by B. L. Wilde
“Abigail is an employee, Jade. I’ve never pursued any of my employees. It’s not my style.” He pulled me into his chest and held me there. “And if you haven’t worked it out yet, I’m too taken with you to even look at or want anyone else.”
I placed my hand on his chest, playing with the buttons on his jacket as I spoke. “Was I really that obvious?” I cringed when I looked up at him, nervous of his reaction.
“Just a little,” he grinned, pecking my lips. “And it was adorable.”
“I don’t usually get so possessive,” I admitted, shaking my head. “I have no idea what came over me.”
“I would have reacted the same way. Don’t worry about it,” Oliver soothed as he rubbed my shoulders. “And wait a minute…did I just hear you dissing my office a moment ago?”
“You’re the one who asked for my help, remember? If you want to leave it this way, that’s fine by me,” I giggled.
“What would you do in here?”
“I think red is a very dark color for an office. You need something lighter—more calming.”
“Good idea,” he mused, walking to his desk and pulling me with him. “Why don’t you show me some ideas online?” Taking the seat behind Oliver’s desk, I watched as he leaned over me to start up his computer. I swallowed hard when he typed in his password right in front of me. Oh. My. God! I had Oliver’s password for his New York computer. Using the decoder might not even be necessary when I got to his computer in Macon. His password for this computer was his father’s name and date of birth—something I wasn’t expecting. “I shouldn’t really let you watch while I access my files, but I trust you,” he muttered, clicking on a tab for me to use.
“I wasn’t really paying attention,” I lied, feeling as if my entire world was collapsing around me. This was all happening too fast. I had a possible location for the hard drive and now I had a password. I also had a feeling that Oliver used the same password for all his computers. I didn’t want this mission to end, though—I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him yet.
“I have a terrible memory so I keep it simple. I use a loved one’s name and date of birth,” he beamed, leaning against his desk while I pulled up a few design pages for us to look at.
“Should you really be telling me this?” I laughed nervously, tucking my hair behind my ears.
“Jade, I know who I can and can’t trust,” he chuckled. No, Oliver, you don’t.
“Well, it’s not like you use the same password for all your files,” I snickered, scrolling down the webpage of a new designer I’d heard about.
“Actually I do,” he snorted.
“That’s ridiculous!” I snapped, looking up at him. “If you’re half as important as I think you are, that’s got to be extremely dangerous?” I was so angry with him. How could he be so gullible? Why did Oliver have to fall for my charade so easily?
“It’s not dangerous when you only tell certain people.”
“Oliver, you hardly know me,” I stressed, refusing to meet his gaze.
“I think I know you pretty well, Jade.” I could feel his eyes on me as he spoke. “I know you’re fighting with yourself—between the woman you think you should be and the woman you want to be.” How did he know that? “I can feel the real you when I make love to you. You love the excitement, but feel guilty about wanting it, don’t you?”
“I’m not as easy to read as you think I am,” I sighed, finally looking up at him.
“Does this have anything to do with your ex, Mario?” I tried not to grimace at the mere thought. Mario as my ex? Yuck.
“Mario…isn’t an easy subject for me.” It wasn’t Mario I was thinking about as I spoke, though. There was a subject I struggled to talk about—a past I kept hidden away—but I wouldn’t let that surface now. It was too painful when I thought about what I had lost.
“I can understand difficult subjects. I won’t press for more until you’re ready, I promise.” Oliver stretched, leaning over me to look at the computer. “How about you show me some ideas for my office, instead?” That seemed like a good idea. I didn’t want the conversation getting too serious, after all.
“How are you finding New York, Jade?” Richard asked, sipping his whiskey while we sat on Oliver’s balcony.
“It’s amazing,” I replied, watching Oliver make his way back toward me.
“Jade has been to New York before, Richard.” I hid my laugh when Oliver shook his head, rolling his eyes.
“But I doubt she has ever seen New York from a billionaire’s perspective,” Richard mused, watching me intently.
