As soon as my flight landed, Devon was waiting for me. Our cyber team had found malware in our system, they traced it back to an email that was sent to Rhys’ assistant Elodie. Devon and I both have Juliette as our assistant as we trust her explicitly. Rhys on the other hand wanted someone to attend to him solely. Dev and I don’t give a shit as long as he doesn’t fuck her or she doesn’t affect our business. She’s been here six weeks and already things have started happening. I don’t believe in coincidences, and I never trusted Elodie, something about her just doesn’t sit right. Since the email, we’ve had our cyber team looking into her.
“No need to yell,” I tell him, and he glares at me. “What’s going on now?”
He shuts the door behind him, “Rhys. That fucker is going to be the death of me.” He tells me as he takes a seat.
“What’s he done this time?” I’m sick of being the mediator between them.
He frowns, “What’s he done? How about letting that traitor into our midst?”
“What have the guys found out?”
He glares at me, “She let herself into your office while you were in LA, thankfully we have CCTV in here and saw that she logged into your email and went through your paperwork. She took pictures of things. She’s also sent confidential emails that Rhys has asked her to send to clients to a different email address. One that they’re tracing now.”
My anger rises. “What the fuck did she find?” The paperwork on my desk is classified. It’s deals that we have in the works, things that aren’t to be made public, and having her snoop through my things pisses me off. I get to my feet, it’s time for us to put an end to this shit before she does damage to our company. “Where’s Rhys?” From now on, he’ll be using Julliette.
“In his office.” Devon smirks, “As is Elodie.”
I nod and walk to my door, “Are you coming?” I remark as the lazy fuck is sitting on the chair still smiling. “It’s time to take the trash out.”
He gets up from the chair and strides toward me, “This is going to be fun.”
I shake my head, “You need to get out more if you think that this is going to be fun.”
He laughs, “Oh you think sleeping with as many women as you can is fun? What is it, a new woman each week?”
I shrug, since I’ve not been with anyone in eight days, which I think is something that hasn’t happened since I was in high school. “Whatever, asshole.”
When we exit my office Juliette’s eyes widen, “Mr. Eli, Mr. Devon, is everything okay?”
“Call security, today is Elodie’s last day.” Devon informs her.
The smile she has can only be described as joyful. “It’ll be my pleasure. Do you need me to call the temp agency to get another assistant for Mr. Rhys?”
I shake my head. “No, unless you’d prefer not to work for him.”
“No, Mr. Eli. I love working for you, and I’d love to work for Mr. Rhys again. I thought I had done something to upset him.”
Devon laughs, “It wasn’t you Juliette, I think Rhys’ other brain was doing the thinking when he hired her.”
She nods, “And here I thought that it was Mr. Eli that was the womanizer.”
Devon laughs and I scowl at her. “Juliette.” I give her a pointed look and she blushes. “Security.” I remind her.
She reaches for the phone. “Oh yes, I’m sorry.”
Devon continues to laugh as we stride toward Rhys’ office. “Even Juliette thinks you’re a man whore.”
I turn and glare at him. “Are you finished?”
His eyes narrow, “What’s going on with you? Since you got home you’ve been acting weird.”
“Leave it.”
His mouth opens in shock, “Eli, did you meet a woman?”
“Leave it.” I repeat, this time there’s a bite to my tone.
He chuckles, “Oh shit. You did. What happened? Did she turn you down?”
She did to start with, I don’t tell him that. “No.”
He lays his hand on my shoulder. “Finally. Damn, it’s about time.”
I sigh, he never knows when to stop. “What’s about time?”
“You, you’ve finally fallen.”
I scoff, “That’s never going to happen. Now, can we get this over and done with?”
He nods, “Sure, but Eli, you can’t run from love.”
“Who the hell said anything about love?”
He laughs, “You don’t need to say anything. The way you’ve been acting since you’ve got back is enough for me to know. But you’re fighting it. You’re only hurting you and her by not giving in.”
