Harper's Submission [Golden Dolphin 2] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Skye Michaels

  “Oh, that sounds great. I haven’t had Chinese food in weeks.”

  * * * *

  Harmon Burke had almost lost them that morning when he had made an early trip into town to take a bathroom break and get some coffee and bagels to eat in the car. He returned just in time to see the Escalade pull out of the driveway. He had sweated it out all day, hoping they would not spot his tail as he followed them first to the Eastern Shore Research Laboratory, then to the stables, and finally to the little Italian restaurant where they had apparently had lunch with a woman and two little girls who looked an awful lot like Morgan Court. He would have to research Court’s family and find out who they were. God, he was getting tired of energy bars and would love to dive into a plate of meatballs and spaghetti. Although he was glad Court and Cameron weren’t already on their way back to the city, he knew that meant he had to continue to move his car from one sheltered parking spot to another in sight of Court’s beach house while he waited out another uncomfortable night in his car. It was damn cold on the beach after dark, and he couldn’t run the motor all night. He was relieved when the Escalade pulled into the driveway and Morgan and Harper got out of the car and went into the house.

  A few minutes later, he was watching the house through binoculars. He saw them go out the back door onto the deck and down the beach stairs to the sand and begin walking down the beach. This is my chance. Maybe they left the back door unlocked. Harmon was excited, and his heart was pumping a mile a minute as he slipped out of his car parked in the beach grass and dunes a hundred yards down the road from the house. He jogged up the driveway, walked around the house, and climbed the steps onto the deck. He looked around carefully before he tried the door. Is this breaking and entering? Well it’s entering, but since the door is unlocked, I don’t think it’s breaking. He slipped through the door into the spacious kitchen off the deck. He took a quick look around before he headed into the house to look for Court’s bedroom. That was most likely where he would find something.

  He was just attempting to open the briefcase he had found on the desk in what was most likely the master bedroom when he heard voices and laughter outside. Court and Cameron were on the walk leading up from the beach and almost to the back door. Fuck! He grabbed the briefcase and headed toward the front door. He hoped he would make it outside before they came in through the back. He felt like he was about to have a heart attack. All he needed was for Court to catch him here, stolen briefcase in hand. Can you spell Attica? He slipped out the front door as the back door opened into the kitchen.

  * * * *

  The sun had gone down, and it was almost dark as Harper stamped the sand off her shoes before she came into the kitchen. “Morgan, I’m going to put on a pot of coffee. Or would you prefer a glass of wine?”

  Morgan came up behind her and pulled her into his chest before he gave her a loud, exuberant kiss and a tight hug. “Coffee would be great. Put some whiskey in it, or I think I have some Irish Crème in the cabinet.”

  “Yum! My favorite. Two Irish whiskies coming up.”

  “What do you want me to order from Lotus Blossom?”

  “Anything is fine for me, except moo goo gai pan.” She watched as Morgan reached in his pocket for his cell phone.

  “I left my phone in the bedroom this morning. I’ll just go get it.”

  “Here, use mine.”

  “No, that’s okay. I need to check my messages anyway. Besides, I have the number for Lotus Blossom on speed dial. I call them a lot during the summer.”

  Harper was smiling at that. Morgan did not strike her as being particularly domesticated. He would have a number of good restaurants on speed dial. He had headed to the bedroom, and soon she heard banging doors and things being moved around. She was just going toward the bedroom when she heard him exclaim, “Damn! Where’s my briefcase? I thought I left it on the desk in here. Do you see it on the kitchen counter?”

  Harper raced back to the kitchen and looked around. “Morgan, it’s not in here.”

  He came back into the kitchen and just looked at her. “I’m sure I left it in the bedroom.”

  “What did you have in it?” She was starting to get worried. He was not the type of man to forget where he left things.

  “Just the Maxprotem protocol and reports. Shit! This is not good.”

