by Donna Hill
“No one was out front, so I wandered in.”
“Wandered in from where? Your office is on the other side of town.”
He grinned. “I know, but I suddenly got this overwhelming urge to see you and I couldn’t seem to stop myself.”
She swallowed over the sudden dry knot in her throat. The sultry, manly scent of him drifted to her nose, short-circuiting her thoughts.
“That’s really nice, but I’m so busy.”
He came around behind her. She could feel the heat of his body. She held her breath.
He reached over her shoulder and pointed to the screen. “Is that the venue for Raven’s event?”
“Yes.” Her voice shook. She wanted to get up, but he had her trapped in her chair.
“Michael…I’m really busy…”
His hand drifted down, first resting on her shoulder. Her heart was hammering so hard she could barely breathe. His fingers grazed the top of her right breast and she gasped.
“Don’t you remember how it was? Just let me touch you, Mia,” he crooned in that tone that always made her do things she shouldn’t. “I can make you remember.” He cupped her breast in his palm and moved it in a slow circle. She saw stars an instant before reality struck.
She pushed back in her chair with all the force she could summon, making him stumble backward. She leaped up from her seat and whirled toward him. With her back to the desk, she gripped the edge to keep herself from falling as her knees had turned to jelly.
His eyes were dark, hungry and filled with lusty need. Her chest rose up and down in rapid succession as she tried to breathe to clear her head.
“I want you,” he groaned. “I want you so badly that I ache every minute of the day. Can’t you understand that?” In an instant he was right upon her and with nothing but air to separate them he pressed his body up against hers and she felt his need grind into her.
Oh, God, she remembered.
He snaked his arm around her waist and pinned her to him.
“Feel that?” he said against her neck.
Her thoughts were turning like a merry-go-round. Her body was on fire.
Michael reached for the hem of her skirt and pushed it up toward her hips.
“I love you.” But it wasn’t Michael’s voice that she heard. It was Steven’s.
His large hand went under her skirt. Reality slammed against her. She grabbed his wrists with all her strength.
“Don’t do this, Michael. Don’t!”
The front door opened. Michael moved back, looking toward Mia’s partially opened office door. Mia pushed down her skirt just as Ashley’s voice called out that she was back.
“I need you to leave. Please.”
“I’m…I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have done that.” He reached out to her. “I’m sorry.”
She pushed his hand away. “Please…”
Ashley tapped on the door and stepped in. All at once she took in the torrid scene. To the untrained eye it would appear harmless enough; Mia leaning slightly against the edge of her desk with Michael looking handsome and oh-so-casual. But beneath the surface the air was hot, the heat of sexual tension so high that it could suffocate you. And if you looked very close, you could see the tiny line of perspiration that ran across Michael’s hairline, Mia’s quicker-than-normal breathing and a look that almost resembled panic in her eyes.
Ashley’s eyes bounced from one to the other. She came fully into the room. “Good to see you again, Michael. Is everything okay?” She looked to Mia. “With the plans,” she qualified.
Mia glanced away for a second. “Yep, Michael was just leaving, actually.”
“You ladies are doing a fantastic job. I know it’s going to be a great event.” He started to move from behind Mia’s desk. “She was just showing me the layout of the venue on the computer.” He grinned. “Damn computer programs can do just about anything.” He headed for the door then stopped, slapped his palm against his forehead. “I almost forgot why I stopped by.” He reached into the breast pocket of his jacket and pulled out an envelope with the Avante Enterprises logo on the front. He handed it to Mia. “That’s the other portion of your payment. And as we agreed, if it is as successful as I know it’s going to be, there’ll be a fifteen percent bonus on the total cost.” He pulled the door open, stepping past Ashley. “Have a great day, and see you both on Friday.” He walked out.
Mia slowly eased herself into her chair.
“Mia, what’s going on? What did I almost walk in on?”
“Nothing,” she managed to say.
“It didn’t look like nothing and it’s hot as a sauna in here. Did he try something?”
“No,” she lied, because if she admitted the truth, she’d have to admit that she almost let him and she couldn’t admit that. She wouldn’t. “Nothing more than his usual, let’s-get-back-together talk.” She forced a smile. “It’s fine. Really. How did everything go with the sisters?”
Ashley looked at her and decided to let it go. Mia was a grown woman. Hopefully, she knew what she was doing. But one thing was certain: Ashley was not going to stand by and let Mia screw up this assignment over a man she very well may still have the hots for, a man who was their prime target. Not on her watch.
Michael returned to his office. What he needed was a cold shower. What had he been thinking? That’s just it. He hadn’t been thinking, at least not with the head on top of his shoulders. He’d been totally blinded by lust. That wasn’t like him. But Mia had that effect on him—she always did. And the years that they’d been apart had not dampened his need for her. If anything, it had intensified. He had to get himself under control before he really blew it. If there was any chance of them getting back together again, what almost happened in her office wasn’t the way to make it happen.
His stomach twisted with regret when he remembered the look of fear in her eyes. He would never hurt her. He prayed that she understood that. Somehow he’d find a way to make it up to her.
He continued down the corridor to his office and walked inside. Before he had a chance to get settled, there was a knock on his door.
