And now someone had stolen a copy of what they thought would be the final bid. Joke was on them…or Thea. Or maybe on him for being so damn dumb to trust her in the first place.
Nick rested his hands on the window ledge behind him and stared at his shoes. “You have a soft spot for her.”
Now there was an epic understatement. “She’s my assistant.”
Nick pushed off and stood up. He lifted his hand and held out the paper again. “She takes care of you and your schedule. Everyone knows they have to get through her to get to you.”
This time Linc took the document. He scanned the last paragraph, the bottom line but the only words that jumped out were “culpable” and Thea’s name. The paper crumpled from the force of his clenching fist.
But he couldn’t turn his mindset this fast, not from kissing his way up her legs one day to shoving her out the door with the threat of a lawsuit over her head the next.
He made one last grab, hoping the idea would re-entrench when he said it this time. “I trust her.”
“And she took advantage of that. You never saw it coming.”
“I’m not an easy man to fool.” He forced his mind to focus. He skimmed the beginning of the memo. With each paragraph the blood pounded in his ears and her guilt became clearer.
“Usually no, but I’m wondering if you were thinking with your head this time.”
Linc pinned his best friend with a you’re-right-on-the-line glare. “Excuse me?”
“You know what I’m talking about, but I’ll let that go. For now.” Nick held up both hands as if in mock surrender. “Let me show you the evidence and prove it to you.”
The thick file sat in the middle of the desk. “The evidence is in there?”
Nick clapped a hand on Linc’s shoulder. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. There’s no doubt here. Thea is the mole.”
Linc threw the paper on top of the rest. “Show me.”
Chapter Two
Thea dropped her empty coffee cup in the trashcan and plopped down in her desk chair. She’d been at work for more than an hour, and her cheeks hurt from trying to bite back any hint of the excitement spinning through her.
After a night with Linc she felt free and light. She’d always enjoyed dating. While she’d never been wild, she’d had a few serious relationships and one or two of the more-fun-than-serious type. She loved the feel of a man holding her, touching her. The light scent of soap on his skin.
She’d missed all of that during the last twelve months. Her parents died in that plane crash and her world flipped upside down. As an adult with friends and a life separate from her family, she knew she shouldn’t think of herself as an orphan, but being an only child she did. For months she’d drifted, missing them, going to work, coming home and staring at the television whether she’d bothered to turn it on or not. More automaton than woman.
Coming to Campbell Construction had been a new start. Her way of clearing out the mental cobwebs and honoring her parents by moving on. Then she’d walked into that second interview and met Linc. A crazy flip-flopping started in her stomach right after.
He dated often but not seriously. She knew all about his social calendar because she fielded the calls from his female admirers except for a few who slipped through on his private cell. The heartbreaker thing should have been a turnoff, but something about the taciturn man who preferred to be alone and working to drinking with the boys wiggled under her defenses.
Becky LeFever rested her palms on the edge of Thea’s desk. As the office manager, Becky had full run of the place. Being ten years older than Thea but years younger than most of the men in the building, she somehow still commanded attention and got things done.
She leaned in. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Thea tried to imagine the explosion if she told the truth. See, I’m tired because I was up having sex with my boss—our boss—all night. Want me to tell you about the positions?
She went with the G-rated version. “Nothing.”
“That’s my point.” Becky glanced around, her gaze landing on two engineers who were standing by the coffee room and engaged in an argument about building permits that only they seemed to care about. “Everything is running as usual around here.”
“And?”
“You can’t stop smiling.”
Thea bit down harder on the inside of her cheek. She also slammed a hand against her thigh to keep her foot from bouncing. A few more clicks and Becky would notice the sound of a heel against the hardwood floor.
“I’m just in a good mood,” Thea said, trying to sell it.
“The smile is ridiculous.”
“I’ve never know you to be anti-happiness.” Thea pretended to be shocked. “Wait, is there an office rule against that now?”
“Not while I’m in charge.”
“Good.”
“Any chance our boss put a smile on your face?” Becky asked.
Thea’s arm dropped and her hand smacked into her keyboard. The plastic crackled and the sting had her hissing. Smiling was not a problem now. She was too busy trying not to swear her head off. “Um, what?”
Becky frowned as her gaze wandered over Thea’s desk. “A bonus.”
“Oh, no. Nothing like that.” Nice in theory but if the man dared to offer her money after last night she might just push him out a window. He didn’t always excel in the interpersonal-relationships department, but he wasn’t stupid. And that would be stupid.
Thea jumped when a click sounded next to her. Linc’s door opened, and he stepped out with Nick right on his heels. They were polar opposites, light and dark in hair color. The openly charming Nick as opposed to emotionally guarded Linc.
Rumor was they’d roomed together in college and had been best friends since, with Linc sticking around Nick’s hometown of DC to begin his construction business. With his glasses and ever-present smile, Nick reminded some of a sexy professor. But he never even spiked Thea’s radar. Linc owned that prize.
