Covert Seduction

by Callie Croix

  Not that he was surprised someone had asked her out; he wasn’t. Only that she’d said yes. How could she do that?

  Even as he thought it he called himself a jackass. It was his own fault she was going out with another guy tonight. She obviously didn’t know what she meant to him. The knowledge was like a hot coal burning in his gut. If he’d been on that chopper when it crashed, he’d have died without her ever knowing how he really felt about her. That bothered him more than anything.

  Before he could shove the phone into his pocket, booted footsteps thudded across the floor behind him. He looked back to find Murphy striding into the locker room. The Senior Chief’s voice was as deep as the color of his skin. “You coming to the bar?”

  “Not tonight.”

  Murph’s eyebrows swooped upward in surprise, because Reid never passed up a beer with the guys. “You got a hot date or something?”

  Not anymore. “Just not in the mood for socializing.” Especially with a bunch of horny SEAL bachelors looking to hook up with some trophy-hunting Frog Hog for the night. He’d be a major downer for the rest of the guys right now, single and married alike.

  Murph wasn’t buying it. He folded his muscled arms across his wide chest. “Uh-huh. So, what’s her name?”

  “There’s no girl, Murph.”

  He gave an all too-knowing grin. “Yeah, right. It’s the honey who sent you the X-rated love letter, isn’t it?”

  Reid let out a reluctant laugh and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Aw, fuck.” He’d been hoping the Senior Chief would have forgotten about that. God knew he’d never forget the horrible moment when he’d realized Murph had started reading the explicit email before Reid could fly across the room and rip the laptop out of the other man’s hands.

  Murph clapped him on the shoulder with a giant hand. “Hey, s’all good. Long as I know my man’s busy taking care of business with his lady. How did all that go again?” He screwed his face into an expression of intense concentration. “Oh yeah, I remember now. ‘You show up one night without telling me—’”

  “Murph.”

  “‘You come into my bedroom while I’m undressing and grab me from behind, make me—’”

  “Murph, shut the fuck up already.”

  He only laughed, the sound seeming to come from deep in his gut. “Just want to make sure you didn’t forget the details. Should we boot up the computer and pull it back up on screen to refresh our memories?”

  “No.” He knew every word of that email by heart. Apparently so did Murphy. The start of it, anyway.

  “A hot take-charge bondage sex fantasy.” He made an approving sound. “That’s some kinky shit right there. And from a girl you were pretty into before we shipped out last time. I like her already. So when you gonna bring her out to meet us?”

  “Never.”

  Murph chuckled. “Don’t think she’d pass muster?”

  “She’d pass.” She’d more than pass. Becca’s confident presence and intelligence would blow them all away. Her poise and classiness might even make a few of his teammates stammer and blush like teenagers when she talked to them.

  Yeah, and then they’d all wonder what the hell was wrong with her, to be hooking up with a roughneck like you.

  “We’re hosting game day at our place this Sunday. Ravens versus Patriots,” Murph told him. “Why don’t you bring her over?”

  “Thanks, but I’m not sure how the weekend’s gonna shape up.” Even if things between them were okay and he wanted to introduce her to his teammates and their families, he wasn’t sure she was ready for that. Bringing her to Murph’s would be more than a test to see how she fit in and watch how everyone reacted to her, though. It would be a serious statement about what she meant to him. Considering the way things were going, however, he might not be seeing her at all this weekend. Hell, they way she’d made it sound, he might never see her again. He frowned at the idea, a weird pressure building in his chest.

  “Well, good luck on your seduction op, then.” Murphy gave Reid a friendly shove on the shoulder. One that might have sent a smaller man flying off the bench. “Better get your ass in gear, Galvin. Forty-eight hour leave burns up damn quick when you’re getting some.”

  “You would know.”

  His eyes twinkled. “Yep. I told the guys only one beer then I’m outta there. Kids are at the grandparents’ tonight. Got my own woman’s fantasies to satisfy.”

  Reid couldn’t help but grin. “Give Charlie a kiss for me.”

  “No way in hell,” he said with an easy laugh. His heavy footsteps retreated down the hall, leaving Reid alone in a silence he suddenly found suffocating.

  He’d spent the past six weeks eating, sleeping, training and fighting beside his SEAL brothers. After the Chinook crash he’d immersed himself in battle with his fellow warriors and had then chosen to shut the rest of the world out for a while. Now, when he wanted only to be with Becca, he couldn’t have her.

  He rubbed his fingers over his tired, gritty eyes. Through the hell he’d witnessed in the past few weeks, she’d been his beacon, the symbol of all that was right with the world. And now it might be too late to win her back?

  That was unacceptable.

  Reid stood and stretched his back before grabbing his seabag. Striding to the door at the far end of the hallway that led to the parking lot, he reviewed his options. The situation with Becca was time-sensitive. He could head back to his place in the BOQ and hit the rack for a few hours before he devised a plan. God knew he could use the sleep.

  Or he could get his ass in his truck this instant and take the first step in repairing the damage he’d done.

