Glass Towers, Shattered (Glass Towers Trilogy)

by Adler

  “Why would you think that?”

  “Marion probably paid them off.”

  I gasp. “Coercion?”

  “Yes, Marion probably bribed them with a substantial amount of money in exchange for changing their stories. And now, I finally have confirmation that she is involved with Adelaide’s death.”

  I feel my pulse quicken. “What is your proof?” I demand.

  He looks at me with his cloudy eyes. “Her blackmail demands.”

  I stiffen.

  He walks back to the cushions and plunks down next to me.

  “So, you think that because she is blackmailing you, you have confirmation of her involvement in Adelaide’s death?”

  “To put it simply, yes. There is not a doubt in my mind. I still have investigators keeping their feelers out. They check in with the witnesses from time to time, reminding them that if they remember anything, there is still a reward. One time, my man Albert was questioning the couple again and the wife looked like she was going to crack, but the husband stepped in and told her to go back inside the house. Albert thinks the wife will eventually cave.”

  “Oh, is this the same Albert that is arriving today to be my watch dog?” I say it with a lilt to my voice, but judging by the look on his face, he is not amused.

  “Yes, the same Albert and don’t make light of this, Danielle.”

  “Sorry.” I cast my eyes downward, like an errant puppy.

  He takes his finger and lifts my chin so that I am looking into his eyes. In a quiet voice, “I just don’t want anything to happen to you. I have already lost so much, and I am not about to be on the losing end again.”

  He kisses me tenderly. He pulls away and begins the task of putting away our luncheon. I move over the cushions to help him.

  “I want to respect your wishes about this weekend and my safety, but please be mindful of my comfort as well. I just would not feel that I could relax and let loose, if I have the men in black watching me.”

  He gives me an exaggerated sigh. Then, he does not speak for a minute. It looks as though he is really contemplating what I said.

  “Fine, Danielle, I will let up and let you go to Palm Springs without my detail, as long as you don’t publicize your trip. And, you cannot tell Bradley.”

  Whew! No men in black this weekend!

  “Wait, why can’t I tell Bradley, not that I was planning to talk to him, but I am now curious.”

  “I have asked you to halt your contact with him. Since he seems to continue to ingratiate himself into your life, I figured that I had better reiterate that I do not wish for you to see or speak to him. I simply do not trust him. He has some kind of agenda, and I don’t want to find out what it is. I get the feeling that he is not over you.”

  “Oh, that is nonsense. He was over me the minute we said ‘I do’.”

  I chuckle. He does not. In fact, he looks quite miffed.

  “You are mine now, Danielle. Remember that.”

  Gasp. My inner sex kitten wants to come out and play again. I feel myself getting hot and bothered, just from him exerting his dominance over me. I am not used to it and find it scintillating. That, and the fact that I haven’t any panties on, makes me feel so naughty.

  I reach down to help pick up the cushions, and he waves his hand at me. “Leave them. Philippe will be here later to collect these things. Shall we walk around and firm up plans for Monday?”

  Just as we walk out the glass door to the landing, his phone rings. He takes the phone out of his pocket and looks at it. He frowns and looks at me. “Damn it. It’s Marion. I’m going to take this. Just give me a minute.”

  I nod as my heart takes a nosedive into my stomach, and I begin to feel ill. Fucking bitch ruining my day. No, she is potentially ruining my life. I feel so out of control and helpless. Two things that don’t bode well with me.

  He takes a couple steps away and answers his phone. “Oui?”

  I turn to walk down the stairs. I just do not want to overhear what is being said. I get down to the bottom step and hear his voice raising and carrying throughout the cavernous space. He is speaking in French, so I don’t understand a word anyway. I continue to wander through the office and conference rooms. It is a huge space and the pay I am getting for it just might make a nice down payment on a condo of my own. I won’t have to touch any of my nest egg for it!

  “Ah, there you are!”

