Casual: Part 4 (Power Play Series Book 12)

by Kelly Harper

  Unless Aimee is right and they’re planning something behind my back…

  It’s a chilling thought, but one that will have to wait until I can blow off some steam and get the image of Aimee walking away out of my head.

  Chapter 7

  Logan

  Nothing helps me clear my head like hitting the weights. Follow that with a relaxing time in the sauna and I should be feeling more like myself. Hopefully, it will help me figure out what needs to happen next.

  I change into workout clothes and make my way through the mansion. I’m halfway to the gym when Gervas rounds a corner in front of me and flags me down. Talking is the last thing I want to do, but he seems insistent.

  “Now isn’t a good time,” I say.

  Gervas falls into step with me.

  “I was curious if Miss Watson had the occasion to speak with you? She inquired as to your whereabouts and I do know how she is prone to getting… misplaced.”

  I let out a frustrated sigh. It’s going to be hard to not think about Aimee if she gets brought up in every conversation.

  “She did,” I say, curtly. “And she said you had something to do with it. You knew I wasn’t in the mood to talk to her…”

  Gervas isn’t fazed by the obvious frustration in my tone.

  “I only told her where I thought she might find you.”

  I come to halt and round on him. To his credit, Gervas doesn’t miss a step.

  “You told her to find me in the sauna?” He nods. “That’s rather interesting, since I told you I would be in my suite and didn’t want to be disturbed.”

  “It must have slipped my mind,” he says, attempting a half-hearted shrug.

  I eye him, suspiciously. Gervas isn’t good at masking himself and there is definitely something off. He’s never taken any particular interest in my personal affairs before, so why is this different?

  “You know something is happening between Mara and Lucas, don’t you?”

  “Is there?” he asks, his eyes widening in fake concern.

  Damn him.

  “Cut the act and be straight with me. What’s going on?”

  There’s a brief hesitation before he responds.

  “I wasn’t positive,” he says. “But I have had my suspicions.”

  Frustrated anger is quickly rising inside of me.

  “Why did you get Aimee involved? You should have just come to me.”

  Gervas considers me for a long moment before responding.

  “I hope it isn’t too forward of me to say this, but it seems like you and Miss Watson have a special connection.”

  My gut tightens. I don’t want to think about our special connection.

  “Aimee and I…” I wave a hand and try not to sound too deflated. “That’s not something we have to worry about, anymore.”

  Gervas’s face seems to droop.

  “That’s too bad. She seems quite taken with you.”

  “Apparently she has some… other… interests in mind.”

  “Oh?”

  Gervas gives me an innocent look. He’s used that look before and it usually means he knows something I haven’t figure out yet.

  “Don’t look at me like that. You know damned well I have to protect myself.”

  “What on earth do you need protection from?”

  “I’m a powerful man. And powerful men make good targets.”

  “So Miss Watson is targeting you?”

  “Don’t twist my words around on me. Besides, you have your own situation to be handling… I’m starting to think that someone on your staff has become a liability.”

  Gervas’s cheeks tinge a rosy color. It might be the first time I’ve ever seen him blush.

  “I must apologize for that. Rest assured, the situation is being dealt with.”

  “Dealt with?”

  He gives me a curt nod.

  “The person in question has been let go. But not before securing some sensitive information.”

  This is the first I’m hearing anything about it.

  “When were you going to tell me?”

  “We’re still following up on loose ends. I wanted to wait until we had a better handle on it before bringing it to your attention.”

  So Mara did have someone she was working with. Things are starting to fall into place.

  “Dig deep. And do it quickly, we may not have much time.”

  Gervas nods his head once.

  “Might I be so bold as to inquire how things have changed between Miss Watson and yourself, sir?”

  I hesitate for a moment, but then give in. Gervas’s heart is in the right place, even if this isn’t something I want to be talking about right now.

  “Mara confronted her,” I begin. “She made Aimee an offer and apparently it’s exactly what Aimee was looking for.”

  Gervas frowns.

  “I got the feeling the only thing she’s looking for is a connection.”

  Dammit, why won’t he just drop it?

  “Look, what’s done is done. It’s time to put the past behind us and focus on the future.”

  Gervas continues as though I hadn’t even said anything.

  “What is it that you’re running from?” he asks.

  “I’m not running.”

  “Mister Atwood… Logan…” Hearing him say my first name makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. “I’ve known you for a long time. Maybe the longest of anyone that knows you. You can’t fool me like everyone else. You’re scared of something—even if you won’t admit it to yourself.”

  What in the world gives Gervas the right to talk to me like this?

  “I’m sick and tired of women only seeing me for what I can give them. I want a woman who is going to see me for the man I am.”

  “Then why don’t you start acting like it?”

  “Excuse me?” I say, giving him a sideways look.

