by Amy Deason
Madison retreated hastily, leaving her alone to clean up. The image of Stacy, hurt and bleeding, made her stomach churn. What kind of monster does that? Rich and handsome he may be but a monster all the same. And she wanted nothing more than to collect her things and leave this place far behind. But despite her extreme desire to do that, her professional courtesy wouldn’t allow her to leave unannounced. Besides, if Tom ever found out that she just up and left, he would be furious. And she needed this job. Regrettably, she made her way back to the dining room, hoping to put an end to this night as quickly as possible.
Stepping into the room, she saw Vance standing in front of the crowd of guests, a cordless microphone in his hand. She stood in the very back of the room, far away from the monster that everyone’s attention was now drawn to. Her new insight allowed her to see things she hadn’t noticed before. The aggression and power in his voice, the size of his hands and the strength to his build. Any respect and admiration she might have had for Vance was long vanished. God, how she wanted to get out of here. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself minute by minute to stay long enough to say her professional goodbyes. Then she was getting the hell out of here and never coming back. It occurred to her that as much as she had been grinding her teeth tonight, she might have to find a dentist soon.
She unclenched her jaw and tried to relax but before she had gotten very far with that, the hair stood up on the back of her neck and she risked a look behind her shoulder. Apparently Seth had finally decided to join the party. Stifling an inward groan, she tried not to acknowledge him, focusing on Vance’s speech instead.
“. . . So despite those temporary setbacks, I am proud to announce that with your donations, we have raised over two million dollars! I am sure our selected charities will be greatly appreciative. In fact, through the recent breakthrough of my research company, Eden Pharmaceuticals, I feel that in time, I will be able to give back even more than I had thought possible.” His smile was wide and toothy, charming to most. But to her he looked like a great white shark that had just made a fresh kill.
The applause was thunderous, echoing throughout the entire room. Beaming, he stepped into the boisterous crowd, shaking hands and clapping others on their backs.
“He’s quite the charmer, isn’t he?” Seth replied softly, just loud enough for Madison to hear over the applause and conversation in front of them.
She turned to face him fully. A mistake. Even with the ridiculous heels she wore, he towered over her by a good four or five inches, forcing her to lean her head back to look up at him. But his height was not the only reason to give her pause. She was shocked to see his gaze locked intently on her. His dull brown eyes pinned her in place with their intensity while his nearness made her heart pound. He was so close, too close. She couldn’t stop herself from taking a step backward, knowing that with that one movement, he could tell just how uncomfortable she was around him.
“Yes, I guess he is,” she replied, unable to keep the sarcasm from threading through her voice. That had been her original opinion of him too. But then, most people didn’t get the unfortunate opportunity to overhear what she had. She had no doubts that Seth had seen and heard more than she did but if he took notice of her tone, she couldn’t tell. There was no reaction on his face, just the cool, emotionless indifference.
“Although, a word of advice, if you don’t mind.”
Seth leaned down to her, his face scant inches away. She couldn’t contain the sudden intake of breath at his quick movement. She could see every movement of his lips and the smoothness of his strong jaw. Damn, he smelled good. Alarmed at her insane reaction to his scent, she jerked her eyes upward and saw with startling clarity how the long, black lashes framed his pale eyes, creating a mesmerizing contrast.
His breath was warm on her ear as his voice, suddenly husky, secretive, as he whispered, “People are not always what they appear to be.”
Just as smoothly as he had leaned down, Seth pulled back, moving away and disappearing into the crowd of party guests, leaving her standing agape.
“Madison, my dear, I’m so glad you’re still here. I was afraid you had left without saying goodbye,” Vance said, approaching from behind her.
Trying to overcome the intense emotions running through her, she swallowed thickly and faced Vance. Her heart was pounding uncontrollably and she struggled to rein herself in.
“No, of course not,” she managed to say with barely a tremor in her voice. She was shaken by her close contact with Seth, as fleeting as it had been and she really wanted to get out of here. There was something odd going on here and she wanted no part of it. A completely ridiculous line of thought, maybe, but at the moment, she didn’t care. She could laugh at her stupidity later. At home.
“Good. I had hoped that we would get a chance to look over the pictures you took tonight. I can’t wait to see how well they turned out. I’m sure they’re excellent.” He flashed her one of his megawatt smiles, placing his hand on her lower back, effectively holding her in place.
Nearly jumping at his touch, she forced herself not to move. She was only here for a few more minutes and then she could leave, never having to feel his hands on her again. Surely she could endure for that long. She had no intentions of staying and showing him anything. He could come to the office if he wanted to see the pictures. Or someone else could bring them to him. She was not about to step foot near him again after tonight.
“Sorry, Mr. Goldston, I mean, Vance. But it’s been a long night and I’m about to head home. In fact, if I leave now, I can catch the next ferry back to Manhattan. But I assure you that I’ll have your pictures by early next week. Then you can go over them and let me know which ones you like.” She hoped she sounded more sincere than she felt.
