Still...Sonny would be tickled that he wouldn’t have to mop the break room floor when it rained. Maybe she’d thank Alex after all, Brooke mused. Cook a special dinner for him, buy a bottle of wine to go with it. Lost in her forbidden fantasy, she didn’t notice the shadow rounding the corner of the hall in front of her.
She ran smack into Leroy Coast, the supervisor who had gotten the promotion she should have gotten. As he steadied her, she smiled brightly into his dark brown eyes. Leroy was nice. It wasn’t his fault Kyle Lotus was a sore loser.
“Oops! Sorry, Leroy. Guess I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“I’ll say. You looked like you were in another world.” Leroy dropped his hands, his smile a blinding flash in his broad, brown face. “How are things going with you?”
“Fine. And you?”
“Great. I’m looking forward to my vacation next week.”
“Going any place special?” Brooke asked politely.
“Yeah, we’re going to Disneyland. The kids are really looking forward to it.”
“Hm. Sounds expensive.” Brooke could have kicked herself. As a long-time employee and family man, Leroy was the last person to be taken in by the likes of Kyle Lotus.
“We’ve been saving for a while, and since we’ll be staying with my brother and his family, we won’t be out hotel expenses.” His quick and easy grin flashed again as he patted his paunch. “More money left to spend on food and fun.”
Brooke felt ashamed of herself. “Well, I hope you have a good time, Leroy.”
“Thanks, Brooke.”
After he’d gone, Brooke ducked into her cubbyhole of an office for a quick breather. She had to calm down, stop suspecting everyone—stop asking personal questions she had no business asking before someone became suspicious. Alex had instructed her to keep her eyes and ears open, not to interrogate each and every supervisor.
Kyle was the main suspect—the one in a position to rip the company off. She had no reason to think the others knew of his scheme or were involved in any way. They were her friends. She’d worked with many of them for the past six—
“There you are!” Dixie Comford cried, startling a guilty shriek out of Brooke. “You’ve got some explaining to do, girlfriend.”
Dixie’s chiding words sailed right over Brooke’s head, because Brooke attention had been snared by the huge diamond on Dixie’s finger.
A very big, very expensive-looking diamond.
Chapter Nineteen
“Wanna know what I think?” Dixie asked, popping the tab on her diet cola. She grabbed a package of sugar-laden doughnuts from the vending machine and sat across from Brooke at one of the tables in the break room.
The workers had gone, leaving behind a shiny new ceiling. Brooke shook her head at Dixie’s question, trying to concentrate on what her friend was saying instead of what she was wearing on her finger. A rock that size had to cost thousands of dollars. What if Dixie did know what Kyle was doing, and had accepted a bribe to keep quiet? What if Leroy had, as well? What if everyone knew but her? That ugly possibility made her face burn.
“Well, since you asked...I think Bradshaw’s hiding out right here in Quicksilver.”
Brooke nearly spewed her fruit drink across the table. Trying to appear casual, she dabbed at her mouth and cleared her throat. “Why—why would he do that?”
Dixie leaned forward. “To spy on us. Catch us slacking on the job.” As if she’d conjured him by talking about him, Dixie glanced uneasily around the deserted break room. “Like I’m doing right now.”
“Dixie...you’re on an official break right now,” Brooke gently reminded her. “Every employee is entitled to a fifteen—”
“I know that, but think about it, Brooke. If the rumors about Bradshaw cleaning house are true, then he’ll be looking for an excuse to fire us.”
Stifling an irritated sigh, Brooke said, “He’d have to have a better excuse than that, Dixie. Besides, maybe the rumors aren’t true. Maybe Kyle circulated that particular rumor to get us riled, keep us on our toes.” In fact, the more Brooke thought about it, the more it sounded like something Kyle would do. And if the others knew that Kyle was stealing from the company, then maligning Alex would definitely serve Kyle’s purpose.
“Sounds like you’re taking up for that son-of-a-bitch,” Dixie accused.
