by Marie Astor
“Come here and I’ll show you.” He patted his knee, his eyes twinkling suggestively.
She got up from her seat and was on his lap seconds later. “What is it you had in mind?”
“To start with.” He tightened his arms around her, pulling her into a long, passionate kiss.
“That was pretty good,” she murmured, savoring the sensual tug of his lips and tongue. “Now what?”
“Let’s see . . .” He arched an eyebrow, his eyes filled with desire. His left hand trailed the inside of her leg as his right hand cupped her breast. She moaned and he kissed her again, biting her lips playfully with his teeth.
“I like what you have in mind,” she managed, completely overcome by her longing for him.
He scooped her into his arms. “Just wait till you see what I have planned next.”
He carried her to the bed and gently lowered her onto the mattress. She leaned back against the pillows, taking a few moments to admire her lover. Jake Morrissey was a magnificent sight to behold—tall and lean, his body could be used to study male physique. His desire for her was obvious and in an instant he joined her on the bed. He kissed her on the mouth as his fingers, gentle yet strong, explored her body, eliciting sparks of pleasure. She wrapped her legs around him as her hands caressed his body, reciprocating the pleasure he was giving her.
She gasped as their bodies merged, completely consumed by the pleasure of the moment. His movements were slow and rhythmical at first, gradually growing with delicious intensity. She adjusted her body’s rhythm to his, and together they fell into a blissful harmony, their pleasure mounting with each moment. Their ecstasy building with each thrust, they reached the climax in unison, overcome by the all-consuming pleasure.
“Now we can go to the park,” Jake said playfully while still on top of her.
“I think I might need a few moments to recover first. That was amazing.”
“It was amazing for me too. I love making love to you.”
“I love making love to you too.” She looked into his eyes that were soft with tenderness. Although he’d never actually said it out loud, from the tone of his voice, the look in his eyes, and the passion in his touch she knew that he loved her and she loved him too.
Chapter 6
Delilah and Ally exchanged silent glances as they entered the headquarters of Orion Inc. Today was the first day of their internship. They’d arrived at Newport, Oregon on Saturday morning and spent the weekend settling into their assigned quarters. It was a quaint, two-story Queen Anne with the living room on the first floor and two bedrooms on the second floor. After they had settled in, which really didn’t involve anything more than dumping the contents of their suitcases into the closets, Delilah had insisted on checking out Newport’s nightlife. Needless to say she had been disappointed. Aside from a handful of bars and diners there wasn’t much to do. Newport was a quiet coastal town and until the arrival of Orion plant, its industry had been scant, supported by a thin trickle of tourism. Now Orion provided the majority of jobs in town. The fast-growing plant had spurred a financial rebirth, filling the locals’ coffers with much needed cash as well as producing an influx of out-of-towners: engineers, foremen, electricians, and other specialists who were needed to meet Orion’s hiring demands that couldn’t be satisfied by the local population. Some of the residents had been hesitant about the change at first, but once they realized that change meant extra cash in their pockets they were happy to accept it.
“Good morning,” a middle-aged receptionist greeted them at the lobby’s front desk.
“Hi. We’re here to start our internship,” said Delilah.
“Katherine McGee and Beatrice Johnson,” Ally hurriedly gave their aliases. Their backgrounds had been carefully constructed and substantiated—they were junior-year students at NYU majoring in engineering. Their case officer had purposely picked New York University due to its sheer size and distance from Oregon. Saying that they were students in New York also eliminated the need to learn the geography of a new city. The devil was in the details, and an inadvertent slip could ruin a carefully constructed cover. At least Ally and Delilah didn’t have to worry about passing off as New Yorkers, which they already were, right to their bones.
The receptionist nodded. “Here are your welcome packets.” She handed them two brown envelopes. “You are to proceed to security for your photo IDs and you’ll be escorted to orientation from there. Just take the elevator to the basement—that’s where the security office is.”
“Thank you.” Ally nodded and motioned for Delilah to follow her.
