by Nella Tyler
Heather wasn't sure if she had expressed herself correctly. Her excuse sounded kind of funny, even coming from her own mouth.
"Honey, were both extremely proud that you landed that job, but at the same time, I have to be honest and tell you that your mother and I are a bit concerned, especially after we read the article in the paper. These accusations…tax evasion…offshore accounts… You can't be too careful these days."
"Believe me, Dad, you're not thinking anything that I haven't already." She tapped the side of her head with her finger. "You raised a pretty smart cookie here. If my instincts tell me that something illegal is going on at Shaw & Burks, you can rest assured that I’d give my notice."
"We just don't want you to get caught up in anything that is not your doing," her mother said, reaching forward and placing a hand on her knee. "Now tell us about your new boss."
What to say? She certainly didn't want to admit how she really felt about Brecken Shaw. That he made her hot. That she wanted to have sex with him. That she was incredibly attracted to him. She couldn't tell her parents that every time she saw him she felt an intense sexual pull toward him. She certainly wasn't going to tell them about the nasty relationship he had with his ex-fiancée.
"Well, he's good-looking, not anything I would've expected. After all, he's a computer geek, isn't he?" She tried to laugh. "He gave me my own office, and Mom, you should see it! I swear it's probably as big as my apartment in the city." She shook her head. "I haven't had too many interactions with him, but those I have gave me the impression that he’s considerate, serious about his business, but at the same time, he knows how to have fun and-"
"What kind of fun?" her dad interjected.
Without thinking, she replied. "Well, he does like to drive Formula One race cars as a form of stress relief. He invited me to join him once, and I did. It was-"
Her mother's eyes widened. "You drove in a Formula One race car with your boss?"
Still remembering the incident, Heather smiled and nodded. "There’s a track just outside of the city where people can rent-"
"And just how fast did you drive around this race track?" her father interrupted.
Heather glanced at him and saw the beginning of a disapproving frown appear on his face. Then, she realized she shouldn't have blurted that out. "I didn't drive the car, Dad, he did. And before you ask, yes we were buckled into the safety harnesses. As far as how fast we were going, I have no idea. It was fast." She shrugged. "To be honest, I had a blast." She offered a small laugh.
She saw the expression on her parent’s faces and tried to soothe them. "You guys, please. It wasn't dangerous, he wasn't being reckless, and I had a good time. I'd never done anything like that before-" She held up her hand as her father acted like he was about to say something. "And, I'm not going to make a habit of it, either," she finished.
She didn't know how to explain. "Let me put it this way. Brecken Shaw is incredibly intelligent, savvy, and focused on his company. But he also knows how to have some fun, and of that kind of balance is important, don't you think?"
"There's a difference between fun and reckless, dear," her mother said.
"I do know that Shaw & Burks has made quite a reputation for themselves over the past few years," her father said. “But what exactly is it that they do there?"
There was the question again. She answered as she was instructed. "They do computer programming, Dad."
"And, what exactly does that mean?"
"Well, he does private-sector programming and development programming. From what I understand, the company deals with strategic interventions… I'm the new manager for only one part of his overall accounting needs, Dad, and I'm not involved in any business dealing in regard to day-to-day development and organization. I mainly deal in accounts receivable, invoicing, and some lower-level employee payroll." She paused, recognizing the look of concern on her father's face. "Dad, I've only worked there for about a week. I'm sure I still have a lot to learn about the company. Try not to worry, okay?"
Heather could tell that he didn't quite know what to think, and to be quite honest; she didn’t know what to think either. She, like her father, had her own questions about exactly what Shaw & Burks did. Computer programming covered a wide field, but since she had not been hired to partake in any involvement in the day-to-day operations, she didn't think it was any of her business.
For now, she decided that the less her parents believed she had personal contact with her boss, the better.
"Tell me, honey, have you met anyone?” her mother asked. “We haven't seen you for a while. Are you dating?"
Heather smiled; glad for the switch in conversational topic, even though this was another conversation they had practically every time she visited. They were unhappy that she hadn't found someone to settle down with and start a family. Her parents had gotten married in their early twenties after having met in college. She certainly couldn't tell them how she felt about Brecken now, not after their less than stellar comments about him following the publication of the newspaper article.
"No, Mom, I'm not dating anyone, at least not steadily. I've been pretty busy."
"Well, we'll talk after supper. I'd better finish cooking it or none of us is going to eat!" Her mother stood and gazed down at her. "I can't tell you how happy I am to see you, Heather, and your Dad and I are looking forward to spending more than a couple of days with you."
"You bet," her father said, smiling. "If you're not too tired, you want to get up early in the morning, take the canoe out, and try hooking a couple of fish for supper tomorrow night?"
Heather grinned. “You're on, Dad."
He smiled and she rose from the sofa. "I'll go into my room and unpack."
"I'll go help your mother in the kitchen," he said, also rising. Before she ventured down the hallway, her father wrapped her in a warm embrace. "I ditto what your mother said, Heather. It's going to be nice to visit with you for more than a rushed weekend."
