Secret Identity

by Sanders, Jill

  What had he done? His face was buried in her hair. He was still buried in her and even felt himself getting harder thinking about how good she felt. Stop it, he ordered himself. She'd asked for time and he'd locked them in her office and taken her on her desk. Sure, she'd pretty much seduced him into it, but that didn't make it any better. She'd asked for time. Did this mean she'd made her decision?

  “Eve?” He rose up above her, looking down at her smiling face. Her hair was fanned out on the dark wood. Her dress was hiked up past her hips and her chest was freed from the plunging neckline that had driven him crazy all night. He wanted to lean down and suck on her perfect nipples, but he needed to straighten a few things out first. “Does this mean you've taken enough time?”

  Her smile fell away and she slowly shook her head. She tried to sit up, but he held her still. “Carter, let me up.”

  “No,” he shook his head. “Not yet. I want to hear your reasons while you're exposed. While I'm still inside you, while you're still breathless from desire. I want to hear why we can't be together.”

  She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the desk. “I'm a mean person. I've done things. I've manipulated you and Mitch to get what I've wanted. I'm not a good person, Carter.” She opened her eyes and raised her hands to his face. “You deserve a nice person. You deserve someone better.”

  He smiled and laughed. “No, Eve. I'm not perfect either. I've done and said things, too.” He leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead, then pulled away. Turning away, he thought of the night he'd left her alone in the dark street. Of all the blood. Seeing her lying on the cold street. It had been all his fault. Closing his eyes on a wave of pain, he tried to block the memory of it from his mind.

  She touched his shoulder, jogging him from the memories. Turning, he tried to smile. “I'm sorry if I overstepped it here.” He motioned to her desk. He knew he'd never be able to see it again without thinking of her spread out over it.

  “No, it was my fault, really.” She reached up and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Give me just a little more time. I'm remembering more and more each day. I want to make sure what we have is what is best for us both.”

  He shook his head. “I don't understand it, but if you want more time, I'll try to give it to you.” He held out his arm for her to take. “Now, do you think we can rejoin the party without anyone realizing we just had some of the hottest sex this office has ever witnessed on your desk?” He smiled and she laughed.

  When they opened the door, they realized they could have walked out naked and no one would have noticed. The lights were flashing and there was an actual Congo line going around the entire office.

  “Oh, this reminds me.” He turned her towards him so she could hear over the loud music. “What do you say to going with me to Mitch and Sandi's New Year’s Eve party?”

  He could tell she thought about it for a second, then nodded her head. “Sounds great.” She laughed as she was pulled into the middle of the dance line and whisked away.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Over the next few days, Eve tried to keep her mind on her work. She'd taken on more clients since she was feeling more confident in her job and in her position at K&E. Carter and Mitch kept trying to tell her to take it slow, but she had a fire under her since signing the contract. Three days after the Christmas party, she walked out of her office to ask Lesley something when she overheard the woman talking on the phone.

  “I'm sorry, Miss Taylor isn't available right now, but if you'd like I can patch you through to Mr. Edwards again.”

  “Lesley,” Eve interrupted.

  “Please hold.” Lesley put the call on hold and Eve could see the fear cross her eyes. “Yes, Miss Taylor?”

  “Who's calling and why am I unavailable?” She walked over to the front of her desk, not knowing the move was meant to intimidate the younger woman.

  “I'm sorry, Miss Taylor. I was under orders by Mr. Edwards. It's Mr. Thomas, the head of the Thomas Ad agency in Chicago. If you would like, I can patch the call to you now.” Lesley's eyes darted towards Carter's office, then back at Eve.

  Eve crossed her arms and thought of a dozen ways to kill Carter Edwards. “Yes, do that.” She turned to go. “Oh, and Lesley, from now on, I'll be taking all of my calls.”

  Walking into her office, she punched the button to answer the call. “Eve Taylor.”

  “Eve, dear. I've been so worried about you. It seems no one at your office wants to patch me through. I had thought about coming down there myself to see if you were all right.”

  “I can assure you, Mr. Thomas, that I am doing very well. Thank you for asking.”

  “Mr. Thomas? Are we not on a first name basis now?” There was something in his voice that Eve just couldn't pinpoint.

  “I'm sorry, I can't seem to remember your first name. I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned, but a few months back I lost my memory.”

  He chuckled. “Yes, I did hear about your nasty fall. Simon, you used to call me Simon.” His voice turned deep and husky sounding. “At least every time you came up to Chicago and stayed with me.”

  Eve felt flustered. Here she was on the phone with an ex-lover and she hadn't even known about it. The name Simon Thomas hadn't appeared anywhere in any of her diaries. And she'd read all the way back to her college days at this point.

  “I'm sorry, Simon. I do hope you understand.”

  “Yes,” he chuckled again. “I fully understand.”

  Ten minutes later Eve marched into Carter's office and slammed his door behind her. He was on the phone and looked up. When he saw her face, he apologized to whomever he was talking to and made a quick excuse and hung up.