They made their way down the glass atrium to the elevator hall. While waiting for the elevator, Ally took in her surroundings. The size of Orion’s building complex was impressive. A combination of glass and steel, Orion’s corporate offices spanned several blocks in length. The rest of the property was occupied by the plant.
A burly mustached security officer took their pictures and gave them their photo ID cards a few moments later. Now they were officially interns of Orion Inc.
“We were told that orientation was next.” Delilah looked at the security officer.
He shrugged in response. “Not my department, ladies. Let me call upstairs for you.” He was about to reach for the phone when a male figure entered the office. By the way he was dressed and conducted himself it was clear that he was a high level executive.
“Katherine and Beatrice?” he asked.
“Yes,” Ally hurried to answer, noticing a dumfounded look on Delilah’s face. Delilah had assured Ally that she had their aliases down pat, but apparently that wasn’t the case. “I’m Beatrice Johnson.”
“And I’m Katherine McGee,” Delilah chimed in and flashed a bright smile.
A corporate smile appeared on the man’s face as his steel-blue eyes took them both in.
“A pleasure to meet you, Katherine and Beatrice. I’m Brad Weiss, the company’s COO.”
“What an honor and a pleasure.” Delilah batted her eyelashes.
Ally nodded and smiled to conceal her irritation. What on earth was Delilah doing flirting with Weiss?
“I assure you ladies that the pleasure and the honor of this acquaintance are all mine,” Weiss replied. “As the company COO I make it a point to meet all the interns. You are our future. What kind of an executive would I be if I didn’t care about the future?”
“How inspiring!” Delilah chirped, edging in closer to Weiss.
“Thank you. That’s the idea.” Weiss’s glance lingered on Delilah. “How about we start with a tour? And then I’ll show you to your desks,” Weiss suggested.
“Sounds wonderful,” Delilah gushed.
“Excellent. We won’t have time to see all of Orion’s facilities today, but I’ll give you an overall tour.”
Ally and Delilah spent the next hour being escorted by Weiss around Orion’s facilities. They passed through hallways of offices and cubicles and then moved on to the plant facilities. The size of Orion’s property was massive—it was like a city onto itself. If an operation of this size was sabotaged, it would not only crush Oregon’s economy but that of the whole country.
“And this brings us to the conclusion of our tour,” Weiss announced. “Now I’ll show you to your desks and introduce you to your supervisor.”
They followed him back to the building where their day had begun. Weiss pressed the elevator button. “You’ll be located on the seventh floor. That’s where our research and development team sits when they’re not in the lab.”
Weiss led the way down the chrome and marble corridor and stopped by a cluster of cubicles. The cubicles had white cloth on their walls and were futuristic looking. “Two of these desks are yours. I just need to find out which ones. Your immediate supervisor is Andrew Rogers. That’s his office right over there. Let me go and check if he’s there.”
Andrew Rogers emerged from his office. “Brad, good afternoon.” Rogers quickly nodded at Ally and Delilah as he shook hands with Weiss.
“Here are your new charges, Katherine McGee and Beatrice Johnson,” Weiss made the introduction.
“Katherine, Beatrice, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Rogers smiled at them. He looked to be about the same age as Weiss. “Ladies, allow me to show you to your desks. I’ll take it from here, Brad,” he added.
“Thank you, Andrew.” Weiss turned his attention to Ally and Delilah and shook their hands in turn. “Katherine,” he said in a soft voice, his hand lingering on Delilah’s a tad too long for a corporate gesture. “Beatrice,” he added briskly, “it was a pleasure meeting you both. I hope you’ll find your time here at Orion educational and useful.”
“Thank you. We will,” Delilah assured him with delight.
Ally resisted the urge to roll her eyes. What on earth was Delilah thinking coming on to Weiss like that? “Thank you, Mr. Weiss.”
“Shall we?” Andrew Rogers asked after Weiss had left.
“Is Mr. Weiss’s office on this floor?” Delilah asked.
“Oh, no. Brad’s on the executive floor. He only comes down to visit us mortals when something really important happens.”
“We’re both so flattered.” Delilah beamed at him.
