All Bets Are On

by Cynthia Cooke

  His lips twitched in a smile. “Are you sure about that? You want to bet?”

  Not exactly. She kind of wanted him to kiss her. The man sure could kiss, and she did have a hard time keeping her hands off of him. But yes, she was sure. She needed to focus on one disaster at a time. And kissing him was the equivalent of a full scale tsunami. Still…

  The doorbell ringing thankfully stopped that thought.

  Chapter Eighteen

  As Derek paid the man for the food, his phone rang. Jaclyn took the bags into the kitchen, and he walked in behind her. “It’s my lawyer. Can you be at their office by nine a.m.?”

  She nodded.

  “We’ll see you then.” He hung up the phone, and took the plate of eggrolls and General Tso’s chicken smothering a hefty helping of steamed rice.

  “Do you really think a lawyer is necessary?” she asked.

  “It’s just a preliminary meeting to make sure we have all our bases covered and the papers dissolving your partnership drawn up.” He knew how these things went down, and yes, it was necessary. But he didn’t want to scare her by revealing how bad this situation really was.

  “Derek, I really do appreciate all your help.”

  His phone rang again. He glanced down at the display. Why was he surprised? “I need to take this call.”

  “No problem.”

  He got up and walked into the other room. “Mother?”

  “I understand you are meeting with our lawyers to go over the paperwork for Safe Haven.”

  “That was quick. We just made the appointment for tomorrow morning.”

  “We?”

  “Jaclyn and I. I believe she is innocent of these charges, and I’ve offered to help her make sure she doesn’t lose her business. There’s no reason for her to be punished any more than is necessary if her only crime was having bad judgment when it comes to her friends.”

  “That is neither here nor there, and frankly, I don’t give a damn whether or not she is guilty or was caught up in the situation. It is her foundation, her responsibility to stay on top of whether or not someone is stealing the company’s assets.” His mother’s voice was hard and unrelenting.

  “Is this about Jaclyn or the fact that I refuse to have anything to do with Sabine?”

  “You need to remove yourself emotionally from the situation or I am going to give this case to Deirdre,” she threatened.

  “Deirdre? Where the hell did that come from?”

  “You are out of control, Derek.”

  “You mean I’m not being a good little soldier and following all your orders?”

  “Precisely. This is a simple embezzlement case. You are not handling it properly, and your other cases are piling up.”

  “Bullshit, and you know it. Jaclyn has nothing to do with what is happening at that foundation. I care about her. I don’t want to see her hurt.”

  “You know better than to get emotionally involved with people we are targeting. You are too soft for this job. I’ve always believed that and you have proved it to me, time and time again.”

  “What would you have me do, destroy all their lives, including the lives of the children they help?”

  “Yes, I would. People have to pay for their choices. Misguided or not.”

  Derek was so frustrated he didn’t trust himself to speak.

  “You are under suspension,” she said, finally. “Deirdre is taking over the eighth level. She’s been chomping at the bit to show me what she can do for years, and I think it’s time I give her a try.”

  “Are you shitting me?”

  “Do I sound like I’m shitting you?”

  “Fine. Give it to her. I no longer care. Moreover, I no longer want the job, nor do I want the promotion to the ninth.” He clicked off the phone. “Son of a bitch.” Derek stopped himself from slinging his cell against the fireplace and feeling the satisfaction of hearing it shatter into a million freaking pieces. It wouldn’t help, and it would get him absolutely nowhere.

  How could his mother have done this to him? Deirdre, of all demons? She was a loose cannon with no finesse. No class. No heart. She would be terrible ruling the eighth level of Hell. Long ago, he used to find and punish sorcerers and false prophets. He enjoyed that. They were interesting. They were fun. But now, white-collar criminals could be so…blah. His only joy was going into Hell itself and watching them squirm as he threw them into a lake of boiling pitch, or let loose the demons to whip, chase, or bite them. But listening to them beg for another chance, for forgiveness, knowing there was no true regret in their souls, that got to be so tedious.

  Perhaps this is where he should go now, get some of his frustration out the old-fashioned way. He took a deep breath and schooled his features, trying to shake off his anger and frustration before walking back into the kitchen to talk to Jaclyn. His phone rang again. “I just heard the news about Deirdre. Sorry, Boss,” Cerberus said.

  “Already?” Derek gritted.

  “Minos was Deirdre’s first call. She must have him on her speed dial. She’s already giving us orders. What should we do?”

  “Exactly what the little princess wants.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yep. Let her go way out there and we’ll see if she sinks or swims.”

  Cerberus chuckled. “You got it, Boss.”

  Derek ended the call. Somehow he had to tell Jaclyn that things were about to get a lot worse. With his sister at the helm and gunning for her, they were in for one hell of a ride. He just hoped they’d be able to get all the paperwork done and out of the way before anything else hit.

  …

  Jaclyn took one look at his face and froze. “Is everything all right?”

  “Everything is fine,” Derek assured her. But she didn’t believe him. She searched for the truth in his eyes. Everything wasn’t fine at all.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I just got off the phone with my mother. She isn’t happy with the way I’ve been handling things. She’s putting my sister in charge for a while.”

