Chapter 15
Two days later Kia sat behind the desk she hadn't occupied in five years and stared at projections she had come up with for several major accounts at her father's logistics firm.
There was a lot of open space in company warehouses and wasted resources in other areas. She'd been going over two of those accounts since yesterday morning when she walked into her father's office and negotiated her pay.
Whoever could have suspected she would have to fight her father to get what she thought she was worth? She thrilled inwardly at the thought. She had gotten less than she wanted, but more than he'd thought he would get by with.
Never let it be said her father wasn't a smooth negotiator.
And he was a tough boss. She had been in his office for hours these two days going over the projections. The logistics firm provided service both nationally as well as globally, and some of the larger accounts seemed to be slipping in areas of delivery and efficiency.
Unfortunately, the person who acquired the accounts and provided the less than sterling projections on them was none other than her former friend, Rebecca Harding's husband, Marion.
Marion was a nice enough guy. Smooth, definitely. Charming and sociable, if a little quiet. He always seemed to fade into the woodwork whenever Rebecca was present. He was an excellent associate with the company, though, and had brought in several major accounts.
Unfortunately, two of those accounts were about to be adjusted. The adjustments would save the company and the client a hefty amount of money.
She doubted Marion was going to appreciate it, though, once he found out about the changes that would be made.
Which would have been close to an hour ago.
She glanced at her door at the sound of her secretary's voice rising and grimaced just before her door jerked open and Marion stalked in.
Kia leaned back in her chair and watched as he stamped to her desk. She couldn't say she had ever seen Marion angry. Until now.
"Would you like to tell me what the hell you're doing?" He slapped the files down on her desk, leaned forward, and braced his hands on the desk.
His hazel eyes glared down at her through the lenses of his glasses and his thinning brown hair had a decidedly mussed look. Which wasn't Marion at all.
"I think the files are self-explanatory," she said carefully. "As was the message that we could discuss them, Marion. You didn't have to burst into my office and cause a scene."
She rose from her desk and moved to the door, closing it gently as her secretary watched from her desk. When she turned back to Marion, it was to see his mildly handsome face screwed into a frown.
She had always liked Marion. He was nothing like his wife, and normally hard to upset.
"I didn't cause a damned scene," he responded irately. "You've been here two days, Kia, and you decide to start looking over my shoulder? If this is turning into some kind of vendetta, then let me know now, and I'll hand my damned resignation in."
She shook her head as she moved back to her desk and sat down.
"I don't do vendettas, Marion. You and I always got on well when I worked here before. These accounts are two of the largest Rutherford has.
Once I clear these up, I'll start on two more." She stared back at him firmly.
"This is my job, to look over your shoulder and run your projections.
Remember?"
His lips tightened. "Look, I know you and Rebecca had a hell of a falling out, and whatever she did, I'll apologize now."
She raised her hand. "This has nothing to do with your wife and everything to do with your projections. If you'll sit down, we'll discuss them."
"You haven't been in this office in five years and you think you can walk in here and know everything we do as though you never left?" He stared at her incredulously. "Where the hell do you get your nerve?"
Timothy Rutherford opened the door silently as Marion Harding's question exploded into the room. His brows lifted. Two days, and already his senior sales associates were screaming? He wanted to smile as she glanced toward him before shooting Marion a warning look. That was his girl. All teeth.
She'd been a hell of a worker before that damned Drew Stanton convinced her to quit.
"She gets her nerve from my side of the family, I believe," Timothy said as he closed the door behind him.
Marion flinched before straightening slowly and turning toward him. His jaw clenched and a flush of anger worked over his cheeks.
"Timothy" He nodded shortly. "You didn't warn me Kia was coming in here to tear our accounts apart."
"Kia's been tearing accounts apart since the day she left," he informed the other man as he moved to his daughter's desk. "Just because she didn't hold the title didn't mean she wasn't going over accounts, Marion."
He laid the file he carried on Kia's desk before turning to face the other man. "Are you going to have a problem working with her?"
Marion's lips were a taut, thin line. "My projections on that account are excellent, Timothy, and we both know it. You and I went over them ourselves.
She hasn't been here two days and now she's moving everything around?"
Timothy nodded shortly. "Expect it. Are you going to have a problem with it?"
"Dad, this is the wrong time," Kia said quietly. "Marion and I can work this out."
