by Beth Ehemann
“After we got to your car and things were . . . heated, then at the garage I totally cut you off and acted like a bitch. I’m sorry about the way I behaved.”
“Dani—” I paused to wipe my mouth on a napkin. “You’d just driven up on your car busted to shit. Your behavior was totally justified. You don’t owe me any apologies.”
“But the way I acted with you after was uncalled for. I was super bitchy, and I feel bad about it.” She finally reached out and grabbed a chip from the bag, dunking it in the guacamole. “I just don’t want there to be any weird tension or awkwardness at work tomorrow.”
“We’re both adults with jobs to do, Dani. No weird tension.”
She stared down at the bowl as she chewed, her mind elsewhere.
“Let me ask you something.” I took a quick drink. “What if your car had been fine?”
Her gaze rose to meet mine. “What do you mean?”
She wasn’t stupid. She knew exactly what I meant, but she was stalling to think about what she wanted to say next. That only spurred me on more. No way was I letting her off the hook now.
“We left the bar all over each other, right?” I made sure to stare straight into her eyes when I reminded her how bad we wanted each other. I wanted her to remember the way she moaned when I kissed her up against the brick wall and the way she rubbed the inside of my leg in the car. “Let’s pretend we get to the parking garage and your car is fine. What happens next?” I sat up straight and crossed my arms.
“I think we both know what would have happened.” He eyes fell down to the island.
“Look at me,” I demanded, refusing to let her blow me off. Her eyes snapped up and I continued. “I want to hear you say it.”
“What’s there to say, Andy? We were so hot for each other that, either we would have come back here and had sex, or gone at it right there in the garage on the hood of your car. Is that what you wanted me to say? Fine. I said it. I wanted you. Happy now?”
“And now?”
“And now what?”
“You don’t want me anymore?”
“It’s not that.” She shook her head and shrugged. “But we can’t happen. Things went too far, too fast, and the car thing made me step back and take a break.”
“What did you learn on this break?”
“Honestly, that I’ve worked too damn hard to make a name for myself to lose my reputation and have people assuming I got the job with you because I was willing to sleep with the boss.”
That statement set me on fire. “That’s ridiculous—” I shouted, but the sound of the front door opening interrupted me and I froze.
“Daddy!” Becca yelled as she ran through the house and leaped into my arms.
“Hey, pretty girl.” I squeezed her back, praying to see Warren, Blaire’s driver, who brought the kids home most of the time.
“Do I have to wear a stupid collared shirt?” Logan asked.
“Yes, I want you to look nice for pictures,” Blaire responded. “We haven’t done pictures in a long—” She froze when she came through the doorway and saw Dani sitting at the island with me. She quickly looked her up and down, then slid her eyes over toward me. “Well, I hope we’re not interrupting anything?”
Fuck.
“Nope.” I shook my head, setting Becca on the floor. “Just some chips and salsa. You hungry, champ?”
Logan walked over and gave me a quick hug, staring at Danicka the whole time. “I met you at the baseball game, right?” he asked her with a big grin, little blond hairs peeking out from under his baseball hat.
Dani smiled at him. “Yep, at the Home Run Derby. Good memory.”
I cleared my throat and mentally prepared to make the most awkward introduction of all time. “Blaire,” I said, motioning to Dani. “This is my partner, Danicka Douglas. Danicka, this is Blaire.”
Danicka took a step toward Blaire with her hand out. “Hi, Blaire. Nice to meet you,” she greeted in a friendly tone.
Blaire wrinkled up her nose as she looked down at Dani’s hand and followed it all the way back up to her face. She rolled her tongue over her top teeth and slid her gaze to me. “I know who you are.”
Dani pulled her hand back and crossed her arms, cocking her hip to the side.
“Logan and Becca, take your bags upstairs and put your things away, please.” I waited until their footsteps disappeared to take a step forward. “Blaire, don’t start.”
