Devon clicked his car key, and turned on his engine as he walked through the empty parking lot. Loosening his tie, he let out a long breath. There was something going on, and his delectable assistant was in the middle of it all. After she had left him alone in his office, he checked which profile she had used, and confirmed she had tried to login with his personal profile. Thankfully, she didn’t have the password.
Over the past two weeks, he’d noticed her leaning forward, her eyes wandering whenever he punched in his code. Which had been why he had purposely chosen the easiest one, so he would login and check if there had been any movement. Now…now that he knew money was being stolen from the company, the pieces of the puzzle started to fit together. Some of them, anyway.
He slid into his car, and started to drive inside the covered garage. Most employees had gone home already, but there was one vehicle parked at the corner of the lot. A woman shook her head, while she opened the trunk of her car.
Well, well… He scratched his chin, and brought his car to a stop next to hers. Elena Moretti. What was she up to now?
“Do you need help?” He rolled up his sleeves.
She stepped back, her eyes widened at him. “Mr.—
“Devon,” he said, and averted his gaze to her silver Beamer 328i. Who knew his personal assistant had such taste for nice cars? How did she get the money? “Engine problem?”
She rubbed her temple. “Yeah. The road assistance service will send someone to fix it, but I’m just too tired to wait. I was about to hang out next to the security guy and call a cab.”
“I’ll give you a ride.” He opened the passenger door for her. “Hop inside.” She shuffled her weight from foot to foot, and opened her mouth but no
sound came out. “I’m not going to bite, Elena,” he reminded her, although a quick skim over her full bottom lip almost changed his resolve. His body tensed, and his jeans tightened a notch. Whatcha thinking, man? This chick is off-limits.
Regina had shared with the whole world the open dynamic of their relationship, and he had irked some conservative shareholders. The last thing he needed was to fantasize about the mysterious assistant who could very well be the one who was stealing from his company.
Hhhmmm… If that was really the case, he would have to expose her. But first, he would have to find out what was going on.
“You just passed the security office,” she pointed out at the station where Darnell was probably eating a day-old Burrito and watching the football game. Even though he did rounds in the parking lot, there was never much action in the building.
He slanted her a look. “I know. I figure, I can give you a ride home. Save you some money.”
“No,” she rushed to say. “You totally don’t have to. I mean, it’s nice, thank you. But unnecessary. You have your life and things to do—”
“You are giving me a lot of credit, Elena. I have no plans tonight.” Except for starting to crack whatever got her so nervous when around him.
Though she rested her head against the seat, her stiff shoulders and the hard lines bracketing her mouth couldn’t hide her tension. Interesting. Not only did his assistant have a nicer car than he would have thought, she didn’t want him to visit her home. Why was that?
“Okay then.”
She proceeded to give him her address, and although it sounded like a nice neighborhood in an established part of Denver, all he focused on was the rich texture of her lips. As they moved, he imagined them under his. With a thick throat, he realized that would never become reality. Not when she was his primary embezzling suspect. He hadn’t bedded a woman for months—a promise he made to himself to keep his eye on the prize.
He could just focus on his successful nightclub business. But, especially after the scandal, he had yearned for something more— and to prove to everyone he was the responsible hard working guy his father hadn’t been topped the list. Matthew never got labeled as Caleb’s bad son. Matthew always excelled at things and had gone to the best private schools. He never had to endure crummy living conditions and a pushover mother who was a step above a whore.
Devon wanted respect. And bedding his assistant was the last thing he should do. It was dumb, juvenile, and he was so done with making bad decisions. So, so done.
Instead, he’d focus on what his assistant was up to and determine if she was the company’s embezzler. No way was he taking her home yet when he had a ton to figure out.
She pointed at the window. “You missed my exit.” “I’m not driving you home yet.”
She shifted in the seat. “W-what does that mean?”
“I’m hungry. Since it’s dinnertime, I take it you must eat, too. So, why not do it together? I’ve neglected you. I never took the time to get to know my assistant.”
“What is there to know?” she asked.
He kept his eyes on the highway. Two more exits, and he’d be dining on 14th street. With his assistant. To try and find out whatever he could. He knew enough about people in general, especially the ones with a hidden agenda, that the best way to catch them with their pants down would be by distracting them with something else. “What’s your favorite type of food, for starters?”
“I like everything, really.” “Seafood okay?”
“Yeah, sure.”
By the time he stopped his car in front of an upscale seafood restaurant, the valet approached them and opened the door. He could feel her gaze on him,
although as he gestured for her to walk in front, that sensation disappeared. What was she thinking?
“Nice to see you again, Mr. Wilder.” The hostess winked at him, even though he hadn’t seen her or set foot in that restaurant for a few months. “Your usual table?”
“Yes.”
She picked up two menus and checked a circled section in her hostess chart. “Follow me.”
“Excellent.” He nodded and gestured for Elena to walk through the dimly lit space behind the hostess’ trim figure as she led them through the narrow hallways. When a group of people walked in the opposite direction, he put his hand at the small of Elena’s back, trying to guide her to the quiet corner that the hostess was sauntering to.