  Reid thought again about her fantasy. He wasn’t above seducing her to get what he wanted: another chance. She’d already outlined in vivid detail what she wanted from him in bed, back when she’d trusted him. He was more than willing to give it to her. Maybe it would give him the edge he needed to convince her he deserved a second shot.

  So those were his choices. A few hours’ sleep? Or a carefully executed covert seduction?

  No contest.

  Walking across the moonlit asphalt, he climbed into his truck and headed for Alexandria.

  Chapter Two

  A few hours into the evening, Becca wished she’d taken the opportunity to back out of the evening when David had offered.

  She could have avoided everything in the first place by making up some excuse or other plans for tonight. Hell, she should have spent all night hanging out by herself at the local Starbucks to prevent being home alone rather than attending this gala. Hurting David’s feelings would have been preferable to the way she was suffering when the silent auction finally ended. Every time she checked her watch she swore the battery had stopped working. How could time be dragging so damn slowly? The dinner had been okay, but David still seemed anxious about something. Between conversations he’d been fidgety, darting troubled glances at her, which was very unlike him. It also heightened her own anxiety.

  When the event finally wrapped up she couldn’t get to the car fast enough. Walking through the parking lot in the cold drizzle, she pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders. David opened her door and she slid inside with a murmured thank you, careful not to touch him.

  All evening she’d been vigilant about not doing or saying anything that might give him the wrong idea, while still trying to be decent company. Though he’d been unusually quiet all night, when he had spoken to her he’d subtly flirted with her regardless, just like always. Aware she wasn’t interested in him romantically, yet letting her know he was still unwilling to concede defeat. Under different circumstances she might have been flattered by his persistence. Right now it just made her desperate to escape.

  David started the engine and drove out of the parking lot. He didn’t say anything for a few minutes, and wh
en she glanced over at him it seemed like he was still on edge about something. She noticed he kept checking his mirrors more than necessary. His posture seemed unnaturally uptight.

  She frowned. Why was he so nervous? “Hey. Something wrong?”

  “No.” He was being so cautious that when he checked the side mirrors again, she did too. She didn’t spot anything out of the ordinary going on behind them. Just a few cars in the distance, turning out of the parking lot. What was he looking for back there?

  “David, come on. I know something’s going on. You’re not acting like yourself.”

  Finally he blew out a breath and answered. “Sorry. You’re right. I need to tell you something. I was going to talk to you before you got that phone call, and then it just never seemed like the right time to bring it up. I couldn’t bring it up in there in front of all those people.”

  That didn’t sound good. Half turning in the seat, she gave him her full attention, wondering what was up. “Okay, I’m listening.”

  His gaze darted over to her. “I finished analyzing the contents of that file you unencrypted for me.”

  Since Reid’s call, she’d forgotten about the file. “Did you find anything?”

  “Oh, yeah.” His tone was every bit as grim as his expression.

  Unsettled, she turned more in her seat to stare at him. Was this the real reason he’d invited her out tonight? “Tell me.”

  He rubbed at the back of his neck, a sure sign of his agitation. Her heart rate kicked up a few notches in response. “Someone in the firm’s been involved in illegal investments. A lot of them.”

  “Illegal as in…”

  “As in, the IRS and the SEC would put the person away for the next twenty-five to life if this got out.”

  Her eyes widened. “What? Who is it?”

  “Not sure. I’m trying to figure that out, though I’ve narrowed it down to a few possibilities.” He met her gaze for a second. “Four out of the six I’ve pegged are partners in the firm.”

  Holy shit. Her mouth fell open for a moment. One of the partners? This was bad. She’d never have guessed that such an innocent-looking file would contain that kind of information, and even though she hadn’t really examined the contents too much, she’d technically had access to the figures on those spreadsheets. A sinking feeling took hold as she realized she might have unknowingly embroiled herself in something ugly. “How much money are we talking about?”

  “Almost two billion.”

  She was too stunned to answer him for a moment. No freaking way. This was something straight out of a movie. “You’re sure about this? Has anyone else analyzed the numbers?”

  “I’m sure, and that’s why I won’t let anyone else look at the numbers until I have everything I need for evidence. You think one of the largest investment firms in the country’s going to let this get out?” He shook his head and made a scoffing sound. “Once I have solid proof I’m going straight to the IRS and SEC. And not until.”

  It was almost too much for her to comprehend. “How many people do you think are involved?”

  “Not sure yet. Could be a couple or might only be one.”

  She began fidgeting with the folds of her dress in her lap. Had she made a mistake somehow when she’d unencrypted the thing? “Why didn’t you say anything before?”

  He gave her a “get real” look. “I wasn’t going to email it to you or tell you over the phone.”

  In case someone else might see or overhear. Jesus.

  “And you were too distracted on our way to the dinner earlier so I didn’t want to spoil the whole evening by bringing it up before. At first I wasn’t going to say anything at all, but in light of what’s going on, I felt you had a right to know.”

  Well gee, thanks for that. She chewed her lip. There was still a chance this was all a horrible mistake. “Maybe I’d better look at the coding on the file again.”

