by Nana Malone
“Shit, honey, not now okay? I’m trying to work some stuff out.”
“Some stuff that has to do with Caleb?”
“Yes, no. I don’t know.”
Jaya was silent for several heartbeats. “Did something happen last night? Do I have go get Ricca and we go kill him?”
Micha chuckled. “No, nothing like that. He…we—” What the hell could she say? We had an awesome make out session, then I begged him to fuck me and he said no, then I freaked out? “It’s complicated.”
Jaya was silent again. “Holy shit, you slept with him.”
Micha widened her eyes. “Damn it, Jaya. Would you keep your voice down?”
“Micha, I’m in my office. No one is here. When did this happen?” When Jaya wanted information, she was a like a dog with a bone.
“Look, Margarita Mondays is tonight. You and Ricca come over, and I’ll fill you in. Now I gotta go.”
“Micha?”
“Yeah.”
“Look, I want to give you shit for Caleb, but I’m actually worried about you. I’m worried.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you guys. Can we talk tonight?”
“Sure, I’ll gather the other trooplette. Just tell me—you’re sure you’re okay?”
“Peachy.” Micha hung up and stared at her files. At least peachy was the rhetoric she repeated to herself on a daily basis.
***
Caleb woke to the remembered scent of Micha. Her strawberry shampoo. He cursed as he checked the time; he only had an hour before his client meeting. He had two new clients to meet with today and he still had to deal with the Sabine situation. He had real world shit to take care of and deal with, but instead his thoughts were consumed with one woman.
He padded into the bathroom, and unable to shake the lingering memories of her, he turned the water on. He had excellent recall, and his mind insisted on replaying every moment of the elevator ride. From the way her hips had rocked into his, to the way she’d moaned his name, to the satiny feel of her thighs as she’d wrapped them around him.
Caleb’s hips jerked at the memory. She’d been so soft, so ready for him, so willing. But then he’d gone and ruined everything with his damn crisis of conscience. He couldn’t get her out of his head. The memory of Micha sliding her slick tongue over his. Those magnificent breasts of hers plastered against his chest. Her thighs splayed wide for him, with the slit in her dress so daring. He’d been able to hitch it up by inches to access her sweet slickness.
His hips rolled again, and he reached down to adjust the throbbing aching length between his thighs. Big mistake. The moment he wrapped his hand around his cock, all he wanted to do was come. His balls ached with the remembered pressure of almost having release. Impatient, he stroked, and the memory of Micha was enough to bring him to the brink again.
“Shit,” he mumbled under his breath. But that didn’t curb the need. In slow, measured movements, he worked his hand up over the bulbous tip with a firmer grip then came down over his full length. As he stroked, his brain conjured memories of Micha tugging at his shirt. Of her wrapping her legs around him and rocking her hips into him.
His fingers slick with her wetness as he slid them over her sensitive folds. The way she’d tossed her head back and exposed the column of her throat. The way her hands had fisted in his hair and she’d moaned his name. The little mewling sounds she’d made when he’d closed his lips over the tip of her breast. Her nipples hardening to little pebbles as he’d licked them, suckled them. His breath caught. Micha coming was a sight he’d never forget in his life. He could still feel her hands in his hair as she tugged. The disbelieving expression in her eyes when he’d slid his finger over her clit and sent her reeling over the edge. The way she’d ridden the waves of pleasure, directly meeting his gaze, her lips parted as she whispered his name over and over and over again.
Caleb’s orgasm slammed into him, quick and hard. His body trembled as the memory of her took hold, nearly solidifying in his brain. Even as the warm water sluiced over his sensitive skin, he wasn’t satisfied. The tension wasn’t as prominent, but the need was still there.
“Fuck.”
He turned the water to icy and gritted his teeth. Harsh, but it was the only way he was going to get her out of his head. She didn’t want anything to do with him, so the best he could do was focus on work.