The thought of hurting her makes me sick to my stomach. But she knew the deal, one night and only one night. I won’t do anything more. “You’ve no idea what you’re talking about. Now will you just leave things alone?”
He nods and I release a deep breath. “Someday you’re going to regret it. I just hope when you do, she’ll be around.” He walks past me and into Rhys’ office.
Fucking Devon. He knows how to get into my damn head. Buttercup knew the deal. I never catch feelings. I won’t, I’m not ready to settle down.
“What do I owe the pleasure?” Rhys smirks as we enter his office.
Devon and I take a seat and Elodie gets up from her desk in the corner to leave. “You are to stay.” I demand and she releases a squeak.
“Eli?” Rhys questions as though I’ve lost my damn mind.
I turn to him with a raised brow, “Yes?” I say through clenched teeth.
He’s taken aback by my bluntness. “Will one of you let me in on what the hell is going on?”
“I have a question for your—” I turn to Elodie, her face is ashen, “—assistant.”
“Me?” she squeaks.
“Yes. You.” Devon says his voice darker than I’ve heard it before. “What I want to know, Ms. Harton, is what you were doing breaking into Eli’s office while he was away in Los Angeles?”
Her eyes widen but she quickly recovers, her eyes darting between us and the door, she’s like a jackrabbit ready to bolt. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t break into Mr. Eli’s office.”
“Really?” I question and she nods. “That’s funny. That’s not what the security footage shows.” Her face once again loses all its color. “Did you not realize that our offices have CCTV?”
“Again, does somebody want to let me in on what the hell is going on?” Rhys demands. “Elodie, what have you done?” he asks in disgust.
“We were alerted by cyber that a malware had infected our systems. That malware was traced back to an email that was sent to Elodie’s computer.” Devon informs them both.
Rhys glares at us, “So what makes you think that Elodie has done anything wrong?”
“Other than the fact that she was taking pictures of paperwork on my desk, and hacking into my emails. How about the fact that she’s been sending your emails to a different email address than the one you had asked.”
“Who?” he barks at her making her jump. “Elodie, do not test my patience. Who have you been betraying me to?”
I want to know this also. I need to know who she's given the information to. I need to get ahead of it so that we can stop it being leaked to the world. None of the contracts we have in the works are ready to be made public, especially, the contract we have with Conrad. That's the one that could cause the biggest trouble. We're ready to sign the contracts, we're ready to move ahead, but in no way are we ready for this to be announced.
Rhys bangs his hand against his desk, the sound reverberating around the room causing Elodie to jump with fright. She's never seen this side to Rhys before, out of the three of us, he's the most level headed, the one that doesn't get angry. "I'll ask you one last time. Who are you betraying me to?"
"Kline." It's a whisper, but we all hear it.
Kline is our biggest rival, we should have known it was down to him, he's been trying to ride on our coattails since we made it big. He's been left behind a
nd has been threatening to take us down ever since.
"That fucking asshole," Devon growls. "How much did you tell him?"
Heat rises through her cheeks but she doesn't answer.
"What did you tell him?" I demand, but I can tell by the scowl on her face that she's not going to tell me. I sigh, the last thing I need right now is for her to take a vow of silence. My cell rings and I look down and see that it's Mark from cyber. "Mark?"
"Hey, Mr. Eli. We've managed to go through all the security footage and have the traces we had on the computer." When we found out that Elodie had been in our offices, Mark and the rest of the cyber team set up tracking on our computers. They can see every site we've been on and everything we've been up to. I don't give a shit as I've nothing to hide. They've signed NDA's and aren't allowed to discuss our work. "We've found Elodie siphoning money from the business account to her own."
"Right." I don't want to say anything as Elodie's sitting in the room.
"Mr. Eli, from what we've gathered, she's taken half a million."
"Okay, I'll text you the details on what to do next." I end the call and send him a message telling him to freeze all accounts and to call the police this woman is finished.
