Page 5 of Carnal Risk

Granted, he couldn’t be sure whether or not she was going to be as good for his business as Lars promised. But considering his depression, he had to admit that for those few seconds she’d brushed against him, she’d taken his mind off of his grief. Despite his attraction, he’d promised Lars he wouldn’t touch her. Garrett told himself it would be easy to ignore his feelings, and rationalized his arousal as temporary lust. A couple of weeks was all he needed to get the search for Evan’s replacement on track. He’d put her in charge of the outsourcing deal, and she’d be in and out. Hopefully, he’d be able to stick to his word and not be in her.

Chapter Three

“What were you thinking?” Selby shouted.

“I was thinking that there was no way I could help him without bringing him to see you.”

“Garrett Emerson?” Selby turned to the window, mindlessly shuffling folders.

She’d been surprised when Lars had showed up to hear her sing. It wasn’t as if she’d kept it a secret. Far from it. She’d been performing for two years now. At first it’d been more of a dare from a friend, something to distract her from reality. But the moment she’d started singing again, the performances became a therapeutic remedy, both to stress and her fears, alleviating the anxiety that threatened to choke her.

She considered how different her upbringing had been from Lars’. While other kids partied in college on Mommy and Daddy’s dime, Selby had scraped by on loans. Keeping her nose to the grindstone, she’d graduated summa cum laude and landed a graduate assistantship at Wharton, where she’d first met Lars. He’d been dashing and charismatic. She’d been awkward and quiet. They’d gone on a few dates, but rather than discovering romantic sparks, they’d ignited a long-lasting friendship. After graduation, they’d stayed in touch. He’d started his own company and she’d gone to work for the government. It was there where she’d utilized the coding skills she’d learned in undergraduate school. Hacking had come naturally for her, helping companies identify weaknesses. She excelled within the confines of her endeavors.

After working her way up the corporate ladder, Lars had approached her with the opportunity at his corporation, DLar-Tech. Five years later, she routinely worked high profile clients, incorporating business solutions with complex data issues. Along with outsourcing, she specialized in turning around fledgling IT departments. Whether the corporation was large or small, she had the ability to successfully analyze operations, recruiting human resources into the system like fitting pieces into a puzzle. No matter the assignment Lars gave her, Selby had never blinked an eye at any request….until now.

Garrett Emerson. Billionaire playboy. He’d been reputedly ruthless in business as well as the bedroom, leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake. She cursed herself for not recognizing him in the club. She’d seen several photos of the clean-shaven mogul, but last night, his scruffy beard had disguised his face. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t studied him in business school. They’d spent an entire semester dissecting the case study, discussing how he’d built his empire from the bottom up, focusing on extreme sports, patenting innovative technologies and snaring top secret government projects. With secretive alliances, he’d cast his net, virtually creating a monopoly.

Selby’s thoughts refocused on Lars, who sat at her desk, playing with a pencil. She couldn’t believe he’d gone behind her back and brought Garrett to her club. As her anger surfaced, she sifted through the papers on her desk, searching for the stapler she didn’t need. Where’s my fucking stapler? She located the metal weapon and began to look for something she could bang together

“It’s not what you think,” she heard Lars say.

“How exactly isn’t it what I think? I mean, for real, Lars. You brought him to see me sing and then…” She laughed and rolled her eyes, recalling how she’d sat on his lap. It had all been part of the show, but now she regretted every second of the encounter. “You have the nerve to ask me to take him on as a client. No. Just no.”

“I’ll owe you.” He smiled and crossed his legs.

Selby glanced into his baby-blue eyes, the same ones that had won him a first date with her. God, the man was beautiful. Blond hair, tanned skin. And he could sweet talk the panties off of a vestal virgin. As his friend, she’d watched him work his magic on the ladies, but had never fallen under his spell.

“Owe me. That’s rich.” She swept her fingers through her long blonde hair, nervously twisting the end. With a sign of defeat, she fell back into her leather office chair. “It’s not that I have a philosophical issue about going to work for him, but Lars, you’re killin’ me here. You saw what I did to him last night…what I did to Garrett Emerson.”

“It’s not like he’s the President of the United States, for Christ’s sakes. Besides, I saw what you did, and he seemed to enjoy it.” Lars gave a laugh.

“It’s not even funny. You should have stopped me.”

“Hey, you wanted me to come see you perform.”

“It might have been nice if you’d told me you were coming, you know? Look, I’ve taken every job you’ve ever given me…even the shitty ones. But take him on as a client? After last night? Seriously? I’m supposed to waltz into his office and say, what? ‘Hi, I’d like to look at your hard drive?’ You and I both know what happened.” Selby certainly had felt his erection. Heat flushed her neck and face as the thought popped into her head.

“You go in like you always do. Why were you dancing last night, anyway? I thought you were a singer. Not that I minded the show.”

“I don’t dance. I was working the room, that’s all.” Selby wished she’d had the guts to take it all off, but she kept her sexuality and emotions well concealed. “Look, it would be one thing if he’d met me prior to last night, you know, as a professional.”

“You are a professional. The best. And the fact of the matter is that he needs us…you.”

Selby gave him a hard stare, sensing Lars’ change of tone.

“You remember last week…the funeral I had to go to,” he began.

“Yeah.”

“It was for a friend of mine, Evan Tredioux. Evan worked for Garrett. Was an advisor of sorts. He was a really good friend of Garrett’s.” Lars rimmed his coffee cup with the tip of his finger.

“I’m sorry.” Selby’s voice softened.

“You know I skydive sometimes, right?”

“I didn’t think you did that anymore. In college but you don’t still…” Selby’s heart sank as she realized there was more to the story than Lars was revealing.

“Garrett and I have been friends for a long time. I know you don’t like,” he paused, “heights.”