“Of course,” he said cockily. “The Waltons are working on a genetic password system, but for now we had to settle for the technology available.”
“What are you safeguarding?” she asked just above a whisper, unable to hide her curiosity.
A fact that he openly enjoyed. “Something Dominic didn’t think he was into, but he changed his mind quickly enough once he saw the place. Intrigued?”
Utterly, and on more than one level. When the elevator finally stopped, it opened onto a hallway that looked like any other, except that it lacked windows. They both stepped out and the door closed behind them.
“Is this some kind of safe room?” It made sense. Many wealthy people had them in their homes and in their workplaces. It’s a dangerous world.
“Something like that,” he said, and guided her firmly down the hallway to a door. “Designing these is a passion of mine now. A secret and surprisingly lucrative one.” Marc reached for the door, but stopped when Alethea tensed and pulled back. He looked down at her in concern. “What’s the matter?”
Her head swam with images of what might lay behind the door. She’d read enough women’s fiction to come up with seriously kinky options when she paired the words secret and passion together with a location. “I’m not into . . . I don’t like . . .”
“Are you claustrophobic?” he asked, assessing the size of the underground hallway before meeting her eyes again. “No, that can’t be it, but I’ve never seen you worried. What do you think is on the other side of the door?”
Her cheeks flushed bright red.
He cocked his head to one side, then burst into a deep laugh. “I like where your mind is going.” He shook his head, a huge grin on his face. “Unfortunately, the reality is much tamer than what is flying through that pretty little head of yours.” He pulled her to him, resting her hips against his arousal. “I’m sure we can think of something equally exciting, unless you’re really into that sort of stuff.”
“I’m not. I just said I’m not,” Alethea huffed, placing her hands on his shoulders to push him back, but her own body betrayed her when his lips grazed her ear. Her hands fisted the material of his jacket and she shuddered against him. She was used to being in charge with a man, not whimpering for more each time they touched. Even though he wanted her, he didn’t stumble over himself trying to please her, and that was even more of a turn-on.
“It’d be a shame if we never made it past this hallway since there is so much to see inside.”
He leaned down and kissed her lips, even though they pursed with irritation. “Come on, let me show you what I do in my spare time.”
He opened the outer door, typed in another security code, and swung open a thick metal door that looked like it was constructed to keep out a nuclear war. He closed it behind them and typed in another code. They stepped into a tinted glass octagonal room with multiple doors. Alethea forgot her concern as her curiosity soared.
More than just a hot body.
More than a hero.
He secretly believed in covert preparation.
She let out a dreamy sigh. When he looked down at her quickly, she gave herself a mental shake. She followed him through the glass doorway and exclaimed, “Holy shit.”
Marc puffed with pride and closed the door behind him. The domed area they entered was lined by building façades, giving the illusion of being outside even though they were underground. The cement paths were lined with grass, and the ceiling was an LCD screen showing clouds and sun. A waterfall, and what looked like a lazy river, comprised one entire wall.
“I based the indoor garden on Japanese technology but with a few modifications. The lighting changes throughout the day and simulates the benefits of sunlight. I also flash ultraviolet light at night to increase vitamin D in some of the plants. No bees here, so for now I have installed a pollen duster, but I’m still working on improving that system. This pod is self-contained and a bit like an underground terrarium. It can, but doesn’t need to, connect to the five other pods that branch off from the room where we entered. Technically, someone could live down here for decades.”
Eyes wide, Alethea walked ahead of him and studied the mix of technology and nature. “You did all this?”
He smiled, took her by the arm, and led her through the center toward the façade of a house that belonged in the suburbs, with its porch and picket fence. “I drew up the plans, but Dominic’s geek squad made it a reality. Welcome to my home for the zombie apocalypse.”
Alethea looked at him doubtfully. “Seriously?”
“Or asteroid collision, chemical or nuclear war, alien invasion . . . whatever.”
She searched his face. “I can’t tell if you’re joking or not.”
He opened the door to the house. “Good.” He led her through the living room to another door, that in a normal home, would have led to the basement. Behind the door was a thick metal hatch designed to keep water out. “I’m particularly proud of the next room.”
Alethea waved an arm to reference her surroundings. “It’s better than this?”
“Oh, yes.”
He swung the hatch open and held out his hand to her. She took it, following him down another corridor. “We’re no longer under the Corisi building. Dominic owns several storage facilities behind it that line the dock. I wasn’t sure if what you’re about to see was feasible, but I couldn’t resist attempting it.”
They stopped at another thick metal door, this time with nothing more than a large hand lever to open it. “Close your eyes,” he ordered softly.
She shook her head stubbornly. “That’s not my style.”
He pulled her into his arms. “Then you’ll never know what’s back there. I don’t care. I have more than enough to entertain myself with right here.” He pushed her hair aside and began to kiss her neck, loving how her breath became labored and how she sagged a little against him. He lost himself in the pleasure of her taste, her scent, the curve of her breast beneath his hand.
She pulled back, breathing heavily. “You can’t take me all this way and not show me what is back there.”
