Accidental Surprises

by Tia Wylder

I shrugged. “They don’t know you yet,” I said. “And besides, they’ll come around to the idea. Maybe I just… won’t tell them right away.”

  Now it was Adele’s turn to look surprised. “You’re kidding,” she said.

  “Quite serious.”

  Adele bit her lip.

  “Look, why not come over to my condo,” I said. “I’ll order some lunch, and we can talk first steps.”

  To my surprise, Adele nodded. “Okay,” she said. “Let me get ready.” She disappeared inside the apartment, and I heard a flurry of voices as she conversed with her roommate. When she reappeared, she was wearing boots and a coat over her clothes. “I’m ready,” Adele said.

  I led her downstairs and into the back of the car. Nick turned to me. “Home, sir?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “And about lunch – could you order catering for two from The Lucky Chicken?”

  Nick smiled. “Yes, sir,” he said. “Absolutely.”

  Chapter Seven

  Adele

  It felt strange to be back in Jack’s car, with his driver and everything. As we pulled away from my apartment building, I took a deep breath and leaned back against the plush leather seat.

  Jack eyed me before pressing a button and raising the partition between us and his driver.

  “Did Franchot say anything else?”

  I shrugged. The call had left me terrified – but like I’d told Jack, there was no way I was going to give up now. I was an adult, and adults stuck to their plans.

  At least, that’s what I wanted to believe.

  “Not really,” I said quietly. “I mean, I think the message was pretty singular, wouldn’t you agree?”

  Jack pressed his lips into a thin line. Damnit, I thought as I finally tore my eyes away from his sculpted face. It’s not fair – he’s like supernaturally handsome!

  “Yeah,” Jack said finally. He sighed. “I’m sorry this is happening to you, Adele.”

  Now it was my turn to shrug. I cracked a wry smile and tried to project a confidence I didn’t feel. “Yeah, well, it must be because he’s actually afraid of me,” I said.

  Jack smirked. “For good reason,” he replied, and I knew he was referring to my little undergraduate stunt in Key Largo. Thinking about it now was enough to make me blush – I couldn’t believe that I’d been such a stupid little girl. But at the time, it had felt like a major victory.

  “Yeah, well, what can I say,” I replied tartly. “I’m a woman on a mission.”

  Jack nodded and gave me a thoughtful look. “Indeed you are.”

  I glanced out the window. I’d been so absorbed in our conversation that I hadn’t paid much attention to where Nick was taking us. But I almost gasped when I saw the large white marble building looming ahead of us.

  Jack saw my look and gave me an amused smile. “Don’t be too envious,” he said. “The property taxes are a real bitch.”

  I rolled my eyes, although to be honest, I was stunned. I knew Jack was rich – obviously – but I hadn’t expected this level of opulence. The building looked like something from a posh European city, and I knew instinctively that Jack’s condo had to have cost upwards of a few million dollars. Considering he still lived within the city limits, I couldn’t even begin to imagine how expensive it had been.

  “This way,” Jack said, climbing out of the car as Nick pulled to a stop. I followed him into the lobby – everything was white marble and brushed gold – and tried not to gawk as we waited for the elevator.

  “What about lunch?”

  “Nick’s taking care of it,” Jack said confidently.

  I stared at him.

  “What?” Jack asked. “You don’t like The Lucky Chicken?”

  “No,” I said. “I mean, I’ve never had it – but it’s Thai, right? I love Thai food.”

  Jack nodded.

  “What were you smirking about?”

  I shrugged awkwardly. “Nothing,” I lied. “It’s just…”

  The elevator doors dinged open, and Jack guided me inside. He gave me a curious grin. “It’s just what?”

  I blushed self-consciously. “It’s just, well, I can’t imagine having everyone…you know, help me out with my life.”

  Jack narrowed his eyes. “You mean Nick?”

  “Well, yeah,” I said lamely. “I just can’t imagine it.”

  Jack shrugged. “Nick is a big help,” he said. “I know it may not look like it, but I’m really busy all the time. Without people like Nick, I’d lose my head up my ass.”

  I laughed.

  “It’s true,” Nick said seriously. His dark eyes focused on me, and for a moment as we rode skywards, it felt like we were the only two people in the world. “Without Nick, I’d be a goner. He’s more than a driver. He’s almost like my personal secretary.”

  “That must be nice.”

  “You’ll see,” Jack said with a mysterious smile. “One day.”

  Before I could ask him what he meant, the elevator slowed to a stop and the doors dinged open. I almost gasped when I realized that we were on the top floor – and it was a huge expanse of the hallway, with only one door. Did Jack own the entire floor of the building?

  Jack led me down the hallway and took his keys out of his pocket before leading me into a beautiful condo. The foyer alone was bigger than my apartment. The floor was tiled marble, and the walls were painted a beautiful shade of dark grey that made the early-afternoon rays of sunlight look like jewels.