Timothy restrained the urge to fire Harding on the spot.
"I asked you a question, Marion."
"If she's going to start nitpicking my accounts because of her problems with my wife, then you're damned straight. We're going to have problems,"
Marion shot back.
Marion was a good man, but that wife of his made Timothy wonder at her parents' parenting skills.
"Excellent. We have no problems then." Kia leaned forward. "You can leave now, Dad."
He glared down at her. "I want to sit in on this meeting."
"Too bad." Her eyes narrowed back at him. "We had a deal, remember?"
Damned girl. Her and her deals. He shot Marion a warning glance. "Fine.
But we'll discuss this later."
"Later suits me." Kia hid her smile as her father stalked from her office.
She turned back to Marion. "That wasn't wise. Daddy isn't nearly as neutral as I am where the damage Drew and Rebbecca caused before the divorce is concerned. Do you think I fought him for six months to preserve your and Drew's positions and reputations in this company so you could blow it all to hell by challenging my father now?"
She rubbed her hands over her face before pushing back from the desk and rising from her chair to glare back at him.
"Rebecca can take a flying leap into hell for all I care, Marion. Right along with Drew. I wouldn't have fought my father over Drew's position if I meant to walk in here and threaten yours." She flattened her hands on her desk now. "You can work with me or you can walk out that door right now and we can turn this into a feud. We worked well together once, Marion. Surely we can again."They glared at each other before he eased back and narrowed his eyes, and, for just a second, a reluctant smile tipped his lips.
"You have teeth," he finally grunted.
"A full set." She flashed them at him.
"Dammit. I busted my ass on those accounts." He finally threw himself into one of the chairs in front of her desk. "You're kicking the hell out of my pride."
She shook her head. "Fresh eyes, remember? Those accounts are your babies, not mine. I can look at them with greater detachment and that's what I've done. Now, would you like to discuss how we can solve the problems?"
He narrowed his eyes back at her. "Would it do any good? If I disagree, your father's just going to make sure you get your way."
At that Kia breathed out roughly. "Five years ago you called me an arrogant upstart over another account. Told me I didn't know my ass from a hole in the ground. Do you remember that, Marion?"
He winced.
"You showed me where I was wrong, and I listened, and I learned. I'm willing to do so again. If I'm wrong, prove it."
He watched her for long, silent moments. "You know, Kia, it's getting damned hard to imagine you letting Rebecca do what she did to you two years ago when I see you here." He waved his hand around the room. "Would you like to explain how she survived it?"
Kia tapped the table with her fingernails. "She might not have been my friend, but it wasn't entirely her fault." She shrugged. "It was mine as well. And I refuse to discuss it further. We can discuss these accounts, though."
He shook his head and rubbed his neck wearily. "Okay. Fine. Show me what you found and I'll show you where you're wrong."
Four hours later he walked out of the office, disgruntled. He wasn't exactly right, but there had been places where Kia hadn't been entirely right either. They had ended up with four other associates in the office, a pot of coffee, and, at times, loud arguments.
They both had work to do over the next few days, but Marion swore it was the most productive meeting the department had had since she quit five years earlier.
Kia stacked her files before she checked her watch, grabbed her cell phone from her purse, and rushed from the office.
"Where are you?" her father barked as he answered the call.
"I'm running late. I'll meet you at the dinner club in a few hours."
"We were going for drinks first," her father grunted. "You'll miss that."
"Can't be helped, Dad." She waved a cab down as she exited the office and gave him her address quickly. "The meeting ran over and now I'm rushing."
"The dinner club then. We're meeting Cameron Falladay and his fiancée as well as the Sinclairs to discuss the sale of that warehouse Sinclair owns. I was hoping to pick Cameron Falladay's brain on a security issue as well. I want you there."
"I'll be there. I promise." She prayed Chase wouldn't be. "Two hours. I promise."
"Two hours," he snapped. "If you're late, I'm docking your pay."
The call disconnected before she could argue. She should be late just for the hell of it after that comment, she thought. Minutes later, the cab pulled up to her apartment building.
She rushed inside, calculated the time, and figured she'd be at least a few minutes early.
The good thing about working for her father again was that she didn't have time to miss Chase as she would have had otherwise. The bad thing about it? She didn't have time to. miss Chase as she knew she would have.
She almost laughed at that thought as the elevator doors opened and she moved to her apartment.