She nodded, returned her father's hug, and then left him to go help her mother. Someday, she wanted a relationship like that. After forty years, her parents’ marriage was still going strong. Sure they had their ups and downs, but they were, and always had been, devoted to each other. They helped each other. They were rarely separated, and as far as Heather could see, their marriage was just as strong now as it had been when she was growing up.
She ventured into her old bedroom, saw the suitcase lying on the bed, and sat down next to it. She didn't make any move to unpack, but stared out the window at the sunset. The setting rays of the sun filtered through the trees. The birds chirped. She watched with a smile as a deer emerged from the wood line and ventured into the small lawn in the backyard, surrounded by a flowerbed. It was too cold now for the flowers to bloom, but soon the flowerbed would be filled with white, blue, yellow, and violet flowers. Her favorites were Forget-me-nots, but there would be Floating Hearts, Pink Maidens, Purple Pitcher Plant, Jack-in-the-pulpit, and Bluebells.
She couldn't keep her thoughts from drifting back to Brecken. He would be on his business trip, but would his security staff really deal with the issues with the photographer? Was it really a disgruntled competitor? She couldn't get the image of the photo out of her head. Who would do something like this to her? It had to be someone crazy. Someone jealous. And then, it hit her like a ton of bricks.
Alyson.
Was Alyson behind it? Trying to drive her out of her job because of jealousy? She couldn't imagine why. The woman owned half the company. She didn't need to be threatened by anyone, let alone Heather, a new employee who didn't even have a top-level job in the business. Soon, she dismissed Alyson as a possible culprit.
Heather thought she knew a lot about this industry, but maybe she didn't know everything she needed to. After all, there was only so much you could learn from books. She'd never been in this position before. This kind of thing might be perfectly normal for a company like Shaw & Burks. Still, it left her with an unsett
led feeling.
"Computer programming, my ass," she muttered into the growing darkness of her room. "What the hell is going on?"
Chapter 6
"I'm telling you to keep them away from her!" Brecken was in his hotel room, pacing, his anger building. "Do you hear me?"
The voice on the other end of the line assured him that it would be taken care of. Without saying anything more, Brecken hung up and moved to stand by the window. He didn't need this. He had enough trouble to deal with. He liked Heather and was furious that someone had the balls to not only have her followed, but to photograph her and scare her. He was still trying to figure out exactly who was behind it, but none of the possibilities was comforting.
His phone beeped and he glanced down to see he had received a text message. He pressed a button and swore when he saw that it was from Alyson. He opened up the message.
The baby is yours and the baby is going to have a father.
Again, he cursed. He rued the day he had ever laid eyes was Alyson. All the beauty in the world couldn't make up for the type of person she was. When she didn't get what she wanted, she turned into a holy terror. When she got what she wanted, she just wanted more. You could never win when it came to her.
Now, this talk about a baby. Was she telling the truth or was she just playing him? Was she pregnant? He wanted proof. When he got back to Boston, he would insist that he get just that.
The thought of Alyson being a mother made him cringe. If the child was his, he couldn't let a child grow up alone, without support, with someone like Alyson as a mother. She would probably shuffle the kid off to nannies, boarding schools, and yet still try to control every aspect of the child's existence. At the same time, he didn't want to be a father. He wasn't ready to be a father.
He stared down at the message, his emotions whirling. He had no reply. Suddenly feeling an overwhelming urge to wring his ex-fiancée’s neck, he sank down onto the side of the bed, tossed the phone onto the bedspread, and placed his head in his hands.
"Why?" he asked the empty room. "Why?" That he was feeling so overwhelmed surprised him. He had always been more than capable of managing his private and public life, balancing each. His company took a great deal of his time, effort, and intellect. He thrived on that. He wasn't good at this emotional stuff. That was not to say that he didn't like women. He liked women. He loved women. He loved having sex with them. But all of that had ended when he met Alyson.
He had thought she was the woman of his dreams, a woman who could be as true partner in life. Now look what had happened. She had turned into a monster. She had turned his life into a living hell. Perhaps part of that was his own doing because he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants, but the plain fact of the matter was that he couldn't trust Alyson further than he could throw her. And yet, she was tied to him until, and if, she ever decided to take him up on his offer to buy her out. He had a sinking feeling that she would never let him go. She had him in her clutches and would never agree to a buyout. She seemed to live to make him miserable.
It'd gotten to the point where every time he saw Alyson, his stomach acids churned. He grew agitated, flustered, and found it difficult to concentrate. He couldn't afford to experience those thoughts and emotions in his line of work. He needed to be at the top of his game. Every day. Every minute. Alyson chewed him up and spit him out.
He wished things had gone better with her, but he had no one but himself to blame. He had allowed his dick to rule his behaviors and actions. Just because sex with Alyson was explosive and passionate, he allowed himself to be sucked into her black hole. The minute he realized the truth about her, he had broken it off. There was no hope for their future.
He didn't know how to deal with the situation. While he didn't toe the line all of the time when it came to his business or legal maneuverings, he couldn't think of any way that he could get rid of Alyson that wouldn’t eventually bring suspicion back on itself. Wait. He shook his head. Why was even thinking such thoughts? He would never go that far. Never. But he knew why he was thinking it. Because every time he thought that Alyson might be moving on, she returned to up the game.