  I jump as a shriek escapes from my lips. I whirl around to see Harrison in the doorway of the office into which I have wandered.

  “Towers! You just scared the hell out of me!” I feel my insides jittery and trembling. I hate that feeling.

  He laughs. “Sorry, I guess I did, judging by your white face!” He laughs again.

  “It’s not funny! Anyway, did you get things resolved with the bitch?”

  “Not really.” He looks away from me and won’t make eye contact.

  “What’s going on Harrison?” I am feeling very nervous now.

  “She insists on coming down this week to oversee the company move. I told her no, but she is coming anyway. I had to call Garrin and instruct him to stay put here.”

  “Ok, so that is really going to suck having her here, while I am trying to work. Not to mention that I can’t really interact with you --can I?”

  “Of course, we can interact, but it has to appear professional. Otherwise, who knows where she will go with it.”

  “I hate this Harrison.” I sigh.

  “I know you do. I told her that I don’t want her meddling in my business matters. She reminded me that she has me by my balls, and that I’ll be seeing her Monday. She also insisted that we set a wedding date.”

  They set a fucking wedding date! My mouth feels dry and sticky. Well here we go, getting back to reality. This reality really bites. I can’t handle this.

  “Harrison, I don’t know how much more I can stomach. You set a wedding date? Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?”

  “I know, and I am sorry, but I had to agree. Otherwise, she would think something was up. I will have Garrin stick close to her this week and run his interference here with her as much as possible.”

  “What do you mean, exactly, by “running interference?” I follow him down the hallway and back out to the vast lobby.

  He turns to look at me, “Marion thinks that Garrin is playing for her team. She has been paying him to work for her and report things back to her, like where I am going and who I am seeing. He has successfully gained her trust by allowing her to think that Philippe is the mole and he feeds the details to Garrin who reports to her.”

  Wow, just when I think I have a handle on the lay of the land, he throws me another twist.

  “So, let me see if I have this straight. Marion is paying Garrin and Philippe to spy on you and then give her reports, or whatever, on your activities?”

  He looks so hot standing there, with his arms crossed over his torso, in his pinstripe suit. Although, the suit does look a little rumpled. I giggle inside, knowing the reason behind his ruffled appearance is because we just rocked one out in his new office.

  “Danielle?”

  “Huh? Oh, I’m sorry, my mind wandered, please repeat that?” I hate it when I do that. It makes me seem so flighty.

  He gives me a furrowed brow, then he repeats himself. “I said, yes, that would be the simple way of putting. Of course, they don’t give her my exact coordinates or movements. Garrin has given her enough though to gain her trust.”

  “So how long has this been going on? Has he been working for her the entire time that he has been here? Are you sure he is loyal to you and hasn’t been the one behind all the craziness? Or, that he hasn’t been carrying out her wishes?” I am feeling creeped-out and my spine is doing its tingly thing again.

  He swats at my hand, as I begin twisting my hair around my finger.

  “She apparently has some information on him that is confidential. That is how she enlisted him in the beginning. Once she got his atten
tion, he went along with it to see how far she was willing to go.”

  “Okay, I still don’t understand to what extent he is involved in the break in’s and all the other craziness. What information does she have on him?”

  He is scowling at me now. “Well, let me finish, and I will answer all of that.” He looks at me with a question to his brow. “Can I finish?”

  Sheesh. “By all means,” I huff.

  “The information she has is confidential, I don’t actually know what it is, but Garrin did say that it relates to his family. From what I gather, it would hurt his father more than anything, and he wants to protect Philippe at all costs.” Harrison walks toward the windows overlooking the water, and I follow him, trying to take it all in and make some sense out of this mess.

