Hard Pack (Ridden Hard Book 2)

by Allyson Lindt

  Tristan leaned in, forearms resting on the table. “What kind of concerns?”

  “I had my team do the opening pieces of due diligence, before approaching you. Basic information based on public knowledge and any shared business you and I have. I was concerned to discover that warehouse Mischa Dozniyov donated recently, was signed over to After School Kids while we still held the deed as collateral against your firm’s loan.”

  “Is that why we’re being audited?” Fuck me. He didn’t even have to come out and ask about it, the other man offered the answer up without flinching.

  Wolfram’s wide-eyed shock was marred by the smirk that twisted his mouth. “Not being privy to the details of your business, I can’t say for certain, but giving away property you owe a debt on would draw suspicion. If it’s a matter of a misplaced timestamp, I might be able to help.”

  Tristan barely suppressed his are you fucking kidding me? “I think I’m misunderstanding, because it sounds like you’re extorting me.”

  “That’s a serious accusation.” This time Ralph’s surprise looked genuine, as if he hadn’t expected Tristan to lay the situation out bluntly. “I’m talking about an honest mistake that I’d like to work with you to correct, and you’re accusing me of something illegal in return.”

  “Hmm.” Tristan kept his tone neutral and brief, to see how much more Ralph would say without prodding.

  “Why would you think— Ah. You’ve been talking to Georgia. I forgot my daughter not only works for you, but has your ear.”

  “Ash is my Head of Information Technology. We talk a lot.”

  “Did she also tell you I’m spiteful, I write mean contracts, and I hate everyone I work with?”

  She didn’t need to tell Tristan most of those things, he’d gleaned them for himself. “Her personal opinions only matter when they impact my business.”

  “Well said. Very non-committal. One of many things I like about you.” Ralph had regained his composure.

  Tristan wasn’t impressed with the compliment. It made him a little queasy to think it might be sincere. “Thanks.”

  “Something my daughter fails to understand is I’m not a comic book super villain, I’m a businessman. The thing I’d like you to keep in mind is that she was sixteen when she left home.”

  “I don’t understand your point.”

  Wolfram adopted a smile that matched his last name. “That was the last time she had access to my paperwork. I’m not saying I’ve changed my practices since then, far from it. Another thing you and I have in common is we run a consistent business.”

  “Fantastic.” He was struggling to keep his emotions in check. Every flavor of rage and disgust pulsed inside, ringing in his ears.

  “When she was fourteen, she wanted to download a game for her sister.” Ralph chuckled nervously. It was grating. “I can’t believe I’m telling you something so personal, but I trust you. Her adoration for Kelly is her saving grace.”

  Revulsion joined the mix inside Tristan, that the man was talking about his own child with so much disdain. It was amplified by the respect Tristan had for Ash.

  “She got into my computer because she wanted to change the router security,” Ralph said. “I had a contract open at the time, and she read through it.”

  “Precocious child.” A hint of admiration slipped into Tristan’s reply.

  Ralph raised an eyebrow. “Indeed. When you were fourteen, did you understand legalese? Hell, I barely understand it now. As for everything else she has to say about me, and I’m making assumptions based on the accusations she’s cast in my direction... As a single parent my girls accompanied me to many dinners with colleagues. If Georgia had things her way, I’d write everyone I did business with a blank check. A lovely idea, but you know how impractical that is.”

  “I do. In other words, if she did tell me anything, I’d need to take it with a grain of salt, because she was just a kid who didn’t understand.”

  “You see my point.”

  Tristan stood. “I’m glad you stopped by today, this has been a good chat.” His voice was smooth, successfully hiding his disgust.

  “I feel the same.” Ralph rose as well.

  “I’d like to look more at this partnership proposal. Can you send me any preliminary paperwork?” He still had no intention of doing business with Wolfram, but the phrase know your enemy repeated in his thoughts.

  Ralph shook his hand. “Absolutely. I’ll get you an NDA first, and once that’s signed, we’ll move forward with next steps.”

