A Taste of Passion ; Ambitious Seduction

by Chloe Blake

  At least she hadn’t thought of cutting something lower. “Tell me you didn’t.”

  Her lip raised in a snarl. “Casey talked me out of it. Just before recess ended, we lured the two into a corner of the playground. We were twelve in all. Two people held each of them. One kept a lookout, while the others surrounded us so nobody could see. Then I took a water bottle and...”

  Leonardo leaned closer to her. “What did you do?”

  “For laughing at my poor finger, I’m not going to tell you, but it was good.”

  The glint in her eyes teased him. “Is that so?” Before she could protest, he scooped her up and sped to the rink. He glided with her on the ice, liking how she clung to him with her laughter ringing in his ears. “I’ll set you down in the middle of the rink to crawl off if you don’t tell me.”

  Her laughter halted. “Fine, put me down outside the rink first.”

  “No. Your fear is irrational, and just like you do with everything else, you have to conquer it.”

  She stared at him as if seeing him for the first time. Only, this time she seemed to like what she saw as her gaze dropped to his lips. It was the most inopportune time for his knees to weaken. He skated them to the side of the rink and set her down. Instead of hanging on to the rail, she clung to him.

  Then she came to her senses and looked down at the ice. For an instant she wobbled and held on tighter. After a deep breath she pushed away, sliding on the ice like a newbie but keeping her balance. They made their way around the rink once. And then he clasped her hand and squeezed it, hoping to convey his pride at her strength.

  “By the way,” she said. “I wet their pants with water so they looked like they’d peed themselves. They never bothered anyone again.”

  If he’d had any doubt before, he no longer did. His spirit had chosen the right woman.

  Chapter 22

  Growling stomachs had roused them from Leonardo’s bed after they’d made love. It turned out ice-skating had made Kamilla so greedy for sex that she’d attacked him as soon as they’d stepped into the villa.

  She wiped the grin from her face. It hadn’t been the skating, but the man. He’d helped her to overcome her long-time fear of the activity. What woman wouldn’t get turned on? It had certainly done it for her. Never mind his dark sexy eyes, sensuous skin and tingle-inducing lips.

  How in the world had she been able to stay away from him for two years when sitting across from him at the restaurant now tempted her to pull him out of his seat, find the closest private area and rip the sweater off him to expose his glorious body.

  Gaining control, she looked down at the table, where his hand rested. Those elegant fingers had stroked her until she’d had an orgasm so intense, she’d forgotten everything but him. Her gaze glided upward to take her mind from the pleasure those digits had induced. When would the food arrive so they could get back to being naked?

  Is that all she could think about? What about her future with the company? The partnership? The Singletons? She sighed, knowing they’d have to forego the fun she’d become hooked on over the past few days. “The Singletons will be here tomorrow. We really need to get some work done. We still don’t have a plan for how we’re going to interject ourselves into their vacation.”

  He shrugged. “It’ll all work itself out.”

  What the hell? She definitely didn’t like every aspect of this new Leonardo. “Nonetheless a plan A, B and C would be a good idea.”

  The server arrived with their orders, placing them on the table.

  Famished, she plowed through her food. When her stomach protested with major discomfort at receiving any more, she slumped into her seat.

  Leonardo sat staring with an adorable half-quirked smile. “Were you a little hungry?”

  Her cheeks heated with embarrassment. She hadn’t eaten that quickly since she’d lived in foster care. People stealing food from your plate had occurred more often than she’d liked. “I see you’re almost finished, too.” The three quarters of food left mocked her.

  He chuckled. “I’m glad I could make you so—” he placed a piece of roasted lamb in his mouth “—ravenous.”

  The sexy drawl of the word brought moisture to her core. He knew precisely how he’d affected her when she groaned.

  She had to take her mind off the delicious things his body could and had done to hers. She took a sip of passion-fruit juice and then set the glass down carefully. “What kind of watch are you wearing?” The timepiece’s gold-and-silver face dazzled with gizmos she couldn’t even think to comprehend how to work if she wore it. How come she’d never noticed it before?

  Leonardo looked down at his wrist and jiggled it. “It’s an Asombra.”

  Why did the name sound familiar? And then it hit her. “Isn’t that the watch the huge star Lowell Evans is a spokesman for?”

  He nodded once as he chewed a forkful of roasted vegetables.

  Why did she sometimes forget how rich and powerful his family was? “Your family created the jewelry line, right?” Before he could speak, a memory did a touchdown. “There’s an issue with one of the Singletons’ subsidiaries. Something seemed off about their third quarter financial report.”

  His brows twitched together. Obviously he hadn’t noticed anything wrong. “What was the problem?”

  “I’m not sure. Something went off in my head, but the partners wanted the work done in such a rush that it completely slipped my mind. I had meant to mention it to you before, but got so busy that it completely slipped my mind.” She pushed her chair back, ready to run to the room to figure out what she’d missed. “I’d like to take a look at their quarterly reports and compare them.”

  Instead of hopping up to join her, he remained seated. “How about we finish our lunch first? The files aren’t going anywhere. Besides, there’s really nothing in there that will help us keep the Singletons.”

