Not an easy task when he knew her pretty intimately.
***
Destiny could see the accusation in his eyes. He hadn’t voiced it, but he had no proof. What he didn’t know was that she’d inherited the car. An aunt had just bought it then died. Her own car was a mess so she jumped at the chance to drive something new.
She’d guessed from Nikolai’s reaction that it was expensive. She knew little about cars except to maintain them. Her other car had more than one hundred thousand on the odometer. At that point, it had been on its last leg.
She dropped her purse in her drawer then searched for the closest restaurant that would do Italian take out. She’d never suspected Nikolai would be into food like that, but she all she knew about his former life was that he was a cop in some way. Yuri had never been specific.
Guess cops always ate food like that. She ordered it, then Martin was at her desk.
“Hello, Destiny.”
Could he ever say her name without it sounding skeevy? She doubted it. She hadn’t fended off an advance from him in years. Guess he assumed she had been having an affair with her boss and he’d left her alone. Not so much anymore.
Maybe she could start a rumor that she was doing it with Nikolai. Then this man, this animal, would leave her alone.
He sat on the edge of her desk. She hated that. Yuri never did that. He had respect for her work space. Destiny shifted away from him as if she needed to look for something in a drawer. She wished she could shove him off of her desk, but he still had power over her.
Yuri would have her back. She had no idea if Nikolai would support her. If he thought she was doing something wrong with his father or the finances, he’d never be on her side. She had to tread carefully. She had no support system now.
“Can I help you with something Mr. Krevchenko?”
He had a folder in his hand. “I have that report that Nikolai wanted.”
Nikolai. As if they were best friends.
“It was due yesterday,” she said.
“Well, it’s here today.”
He put it on her desk. Right in front of her. Leaning over to look down her shirt. It didn’t show any cleavage.
“Thanks. I’ll give it to him when he gets back to his desk.”
“We should go to lunch, Destiny.”
“Oh?”
“Talk about your future in this company.”
“That seems like a conversation I should have with Mr. Alman.”
“Maybe. We don’t know if Mr. Alman is sticking around. He might not be running the company forever,” Martin said.
The idea chilled her. If Martin was her boss, she was going to quit.
“Is there a problem, Destiny?” Nikolai said from behind Martin who almost fell off of her desk.
“Uh, no sir. Mr. Krevchenko was just dropping off his report.”
“A day late,” Nikolai said.
Destiny smiled, and stifled a laugh behind Martin’s back. Ass.
“Well, it took me longer than I thought,” Krevchenko said.
“Thanks for putting the effort in,” Nikolai said. “I’ll be in touch.”
Martin glanced at Destiny who refused to make eye contact with him, then he left.
“Destiny, I need to speak with you,” Nikolai said.
Her office phone rang. “Can I take this?”
“Sure.”
She answered. “Mr. Alman’s office.”
“Destiny, it’s Stacey at the front desk. There is a man here to see you.”
“A man?”
“Says he’s your husband?”
Shit. “I’ll be down in five.” She hung up. “I need to take care of this. Will that be okay?”
“Sure.”
She took the elevator down to see her ex-boyfriend. He was not her husband. Had never been her husband. Never would be her husband. She regretted ever going out with him. He liked to show up when he needed money.
Yuri had thrown him out of the building last time. Guess he didn’t learn his lesson.
Jamal Hawkins stood all of five-foot-six. You’d think if you were that short then you’d stand up straight. Try to look presentable. Not Jamal. He hunched over like he was gangsta, his pants hanging too low. Destiny had no idea what she’d seen in him.
“What are you doing here, Jamal?”
“I came to take you to lunch, baby.”
“I’ve already eaten and I’m not your baby.”
“Destiny? Code thirty?” Stacey said.
Code thirty was the code for security. Destiny shook her head. She could handle Jamal.
“Sure you are. I saw that nice ride you got.”
So that was it. He thought she’d won the lottery or something. Of course it had to do with money. It always had to do with money when it came to Jamal. Someone had to support his habit.
This time it wasn’t her.
“I’ve got nothing for you Jamal,” Destiny said.
“Shall I talk your boss into giving you a raise?” he said.
That was the last thing she needed. Nikolai and Jamal in the same room. Shit.
“Go away, Jamal, before I call security,” Destiny said.
“Is there a problem?” Nikolai said for the second time today. Here he was saving her again.
“Jamal was just leaving.”
Jamal was having none of it. He swaggered toward Nikolai, his hand outstretched. “I’m Destiny’s husband.”
Nikolai shook the man’s hand, but looked at her over him. She shook her head. This man was not her husband.
“Nice to meet you, but I don’t think Destiny agrees with your marital status,” Nikolai said.
“What? Course she does. I’m just here to collect her paycheck to put it in the bank for her.”
“Funny. We don’t issue those until Friday.”
“Guess I lost track of time,” Jamal said.
“I think you need to go now, Jamal,” Nikolai said. “Before I call security. Or the cops.”
Jamal’s mouth fell open. He backed away. “No need to call the cops.” He turned to Destiny. “I’ll see you at home.”