“If you’re sure you have to go?” He bestowed a pout on her that before may have been boyishly charming, but now was it was merely abhorrent. “Well then, please call me when the pictures are ready. We can get together to look them over.”
She felt no warmth in his smile but politely returned it with one of her own. “I’ll do that. Now if you don’t mind, I need to call a cab.”
“There is no need for that. I have a driver who can take you to the ferry terminal.”
“Thank you, but that’s really not necessary. A cab would be just fine.” She didn’t want anything more to do with Vance or his employees.
“Nonsense, it’s no problem.” Looking over her shoulder, he said, “Seth, please have Ryan escort Madison to the ferry.”
How the hell does he do that? She never heard him come up behind her. It was scary the way he drifted around quietly, appearing and disappearing like a ghost.
“I’m sorry, sir, but Mr. Brennen is not here,” Seth’s soft voice replied.
“What do you mean he’s not here? Where would he go at this hour?” Vance demanded, his voice tinged with anger.
The ferocity made her take a step back and she bumped right into Seth. Sidestepping, she removed herself from between them.
“Miss Mears wanted to return to the city tonight and she felt it necessary to leave before the end of the party. She requested Mr. Brennen to drive her to the ferry. They left just a few minutes ago. However, if Ms. Sinclair is ready to go, I can drive her to the ferry terminal. If we leave now, we may make it in time.”
Alarm flooded her. Oh no, she was not climbing into a car with that man. Not on her life. “Thank you for your kindness but really a cab would be perfectly fine. I don’t want to trouble you.”
The ride to the ferry was only a short distance and would only take a few minutes but she knew that those minutes could seem like a lifetime with the wrong person. And Seth was definitely the wrong person.
“It’s no trouble, Ms. Sinclair. It’s the least I can do. But I’m afraid that we must leave now. The snow is coming down heavy and it may slow us down.”
Anger and frustration filled her as she realized she had no say in the matter. She had somehow become trapped when all she wanted to do was escape. But it seemed the only way she was going to manage that was if she spent five or ten minutes alone in a car with Vance’s cold assistant. Lord, was this horrendous night ever going to end?
She flashed him a smile that was definitely feeling threadbare. “Thank you. Just let me grab my coat and I’ll be ready.”
Seth offered her coat out to her. “I took the liberty of getting it for you.”
Madison stood completely still for a moment, too shocked and unnerved to reach for the black coat. How in the hell . . .? Oh Lord, it didn’t matter how. All that mattered right now was that she get out of here and back to her warm, safe apartment in Manhattan. Flashing another fake smile that she knew couldn’t possibly be taken as real, she took her coat from the gray ghost of a man standing in front of her.
Disregarding Seth for the moment, she faced Vance again. “Thank you again. I’ll call you when the pictures are ready.”
“No problem, my dear. I look forward to hearing from you.” He grasped her hand and bringing it up, placed a light kiss on the back of it. His warm lips against her skin was almost more than she could bear. She thought she might throw up. Turning, she followed Seth out of the warmth of the mansion and into the cold December air. A definite improvement. The falling snow pirouetted in the night sky, performing a cold, silent ballet but she was not in the mood to enjoy its beauty. She pulled the lightweight coat around her tightly; she wished she had worn something warmer.
“It’s not very smart wearing a dress like that in the middle of winter.”
Madison turned to her unwanted escort, the last of her politeness reserve used up for the night. Even angry she noticed how the white flakes landed in his dark hair, on his muted clothing, lending color to him. Black and white, good and evil. “Thank you Mr. Reynolds. I will keep that in mind next time.” She couldn’t stop the bite in her voice and didn’t even care to try. She was tired and cranky and ready to leave. He didn’t seem offended in the least. Damn, she’d hoped she might have aggravated him at least a little. He was certainly aggravating her.
“Stay here, I’ll get the car.” Not even waiting for her response, he stepped out into the falling snow, immediately enveloped; disappearing like the ghost he appeared to be.
Sitting in the driver’s seat, listening to the soft purr of the engine, Seth opened the sleek, black cell phone and reviewed the information he’d received hours earlier. So far, Ms. Sinclair’s story was just as she said, though it was easy enough to plant false information about herself if she knew what she was doing. Ricki was hacking her way through the system, searching deeper. Be patient, she’d said. He wanted to shout, Lives were on the line. Time is of the essence. He couldn’t afford to wait but it seemed he had no choice. He would have to make it work.
So far he knew Ms. Sinclair had had few relationships, none of them serious. The most recent lasting for less than a year. She didn’t appear to be a frigid woman but she held herself back, never really enjoying what was offered. Or quite possibly, her former lovers were lousy in bed. The reasons didn’t matter but they might be helpful if he had to use certain tactics to find the information he needed. He knew his talents in the bedroom and was confident he could seduce her with relative ease despite whatever hang ups she may have with intimacy. She was pretty enough, and he hadn’t thought about sex since he started this mission so it would definitely be an unexpected bonus. A little entertainment was not off limits as long as it didn’t interfere with the job. Occasionally, it was an essential part of the assignment and was actually encouraged.