  “I look forward to it.” Tristan saw him to the front door. As soon as Ralph was gone, he let the mask slip away. He didn’t expect to find anything damning in the proposal, Ralph Wolfram played his game too well to let something like that happen, but the NDA was suspicious.

  More important, now Tristan had an idea of what triggered the investigation, and that gave him a direction to look for a resolution.

  He glanced at his watch. It was after two. That meeting took more than an hour?

  Victoria. Shit.

  WHEN VICTORIA ARRIVED at the doctor’s office, and didn’t see Tristan’s car in the parking lot, she wasn’t surprised. She arrived early, to make sure they got her in on time, but she’d assured him he didn’t have to be here until right before the appointment start time.

  She signed in, and waited.

  Another girl sat across from her, holding a baby who fussed every time his mother tried to put him back in his car seat. She glanced at Victoria, apology and worry etched on her face.

  Victoria gave her a reassuring smile and tried to look less fidgety while she waited.

  “Lorraine,” Rae, the nurse at the front desk called.

  The girl took her baby and approached.

  “Your insurance didn’t go through.” Rae’s voice was kind. “You’re going to need to pay up front before you see the doctor. You can make other arrangements next time if payment will be an issue.”

  Lorraine’s smile looked forced. “Right. Sure.” She tried to leaf through her purse one-handed. “I can, um... I just... I might have enough—”

  “How old are you, doll?” Victoria asked kindly. She was already reaching into the appropriate pocket of her purse for the appropriate pamphlet and associated discount card.

  Lorraine looked at her, eyes wide. “Seventeen.” Her reply was so soft, it barely reached across the small waiting room.

  Victoria stepped to the front desk as she popped the perforated card from its slot, and slid the information to Rae. “She’s using this discount plan.” Victoria turned to Rae, and set the rest of the paperwork on the counter in front of her. “You’ll need to go to the website and register when you’re done here. You have to do that to keep the plan active after your first visit.”

  “I can’t afford to sign up for anything.” Lorraine frowned.

  “It’s a free plan.” Victoria kept her voice kind. “As long as you register before you’re eighteen, it offers free wellness visits for you and the baby, until he’s five.”

  Lorraine gave her a tentative smile. “Thank you.”

  “But you will need to fill out additional paperwork.” Rae slid a clipboard across the counter.

  Lorraine shifted her baby to her hip, and grabbed the information. As she tried to settle the child in his car seat, he screamed.

  “May I?” Victoria sat next to her and nodded at the baby.

  “Yes. His name is Paul.”

  Victoria picked up baby Paul, and cradled him in her arms. He stared at her wide-eyed for a moment, then burbled up a series of spit bubbles.

  “Oh jeez, I’m sorry.” Lorrain dug through a diaper bag and handed Victoria a rag.

  Victoria should be disgusted. The spit would dribble on her jacket and make a mess. She couldn’t find it in her to be upset. “It’s okay.” She took the rag and dabbed the baby’s face clean.

  He grabbed for her finger, and she let him wrap a tiny hand around it. The smooth skin against hers, and curious eyes stari
ng up at her sparked something inside. Such an amazing, tiny life.

  And she’d be taking care of one of her own soon. The realization sank in with a weight she hadn’t experienced before now. It was suddenly so much more real. She crooked her finger so he could gnaw on her skin.

  It was easy enough to say she was going to be a mother. The weight gain, mood swings, and morning sickness were solid indicators. But until now, it hadn’t hit her now much she was looking forward to it.

  To bringing a tiny life into this world, and watching and helping them grow and learn.

  Another thing occurred to her. She was really grateful Tristan was not only willing to be, but insistent on being involved.

  There was a nagging disappointment inside, like a tiny pebble in a shoe, that he’d only be there part time. But at least she wouldn’t be doing this alone.

  When Lorraine finished her paperwork, Victoria handed Paul back. The warm glow inside didn’t fade. She was going to be a mom, and damn it, she was happy about it.

