A Calculated Seduction

Chapter Twelve

For just a half a second, hope surged through her chest because Ethan looked confused. But within that moment, when she thought she might have a chance at happiness, when all her hopes this was the man for her, the look of surprise in his eyes twisted into a mix of suspicion and guilt.

She swallowed past the pain.

“You want to tell me what this is all about?” she asked, the papers trembling in her hand.

Anger surged through her as he stood, unwilling to defend or explain himself. She looked at the report and studied the information he’d had someone gather about her. Someone who probably knew he’d slept with her. Her upcoming inheritance was reported down to the penny.

Pain whirled inside her chest. He was just like Jason. “So, now I understand everything. I wondered why a man like you would be interested in me.”

“What do you mean, a man like me?” he asked, his voice lethally soft.

“Oh, a man with everything. Money, looks. Men like you date women like my sisters, but then again, my sisters don’t have money like I do.” She blinked back the tears. She wouldn’t give the bastard the satisfaction of crying anymore. “What a joke it must have been for you to romance poor mousy little Dulcy. Many men tried, hell, you met one tonight. But I thought you were different.”

“I am different, Dulcy.”

“Really? So you always check out your lover’s background and friends?”

He clenched his jaw tighter, but didn’t argue. She knew she was right.

“What I want to know is why you think you would get your hands on my money?”

“I’m not interested in your money,” he said from behind clenched teeth. “I have enough of my own.”

“Oh, really. So when your uncle finally got you to come back to work with him, it was out of the goodness of your heart.”

“You don’t understand.”

“I don’t? Why don’t you explain it to me?”

He snapped his teeth together and refused to answer her. Pain and anger vibrated through her. She’d been such a fool.

“After years of ignoring his requests, he sets up a special fund, just for you. I’ve seen it, you know. If you have so much money and have no interest in accumulating more, why the hell did he have to pay you to come back?”

“Special fund?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Ethan. I’ve seen the discrepancies in the accounts. What do you think I am, stupid?”

“I thought—”

“Really, you could have fooled me.”

“Dulcy,” he said, his voice warning her she was stepping on his delicate corporate toes. “I didn’t get paid to come back. I did it as a favor to my uncle.”

“Why would he need you? The company was running just fine without you.”

“He needed some help with an internal matter.”

“One I’m not privy to? Please, sell that bone to another dog.” She pushed past him and returned to the bedroom. She had to get out of there. If she didn’t, she might just hit him.

He followed right behind her, practically nipping at her heels. “Dulcy, let me explain.”

“Explain?” She didn’t look up as she rummaged around the room searching for her clothes. All she wanted to do was go home, eat chocolate and cry.

“It wasn’t like that at all.” His voice sounded desperate, but when she looked at him, he bore the same unemotional expression. No hint of loss or anger.

“Truthfully, I’m really amazed by your performance. Did you think I would sign over all my money to you?”

“That isn’t why I started to romance you.”

“Really.” She threw her dress and hose on the bed in disgust. “Tell me. Tell me why you came to work with your uncle after all these years. Tell me exactly why you did started romancing me.”

His jaw tightened and his face flushed red. Embarrassment, anger? She’d bet the latter.

“I did not romance you for any other reason than I wanted you. ”

“Oh, yeah, that’s believable. I’m sure every man in the throes of passion gets a detailed report on his lover and her friends.”

She couldn’t keep the sarcasm or the hurt out of her voice. His face softened a little and she weakened before she bolstered herself.

“I am not some little airhead idiot. I know why you came back, I know why you slept with me. Money. Greed. You’ re a gold digger. ”

“That’s a ridiculous statement. I have more money than I know what to do with.”

“So, if you don’t need money, why else would you prostitute yourself with me?”

His eyes narrowed and darkened to almost black. His hands fisted at his sides. A little sliver of worry slid through her. She’d definitely awakened the tiger.

“I came back to investigate the embezzling you and your boyfriend, Anderson, are doing.”

Shock held her silent. He thought she was embezzling?

“And why would I do that? I have no more need for money than you do.”

“Because you love Anderson,” he spat out. “You’d do anything to help him maintain his lifestyle. Without his daddy’s money, he must be hurting.”