  Harper rushed past him to the bedroom to take a look for herself. She looked in the closet, under the bed, and any other likely place before she said, “I think you’re right. It’s definitely not here.”

  * * * *

  Morgan looked at Harper with a confused look on his face. “This doesn’t make any sense. The alarm was activated when we left the house this morning.” He stalked out of the bedroom and went to check the doors for signs of forced entry, finding none. He came back into the kitchen mumbling. He dialed the alarm company to see if they had had any indication of an unauthorized entry into the house, but he was advised that they had not had any beeps from his location. They offered to contact the local police and have an officer sent out to the house to take a report.

  When the village cruiser pulled into the driveway, Morgan went down the front steps to greet the officer and show him into the house. Harper offered him a cup of coffee, which he gratefully accepted while they told him what they knew. He looked around the house inside and out, and came back with a puzzled look on his face. “Did you go out and leave the doors open or the alarm off?”

  “Well, we were out all day, and the alarm was on. We left the house really early and got back about five o’clock. Then we took a walk on the beach…” Morgan looked at Harper. “Did we lock the back door?”

  “Morgan, I don’t remember locking it. We weren’t gone long. We just walked down the beach about a half mile and back.”

  The officer said, “That’s more than enough time for someone to come in, do a quick scan, boost anything that looks promising, and get out before you got back. Since there’s no sign of forced entry, I’d hazard a guess that’s how they got in…if you’re sure the briefcase is gone. Was it valuable, and did it have anything of importance inside?”

  “Yeah, it was an expensive crocodile briefcase I’ve had for about ten years, and there were some confidential scientific reports inside. The monetary loss is small, but the security breach is huge. I’m going to have to contact my security team in the morning.”

  * * * *

  Harmon Burke almost swallowed his tongue when he saw the village police cruiser pull up in Court’s driveway about fifteen minutes later and an officer exit the vehicle. He shoved the briefcase under the seat and gingerly pulled out of his hidden parking spot. I have to get out of here. What if they decided to canvas the area and he was caught with the briefcase? He hadn’t had time to figure out how to open it yet, but he just knew something good was inside—maybe some pictures of that sex stuff like on the boat. Wouldn’t that be great? He was torn between keeping up his surveillance after the cop left and beating a path back to the city and his apartment, where he could examine the briefcase in privacy. Finally, curiosity won out, and he headed back to Brooklyn where he had a small walk-up apartment.

  * * * *

  Harper was worried, and she could see that Morgan was worried as well. She didn’t know if a random burglar would understand the significance of the briefcase’s contents, but she had to wonder why now, of all times, someone would break in and steal just a briefcase if they’d had time to go through the entire house. She had left some gold bracelets and a necklace on the counter in the master bath, and certainly there were other electronics and small items lying about that could be sold.

  Harper poured Morgan a cup of coffee, and they both sat down at the granite counter in the kitchen. Harper loved the view of the dunes and the ocean beyond as well as the layout of the kitchen. It had ample glass-fronted cabinets, lots of counter space, and the most updated appliances, including a grill in the center island. Her own town house needed a kitchen redo, and she looked around for ideas. “This is
a great kitchen for a guy who nukes and grills.”

  “Melanie designed it. She and Nick and the girls use the house a lot in the summer, and she wanted a good kitchen. I thought the one that was here was fine.”

  “Well, most women want a nice kitchen. I’m planning to update mine, but I never seem to have the time to devote to such a major project. Morgan, what do you think about this break-in idea? It seems unlikely to me that this was a random event.”

  “I have to agree. Industrial espionage is a big problem. A rival company would certainly like to have the Maxprotem protocol and clinical trial data, but I don’t think they would risk getting caught breaking and entering my house just for that.”

  “Was there any information in the briefcase about the formula or ingredients or anything like that?”