She didn’t say anything as he walked out. “I’m sorry for the interruption, Mr. Alman.”
“Not your fault.”
Jamal stopped at the door. “No, I’m not leaving. This bitch owes me money.”
Destiny’s hitched in a breath. She didn’t owe him anything. She wanted to die on the spot. Could she come off as any more ghetto than to have Jamal here at her work? Yuri knew her story. He knew her history. Nikolai didn’t. Would he think twice about keeping her on?
Nikolai strode to where Jamal stood. “Do you really want to take me on?”
Jamal’s eyes widened, but he didn’t back down. “Do your best white boy.”
*
Nikolai could have laughed. This two-bit punk wanted to take him on. Had he not been in one of his favorite suits, he might have really taken the boy out. He also had to be more genteel. He was in the business world now.
If they were on the street and he was still a cop, he’d beat the crap out of this guy. He’d made Destiny uncomfortable. Embarrassed her in her work place. The boy needed a beat down, but Nikolai wasn’t going to do it in the reception area of the company he’d just taken over.
He sighed. “Stacey, call the police.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You only have gym rat muscles,” he said to Nikolai.
He grabbed the man’s shirt and leaned in closer. “You don’t want to take me on. Don’t let the tailored suit fool you. I can street fight with the best. I’ve gone undercover with the Russian Mafia and taken down a city councilman.”
He said the words so only the man could hear him. The man’s eyes widened and Nikolai could almost smell the urine coming off of him. The boy was about to pee his pants. Finding this out made Nikolai even madder. This was the worst kind of punk. The kind that only preyed on women. When faced with a real man, he couldn’t handle it.
Pussy.
Before he could punch the man or shake him, a mocha hand appeared on his arm. “He isn’t worth it.”
Nikolai looked up into Destiny’s green eyes. She wasn’t mad. She wasn’t scared. She looked more determined than anything. “Okay.”
He let go of Jamal’s shirt. The punk went about brushing off lint as if Nikolai had soiled him. Jamal had almost soiled himself. Nikolai hoped he’d gotten his message across. He turned to Destiny. “Go wait for me in my office.”
She blinked, then nodded, a resigned look on her face. She had nothing to worry about, but he couldn’t say that in front of Jamal. She entered the elevator. Once the doors closed, he turned back to Jamal.
“If she gets fired, she won’t have any money to give you. Think about that the next time you want to show up at her office.”
“I’m going now.”
Nikolai grabbed him. “No, I don’t think so.”
“I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“You’ve trespassed on private property. You’ve harassed an employee of mine. For that you’ll stay put.”
The cops came, arrested Jamal and he was dragged away, cursing at Nikolai. Yeah, like he was the first civilian to ever say those words to Nikolai. His years in the FBI had thickened his skin.
“He never gets in the door. He shows up again, Stacey, you call me. Not Destiny.”
“Yes, sir,” she said.
He found Destiny with a box on her desk. She was putting things in it.
“What are you doing?”
“Packing.”
He stepped closer, trying to figure this out. “Why are you packing?”
“I’ve lost my job haven’t I?”
“Uh, no. How the hell am I supposed to run this company without you?”
She turned her green gaze to him. “You aren’t firing me?”
“No. Get in my office, Destiny.”
She dropped what she was doing then marched into his office. He closed the door behind him, then settled on the other chair in front of his desk. “I ordered you up here because I wanted to make sure that you’re okay.”
“But I thought between Jamal and how you looked at me this morning that I wasn’t welcome here.”
“How did I look at you this morning?”
“As if I was guilty of something.”
He had looked at her that way. Now he was sorry. “I’m sorry.” He went for broke. Maybe Destiny was the culprit, but then she might reveal herself if he revealed a few things. “Someone is embezzling money from the company.”
“I showed up with a brand new car that’s more than I can afford.”
“Yes.”
Maybe she’d tell him now where she acquired it from. She didn’t give him any more information than he already had.
“So I’m your suspect?”
“One of them. You have to admit it is suspicious.”
“Yes, I guess it looks bad.”
Her gaze hadn’t left his and he wanted to shake her. “Just tell me that you didn’t take the money.” She licked her lips and he had a memory of those lips on his cock. He cleared his throat before his mind went off on that tangent. “Jamal has been arrested and I don’t think he’ll bother you for a while.”
“What did you do?”
She didn’t look concerned, just curious.
“We chatted a little after you left,” Nikolai said.
He’d made it clear that Jamal was not welcome here and that he’d personally deal with him if he did. He told Jamal that he should feel lucky that the cops were arresting him instead of Nikolai taking care of the situation.
Nikolai hadn’t known the cops, but they recognized one of their own so he was sure that Jamal would have the maximum amount of charges against him.
She nodded as if she understood not to ask what the subject of the chat was. “Can I go back to work?”
“I just want to make sure that you’re okay. You can take the rest of the day off if you’re shook up.”
She shook her head. “No, I’m fine. I’ve been dealing with Jamal for a while now.”
She stood as if the conversation was over. He didn’t want her to leave.