  “She only approached him a few weeks back when they were both still here in Portland. Actually, it was right before we flew back to Montreal for that big land deal. Anyway, as soon as Garrin could, he pulled me aside at the penthouse and told me what she was up to. I told him to go along with it, but to demand that he is paid for his extra trouble. At first, she rejected his request, but she agreed after he reminded her that he is a valuable asset. Garrin has not been the one orchestrating the occurrences targeting you. That is the mystery right now. We think there is still another crucial piece to this puzzle that is missing. Someone else is helping Marion with this. There. Have I covered everything?” He then looks at his Rolex watch and then looks at me.

  “I am sorry to say that we need to get going. I have some calls to return and our meeting should not go any longer, if we don’t want to cause Marion to suspect anything.”

  “Wait, um, I know that your engagement is not real, but I have to know, what’s the wedding date?”

  He shakes his head. “Danielle, don’t do this to yourself. I am not going to contribute to your torture.”

  “Harrison! Just tell me. I will find out eventually.”

  “He sighs, “Fine, it is supposedly set for December 31st.”

  “Oh wow, that is just less than 3 months away. I hope you can get this resolved before things go too far, Harrison.”

  Ugh. This is too much for my brain today. It is so much information between Adelaide and this, and I feel a migraine coming on. It is true, what they say about being careful what you wish for. I wanted information, and a boatload of information is what I sure got.

  “Do you think we are being watched or followed today?” The hair on the back of my neck is standing on end.

  “Danielle, anything is possible. I am amazed at the lengths she has already gone to create problems for us. If it weren’t for the blackmail, I would have taken her down weeks ago, when I heard what she is doing to Garrin and his family.”

  “This all seems to be some master plan that she has orchestrated. I am willing to bet that this has been in the works a long time and that my coming along threw a wrench in her plans.”

  He nods and bites that lower lip of his.

  “In fact, the more I think about it, there is no way she could have hatched all of this to such depth in a short period of time. I bet this has been in motion longer than you think.”

  He appears to ponder my words. He takes out his phone. “Jeff, Miss Austen is ready for her ride home. Perfect, see you then.”

  He turns to me. “I need you to be home safely. It’s almost one and a three-hour meeting will certainly raise some suspicion. I am positive that you are correct, and that she has been plotting and planning this blackmail for some time. I also believe you have thrown her a curve ball. I know one thing, which is that she is trying to scare you off.”

  “Well, it is working to some degree, Harrison.”

  Chapter 18

  I will walk you down, but I want to say my official goodbye here. He reaches behind my back with one arm and pulls me close to him. I think I can actually feel his heart beating in his chest. He takes his other hand and traces my lips with his pointer finger. Leaning in even closer, he seals his lips over mine and slowly seeks out my tongue with his own. I return his exploration of my mouth with my own tongue exploring his. He deepens his kiss and I can feel his passion pressed hard against my belly. A groan that formed in the depths of my soul escapes through my mouth. He reaches down, between my legs, and pushes his hands under my skirt, into my crotch.

  He whispers in my ear, “You are so damned wet for me. I just want to be in you right now.”

  Gah. He is so damned sexy. He makes me feel so desirable and wanted. And, he wants me. I can feel how hard and how bad he wants me. “Oh Harrison.” I moan, as he shoves two fingers into my “P” and starts swirling them around. He kisses my neck, just below my ear. That’s the spot that can make me spontaneously cum. He continues pushing and pulling his fingers in my “P”. He pulls out his fingers and rakes them against my swollen clit. I groan. He is back to my lips and tracing them with his tongue, as he continues to rub my clit in a rapid circular motion. I have my hands on his upper arms for support, as my knees feel week and close to buckling right out from under me. He kisses me passionately and plunges his tongue deep into my mouth. He takes his thumb and continues to assault my clit with it, while he puts his two fingers back into my “P” for their final attack on my eager loins. I feel my lower body tighten and the deliciously familiar waves of pleasure radiate through my entire body. I holler out, with my voice echoing through the empty space. “Oh Harrison!” It echoes. He removes his fingers from my loins and shoves them in his mouth, sucking off the remnants of my juice. Oh, that is so damned hot. I reach up and pull his head down to mine, kissing him with a fervor fueled by my intense desire for this man. I want him to be mine. I taste myself on his breath and remember that, in these moments, he is mine.