He murmured against her lips, “Take you? I like the way that sounds. How about right here, right now?” He slid a hand up the hem of her dress and cupped her sex. God, she was still wet and ready for him. This time he rubbed her through her satin panties. It was tempting to take her now on the floor or against the wall—or both—but he wanted more than she’d given him the first time.
She squirmed against him, reaching behind his neck to pull his mouth fully down to hers. “Open the door for me,” she commanded softly.
His breath caught in his throat and his blood surged downward. “No.” She wasn’t in control here and it was important that she understood that. He eased her skirt back in place and stepped back from her. “I want you like I’ve never wanted another woman, but I won’t settle for what you’ve given others. Give me what you hold back. Close your eyes for me. Trust me.”
A silent war raged between them. Neither giving in, neither backing down.
Eventually curiosity won over caution. She folded her arms in front of her and closed her eyes with a dramatic sigh. “Fine.”
He took her by the arm and opened the door behind them. When he saw her open one eye slightly, he covered both with his hand and urged her farther into the room, not stopping until they were beside his bed in a transparent tunnel beneath the Manhattan River.
“Open your eyes,” he said, as he removed his hand.
Her beautiful red lips rounded in awe. “What is this place?”
“My bedroom.”
She spun as she assessed both the truth of his claim and the creative architecture of the structure. “You sleep here?” Forgetting him for a moment, she walked the length of the room, touching the clear walls and looking into the water above.
“Not usually. The concept was nothing new. There are hotels that have similar rooms, but they don’t have this.” He lifted a remote control, clicked, and the
glass wall now showed an image of vivid blue water filled with tropical fish. Another click, and the bedroom looked out on a majestic mountaintop. “Plus, that’s not glass. It’s a prototype polymer a friend of mine owns the patent for. It’s bulletproof and able to withstand shock waves, with or without the buffer of the water above. Even if exposed, it should provide as much protection as the rest of the facility.”
“Against zombies,” Alethea said dryly.
“Against anything,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back against him. “It couldn’t take a direct torpedo hit, but since no one knows it’s here, that’s unlikely. Secrecy is a key component.”
“Then why show me?”
Alethea held her breath and braced herself for the answer. Because I’m never getting out of here alive? Because, with my track record, no one would believe me anyway?
He turned her in his arms. “Because I’ve never seen anyone fight harder for those they care about than you do. You’ve been a royal pain in my ass since Dominic met Abby, but that doesn’t mean I can’t see what motivates you.”
Completely taken by surprise, Alethea said defensively, “You think you know me, but you don’t.”
He tipped her head back and ran a thumb gently up her jaw. “You try to look so tough. So jaded. Too bad I know you’re scared.”
She stiffened in his arms. “Scared? I put my life at risk on a weekly basis. I’m not afraid of you.”
He gripped her chin to stop her from looking away. “Now who’s lying?”
She whipped her chin free of his grasp. “Let me go.”
He held her even as she pushed against him. “Do you think you’re the only one who has ever been hurt, Alethea? The only one who has lost? Aren’t you tired of hiding? Of pushing everyone away?”
It’s what I do, she thought, fighting a swelling panic that she was beginning to believe only he could trigger within her. “What do you want from me?” she snapped.
He rested his chin against her forehead and sighed. “I want you. What you’re proud of and what you consider too ugly to show anyone else. I want it all.”
She shuddered against him, her knees weakening at his words even while she reminded herself why they were really there. She was an assignment. Granted, one with perks, but this was not a date. A part of her admired his determination. And she couldn’t even fault him for using their sexual attraction against her. Manipulation Techniques 101. Basic, but proven effective many times. Although she stopped short of intercourse, apparently Marc didn’t have the same policy. “Well, you can’t have it all. I appreciate the tour and the . . . erm . . . elevator ride.” She mustered through what was surely a blush. “However, it’s time for me to go.”
“You can’t leave,” he said calmly, but he released her, allowing her to step away from him.
“Don’t make this awkward, Marc. You’re a nice enough guy, just not my type . . .”
To her surprise he didn’t look the least bit bothered by her announcement. “Seriously, neither of us can leave. I set the lockdown for twenty-four hours. As hard as it was to get in here, it’s even more impossible to get out. It’s meant to stop people from panicking and opening the door too early.”
Alethea charged out the hatch door of his bedroom, out of the house, and to the door they’d originally entered. She pulled on the doorknob, pressed a few buttons, then spun on him angrily. “What the hell are we going to do in here for twenty-four hours?”
From a few feet behind her, he said dryly, “We could go back to the initial plan.”
She advanced on him. “Open the door, right now.”
“No can do,” he said smugly.
She stopped just before him, her chest heaving angrily. “You’re way too smart to not have a fail-safe plan. What if I had a heart attack? You’d need a way out. You could get out of here if you wanted to.”
A large grin spread across his face. “Can’t get anything by you. You’re right. I could open the door, but I’m not going to. I promised Jake I’d keep you contained for a while. Sex would have been nice, so if you change your mind I’m still open to the idea. But either way, you’re not leaving until I let you out.”