At least it was a dinner club, she thought as she let herself into the apartment and rushed for the shower. Because she was starved. And she missed Chase more than she thought it possible to miss anyone.
He hadn't realized she was a pawn of such value. Of course, there had been talk, two years before, when Drew and Kia Stanton divorced. Talk that Chase Falladay was too interested in the girl's welfare, talk that something could have been brewing.
He had been watching Chase, seen the girl with him and Khalid, but he thought she had better sense. He had thought she wasn't so easy for Falladay to manipulate. He should have known better.
The other night, when he had followed them, watched her spread for him on the hood of that car and take him, he had known she was a pawn, not a child.He'd been waiting. Waiting so patiently to find a way to hurt Falladay.
To destroy him. Waiting was often the hardest part. Forcing himself to patience, forcing himself to wait, not to strike. He didn't want Chase dead. Oh no, killing him was much too simple.
He wanted to destroy him. And this girl. She was the first in many years that Chase Falladay had been known to take alone. It was obvious she meant something to him.
He watched her dash into her apartment and made his plans. He would have to be careful, very careful. He would have to arrange things just right.
And when the opportunity came, he would destroy Chase Falladay through this beautiful, vi brant young woman.
It was such a shame that she would have to pay the price for her lover's sins. But wasn't that the way of the world? Justice must be served, and he would serve it through her.
She was right on time.
Kia approached her father's table, ignoring his shocked look as he caught sight of her clothes. The dinner club was trendy, new wave, and filled, as she had known it would be, with the best and the brightest of the happening business crowd.
After work it was time to relax and time to have fun. Jordain's was becoming the place for a little business mixed with a little fun, and Kia dressed the part.
The black leather skirt was short enough to be flirty without being indecent. The bronze silk blouse was stylish and undecorated. But it was the boots that got the looks. Black leather, snug, over the knee, and with killer three-inch heels that made her legs look miles longer than they actually were.
The club was warm, filled with laughter and chatter, and nearly every person she knew in Alexandria was there, she was certain.
"I'm three minutes early, I should get a bonus," she told her father as he stood and held her chair for her, glaring down at her balefully.
"I should dock you for your attire alone," he growled.
"Timothy, leave her alone. She's gorgeous," her mother said, laughing. "I love the skirt."
Her father's expression was one of complete male frustration at that point as he turned to a grinning Ian and Cameron. "Boys, have sons, not daughters."
Kia laughed back at them. "Yes, do. And make certain they're complete workaholics so they don't endanger any more female hearts than necessary.
We'd hate for them to follow in their father's footsteps, of course. We enjoy boring lives."
Courtney Sinclair swallowed her wine with a little cough and an astounded expression before she burst out laughing.
"Kia, warn me before you make comments like that, please," she ordered her fiercely. "Spewing my wine across the table would have been humiliating."
"Not to mention messy." Jaci laughed as she turned to Kia. "You bought the boots when we went shopping, didn't you?" The amusement in her eyes was wicked."And a few other things." Kia smiled.
Jaci looked at the silk blouse, then pursed her lips to hide a smile.
"You're wearing all the bronze?" she asked, leaning close so the men wouldn't hear. "Every thread." Kia wrinkled her nose playfully. "Was that one of the pictures Courtney sent him?"
Jaci's eyes widened. "You knew about the pictures?"
Kia rolled her eyes. "I caught her taking them. I'm not completely dense."
"It's too bad he isn't here." Jaci looked around. "You're driving him insane, you know."
Kia leaned back and crossed her legs negligently at the comment.
"Actually, I'm not. I haven't seen him in days."
"Don't count on it to last." Jaci snorted.
Kia was counting on exactly that. She shook her head and leaned forward, following her father's conversation with Ian and Cameron as they discussed the property Ian Sinclair wanted to sell and a security issue in another area.
She listened to the sociable negotiations disguised as polite conversation and, as always, her father's business world both fascinated and amused her.
She had never been able to keep up in a social setting. Her mother had taught her one thing: talking business required the appropriate locale.
Besides, the dance floor was filling up, and the quarter glass of wine she had allowed herself to consume had her foot tapping as Cameron and Jaci moved onto the floor.
"Kia, remember to pull up the projections of that warehouse when you get to the office in the morning," her father stated. "I want a full account of projected profits versus the outrageous price Ian wants." He cast Ian a mock fierce glare.
