“On it,” my brother says. “I’ll get back to you in a week.”
I don’t know who my brother will hire for this, but I trust him to get the best. If we are going to bring this kind of accusation forward, we need more than just a few stray listing and payment reports. I need to know for sure if any of the Board is involved in this scheme.
As soon as I’m alone again in my office, I rest my elbow on my desk and run my fingers over my brow, trying to ease the ever-growing headache this company is turning out to be. I never saw it coming, and I have to wonder that if I had, would I have taken the position?
But when I catch a glimpse of Whitney outsidethe office talking to our receptionist, Charlotte, and seeing the way she tosses her head back in laughter, I have my answer.
Though I never knew the undertaking this company would become, I don’t regret a thing, because this position led me to her.
That thought is what seems to drive me for the rest of the day, knowing that I get to go home to her and close out my day lying next to her.
When she knocks on my penthouse door later that evening, I’m filled with anticipation of seeing her again. After we finished work, she said she wanted to head back to her apartment to grab a few things for the weekend. Now, bag in hand, she gives me a wide smile as soon as I swing the door open to face me.
“Miss me?” she teases, and my stomach tightens. I can’t help the smile that forms on my face.
“You have no idea. Here, let me grab that.” I take her overnight bag and set it on the counter before drawing her into my arms and holding her close.
Aside from the explosive physical attraction I feel for her, I can’t get over how wonderful it feels to just hold her in my arms. It’s something I don’t believe I’ll ever tire of.
“I wanted to talk to you about something, but it didn’t feel appropriate to discuss it at the office,” I explain, holding a hand out to lead her into my home office.
Whitney’s brows furrow a bit, but she follows me anyway. Once I’m behind my desk, I pull her into my lap and show her what has been plaguing my mind all day. Up on my computer screen is a small report on Elena. It’s not exhaustive, as I’m sure it will eventually become once my private investigator gets deeper into the assignment, but until then, I need to know as much about my new adversary as possible.
“Elena?” Whitney asks, her tone sounding surprised as she turns to me.
I hum deep in my chest as a response. “What do you know about her?”
“Not very much. I mean, she’s the head of the Board. She has a lot of financial stake in the company.”
“I figured she did,” I say, musing.
It must be the way that I say it that has Whitney frowning at me now. “What’s going on?”
My hand runs up and down her back, loving the way she leans into my touch as if searching for more. “What do you think the likelihood of Elena being involved in Peterson’s scheme is?”
I want her opinion. She has worked at this company far longer than I have and seems to know everyone on a much more personal level than I probably ever will. Even if she had no idea about Peterson’s actions before, she does now. So, she may be able to shed light on new information now that she’s seeing the world through new lenses.
My eyes study Whitney intently as she rolls over the idea. The corners of her eyes narrow just a little, and then she nods once. “That wouldn’t surprise me.” Vindicated, I lean back a little in my chair but don’t remove my hand from her back. Whitney turns her head to hold my gaze still. “Elena and Mr. Peterson were very close friends. There were many times they’d schedule lunch together or private meetings where I wasn’t included. I had no idea what happened in those meetings, just that they were important to Mr. Peterson.”
She nods again. “So yes, knowing what I know now about him, I could easily see Elena having a part in it all.”
I run my tongue over my bottom lip. “Chase is looking into a private investigator to get us the answers. I want to be totally transparent in the fact that I’m going to bring this all to light. Iwon’t be able to move forward with this company until it’s all out in the open.”
“I think that’s the right thing to do,” she says. Her eyes fall to my lower lip where my tongue just ran. “How do you always know what to do?”
Her comment means a lot to me. “I don’t. At least not always. I just try to do what feels right in the moment.”
She runs her fingers through my hair, her nails scratching lightly against my scalp, which has goosebumps rising up on my arms. Her eyes are emotional as she studies my face. I find myself staring into her eyes, watching her watch me.
Heat blooms throughout my body, and suddenly, I feel a great urge for her. As if nothing will be right in this world until I’m buried deep inside of her.
“But enough about that,” I say, leaning toward her until her lips are only a breath from mine. “Ms. Palmer, I believe I have something private of amore sensitivenature to discuss with you.”
Whitney’s eyes flare at the new seductive tone my voice has taken on. She gets on the same page right away, and she wiggles a little in my lap, enhancing my need for her tenfold. Then, her eyes widen, her pupils blowing wide with desire. She licks her lips and says two words that I never knew I needed to hear out of her mouth in such a context.
“Yes, sir.”
Whitney