If Alyson was truly pregnant and the child was truly his, he was totally screwed. Not only was she holding the company over his head, she would hold the child over his head, too. She would threaten, bribe, cajole, and manipulate him to do everything she wanted. He had no doubt that she would use a child as a bargaining chip to get what she wanted out of life, out of him.
He shook his head; once again ruing the day he had ever laid eyes on her.
His watch alarm went off, startling him. He sighed, stood, and completed packing. His driver would be here soon to take him to the plane. He thought of Heather, visiting her folks in New Hampshire. It sounded wonderful. Instead of heading north, he was heading south, far south. His destination? Bolivia. He didn't want to go, and certainly didn't want to deal with this new headache, but he had no choice.
Like his dealings with Alyson, his business was beginning to unravel. Secrets could be divulged – dangerous secrets. He had to regain control and the only way he could do that, at least in this aspect of the business, was to travel to Bolivia. He didn't like those people, but he was in bed with them just as much as he was in bed with Alyson. Until he could find a way to extricate himself, he was stuck.
He shook his head and sighed. His life had turned into shit. He might be a billionaire, but even that couldn't get him out of the web of deceit, subterfuge, and secrets that he had woven.
Shit.
*
The following morning, Brecken sat across the table from several men wearing camouflage fatigues. The fatigues were old, well worn, and scuffed around the cuffs and shoulders and buttons. The cup of coffee in front of him remained untouched as he eyed each of them. They were serious, no-nonsense looking men. One of them was a colonel. He didn't like these people, didn't like being here.
Usually, he brought one of the security guys down with him, an ex-black ops guy now loosely termed as a mercenary. One of Brecken’s most trusted men; he was often in Central and South America, ensuring that his business ventures proceeded smoothly.
But Brecken’s presence had been "requested" – and to come alone this time. He had agreed, although his man was nearby. Brecken wouldn't have it any other way. He had seen him as he entered the combination restaurant and bar, sitting at a table alone on the outside patio of a popular Bolivian hangout.
They had a private corner of the patio all to themselves. He couldn't wait to complete the meeting and get the hell out of here. For some reason, thoughts of Heather kept drifting into his head, and he wasn’t just thinking with his brain. He would love to see her. She had a soothing effect on his troubled spirits. He didn't know why, and he wasn't about to dig deeper beneath the surface. Not now.
"The plan will just have to wait for now," he said. He had already told them once, heard their muttered grumblings, and then repeated himself.
"That's unacceptable," the colonel said, his black eyes riveted to Brecken's. "We had a deal."
"I understand that, but unforeseeable circumstances would not make it wise to continue at this time-"
"Your problems are not my concern," the colonel said. "We need the information and we need it quickly, as you promised."
"They've got eyes on me-"
“Then get around them," the colonel interrupted. “If we don't have the information we need, and at our pre-agreed timeframe, there will be consequences. For you. For your company."
Brecken stared at the colonel and tried not to let his emotions show. These people could smell fear and anxiety. They didn't want to hear about his troubles, and he understood that. He didn’t give a hoot in hell about theirs. When it came to business, he didn't care what kind of troubles afflicted the lives of those he dealt with. Still, he didn't like to be threatened. He said so.
"No one likes to be threatened, Señor," he said.
"You've made too many enemies,” the colo
nel grinned. “We don't care what you like. We had a deal. You will stick to it."
Brecken knew that they knew that he could hurt them. At the same time, they could hurt him just as much. These were not people who tolerated a lot. Neither were most of his clients. It was a tricky business, no doubt about that. He often had to walk a tightrope, especially when dealing with South Americans. There was something about them, perhaps their history of internal conflicts that gave them a sense of recklessness. They would take anyone down who crossed their path, and they didn't care who got caught in the crossfire. After all, these were soldiers who wiped out entire villages. They had no concept of right or wrong. They would kill everyone in a village without blinking an eye, so he knew that double-crossing them or getting on their bad side would cause very serious repercussions. Finally, he offered a short nod.
"I will have what you need, as agreed," he said. "All I am asking is for a little extra time to make sure that the information is passed with no one the wiser. Are you going to tell me that after waiting years a couple of days is going to make that much of a difference to you?"
The gaze of the colonel hardened, but Brecken didn't break his stare. He didn't look at the colonel's aides, but kept his gaze fastened on those black, emotionless eyes that stared at him from across the table.
Finally, the colonel nodded. "I will give you three extra days. No more. If we don't have the information we want by then, you will be hearing from me, and not in a good way. You understand?"
"I understand," Brecken said. He didn't break his stare. "But I don't like to be threatened. You understand that."
With that, he rose and left the table. Inside, his stomach was churning. He was getting in too deep. Either that or he was losing his ability to deal with it. He had no doubt that his personal life was having a very detrimental impact on his ability to focus. Damn Alyson! He shouldn't let her have such control over his emotions, but what was he supposed to do? She wasn't just showing up at his place of business causing problems, she was dropping bombshells on him.