  “How did your conversation with Simon Thomas go?” He leaned back in his chair and smiled a little.

  “So,” Eve looked towards his door and thought of firing Lesley. “She tattles as well as obeys your every order.”

  “Oh now”—he got up and walked to lean on the front of his desk—“don't take it out on Lesley. We were just concerned that you were taking on too much. Actually, if you want to be mad at someone, talk to Mitchell. He was the one that suggested we screen your calls and mail.”

  Eve started pacing in front of his desk. “It's you I'm mad at.” She turned on him. “Why didn't you tell me I'd been offered full partnership at Thomas Ad Agency?” She pointed a finger into his chest. “Were you afraid I'd get a better offer and leave? Or did you just want to tie me into a contract here?”

  She watched his face pale. “Eve, I had no idea Simon had offered you a partnership. The night we arrived in Chicago you told me you had a dinner scheduled with him. But when we agreed on our contract, you canceled with him.” Carter stood and took her shoulders. “Honest.”

  She looked up into his eyes and could tell he was telling the truth. Her shoulders relaxed a little and most of the steam she'd built up in the last few minutes died away.

  “Well.” She didn't know what to say, mostly because he was looking at her with softened eyes. “I suppose I can see why you wouldn't have known.” She thought of her diaries and how the old Eve had planned to get what she wanted out of K&E. Maybe she used Simon Thomas to get the contract she wanted. She straightened her shoulders a little. “I guess it all turned out for the best. I mean, I hadn't even mentioned my professional relationship with Simon, let alone my personal relationship with him, in my diaries. Why would I want to tie myself to him as a partner?” Carter's hands tightened on her shoulders and anger crossed his eyes. She didn't know what she'd said, but she could almost see steam rolling off him.

  “What?” he said between his teeth.

  “My diaries,” she whispered, trying to think of why it mattered to Carter who she'd been with in her past. They'd talked about some of her past relationships shortly after Steve had surprised her in her apartment. He'd listed a few other men she'd dated, but none of them had been named Simon. “My diaries hadn't mentioned that Simon and I had been an item. But he seemed to think we
'd been an item every time I traveled to Chicago.”

  “He's lying.” Carter dropped his hands and marched from the room. She quickly followed him into Mitch's office. Mitch looked up from a stack of papers.

  “Tell her that she's never, would never, have been with Simon Thomas.” Carter pointed towards her. She stood just inside Mitch's door, which she quietly shut behind her.

  Mitch laughed. “You and Simon Thomas.” Then his face dropped. “No chance in hell.”

  “See!” Carter turned to her. “Now, the question is, why did Simon lie to you about it. Maybe you should sit down and tell us exactly what the two of you just talked about.”

  That night when she arrived back at her apartment, there were red roses sitting in front of her door. She smiled and smelled them as she walked in her door. The note attached read.

  “I'm so happy you're better. – With love, Simon”

  She'd listened to what Carter and Mitch had said about the man. To be honest, she didn't agree with them. The man she'd talked to on the phone had been nothing but polite and showed concern for her health. She'd even begun to wonder if what Simon had said was true. Could she have kept their relationship a secret because she didn't want Mitch, or worse, Carter to find out about it?

  That night, she hunted through her diaries trying to find any hint at their relationship. There was a quick note three days before she'd left to go to her last trip to Chicago.

  “Heading to windy city to w&d fb player Tom Russell. Have d plans with S. We'll see if I can use to my advantage.”

  She'd had a few more memory episodes since arriving back to New York. None of them had caused her to black out, but on several occasions she'd gotten a headache and her vision had gotten a little gray. For the most part, she was starting to remember who she was. She still called this other side of her the other Eve, because she didn't always agree with the way she'd handled things. Especially when it came to her relationship with Carter. Other Eve, at least from what she could tell in her diaries, was using him to get what she wanted: physical pleasure and partnership in K&E. The fact that they were best friends hadn’t even stopped her from taking what she wanted.

  She thought of her relationship with him now, and how she felt. He'd told her that he loved her. Other Eve had mentioned love as well, but she thought she had meant she loved what he could give her. Eve thought about it and knew that she didn't care what Carter could give her, that she was really and truly falling for him. It both thrilled her and scared her.

  The next day, Lesley patched another call through. This one she'd wished she hadn't.

  “Miss Taylor, your mother is on the line.”

  Eve took a deep breath before she picked up the phone. “Hello?”

  “Hello, dear. I just wanted to let you know that we're having our annual New Years' party. I know you never show up, but like every year, I call and invite you.”

  “Thank you, but I've already made other plans.”

  “I understand. Besides, it's probably for the best since your father doesn't know that I call each year. I just wanted you to know that you're always welcome here.” She could hear her mother's voice hitch. “Eve, I wanted you to know that I'm very happy you've made partner. Carter called and told us. I know I don't say it often, but I'm very proud of you.”

