That’s why I need to keep Ollie focused on the task at hand. Conlon needs to be stopped before he ruins any more lives. And he needs to stop using their money to finance his crap movies. Winners at Cannes, my ass. I’d like to know who’s doing the voting.
“I understand, Ollie. Just please call Jeff. I’ll be back in the morning, and we can take it from there.”
“Will do.” Click.
I lean against the door, clutching my phone. My fingers itch to dial Jeff’s number. Wait, I don’t even have his number. My brow furrows. I’ve never had to call him; he always seems to find me. But even though I really wish I had his number right now, it’s better that I don’t. Emotion isn’t something I have time for – not with Ollie or Jeff or anyone else.
And I felt a shit load of those pesky emotions last night, enough to cloud my head and throw me off-guard when I met with Conlon this morning. That cannot happen again. If I miss a single step, we lose our chance to nab him.
I take a deep breath and allow my mind to wander, just for a few seconds, so I can relive those moments of being wrapped in Jeff’s arms, of feeling his hard body against mine, of being rocketed to a place I thought I’d never get to experience. I’m not one to screw around casually, but relationships get messy, and I don’t have patience for that. My career comes first.
These feelings I’m having - very much against my will, by the way - are not casual. Not by any stretch. They’re more borderline smitten, synonymous for very fucking bad.
The dressing room door creaks open. “Ari,” Eva whisper-giggles, clutching a flute of champagne in her hand. “Come inside and have a drink. You look like you can use one, and if you don’t, I’m going to finish the whole bottle.”
I grin, following her back into the dressing room. “Some bachelorette party, huh?”
“Are you kidding?” She flops onto the couch. “It’s the best ever! I don’t need a night of stumbling from bar to bar. This is absolutely perfect. You and me. I couldn’t ask for anything more.” She pauses to take another sip of champagne. “Except, you know…Jimmy.”
“I’m already on it. You’ll get to meet him after the taping.”
Eva lets out a little shriek. “Oh my God! That alone trumps a night in Vegas any day.”
I take a sip of the champagne and sit across from her. “I’m glad you think so. It’s the least I can do for my baby sister.”
“So.” She crosses her legs and focuses her blue eyes on me. They’re full of questions; questions I don’t know that I want to answer. “Last night.”
My mouth suddenly feels like it’s stuffed full of cotton and Saltine crackers. Bone freaking dry. I try to clear my throat through all of the imaginary gunk. “What about it? I think it was a lot of fun, way better than any other shower I’ve been to. The cocktail party was a great idea, and you know Mom loves her wine.”
Eva shakes her head. “Ari, stop rambling. You didn’t have a date last night. Why not?”
I roll my eyes. “Who was I supposed to ask? Ollie?”
“He’s good for you. You need someone like him; someone who can ground you. I feel like this whole PR thing is so below you, and all the superficiality is mind-numbing, don’t you think?”
I almost let out a snort. If she only knew. “I know it seems that way, but I actually get to use the very expensive set of skills I picked up in law school to handle contracts and deals on behalf of my clients.” I gulp down my champagne. “So, I’m using my degree after all.”
“Don’t deflect.”
“I’m just pointing out the fact that my job may not be as fluffy as you think.” I wink.
“And what about the wedding?”
I honestly need about five more glasses of this stuff if I’m going to keep up with her runaway train of thought. “What about it?”
“Who are you bringing?”
“Nobody.”
Her face drains of all color. I actually watch it grow paler by the second. All because I’ll be flying solo. “You need a date.”
“No, I don’t.”
She slams the flute on the coffee table and stands up in a huff. “Ari, I respect what you’ve done and your big career plans. But you have to stop holding guys at arm’s length. If you let someone in, it doesn’t mean you’re going to end up like Mom and Dad.”
Ah, no. But my line of work doesn’t exactly call for a plus one, not that I can clue her into that little detail. “Did it ever occur to you that I’m happy with my life, with the choices I’ve made? I thought you were going to let this go after last time.”
