by Chloe Lang
* * * *
Jay opened the cabinet with the eighteen-year-old scotch that Charles always provided whenever they stayed at the hotel. “You want one?”
“I sure do.” Clay held a glass of champagne and a plate of food. “Let me deliver this to Izzy. I’ll be right back.”
He poured the amber liquid into two glasses for him and Clay. They both liked drinking scotch neat. No ice. No water. Truthfully, they had similar tastes about most things. And Izzy was no exception.
He took a sip. “Mmm.” He grinned, recalling Izzy’s sweet moans. Another taste. He loved the scotch’s rich flavor and the burn.
Clay returned. “Our girl isn’t going to be awake for very long, Jay.”
“Our girl?” He handed him his drink. “I don’t know if she’s our girl yet, Clay, but I sure want her to be. Still, we’ve only known her a very short time. I never was one who thought you could fall in love with a woman so fast.”
“Me either, but we were both wrong about that. She’s the one. I knew we were on the same page, bro.” Clay took a sip of the scotch. “Mmm. This is good.” His twin grinned.
“I bet you were remembering her sweet moans just like I did.”
“We are twins.” Clay took a seat. “Of course I was. Are you hoping for forever with her, like I am?”
Jay sat on the sofa, facing him. “I want that more than anything. We’ve never met a woman that is so perfect for us.”
“I agree.” Clay smiled. “But how can we convince her of that? I don’t think that she believes this is serious.”
“That’s pretty clear to me, too. This seems to be fun and games only to her. She needs to fall madly in love with both of us before we return to Dallas.”
“We don’t control the heart,” Clay said. “Maybe she will fall in love with us just being ourselves. Do you think she’s still hung up on the age difference?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised.” Jay recalled how Izzy had acted in her loft when they’d picked her up. “At least she’s stopped trying to play matchmaker for her daughter with us.”
“That’s true, but I still believe she thought it would be okay as long as this was only a fling. She isn’t looking at us as potential husbands.”
Jay took another drink of his scotch. He and Clay sat quietly together, contemplating how to proceed. There was no other person in the world who understood him better than his twin. Their bond was unbreakable. “Whenever you and I put our minds to a challenge we always triumph, bro.”
“Jay, Izzy isn’t a problem to be solved. She is a woman to be won.”
“Do you think we should tell her how we feel? Put all our cards on the table?”
Clay nodded. “We definitely should, but only when the time is right. And since we are twins, don’t you think we’ll know that at the same time?”
“I’m sure we will more than likely, but in case we don’t, perhaps we should come up with a sign between us.” Jay grinned. “Like when we were kids.”
“Exactly.” Clay held up his thumb and touched his nose. “How about this?”
Jay laughed. “A little over the top, bro. Maybe just a wink.”
“Sounds good to me. Now back to the issue at hand. How do we win Izzy’s heart?”
“We just have to be ourselves and show her how much she means to us. Whatever it takes.” He held up his glass.
Clay did the same. “Whatever it takes.”
“Whatever it takes, what?” Izzy asked with a yawn. She stood in the hallway wearing a white bathrobe. Her feet were bare and her hair was wrapped up in a towel. She looked absolutely perfect.
“Whatever it takes to figure out our challenge in front of us,” he answered truthfully, but knew she would think he and Clay had been talking about work instead of her.
“You’re right. We better get some rest.” She smiled.
He and Clay put down their empty glasses and moved next to her.
“How was your bath, angel?” Clay asked.
“Heavenly. And the champagne and snacks relaxed me even more. Where do I sleep?”
Jay swept her up into his arms. “In the middle, sweetheart, between me and Clay.”
Chapter Nine
Walking between Clay and Jay, Izzy entered GWI’s London offices. Like the Dallas headquarters, it was impressive with its marble floors, exquisite art, and fine furnishings.