Once I finish sending Mark a message, I turn my attention back to Elodie. "Okay, here's the deal. You have a choice."
The bitch raises her brow, "Oh and what choice is that?"
Rhys sighs and Devon smirks, she's pissed us off enough.
"You tell me what the fuck you told that motherfucker or I'll call the police and have you arrested for theft and money laundering."
Her eyes widen, and I hear the sharp intake of breath from Rhys. "Money laundering?"
The color drains from her face. She didn't know that we knew that.
"Yes, Elodie here has siphoned half a million dollars from our business account to her own." I watch as Devon's eyes narrow; he's like me, wanting to kill her, but we can't. This needs to be done the right way. Rhys is staring at me in disbelief. "So, Elodie, I'll give you one last chance to tell me, what information did you give to Kline?"
She glances at Rhys, "I'm sorry, I had no choice. He was threatening me."
I grit my teeth. "What information?" I ask again.
"The deal with Conrad."
Fuck!
Rhys shakes his head. "You should have come to me. I would have helped you. Instead you betray us and steal money." He stands, "Get your stuff and get the hell out."
There's a knock at the door and Devon goes to answer it, "Detectives," he says and I glance and see two detectives standing in the doorway.
They walk over to Elodie and arrest her; reading her the Miranda Rights. Tears stream down her face but I don't give a fuck. She should have thought about that before she betrayed us. While the officers take Elodie out of the office in handcuffs, the detectives turn to us. "Mr. Egan." They acknowledge us, "We'll need your statements."
I nod, "Of course, we'll be down to the station shortly."
Once they leave I turn to Rhys, he looks stunned as he stares at the door. It's best to let him come to terms with what's happened. From what I gathered, he and Elodie were a lot closer than either of them made out.
"I'd better call Conrad. Let him know about this fuck up."
This is not a call that I'm looking forward to. I don't like my hand to be forced and yet here we are. Now we're going to have to announce our deal before Kline leaks it to the press.
"I'll deal with Kline." Devon tells me, "It's time for that fucker to realize what happens when you mess with the Egan business."
We both move toward the door, I stop once my hand touches the handle. "From now on, we only use Juliette. You have a problem with that?" I ask Rhys and his eyes narrow but he nods.
Good. Now it's time to try and do some damage control.
8
Mel
The words continue to ring around my head, as they have done for the past three days since I've found out. Cancer. My mom has cancer and she's battling it herself for the past six weeks. She tells me that she's going to be fine but she doesn't know that for sure. She's been trying to weigh through her options, she's been toying between the idea of a double mastectomy or radiation. She has stage three breast cancer and I've been doing a lot of research since I found out and from what I gathered, the mastectomy would be a great option for her. However, mom doesn't want to hear it, she's burying her head in the sand acting as though everything is normal.
I've not told anyone as she doesn't want me to, I'm unsure how to help her. She's acting as though things are normal and that the cancer will disappear by itself. Almost if she has the common cold. I feel like I'm drowning beneath this secret and I don't know what I'm going to do. I've tried my hardest to pretend that everything is normal but everyone has been able to tell otherwise. Even CJ and Bree have asked me if I'm okay. The only person that hasn't is my father, then again, I'm not surprised by that at all. The man doesn't know me, I'm his daughter but only when it suits him.
Since I found out my mom's news, thoughts of Mr. Executive haven't invaded my mind as much. The thought of him is always there, he's not far away. I haven't been able to forget the night we shared; I don't think I ever will. I still feel that sense of loss whenever I do think of him.
I shake my head as I weave through the crowd, it doesn't matter what day of the week it is, Starbucks is always busy. It's just after six in the evening and the queue is almost to the door. I'm not working today as I was meant to be at college, but I couldn't bring myself to go, I wouldn't have been able to concentrate. Instead, I spent the day in my room, I had to get out of the apartment and clear my head. Somehow I ended up here. Shelia smiles at me as she serves her customer, I silently wait until the crowd disperse and order myself a coffee.