Seeing him now, like always, worked like a punch to her senses. The suit slid over his body in a perfect fit and those hands she loved so much hung lose at his sides. From her position in her chair, he loomed over her, all six feet of him. Today he wore a frown that could cut glass.
He cleared his throat. “I need to see you.”
The husky growl she’d enjoyed so much last night was gone. He’d morphed back into serious boss man. The loss sent a chill spiraling through her. He struck the right tone for the office, but she longed to lure him back into bed.
She stood up. “Of course.”
He didn’t say a word as he opened the door to his office and gestured for her to precede him inside. The scene hit her as fairly normal except for the abruptness of it. If the man was trying to hide their relationship, shooing her into the office with a level of grumpiness he usually refrained from using on her was probably not the best way to go about it. Especially not with his VP and office manager watching.
As she passed by Nick, his eyes narrowed. It was as if whatever happened in that room a minute ago sucked the life right of him. He usually joked with her. This time he stared as if analyzing then glanced away and wouldn’t meet her gaze again.
The whole thing came off as odd. She tried to puzzle it through as the office door closed behind her, trapping her inside. She didn’t expect Linc to bend her over the desk in the middle of the workday, but maybe a hello. Instead, she stood there and watched Linc walk across the room. He didn’t even bother to look in her direction.
It was as if…no, it couldn’t be.
Nick knew. Somehow he knew about what had happened last night and now Linc had gone into panic mode. For a man like him, emotionally bundled up and serious, having his private life splashed all over the office would prick at him. He’d hate the loss of privacy.
She rushed to reassure him before he blamed her or pulled back. “I know you’re upset.”
“Damn right.”
Okay. This w
as embarrassing and a potential HR nightmare. He was the boss, after all. But they hadn’t really done anything wrong. They were unattached grown-ups and grown-ups had sex. She refused to feel guilty.
She also refused to be his punching bag. “You don’t have to talk with me like that.”
He spun around and pinned her with a furious glare. “Like what?”
“Fiery mad and on the verge of spitting.”
“You might want to remember I’m your boss.”
He was biting and spewing, and she wanted it to stop. Keeping her voice low and fighting back the need pulling at her, the one where she wanted to use harsher words to tell him to calm down and knock it off, she tried again. “Is this some sort of over-compensation thing?”
He wore the same look of fury he did when a businessman across a conference room table said something that annoyed him during a meeting. The whole squashed-like-a-bug thing. “What are you talking about?”
She stepped away from the door and stood across the desk from him. “We made love—”
“Had sex.”
Pain lashed inside her. She clenched her fists to keep from grabbing his jacket and shaking some sense into him. He wasn’t letting up on his anger or even trying to hide it. But it was the part where he aimed it all at her that was over the line. There had been two people in that bed, and against that wall, and for some reason he made her the sole responsible party.
She didn’t like any part of this conversation so far, his attitude being only one of the issues. “Fine, we had sex.”
“Exactly.”
Every harsh word sliced through her. She tried to understand what losing control did to a man like him and cut him some slack, but he was venturing close to irretrievable-jackass territory. One more step and he’d start saying things he couldn’t take back and ruin everything.
She made a second mental grab for patience and barely held on. “You’re upset with yourself over your lack of control, so now you’re striking out at me. Feel free to knock that off.”
“Excuse me?” The phrase sounded like a modified version of “go to hell”.
“If you weren’t my boss and we were just two people who spent the night together, I would point out that this—” She waved a hand between them. “The thing you’re doing right now? It’s total jackass behavior. But as your employee, I’ll just stand here and wait for you to wind down.”
His back teeth slammed together loud enough for her to hear the smack. His skin pulled tight over his cheekbones and his jaw clenched. She’d never seen him like this. So visibly angry that the fury radiated off of him and spread through the room. His rage threatened to suffocate her.
When he spoke again, his voice vibrated. “I’m giving you one chance to tell me the truth.”
She looked around. There was a thick file on his desk. One she hadn’t seen before or put there. Since he wasn’t exactly the type to go rummaging through the filing cabinets on his own, she wondered where it had come from.
Between that and the stillness of his body, she guessed this went beyond sex. He was laying some other sin on her doorstep. Maybe he assumed she’d babbled about their bedroom activities? That never happened and he should know she wouldn’t.
But if he wanted to accuse her, he needed to spell it out. Say the words and then deal with the consequences. It had been a long time since she’d lost her temper and unleashed her wrath, but it might feel good. And it was looking like he was edging toward the point where he asked for it.
“What exactly is my crime here, Linc?”
“I’m not playing games with you.”
Her fury rose to match his. All the happiness flaring inside her a few minutes ago sputtered out. “Are you sure, because I am totally lost.”
“If it was about needing money, just tell me. It will piss me off, but I’d be willing to hear your explanation before I make my decision.”