"The property is worth every penny I'm asking for it," Ian argued with a grin. "You're just as tightfisted as you ever were."
"Can you believe him?" Timothy waved his hand toward Ian with playful fierceness. "Tightfisted, greedy kid. I can't believe I'm attempting to do business with him."
"And you're loving every minute of it." Kia laughed.
A forced laugh. She was sitting here, watching, listening, and she was remembering Chase. Which was worse? Knowing he didn't want to be seen in public with her or being in public without him?
"Seňorita Rutherford, I fear I must demand a dance."
She turned, staring up at Sebastian de Laurents, the Spaniard Ian had hired as his club manager.
Sebastian was from one of the elite families in Spain, a rogue, a renegade, and a black sheep. She'd liked him the moment she met him more than a year before.
"One dance." She rose to her feet, the fast beat of the music racing through her blood, joined with the wine, making her brave.
Sebastian was dark blond, so unlike Chase. His eyes were brown rather than green, his body broader, his features less defined. But the club was dark, and she was desperate. Two days, two sleepless nights. She wanted to pretend, just for a few moments, nothing more.
He pulled her onto the dance floor, graceful and adept as they moved together to the quick beat. He touched her waist, her wrist, her fingers. He smiled down at her, and she wondered if his gaze was as knowing as it appeared. If he knew as much as he seemed to when he looked down at her.
"As graceful as the breeze itself," he complimented her as the music ended. "One more, and then I will have mercy on you."
One more. Another fast beat and they were moving within the crowd.
Kia felt the energy of the dance fill her. She had always loved dancing, but Drew hadn't. He refused to even slow dance or to hear of her dancing with friends. This was like a balm to her femininity even as she ached.
Turning, twisting. Her eyes swept over the tables—and locked with light green eyes.
The music faded. She felt the rhythm of her body, she was aware of Sebastian behind her, but in that, moment she saw only Chase.
Unblinking. Hunger filled her, gnawed at her. Sleepless nights and aching need swirling through her. She forced herself to turn her eyes away. Hearing the end of the tune, she thanked Sebastian for the dance and began to move back to the table.
"Not yet."
She turned. Chase's arm wrapped around her waist as a heavy Latin beat fired up, and she stared into his eyes.
She felt his body move to the dance, and she followed. Her hips twisted into his, swayed. One hand gripped her hip, the other clasped her hand.
Sensuality washed between them with tidal force, locking them together as she felt him around her, moving her.
The hard beat of the music flowed between them like sex, like the hunger raging between them. They were hip to hip, then she was turning, twirling him, his arm going around her waist, bringing her back to his chest as his other hand gripped her just beneath her breast, and they swayed. Hips rolled and rubbed and against the sensitive tip of her nipple she caught the quick flick of his thumb.
She felt lost within him. When the music slowed and spilled into a slower tune he turned her in his arms, locked her to him as he brought her hand to his neck and clasped it to him.
"I need you." He half snarled the declaration, his eyes narrowed and fierce. "It's going to happen, Kia. You know it is."
Her lips parted as she forced herself to breathe, tried to fight past the raging arousal spreading between them. She could feel him hard, thick, against her lower stomach. His body was tense, his arms possessive and strong around her as he bent his head to her.
"I'm dying for you." He brushed the words against her lips.
"You're going to kill me," she whispered back, swaying with him, helpless in his arms.
"I'm dying to touch you." He moved his lips across her cheek as her lashes closed. "I dream of taking you again, Kia. Thrusting inside you. Spilling inside you. It's more pleasure than I've ever known in my life."
"Don't. Please," she murmured the plea as she felt herself melting into him, felt more than the wine and the dance filling her.
She felt Chase. Felt him over her, inside her, caressing her, taking her.
The memories washed through her, and she had to blink back tears.
"You can't keep doing this," she half sobbed as his lips caressed the soft skin beneath her ear. "You pull me to you, then push me away. I can't do this, Chase.""I can't let you go." His hands tightened at her back. "I won't let you go, Kia." He lifted his head, his expression savage.
"You don't have a choice." She was breaking apart inside now. "I'm not a toy, Chase. A pretty little doll. I can't be that for you."
The music eased and broke, struck into a hard, violent clash of sound and lights as she turned away from him and rushed from the dance floor.