Two young women sat behind a large reception desk. They looked to be about Gabby’s age. Both were very cute, one with short, dark hair and one with long, red hair. The moment their eyes landed on Clay and Jay, they stood and came around the desk to greet them.
“It’s been too long since you were here,” the brunette told Clay in a very distinct British accent, flirting openly.
“Far too long,” the redhead addressed Jay. Her tone was also very English.
“This is Isabella Clemens,” Clay told them. “She will be working with us. Izzy, this is Becca.”
“Hello,” the brunette said curtly, and motioned to the redhead. “This is Shari.”
Izzy could tell that neither woman wanted to give her the time of day. They were completely focused on the two handsome Gibbs brothers. “A pleasure to meet you both.”
Becca quickly turned her attention back to Clay and leaned into him. “When I read the e-mail that you were going to be here today, I took the liberty to book our favorite restaurant for tonight.”
“Gordon Ramsay’s?”
“Yes.” The young girl looked up into his eyes. “And Shari thought it would be nice to go to this new club that’s close by.”
“My cousin is in the band.” Shari took Jay’s hand. “I know you’ll love them. They call themselves Iconic Bitches of the Thames.”
“Iconic Bitches?” Izzy felt jealousy welling up inside her. “What a name.”
Shari turned to her and frowned. “They are fantastic. We would invite you, but I’m sure that it’s not your type of music.”
“It’s for a very young crowd, ma’am,” Becca said, still looking in Clay’s eyes. “But if you would like to hear some music tonight, Ms. Clemens, there’s a jazz club my aunts and mother love close by that I’m sure you would enjoy.”
With the name “bitches,” you two should fit right in.
Why am I feeling this way? Sure, she loved spending time with Clay and Jay. In her mind, she knew it could never be more than a fling with them. But for some damn reason her heart seemed to have other ideas. That’s why her green eyes were burning with jealousy.
Come on, Izzy. Think.
She couldn’t really blame the young women. Clay and Jay were gorgeous. Becca and Shari might be a little young for the guys but they were closer in age to them than she was.
Becca didn’t wait for her response but addressed Clay. “Our reservation is for eight,” she said with a smile. “But if you need a later time, it’s easy to have it changed.”
“For them, it’s easy.” Shari winked at Jay. “Any restaurant in London would make room for the Gibbs brothers no matter if they were booked solid.”
Clay and Jay stepped back from Becca and Shari.
“We’ve already asked this beautiful lady to go out with us tonight,” Clay told them.
Izzy loved hearing him call her beautiful.
“Actually, all our nights in London will be with her,” Jay added, taking her hand, sweeping away her jealousy with his touch.
Becca frowned. “This trip can’t be just about business, Clay.” She clearly wasn’t waving the white flag yet. “You and Jay deserve some fun.”
“It’s not just business,” he stated firmly. “Why do you think we’re going out with Izzy tonight? We plan on having a blast with her.” Clay put his arm around Izzy’s shoulder and looked her in the eyes while addressing Becca. “She’s more fun than anyone we’ve ever known.”
Shari folded her arms over her chest. “I had no idea that you two preferred older women. Ms. Clemens looks to be at least thirty-two or thirty-three.”
“Actua
lly, kiddo, I’m forty-two, but thank you for the compliment.”
“Oh my God, you’re a year older than my mother,” Becca said.
“Time for you two to get back to work,” Clay said sternly.
The two women’s faces fell and they glared at her with open hostility as they returned to their chairs.
Clay and Jay led her to the elevators.
When the doors closed, Jay hit the top floor button.
Jay burst out laughing. “Iconic bitches, aren’t they?”
She and Clay also laughed.
“Exactly what I was thinking,” Clay said.
“Me, too,” she admitted. “But I can’t blame them. You guys are sure handsome.”
“And you can’t blame us either, Izzy,” Jay said. “You are the most beautiful woman we’ve ever seen.”
“Oh really? What about yours and those girls’ favorite restaurant?”