“Come in.” He took off his jacket and tossed it on the back of his chair. He looked up. It was Brenda.
“Hi,” she said tentatively. “Can we talk for a minute?”
“Sure. Come in and close the door.” He sat down.
Brenda came in and sat opposite him. “I, um, I just want to tell you that I was wrong for flipping out on you the other day. From the beginning you never lied to me about what this relationship was. You never led me on or tried to make me believe that it was more than what it actually was. That’s all on me.”
“Brenda…look, you don’t have to—”
She cut him off. “Please…let me finish before I lose my nerve,” she said with a shaky laugh. “I know how I feel about you, Michael, and I accept the fact that you don’t feel the same way about me.” She lowered her gaze then looked directly at him. “I wish things were different, but they aren’t.” She drew in a long breath. “So I’m going to back off. If you want to be with someone else, I understand. I won’t stand in your way. But if you ever change your mind or things don’t work out…well, you have my number.” She stood.
For the first time Michael saw Brenda, really saw her for the strong, intelligent, pretty woman that she was. She’d been there for him when he didn’t know if he was coming or going. She’d helped run his business when he’d lost all interest. She’d listened to him, she’d counseled him. She loved him purely. And somewhere beneath all the rubble of his emotions, he knew that he truly cared for her. True, not in the way that she wanted and certainly not in the way he felt about Mia. But he cared for her. And the sad part was he’d been so absorbed in himself and his business and making deals and money that he’d never given her the chance to be all that she could be in his life. He’d taken her presence and her body for granted, as if it were some kind of entitlement of his rather than a gift.
Brenda turned t
o leave and her always proud shoulders were slightly bent, as if she’d been defeated by some unseen force.
“Brenda, wait.”
She turned to him. He smiled softly. “How about dinner tonight? It’s been a while. We could leave early and go to my place out on the Harbor. What do you say?”
She hesitated. Thought about the implications, what she really wanted and what she knew she could get. She loved him so deeply and so strongly that she’d been willing to settle for whatever he was giving. What kind of half life was that? She deserved more. She was a good woman and she deserved a man who loved her as much as she loved him. And until Michael purged his soul of that woman who’d bewitched him, he could never be that man for her.
“I don’t think so, Mike. But thank you for asking.” She opened the door, stepped out and closed it softly behind her.
“I’ve been thinking about hiring a temp for the office,” Mia was saying as she and Ashley finally found time to scarf down a salad and some diet soda. “I was looking at our calendar for the next four months and I truly cannot see how we are going to be able to manage without some help.”
“I’d been thinking the same thing. And with the shaky economy, temp is definitely the way to go.”
“Would you mind checking with a few of the agencies and see if they can send some potential candidates over?”
“Sure. Not a problem. I’ll take care of it right after lunch. Listen, have you thought any more about what you want me to do about this Michelle chick and the phone call that I have yet to make to Michael?”
Mia took a swallow of her soda. “Yes, and I’ve tossed ideas around in my head. I was thinking that we’re going to have to bring in some help. You can’t be on scene Friday night. I’m going to ask Savannah and Danielle to step in.”
“Makes sense. Have you talked with them yet?”
She thought about the confession she’d made to her two best friends the night before. A soft smile framed her mouth. “Yes. And I told them everything…finally,” she admitted.
Ashley nodded. “Good. They should know. They’re your friends. How did they take it?”
“Much better than I could have ever imagined. They were totally in my corner, as they’ve always been. I do have to ask them if they’re free Friday night,” she said, laughing lightly.
“I’m sure they will be.” Ashley got up from the small circular conference table in Mia’s office and collected the remnants of their lunch. “I’ll start making those calls to the temp agencies. If we’re lucky, maybe we can get someone before the end of the week.”
Ashley turned to walk out just as the front door to the office opened. Both she and Mia’s brows rose in unison.
Chapter 16
“Brenda,” Ashley said before looking over her shoulder to Mia. “What can we do for you?”
Today was definitely the day for uninvited guests, Mia thought in a rush. She stood up and came toward the door.
“Actually, I came to see Ms. Turner.” She looked past Ashley at Mia’s approach. “I know I should have called first but I took a chance that you would be here. Do you have a few minutes?”
“Of course. Come in.”
“I’ll, uh, start making those calls,” Ashley said before closing Mia’s door.
“Please, sit. What can I help you with? If this is about the event on Friday, everything is taken care of.”
“No, it’s not the event. As Michael said, he only hires the best, so I’m sure everything is fine.” She slipped out of her lightweight coat and draped it across her lap as she sat down. “It’s about Michael.”
Oh, damn. What now? “Michael?”
“Yes.” She paused. “I’m not sure how to even go about this. This is so out of character for me.”
Mia waited. Was this going to be one of those Jerry Springer episodes?
“I know that Michael is in love with you.”
Mia flinched inside.
“And I’m in love with him.” She sputtered a laugh. “Unfortunately, he doesn’t feel the same way. But I know he cares about me. At least as much as he can.” She studied her folded hands then stared Mia straight in the eye. Her expression suddenly hardened. “I know things—things that could ruin him.”