  “Oh.” She tried to determine what things. “Not because of me?”

  “No.” He smiled again. The grin that came easily to him—the one that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

  Jaclyn couldn’t help the twinge of guilt. Had he lost his job because of her? Because he was helping her? She was so thankful for him. He was telling her the truth; he was trying to help her. And the plain fact was, if he wasn’t there with her right then, she didn’t know what she’d do. He’d listened to everything she’d told him, and had helped her come up with a plan to save the reputation of the foundation. First thing in the morning, she would have to go to Derek’s lawyer and dissolve her partnership, and then she and Trish would have to go to the bank and remove Trish from the accounts. Hopefully, that, with the recent payments, would prove to the auditors they were on top of the situation.

  It all sounded good on paper, but who knew how it would go. She hated to do that to her friend, but Trish had given her no choice. The foundation had to come first. Derek had done all that for her, and now it looked like he might have gotten in trouble for it.

  How could she not appreciate him for jeopardizing his job? He’d been there for her in a way no one else had. But she couldn’t lean on him too much.

  Trish and her embezzlement was Jaclyn’s problem. It’s not like she hadn’t had to start over before. When her mother died, leaving her penniless and alone with a cold stepfather who couldn’t be bothered with her, she hadn’t taken a penny from him. As soon as she graduated high school, she moved out on her own, put herself through college, and put her past behind her. It had been hard, and if she hadn’t had Trish then, she never would have survived. But she had survived, and she would again, this time on her own.

  Once dinner was over and the weight of the embezzlement wasn’t quite so heavy, she started to feel better. Good enough, in fact, to offer an olive branch. “Would you like to go for a walk on the beach? Rufus and I usually run around this tim
e.”

  At the sound of his name Rufus instantly jumped to his feet, went straight to Derek, and dropped his head in his lap. Jaclyn laughed. “I don’t know how you managed to win him over so quickly, I’ve never seen him act like that before.”

  Derek scratched Rufus’s head. “I just have a way with dogs.”

  And women, too, she thought. She’d better watch herself or she could easily fall for this guy. Even if he was way out of her league, a damned good lover, and drop dead gorgeous. She was sure he was top on the speed dial list of every debutante in town. All recipes for disaster.

  By the time they got to the beach, night had descended. The twinkling lights running along the sand and lining the sidewalks were picturesque. They walked to a popular tourist area where restaurants and shops were open and thriving. Every season was tourist season in Miami.

  He took her hand as they strolled along. A band played in the middle of the park, and the lawn was crowded with people lounging on blankets, drinking wine, enjoying the beautiful Florida night. They stood at the edge of the park, her eyes taking in the crowd; she saw lots of relaxed, smiling faces. Families. Couples. People having fun.

  She should get out more. Try to have a good time. Lighten up. For a moment, she listened to the music and allowed herself a second to pretend her world wasn’t about to implode. That she wasn’t about to lose her best friend and possibly her business. She swayed to the music. Derek’s hand went around her waist and she leaned into him. He smelled nice. He felt nice. And he was there with her, helping her. She just wished she could believe his intentions were pure and that he didn’t have some ulterior motive for his presence.

  His fingers moved in small circles around her back. She turned into him and before she could say a word, his lips met hers. Warmth fueled her and her arm snaked up around his neck, her fingers moving across his skin. She loved the feel of him. His softness. His hardness. One moment he was sweet and kind, the next strong and a touch scary. He was a hard man to figure out, and she supposed that excited her about him.

  Her tongue slipped into his mouth, and she pressed herself tighter to him, her chest, her lips, her arms pulling him closer. They kissed like that, in the open, until she forgot where they were. Forgot there were people surrounding them.

  Derek pulled back, breaking the kiss. “You ready to go?” he whispered.

  No. She wanted to stay right there, her lips pressed against his, without a care or thought in the world except the taste of his mouth and the feel of his touch, for the rest of the night. Or at least for the next five minutes. To let him know exactly how she felt, she did something she never thought she would, she let her hand slip down his chest, over his stomach, and lower.

  Derek was stunned when he felt Jaclyn’s hand cupping his cock. This woman was constantly surprising him. But exactly how far would she go? To find out, he slid his hand up under her shirt, resting it on her belly. Her skin was warm, soft, and sensitive to his touch. She shivered and moaned softly against his mouth, as he continued to kiss her. He let his hand wander higher, moving up to touch her breast.

  She inhaled sharply as his fingers slipped inside the lacy fabric and played with her hard nipple. A moan slipped from her mouth and her hand moved over his erection and squeezed. He was tempted to pull her down to the ground right there and have his way with her, but there were too many people around and once he started with her, he didn’t want to stop.

  “You ready to go back?”

  “Yes,” she said on a deep breath. They walked quickly, barely able to take their hands off each other as they hurried back to her house. Once she unlocked the door, they pushed inside. Kissing, moving, and undressing all at the same time as they made their way through the house, groping each other until they fell onto the bed. Their hands stroking, fumbling, probing.