“I’m not starting anything, Andrew. I was simply stating that I knew who she was. I saw pictures of your new little friend on the Internet,” she sneered, batting her fake black eyelashes at Dani.
“I’m not his little friend,” Dani shot back, narrowing her eyes. “I’m his coworker.”
Blaire rolled her eyes. “Mm-hmm. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why he hired you, and I’m sure you’re worth every penny, honey.”
“Honey?” Dani repeated.
“That’s enough.” I stepped in. “Blaire, go home.”
Blaire’s head jerked back as she stared up at me. “Why the rush, Andrew? You two have lots of work to do here today? I mean . . . she does actually know how to do agent-type stuff, right? Or is that just a cover?”
Dani’s jaw dropped, but before she could respond—“Blaire, out. Now.”
Blaire curled her lips up and let out a quick laugh. “Gladly,” she sneered as she turned and left the kitchen.
I bit my tongue as I followed her to the front door, when what I really wanted to do was yell at her to stop being a bitch for once in her life. When she was out, I locked the door and hurried back to the kitchen.
“I’m so sorry about that, Dani,” I said, leaning against the counter as I rubbed my face with my hands.
“That’s exactly why,” Dani said softly.
I dropped my hands. “Huh?”
Her eyes looked sad as she shook her head slowly. “What she just said about why you hired me? That’s what everyone will think. That’s what everyone will say about me. That’s exactly why it would never work between us.”
“Dani, Blaire’s an idiot. You should never listen to anything she says.”
“But she’s right.” She shrugged. “People will think you hired me for all the wrong reasons. It would ruin both of our careers and put your whole firm in jeopardy.”
“No, don’t think like that—”
“I have to think like that because it’s the truth. I like you, and I like the way I feel when I’m with you, but we’ve both worked too damn hard to ruin everything over a little like.”
“Listen.” I stepped forward and gently grasped her shoulders, looking her straight in the eye. “No one is going to think that. You were an agent long before I hired you.”
Her eyes stared off into space. “It won’t matter. None of it will matter. Everyone will talk about it, how Double D is screwing her new boss. I’ll lose all credibility. So will you.”
“Dani—”
“I gotta go.” She stopped my rebuttal before it started. “See you in the morning.” With that she rushed past me and out the front door.
CHAPTER 22
Danicka
Monday morning reared its ugly head no matter how hard I wished it away. I lay in my warm bed and briefly thought about calling in sick, but I knew that Andy would see right through that and end up on my doorstep within the hour. Rolling onto my side, I opened my eyes and stared right at Roxy, who let out a loud sigh.
“Why are you grumpy? You’re a dog.” I reached out and ran my fingers along the curve of her face, petting her gently between her eyes. “You don’t have to deal with work or men or bills or men or stalkers or men. Wanna trade lives?”
My cell phone vibrated from my nightstand. I scooped it up, happy to see my dad’s smiling face on the screen.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Hey, pumpkin! How are you?”
I rolled onto my back and sighed. “I’m okay. Tired. I feel like I could sleep for three days straight.”
&nbs
p; “Maybe you should.” He chuckled. “Take the day off and rest.”
“Nah, I need to keep busy or I’m gonna go nuts.”
“That’s my girl. Have you talked any more to the detective assigned to your case?”
“Detective Larson? Nope. Yesterday was Sunday, though, so I didn’t really expect to. Hopefully today.” I climbed out of bed and slipped my arms into my robe.
He was quiet for a second. “You sound down.”
“Dad. My car was vandalized by a psycho who’s also been sending me creepy messages for a couple months now. Of course I’m down.” I tried not to sound annoyed, but it should’ve been obvious to my dad why I wasn’t my normal, perky self.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. That was stupid of me,” he apologized sincerely. “Want me to come there, Dani? I can be on a plane later today.”
“No, Dad, that’s okay. Thank you for offering, though. I appreciate it.” I pulled the phone from my ear and checked the time. “Listen, I gotta jump in the shower or I’m gonna be late for work. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Okay, honey. Call me before bed, okay?”