  “We need to go.” He straightens his jacket and hands me my purse from the first step of the stairs. He leads me to the elevator. While on our descent to the main lobby, I fix my lipstick and hair. I blush a thousand shades of red when I fish around my bag for my lip gloss and come across the panties that he just ripped off me. He seems to have a thing for disposing of my undergarments.

  Out in the lobby, I see my briefcase and swatches right where we left them on the desk. I wonder to myself if leaving them there was a mistake. Well, it’s too late now, and I must trust Harrison’s judgment. Jeff is waiting outside by the car. I turn to Harrison and hold out my hand. He takes it, and as our skin touches, it sends lightning bolts through my body. The electricity between us is immense and overwhelming. I am almost glad to be leaving. All of a sudden, I feel sick and need to lie down. He opens the door and I give him an apprehensive smile and take my leave.

  Later that evening, when I get up from my nap, Simone is out in the kitchen pouring a glass of wine. I come out to join her. I look over at the sofa and see our new watchdog, Albert Fontaine. I met him when I got home today. For as hot as Garrin is, Albert is the polar opposite. He is about 6”3 with very broad shoulders, a Frankenstein forehead, jet-black hair and big hands. I’m guessing his age to be around thirty-six and he has an even heavier accent than Garrin. This ought to be fun, I think sarcastically.

  Simone hands me a glass of wine and proceeds to open the fridge. Still nothing has materialized in the way of food. She turns to me, “Guess it’s take out tonight?” I nod and smile. “Great, let’s just get some Thai. What do you want?”

  “Oh, that sounds yummy! I want Chicken Pad Thai and Salad Rolls.”

  She glances over at the big brute lounging on her sofa in the adjoining room and turns to me with a raised eyebrow, “I think I’ll just order for him. I’m gonna grab my phone. Be right back.”

  She hurries down the hall to the converted attic stairs. I turn my attention back to the delicious glass of wine. My thoughts wander to earlier today, laying in Harrison’s arms on the cushions. That was seriously hot, like right out of a movie type of sex. I blush at the thought of my ripped panties in my purse.

  Simone returns without her phone or wine. “Come on upstairs. Help
me pack for Palm Springs and you can finally spill your guts. It is high time that I know just what the hell is going on with you and money bags.” I grab the bottle of wine off the counter and follow behind her. I turn my head to Albert and say, “We have food coming soon. Let us know when it gets here?” I think he understood, at least he appeared to by his nod. He probably just pretended so he could get back to his show.

  I join Simone in her room. The way we decorated her room is so Simone. The upstairs attic was converted into a master suite, so her bed fits perfectly between two dormer windows. The bed frame is a painted-brass, ornate headboard, with lots of fluffy pillows piled up in front of it. We chose a cabbage rose print bedding in the same green and white theme as downstairs but with touches of pink. She has a dressing table set in the dormers on the other side of the room. The little white sofa and overstuffed chair were purchased upon my insistence. In the middle of the pitched ceiling, hangs a beautiful, small antique chandelier that I found in a dusty shop along the route to visit my parents at the beach. It was such a great addition to the room. She was overjoyed. I plunk into the overstuffed chair and put my feet up on the ottoman. I set the wine glass and bottle down on the little occasional table next to me. Simone proceeds to pull her designer luggage from under her bed. I sit back and watch. She disappears into her large, walk-in closet that has custom everything installed. She is a wardrobe stylist after all, and I guess it stands to reason. She returns to her bed and plops down an armload of clothing that she pulled from her closet. She turns to me, ”Okay, let’s hear it.” She stands, looking at me with her lips pressed together to show me she means business.

  “I hardly know where to start, Clarke. There is so much that has happened in such a short time.” I sigh and take another sip of wine.