  “It’s all there, Becca. You nailed it the first time, trust me. I copied everything onto a flash drive and put it on your office desk back at your place while you were upstairs.”

  She whipped her head around to gawk at him. “What for? I don’t want to be involved in any part of this.” Or the shit storm that would certainly follow.

  “I wanted someone I trusted to have a copy of everything. Just in case,” he said cryptically. “You should probably move it to a more secure place. You got a safe at home?”

  “No.” Okay, now she was flat-out worried. She didn’t like the implication behind his actions. “How long have you known about the investments?”

  “A few days. It took me a while to dig through everything.”

  “No one’s said anything to you at the office? Asked questions?” She tried to remember if anything strange or out of the ordinary had happened over the past week, but other than the surprise meeting this morning, nothing came to mind. And no one had brought it up at the meeting. Unless whoever was behind this had been testing her reaction in that board room. She’d written those new portfolio analysis programs. Did they think she intended to use it on the numbers David had unearthed? The idea made her go cold inside.

  Damn. She wanted to know if she should actually be worried. Just how much trouble were they were both in?

  “Nope, but only because no one else knows I even have the file. Or that you cracked it for me. And that’s the way I want to keep it until I have more proof.” He shot her a meaningful sideways glance.

  Please, like she was going to say anything? “You should just go to the police and let them handle it if you don’t want to risk telling the partners.” Not that she blamed him. If it was true, there was no telling how many of them were involved with a cover-up that size. Something this big would have long-term repercussions for the firm’s investors. The impact would be global, a ripple effect that might topple one of the biggest firms in the country. And when one considered the obscene amount of money involved… Just how badly would they want to silence anyone with the power to expose their illegal activities?

  A chill swept down her spine. She didn’t like the feel of this at all. “David, you’d better be careful.” She clenched her damp hands together in her lap.

  “I know. I will be.” He sounded confident, but it didn’t make the unease in the pit of her stomach go away.

  As they drove, Becca mentally ran through a list of the firm’s partners. She was just a programmer, a worker bee in the hive, so she didn’t know many of them on a personal level. Would one of them really do something like this? Put their career and the entire firm in jeopardy? “There has to be an explanation. No way anyone in the firm would do something like this, especially now, when the whole financial world is still scrambling to recover from the mortgage meltdown debacle. Something that big couldn’t go on today without someone else finding out about it.” She frowned at him. Could it?

  “I didn’t want to believe it either, but after going over the data, doing research and crunching the numbers for the past few days, I can’t deny what’s there in black and white. So far it all checks out, unfortunately.”

  Well, as a forensic accountant hired by the firm, he’d know. “Have you ever seen anything suspicious in your work before?”

  “Not like this. I wouldn’t have found out about it at all if I hadn’t stumbled across that file in the first place.”

  Yeah, that was bothering her now too. “And you don’t think that’s suspicious, it just turning up out of nowhere?” She gnawed her bottom lip.

  “No, because I literally would never have even seen it if I hadn’t been looking for some obscure information for another file I was working on. It was buried in a hard drive in an old generic company laptop I was checking.”

  She licked her lips. “Think someone wanted to set one of the partners up by planting false information, knowing you’d find it?” Him stumbling u
pon it was too much of a coincidence for her to swallow. Considering the amount of money involved, she figured a bit of paranoia was justified. But why would someone do it? To set up one of the partners? Revenge?

  David shrugged. “Haven’t ruled that theory out entirely, which is why I’m not blowing the whistle just yet.”

  And she’d bet it was also why he’d been antsy and checking his mirrors so often tonight. Her hands fisted in her lap. She didn’t see anyone behind them, but now she was on edge too. “Have you been followed or something?”

  He hesitated a moment and her stomach tightened. “I thought so a few times this week.”

  Oh, shit. And he’d picked her up tonight, regardless that he might be endangering her too? “What about now?”

  “Not that I know of. Look, I didn’t tell you to scare you. I just want you to be aware of what’s going on because you’ve had access to the information.”

  And by helping him with what had seemed like a benign enough task, she was now involved in this, whether she wanted to be or not. Didn’t matter that she was only a programmer and didn’t know the first thing about accounting. She’d unwittingly embroiled herself the moment she’d opened that encrypted file last week. At the very least she’d have interviews with investigators and be called to testify if and when all this went to trial. At worst, she’d find a pink slip on her desk Monday morning.

  With someone’s reputation and two billion at stake, you know that’s not the worst thing that could happen to you.

  Okay, maybe she’d watched too many movies. Still, she couldn’t shake the prickling sensation at the back of her neck.

  She laced her stiff fingers together and exhaled. Her night had now officially gone from bad to worse. An hour ago she wouldn’t have thought that possible.

  David cleared his throat. “Sorry to put you in such an awkward situation. I didn’t mean to.”

  She knew he hadn’t involved her intentionally. Still sucked for her, though. “Well, thanks for the heads up, I guess.” What was she supposed to do now, plead ignorance when someone confronted her about it? She now had a freaking copy of it in her home office.