“What are you trying to imply, Uncle?” Oliver suddenly spat.
“Oliver, I…I wasn’t…” Richard tried to defend himself but Oliver continued.
“Why do you always have to try and see the worst in everyone? You’ve seen how happy Jade makes me. Not every woman who shows an interest is after the same thing.”
“Oliver…” I tried to calm him with my tone and pleading eyes.
“You’ll have to excuse my nephew,” Richard replied, looking at me. “He thinks I’m overly critical of everyone he dates, but it’s my job. I have the business to think about, as well as Oliver himself. I meant you no disrespect, Miss Gibbs.”
“There was none taken, Richard.” I smiled at him before glaring at Oliver. “I think you should apologize to your uncle for your outburst.”
Richard laughed loudly. “Oliver, I like this one. I think she might be a keeper,” he replied, nudging me playfully.
Oliver’s face softened as he watched me. “So do I, Uncle,” he admitted, taking a sip of his beer. “So do I.” All I could do was gulp, my mouth suddenly very dry.
Jade, what the hell are you doing?
Chapter Twelve
I didn’t get much work done during my week with Oliver. Well, my interior design work, anyway. Oliver insisted on wining and dining me, taking me to art galleries, and to see a show or two. Needless to say, I was exhausted by the end of the week. I’d been able to analyze all his computers during my stay but had found nothing. The hard drive had to be in Macon.
“This week has been amazing, Jade,” he cooed as he held me against his chest while we lay in his bed. “I can’t believe it’s our last morning together.”
“You’re making it sound like we’re never going to see each other again,” I teased, running my fingertips down his naked chest.
“I have a busy schedule these next few weeks. It’s going to feel like a lifetime until I see you again.”
“I’m sure you’ll be far too busy to think about me.”
“You’d think that, wouldn’t you, considering the business that I run? But I know for a fact that I won’t be able to get you off my mind.” I couldn’t answer him. “You know that, right?”
“I do,” I sighed, still guarding my feelings. He wanted me to be more open with him, but truthfully, I didn’t want to hurt him anymore than I had to. I was going to break his heart in the end—there was no other way around it.
Oliver sighed deeply. “You know how I feel about you, Jade. I’ve made it clear from day one, and yet you still seem so guarded with your feelings for me. The only time I’ve seen any sort of reaction from you was when you got jealous of Abigail.”
“Are we really going to do the heavy stuff now? I leave in a few hours.” I raised my eyebrow in question, resting my chin on my hand.
“You don’t want to talk about where this is going?” No, Oliver, I don’t, because I know this isn’t going anywhere.
“You don’t think it’s still a little early? I thought we were just having fun—you know…enjoying each other’s company. ”
“Why do I get the feeling there is more you’re not telling me?”
“I really like you. You know that, Oliver, but I have to admit, you’re not my usual type.”
“What do you mean by that?” he gasped, his eyes full of worry.
“Your wealth, mainly,” I pointed out as if it were obvious. “Come on. You reall
y think I’m used to all this?” I waved my hands at the splendor surrounding us.
“I’m not my wealth, Jade. What you’ve seen is the real me. Please don’t be afraid of your feelings because of how rich I am.”
“I just can’t rush this, Oliver. I need to be careful.”
“I’d never hurt you,” he muttered, skimming his nose against the nape of my neck. I had to hold my legs together to keep from squirming; he knew my neck was my most erogenous zone. The powers this man had when it came to my body scared the crap out of me. “I’m not like your ex.”
“Why would you think this has anything to do with my ex?” I gasped, feeling him gently bite down on my neck.
“You’re really trying to tell me it doesn’t?” Oliver questioned, pushing me onto my back and running his hands down my body. “You forget—I know you pretty well already.”
“You know how to work my body. I’m a little more guarded with my mind.” I squirmed as his hands began to wander between my legs.