  All she could do was stare, disbelieving. Who was this man? Business used to be his first, middle and last name. And now he’d actually eased back into his seat. “But if we find out what’s wrong, why they decided to leave, then we could talk to them about it. Let them know we’re on the ball, hell, that we’re carrying the ball, when it comes to handling them as clients.”

  She wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t know. What was going on? Did he already have the partnership? Not likely. He’d been as upset with the partners as she had when they’d threatened them.

  He placed his fork onto his plate as he stared at her. “I can see the convoluted wheels in your mind turning, Kamilla. What are you thinking?”

  For once she didn’t have the courage to speak. She had a feeling whatever he told her would break her heart. “I’m just ready to find out what’s going on with the Singletons’ jewelry company.” She stood and forced a smile. “Finish your food. I’ll meet you in the room.”

  * * *

  He’d never understand women, especially the one he’d fallen in love with. Leonardo left his food and chased after her. What kind of asinine conclusion had she come up with when she’d been studying him? A frown had drawn down the corners of her lips. His gut had screamed that trouble was headed his way.

  Maybe he should’ve told her about his desire to leave and finally start the law firm for his parents. It just didn’t seem to be the right time. Especially since he wanted her to come with him and be a partner. Not just in the firm.

  Marriage. Something he’d never considered, but now longed for. Kamilla had him desiring to have her by his side forever. Once he’d accepted that he loved her, nothing less than being hers and everything it entailed would do. He’d lived his life in an all-or-nothing manner and thrived at every turn. Joining forces with Kamilla would lead them to the ultimate success. He just had to make sure she agreed. Convincing her would take time.

  Revealing his plan wouldn’t have been wise, considering the newness of wha
t he’d discovered regarding her fear about the future. So he’d kept his mouth shut. And now she’d discerned he’d been hiding something. She definitely knew how to listen to her instincts.

  She stuck a file under his nose after twenty minutes of flipping sheets back and forth. “Look at this.”

  He dropped his gaze from her excited face to the papers. Dated from the first quarter of the year, he didn’t see anything out of place. “What am I looking for?”

  Shifting so she sat closer, she distracted him with her lavender scent.

  “Look, there are seven times within January where the same amount of money is transferred in and out of several of his customers’ accounts. At the end of the month, that same amount is placed into one last account. The same thing happens in March. The money was dropped into the same account in the end.” She flipped the pages of the file to the second quarter’s reports. The same thing happens here, only with a different amount. But it happens more often than the first quarter and with varying higher amounts.”

  Once again the papers flew at a rapid speed until she reached the last quarter on record. “In the third quarter it happens a lot more often and with bigger sums.” She gazed at him. “It looks like money laundering.”

  From the numbers in front of them, he had to agree. Before doing so he went through the file again only to come to the same conclusion. “The Singletons acquired major shares of this company last year, in December. I remember working on the contract with Benton. Everything checked out with the financials.”

  Kamilla stood and paced the room. “Maybe they weren’t doing it then. Or they could’ve fudged their numbers and nobody caught them.”

  His pride prickled at her words. If there had been a problem with the company, he would’ve tracked it down. He unclenched his jaw. One of the partners had worked on the Singletons’ file for the first and second quarter of the year. And then he and Kamilla had been forced to work together under rushed working conditions during the third quarter.

  His heart scare hadn’t helped and his head had been a mess. Still no reason to have missed something so important.

  The whole damn firm had neglected to see the disparities for the greater part of a year. Money launderers were slick and difficult to catch. They had a way of layering cash until it all seemed normal. Clean. Unless they got sloppy, greedy or had a tracker like Kamilla on their asses.

  “Money laundering,” he stated.

  She flopped into the armchair, which was perpendicular to him. “I wonder where the funds come from. Blood diamonds? Drugs? Prostitution?” The muscles in her face drooped. “Human trafficking?”

  The need to comfort her engulfed him. “For all we know, it could be a matter of good old-fashioned blackmail or extortion. That’s for the feds to figure out. Not us.”

  She rushed to his side and grabbed his arm. “What if they support terrorists with the money?”

  “You need to calm down. We have no idea what they did with it. They could be padding their pockets with smuggled or stolen diamonds, trying to avoid taxes. It’s for the Treasury Department to decipher.”

  To her credit she hauled in a deep breath, releasing the tourniquet-like grip on his arm. She stood and tugged the hem of her top down. “You’re right.”

  Hearing these words he’d never heard from her before, took him aback. “Do you think the Singletons are involved?”

  Wrong question to ask, he berated himself as the blood drained from her face, creating a sallow complexion.

  Chapter 23

  Hyperventilating would only get Kamilla knocked onto her rear.

  Missing the edge of the couch when her knees gave out, she slid to the floor with a sense of dread. Were the Singletons involved? Burning acid forced its way up her throat. She swallowed it and took deep breaths only to look up to find Leonardo offering her a glass of water.