“Orion puts great stock into its internship program,” Rogers explained. “Today’s interns are the company’s future and we want to ensure that we nurture talent. That’s why Mr. Langman made sure that the company COO meets all the interns personally. I hope you’ll find your experience here at Orion worth your while.” Rogers smiled. “You have the last two cubicles down the aisle.”
He walked them over to their desks. “Your temporary log-in details were left on your desk. Once you sign in, you’ll have to change your log-ins. Our IT department can help you with it if you run into any problems. I’ll leave you two to settle in. I’ll be in my office if you need me.”
“Great, thank you. We’re truly honored to be here.” Ally took a seat in her new cubicle. She wondered if Marion had a hand in selecting their seating space—their cubicles had the most privacy, which was very helpful given the nature of their assignment.
“Check out these digs!” Delilah leaned back in her chair. “Designer desks, ergonomic chairs, the latest computers. I love the color scheme too—all white and steel. It sure beats the drab cubes we have at the—”
“Shhh! Would you be quiet? People are working and they can hear you,” Ally hissed, worried that Delilah was about to divulge the identity of their true employer.
“Sorry.” Delilah shrugged guiltily. “I guess I got a little carried away.”
“Just a tiny bit.” Ally made sure her tone was sufficiently sarcastic. This was going to be harder than she thought.
“Are you the new interns?” A tall, shaggy-haired guy appeared in the aisle.
Ally shot up from her chair. “Yes, yes we are. Just got here today. We just finished our junior year at NYU.”
“Cool.” The guy nodded approvingly. He was dressed in a collared shirt and khaki pants and looked to be about their age, maybe a year or two older. He had a straight nose and large green eyes. If he cut his shabby light brown hair in a decent haircut, he had the potential to look almost handsome. “I’m Mark—Mark Hardy.”
“Very nice to meet you, Mark.” Delilah was quick to shake his hand. “I’m De—”
“Katherine—Katherine McGee,” Ally interjected hurriedly. “And I’m Beatrice Johnson.”
“Nice to meet you, Beatrice and Katherine.” Mark’s eyes lingered on Delilah’s long legs, which managed to turn even a conservative knee-length skirt into a sexy outfit. “I’m just a few cubicles over from you. Two years ago I was an intern just like you. And now, voila, I’m an engineer here. If you play your cards right, you too might have your very own cubicle here a year from now.” He chuckled. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s just a bit of Monday blues sarcasm. This place is great. I’m sure you’ll love it here.”
“I’m sure we will,” Delilah assured him. “It’s been great so far. Everyone is so friendly here, not at all like New York.”
“That’s Newport for you—we’re all a friendly bunch here. And everyone is super friendly at Orion.” He tipped his head. “If you need anything, just holler. Oh, I almost forgot. A few of us are getting together for drinks after work if you ladies would like to come—”
“Thank you for the invite, but we still have lot of unpacking to do,” Ally cut in.
“We’d love to!” Delilah bulldozed right over her. “Don’t listen to Betty. She can be such a buzzkill at times. But don’t you worry, once she gets a couple of drinks in her, she’s lots of fun. We’ll both be there.”
“Actually, I go by Trix,” Ally said quietly. Inside she was boiling. The agency’s notes on their aliases specifically instructed to use Trix as a short form of Beatrice. Why on earth would the agency pick such an old-fashioned name as Beatrice in the first place was beyond her, but no one asked her opinion. The least Delilah could do was follow instructions.
“Trix it is then.” Mark smiled. “Wait, you’re of legal drinking age, right?”
“You betcha, baby.” Delilah flashed him a wide smile. “Just turned twenty one last week and Trix here is a few months older than me.”
“I’ll see you tonight, ladies. Oh, I almost forgot. The bar is called Hank’s—it’s right up on the main street. One of the town’s biggest attractions so you can’t miss it,” he chuckled and gave them the address.
Chapter 7
Brad Weiss hurriedly closed the door of his office, relieved to let the mask of politeness fall from his face. He had too much on his mind to be bothered with intern orientations.