“You think Pete and I are sleeping together?” She laughed, realizing it sounded a bit hysterical. “For your information, I’m not embezzling. And I’m not in love with Pete. I thought I was in love with you, but, as I can see, I was sadly mistaken.”

His eyes widened and he stepped forward. She inched back, not wanting him to touch her. If he did, she would surely shatter into a thousand pieces.

She grabbed her dress off the bed and stalked to the bathroom. She turned in the doorway and looked at him. He was so beautiful it hurt. “And for your information, I love Pete, but like a brother. My gay brother.”

She stepped back and slammed the door in his face. No way would she let another man walk all over her.

* * * *

Ethan collapsed on the bed and waited for Dulcy. How did everything go so wrong? Anderson was gay? Good Lord, how had they missed that?

Somehow, he had to make her believe him. He never thought of the company when he slept with her. Hell, the only thing he could think of was getting her into bed and keeping her there.

The sound of a car in his driveway pulled him out of his thoughts. He glanced at the clock and noticed it was just after eight on a Sunday morning. He threw off his towel and grabbed a pair of jeans, donning them. After throwing on a sweatshirt, he walked to the front door just as it chimed.

He opened the door to find Maude and Uncle Bill standing on his doorstep. Both of them were smiling as if they knew some secret joke.

“What are you two doing here?”

“Not wanting to be disturbed,” Bill said with a knowing chuckle. “I understand but it’s cold out here, Ethan.”

He hesitated and then stepped back. Of all the worst possible moments for these two to show up. Now Dulcy had a getaway car. He led them into his living room, trying to come up with a reason for them to leave.

“Maude called me this morning and told me Dulcy wasn’t home. We figured she was here.”

He flushed at the calculated look the older woman was giving him. “She’s here, but we’ve had a bit of a lover’s spat. I’m trying to make up with her.” There. Maybe that would get rid of them.

“Calling your lover a thief is more than a little lover’s spat, Ethan,” Dulcy said.

He whipped around and realized she must have listened to most of the conversation from the irritated look on her face. She had dressed in her clothes. Even though they were rumpled, she was beautiful. And angry. She was very, very angry. Her hair still held the ‘just out of bed mussed’ look, her lips were still swollen from his kisses.

Would she believe him if he told her she was beautiful when she was angry? Her eyes still sparked with fury and pain. Not a chance.

“Ethan,” Bill said, “what’s this about?”

“It’s about some missing money at the company and how your nephew thinks I stole it. My lover, Pete Anderson, and I embezzled the money.”

Both Bill and Maude’s eyes widened as they looked from Dulcy to him and back to Dulcy. Maude, ever the mothering type, rushed to Dulcy’s side and pulled her into an embrace. Bill, shoved his hands in his pockets, fumbled with his change. Then pulled one hand out and fiddled with his ear lobe. Ethan’s senses jumped. That was a sure sign Bill had something to say, but he didn’t know how to say it.

“Spit it out, Bill.”

He finally lifted his eyes from the ground. They shone with regret and apology.

“I’m so sorry, Ethan. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“I told you it wouldn’t work,” Maude said.

“Yes, you did, but I knew...I just thought—”

“Bill, what are you talking about?” Ethan asked.

“There was no embezzling.”

Of all the things Bill could have said, that was one Ethan never would have guessed. No embezzling, but...

“I saw the transfers, they were from Dulcy’s computer.”

Bill shook his head. “No. I did them.”

“But—”

“No, Ethan. Don’t you remember that morning when I was in the office fiddling with Dulcy’s computer? I did it.”

“You embezzled from yourself? That makes no sense. Why would you do that?”

“Because he wanted you to come and take over the company and didn’t know how to get you here,” Dulcy said.

Her betrayal chilled his blood. “So you knew about this all along?”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course I didn’t.”

“Really, then how did you know he wanted me here for that reason?”

“Any idiot could figure that out, Ethan. You’re the only family he has left. You wouldn’t come all the other times, so he concocted this whole thing to get you here. Right, Bill?”

Her voice softened when she asked his uncle the question. You’ d think she’ d show him some gentleness. She really had no reason to be mad at him. All he’d done is accuse her of stealing from the company.

He glanced at his uncle. His lips twitched. “Yeah. See what I mean, Ethan? Smart as a whip.”

“What I don’t understand is why he thought I was embezzling or did you set it up that way?”

