“Wow—I mean, I knew this place was the best but…” My words trailed off as I tried to process the amount of money—it was definitely in the billions.
“I saw something in you when you sat down for your interview with me. You had a fire that I recognized, but you didn’t have the confidence to make the most of it. That’s why I made you a secretary. I wanted you to find that fire and embrace it. I could have stuck you downstairs with all the other analysts until I trusted you enough to run your own account, but I guarantee you’ve already learned more than most of them.” She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest.
Ms. Stone started firing questions at me—stock market questions. I barely had time to think before she was snapping her fingers for a response. I was amazed by some of my own responses, because I didn’t even take time to think about what I was learning. I stared at those figures all day, wrote reports about them, and filtered the analytical data that all of the people downstairs sent up for her to review. I must have been a sponge, because she started squeezing, and the right answers just rolled off my tongue. I felt like a superheroine discovering my secret power for the very first time. I blinked in surprise when the questions stopped coming and Ms. Stone leaned back in her chair with a look on her face that I can only describe as satisfaction. She looked like a proud parent who had just seen their kid take first place. She was smiling—and it wasn’t one of those half-hearted smiled that she tried to suppress. It was actual delight.
“See, you know everything you need to know.” She nodded and continued to smile. “And that fire I was looking for? Well I think you found it when you put Olivia Adams in her place.”
“That—was a little satisfying.” I looked down for a moment, but then immediately straighted my back as a feeling of pride swept through me. “There was no way in hell she was going to beat Livingston Capital at anything, even a charity auction.”
“You start downstairs on Monday.” Her tone was matter-of-fact, as if she was just casually telling me something.
“Wait—downstairs? As an Account Manager?” My eyes nearly bulged out of my head.
“Of course. I’ll need a week to find a new secretary. I’m pretty sure Hannah wouldn’t survive a week on her own.” Ms. Stone chuckled under her breath. “Don’t tell her I said that.”
Is she—talking to me like a friend?
“Yes ma’am.” I nodded quickly. “I—thank you!”
“Get back to work. I’m busy.” I had heard her say that so many times, but for the first time, it was accentuated with a bit of humor.
“Absolutely.” I stood to my feet and rushed towards the doors.
I was in shock when I sat down at my desk. Hannah immediately came over to make sure I still had a pulse, and I wasn’t even sure myself. I finally found the words to tell her about my promotion and she immediately hugged me. Hannah was perfectly fine being a secretary and she didn’t have the kind of aspirations I had. I couldn’t believe that one decision at a charity auction had changed my life. My salary? I didn’t even think I could spend all of the money I would be making as an Account Manager. It was a dream, but one that I didn’t think I would ever realize when I was put behind a desk as Ms. Stone’s secretary. I even considered turning her down to take a job at another firm that paid less just so I could have the title—I was so glad I didn’t. I worked until lunch, and then called my parents. My Dad was at work, but I was able to share the news with my Mom, who was overjoyed to hear about the promotion.
I need to go out and celebrate—but I don’t have anyone to celebrate with.
A higher power must have heard my thoughts because I had barely made it out the door at the end of the day when my phone lit up. I thought the day couldn’t get any better until I realized it was Kincaid. He asked if I wanted to go on another date with the two of them, and they had something to celebrate too. Donovan had been promoted to arson investigator and would be working alongside Kincaid on the Fireball case. I readily agreed to go out with them. Nothing could have taken the wind out of my sails at that point. I could have been hit by a bus and sprang right back up asking where the next bus was. My dream job was secured, and I was going out on another date with two gorgeous firefighters. Life was—life was absolutely freaking perfect.
A few hours later
“Hey!” I walked into the bar where Kincaid asked me to meet the two of them and waved as I saw them stand up from a table in the corner.
“You made it.” Kincaid hugged me as soon as I made it to the table.
“I did.” I smiled as he embraced me.
“We figured you should see how the other half lives—since you’re a fancy Account Manager now.” Donovan chuckled and hugged me as soon as Kincaid broke our embrace.
“Yeah.” Kincaid pulled out my chair so I could take a seat. “You won’t find any wine in this place that doesn’t come from a box, and all the food is deep fried.”
“Sounds perfect.” I nodded and grinned. “I’m just happy that you called!”
Kincaid and Donovan ordered a pitcher of beer, so I decided to just have what they were having. I wasn’t a big fan of beer, but box wine didn’t sound very appetizing either. They were right about the food selection. I chose the healthiest thing on the menu, which was a plate of chicken tenders with a side of fries. Fries were apparently a vegetable, or at least that’s what the menu said. The only other vegetable they offered was tater tots. The drinks arrived, and I suffered through my first few sips of beer while we waited on our food. Kincaid and Donovan talked about Donovan’s promotion, the latest letter from Fireball, and some of their ideas for finally putting the serial arsonist behind bars. They were even more driven by his latest letter to the press, especially since they were officially working together on the case.
“So, what does an Account Manager do exactly?” Donovan leaned back in his chair and sipped his beer. “You just buy stocks with other people’s money?”