“I’d really like to have a business dinner tonight. There are some things I’d love to discuss and not worry about anyone walking in on us.”
No, that didn’t sound dirty.
“Not sure I can make it tonight,” Destiny said.
“Check your calendar, I really would like to discuss these reports from the executives with you.”
“Should I be privy to that information?”
“None of it is confidential. They don’t talk about salaries and even if they talked about corporate secrets, you probably already know them all. You’ve been my father’s assistant for years now.”
She seemed to consider it. He pleaded with his eyes. He wanted to get her alone again. He wanted to tell her that he’d love a repeat of the other night. No strings. No worries about her job.
“Let me check.”
“Go check, now, please. I’ll make reservations. Or I can cook dinner. We can have hours of uninterrupted time.”
He knew what he’d like to do with her uninterrupted. Take it slow.
“I’m not sure going to your place is a good idea,” she said from the doorway.
***
Famous last words. Here she was, parking her new car in front of Nikolai’s cottage. He’d talked her into dinner at his place to discuss the reports. She knew she should have resisted, but he wore her down. She’d been so relieved that she wasn’t losing her job that she let him win. He’d backed her up with Jamal and she’d been grateful.
She shouldn’t have been this grateful. She snagged the bottle of wine from the passenger’s seat then disembarked. This time she actually looked at the cottage.
It was not a cottage by anyone’s standards other than the top one percent of society. She saw that the dormers were even larger than she’d originally thought and that on the peak of the house was a copper weather vane in the shape of a rooster.
How appropriate. A cock on his house. She shook her head at her humor. The door opened at her knock as if he’d been waiting for her. He wore faded jeans, slung low on his hips. His blue t-shirt brought out his eyes as much as it strained across his muscles. He had no shoes or socks on his feet. For some reason that was sexy. As if he was comfortable with her. Not putting on airs.
His hair was still wet as if he’d just stepped out of the shower. Of course her mind went to a vision of him naked and soapy. She handed him the wine. “My contribution.”
He gave her a sardonic smile, his head tilted as he scratched the back of it as if he wasn’t sure what to make of her. “Thanks.”
He stepped aside so she could come in. He had all the paperwork here so she would have shown up empty-handed. Her grandmother would have been displeased. Even if it was business, you never showed up without something for the host.
The night had turned cool compared to the day. The living room had a fire going. There might have been candles. All they needed was a Barry White album. She sighed. Maybe this was a mistake.
He took her jacket, hanging it in a closet by the door.
“I just made some spaghetti. Nothing fancy.”
“Then I’m glad I bought red.”
“I figured we could work for a bit then eat. Is that okay?”
“Sure. Whatever is fine.”
“Have a seat.”
She sat on a plush couch that practically sucked her in and begged her to stay, it was so comfortable. Wow. Probably some high-end furniture. She hadn’t noticed it last time she was here. Then again, she wasn’t on this floor for very long. They’d gone straight to the bedroom. Only exiting to get some water in the kitchen then doing it on the counter.
The memory made her shiver. Nikolai came back with the bottle and two glasses. He poured one for her, handing it to her. Then the other one he filled for himself. He had the reports on the coffee table.
&nb
sp; “I wanted to start with Krevchenko. I figure he’s the worst.”
“The worst?”
She took a sip of wine then set her glass down on an end table. Otherwise, she might knock it over.
“Because I think he’s a dick.”
She laughed. That was what she thought of Martin also. She’d never said it to Yuri. “Your father promoted him quickly.”
“That’s surprising. My father doesn’t usually fall for bullshit.”
How could she describe the transformation she’d seen in Yuri this last year? He’d been a barracuda when she started this job. Now he had more important things on his mind. She understood. Hopefully Nikolai would. “He’s getting soft.”
“He hasn’t been in to the office for three days.”
She cocked her head. “The chemo makes him weak.”
Nikolai frowned. He didn’t look comfortable talking about his father’s illness. “I know. I talked to him on the phone.”
“Is he holding up okay?”
“You can call him. He’d probably love to hear your voice.”
She shook her head. “That might not be right.”
“Why not?”
She sighed. How to say this delicately. “Your stepmother doesn’t like me.”
“Oh. Hm. Odd. Why? Has she ever hinted the reason?”
“No. I’m stumped.”
He laughed. “Does she think that you’re having an affair with my father?”
Destiny laughed also. “I doubt that. You ready to get down to business? I think we have a lot of ground to cover tonight.”
“We do. Back to Martin. His report is longer than anyone else’s and I don’t believe he does all that he says he does,” Nikolai said.
Destiny hesitated. She didn’t want to bring anything but facts to the table, but she had a bad feeling about Martin. No, she didn’t like him, but besides that. She opened her mouth, then closed it.
“What?” Nikolai said. “You can speak openly here.”
“I don’t have any facts. That’s why I don’t want to say anything.”
“What do you have?”
“A gut instinct. That’s very good I might add.”
“Then tell me, Destiny.” He moved closer to her and she almost couldn’t speak because of his presence. He was so male. As if he had more testosterone than most men.
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