  “No. Proprietary information of that sort never leaves our labs under any circumstances and is under lock and key at all times. This is a multicenter trial, and information on the methodology, organization, and statistical considerations used in putting the trial together might be of some interest to another company, but really, that’s not worth stealing. It’s a double-blind study, and we have a contract research organization, or CRO, administering the trials for phases two, three, and four. They monitor the research sites for compliance with the clinical protocol and provide the data to us. The researchers conducting the study don’t know which subjects are getting placebos and which are getting the drug. Since none of the subjects had any reaction, good or bad, to the treatment they were receiving, I think your idea that none of them are getting the drug is a good one.”

  “That means the tampering would have to be at the facility distributing the drugs, right? Do they all come out of one place? I can’t imagine this would be a huge conspiracy involving many people. More than likely, one or two people were paid off to skew your results.”

  “Yeah. Eastern Shore Research Laboratory is our CRO and distributes the drugs and placebos to the participants as well as the facilities administering the trials. I think my security guys need to look into the ownership of the lab immediately. There’s nothing I can do about that on Saturday night, so let’s just order dinner and try to relax. We’ll leave tomorrow afternoon so we can be in the office early on Monday morning and see what we can find out.” He picked up his phone and ordered the Chinese food.

  * * * *

  Morgan’s mind was buzzing, but he tried to put it aside for the moment. He and Harper had one more night at the beach house, and he wanted to make it special. He was planning to drive back to the city on Sunday afternoon. He quickly showered in a spare bathroom, lit the fireplace in his bedroom, and waited for the food to be delivered. After opening the door to the delivery man and tipping him handsomely, he asked, “Hey, Chan, you’re out here driving around all the time. Have you seen anything odd? We think the house was broken into today.”

  The delivery man thought for a moment and said, “I did see an old, dark-green Volvo parked in the dunes a few times. It wasn’t always in the same spot, but I thought it was probably just kids making out.”

  “Thank you. If you see it again, please call me.” He handed the young man a tip and one of his cards.

  Morgan brought the food out to the kitchen and put it on a tray with a bottle of Chinese plum wine. Harper was taking a bath in the master bathroom, so he carried the food to the bedroom.

  “Food’s here. Are you a prune yet?”

  “Not yet. I wouldn’t come out except I’m starving.”

  “Need any help washing your back?” he asked with a grin.

  “Ha! No thanks. That won’t help me get out of this tub any faster. I’ll be right out.” When she came into the bedroom wrapped in a fluffy white bathrobe, he smiled. She was delicious with her hair piled up on top of her head and damp tendrils framing her face and long, swanlike neck. He just never got tired of looking at her.

  She climbed onto the bed on the opposite side of the tray and began to pile her plate with food from the ubiquitous white containers. “It’s funny. Only Chinese restaurants use these containers,” she said as she continued to prospect among the several open boxes for goodies. “I wonder if they have a patent on them.”

  They ate in relative silence. Morgan’s mind continued to work on the Maxprotem problem, and he could see that Harper was preoccupied as well. When they were finishing their plum wine, Morgan tossed Harper one of the fortune cookies. “Do you know the fortune cookie game?”

  “No, what’s that?”

  “Well, when you open your cookie you have to read the message inside out loud and then add ‘in bed.’ My first one says ‘Nothing is impossible with a willing heart’—in bed.”

  Harper laughed and opened one of the cookies. “You will get what your heart desires, in bed. That’s hysterical. I never heard of that before.” They each opened another cookie. “‘Everywhere you choose to go, friendly faces will greet you,’ in bed. That one is not as good. How about ‘You will soon be surrounded by good friends and laughter,’ in bed?”

  Morgan countered with, “‘Many pleasurable and memorable adventures are in store for you,’ in bed. Now I like that one. Why don’t we try it out?” He got up, put the tray of food on the desk across the room, and rejoined her on the bed with a determined look on his face. When she rolled toward him, he grabbed her around the waist and quickly stripped off her robe and dropped his own on the floor beside hers at the foot of the teak four-poster bed.