Teeth chattering, he turned off the water and wrapped a towel around his waist. Before heading into the bedroom to get dressed, he grabbed his phone off the kitchen counter and made quick call.
“Sabine, bring the girl over.”
Chapter 9
Caleb eyed the young brunette as she strolled around his apartment, touching all the electronics. “Something doesn’t feel right about this, Sabine.”
Sabine ran a hand through her long, dark hair. “Look. It’s a babysitting gig. You only need to watch her for a couple of days. A week tops. I’ll get everything sorted and get the heat off of me, and I’ll come back for her. That’s it.”
Caleb studied Sabine. Her large, doe-brown eyes made people want to believe her. They had been her greatest asset in the field. She looked innocent. It didn’t hurt that she was beautiful, but her eyes sold it. As she turned them on him now, he knew better than to think she didn’t understand the effect she had on people. But the Sandersons had died. And she’d been partly to blame. He wanted to believe that Sabine had an in with the cartel, that he could finally find out who killed all those agents. That family. That little girl. But he also knew better than to place his trust in Sabine. When all had been said and done, Sabine had pointed the finger at him at the debriefing. Said it was his poor planning to blame. And the brass had believed her. Sure, he still had his post, but he’d lost the will to keep working. If she’d told everyone what she’d seen, he might have had a very different life.
Through the corner of his eyes, he watched the girl as she examined his television. She ran her hands across the top. Her eyes widened like she couldn’t believe how big it was. As she flicked her hair over her shoulder, she glanced back at him. Caleb’s heart seized. Flat, dark brown eyes stared up at him, but there was something... He couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something familiar and sad about the girl.
Maybe because she had that same glassy, panicked look in her eyes as Micha had at the rehearsal. “Carlotta?” he asked. “How old are you?”
Immediately her gaze darted to Sabine before she answered. “I’m twelve. I will be thirteen in December.” Her accent was lilted and thick, but she spoke English. Her father had gone to school in the states before returning with his business degrees from Wharton to take over his family’s criminal enterprises. An America success story of sorts.
“Do you watch much television at home?”
This time the gaze she gave Sabine was hostile, reproachful almost, but she answered him quietly. “No. I wasn’t allowed.”
That would explain her fascination with the television.
“Caleb?” Sabine snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. “Do we have a deal? I don’t have much time. If you’re not going to watch out for her, then I need to make other arrangements. But I have to tell you, given that we’re here, I don’t really have many options.”
Caleb turned his attention back to the woman he’d once believed he loved. There was something off about her. About the girl. About the whole situation. And he’d find out what it was. But that girl was an innocent, and she needed his protection. “Yes. I’ll keep her safe.”
In the meantime, he’d figure out exactly what Sabine was up to.
***
Micha had finally come to a decision. After her little chat with Ricca and Jaya, she knew she couldn’t let her internal fear keep her from moving on with her life. Even if her past did catch up with her, she wasn’t the same scared little girl.
But still, as Micha strolled toward her boss’s office, she prayed she wasn’t making a mistake. Things were different now; New York a dist
ant memory. She could do this. At some point she needed to move on with her life. Things had spiraled out of hand. And she needed to start facing her dark and uglies.
A slow, slimy shiver stole up her back as her brain played the memory reel of the lights going out and the elevator jerking to a halt. Her palms grew damp from the remembrance alone. The hairs on her arms stood on end, and her heartbeat amped up from sedate thud, thud, thud, to an instant gallop, like the first time she’d tried to run a half marathon and thought she would die at mile eleven.
She drew a deep breath and slowly let it out. Like those long ago doctors had told her to do when she’d first started having the panic attacks. When that didn’t work, she forced another breath, pictured her heart going from racing to a softer rhythm. It helped, but not enough, so she dragged in one more. Several of her coworkers gave her an odd look, but she ignored them, trying to focus on something calming. Something like Caleb’s voice soothing her, telling her she was going to be okay, telling her she was the strongest woman he knew. He’d chased off her demons last night. And to thank him she’d nearly fucked everything up.