“Well...part of that was my fault,” Maude said, and everyone’s attention shifted to the woman. “After discussing it with Bill, I thought Ethan would be perfect for you, Dulcy.”

Dulcy sighed and Ethan found himself watching her chest. He could remember how her breasts looked, bathed in the moonlight, as he slid his fingers across her soft skin taking a nipple in his mouth...

He immediately pulled his thoughts away from the memory as soon as he felt his jeans tighten.

“Well, you were wrong in that respect. Could you give me a ride home, Maude?”

“We’re not through discussing this, Dulcy.” There was no way she was walking out the door.

“Yes, we are. In fact, we’re just plain through.” She turned away from him and walked to the front door. With each step, the pain in his chest increased. If he didn’t know better, he’d think his heart was breaking.

“Maude, why don’t you take Dulcy home in my car?” Bill handed the keys to Maude. “I’ll stay here with Ethan.”

Maude nodded and followed Dulcy out the door.

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Ethan said, thinking he needed a drink. He walked to his bar and then remembered it wasn’t even nine in the morning.

“No, but you need advice. Any man who’s thinking about taking a drink this early in the morning needs help.”

“So now that you’ve botched up my life, you want to help me fix it?” Ethan collapsed on the sofa. Every bone in his body ached like he was Methuselah. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He was so tired.

The couch dipped next to him and he knew Bill sat down.

“Now, Ethan, you can blame me for a few things, but your own stupidity is not my fault.”

He opened his eyes, anger surging through him. “My stupidity? Why didn’t you just ask me to come here and run the company? I would have.”

“Hell, boy, I don’t need you to do that.” Bill chuckled. “Although, you have given me a lot more time on the golf course with Maude. No, I wanted you to come live here, permanently, and I knew the only way I could get you to do that would be to get you to work for the company.”

“No problems with your memory?”

He had the good grace to blush. “No.”

Ethan grunted and crossed his arms. “Why involve Anderson and Dulcy?”

“Now, I didn’t push Anderson on you. You did that on your own. Probably because you were jealous.” Ethan looked away and Bill chuckled again. “I can’t believe you thought Pete was after Dulcy. ”

“You knew he’s gay.”

“Yeah, know his dad. Idiot. Won’t talk to his own son because he’s gay. But I’m lucky I got him to work for me. He doesn’t really need to work, but he wants to keep busy. He was wise with his money, invested in the right stocks, then got out before the market crashed. Of course, now, if he finds out about this, I might lose him.”

Silence descended and Ethan wondered what Dulcy was doing at the moment. Probably crying her eyes out.

“Sorry about the mix-up. I just thought you would get to know Dulcy and you would never suspect her.”

Ethan studied his uncle for a moment and sighed. “You’re not the only one who’s sorry, Bill.”

* * * *

After a quick stop by the office, Dulcy begged off any company with Maude. Happy to finally be home, she stripped off her clothes and decided she needed a good hot shower. As the water pounded her muscles, Dulcy sighed. Since leaving Ethan’s house, she’d felt, well, numb. No feeling whatsoever. After the initial anger had faded, her whole body felt as if someone had given her a giant shot of Novocain. When Jason had dumped her all those years ago, she’d been hurt. He’d been her first. Her first boyfriend, first lover. But she didn’t love him. She leaned her head back and wet her hair. No, she had loved Jason. But it had been the first love kind of love. The type that hurt when it ended, but rarely bruised your heart. With Ethan, her whole body felt beaten.

The pain she’d avoided welled up and almost choked her. She closed her eyes as if to ward off the inevitable, but tears seeped out. Each breath she took hurt. Never in her life, even when her mother, then her father died, had she hurt so badly. She leaned her back against the tiled wall and then slowly slid down. The water sluiced down on her as she sat and cried. There was no going back to her fantasy now.

* * * *He rushed down the hall to his office early Monday morning. He’d wanted to arrive before Dulcy and he figured he had since her car wasn’t in the parking lot downstairs.

He unlocked the door, reminding himself of the speech he’d prepared for Dulcy. He had an explanation. It was solid, it made sense, and she had to take him back, didn’t she?

Her desk was neat, as usual. He hurried to his office, unlocked his door and flipped the light switch. He set his briefcase down beside his desk and dropped his keys into his pocket when he noticed the letter sitting on his desk.