Clay laughed. “Sweetheart, we’ve never been on a date with them. We had a company dinner at Gordon Ramsay’s that Becca and Shari attended.”
She shouldn’t care either way, but knowing they’d never gone out with the two girls made her extremely happy.
“But Gordon’s restaurant is mine and Clay’s favorite place to eat in London. That’s why we booked the space for the company to have its annual party there last spring. It was a big hit.”
Clay kissed her on the cheek. “And I reserved a table for you, me, and Jay for tonight before we left Dallas.”
“Are you asking me on a date, gentlemen?” she asked teasingly.
Jay got down on his knee and grabbed her hand.
Clay did the same. “Lady Isabella Clemens, would you doeth me and my brother the honor of having—”
The elevator doors opened on the tenth floor to a waiting trio of men in suits, who seemed amused by what they saw.
She felt heat flood her cheeks. “Get up. Please. I’ll go. I’ll go. Just get up.”
“Good morning Mr. Gibbs, Mr. Gibbs,” the tallest one said. “We could take the next lift if you need privacy.”
“It’s okay,” Jay said. “She said ‘yes.’ Welcome aboard, gentlemen.”
“Thank you, sir.”
They filed in and one of them hit the button for another floor.
“I spoke with your uncle this morning,” the one closest to Jay said. “He instructed me to have my team assist you with whatever you need in your probe.”
Probe? The man’s words brought into clear focus why she and the two brothers were here. Why would their uncle tell this man or anyone else at GWI’s offices about their investigation? If there was someone behind the missing inventory and it wasn’t just an accounting error, the more people who knew about the examination they were conducting, the less chance they had of finding the culprit and any associates he or she might have.
“That won’t be necessary, Arnold,” Clay told him. “The three of us can handle it just fine. But thank you for the offer.”
“Of course, sir.”
The elevator doors opened and the trio exited, leaving her alone once again with Clay and Jay.
When the doors shut, Jay cursed. “Why the hell did Uncle Bill inform Arnold why we are here?”
“Because he’s still not ready to trust us with the keys to the kingdom,” Clay answered, clearly as frustrated by the turn of events as she and Jay. “While I respect and care for Bill, he needs to face the facts that you and I are taking over next month.”
Intrigued, she asked, “Taking over what?”
“Gibbs Worldwide Investments,” they answered in unison as the doors opened to their floor.
“Hello, gentlemen.” A woman who looked to be in her early sixties stood in front of them, offering her hand to Izzy. “I’m Janice Michaels and you must be Ms. Clemens.”
She shook the regal lady’s hand. “I am. Please call me Izzy.”
“Janice has been with GWI from the beginning,” Jay told her. “She and my parents were good friends.”
Clay gave Janice a hug. “The London office wouldn’t run without her.”
Janice smiled. “I’ve prepared the conference room as you had instructed James to let me know. I’m afraid that several executives here are aware of your investigation, though they are unclear as to the specifics. Your uncle let it slip out on a conference call last night.”
“Damn it.” Jay’s frustration mirrored her own.
“James who?” Izzy asked.
Janice led them down the hallway. “James Sullivan is on the board of directors.”
Izzy thought she detected a look of longing in Janice’s eyes as she talked about James.
“He can be trusted,” Clay told her. “Mom and Dad were also very close to James.”
She remembered reading about Mr. Sullivan on GWI’s website. There had been a photo of a ribbon cutting for a new building with him and Clay and Jay’s parents.
The conference room had a large wooden table, clearly a space that was used for meetings. But not today. On the table were three laptops, each with a biometric hand scanner, notepads, and paper.
“Ms. Clemens, you’ll need to set up your access first,” Janice told her, pointing to the laptop in the middle. “Clay and Jay can help you with that. Once your fingerprints are in the system, you’ll have unlimited access to all our files.” The woman pointed at the massive printer by the window. “I had that brought in just a little bit ago in case you needed to make files. Is there anything else you three need?”
“No,” Clay told her. “This looks great. Thank you so much.”