I'm just leaving the store when someone crashes into me and my coffee falls to the floor. I'm just about to turn when they speak, just one word has my entire body stilling. "Buttercup."
My heartbeat quickens and I take a step forward and spin around to face him. God, the man's even more handsome than I remember. "If it isn't the Egomaniac." I can't hide my smile, it's so good to see him.
"I was hoping that I'd find you." His voice is husky, it's what I call his seductive tone.
Now that surprises me. "Oh, and why is that?" I manage to keep my voice even, yet I'm full of hope. Maybe, just maybe, we can have one more night.
He takes a step closer to me, his eyes full of lust. "Buttercup, the way you came apart for me was something unlike I'd ever witnessed before." He takes yet another step closer so that we're touching. "The way you took my cock—" he brings his lips to mine, "—fucking magnificent."
I stare at him, God, I want him so much. "What is it that you want, Mr. Executive."
He closes his eyes and groans. "I want you to call me that when you come. Exactly that."
I smile, "Oh, and who's going to be making me come?" I question, knowing that I'm bating him.
"Me," he growls. "Only me." His lips touch mine and my I know that there's no turning back. I think Zoe was right when she said I caught feelings. I'd happily do anything with this man, go anywhere, as long as I was with him.
I pull away from him, my chest rising and falling heavily. "So make me come."
He smirks, "I plan to." He takes my hand and we start walking, "Don't plan on getting any sleep."
I tut. "You and your promises."
"Buttercup, I showed you last time that I'm a man of my word."
I nod, "You did, but you also said it was a one-time thing." I give him a shit-eating grin.
He laughs, "You're acting as though you don't want me. Say the word, Buttercup, and I'll be gone."
Bastard! He knows damn well I won't be saying no. "Where are you staying this time?"
A slow cocky grin creeps across his lips. “The same hotel as last time.”
His hand comes to rest on my ass as we continue to walk toward the hotel.
"How long are you in tow
n for?"
"Tonight, Buttercup, just tonight."
My heart clenches but I know that I'd rather have tonight than walk away. "Okay, Mr. Executive. I'm yours for tonight."
His eyes flash but he doesn't say anything, instead that stupid cocky grin spreads across his face. It's annoying but sexy. I can't deny that the man is gorgeous, he knows it though. His arrogance is off the charts and any other man it would be an instant turn off but with him, it's as though I can't get enough.
We reach the hotel and his pace quickens, he practically drags me through the hotel lobby toward the elevators. Once we're inside I can't help but laugh. "Something funny?" he asks, his lips twitching.
I glance up at him. "Eager are we?"
He walks over to me, his eyes dark with lust and I take a step backward. His hands go either side of my head and he leans down so that we're face to face. "Buttercup, I've wanted to fuck you ever since you snuck out of my room two weeks ago."
I blush, "I didn't sneak."
His lips twitch again. "You did," he growls. "I would have fucked you again before you left."
I close my eyes as heat pools in my pussy. "God." I breathe, I can't handle when he speaks dirty to me. I'm putty in his hands whenever he does.
"You like that, huh?" His lips graze my ear as he whispers to me. "Then you're going to love when I fuck you senseless." His lips crash against mine and I moan, his tongue sweeps into my mouth and I'm breathless, lost in the kiss. My hands are all over him, I need him inside of me. I've missed him. It's so stupid, we were together for one night and I missed him. It's crazy.
The elevator dings as it arrives at his floor, we pull away and I'm breathless. He holds out his hand for me, "Come," he demands and I take his hand ready and waiting for what's to come next.
Once the hotel door closes, he stands there staring at me. I squeeze my legs shut, the intense gaze he has is making me wanton. Feeling brazen I saunter toward him, "You know..." I begin, his eyes thick with lust. "I've been having dreams about that night."
His cocky grin returns, "Oh, do tell."
Egotistical Executive: A Hero Club Novel Page 6