Mia’s heart started to kick up a notch. Aw, damn, this was the woman-scorned episode.
“I know who you are and what you do.”
Mia laughed nervously. “Of course you do.”
“That’s not what I mean.” She reached into her purse and took out a tiny black disk. She placed it solidly down on the table.
Mia nearly had a heart attack. It was the listening device that she’d planted in Michael’s office.
“Look familiar?”
Mia frowned, going for her Oscar for best actress. “Haven’t got a clue. It looks like a black quarter or something. What is it and why should I care?”
“I’ve used them before. Plenty of times. It may have been dark in the room while you and Ashley were doing your song-and-dance routine the other day, but I was watching you. I saw you when you placed it under the table. I went back to check after you left. I recognized it right away. I should have dumped it, but I didn’t want you getting suspicious about what happened to it. But I thought for the purposes of this meeting I should bring it so that you’d know I wasn’t bluffing.”
Yep, she was going to have a heart attack. Right this minute and then this nightmare would be over.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Let’s not play games, okay? I was a member about eight years ago.”
“Member?” she echoed.
“Yes, of the Cartel. I was based in Chicago until I moved here and wanted to get out of the business. That’s when I met Michael. Jean Wallington-Armstrong sound familiar?”
This was a test. Jean was obviously up to her tricks again.
“No, it doesn’t. And to be honest, I’m really busy, as you know, so please get to the point of your impromptu visit so that I can get back to work.”
Brenda dug in her purse again; this time she took out her cell phone. She dialed a number. “Yes, 258643,” she said to whomever answered. She kept her gaze on Mia. Moments passed. “Hello, Jean, it’s Traci.”
Traci?
“I knew if I used my old code all the red flags would go up and it would get you on the line. I’m here with Mia. I think I have information that you can use.” She listened before passing the phone back to Mia.
“Hello?”
“Listen to me carefully. Just agree with everything I’m saying.”
“Sure, of course.”
“I’m going to send Bernard over there right now. Keep her talking. Bernard will bring her in. I’m going to send an alert to Ashley immediately so that she will know what’s going on. Subdue her if she tries to leave.”
“Great. I understand. Thank you. Yes, I’ll check in later.” She swallowed and handed the phone back over to Brenda. Mia forced a crooked smile. “Guess you’re the real deal. Seems to be raining secret agents lately,” she said, more to herself than Brenda or Traci—whatever her name was. “So what is it that you know that you think I should?”
“First of all, I’m not crazy. That’s what Jean is going to try to convince you of. I left the Cartel because I couldn’t deal with the double life, the havoc that it was wreaking on everything I did. I spent all my time lying to my friends, and in my relationships. I couldn’t take it anymore. The thrill, the excitement was gone. I went to Jean and I told her. She tried to make me stay. Said I was the best operative she’d seen in years, but I told her I couldn’t do it anymore, I needed a life—a real life.” She paused. “So she essentially erased me from existence. Any association that I had with the Cartel was deleted, all traces of my connection to them were removed. You could get the best computer hackers in the world and they’d never be able to find a shred of information on my being part of the Cartel.”
Mia got a sudden chill.
“She made me disappea
r.” She glanced away for a moment. “Once I knew that I was finally free, I left Chicago and came here to New York. I got a job with Michael’s company as Brenda Forde. Traci Bennett was gone, buried. Until now.”
“I can’t believe that Jean didn’t know you were here, that you worked for Michael.”
Brenda smiled smugly. “As I told you in the beginning, even Jean had to admit that I was the best. I wanted to cover my tracks, and I did. She had no idea who I was.”
So Jean wasn’t infallible after all, Mia thought. She didn’t have a sixth sense, at least not in this case. “You still haven’t told me what you came here to say.”
“Michael has another business, a very secret but lucrative one. He has no idea that I know about it. But simply because I’m no longer a card-carrying member of the Cartel doesn’t mean that I’ve lost my skills.” She stared at Mia. “I’m sure you’ve met Jasmine in operations.”
Jasmine was the computer whiz.
“Yes, of course.”
“I trained her.”
If there was any truth to Brenda/Traci’s story, she was definitely a force to be reckoned with. Jasmine could do things with a computer that most geniuses never even dreamed of. So if Jasmine had been taught by the woman in front of Mia, then Brenda/Traci’s skills were phenomenal.
“Now I am impressed. If what you’re saying is true.”
“You don’t have to believe me. I know what I’m capable of and I’m pretty sure that once you and Jean have that little chat she will verify everything that I’ve said. Now back to Michael. He’s running an elite escort service. He’s raking in millions a year.”
Mia felt a wave of nausea surge up to her throat.
“His list of clients could cripple the city if their names were ever exposed. It includes everyone from politicians to Fortune 500 executives and bank presidents, and not only here but out-of-state as well.”
“How do you know this?”
“I know because I’ve been to the parties. I’ve seen the women. It’s all very discreet, mind you. Unless you were really looking, you would never know. I didn’t for a while. But then I started seeing some of the same women’s faces with different men at different private events. I’ve never said a word to him about it. He has no idea that I know. But once I became suspicious, I tapped into his computer. I found the file.”