“I know, it’s just that…” She sighs and leans against the dressing table. “I was watching Damon’s parents last night. They seem to get along okay, but they’re broken, too. It just got me thinking. If Damon had been afraid of going down the same path and ending up like them, we’d have never gotten together.”
“So, what does this have to do with me? You got your Prince Charming. He wasn’t afraid of becoming like his parents. Go, him.”
“Yeah, but don’t you see?”
Nope, I’m not seeing a damned thing, but I know somewhere buried in all this rhetoric is a point.
“Everyone deserves a second chance.”
“I’m sorry, when did I screw up my first chance?”
“You didn’t.” She inches toward me, stumbling on the woven carpet. “But Damon’s dad does.”
Cue the record-scratch sound effect.
What the fuck?
“And what does he have to do with me?” The hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention. I do not like where this is going. Truth be told, I’m not even sure where it’s headed, but somehow, Jeff made his way into this room. He needs to make an exit. Very damned quickly.
Eva giggles. “Silly girl. I just mean you need to open yourself up to possibilities. Mom is all over that like maggots on rotten meat. But maybe it’s her time, her second chance. She’s a little vacuous, sure, but all in all a good person. And he’s hot as fuck. She needs to get laid. It might loosen her up a little. Unfreeze the ice on her ass, you know?”
I think I might just throw up.
She falls onto the couch, splashing my black skirt with champagne. I adore this woman, but she cannot hold her liquor.
“So what do you think? Should I try to hook them up? I know Mom would be down for it.”
Jeff…with my mother…naked…argh! Bile rises in my throat, and it takes a minute before I can utter a reply without spewing my true feelings all over my shoes. “I think since they’re both consenting adults, they can figure things out on their own.”
“Maybe. I bet he has an amazing body.”
“Are you fantasizing about your future father-in-law? Because that’s more than a little disturbing. Did I ever tell you about that girl I knew in college who got engaged to her boyfriend and then at the engagement party was found fucking her future father-in-law?” True story. Disgusting. Girl never lived it down, either. It was always the ugly ass elephant following her around.
Eva’s face screws into a grimace. “Gross! No! I’m just saying he’s nice to look at. Trust me, there’s no reason for me to fantasize about anyone other than Damon. The man is hung like you don’t even—“
I hold up a hand. “No, you’re right. I don’t even.”
Eva sucks down the rest of her champagne. “I’m so sleepy. When is Jimmy coming down? Do we have to hang out with Scarlet again? She’s such a dipshit. Doesn’t your head fill with oatmeal when you talk to her for longer than thirty seconds?”
I snicker, knowing sleep is near for my sister. “No, we don’t have to hang out with her anymore. She’s her manager’s problem for the rest of the trip.”
I glance down at my phone. An incoming text just lit up the screen. “Call me.”
It’s from my boss at the Bureau, Nate Christensen. A man who doesn’t know many words other than “what do you have for me?” and “what’s your strategy for bringing down this asshole?”
I haven’t made cont
act in a while, since there hasn’t really been much of a reason, and he lets me operate on my own alongside Ollie. Something must have gone up the chain for him to be sending a text like that.
“E, I need to make another call,” I murmur, but her eyelids are already drooping closed. I have to take it outside. Even in her comatose state, I can’t risk blowing my cover.
I dial his number and bite my pinkie nail while I wait for him to answer.
“Ariana.” That’s it. No hello, how are you? Just the basics.
“Hey, Nate. I got your text. What’s up?” My eyes dart up and down the hallway, and there are so many crew members shuffling past. I have to keep this conversation heavily coded.
“I need an update on the target. When is this happening?”
I furrow my brow. “Well, I had a meeting this morning, and I’m still waiting for the final details.”
“He didn’t give them to you?”
“No.” I continue to nibble.
“Interesting. What’s he waiting for?”
“Based on our partnership agreement, he’s now got full access and authority over my company’s bank account. The only problem is, I will only know once the money is transferred into the account. He won’t tell me where it’s coming from, and that’s the missing link. If we can’t prove the source, we can’t prove it’s dirty. And he’s not stupid enough to transfer it directly. It’ll go through a few accounts, but we need to trace it through to make our case and arrest him.”