At least today’s orientation had provided him with a brief respite from his growing problems. The image of the sexy redhead from this morning materialized before his eyes. Those long, shapely legs, perfectly sized breasts, and a luscious full mouth that begged to be kissed. And that gorgeous red hair! She’d trapped it in a strict bun in an effort to look corporate, but a few stray curls had escaped, and Brad had spent the better part of the morning fantasizing about unleashing that gorgeous mane of hers and what it would feel like to get tangled up in her tresses. Katherine—Katherine McGee was the redhead’s name. While reciting his memorized orientation script, Brad couldn’t help wondering if she went by Kate or Katie or maybe Kathy. Personally he liked Katherine best. There was something regal, yet also very sexy in the name that suited its bearer’s striking beauty perfectly. The other girl, Beatrice, was also very pretty: good figure, beautiful blue eyes, alabaster skin, and dark hair. But she was as prim and cold as an ice queen while Katherine scintillated sensuality. For a moment, Brad almost felt jealous of Andrew Rogers—the bugger was going to have both beauties all to himself for the next month. Brad’s feeling of resentment lasted only momentarily though. As the COO he had the clout to request any employee or intern for a special project, and he could think of several projects for Katherine. He clasped his hands behind his head, leaning so far back in his chair he almost tumbled over. Irritated, he snapped back to reality. Enough daydreaming, he reprimanded himself. As for the hot redhead intern, his fantasies of her would have to remain just that—fantasies. His weakness for beautiful women had gotten him into enough hot water as it was. He couldn’t afford another misstep.
He thought of Tian Wang and shivered. At least he hadn’t heard from Wang since he’d gotten back to Oregon. At times it was almost possible to believe that his trip to Macau had been a crazy dream, or a nightmare to be more precise, but Brad knew better than that. A man like Tian Wang wouldn’t just disappear—if Wang was being quiet for now he was doing so because it served his purpose. And if Brad was ever to doubt the reality of the events that had transpired during his stay at the Citron Casino, he had a video recording of his memorable night there courtesy of Wang. In hindsight, his night at Citron had been a clear set-up and he’d walked right into it. He couldn’t believe he’d been that gullible. Now he was in debt for four million dollars—the number was too surr
eal to say it out loud, not to mention the charges he could face for having sex with minors. Just how it was possible for the three sirens who had charmed their way into his bed at Citron to be underage remained a mystery to him. It was possible that Wang had falsified their documents, but Brad wasn’t in a position to challenge Wang, so he had agreed to all of his demands, or at least pretended to do so for now.
Even if he had wanted to, Brad had no idea how to go about implementing Wang’s psychotic plan. And he really didn’t want to. Peter Langman’s dropping the bomb on him with Steven Wright had diminished Brad’s loyalty to Langman significantly, but he still didn’t intend to stab his mentor in the back. Wang’s scheme went beyond back-stabbing—it was downright criminal. If Brad got caught, he would be facing massive criminal charges. But if he didn’t do Wang’s bidding, Wang would have him on the hook for an insane amount of money and sexual assault charges. The worst part was that Wang wouldn’t even have to go to the authorities for payback. Authorities would be mere child’s play compared to what Brad was certain Wang was capable of doing to him. He was truly between the proverbial rock and a hard place, and it would take a true miracle for him to get out of his predicament.
Brad checked his calendar and stiffened in his chair, remembering his upcoming meeting with Wright. Wright had been the bane of Brad’s existence ever since the arrogant jerk took the CEO job. He was hell-bent on micromanaging every single detail of Brad’s schedule. They had scheduled meetings twice a week at which Brad gave exhaustive updates of everything that was on his plate. Wright didn’t miss a beat and drilled him on every single point, no doubt looking for ways to pin Brad down and prove that he wasn’t qualified for his job. So far Wright hadn’t been successful and Brad was determined to keep it that way.
Brad gathered his papers for the meeting and began a slow walk down the hallway to the corner office that Wright occupied, the very same office that Brad had recently hoped to occupy himself.