  She couldn't explain it, but her heart jumped out of her chest and tears started running down her face. At that moment, she knew without a doubt that it was the first time her mother had ever said those words to her. And she didn't need a box load of diaries to tell her it was true.

  The night of New Year’s came and when Carter showed up at Eve's door to get her, he was totally shocked to see the little number she was wearing. It was a simple yet sexy black dress with a plunging neckline that crisscrossed over her chest. The tall black boots went all the way up her calf and stopped just below her knees. Three-inch spikes made her almost as tall as he was, allowing him to look directly into her eyes. He held out the bundle of flowers he'd brought her without saying a word.

  “Thank you.” She took her time smelling them and burying her face in the soft petals. “Would you like to come in?” She moved back to allow him to walk in.

  He walked past her, his eyes never leaving her. When she closed the door and turned to smile at him, he said, “You look beautiful.” She smiled even more.

  “Thank you. I've just discovered a new hobby of mine and whipped this together last week.” She turned and showed off the dress. His eyes traveled over the slim lines of her body. The cut of the dress showed off her curves, making him want to run his hands all over her. Then his mind cleared.

  “You? You made this?” The shock must have shown on his face because she laughed.

  “Yes, along with a few other things. I didn't know if the talent had survived the head bump, but by the look on your face, I'd say it did.” She walked over and began putting the flowers into a vase and then she set them by a large bundle of red roses. “Where did you get those?”

  “Oh, aren’t they nice? Simon sent those the other day.” She smelled his flowers again and turned to Carter. He tried to wipe the anger from his eyes before she noticed it. Apparently, he hadn't succeeded.

  “Don't be like that. For now I'm just enjoying the smell and look of them. Besides, he's clear in Chicago and”—she walked slowly towards him and he quickly forgot about Simon Thomas—“you're here with me.” She walked right into his arms and kissed him and he forgot about everything but the feel of her against him.

  When they arrived at the party in the large lobby of one of Mitch's favorite local restaurants a half hour later, he was still so wound up, he was finding it hard to concentrate on talking to his friends. His eyes kept darting towards Eve as she talked to Sandi across the crowded ballroom. He tried to spend as much time by her side as he could, but with the crowd, he'd lost sight of her on several occasions.

  He'd been talking to a good friend, Trent, the owner and head chef of Manhattan Nights, the restaurant where the party was being held. Trent had been a roommate of Mitch's during college, and they'd all remained good friends since then. Trent's success was the stuff legends were made of, at least when it came to the restaurant business. His place was always packed and most people had to wait weeks to get a table booked, but for them, Trent always had an empty table. Actually, it was a standard that if they had a party or event, they held it here. To return the favor, K&E handled all Trent's advertising needs. It was a mutual benefit and served them both well.

  It was shortly before midnight when Carter started hunting the crowd for Eve. He wanted to make sure he rang in the New Year right. He spotted Mitch and Sandi sitting in a dark booth and walked over towards them.

  “Have either of you seen Eve?” His eyes were still scanning the room.

  “She said she needed some air. She just stepped out.” Sandi smiled and pointed towards the large glass doors that lead out to a patio.

  “Thanks. Oh, happy New Year,” he said as he walked away.

  When he walked out onto the patio, he saw several couples strolling around the small, covered patio. The wind was cold enough that he pulled his dress jacket closed. Eve was out here in this? What was she thinking?

  He scanned the dark pathways and was about to turn back into the room when he saw her running out of the back gate across the courtyard. He saw a man dressed in black right behind her. Carter didn't hesitate; he took off at full speed.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Eve was enjoying the party. Even though the loudness of the crowd and music had caused a small headache to start, she still smiled and chatted with everyone she knew. She'd been introduced to a few friends she hadn't remembered. They had all introduced themselves and told her how they knew each other. She was sitting in a booth with Mitch and Sandi, watching Carter work his magic on a few clients. She enjoyed watching how smooth he was with everyone. He looked like he was enjoying himself. The dim lights and the mix of a new song that had just come on made her head pound
even more. Excusing herself, she made her way across the floor towards the glass doors and cool air. She'd hoped for some quiet, but when she stepped out the door, the music was still loud enough that she continued walking in the cold until the light and sound disappeared, leaving just the cold breeze and the dim lights of the city. She stopped and took a deep breath as she wrapped her arms around herself. She didn't feel the cold, didn't notice as she shivered. All that mattered was that the music was dull and the lights were low. Taking another deep breath to steady herself, she almost choked on the rich, musky scent of someone's cologne. Instantly, her mind whirled to another place, to another time, much like this one.

  “Hello, Eve.” He stood shadowed in darkness. Her arm hurt from where he'd pulled her from the sidewalk into the alley. She rubbed her wrist and straightened her shoulders.

  “What do you want?” She wasn't too steady on her feet; after all, two green beers had caused her head to swim. But she still understood the situation she was in and tried to edge her way towards the mouth of the alley.