“There’s a lot that goes into it. I have to read the markets, figure out if I trust the reports, and make the right investments.” I smiled and sipped my beer, finally getting used to the bitter taste after it numbed my taste buds a little bit.
“But then what?” Kincaid lifted his eyebrows inquisitively. “You invest the money and you’re done?”
“No, there’s a lot of buying and selling. It’s mainly about turning a profit. Some of the investments only last a few hours before we sell the stocks—if the reports are accurate.” I nodded and put my beer down on the table.
“Sounds complicated.” Donovan grunted. “But at least you won’t be working directly for the ice queen anymore. That’s probably better than a promotion.”
“You seem to know a lot about Ms. Stone.” I tilted my head to the side.
“Yeah.” He nodded and his eyes kind of spaced out for a minute. “It’s a long story, but she really did a number on my sister.”
“Oh!” I blinked in surprise. “Your sister used to work at Livingston Capital?”
“Yeah.” He grunted again. “It didn’t end well.”
I guess I really am one of the lucky ones.
Kincaid
Marissa was just as amazing as I remembered from our first date, and she seemed to be even more amazing with the confidence that came with her promotion. She told us that we were part of the reason for it. Her boss was impressed that she stepped up to spend so much money on me when the initial budget didn’t call for it, and that led to her getting the job of her dreams. I was having a hard time ignoring the signs that were right in front of my eyes. Something was drawing me towards Marissa, almost like some slap upside the head from fate itself. Fate just wasn’t kind enough to let me have her all to myself, because Donovan was sitting next to me with just as much interest in the beautiful brunette as I had.
“This place is a lot of fun.” Marissa looked around the bar. “It’s so rowdy! I’m used to places where you have to talk quietly, and the music is bland.”
“You
didn’t go out much in college?” Donovan raised an eyebrow. “This place is normally crawling with college kids on the weekend.”
“No, my weekends were usually spent in quiet reflection over a textbook.” Marissa looked down at the table. “Did that make me sound like a nerd? I was kind of a nerd.”
“Trust me, I figured that out as soon as you started talking about crunching numbers and analyzing shit.” I chuckled and grinned. “There’s nothing wrong with having your priorities in order.”
“Will you dance with me?” Marissa looked up as the jukebox started playing a new song. “I haven’t danced in years.”
“Which one are you asking?” Donovan looked at Marissa.
“Both of you.” Marissa stood and grabbed our hands.
And then we were dancing—like it wasn’t strange for one girl to be dancing with two guys. Luckily, Marissa didn’t spend any time hitting the dance floor between her study sessions and she was just as awkward as me. Donovan had a few moves and he whisked her around the floor a couple of times while I tried not to look like an idiot. That wasn’t an easy endeavor. Two left feet would have been a blessing because that would have at least given me an excuse. The first song ended, and a slower song picked up. Marissa put her hand on her shoulder and leaned close. Donovan stepped behind her and put his hands on her hips. The three of us swayed with the slower music, and I tried to make sense of everything—even as it was unfolding in front of my eyes.
Maybe she does like us both—maybe Donovan isn’t as crazy as I thought.
The complications of a relationship that involved three people would have filled a page, but in that moment, I was just thinking about the woman pressed against me. Her curves were so fucking tempting. Her lips were begging for a kiss, and I just couldn’t resist them. She looked up at me when the second song ended, and I just did what felt natural—I kissed her. I pulled her into my arms and crushed her pouty lips beneath mine. There was no hesitation on her part and the passion resonating from me was immediately returned. I pushed my tongue into her mouth and heard a light moan as the kiss turned from soft to ravaging. There was no doubt in my mind that she enjoyed it. When I pulled away, she was gasping for air and stumbled back into Donovan. He kept her from falling, then he turned her around and kissed her with a ferocity that matched mine.
Don’t react—don’t lose your head.
It took everything inside me not to let the alpha tendencies buried in my soul rage against my best friend. I quelled the beast and kept my composure. I wanted Marissa to push him away—to turn back towards me and say that she was mine. That wasn’t what happened. She melted into his kiss and I saw her knees almost buckle against Donovan. My kiss made her stumble—his made her knees weak. There was no way that I was going to be able to have her all to myself. She was already falling for us both. When Donovan’s lips finally parted from hers, she took a step back from both of us with a shocked expression on her face. Mine probably had the same reaction. Donovan just grinned. It was exactly what he wanted from the start, and I knew he wasn’t going to hesitate to make sure the night didn’t end with just a kiss.
“I guess it’s safe to say you like both of us.” Donovan took a step forward and took her hand.
“Yeah.” She blinked a couple of times and swallowed hard. “Is that okay?”
“It’s okay with me.” Donovan turned his head in my direction. “Kincaid?”
Now I’m on the fucking spot.
“I’m willing to go with it and see where this leads us.” I nodded and quelled my alpha tendencies again.