  Holding it with trembling hands, she took a few sips. “Thank you.” Realizing her graceless sprawl on the floor, she lifted herself up until her backside met the soft cushions of the couch. She drank again.

  Leonardo sat beside her. The warm hand he placed on her knee provided confidence and calm. “We’ll call Monroe and see what he wants us to do. I’m sure they’ll handle reporting the situation to the authorities.”

  The scenarios her high-powered imagination had dredged up about where the ill-gotten money had come from and what it had obtained had sent her mind spinning. Now she felt a bit calmer. Ready to deal with the situation head-on. More like herself. “Monroe, it is.”

  Before he could stand, she grabbed his arm. “This isn’t exactly the kind of thing you talk about over the phone.”

  He grinned down at her—something she was rapidly getting used to. “We’ll just have to do some creative communication. He’s a smart man—he’ll figure it out.”

  She released him and he reached for his tablet. A few swipes and taps later, they came face-to-face with Monroe. With the greetings out of the way, Leonardo took control. “We’ve discovered some extraordinary information while on vacation.”

  The older man’s brow lifted. “What is it?”

  Over the past couple of minutes, Kamilla had been racking her brain to figure out how to tell their boss the horrific news. Her mind had come up with zilch. Hopefully Leonardo had something brilliant.

  “We saw a brief documentary of a malicious terrorist attack that occurred in France a few months ago.”

  Monroe nodded his pepper-gray head, with a slight downward curve of his lips, while still keeping eye contact. “I heard the same. Ten people died with thirty-five injured. Terrorists are everywhere these days. Virtually unstoppable and growing by the minute. If only every country had the same diligent intel as the US, they’d be able to stop the horrors.”

  She stole a glance at Leonardo. His strong jawline had become even more rigid by his clenched jaw. What had upset him? “It’s more than knowing about the attacks. If terrorists weren’t funded, they wouldn’t be able to cause destruction. The sponsor got sloppy and left a traceable trail, which led back to their money laundering and eventually their terrorist support. The evidence was undeniable.”

  Monroe nodded in what appeared to be understanding. Whether he comprehended or not, she had no clue.

  Time to get a little more direct with the information. “When the officials went in, they not only took down the company that had laundered the money to supply the terrorists, but the parent company of the subsidiary. It has yet to be determined if they had anything to do with the funding or if they were even aware.”

  The older man didn’t even take a moment to think about what he’d been told. “I see. It would appear their law firm will have a lot to contend with. It’s unlikely they knew what representing them involved. It’s a good thing our firm vets the companies under us more carefully.”

  As she was opening her mouth to ask what the hell that meant, Leonardo touched the side of her leg to stop her from speaking.

  He leaned his face closer to the screen. “So if the law firm of the corporate business had known that the subsidiary was into such shady and detrimental dealings, the firm would’ve dropped the parent company?”

  Monroe’s eyes flitted to the left before returning to look between them. Not catching either of their gazes. Her heart sank, landing in her stomach. “As a wizened lawyer, I have learned that anything can be dealt with for the right price. If things aren’t going well for my client, I can and will do everything in my power to protect them. But they must be mine.”

  He nodded, looked at Kamilla and then Leonardo. “We miss you both here at the firm. It’s been a long time since you’ve taken a vacation. I hope things are running smoothly.” His fake laugh had Kamilla ready to fight. “Kamilla, I hope your penchant for planning isn’t keeping you on too tight of an agenda. You have to make time for some enjoyment, too.”

  He wanted them to con
tinue to get the Singletons to sign with the firm, even though he knew they possessed a company that was most likely involved in money laundering. He hadn’t told them that he would discuss it with the partners. He already knew. They all did.

  Unable to speak, Leonardo answered on her behalf. “She’s kept us on a short leash, as always. Things will go on as planned, sir.”

  “Good to hear. Everyone here will be happy to have you back once you’ve had a chance to relax.” Monroe raised a palm. “I don’t need to remind you about how seriously we take confidentiality here.” How come she’d never noticed before how nasty his smirk could be? “Keep everything you know to yourselves, get enough rest and we’ll be considering a new partner as soon as you return.”

  Without another word, the screen went dark as Monroe cut the call.

  She sank back into the couch. “They already knew. Those mother fu—” She stopped herself when Leonardo’s rant registered, making her ears burn.

  “We need to go,” he proclaimed when he’d finished dragging the partners for their unethical, self-serving business practices. “They don’t care about anyone but themselves. Hell, it wouldn’t be beyond them to throw the Singletons to the FBI once they renewed their contract. They’d definitely get more money with the extra legal counsel.”

  Kamilla’s chest burned. “They wouldn’t!”

  “The firm we work for is evil. They’d do anything to stay on top of the game. Including blame us once shit hits the roof. Everyone, including us and the Singletons, are expendable as long as they get their money.”

  She had to give the partners the benefit of the doubt. After all, she’d worked for them for five years and was ready to join their ranks as a junior partner. There had to be a reasonable explanation. Her job security depended on it. “Maybe they have information they aren’t sharing. Categorical proof that the Singletons aren’t involved with the subsidiary’s activities.”