“I haven’t met a system yet I couldn’t beat,” Alethea said defiantly.
“Test it. You won’t break out, but it’ll be entertaining watching you try.”
She cursed under her breath.
He reached across, threaded a hand through her hair, and pulled her to him, claiming her lips with his for a long deep kiss that left them both breathing heavily. “Would now be the wrong time to tell you how hot you look when you’re angry?” She raised a hand to slap him, but he caught her hand easily and brought it to his lips to kiss, growling, “I love it when you act like you don’t want it, too. It makes me want to prove to you just how easily I could have you moaning and begging me for more. Is that how you like it? A little rough?”
“I like a man who listens when I say no.”
He took her chin roughly in his hand and held her face so she couldn’t look away. “I have never forced a woman and I never will. All you have to do to get me to stop is tell me that you don’t want this.”
She stood rigidly in his arms and lied. “I don’t want this. Now can I go?”
He set her back from him. “No, but you’re free to try.”
He walked away, leaving her beside the waterfall, cursing him, but also mulling over his words.
She headed straight for the exit and studied his security system. No matter how strong something looked, everything had a weakness.
Chapter Ten
“I hope to hell this is important,” Dominic said, as he stepped into Jake’s office. He’d promised Abby he’d spend more time at home, at least for the initial month after the birth. He didn’t like disappointing her, but Jake had been adamant that his presence was required.
Jake stood and whistled when he saw Dominic. “You look like shit.”
Dominic made a face. “I’m doing the night feedings while Abby heals. Sounded easy enough, but Judy could eat all night. She falls asleep in my arms, but as soon as I put her back in the crib she starts to cry, so I’ve been sleeping in the chair in her nursery and it’s hell on my back.”
“Abby’s not breast-feeding Judy? Even the CDC advocates for it.”
“I’m not talking to you about this.”
“Did you read the report I sent you? There is enough statistical evidence to safely say that it’s linked to high IQs. Some have implied it’s linked to healthy metabolisms. Not all of the benefits are known yet, but there is no man-made formula that rivals it.”
“Do you know what has also been linked to living a longer and healthier life?”
Jake leaned against the corner of his desk and shook his head. “No.”
“Telling me whatever the hell you thought you couldn’t say over the phone, because I’m pretty sure whether or not we’re breastfeeding Judy was not it.”
Raising his hands in defeat, Jake said, “You shouldn’t have asked me to read up on the subject if you didn’t want me to have an opinion about it.”
Dominic made a gurgling sound in his throat, then sat heavily in one of the chairs. “I’m too tired to hit you, but I will remember this conversation for later.”
“Marie won’t help out? Your mother would likely love to take a few shifts.”
Dominic groaned. “Abby and I talked about it. The first few months are important bonding time. Judy needs to know that when she needs something we’ll be there for her.”
Jake shook his head. “You’ve already lost control of the situation, haven’t you?”
Dominic closed his eyes for a moment and laughed tiredly. When he opened his eyes, he joked, “God, yes. With all the trouble we’ve gotten into over the years, did you think it would be diapers and midnight feedings that would do me in?”
Jake took the seat across from his friend and said, “You love it, don’t you?”
With a huge smile, Do
minic nodded. “I’m happier than I ever thought I could be—definitely more than I deserve to be.” He studied Jake’s expression and some of his good mood faded. “But you didn’t ask me to come in today to hear about this, either.”
“You’re right. We have a problem, and the deeper I dig the worse it looks.”
Sitting upright, all fatigue left Dominic. “At Corisi Enterprises?”
Jake stood and walked over to his desk, picked up a folder, and threw it down on the table in front of Dominic. “It started before Judy was born. At first it was a series of simple coding errors. I looked into each of them and they seemed unrelated, but they bothered me. The glitches were too systematic. So I looked into tampering. Our server should be airtight. I didn’t have anything concrete, just a feeling, so I put Marc on it.”
“Good, what did he find?”
Jake poured Dominic a Scotch. “You need to know that we don’t have all of the information yet. Jeremy’s working on it from California. I gave him full remote access. He should have some answers soon.”
Dominic stood and flexed his shoulders. “What are you not telling me?”
“Alethea planted someone in our IT department last year. We found and removed him, but what he discovered is the real problem.”
“Worse than an internal leak of God-knows-what information?”
Jake nodded. “There was no leak. Seems Alethea planted him when you first met Abby. She was under the impression she needed someone on the inside in case you didn’t return from China with Abby. Alethea’s mole told her about the coding errors, so she had him investigate where they were coming from.”
Dominic didn’t say anything; he just stared at his friend with a stony expression of displeasure.
“Her informant traced several of the issues back to one external IP address.”
“I thought Jeremy had secured our server.”
“He did, but this person built themselves an access point that we didn’t even think to look for. Or at least that’s how it looks right now. We don’t know exactly how it happened yet.”
Breaching the Billionaire, AR, Kobo Page 9