We went back to the table and sat down. My head was spinning. I didn’t really know what to say. I was caught off guard by the entire situation. Donovan was going to pull me down the polyamorous path whether I wanted to go down it or not. I was simply entranced by the beautiful brunette, and I liked her a lot more than I realized. Two dates and I was already smitten? That was not a good sign. She would have me wrapped around her finger before we finished our beer. My phone started buzzing in my pocket and I was going to ignore it, but Donovan’s started buzzing too. If they were buzzing at the same time, it was probably an emergency call—possibly one that was going to pull us away from the date. Donovan was the first one to get his phone out of his pocket and I saw his jaw clench.
“It’s a fire and not just any fire.” He shook his head angrily.
“Fireball?” I knew the answer to that question before the words left my mouth.
“Yeah. He already called a radio station to brag about it.” He nodded and turned to Marissa. “I’m sorry, but we really have to go.”
“I understand.” The disappointment was obvious, but we didn’t really have a choice.
Fireball had stepped up his maliciousness, just like we predicted. His latest target was a mansion in one of the upscale neighborhoods. It wasn’t even in our jurisdiction, but since we were working the case, our station got the call for assistance. I saw the glow as we approached, and I knew that it was already out of control. I just prayed that nobody was hurt, and someone called in the fire before it got too bad. The neighborhood was home to several Wall Street types, but most of the residents were retired. It was the kind of place we used to joke about living in one day if we ever hit the lottery. We turned down a long driveway and I saw that the mansion was completely engulfed in flames. There were police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks all along the perimeter, so I parked a ways out and we started walking up the driveway. I already feared the worst and the house was already a total loss. The best anyone could do at that point was extinguish the flames and call the insurance company.
“What’s the situation?” I walked up to Mike, one of the firefighters we worked with, as soon as we arrived at the scene.
“We have a casualty.” He exhaled sharply and took off his helmet. “This is Alfred Livingston’s house.”
“He’s the casualty?” I blinked in surprise.
“No, he’s fine, but one of his workers wasn’t so lucky.” Mike tossed his helmet in the dirt.
“Fuck!” I turned around and looked for something to punch, but I just had to settle for balling my fists as tightly as possible.
I bet the police department will give a shit now—now that it’s too fucking late to save a life.
“You know who Alfred Livingston is, right?” Donovan put his hands on his hips and stared at the blaze.
“One of the richest guys in New York. Who doesn’t know him?” I exhaled sharply as I tried to control my anger.
“Yeah, also—Livingston Capital? Where Marissa works.” Donovan sighed. “He owns the company.”
“Right.” I nodded as I made the connection. “I guess he won’t make it to work tomorrow. Too bad his worker won’t have that luxury.”
“I don’t think he spends much time at the office. Veronica Stone runs everything, but this is where the money goes—or went, I guess.” Donovan started walking towards the fire, but suddenly there was a roaring explosion that came from the other side of the neighborhood. “What the fuck was that!?”
“It’s another fire!” I pointed and looked at Donovan. “Come on, we gotta suit up.”
Thankfully, the fire department always kept some extra gear on the trucks. The house we were at was gone, so I grabbed the guys from our station and we headed across the neighborhood to the source of the second fire. It wasn’t just arson—there was some sort of bomb. I felt the ground tremble when it went off and the house went up in flames immediately. I knew that we were going to be too late before we even got to the house. All we could do was aim our hoses and pray that there wasn’t anyone inside. Donovan checked the perimeter while I radioed for some assistance. They were going to have to send all the trucks they could spare because it was going to take a lot of water to get both of those fires out. About an hour after we started working on the second fire, a police car pulled up and Detective Lewis stepped out.
“Holy mother of God.” Detective Lewis walked up and stared with a stunned expression
on his face.
“Oh, now you’ve decided to show up?” I looked at him with disgust. “I guess you’ll get your wish. There’s a casualty so the FBI will probably come storming in in no time.”
“Just one?” He blinked in surprise.
“We don’t know yet.” Donovan walked over to where we were standing. “There was an explosion here and it wasn’t safe to go inside. The other one was a little more Fireball’s style—just a bunch of accelerants and a match.”
It took a lot of self-control not to just tear into Detective Lewis. If he had been helping me from the beginning like he was supposed to be, the tragedy could have been prevented. I was working with limited resources and he was supposed to be coordinating efforts so that I had access to forensic equipment and other things we didn’t have at the fire station. He had dropped the ball big time, and I didn’t give a fuck about his other cases. I had other cases too. I still made time for the one that truly mattered. Maybe it would be best if the FBI came in. Even with Donovan helping me, I wasn’t making progress. It didn’t look like the fires we were currently fighting were going to offer anything new. They would just add more paper to the stack of clues that we couldn’t decipher.
“The other fire departments are starting to show up. We’re not going to be able to do anything until the fire is out.” Donovan took off his helmet. “Should we try to get some rest? I assume we’ll be working late tomorrow.”
“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” I sighed and looked over at Detective Lewis, who had walked closer to the fire. “I’d rather not be here when his bosses show up looking for asses to chew—he deserves to get the brunt of it.”
Tomorrow is going to be a long fucking day.
Marissa
Arson & Ache: A MFM Firefighter Romance (Surrender to Them Book 8) Page 6