  “Wow,” I said. “This is beautiful.”

  “Thanks,” Jack said nonchalantly. “I wish I were home more often – I feel like I never really get the chance to enjoy it.”

  I thought my long nights spent at the university library, hunched over a textbook, dreaming of bed. “Yeah,” I said. “I get that.”

  Jack led me down a long hallway that opened up to a beautiful kitchen. The appliances were brushed chrome, and there was an island topped with the same marble as the flooring. I spotted a living room to the right – filled masculine black leather couches and dark wooden furniture that looked both heavy and expensive.

  Just as I was slipping my shoes off, the doorbell rang. Jack disappeared from the kitchen and reappeared a few minutes later, carrying bags of food that smelled delicious. I helped him arrange everything on the island. He’d gotten everything – spring rolls, curry, fried rice. It all smelled amazing, and I couldn’t help but fill my plate to the brim. Jack showed me into a narrow dining room with black wooden furniture, and I eased myself down into a chair. The cushions on the chairs were white, and I wondered what kind of person would buy white fabric for their dining room chairs.

  The kind of person who never eats in their own house, I realized as Jack sat down next to me.

  Jack took a bite of a spring roll and leaned back in his chair, chewing thoughtfully.

  “So,” he said. “What exactly do you have in mind for Franchot?”

  “Well, I’m going to need someone to look into his activities,” I said, scooping up some fried rice and taking a big bite. “Like, a lawyer, or a private investigator or something.”

  “Yeah,” Jack said. He leaned closer, and I saw the muscles in his forearm flexing. “That’s a good idea – good place to start, at least.”

  I couldn’t help but notice the intense chemistry between us. Even though my mind was running in a thousand different directions, being next to Jack was making me tense and excited. The delicious sensual quality of the food only seemed to heighten the atmosphere between us, and I couldn’t even look at Jack’s golden skin or tousled hair without thinking about what it would feel like if he pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

  “Adele?”

  My head snapped up, and I looked at Jack. “What?”

  Jack chuckled. “Distracted much?”

  I flushed hotly. There was no way I was about to tell Jack what I’d just been thinking of – our bodies, tangled and sweaty, making furious love.

  “No,” I lied, reaching for a spring roll and
taking a big bite. “I’m fine.”

  Jack tapped his pen on a pad of paper. “I think I’ve got some good leads. I’ll call Barnes later this afternoon and have him do some digging.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Okay,” I said. Thinking about Jack’s enormous wealth was astonishing – it was like he had the power to make the world spin at his fingertips.

  “Anything else?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “We just need to find as much dirt on Franchot as possible.”

  “Noted,” Jack replied. He raised an eyebrow and smirked. “So now that business is done, we can have fun.”

  I flushed hotly as I remembered Jack’s caveat on the phone. Be open with me, he’d said.

  Jack leaned in closer. I could smell his expensive, musky cologne and it was enough to make me swoon. As he put his hand on the back of my neck and leaned in close, I closed my eyes and prepared myself for a passionate kiss.

  When our lips met, it was everything that I hadn’t even known that I wanted. The taste on Jack’s lips was spicy and salty from the Thai food, and I moaned softly as I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. When his muscular body pressed against mine, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.

  Jack broke the kiss and nuzzled my neck before nipping at my earlobe. “So,” Jack murmured in my ear. “Shall we go to bed?”

  Glancing down at the table, I saw Jack’s notes on Franchot.

  “No,” I said, pulling away and straightening up. My hair was a mess, and I could feel that my skin was flushed and hot from our passionate kiss.

  Jack raised an eyebrow. “What?”

  “Nothing,” I said, getting to my feet and brushing my hands off on my thighs. “It’s just, I think we should focus on business for now.” In truth, I was dying for Jack – I wanted him then more than I’d wanted him back in Nassau, which was saying a lot. But what if this was the last time? What if we slept together and I never saw him again?

  I couldn’t let that happen.

  “I’m not saying no,” I said, shaking my head and smiling. “I’m just saying not yet.”

  To my surprise, Jack gave me a lazy grin. He leaned back in his chair and put his hands on the back of his neck.

  “Well, then,” Jack said in a low drawl. “I guess I’ll just have to wait.”

  --

  The next day, I met Jack downtown at his office building. Trident Gold had a beautiful office – it was almost as pretty as Jack’s condo – and I tried hard not to stare as Jack took me inside to meet with his lawyers.

  “Barnes, this is Adele,” Jack said as he introduced me to a handsome, smiling guy in a navy suit.

  “Nice to meet you,” I said politely.

  Barnes grinned. “No need to be formal,” he said. He slung an arm around Jack’s shoulders and pulled him close. “Jack and I have been buddies since college,” he informed me.

  I smiled. “Oh,” I said. “That’s nice.”

  Jack extricated himself. “Barnes is a genius,” he said. “Aren’t you?”

  Barnes smiled modestly. “That’s what you keep saying, at least.”