  The clock dragged past one-thirty, and there was no sign of Tristan. Work must have him held up.

  When a nurse called her back, she checked her phone one last time before silencing it. Nothing.

  She paused at the front desk. “My—” boyfriend? Fuck buddy? “The baby’s father is on his way. Will you send him back when he gets here?”

  “Sure, hon.”

  Victoria made her way back to an exam room. She resisted the urge to check her phone again as she answered the standard questions, had her vitals collected, and went through the same things as the last couple of visits.

  He wasn’t going to show. She couldn’t fight her disappointment. Sure he’d promised, but it was an off-the-cuff thing. A last-minute decision.

  “Everything looks good,” the doctor said. “See you back here in four weeks.”

  Victoria smiled and thanked her. When she turned her ringer back on, she saw the missed call from Tristan.

  Her heart skipped a beat, and she snarled at the reaction. She dialed into voicemail.

  “I’m so sorry. Give me a call back when you have a minute, please?” He sounded sincere enough.

  She waited until she was seated in her car to call him back.

  “I’m sorry,” he answered.

  “So you said.” She tried to keep her voice light. “If you’re planning on making a habit of this, warn me now. Because if you’ve decided work will take priority, I’ll rethink your involvement.” An edge slipped into her teasing.

  “Which you’d be right to do. I have an excuse if you want to hear it. I promise it’s a good one.”

  It had better be. “Sure. I’m listening.”

  “Ralph Wolfram stopped by the office.”

  “Oh.” Victoria’s anger evaporated, replaced with a gnawing anxiety.

  “Yeah. He wants to buy into my business. As a silent partner. And I know what the IRS has on us.”

  She let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “That’s a pretty damn good excuse. Is it something I can take back to my boss?”

  “It is.” He filled her in on Wolfram’s implication that the building donation paperwork was signed before the closing paperwork.

  “If that’s the case, it must have only been a couple of hours at the most. Would they really be so uptight about a narrow window like that?”

  “I don’t know. If someone’s having a bad day, it’s enough to make our lives miserable in court for a while. It’s definitely enough to make them dig deeper and see if either of us missed anything else. Your organization has more to worry about there than mine.”

  He had a good point. Victoria flopped back, her skull striking the headrest. While the charity did their best to do everything by the letter of the law, if someone was digging, and wanted to find something, the odds seemed good that they would.

  That was a possibility before, too, but now that she knew the auditors had a legitimate reason for looking, it made the situation seem that much bleaker.

  Chapter Twenty

  WHEN VICTORIA GOT BACK to work, she headed straight for Malory’s office.

  “How’s the baby?” Malory asked.

  “So far so good. You asked me to pass along any information I came across that might help with the audit.”

  Malory’s eyes grew wide. “Yes, definitely. Anything.”

  She relayed the information Tristan gave her, leaving out the fact it came from Ralph Wolfram wrapped in thinly veiled innuendo and extortion. “I know it’s not much, but I hope it helps.”

  “It’s a direction. Thank you.”

  Victoria returned to her desk, more in the mood to focus on work than she had been in days. Uncertainty was bad, but knowing where to look was nice. She made several successful calls, including a couple of cold-calls to new prospects, and felt decent about work in general at the end of the day.

  She lingered a little longer than her colleagues after work, to make up for the lost time from her appointment, then headed out to the parking lot.

  As she approached her car, the streetlamp a few spots down illuminated someone standing next to the driver’s door. Her heart skipped against her ribs at the sight of Tristan’s familiar muscular build.

  He straightened as she drew closer. She tried keep her glee at seeing him hidden, but she couldn’t fight her smile.

  “I stood you up earlier. Let me make it up to you.” He reached out when she was close enough, and pulled her to him.

  She should push him away, given the public nature of their surroundings, but it felt good to press against his chest, his arm around her waist. “This isn’t being private or subtle about our relationship. My co-workers park back here too. What if they talk?”