“He’s not so—” Brooke bit down hard on her tongue, shearing the rest of her sentence. She’d nearly said, “He’s not so bad.” How disastrous would that be? And why was she taking up for that blackmailing, ruthless shark? “What I mean is, we’ve never met him, yet we’ve condemned him already. Maybe we’re not being fair.”
“Well,” Dixie drawled in a disgusted tone, “you’re easy. He fixes a measly leak in the break room, and suddenly he’s a hero. Which brings me back to my earlier suspicion. Bradshaw’s supposed to be missing. Who do you suppose ordered the maintenance?”
“Maybe he ordered it before he disappeared,” Brooke answered automatically. She glanced at her watch. Dixie had five minutes left on her break. It was now or never—and Brooke had to know. Taking a deep breath, she focused on the rock on Dixie’s hand. “Wow, I’ve never seen you wear that ring before. Where did you get it?”
Dixie’s guilty flush made Brooke’s mouth go dry. Flipping her permed hair over her shoulder in a defiant gesture, Dixie said, “I bought it for myself—for an anniversary present. God knows Rick would never buy me anything!”
Spots danced before Brooke’s eyes. She had to blink to focus on the hand Dixie thrust out.
“Looks real, doesn’t it?” Dixie laughed at her shocked expression. “It’s Zirconia! As if I could afford anything else on my salary!”
Brooke slumped in her chair, her relief so great it left her weak. Dixie didn’t know, because if Dixie knew, she would tell Brooke...wouldn’t she?
Oh, God, was she really suspicious of Dixie?
It was all Alex’s fault for bringing on this ridiculous paranoia!
****
When darkness fell and Brooke hadn’t returned, Alex began to get edgy. He waited for her on the porch in the old rocker, trying to relax and enjoy the peaceful night.
It was no use. Without Brooke, the place was dull as dirt, just like she’d predicted. He was used to action, to facing constant challenge and making split-second decisions.
But it didn’t take him long to figure out it wasn’t the bump and grind of the business world that he missed; it was Brooke. Her vitality and fierce energy was like a drug he couldn’t resist. The more he saw of her, the more he wanted to see, until he ached physically with the need.
She was amazing, stunning, irresistible, and refreshingly honest. When she focused on something, she was like an avalanche.
Headlights cut through the dark, winding road to the cabin. Alex dropped his booted feet from the porch railing and stood. His muscles bunched with tension; his blood began to pound in his ears as he prepared his libido to spend another night in agonizing, close proximity to a woman he wanted to ravish.
He noticed something wrong the moment she stepped out of the car. It wasn’t like Brooke to move slowly for anything, but this time she didn’t hurry.
And she didn’t slam the car door.
Alex watched her approach, head down, one hand jammed into the pocket of her jeans and the other clutching a white sack. She climbed the steps as if each foot weighed a ton, then stopped on the porch. Without preamble, she handed him the sack. He caught a whiff of sweet and sour pork and soy sauce.
“One of the packing machines went down, so we had to pack the rest of the shipment by hand. That’s why I’m late, and that’s why I’m tired. So if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to soak in a hot bath. Your interrogation will have to wait.”
She moved by him and disappeared into the cabin. Alex stared after her in silence. He’d never seen her look so desolate and weary. Guilt nagged at him. While he’d spent the day in peaceful relaxation, Brooke had spent an obviously hard day at th
e factory. His factory, the one he’d been too busy to inspect these past six months.
The sound of running water gave him an idea. There was something he could do for Brooke. She might not appreciate his offer at first, but with a little coaxing, Alex thought she might come around.
He quickly lit a small fire in the grate and gathered a couple of plates from the cupboard, setting them by the fire with the cartons of Chinese cuisine. Moving to the bathroom door, Alex waited until he heard the screech of the old faucets as she turned off the water. He knocked lightly. “Brooke?”
“Who else?”
He grinned at her wisecrack answer. Apparently she was getting her second wind. “Do you have bubbles in your bath?”