  Morgan pulled her up against his chest and slipped into the icy-blue pool of her eyes. She was soft and inviting, and he willed himself to slow down and savor the moment. This woman brought out the beast in him, and the desire for her rushed hotly through his veins with his blood. Her bold beauty and her aching vulnerability never failed to touch his heart. He knew he was head over heels in love with her at this point. There was no use denying the facts to himself or to her.

  “Harper, you must know how I feel about you. I think I’ve made it pretty obvious, but just in case you’re confused about it, I love you. I want to be with you, and I want to continue our friendship, as well as our love affair, regardless of the antitrust litigation, the Maxprotem situation, or any other problems that arise from now on. I need to be with you.”

  “Oh, Morgan…”

  “Just wait a minute before you start to argue.” He could see the anxiety beginning to build in her eyes.

  “You know me too well.”

  “You steady me, make me laugh, help me think. I need you in my life. I’d like to be able to be the rock to steady you when you need it as well. I’m not pushing you for a commitment now. I just want you to be aware that we are far from done, and I intend to keep working on your trust issues. When we get back to the city, I want us to try another session at Le Club Eastside.”

  “I know I still have some work to do on that, and I want to try to bottom for you again. I can’t promise that I can do it permanently.”

  “Don’t worry about that. We’ll work it out as we go along. There’s no timetable or level of submission requirements. Just as long as you know that I’m the Dom and you’re the sub, and eventually, you are going to submit.” He laughed at the outraged look on her face as he rolled her under him. He plundered her surprised mouth as she tried to open it to refute his outrageous statement. His erection was hard enough to pound nails, and he didn’t know how long he could wait to fill her.

  * * * *

  “No one can say you lack confidence.” Harper laughed as his lips cruised down her neck to her breasts. She sighed heavily as his mouth captured her pebbled nipples. She loved his touch and tried to urge him on, but as usual, he would not be hurried. Morgan took his time pleasuring her breasts as the waves crashed on the beach outside the bedroom window and the shadows of the flames in the fireplace danced on the walls. She loved the sound and felt the heat in her blood as the desire for him seared through her system. It was the most natural and safe feeling in the world to have him wrapped around her. She smiled i
n anticipation as he reached down and captured her pulsing clit between his long, elegant fingers, and a sharp stab of pleasure sliced through her body. His husky voice whispering love words in her ear whetted her appetite. Morgan kissed down her body until he encountered the moisture that had flooded her sex at his words. He pushed her legs over his shoulders and settled himself between her spread thighs. She groaned as he feasted on her eager center. When she was writhing out of control, he finally pushed himself up and entered her. She held her breath as he plunged his steel-hard shaft into her soft center and rode the cresting surf of her desire while her heart pounded, and she came hard around his cock. She felt his climax explode through his body, and they coasted down together.

  “Oh, baby. That was incredible,” she said as she rolled over and spooned up against his side. She closed her eyes, ran her hands down his muscled chest, and tried to absorb his scent and the essence of his masculine beauty as her system finally returned to normal. She wanted to store up the good memories. It was her experience that sometimes the good things didn’t last. “I’m going to hate to leave here tomorrow.”

  “We’ll be back. We have all winter to enjoy the beach. Mel and the kids almost never come out in the cold weather. How about if we spend Christmas here? We can decorate the house and put up a Christmas tree.” He sighed. “I hate to leave, too, but at the same time, I’m anxious to talk to my security team and get those samples in to the lab for testing on Monday.”

  * * * *

  Harmon Burke parked his car down the street from his apartment. Apparently, the parking fairies were with him for a change. He carried the crocodile briefcase up the three flights of stairs to his apartment and put it on his kitchen table. He examined it from all sides and tried several different combinations on the three-number locks. None worked, of course. That would have been just too easy. Finally, although it pained him to damage the beautiful briefcase that he would never have been able to afford, he took a butter knife and pried the locks open.