“I’m sorry. Are you seeing any fertility specialists?”
Kika waved it off. “My OBGYN says I don’t need to. I’ve run some tests, and all my parts are working.”
“Good.” Elena tapped her friend’s hand then withdrew her own. “How about Ryan’s parts?” she asked just for the sake of it. Appearances could be deceptive, obviously, but the hunky Australian blond didn’t look like he could have any non-working parts.
“Oh, he’s been tested. He’s good.” Kika sighed. “See what I have just done? Made it about me.”
Elena winked. “We have that in common.”
“That’s why I love you.”
Chapter Fourteen
Later that day, Devon glanced at a text message glaring on his cell. Elena doesn’t have any strange account activity. No off-shore accounts in her name. He palmed the device for a moment before putting it in his pants, then drank a swig of champagne.
Around him, the engagement party unfolded without a hitch. They had gotten ready at the hotel, and as far as he knew, Elena had asked their family not to talk about her at Emilio and Tiffany’s engagement party.
“More champagne?” the waitress asked, holding a bottle.
“No, thanks.” He sat the flute on her tray, and ran his hand over his head. A strange heat formed in his throat. Damn it. So Elena wasn’t the one messing with the accounts or stealing from his company. Deep down, he realized she’d never steal from the company. And that made him want to trust her. Even more, if she wasn’t using him sexually to get ready to be Matthew’s lover, what did that mean where Devon was concerned with all his commitment issues?
Damn it again. That left him with an amazing, smart, sexy woman who deserved a man who would make her happy. A man who could give her all she wanted.
Could he be that man? Did he even want to give up on his path for continuing success at Wilder & Co.? To decrease the number of nights he spent at the club to help take care of a sick baby at home?
A chilly sensation zapped down his spine. The specter of his father zapped into his mind. If he did all that, would he risk turning out just like his father? And fail Elena by becoming a cheating, lying husband? He kept trying to separate himself from his father’s bad-ass ways, but what if trying wasn’t good enough and blood triumphed over his efforts to be different from the his dear old sperm donor?
“Hey, man.” Elena’s brother walked over to Devon and he caught a glimpse of her other brother Rocco standing next to them. But instead of looking like they wanted to beat the shit out of him, they smiled. “We didn’t get a chance to talk to you.”
Devon shook his head. “No worries.”
Rocco brought his tumbler to his lips while Salvatore continued, “We still have our eyes on you, but wanted to say thanks for last night. I wish I could have delivered that punch.”
“If you hadn’t, we would never have known what that creep did to our sister,” Rocco said.
Devon stretched to his full height. Talking about Elena without her next to him didn’t seem fair, even if that could buy him some brownie points with her family. “It’s alright.”
Salvatore stretched out his hand. “Start over?”
Devon took it, and gave him a neutral smile. “Sure.”
“Like he said, though, we are still worried about Elena’s best interests.” Rocco narrowed his green eyes at him. “She doesn’t deserve to be hurt anymore.”
“No, she doesn’t,” he agreed. Was he hurting her? No. He never promised her anything more than sex, and she seemed to go along with his no-strings rule. Even though sometimes, it was like a lingering emotion drew them to each other like an anchor to the bottom of the ocean. “What about the others?” Devon asked, willing away his thoughts, and pointing at the other Moretti brothers. Emilio, the official fiancé, chatted with his woman, Tiffany something, while Raffaello mingled with the guests.
“They’ll come around.”
Rocco took another gulp of scotch. “Maybe.”
“What happened to her ex? Should we look for him at a hospital or morgue somewhere?”
Salvatore chuckled. “We’re Italians, but not the mafia. Besides what Elena may think, we know Timothy was sick. We won’t talk to him again, but if she wants to press charges against him, that’s her choice. We’ll support her either way,” he said, the planes of his face sobering.
“Good. Did you tell her that?”
Salvatore nodded. “Yes.”
Devon smiled to himself. A strange sense of completion washed over him, like he just won over a big account. One way or another, Elena would be fine. “Then it’s all that matters.”