  “People will always talk.” He moved his hand under her jacket and sweater, resting his palm against the bare skin of her back.

  Warmth spilled over her.

  “If they didn’t have the audit to talk about, they’d gossip about the fact that I’m a perverted older man, taking advantage of a young, innocent starlet. There will always be gossip,” he said.

  “You are kind of a pervert.”

  He pulled her closer, his semi-hard erection digging into her stomach. “Only for you. My point is, I don’t like keeping this a secret, but if you’re worried about what people will say, tell them I’m your high-priced gigolo.”

  She laughed and shifted to rest a hand against his chest. Her visit to the doctor’s office nudged her memory. “Speaking of, if someone were to ask, and we weren’t keeping things under wraps, what would you really want me to tell them about us?”

  “Hmm... Is this like a pet name thing? Because I’m going to get jealous if anyone else calls you Vicky.” He traced his lips along the edge of her ear.

  A pleasant shiver that had nothing to do with the cold night ran through her. “Trust me, no one else is calling me that. I mean... are we still just fucking?”

  “There’s no just about it, and I hope not.” He cupped her cheek, drawing her gaze to his. “How about Baby Daddy?”

  She slapped his arm playfully. “You’re being impossible.”

  He grabbed her wrist, holding her captive, and crushed his mouth to hers. The intensity, and the way it contrasted with the teasing, lit her veins on fire. She groaned against his mouth, disappointed when he broke away.

  “Stud Muffin?” he asked. “Sexy Beast? Boyfriend?”

  “I like that last one. The others are pretentious, even for you.”

  He placed a series of soft nibbles along her bottom lip. It’s settled then. I’ll be your boyfriend, and you’ll be my Vicky.”

  She liked the sound of that better than she ever imagined possible. “It’s settled.”

  “Now, the real reason I’m here.” He pushed away from her car, taking her with him, and steered them the two rows down to his Subaru.

  “To make out in the parking lot?”

  They stopped near the passenger side, and he kissed along the side of her neck. “I li
ke the way you think. We can add that to the docket.” He opened the door, but didn’t let her go to sit. “But I was thinking, I take you out for dinner, then take you home and keep you for breakfast.”

  “Out?” She winced as the question slipped past her lips. It needed to be asked, though. They were still under scrutiny, and now that they knew Wolfram initiated things, her concerns about people in their shared network seeing them felt founded.

  He sighed. “I really don’t like the idea of secret boyfriend."

  “Are you willing to tell Mischa about us?” Maybe that wasn’t a fair question. She didn’t know what she wanted his answer to be.

  His hesitation made her thoughts stall, and then he said, “Yes.”

  “Really?” She couldn’t keep the disbelief from her voice.

  “Really.” Tristan was more confident this time. “I’ll call him right now if that’ll make you say yes. It’s Wednesday night. Not exactly a high-traffic evening for social activities. We’ll go somewhere that we’re not going to run into anyone who drifts in Ralph’s circle. The fifties diner a few blocks down makes a wicked flavored soda.”

  “This is a big deal to you.” Her smile was nudging its way back. Despite her reservations, it was sweet that he didn’t want to hide them.

  “You’re a big deal to me.” He searched her eyes.

  She didn’t know what he was looking for, but she hoped he found it. “Dinner sounds fantastic.”

  He grinned, then held her hand until she was seated. A moment later he slid into the driver’s side. “I promise you’ll have fun tonight.”

  She didn’t doubt it for a moment.

  He pulled onto the main road, then rested his hand on her knee. Traffic still moved at a crawl, from light to light, as people headed home for the night. As the car inched along, Tristan inched his fingers up the inside of her thigh. The slow teasing made her squirm. An inch at a time tingling over her skin.

  He trailed along the lace at the top of her stockings. “Thigh highs.”

  “They make me feel sexy.”

  “I can’t argue that.” His tone was low and husky. He slid higher, pushing her skirt up between her legs. A new thrill raced through her as she realized that if anyone glanced toward them, they’d have a good idea of what he was up to.