“Got it. Bye, Dad.” I ended the call and tossed my phone on my bed, scaring poor Roxy. Part of me wished that he wouldn’t have asked if I wanted him to come here. I wished that he would have just hopped on the next plane out of California, been at my house by dinnertime, and stayed until they arrested the crazy asshole trying to scare me. Asking for someone to comfort me was not something I’d ever been able to do, and I wasn’t about to start now.
As I pulled into the parking garage and around to my normal spot next to Andy, sadness washed over me. Why me? Why now? For the first time since I told Cole Woods where to shove his comments, I second-guessed whether leaving Leighton Management was the best decision, and I hated that. I hated second-guessing anything. To me, second-guessing was a weakness, the opposite of confidence, something I strove for every single day. When I made a decision, I owned it . . . good or bad. But at that moment, for just a fleeting second, I wondered what if.
A knock on the window inches from my face scared me so bad I screamed out loud. The big grin on Ellie’s face faded fast as her eyes grew wide.
“I’m so sorry! Oh my God. I’m sorry,” she rambled as I opened the car door.
I shook my head and sighed. “It’s okay.”
Her eyes were wild as she grabbed the edge of the door, shaking her head back and forth. “No. I feel bad. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay.”
“I just pulled in right after you and thought we could walk in together. I’m so sorry.”
I closed the car door and spun around, putting my hands on her shoulders as I looked her right in the eye. “Ellie. It’s okay.”
Her cheeks puffed out as she exhaled deeply, giving me a sad smile. “How are you?”
I let go of her and flung my bag over my shoulder. “I’m fine. As fine as I can be knowing there’s a psycho out there trying to drive me insane, ya know?”
She nodded as we got into the elevator.
“How’s your car?”
I sighed, letting my head fall back against the wall of the elevator as I stared up at the ugly white ceiling tiles. “Not great. Four new tires, a new paint job, and a new window probably won’t be cheap, but it’s not even the money or the insurance hassle that piss me off. Someone is sending me messages. Someone wants to scare me, and it’s working.”
Ellie took a step closer and rested her head on my shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Dani. What can I do? Anything?”
Thankfully the elevator doors opened before I completely broke down. “Nope. I’m good.”
We both hurried out of the elevator, and I was so busy trying to hustle to my office with my head down that I ran straight into Andy’s chest, bouncing off with a thud and nearly falling to the ground.
“Whoa!” he called out, his eyes bulging as he reached out and caught my arm. “Are you okay?”
I stumbled back but didn’t fall. Once stable, I took a deep, cleansing breath, trying to regain my composure. “I’m fine.” I gave him a tight-lipped smile as my face grew hot with embarrassment. “Just wasn’t paying attention, sorry.”
“It’s okay.” His eyes darted around my face awkwardly, not sure whether he should make eye contact or not.
I looked down at my fingers, wringing them uncomfortably.
“So—” he started to say.
“Well, I’m gonna get started,” I said at almost exactly the same time. He closed his mouth and nodded, just a hint of sadness on his face. I hurried past him to my office and closed the door behind me, where I carelessly dropped my bags on the floor next to my bookshelf and plopped down in my desk chair.
No sooner had my butt hit the seat than there was a soft knock on the door.
Before I had a chance to say anything, Ellie opened it and slid inside. She sat up straight on the edge of the chair across from my desk with her hands folded in her lap and a deadpan expression on her face.
“What?” I finally asked when she didn’t say anything.
“What the hell was that about?”
“What was what about?”
“That.” She pointed her thumb back toward the lobby.
I tilted my head to the side and glared at her playfully. “Ellie, I’m exhausted and barely functioning, please just say it.”
“You two. That was . . . intense.”
My head jerked back. “Intense? Ellie, I just ran into him. Stop looking too far into it.”