“Very good. I’m in my office if you need anything. Good luck.” Janice left.
Jay pulled out her chair. “Let’s get you set up so we can get started.”
She sat. “How many people have unlimited access to GWI’s files?”
“Uncle Bill, me and Clay, all the presidents of our international offices, like Janice,” he told her.
“Is there any way we can check to be sure no one else has access?”
Clay nodded, taking the seat to her left. “We can pull up a list. That’s a great idea. Glad you are the team lead on this project, sweetheart.”
“Thanks.” After Clay and Jay finished getting her access set up, she said, “We better get to work.”
They verified that the people who had the unlimited access to GWI’s systems were legit. She wasn’t surprised by the company’s security measures, which were some of the best she’d ever seen. Alterations to any file were logged electronically along with the name of the person who made the change.
She leaned back in her chair. “I knew this wasn’t going to be easy, but it’s always best to rule out the most obvious possibilities.”
“I wonder how your two buddies from the firm are doing, Izzy?” Jay asked.
“I just sent them an e-mail with instructions. I’ll cc you and Clay with their response once I hear back. Let’s split up the work. Clay, can you check the invoices for all the items that were supposed to be delivered to the warehouse?”
“On it.”
“Jay, you find a list of any GWI employee that ever signed for those purchases. See whom they reported to and cross-reference those names with the list of executives with the top access to the systems.”
He nodded.
“I’m going to check on the records on the warehouse itself to see if, like your uncle suggested, there are reports that have fallen through the cracks during the company’s recent restructuring. Also, I am going to research when the warehouse was purchased by GWI and who wrote the check. After lunch, I think the three of us should go to the warehouse.”
“We better stop by a hardware store and get some bolt cutters,” Jay said. “Janice went there and told us the door was chained.”
She remembered what they had said in their uncle’s office.
Several hours later, she’d scanned the company’s records but hadn’t found any missing reports. She checked her inbox and saw an e-mail from Tom.
“What time is it
in Chicago?” As promised, she cc’d Clay and Jay. Tom and Lyle hadn’t found anything yet either.
“It’s two in the afternoon here.” Jay turned to her. “Six hours difference would put it at eight.”
“They worked yesterday and didn’t find anything.” She typed a response. “I’m going to instruct them to visit the warehouse in Chicago before they start anything else.” She pushed her chair back. “And I think we should do the same. I know that this is like looking for a needle in the haystack, but we will find it.”
“And we worked all the way through lunch, sweetheart,” Clay said. “I don’t know about you and Jay, but I’m hungry.”
“We all need a break,” she said. “Let’s pick up something light on the way to the warehouse. I don’t want to ruin my appetite for tonight’s dinner at Becca and Shari’s favorite restaurant.”
They laughed.
Before walking to the elevator, the three of them went to Janice’s office and told her of their progress.
“Where can we get bolt cutters, Janice?” Jay asked her.
“You’ll need them.” She told them the location of a hardware store. “You also might want to take a security officer with you. That warehouse is not located in a very safe district. I took one with me when I checked it out.”
“We’ll be fine,” Clay told her. “Would you like to join us for lunch?”
“I ate over an hour ago, but thank you for the invitation.”
“As soon as we get to the warehouse, I’ll give you a call and let you know what we’ve found.”
Izzy liked Janice, who did seem very trustworthy. But she knew that until they got to the bottom of the issue about the warehouse, every employee of GWI, including Janice, would need to remain on her radar.
As the elevator descended to the ground floor, she recalled how Becca and Shari had acted.
When they walked by their desk, Izzy began humming an old tune, silently changing the words in her mind. Those two bitches made asses of themselves. Asses of themselves. Asses of themselves.
“What’s that song you are humming, sweetheart?” Clay asked her.
“It’s an old tune about wheels on a bus my mother used to sing to me when I was a girl.” She grinned. “I have to admit I was changing the words in my head.”