“I want your mind, too,” he smoldered, teasing my entrance with soft, gentle strokes. “And I’ll wait as long as it takes for you to trust me with it.” I couldn’t respond; I was panting too much. “But, right now, I think I’ll have your body again.”
Everything else became insignificant then…my job—the real reason I was here—and the fact that our next meeting could be our last. Oliver had a way of making me forget the reason I was really here.
“Let it go, Jade,” he whispered, rotating his fingers inside me. He was brushing against that spot, but not enough to make me feel the euphoria start to build. Oh, he was teasing me. Mm…I could play along with that. I knew I would be having an earth shattering orgasm at the end of it, after all.
“That’s it, Beautiful,” he cooed, moving toward my chest. When his tongue licked over my hardened nipple at the same time he stroked my G-spot, I closed my eyes tightly and savored his touch. “Mm…Jade, you have no idea how good it feels when you give yourself to me.” I grabbed his hair tightly as he began to make his way down my body, leaving a trail of hot bites and kisses.
“Oh…Oliver.” My voice was just a soft whisper as his mouth made contact with my sex. I could feel his breath on my skin, and without warning, he thrust his tongue inside me. Oh, the things he could do with that tongue. Worried that I’d pull his hair out while he continued his ministrations, I moved my hands, fisting the pillows behind me instead. When he bit down on my clit moments later, I exploded.
“Mm…you taste sweeter today,” he mumbled, licking his way back up my body. I was still in a state of bliss, and I knew Oliver was far from finished with me. “Do you want to taste yourself, Beautiful?” We were face-to-face now, so I answered him with a deep, passionate kiss, sweeping my tongue around his…tasting myself. Fuck, it was hot!
“Mm…I do taste sweet today,” I giggled, licking across his bottom lip.
“You’re always sweet,” he beamed, positioning himself in between my legs. “It’s one of the many things I love about you.” Did he just mention the ‘L’ word? Breathe, Jade! Just breathe.
Nothing more was said after that. Oliver simply thrust deep inside me, taking me at a soft and loving pace.
“You’ll call me when you land, right?” he asked, standing in his kitchen and looking a little lost. Mrs. Davis had just left, saying her goodbyes to me before she did.
“Of course I will,” I grinned.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come to the airport with you?”
“You’re letting Duncan take me. I’ll be fine.”
“What about payment for you services?” he smirked. The smug bastard knew damn well we hadn’t gotten any work done when it came to redesigning his office.
“I’ll get my office to send an invoice.”
“You’ll need to send those design ideas over, too.”
“I’ll have to make something up,” I grinned, watching as he pushed off the kitchen counter and stalked toward me. “You do realize we hardly came to any decisions regarding your office, right?”
“We decided on a calming color, and I’d like to use those paintings we bought in St. Petersburg,” he teased, his hands snaking down my back.
“I guess that’s a start.” Giggling, I wrapped my arms around his neck.
“I’d still pay the invoice, even if we hadn’t gotten any work done. This week has been incredible, Jade.”
“Thank you for letting me into your world.”
“Now that you’re in it, I’m not sure if I ever want you to leave,” he murmured before sweetly kissing my lips. “Have a safe trip.”
“I will,” I breathed as Duncan came into view, collecting my bags. “You’ll call me when you finally get some free time, won’t you?”
“I promise,” he sighed deeply.
“Okay.” I took a deep, calming breath. “I’ll leave you to run your empire for a few weeks.”
“Thanks.” Oliver’s eyes looked sad as he gazed at me, and I had a sudden urge to make him feel better.
“I’ll only be a phone call away. You can call me anytime,” I soothed, leaning up to peck his lips. “Not that I know anything about machines or how to run an empire, but I’m still here for you.”
“You don’t know how good that sounds. I love my business and the people in it, but being with you—talking to you—it’s the only time I feel as if I can escape.”
“I love spending time with you, too,” I whispered into his neck. I couldn’t look him in the eyes because I knew that wasn’t my character talking; it was the real me.