She could feel him watching her, feel his eyes on her, feel him following her. She felt him, even when he wasn't touching her, and that sensation speared through her, tightened her womb and spilled the silky warmth of arousal between her thighs.
I need you, he had whispered. If only it were need rather than mere want. Need she couldn't have denied him. But want? Wanting was a hidden little fling, nothing of substance, nothing to warm either of them. She would rather do without want. She dreamed of need. Because she needed—
He watched them. He had followed, just to be certain. To see them together. He couldn't be certain unless he saw them together. And he saw them. He watched the dance, the sensuality in their movements, and in Falladay's face he saw something that evidently the woman had missed.
As she walked away from Chase, he saw misery flicker across his face, then determination, then savage possessiveness.
And he nodded, his chest heavy, his heart filled with grief.
Chase followed her. He hadn't meant to be here tonight. He had meant to stay as far away as possible. Nothing good could come of it, he told himself, even as he drove to the club. Hurting Kia further wasn't fair. He was hurting them both, and he couldn't turn back.
She was his. She would have to learn to live with the consequences of that, because tonight he had every intention of claiming her, of holding her through the night and waking with her come morning.
God help them both. Living with him wasn't easy; he'd been assured of that time and time again.
For now, he'd let her run while he followed. She deserved that, to be able to hurt him back, for a time. And f*ck if it didn't tear at him, seeing those tears in her eyes, the suspicion, and the lack of trust.
He told her he needed her. He wondered what she would think if she knew he had never told another woman he needed her. That he had never asked another woman to live with him. The few times he had managed to share homes with one, it had been at their insistence, not his.
He intended to insist this time. He would have her in his home, and in his life, and she would just have to learn to deal with him, wouldn't she?
He followed her back to the table, taking the seat beside her that Jaci vacated, despite Kia's look of promised retribution.
He eased into the chair and caught the waiter's attention. He ordered his drink, and sipped at it as she ate the light dinner she had ordered. And tried to ignore him.
Timothy Rutherford was watching him suspiciously, knowingly. Man to man, they both knew what the hell was going on here. The other man would have to learn not to interfere in it, and he would learn that nothing mattered more to Chase than having Kia in his life.
Commitment wasn't something Chase went into lightly. And it still had his guts tied in knots. Hell, he was a fool for her and he knew it. He always had been.
She refused to dance with him again, but she didn't dance with anyone else.
Sebastian tried to cajole her into returning to the dance floor and she refused.
Daniel Conover was there minutes later, only to be turned away.
"Why aren't you dancing?" Chase asked her, watching as she played with her glass of wine.
She shook her head. "I'm tired."
"You enjoyed dancing earlier. Do you think I'm going to get angry because you dance with other men?" he asked her carefully. "I won't be jealous, Kia. But when the night is over, you'll be leaving with me, not with them."
She stared back at him in surprise.
"You were made to dance," he said quietly. "Your body loves the music. I wouldn't take that from you."
"And I won't let you." She lifted her glass and finished the wine quickly before rising to her feet and leaning down to whisper something to her father.
He frowned, glanced at Chase, then nodded and pulled his phone free.
"Excuse me." She nodded to those at the table before turning away.
Chase assumed she'd gone to' the ladies' room until he saw her moving to the exit. He'd pushed back his chair to rise to his feet when Timothy Rutherford's heavy hand landed on his arm.
"Let her go, son," he ordered him, his expression determined. "You've hurt her enough."
"I intend to fix that," he said firmly. "But I can't do it if she runs."
"And you can't force her to stay and listen," Timothy growled. "Don't make her hide again, Falladay. You're the reason she hid the first time. Two years of it, hiding away so you would have what you wanted. So everyone would assume it was her lies, her manipulations, that nearly revealed your secrets. She did that for you. Not for me, not for Drew, and not for herself, and so help me God, if she does it again, I'll make damned sure you pay for it."
Chase sat back slowly. "What the hell are you talking about? I never asked that of her. Not in any way."
Timothy shook his head. "You didn't have to ask her, son. What you asked of her, she did willingly, and she made certain she did it well enough that you had what you wanted. You've taken enough from her. Let her go tonight. Maybe tomorrow, you can convince her it's more than just a man's stupidity that drives you." He could wait. A few hours. When the Rutherfords left he would as well.
And when he did, he knew exactly where he was headed.