She pursed her lips together and rolled her eyes. “Oh, please! If you’re going to tell me that you didn’t feel the weirdness, the tension, the obvious pull between the two of you just now, I’m going to come over there and smack you.”
Of course I felt it. In that moment, I wanted more than anything to wrap my hand around his neck and pull his lips down to mine, but I couldn’t. Feeling defeated, I dropped my head into the nook of my arms and shook it.
“Ellie, stop. We’re just coworkers.” My voice echoed off my desk.
“Um . . . I was there Friday night. You aren’t just coworkers. Not anymore.”
I raised my head and propped it up on my chin. She was staring straight at me with her gray-blue eyes wide and her mouth open just slightly. “Nothing happened.”
“Nothing happened?” She rolled her eyes, unconvinced.
“No, nothing happened. My car got trashed, so that kinda killed the mood, but I’m glad it happened. It gave me time to step back and come to my senses.”
Ellie stuck her bottom lip out slightly. “So that’s just it? You just give up?”
“Pretty much. Turn the feelings off and give up.”
She shook her head but didn’t take her eyes off mine. “So you’re telling me you felt nothing just now? When you bumped into his chest? When you looked in his eyes? Nothing?”
I felt everything.
I let out a heavy sigh. “Of course I feel it, Ellie. It’s impossible for me to be in the room with him and not feel it, but nothing happened. Nothing can happen. He’s my boss. If I sleep with him, or let my guard down and start feeling things for him, it could screw up everything we’ve both worked so hard for.”
The phone at her desk started ringing. “That’s total crap, Dani, and you know it, but I’m going to let it go for now. I’ll be back. This isn’t over.” She stood up and glared at me before turning and huffing out of my office.
Before I could even turn my computer on, my cell phone rang from inside my purse. My heart raced fast as I stared down at the blocked number.
He wouldn’t have the balls to call me, would he?
“Hello?” I said softly.
“Hi, Ms. Douglas? This is Detective Larson.”
I exhaled loudly, relief washing over me. “Hi, Detective Larson.”
“I hope this isn’t a bad time. I just wanted to touch base with you and see how you’re doing, make sure nothing else happened over the weekend.”
“I�
�m okay. Ready to get to the bottom of this and put it behind me.”
“I bet you are. Let me fill you in on where we’re at. I’m actually going to be heading that way today to pick up the surveillance tape from the security office and go over that closely. I also wanted to come up if that’s okay, and grab those messages that he’s sent to you. Mr. Shaw said you had them there at your office.”
“Yep, I have them all in my desk.”
“All right, I’ll see you in a bit.”
As I clicked the button and tucked my phone in my desk drawer, there was another knock on my office door. I rolled my eyes, and for a split second, regretted not staying home after all. “Come in!” I shouted.
As the door opened quietly, Andy’s tall frame filled the doorway. As badly as I wanted to be alone for just five minutes, seeing him standing there with that infectious smile on his face calmed me more than anything else. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself,” I smiled, waving him in.
He gently pushed the door shut and sat down in the chair across from me. Dark circles hung underneath his eyes, and he looked like he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in weeks.
“I was actually surprised to see you here today.”
“Why?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.
“You’ve been through a lot, obviously. I figured you might take a day or two off. I wouldn’t have minded, ya know? I’m worried about you.” His eyes were intense, and they stared into mine in a way that made me want to give all of my problems over to him to fix. Andy was kind. He was gentle, and he cared about me. He was also sexy as hell and a little overprotective, which only made him more appealing, but I’d worked too hard building a name for myself to give it all up.
“I thought about it, actually.” I sat back in my chair and crossed my arms over my chest. “But I figured you’d probably end up on my doorstep, so I just came in.”
His lips parted and he grinned, letting out a small laugh. “You’re exactly right. I don’t like this, Dani. I don’t like this at all, and until we figure out exactly who this is and he’s arrested, I’m going to be watching you like a hawk.”
I swallowed a small lump that had sprouted in my throat.