“We need the source, Ari. How close are you to finding it?”
“Ollie is doing some research, but I’m concerned it’ll take too much time. Jeff fed him some bullshit story when he first made contact, and Ollie suspected, based on their past dealings at the Bureau, that it was a masked revenge scheme. But Jeff isn’t stupid. He told Ollie just enough, but not anything close to the full story, which is why we’re still struggling to piece it all together. I need to get in there again, to see how much I can squeeze out of Conlon. Things are going to happen quickly, and if we miss our opportunity this time, I have no idea how long it’ll be before he tries this again. He keeps changing his pattern and will continue to do so. We don’t have another year to waste on an investigation if we have to start from scratch.”
“Agree. Tell me what you need.”
I nearly choke on the images sifting through my mind. Nobody can help with this next part, and the thought alone makes my stomach churn. But hey, this is the job, and I’m the only one who can handle it. I’ll do it because this bastard needs to be stopped. Enough people have been hurt. “Tomorrow. I’ll handle it tomorrow.”
“Let me know when it’s done. I’ll be waiting for your call.”
Click.
My call. It’s going to mean I did what I needed to do for the sake of my job and the livelihoods of so many people. A shudder runs through me. I’m risking a lot. It better not be in vain.
Chapter Twenty-Four
JEFF
I maneuver Remo’s piece of shit Accord into a parking space in front of Ariana’s office building the next morning. This is fucking stupid. I shouldn’t be here. It’s daytime, and anyone can spot me walking inside.
I pull the baseball cap down over my sunglass-disguised eyes and step out of the car. It’s not exactly like I can bundle up in eighty-degree weather, so if they’re looking for me, I’ll be hard to miss.
But anger bubbles in my veins, and part of me doesn’t give a flying fuck anymore. I have to know why Ariana was with Conlon…why she went straight to his place after spending the night with me, and why she had a meeting with him when I specifically told her not to go.
Maybe she is all about her career and that meeting really was about getting her clients’ cushy roles in his upcoming movies, but her sudden involvement sends up too many red flags.
I need to know why.
And not just because she may be fucking him.
I pull open the heavy glass door, nice and slow, not rushing. No need to draw unnecessary attention to myself, and if I blend, I’m less likely to be noticed. Although there are a lot of women giving me the once-over. Well, mainly women. I caught a few guys checking me out, too.
I punch the Up button by the elevator bank, keeping my head down and the beak of my cap low. I clench and unclench my fists as the elevator creaks up to the floor occupied by Carlson and Associates. I stop by the reception desk, ready to browbeat the girl sitting behind the desk. I’m pretty sure she’s the one who’s been giving me the runaround every time I call. Nobody will tell me where Ariana is and that’s concerning. Actually, it pisses me off. And if I don’t get answers, I’m going to fucking erupt right here in the office.
The girl gives me a blatant fuck-me smile. “Can I help you?”
“I hope you can help me more in person that you can over the phone.”
The smile all but shrivels, and she narrows her eyes. “If you’re looking for Ms. Carlson, I told you, she is unavailable.”
My lips stretch into a tight smile. “When will she be available?” I seethe.
“Oh, hey, Jeff. What’s going on, man?”
I turn in the direction of the voice, my spine stiff. Ollie. Well, fuck. If anyone knows where she is, it’s him.
And he looks nervous. Not good.
“Come into my office.” He waves me toward a hallway leading out of reception. “Kim, let me know when Ariana is on her way up.”
“Of course.” Kim’s eyes linger on me a second longer than needed. I give her a quick nod of acknowledgement and follow Ollie into the inner workings of the company.
“I’m actually glad you stopped by.” Ollie ushers me into an office and closes the door. “I was going to give you a call.”
“Well, isn’t that nice,” I sneer. “What the fuck is going on, Ollie? We were supposed to have open lines of communication, and I haven’t heard from you in days. You knew this was time-sensitive.”