Kissing him had been a horrible idea. Showing that vulnerability was the one thing she regretted in a life of mostly no regrets. She really wished she could take it back. Well, not all of it. Boy, that man could kiss. It was like he had a direct line to her body, and he knew exactly how to touch, tease, and caress. Her body temperature increased, chasing off the earlier chill, but the hairs on her arms stood up for entirely the wrong kind of reason. Shit. Get your shit together, Bennett.
When she reached Miranda’s open office door, she went in without preamble. If she’d paused, she might have chickened out of her decision.
“Micha, hello.” Miranda glanced up at her expectantly. “I’m hoping you’ve made a decision, because the sharks are circling.”
Micha pursed her lips. “I’ve given this a lot of thought, and I’ll do it. But I want some guarantees from you. I want to choose my camera crew if at all possible.” That way she could check them all out herself. If only you knew someone who had a security background and could check them out for you. She ignored the inner voice and continued.
“I also want to call the shots on my personal team.” She’d keep it small, just in case. Nothing like last time is ever going to happen again. She drew in a steadying breath. “And I want veto and approval power on all questions. If they want me to ask something bullshit and fluffy, and I refuse, I don’t want them hanging an axe over my head. I say no, and I want support that they won’t try firing me every two minutes. It will get tedious for me and very frustrating for them, because I won’t back down.”
Miranda smirked. “Anything else I can get for you?”
“No, that should cover it.”
“Good, then let’s get to work. I’ve emailed you your first assignment. Producers want to meet with you this afternoon. The subject can be a bit prickly about his personal life, so they’ll help you navigate around that. You’re also being assigned a research intern. Screen tests will be this week.”
Micha raised a brow. “An intern? I’d prefer someone with more experience. And I want to be Senior Features Editor with a clear path to Editor in Chief.”
Miranda crossed her arms. “You’re after my job?”
Micha shrugged. “Eventually. As my boss, you should be aiming to replace yourself. Eventually, when you’re ready, I’ll be that replacement. Those are my terms.”
Miranda crossed her arms. “You don’t ask for much, do you?”
Micha raised a brow. “Not at all. Now about that intern?”
Miranda smirked. “Try them out, see how you like them. I promise you, the younger they are, the faster they learn new techniques to glean information you need. Any questions?”
She wasn’t going to argue that small thing. She had excellent research skills herself. If push came to shove, she could do the background follow up. Had she really tossed herself into the fray? This was a good thing, right? Moving on with her life. “Only one. Who’s the subject?”
Miranda’s eyes twinkled. “You’re going to love this. None other than Simon Jax. Apparently one of the producers used to date him, and they’re still on friendly terms. I just can’t believe....”
Pain sliced through her heart. After all these years, his name alone had the power to sting. As Miranda prattled on, Micha’s stomach rolled. She tried to convince herself that this was a different Jax, that she hadn’t agreed to interview and play cozy with the one man who had destroyed her heart. Miranda kept saying words like “...groundbreaking...” and “innovative” and “...personal...” But Micha couldn’t hear her over the roar in her skull. Shit. She had to get out of this. Screw Caleb and his moving forward. Micha’s head swam, and her heart went full Kentucky Derby status. If she wasn’t careful, she’d pass out. She had to get herself under control.
Again, she focused on Caleb and his voice, using him to steady herself.
It took her a second to realize Miranda had stopped talking.
“Micha, are you all right? You look ashen. Do you need some water?” Miranda stood, reaching for the glass carafe behind her on the tray by the window.
She had to get out of here. Like now. She’d worry about coming off as totally cray-cray later. If she could get to her office, she could panic in peace. “Y-yeah, I’m fine. I’m running through interview questions. You know me. Always working the angles. I’ll go look over the file you sent.”
Once she left Miranda’s office, she wobbled on her borrowed Louboutins. She’d had the shoes for a day now, and so far, they were not the good luck charm the girls purported.