“What?”
“Bubbles.”
There was a long silence before she said suspiciously, “Yes, I do. Why?”
“Because I’m coming in.” Before she could protest, he opened the door and slipped inside the tiny bathroom.
She shrieked and sank beneath the mound of bubbles until the only things visible were the dark pools of her eyes and the cap of her strawberry blonde hair. “Alex! What the hell are you doing?”
Calmly as you please, Alex picked up the bar of soap from the rim of the tub and gently tugged the washcloth from her hands. “I’m going to wash your back.”
“You...are...not!” she hissed, trying to snatch the washcloth back. “Get out! I’m not in the mood for your games tonight.”
“No games.” Alex knelt beside the tub and briskly rubbed the soap on the washcloth until it formed a rich lather. “Now, turn around,” he ordered.
“Go away!”
“Turn around.”
“I won’t.”
It was a pity he had to resort to threats, Alex thought as he narrowed his eyes on her flushed face. “If you don’t turn around...I’ll start with what I can reach.” His gaze dipped to the glistening tops of her breasts rising and falling beneath the bubbles.
She must have realized how determined he was, for after a slight hesitation, she huffed and turned her back on him.
He eyed the rigid, curve of her spine and wondered what the hell he was thinking. She was gorgeous. Perfect. Tempting. His hands trembled as he lifted the washcloth and brought it to the smooth slope of her shoulder. Her audible hiss set his groin on fire. Setting his jaw, he tried to think of something besides the glistening, honey-tinted skin beneath his hands, and what he knew lay just beyond his vision.
“Your skin feels like satin,” he couldn’t resist saying.
“That’s just the soap.”
Her tart answer made him smile. He abandoned the washcloth and smoothed the soap across her shoulders with his hands, wanting—needing—the contact. She arched her back and he followed the movement along her spine until it disappeared into the water.
“I hope you’re having fun.”
The slight husky note in her voice made him groan inwardly. “I am. Do you want me to stop?”
She waited a telling heartbeat before she said, “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Why do you always ask why? You know why.”
“I want to hear you say it.”
“You’re sadistic.”
Alex soaped his other hand and began to knead her tense shoulder muscles. She sighed and surrendered, tilting her head from left to right to give him better access.
“Okay, so you’re pretty good at this,” she said grudgingly. “I hope you don’t expect me to return the favor.”
“It’s not a favor.”
She tensed again. “What do you mean?”
“I should have inspected the factory months ago.”
She twisted around to look at him, and Alex just managed to keep his eyes on her face instead of the delicious frontal view she unwittingly displayed by her movement. “Is this another one of your devious schemes to get me into bed?”
Her candor amused him, as always. He smiled and shook his head. “No, it’s not. Scouts’ honor.” His voice deepened as he growled, “Now, do me a favor and turn around so that I can continue being a good boy scout.”
“Oh.” Her face turned scarlet as she realized what he meant. She covered herself and swung around, presenting her back again. “Sorry.”
He rinsed her back and reached for a towel, spreading it wide in front of him. “Now, stand up.”
She surprised him by obeying. He wrapped the towel around her and lifted her into his arms, chuckling at her startled shriek.
“Alex...what are you doing?”
“Taking you to the bedroom so that I can ravish you, what else?” When she stiffened in his arms, he relented. “Just kidding.”
He strode to the fire and set her gently on the blankets he’d spread out earlier. She clutched the towel, her eyes huge and apprehensive as she watched him settle before her.
Alex tugged her foot into his lap and began to massage her feet, well aware of what she was thinking. He wondered if she would be disappointed when she found out she was wrong. He sincerely hoped so. In fact, he was counting on it.
After a long moment of watching him, she began to relax. “I could get addicted to this.”
So could he. He kept his head bent, working his fingers between her toes, then on to the pad of her foot. She rewarded him with a pleasurable groan that turned him inside out. It would be so easy to work his way slowly up, rip the towel aside, and press her into the blankets...