“I’m sorry. I had some issues with the network connection, and then we dealt with some fire drills here.” He snickers. “I think the paparazzi can incinerate someone’s reputation faster than a can of gasoline and a Zippo.”
I continue to glare at him, pleased when he shifts under my stare. “Yeah, so, um, I think I figured out the problem, and the feed should be fixed within the next day or so.”
My eyes narrow. Is this guy kidding me? “Oh, great. That’s good to hear.” Ollie doesn’t need to know that Rand is working on getting access to Conlon’s cell phone, and that if it works, we won’t need him anymore. I’m sure as hell not going to volunteer that information, not until I figure out what the fuck is up and who’s side Ollie is actually on.
His eyes brighten behind his thick horn-rimmed glasses and he nearly trips over his feet to pull open the door to the office. “So, I’ll just go through the feed and try to figure out what we missed and then get you a report?”
I cock an eyebrow. “I think I need to have a talk with your boss.”
His face pales. “She’s, uh, indisposed right now. Maybe I can have her give you a call later.”
“I think I’ll wait. In her office.”
“I can’t do that, Jeff. Nobody goes in there when she’s offsite.”
“So she’s not here.”
“I’m not able to give you her whereabouts.” His eyes narrow, and I swear I can see the tiniest glimmer of jealousy lurking behind those lenses. “You understand.”
“Sure, I do. That’s why I’ll wait here. It’ll be easier. Then, you won’t have to relay a message.” I smile wide and sink into a chair. “You think Kim can get me a cup of coffee? I didn’t get a chance to grab one yet.”
Ollie folds his arms over his chest. “Jeff, you can’t just—“
“Oh, but I can. And guess what? I am.” I stroke my chin. “That coffee would be really nice right about now.”
Kim’s voice crackles over the intercom on Ollie’s desk. “Ollie! She’s coming.”
“What are you doing here?” Ariana saunters in
to the office, hands on her hips, her dark hair slicked back into a ponytail. It looks like she’s fresh out of the shower, and I’m damn pissed I wasn’t with her.
Here we go again. This is the reason I’m so fucked to begin with. I need to stop thinking with my dick where this woman is concerned.
I rise from the chair. “I need to talk to you. It’s urgent.”
“Really.”
“Yes, let’s go to your office.” I turn back to Ollie. “Thanks for the information.” I walk out of his office and turn down the hallway toward Ariana’s corner space. She follows me inside, and I can hear her seething under her breath. Like she’s got any reason to be pissed.
I face her once we’re both inside. “Shut the door.”
She flings the heavy door closed and the walls shake. With a heavy glare, she lifts an eyebrow. “I don’t appreciate being ordered around in my office. What exactly is so urgent?”
“Are you fucking Conlon?”
She blinks. “Who I fuck is none of your business.”
“Yes, it is.” I step closer, and my anger slowly dissipates as it’s choked by the scent of citrus rising off of her smooth skin. Everything I’d planned to say in this moment evades me – knowing she went straight to Conlon after leaving my bed, calling her out on Ollie’s lame ass explanation about problems with the surveillance feed, confronting her for her whole role in this clusterfuck. It disappeared like a fart in the wind. I snake an arm around her waist and pull her close, reaching under her skirt with my free hand to cup her pussy. “This is mine. Nobody else gets to fuck this, do you understand?” My lips graze hers, and I can feel the vibration of her heart pounding in time with mine.
The rage in her gaze is replaced by pure lust and her lips part, beckoning me, urging me closer. I back her against the desk, shoving her skirt up around her waist. I grab a condom from my pocket and tear it open with my teeth. Her fingers fumble with my belt buckle and zipper, pushing my jeans and boxers down, gripping my hard cock. She takes the condom and rolls it on as I fist her hair, crushing my lips against hers. With my other hand, I position the head of my dick at her entrance and push inside, stretching her as I thrust deep and hard. She’s so fucking wet, and I’m already about to blow my load. I don’t give a flying fuck if anyone comes in. If people in the parking lot can see, good for them. Live porn fucking rocks.
Dirty, Dark, & Dangerous: A Contemporary Romance Boxset Page 43