  “Wait,” he said. He was losing control, and fast. What was it about this woman that got to him so easily?

  “What?” She looked impatient. Her face flushed. Her breathing coming fast.

  “Let’s take a shower.”

  “You want a shower? Now?”

  “Don’t you? The hot water will feel good.”

  She contemplated his words then relented. “All right.” She scooted off the bed, stripping off the rest of her clothes as she walked toward the bathroom, giving him a fine view of her very shapely ass. Oh boy, he hoped he was making the right decision, because somehow as he watched her walk, he didn’t think a hot shower with this woman was going to cool things down between them. Though he had to admit, he loved a woman who knew what she wanted.

  He walked in behind her, turned on the hot water, and then kissed her gently on the shoulder. Spinning her around, he kissed her mouth, her tongue against his reigniting the fire between them. He slipped his hand down her belly, sliding his finger between her folds, feeling the heat of her core radiating out from her. He pushed his finger inside her and she moaned against him. He pulled out, sliding his fingers up and down over her most sensitive spot until she rose up onto her toes. She grabbed hold of his hard, aching shaft and slid it through her fingers.

  Without breaking apart, he drew her into the shower. Hot water rained down on them. He picked up the bar of soap and started to wash her. Everywhere. His fingers moving in and out of her most sensitive places, until she was breathing hard, her eyes glazing over.

  Joining in on the fun, she took the soap from him and started rubbing it up and down his cock; the slippery suds, the hot water, and her firm touch made him throb. He closed his eyes as the blood pooled in his groin, making him so hard he thought he would burst.

  His fingers moved in a flurry. He brought her to the brink, stroking her harder and faster until she lost it, screaming her release and collapsing in his arms. She slipped down his legs, and took his cock into her sweet mouth, moving her lips, her tongue, over his sensitive skin. Sucking and licking, cupping his sensitive balls with her fingers until he couldn’t hold back any longer and to his dismay filled her throat with his hot seed. That wasn’t what he’d wanted to happen. Luckily he had all night to rectify the situation.

  She stood, licking her lips and looking like the cat who’d just swallowed the canary.

  “Now didn’t I tell you a shower would be nice?” he asked.

  “I don’t know why I ever doubt you.”

  He rinsed them both off and, after wrapping her in a towel, carried her to the bed, where he could continue making her certain she would never doubt him again.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The next morning, Jaclyn came out of the bathroom sick as a dog. “Something I ate last night didn’t agree with me.”

  Derek rolled over. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “Absolutely,” she said. “I just need to take a shower.” She climbed out of the bed, and wobbled toward the bathroom.

  “Are you still going to be able to make it to the lawyer’s office?”

  “Yep.”

  He poked his head in the bathroom as the shower came on.

  “Mind if I use your computer?”

  “No, go ahead.”

  Before he got halfway down the hall, he heard her get sick once more and cringed. The morning sickness had already begun. Now it was just a matter of hours before she found out the truth. Not only was she pregnant. But what she was carrying was only half human.

  He walked into the front room, sat behind the desk, and turned on Jaclyn’s computer. Seeing her that way, green with morning sickness, made her pregnancy hit him square on. There was no more denying it or pretending it wasn’t happening. Or taking his sweet time to try and figure out how he was going to deal with it. After all this time, he was finally going to be a father.

  He still wasn’t sure why he lost control with her. He’d always been so careful, making sure his viable seed didn’t enter the gate. So what the hell happened? He had been beyond thought that first night. She had literally swept him away in the moment. Another thing that rarely happened. So what was he going to do ab
out it?

  He turned on the computer and sucked in a breath at the headline crossing his screen. A major tsunami just rolled through the Philippines, taking out a factory dependent on child labor that he’d been working on, along with about six thousand people in the process. Including said children. Dammit! What the hell had Deirdre done?

  That wasn’t all. An elephant stampede in Africa took out a cocoa bean farm that operated with children stolen from nearby villages. He rubbed a hand down his face. A flood in Bangladesh took thousands more. In all, innocent civilians were dying. Families. Children. All suffering at Deirdre’s hands. What the hell was wrong with his sister? He pushed away from the computer and paced.

  Once Jaclyn was done with the shower, he climbed in himself. He would drop her off at the lawyers and go see his mother. One day on the job and look at the damage Deirdre had already managed to do. He wouldn’t have the deaths of all those people on his head. He might have been bored with his job, but he’d never been irresponsible or careless with human lives.

  He only hoped his mother would care. With her, he could never be sure. And then he’d decide whether or not to tell her about Jaclyn. He wished he didn’t have to, wished they had more time, but when Jaclyn came out of the bathroom, she looked terrible. Time was almost up.

  “Are you all right?”

  “I’m not,” she said, and ran for the bathroom once more.

  He gave her a few minutes, and when she finally came out looking shaky and pale he helped her back into the bed. “I’m sorry. I’m not going to be able to make that meeting,” she said on a whisper.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything, pick up the papers and bring them back to you.”

  “You will?”

  “I will. Just feel better.” He brushed the hair back from her head, leaned down and kissed her forehead, then pulled the covers up to her shoulders.