  I waited awkwardly for their bro-fest to end.

  “So, Adele doesn’t have a lot of time,” Jack said. I blinked at him – had he really sensed my irritation? “We should get down to business.”

  Barnes nodded. The frat-boy persona vanished, and I was left with a very professional-looking lawyer. He cleared his throat and sat down in a leather executive chair. “So, Jack, I looked into Franchot. His record is all over the place – it’s a total mess.”

  I sighed. “Well, shouldn’t that make it easier to fuck him?”

  Barnes grinned. “Jack, I like this one,” he said. “She’s feisty.”

  For a moment, I thought I saw Jack blushing.

  “She is,” Jack agreed. He cleared his throat. “What did you find?”

  I sat down next to Barnes and peered over his shoulder. Sure enough, there was a plethora of documents about Franchot. Pictures and legal documents with words blacked out and even a few press releases.

  “Franchot tried to build a resort in the Pyrenees a few years back,” Barnes began. He took out a pair of rimless glasses and put them on. “Look, see?” He passed me a few pieces of paper. “These are the permits.”

  I glanced down. My French wasn’t very good – I hadn’t taken it since high school – but I recognized a few words.

  “I see,” I said. “What happened?”

  “Well, the project halted a few months after construction began,” Barnes continued. “Looks like Franchot was planning a big development – like a luxury resort, with a shopping mall and lots of restaurants. A hotel and little bungalows.”

  “Wow,” I said. “That’s…um, a lot.”

  Barnes nodded. “It is,” he said. He passed me another piece of paper – this was a photocopy of a press release from a French newspaper. “And there was an accident. Twenty men were killed when they were working on the main lodge building.”

  “You’re kidding me,” I said slowly. “That’s terrible!”

  Barnes nodded. He pointed down at the headline in French. “Says here it was one of the worst construction-related incidents to have ever taken place. A bunch of families tried to sue Franchot afterward.”

  I frowned. “And what happened?”

  Barnes made a face. “It doesn’t look like they got their money,” he said. “Franchot declared bankruptcy two weeks after the accident, and then he vanished off the radar for a few years. In fact, this project in Nassau is his next project.”

  I covered my mouth to hide my gasp of horror. “But…but that’s horrible! What if the same thing happens?”

  “He probably used shoddy labor,” Jack interjected. “Franchot is known for cheaping out.”

  I pressed my lips together into a thin line. “We have to find out if he was responsible for the accident,” I said. “If we can pin those twenty deaths on him, we’ll be able to put him out of business forever!”

  Jack nodded. “That’s a good strategy,” he said. “Adele, I think we should get back to Nassau as soon as possible. I can have Rico fly us down tomorrow.”

  I blinked. “Why?”

  Jack sighed in exasperation. “Because I have a feeling that Franchot is already down there, building. Remember the call he gave you? I don’t think he’d have done that unless he was already planning his next monstrosity.”

  “Jesus,” I said, shaking my head. “I can’t believe he would move that fast.”

  Barnes raised an eyebrow at me. “Adele, men like Franchot, are dangerous. They wait for no one – and they spare no expense when it comes to furthering their own agenda.”

  “Yeah,” I muttered under my breath. “Unless that expense is hiring skilled labor.”

  Barnes chuckled. “Right,” he said. “I’m going to have a team of private investigators looks into the Pyrenees accident – maybe fly a few guys out there and see if they can’t talk with the victims’ families. As soon as we have evidence to stop Franchot, we should go to bat.”

  I nodded. I was impressed with Barnes – like Jack, he was movie-star handsome with a big brain behind his sexy face. I couldn’t believe that men like Barnes and Jack actually existed in real life.

  “So, Adele, Nassau?” Jack raised an eyebrow. “I’ll book our rooms at the Hotel St. Charles.”

  A part of me was stung that he said rooms instead of a room. Did he want me, or what?

  Or was he just being respectful?

  “That sounds good,” I said. “I’ll be ready tomorrow.”

  Jack grinned. “Excellent,” he said. “I have some things to discuss with Barnes – you want me to get Nick to give you a ride back to campus?”

  I flushed. “No, thanks,” I said. “I can just take the subway.”

  But after I left the Trident Gold offices, I didn’t go back to school. I went home instead and packed for Nassau. This time, I didn’t need Lisa’s help – I tossed my bikini in my suitcase w
ithout even thinking about it.

  In the morning, Jack sent Nick to pick me up. I was surprised to see that Jack wasn’t in the backseat.

  “Mr. Jack is at the airstrip, miss,” Nick said in a polite tone as he shut the door behind me. “He wanted me to give you this.” Nick passed me a brown paper bag.

  I grinned as the smell of fried eggs and cheese wafted up at me. Ripping open the bag, I saw that Nick had ordered me an egg sandwich on an English muffin – my favorite. How does he know that? I thought as I stared down at the delicious-looking confection in my hands.