Decision? The word thumped in her head. He couldn’t possibly be saying… “You think I slept with you for money?”
He snorted. “This isn’t about us.”
It would have hurt less if he just leaned across the desk and slapped her. The verbal punch landed harder and would last longer. Her insides already felt as if they’d been scraped raw. She tried to steady her shoulders and prepare for another blow. “Okay.”
“I’m waiting.”
Pushing the words past her dry throat proved harder than expected. “Since I have no clue what’s happening, I don’t know what you expect me to say.”
An intense silence thumped between them.
After a few empty seconds, he waved her off. “You can leave.”
“But I…” She reached out for the desk to keep from falling over. “Linc, what are you—”
“Mr. Campbell is fine.”
Like that, the light blipped off inside her. She’d spent the night all over him and the morning spinning fantasies about what they could do together tonight. And he’d been planning this emotional shot to get her to back off.
A real man didn’t do this. A real man would tell her they went too far, maybe leave her ego bruised and her insides hurting, but not aim for complete devastation.
Her anger sparked until it exploded and crashed through her in waves. “Is this what you do?”
He didn’t bother to look up from his precious file. “Meaning?”
She slapped her hand against it and forced him to face her again. “You sleep with the staff then throw a fit when you want to end it after a night of hot sex.”
His jaw tightened even more. “Go back to your desk.”
A half hour later, Linc stood by the window and straightened his tie. The thing was fine but he needed to keep his hands busy. He wanted to throw shit around his office, empty those bookcases and crash lamps against the floor.
But Nick stood there, right between Linc and the door to the outer offices. As soon as Thea stepped out earlier, Nick had slipped in and he hadn’t left. Probably worried Linc would duck out of his responsibilities.
No fucking way.
Linc had to hand it to Thea. Up to the end she played the role. First, she pretended not to understand. Then she let her emotions fly all over the place. She didn’t burst into tears, but the wetness hovered there in the corners of her eyes. Or it did until she started yelling.
It was a wonder the staff didn’t break down the door to make sure she was okay. They were all loyal to her. That would be a problem over the next few days, but once he explained what she did and how they should aim their devotion elsewhere, things would go back to normal.
For them. It would take longer for him to find his equilibrium again.
Her schemes had him questioning his judgment, and he resented that the most. Despite knowing what she’d done and how she’d used him, he still wanted her. Could still see her sprawled across his bed, with her hair fanned out on his pillow. Could still smell her skin and taste her on his lips.
He closed his eyes. “Damn her.”
Linc headed for the door but Nick stepped into his path. “You don’t have to be here for this.”
“I do. I’m the one who hired her, brought her in.” The one who’d lost his mind and kissed her. She’d stumbled into him last night and he touched her like he’d been dying to do for months. Hell that was probably part of her practiced con as well. “This one’s on me. I screwed up.”
Nick blew out a long breath. “You are human, you know.”
His father would say he was a loser, or his favorite phrase, a dipshit. The old man ran a lumberyard and believed real men worked with their hands. Not that he ever considered Linc much of a man. Linc had heard the story a thousand times. His father named him after his dream car and Linc hadn’t lived up.
She’d done this. Thea had him spinning and doubting. He’d trusted her, and she cut him to pieces and had him reopening old and long-forgotten wounds.
Damn her.
Linc pivoted around Nick. “When does security get here?”
“A
ny second.”
“Let’s get this over with.” Linc opened the door. They stepped out and stopped right next to Thea’s desk.
Her hands froze over the keyboard. It looked as if she was trying to sign in. Good luck with that since he had HR pull her password and lock her out of the system ten minutes ago.
He refused to look away when she stared up at him. “Ms. Marshall, please stand up.”
The color drained from her cheeks. The paleness combined with the strain around her eyes and mouth gave her a lifeless look. “What’s going on?”
He thought about touching her, lifting her up by the elbow, but decided he couldn’t handle contact. His anger fed him now but not enough to wipe out the memories of the night before. “Hands off the computer.”
“I don’t…” She turned as the security guard walked toward her. With his stomach folding over his belt and his belt falling toward the floor, he stopped on the other side of her desk area. “Stan?”
“Ms. Marshall, I need to escort you out of the building.”
“Why?” Her question came out as a squeak.
The entire work floor had gone deadly quiet. Phones rang and as far as Linc could tell, no one answered them. No one even pretended to work. Some stood by their cubicles, and Becky rushed up, her eyes wild as she looked around the men standing in a semicircle over Thea.
This had to end. Now.
Linc was about to do just that, order her out of the building and slam around his office when Nick stepped in. “You’re being terminated for cause, Thea.”
If possible, she paled even more. Her skin morphed to a chalky white as she ignored Nick. “Linc, what’s happening?”
The minutes ticked by and each one got harder. It took all of his resolve to keep from grabbing Thea and locking her in his office until she finally spilled the truth.
Baby, It's Cold Outside: Men at Work, Book 1 Page 2