  “Logan, you’re the only one making a big deal about how much money and power you have. If you want a woman to see you for who you really are, maybe it’s time you start seeing it for yourself?”

  “That’s ridiculous. Of course I know who I really am.”

  “And what makes you so sure that Aimee doesn’t see it for herself?”

  “Aimee only sees me for the big house and the exotic toys. The moment she had an offer for a sure thing she was all over it.”

  “You’re talking out of your ass and you know it.” The anger in his tone stuns me. “You’ve got a woman running around this house, bending over backwards to let you know that she just wants a chance with you. You’re the one putting up all the roadblocks. And yet, somehow, she’s still determined to do anything she can to win you over. You’re the only one making it about the money, and if you keep it up then you’re going to be the one who loses.”

  The words hit me like a ton of bricks. A long silence hangs between us before I’m able to say anything. I’ve never heard Gervas get so angry about anything before.

  “Maybe you’re right,” I say, finally.

  Gervas nods as a little smile tugs at the corners of his lips.

  “I knew you would see reason when it was pointed out,” he says. “Now, I’m quite certain that you’ll find Miss Watson in the study. Perhaps it would be wise for you to go to her…”

  Chapter 8

  Aimee

  Clicking through another random Facebook profile gets me nowhere. I let out a frustrated sigh.

  Since when did everyone start making their profiles private? Don’t they know how much easier it would be for me to snoop on them if I could freely look through all of their posts and pictures and relationship statuses?

  I push back from the desk and sink into the gigantic leather chair. It’s been the better part of an hour and I still haven’t come up with anything that might help me make a case against Mara. I thought the social media angle was a brilliant idea—isn’t that where you go to get dirt on people these days? But I haven’t found a damned thing.

  I have
no idea how I’m going to convince Logan that something really is going on behind his back. He needs to see that my intentions are pure. The only thing I want is a real shot at making us work. I feel like a dog chasing its own tail.

  “This is useless,” I say to myself.

  I let out a resigned sigh. Maybe it’s time to call it quits…

  Hope is vanishing with every new dead end. I’m out of ideas and I don’t have any extra time to throw around. Maybe if I start from the beginning one more time I’ll find something I missed. I literally can’t think of anything else I can do, short of getting Mara to make some big confession…

  Which will never happen.

  I lean forward to give it one more chance. I’ve never been great at ‘creeping’ on people online. This is one of those times where I really wish Bre was still here. This is the kind of thing she lives for.

  I start with Mara’s profile. I was actually surprised to discover she even has one. I had assumed she would be too posh for something like social media. Unfortunately, clicking through it again doesn’t turn up anything new. Most of her information is private—meaning I’d have to send her a friend request to see it. And the last thing I want is her knowing that I’m checking up on her.

  Her About Me section shows that she went to Brown University. I click through to the school’s graduating class that year, wondering if there are any celebrities she might have graduated with. I don’t have high hopes that I’ll find anything helpful, but I really don’t know what else to try.

  A screen full of Brown grads greets me. Hundreds of strange faces that may or may not have anything to do with the person I want to know about. If I had infinite time I would click through each and every one of these profiles to see if they had any public information that linked them to Mara.

  Unfortunately, I’m under a bit of a time crunch.

  Starting from the top, I hover the mouse over each of the names listed. A little box of general information pops up, displaying whatever details they have shared publicly. I meticulously make my way through all of the public profiles, desperately hoping to find anything that I can use. It’s a long shot, but I’m out of options. Whatever little hope I have is nearly gone when I come across Annie Patinkin’s profile.

  The general information box for Annie says she has ten recent posts—far more than anyone else I’ve seen. Scrolling through the posts, I learn that Annie is a new mother that doesn’t get much contact with the outside world. Being stuck at home everyday seems to have her going a little stir-crazy. But what really peaks my interest is a photo album she’s listed as #tbt.

  The second photo in the album catches my attention. It’s an old photo of what looks like a college party. She’s in the middle of a room, posing with some guy and another couple. The caption reads ’Crazy sorority days with Amara! We really partied it up! #tbt #sorostitutes #justplaying #innocentuntilprovenguilty’.

  My eyes lock onto the other woman in the picture: Amara. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end. The woman in the photo is a lot younger and she doesn’t go by the same name anymore, but there’s no denying who it is…

  “Got you.”

  A loud click startles me.

  My stomach leaps into my throat as I hear the door into the study close. Someone is coming! I quickly close the browser window and shut the laptop just as Logan rounds the corner. He doesn’t seem surprised to find me there.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask.

  “We need to talk…”

  Chapter 9

  Aimee

  My mouth dries.

  He’s wearing a gray tank top. The hard lines of his muscular chest tease me from beneath it. I briefly fantasize about dropping to my knees and ripping his black gym shorts off. He looks so delicious that I completely forget I’m supposed to be mad at him.