Elena locked her spine into place, and no doubt hurried her pace to the booth. No doubt she didn’t dare risk getting close to him. Chances were, she could be stealing from the company, and he’d bet his next stock dividend that she wasn’t working alone. A crime of this magnitude required more than one brain.
They sat opposite each other—after all, the round booth would comfortably sit four more people. Despite the distance, there was a hint of intimacy in the air. Vanilla scented candles flickered between them. Heavy drops of rain fell on the window overlooking the city, leaving the view of Denver foggy and gray.
“Sir, the wine list,” the sommelier offered, but he didn’t need to see it.
“Bring me a 1997 red Soto, please.”
The sommelier nodded. “Right away sir.” “Would you like something different?”
“What? Me? No. Wine is fine.” She ran her fingers through her hair, which was straying from the bun. If he ever had a sexy librarian fantasy, this woman would fit the bill. The dark red lips contrasted against her white blouse, which was ruffled and silky. Looked expensive.
“So, what did you do before you became an executive assistant?” “Does that mean you never read my resume?” she said, before taking a glass of water to her lips.
“Touché.” He flashed her a smile. “Remember, when my assistant went on maternity leave, I barely had time to interview much.” Regrettably, he had left that job up to the human resources manager. Maybe it had been God’s way to punish him for his wicked and sexual past, by bringing Elena Moretti into his office.
She shifted in her seat, and looked away. “I dabbled…in things.”
An image assaulted his mind. There were tiny buttons on her top, and what wouldn’t he give to see them flying in the air, as he ripped the blouse off of her. His pants tightened, and a violent arousal surged through him. Four months. He hadn’t screwed anyone in four months. Which was why he fantasized about his delicious, edible assistant, who may very well be a traitor. Hhhmmm.
When she turned her face back to him, her gaze landed on his. Did she read his mind? Even in the poor lighting, he noticed the shade of red spreading across her cheeks, and her parted lips.
“Sir?” the sommelier returned, and the bubble of awareness burst.
As the guy started to do the honors and serve him the wine, all Devon could think of was Elena. He didn’t take his eyes off of her for a moment, even when the sommelier asked, “How do you like it?”
“It’s delicious,” he said.
The flush deepened on her cheeks, and she scooted to the back of the booth. She drew a breath and her breasts rose and fell, stretching the fabric of her blouse.
He leaned over the table, and watched her lift the glass of wine to her lips, and for an instant, he envied the glass. Fuck, this wasn’t supposed to happen.
When the sommelier left them, he realized being alone with her outside the office was beyond dangerous. The woman was sexy as hell, and he couldn’t just sleep with her. He had to gain her trust, or at least enough to snoop into her business and find out what exactly she was up to. “What was it like growing up with three older brothers?”
The corner of her lips quirked up. “Four.” “Four.”
She sighed. “Intimidating.”
“To the boys?” he asked, and brought the glass to his lips. The red wine went down smoothly, but the aftertaste was complex and effervescent.
“To… me,” she said, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her shoulders sagged a bit, as if that confession somehow took a load off.
Placing his glass on the table, he leaned closer, and erased some of the distance between them. “How could it be intimidating to you?”
“They meant well, but they almost made me feel like not dating. They always wanted to get some dirt on whomever I dated, or threatened them on the first date. Not a lot of guys asked me on a second date after they met my brothers.” A nervous smile spread over her face, and she rolled her eyes.
“Then they were fools. I’m sure you were worth the trouble,” he said, and dipped down his head to stare at her. The air shifted, and a zingy energy swirled between them. It was as invisible as it was powerful. Her eyes widened, pupils dilated. They were beautiful—she was beautiful. Too beautiful.
“I…need to go to the restroom.” She placed her napkin on the table.
“Of course.” He watched her go, and the way she walked, a bit faster than necessary, as if she were running from a ghost.
Well, better this way. He reached for her bag, and although snooping in women’s bags wasn’t his deal, he had to know what she was up to. Hell, she searched in his computer, didn’t she? And she would have found his personal files—had he not been diligent from the beginning.
Glancing around, to make sure no one paid attention to him, he plunged his hand into her shoulder bag. He looked down, and found some make up, gum, a couple of post-it notes with a grocery list, and—AHA—her cell phone.
He checked her recent calls, but nothing caught his attention. Even her contact list seemed suspiciously short. A couple slides on the main screen showed him several harmless apps. Besides, of course, Cyber Dust. The one she could use to text whomever, and keep it a secret. Not good. He knew he wouldn’t find any messages, as they self-deleted after a few seconds, but he clicked on her user info anyway. And… His heart skipped a beat. Horseracer7861. That had been the nickname he heard a family member refer to Matthew as a child. Apparently, his half-brother dreamed of being of being a Cowboy when he was eight. Most importantly, why the fuck was Matthew on her contact list whose messages had to be secret? At work, he never saw them chat. Truth to be told, he never noticed Matthew giving her a second glance.
If she wanted to steal from the company, why would she need Matthew’s help? And why on Earth would he jeopardize everything he worked so hard for? Hhmmm…didn’t make sense. Something was off.
Unless…she and Matthew were having an affair.