Making steadier progress back to her office, she paused at Ryan’s desk to grab her mail. He stood when she came over.
“I don’t know what you did right, but can I have some of that karma? There was another flower box delivered for you.”
Micha blinked and frowned at him, trying to make sense of his words. “Was there a card this time?”
“Don’t know.” He shrugged and presented her with a ribboned box. “These are wrapped.”
Caleb insisted he hadn’t been sending her flowers, so if not him, then who? “Yeah, thanks.” She dragged herself into her office, dropped into her chair, and leaned her head against her desk. “God, how did things get so colossally fucked up?”
As there was no answer, she dropped the shoes by her desk and shoved the mail aside. Most of it was junk anyway. She focused on the box. Carefully, she untied the ribbon and pried open the cover. The fragrant scent of roses immediately filled the room. The color of the roses were near black, and she frowned. She sniffed again. There was something else too, like something too sickly sweet, like something over-ripened. The dark blooms looked like death against the satin, white interior, and as she reached for a stem, she had trouble dislodging it. She jostled the stems around to release them from their tie. Then she saw it.
A scream bubbled out of her throat before her conscious mind could even think to recall it.
Ryan came running in. “Micha, what is it?”
“Someone sent me a dead fucking rat!”
Chapter 10
“So you didn’t sleep with Caleb?” Jaya asked with a frown.
Micha shook her head and tried for levity. She couldn’t shake the feeling from this morning no matter what she did. She dragged her attention back to her friends. She’d been in need of some serious girl time lately. “No, I didn’t. You jumped to that conclusion.” Though she’d been this close.
“Well, you let me believe it.” Jaya sulked and handed Ricca ten dollars out of her pocket.
Micha scowled. “You guys bet on me? Some friends.”
Ricca laughed. “No, honey, I bet on you. Jaya bet against you. I said there was no way you’d sleep with Caleb. Never mind that you guys have been sniffing around each other for years.”
Micha downed another shot of Patron and glared at Jaya and Ricca. Both were seated Indian-style on her orange shag carpet, s
taring at her with dark brown eyes. How the hell was she supposed to explain? “I-I…” She sucked in a deep breath. There had to be an easier way.
Ricca slid Jaya a look. Great. Her friends would be ready to commit her soon.
“So last night, when we were all running around looking for Adele’s treasures—and very funny, Jaya, pairing me with Caleb like that.”
Jaya shrugged. “Honey, that was all Adele. You know that crazy woman loves nothing better than to interfere.”
“Tell me about it,” Ricca added. “But we’re not talking about Adele, we’re talking about you.”
Right. “So when the lights went out, Caleb and I were in the elevator.”
Ricca and Jaya snapped glances at each other and grinned. Well they wouldn’t be grinning for long.
“You guys saw my second meltdown of the night, there was one before that, as soon as the lights went out.”
“I’m sorry, sweetie,” Jaya said. “If it’s any consolation, Adele chewed out the night crew foreman for the power outage.”
Micha winced. Adele probably left the poor guy a eunuch. “So when the lights went out, I freaked. And Caleb—he was so great to me. He kept talking to me, and he held me. Completely calmed me down. So how do I repay this kindness? I jump his bones.”
Ricca went slack jawed.
Jaya startled, but she spoke first. “I knew something had happened.”
Micha cleared her throat. Jaya and Ricca wore broad grins. She shook her head. “Stop grinning like idiots, guys. It didn’t end well.”
“Uh-oh, Micha, what did you say?” Ricca asked.
Micha bristled. “What makes you think I said something? You know, just because I speak my mind doesn’t mean—” She stopped. “Fine, usually I might have said something, but this time I didn’t. I—” She sagged. “I wanted to be close to him. We were making out in the elevator, and I completely forgot everything about where I was and anything else that was going on except who was kissing me. The way he made me feel. I haven’t felt anything like that before, so I got a little carried away. It’s like when people have been starved nearly to death, when they finally get food, they overdo it and end up feeling sick.”