“Alex?”
Alex gave a start and looked up—his mistake. Her eyes had grown soft and sleepy, giving her a sexy look that locked the air in his lungs. “Hm?” was all he could manage. He was thinking about the box of condoms on the counter.
“That feels sooooo good,” she purred.
Desperate to distract himself, he took her other foot and began to massage it. The fire was hot against his side, but there were other parts of him flaming up as well. She had small feet and tiny toes...painted a blush pink that reminded him of the color of her areolas. Hell. Even her feet turned him on!
Perhaps it was time to move on to the next stage of his pampering.
He dropped her foot and reached blindly for a box of the Chinese food on the hearth.
“Alex? Is something wrong?”
“What could be wrong?” Avoiding the flushed, half-naked vixen beside him, he fumbled with the flap on the box, finally tearing it open. He forked sweet and sour pork onto a plate, added a heap of fried rice, and handed her the feast—all without looking at her. When she took it, he fixed his own plate and ate without tasting.
She was beautiful. Gorgeous. He didn’t have to look at her to know these things. All he had to do was close his eyes and a sharp, desire-inducing image of her filled his mind.
“Something is wrong.”
Her soft, concerned voice rippled through Alex like a current of electricity. “I think maybe it would be a good idea for you to put your clothes on now,” he said hoarsely.
A small, revealing silence followed his statement.
“Alex...I can’t forget that you’re my—”
He cut her off before she could finish. “Just get dressed, will you?”
“Fine.” She put her plate aside and scrambled to her feet, nearly losing her towel in the process.
Alex clenched his jaw and prayed for strength. He wanted to reach out and snatch her into his arms, kiss her senseless, caress her until she was mindless.
Until she forgot who he was.
“Just remember—you’re the one who started this.”
She was angry, and Alex couldn’t blame her. She was also right.
He heard the bedroom door slam, then open again.
“Thanks for the foot rub!” she shouted, slamming the door again.
Chapter Twenty
“I want you to get into Lotus’s office and make copies of every piece of paper you can find. Inventories, expense sheets, anything that looks interesting.”
Leaning against the counter the next morning, Brooke stared at Alex,
mouth open, over the rim of her coffee cup. “Have you lost your mind? If Kyle catches me in his office, he’d not only fire me—in which case I’d be no help to you—he’d probably have me arrested! Besides, Alex, do you really think Kyle would keep records in his office of anything that could incriminate him?”
Alex shrugged. “Probably not, but I want those copies anyway.”
Brooke set her cup on the counter and folded her arms, ready to do battle. She’d had a rough night, and Alex looked no better. Something had to change. The tension between them was giving her a headache. “Why don’t you just confront Kyle about your suspicions? You’re the boss—you can then go through his files yourself—if he’s stupid enough to keep anything incriminating.”
“Even crooks keep records.”
“And if we don’t find anything in his office?” Brooke drawled, heavy on the sarcasm. “Do we then break into his apartment?”
“Why break in when you could use the spare key he keeps over his door?” Alex retorted.
“It’s still breaking and entering!” she sputtered.
“Not if you get an invitation.”
He was dead serious. Brooke couldn’t believe what she was hearing. And it hurt. Hurt more than it had a right to hurt. “You want me to—to offer myself to Kyle just to get into his apartment?”
His jaw tensed—she could see the motion from where she was standing.
“I’m not asking you to sleep with him.”
“Well, that’s a relief.” She studied the hard, purposeful glint in his eyes for a moment before saying softly, “You want to catch him pretty badly, don’t you?”
He didn’t try to deny it. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s stealing my money.” He began to walk toward her, holding her gaze. “He’s also maligned my character.”
She sucked in a sharp breath as he kept coming. When he reached her, he slipped an arm around her waist and brought her flush against him in a possessive gesture that strummed an answering chord inside her. She automatically gripped his shoulders as her knees tried to buckle.
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