Arietta called them for the toast, and she smiled at Devon. Phew. Of all the members of the Moretti family, Elena’s mother was the one he really didn’t want to disappoint if he didn’t have to.
Another waiter offered him more champagne, and he took a glass. Maybe it would be best to enjoy the moment.
Hours later, they walked through the lobby, Elena leaning into Devon. It felt right. Like they were a long standing couple with a history instead of just two people having a sexual fling.
“Did you have a good time?” she asked as they walked through the lobby, close to each other, their intimacy mimicking that of a seasoned couple.
He massaged the small of her back. “Yes. They seem like a good couple together.”
“Are we good together, Devon?” she asked, and he smelled alcohol on her breath. He gazed at her, and the glint of mischief in her big caramel eyes put everything else into the background. Even though it was clearly after midnight, a few guests still hurried to get out of the hotel and get on with their lives. “Sometimes I wonder if I’m too boring for you.”
Laughter bubbled from his throat. Nothing could be further from the truth. “Boring? No.”
“Great. Because I’ve been thinking of a couple things to get out of my comfort zone. I’ve been inspired by you,” she said, and pushed the elevator button.
He swallowed hard. Ever since the night before, he had taken the elevator with her a couple times, to save face. Still, riding the damn thing with Elena by his side didn’t change the way his body reacted.
The chills. The irrational beating of his heart like he was about to have a stroke. If anything, it made it all worse, with the added pressure of not sounding like an idiot in front of her.
A couple of elevators beeped and their doors opened simultaneously. Elena chose the empty one and grabbed his hand.
When the doors closed, she pushed him against the wall. Tipsy Elena was a force to be reckoned with. Standing on her tiptoes, she lifted her mouth to his, and he dipped his head and latched onto her lips. His libido stirred, and his pants tightened painfully.
He delved his tongue into her warm wet mouth, and she squirmed against him. Aroused, he swallowed the moan that formed in her throat, and she lowered her hand to his groin. Hhhmmm…
Disengaging her mouth from his, she breathed. “You want to fuck me, big guy?”
He jolted. Man, she’d learned a thing or two about cuss words and how they turned him on. A hot thread spread through him, and his cock swelled even more. “Always.”
He almost mocked her quick learning, but he was just too damn horny for humor. “Good. Because my pussy is dripping wet for you.”
“Here, baby?” he asked, his oxygen supply so low he wasn’t sure what “here” meant.
“Now. Fuck me hard.” It was not a request.
Groaning, he reached for his wallet and took out a condom. She helped him, pulling down his pants and taking out his cock. The moment she palmed his hard-on, a shiver went through him. Shit. He’d last even less than he imagined, but given they were only ten floors away from their room, that had to be an advantage.
She kissed him, and he rolled on the latex. He scooped her up in his arms, and turned around, and she crashed her against the wooded wall while he pulled her underwear to the side, and plunged into her.
“Yes. Ride me with that delic
ious cock. Give me what I’ve been wanting all night.”
His arousal reached an insane level, pleasure about to explode out of him. Fast. Kissing her hard, he almost withdrew his length from her, only to thrust twice as deep as before. Once. Twice. Again.
She clenched her legs around him even tighter, and caressed his shoulders. Soft moans flew from her mouth, and her body undulated against his. His balls heaved, and the contraction in his stomach had its own freaking pulse. Inhaling, he took his cock out all the way, and within a split second, impaled her one last time. The sensation of coming to a home he never belonged to overwhelmed him, and he let himself spill into her.
By the time the elevator pinged, she had discreetly helped him remove his condom and fold it into a wad of tissue before placing it inside her clutch. With his fly closed but his heart still pounding, he wiped the sweat from his forehead. The doors opened at their floor, and she walked out of the elevator first.
He wanted to swallow, but his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. “Yo, sex goddess. What was that back there?” he delivered playfully, while they walked side by side to their suite, although the most intriguing part was how confused he still felt. Even after sex.
She peered at him, and despite what just happened, the reddening of her cheeks hinted that her coyness would never fully go away. Did he even want it to? No. He liked that about Elena.