There were, of course, other ways to get information from someone, not all of them pleasant. He hoped he wouldn’t have to resort to that type of persuasion, preferring the pleasurable to the painful. But his preferences didn’t come into play during a mission. He just did what he had to. Tucking the phone into his pocket, he shifted the car into ‘drive’ and pulled out of the dark garage and into the blinding, white snow.
The party was far from winding down but Vance needed a few minutes to think. Disappearing into his office, he focused on a little problem that had the potential to turn into something bigger if not dealt with soon. Stacy, that hot, sexy, little minx was going to be his downfall if he didn’t get rid of her. It had been a mistake keeping her around this long but she was such a nice toy and he hated to give her up. Such playthings were expensive. Oh, he could always afford another doll whenever he chose but he really enjoyed playing with this one. Kinky and wild and totally uninhibited in the sack, Stacy was exactly what he wanted. She liked it rough and dirty and no matter how licentious his fantasies became, she was game. She was at his beck and call day or night. He owned her. But lately, she wanted more than he was willing to give. The little whore wanted a commitment, something serious involving diamonds and wedding vows. That was never going to happen. No matter how incredible the ass was.
He had his suspicions that she knew more than was good for her. There was always the chance that she could reveal something to the wrong person and spoil all of his fun. That was not an option. He’d worked too hard to face failure now. So, it was time for her to bow out. He doubted that she was going to do that gracefully. A woman scorned was nothing to mess around with. But he knew exactly how to deal with unpleasant situations like this.
Leaning back in his leather chair, he placed his perfectly manicured hands behind his head and closed his eyes, letting his mind wander. Long ago, he realized that timing was everything. And right now, things were going according to plan. In fact, the timing couldn’t be more perfect. More than two years had passed since that disastrous event and he still shook with anger and outrage every time there was mention of it.
The revolutionary weight loss drug had been a success. The results were fast acting and the money was pouring in fast than he had hoped. It proved to be yet another overnight success in his long string of achievements. Eden Pharmaceuticals was his ultimate success, his baby. In a sense, he’d given birth to this company, nurtured it, and watched it grow. But then something had gone wrong. Shortly after taking the pills, thousands of people became gravely ill and the months following were nothing short of a nightmare. His product was pulled from the shelves and then the FDA had to stick their noses into it, investigating everything from the drug itself to him and his previous business ventures. Every part of his life was brought out into the light and examined under a microscope. Then came the hearings. They were long and tedious. And expensive. His companies took a major hit financially and worse, he became a target for criticism and ridicule countrywide. Every past success tended to be overlooked in the shadow of this failure. His extreme benevolence had been forgotten and his importance completely disregarded. That was unacceptable.
He deserved to be recognized for his genius, honored for his insight, and exalted for the god he was, not condemned for the failures of those under him. But that didn’t matter to them. Nothing mattered but black balling him from everything he was used to. Everything he deserved. Country clubs, parties, everything. Their intense hatred and suspicions infuriated him and thoughts of retaliation burned in his every waking thought. Women came and went, helping to curb his violent ideas and his quick fire anger but on occasion, he would lose control of himself and they would have to disappear mysteriously.
But then he came upon an idea for the perfect revenge. It was simple but devastatingly effective. With this, he would make them all pay for what they had done to him. He worked nonstop, analyzing each and every detail over and over. At last, he was done. It was ready. And now, the time was coming to exact his revenge on those that tried to defeat him. Just a little longer and the world would worship him once again. He’d worked so hard to get to this point and he was going to be damned if he allowed one upset female destroy everything he’d map
ped out.
When Stacy was out of the way, he would find someone a little more down to earth to take care of his needs. Maybe someone like that nice, young photographer. Ms. Sinclair. His face erupted in a slow, lecherous grin. Now she was something totally different. Quiet, reserved, she was a little more padded than the women he was used to. Maybe a change would be good. It would be something to look forward to once he took care of his other little problem. Opening his eyes, he sat forward, his lips drawn in a harsh line. He picked up the private line and punched in the numbers from memory. The phone on the other end only rang once before being picked up.
“I have a job for you.”
Chapter 4
The black Cadillac sliced through the snow silently, a dark bullet in the night. Sitting in the passenger seat, Madison sat as close to the door as possible, distancing herself from Seth. So far, he had been the perfect gentleman. Pulling up to the front of the house, he had climbed out of the car and opened the door, waiting for her to slide in. She had expected to sit in the back but he opened the front door and waited expectantly. Swallowing her qualms about riding so close to him, she didn’t argue knowing it would be a waste of time and breath. Besides, she was freezing. Thankfully, he had the heat blasting and she was warmed even before he settled himself behind the wheel.
