat brown leather sandals. He wore a tan pullover knit shirt and khaki chinos. The colors blended with his smooth skin, which was the color of roasted pecans.
“Glad you came.” He stepped aside to let her in.
“Hi.” Nicole tingled all over when her shoulder brushed his broad chest as she walked by and into the living room.
“I’ve got your favorite.” Marcus smiled and pointed to two tall mugs of root beer, a bowl of tortilla chips, and another bowl of salsa.
“Thanks for remembering.”
Nicole deliberately sat down in a chair. She held onto her small straw purse. She glanced around as though seeing the room for the first time. Light green and red lights danced on the controls of his sound system, a swirl of patterns in time to the music that played softly. A rich female voice she couldn’t identify sang a ballad. Marcus sat close by on the sofa. He seemed content to wait on her.
“We both had another long day,” she said.
“Yes.”
“Jesse told me about the background checks. Nothing came up on those employees. Of course five of them had been fired from other jobs. Two had been suspected of stealing from their employers,” Nicole said. “Why didn’t we know about it though?”
“I talked to Russell before I left the office. He didn’t check the references. He just accepted the letters as authentic on two of them. The others were recommended because their former bosses didn’t want to be sued.” Marcus tapped one foot, as though impatient.
“Why would they be sued?”
“They were laid off supposedly because the places where they worked had to cut cost, not because they could prove the thefts.”
“So, instead of going through the trouble of confronting them, they took an easy out.”
“Happens all the time. Folks are lawsuit crazy these days. Anyway, Russell got defensive, and the day ended on its usual low note.” Marcus lifted a shoulder.
“Well, the board should realize Russell hasn’t developed brain cells in the last few weeks,” Nicole joked.
“Slamming him isn’t the best strategy, Nicole. I’d say concentrate on what you’re doing right. Let them see the contrast.”
“Yeah. I better read up on anger management in the next week.” Nicole gave a short laugh.
“You can practice right now,” Marcus said quietly. “You’re still angry with me, right?”
“Some people might say you were using me.” Nicole watched him for a reaction.
Marcus continued to gaze at her. “I’m only interested in what you say.”
“You’re either a very smooth operator or telling the truth,” she replied.
Nicole’s heart wanted to believe the latter. Her head warned against being deceived again. She had a flashback to her ex-husband.
“I’m not him,” Marcus said as though he’d looked right into her thoughts.
“I grew up knowing exactly which fork to use, which colleges my parents would pay for, and which friends I should choose. My ex was from the right family. The only thing he cared about was that I was from the right family, too.” Nicole twisted the leather handle of her purse between her fingers. “I was a fancy designer handbag with nothing important inside.”
“You could have had anything you wanted.” Marcus shook his head. “Hard to understand why you were unhappy. Man, I hated being poor.”
“One day I asked myself, ‘What are you really worth?’ I didn’t have an answer.” Nicole looked at him.
“Oh, baby,” Marcus murmured.
“You can only blame your parents for so long, you know. But it was fun while it lasted,” Nicole said with a humorless smile.
“I had a teacher in high school, Mrs. Estevens. One day I was in trouble again, can’t remember what I’d done, to tell you the truth. When I started yelling about my mother being a drunk and my missing-in-action thug father, know what she said? ‘So what, Marcus. What are you gonna do?’” He shook his head slowly. “I thought about that for a long time.”
“You have to decide who and what you’re going to be in spite of everything.”
“Right.” Marcus wore a thoughtful expression.
“After I got over the shock, I started seeing Summers Security as my chance to be more than a useless ornament. I don’t want to be a means to somebody’s end.” Nicole stared at him.
“You’re not, at least where I’m concerned,” he said.
His voice came to her softly, a gentle vibration that made her heart hum in response. Marcus held out a hand in invitation. Nicole left the chair to obey. Realizing she still held her purse, Nicole gazed at it. She could still leave, her warning voice said. Just get your car keys and go, it urged. Take time to think. Yet she needed the solid feel of his arms around her chasing away years of loneliness, especially now. Nicole needed to feel part of him, needed the reassurance of this man who had become her friend and lover. So much for you, Nicole said to her cautious alter ego.
With a flip of one wrist, the purse landed on the chair behind her.
Nicole settled on the sofa and into the arch of his strong right arm. “Think we can make the whole world go away for a little while?”
“I’m going to give it my best shot,” he whispered.
His full mouth tugged up at one corner in a half-smile that was both seductive and secretive, as though he held a surprise. Nicole shivered, eager to get whatever prize he offered.
“It’s late and we’re short on time. The phone could ring at any minute. Your pager might go off,” he spoke close to her ear and nipped her lobe.
“True.” Nicole closed her eyes as he reached down her blouse and cupped a breast.
He looked into her eyes as he unhooked the front clasp of her bra. “Don’t make me wait.”
A stab of hunger bit into her. “No.”
Like a video in fast-forward they undressed rapidly, kissing each other hard over each inch of flesh as it was exposed. Their foreplay lasted sixty seconds at most. Naked and driven by a yawning need, Nicole straddled his lap without taking her mouth from his. Her tongue pushed through his lips in a demand for satisfaction. Marcus moaned and gripped her thighs as he penetrated her. Or rather Nicole swallowed him with a guttural whimper in the back of her throat. She wanted to be the taker. He gave in willingly.
Nicole rocked and rolled her pelvis. She lifted her body and then plunged down as waves of desire crashed over her. Marcus buried his face between her breasts and growled with pleasure.
“Please,” he begged.
“Baby,” was all she could whisper in reply.
Nicole could hardly breathe. And she came. Clouds split and her mind cleared of everything as she fought for every inch of him, every drop of the joy he offered. Marcus came seconds later with a grunt that threatened to become a roar, except that his mouth was still pressed against hers. Nicole shuddered as a smaller orgasm took over. Suddenly they were both still. Gradually she heard the music from his compact disc player again.
“Baby, it’s all about you.” His eyes still closed, Marcus shook his head. He planted a tender kiss on the tip of her nipple.
Nicole sank onto the sofa. She exhaled when Marcus pulled her down to stretch out beside him on the wide cushions. He shifted until she was neatly tucked, spoon-fashion, with her back nestled against him.