  “I thought we were done talking,” I say, finally pulling myself together.

  I don’t feel bad for calling it how it is. He was the one that decided to push me away.

  “Look, about everything we said—”

  “I don’t want to hear it,” I say, cutting him off. “You made it crystal clear: we have no future together. Message received. So unless you’re here to tell me we’re going back to the City early then I can’t think of anything we need to talk about.”

  It’s all complete bullshit. I desperately want to talk to him. About anything. About everything. I want him by my side. Always. And that’s kind of the problem.

  But he doesn’t need to know that.

  All he needs to know is that I’m not some push over. I’m not going to allow him to come in and out of my life whenever he sees fit.

  “Aimee…”

  The gentleness of my name on his lips washes away nearly all of my anger. How can I be expected to put up a strong front when he looks at me like that?

  “What do you want, Logan? I can’t keep doing this. It’s too hard.”

  “I came here to apologize. What I said earlier… the way I treated you… I was being an idiot.”

  “Yes, you were.”

  “I feel terrible about it. I talked with Gervas and he helped give me some perspective.”

  “He’s good at that,” I say, mostly to myself. “What did he say?”

  Logan thinks about the question for a moment before answering.

  “There have been things in my life that I’ve taken for granted. And there are other things that I’ve let take control of me. I’ve been walking down a path that I didn’t even know I was on.”

  Logan takes a deep breath, composing himself for whatever he’s going to say next. The subtle pain in his voice is obvious. I want to wrap my arms around him but I hold off, giving him the space he needs.

  Finally, he makes a point of looking around the room, as though taking it all in.

  “All of this… stuff. When my father lost nearly everything, leaving me to rebuild it all, there was no one around to help me. The odds were stacked against me, but when I was finally successful and Forbes started including me in their lists of powerful businessmen alongside names like Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffet, and Bill Gates, my entire world changed. Suddenly there was an endless line of people who wanted a piece of me. Including women. Especially women. I lost the ability to trust that anyone could like me for the person I am instead of just the person they want me to be…”

  I fight off the pang of guilt forming in my stomach. Everything is starting to make sense. There’s always a reason that people act the way they do.

  “That’s why you told me that you were going bankrupt, isn’t it?”

  He nods.

  “You’re only the second person I’ve ever said that to.”

  “What happened to the first?”

  Logan shrugs a shoulder.

  “She decided she wasn’t so interested in me anymore.”

  The feelings of guilt redouble.

  “I’m so sorry, Logan. That must have been awful.”

  Logan steps closer to me. I want to hold him but I’m stuck in place. It feels like a ball of lead the size of my head has moved into my stomach, preventing me from going anywhere.

  “Aimee, I like you. A lot. I have since the moment you walked up to me in the bar.” He gives me an endearing smile. “I know we barely know each other and it doesn’t really make sense, but something about us feels right. I can’t explain it.”

  My mouth is completely dry.

  “You don’t have to. I know what you mean.” My eyes dart back and forth between his. “I’m sorry, too. I’ve been acting crazy the last few days. It’s just… everything started out so nice. And then Mara and Lucas showed up and every single one of my insecurities came out at the same time. I told myself to hide the crazy, but instead I let it all out at once.”

  The sweetest smile ever spreads across his face.

  “We were supposed to have the weekend to ourselves,” he says.

  I shake my head.

  “It happened. Let’s just leave it at that. I
don’t want it getting in the way, anymore.”

  There’s a long pause before Logan nods.

  “You’re right, of course.” He takes my hands in his. His touch makes me feel alive again. “I don’t want to keep fighting like this. I don’t want to keep being insecure and doubting everything that goes on between us.”

  It’s a struggle not to let out a laugh.

  “You’re starting to sound like me.”

  His smile widens.

  “That doesn’t sound like such a bad thing,” he says. “Do you think you might find a way to forgive me for misleading you and generally being a dick all day?”

  I nod.

  “I think there might be a way for that to happen,” I say. I look him up and down, biting my lip. “But you’re not going to get off that easily. You’re going to have to figure out a way to make it up to me…”

  Heat glistens in his eyes as he gives me a long look up and down.

  “I might be up for that challenge… In more ways than one.”

  Logan’s strong arms wrap around me and he pulls me against his hard body. He leans down to kiss me but I slip my arm between us and press a finger into his lips. He gives me a curious look.

  “If I remember correctly, it’s still my turn.”

  The amazed look on Logan’s face gives me all the confidence I need as I sink to my knees.

  Chapter 10

  Logan

  Aimee drops to her knees while eyeing my crotch. Blood floods into my cock so quickly it feels like it’s going to bust straight through my gym shorts.

  A grin spreads across her beautiful face as she runs her hand across the bulge. My cock shifts and her eyes widen in delight. I’ll never get tired of seeing the way she stares at my cock. It might be the most magical thing I’ve ever seen.