“Get out of here before I make you stay,” he said with a wink. I kissed his lips one last time, his arms still wrapped tightly around my waist and holding me to him for a few moments before finally letting me go. “I’m missing you already,” he called once I reached his door. “Look after her, Duncan.”
“I will, Sir,” Duncan replied, leading the way to the car.
And just like that, my time in New York with Oliver was over.
“Sonia is ready to see you now, Jade,” Drew winked, walking out of her office.
I frowned, shocked to see him. “I thought you were supposed to be in Texas?”
“My mission went bust.”
“Oh no!” I gasped. I liked Drew; he was probably my favorite male Seductor. He had a thin build but was muscular, with rock star style, mousy blonde hair and baby blue eyes. He was quite protective of me, but in a brotherly way. We’d never overstepped that mark when it came to our friendship, and he was the only other person aside from Molly and Georgie who I really felt I could talk to here.
“It wasn’t my fault. The client’s payment fell through.” That was the only time a target would get lucky—when a client couldn’t pay the agreed price before the steal was made.
“Is Sonia giving them hell?” I chuckled.
“I think it’s worse than hell,” he snorted, running his hands through his hair.
“How long were you on the job?” I knew I couldn’t go into details about a mission, but time scales were fine.
“Two months,” he sighed.
“That sucks—all that work for nothing.”
“It happens,” he shrugged. “What about you, Jelly Bean? I’ve heard you have ‘the’ mission at the moment.” I had no idea where Drew’s nickname for me came, but it always made me smile. Georgie used it all the time, as well, and I constantly gave her crap for hanging out with him too much. “How’s it all going?”
“Good thanks,” I grinned.
“Is that all I’m getting?” he pouted.
“You know the rules,” I winked, walking into Sonia’s office. “I’ll meet you by the pool in half an hour. I feel like we haven’t talked in ages.”
“Okay, Jelly Bean. Georgie is already out there somewhere, so I’ll make us all some iced tea before I head that way,” Drew called just before I closed Sonia’s office door.
“Jade,” Sonia greeted from behind her desk. “How was New York?”
�
��Very informative,” I grinned, taking a seat in front of her.
“Do you have information on the hard drive?”
“It’s in his family home in Macon.”
“You know this for sure?”
“Yes. I checked his files in New York, but the hard drive wasn’t there. It will either be at his family home or the Kirkham factory nearby. Oliver practically told me that in a conversation we had.”
“When will your next contact with Mr. Kirkham be?”
“He has work obligations for the next few weeks, but he won’t be able to stay away from me for too long. He’s already asked me to meet his father in Macon when we see each other again.”
“I’m impressed, Jade. I wasn’t expecting this deal to be sealed so quickly.”
“I still have the hard drive to find and a password to decode, Sonia. It’s not quite sealed yet.”
“I have every faith in you. Stop by Intelligence before you go. They may have a few new toys for you to play with. You’ll need a new tracker, too. The software has been updated.” I nodded, starting to get up. “You’ll get a good bonus from this mission when it’s over. Our client has already paid for the steal and is very eager to get their hands on the file with the blueprints.”
“This client—do you know who they are?” I knew she did. A client could only choose to remain anonymous to the Seductor, not to the organization itself.
“Why do you ask?”
“You do know what it could mean if the weapon gets into the wrong hands, don’t you?”
“That isn’t any of our concern. You know we check the safety of each mission before we accept the contract. We have nothing to worry about.” Yeah, the Seductors would be fine, but what about the people in which these weapons were intended for? “Since when do you have a conscience?”
“I’ve never been given a mission where innocent people could die before, Sonia. I’m sorry if I’m finding it all a little too much to handle.”
“Jade, you can’t back out of this now—the mission has already been paid for. Besides, we’ll get that hard drive one way or another. If you can’t obtain it, it will have to be declared a Code One, and you know how those end.” Yes, I did—with the target dead so there would be no witnesses. No, I couldn’t live with that. Oliver would not be killed because I was too gutless to finish a mission.