“From now on, this is what I want you to think about next time you’re on an elevator.”
He squared his shoulders, and glanced behind him. The elevator. Somehow, in the midst of their torrid hook-up, his fear or worse, what caused his fear, hadn’t entered his mind. And thanks to her, maybe never would again. “So you used sex to help me overcome an old fear?”
She beamed at him. A frank, gorgeous smile that could brighten a dark football stadium. “I learned from you to use screwing as an excellent method of distraction.”
He took a deep breath, and then released it slowly. His nerve endings sizzled with some strange emotion he didn’t want to label. Happiness? Relief? His throat clogged. What was she doing to him? “Well done, Elena Morreti.”
“Thanks.” She squealed, and leaned in when he opened the door of the suite. “I may have used Google to research a couple key expressions. You know. To up my dirty talk. And guess what? There’s more where that came from, mister.”
She walked in front of him and he smacked her ass. “I created a monster.” A sexy, smart, compassionate monster he wasn’t sure he could say good-bye to.
***
“So he went to meet your family?” Janie whispered, even though they were both alone.
Elena circled her desk, restless. “Yes. I’m not keeping my hopes up, though. It was more about helping me deal with some family drama.” After they’d returned from New York the previous day, he had given her a ride to her place and then returned to his. And just like that, an unfamiliar void flooded her insides.
She liked being with Devon. Maybe a bit too much, and that unnerved her. Still, she could dream for something more, given everything Devon had done for her during the last few days.
Her friend sipped her tea, all the while staring at Elena with a look of amusement. “Sure. Turns out The Devil is quite the Boy Scout. I wonder if he would have done the same if you were an old lady with arthritis?”
“Who knows? He has been surprising me.”
She nodded, and adjusted her glasses. “You seem really happy, Elena.”
Elena paced the floor with her hands perched at her waist. At this point, was happiness good or bad? Could she count on Devon wanting her in his life after they solved the crime dogging his family’s company?
“Thanks.”
Janie lifted an eyebrow. “Have you guys talked about that smile on your face? I’m sure he’s seen it.”
She glanced at the empty chair in his office. He had been at a meeting for the past hour. “We talked about a lot of stuff,” she said in a small voice, and realized how pathetic she sounded. Was she really going to sell herself short on that one? She had wanted him to guide back into sexual mode again…fait accompli. She had promised to help him find the real thief, which hadn’t happened. Well, she had given him suggestions but none of them panned out. As soon as one did… Oh, goodness. She didn’t want to think about what would happen afterward.
Janie glanced at her delicate wristwatch, and made a face. “Gotta go back. Toby’s been asking me to work insane hours lately…”
She stopped pacing and stared hard at her friend. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Anything out of the ordinary?”
“Nah. He’s just weird. Stares at the computer for long periods of time, and then falls back on his work, and guess who has to pick up the slack?” Janie grabbed her tea cup and lifted it. “Talk to you later.”
Elena waved, and returned to her desk. During the following minutes, as she sent out emails and picked up a couple phone calls, her friend’s words stabbed at her mind. He stares at the computer for long periods of time. Devon had told her that Toby was clean, according to his source. How could either of them know for sure?
Acid filled her stomach. Something didn’t sit well with her, and it wasn’t the Panini she ate for breakfast. She pulled out the file from her drawer. The numbers were the same, the amounts the same, the name of the fake accounts… She shuddered. Every account had the letter I in them.
Trying to alleviate her kinks, she cracked her neck to the side. Something wasn’t right.
Elena tapped on the keyboard and tried to make sense of the ideas rushing through her mind. Before long she had a cohesive thread. Quickly, she printed out the reports from the company during the months when the thefts had started. Even though Devon’s printer was virtually soundless, the amount of pages stacking on top of each other got her attention.
Grabbing them, she highlighted reports from other departments. It took her endless minutes to scan the pages, and highlight them. She was on her second cup of coffee when she glanced at the reports covering her keyboard and calendar. And a light bulb flashed bright in her brain.
At last, it was all making sense. Other departments had money coming in…and a few of them had received the same amount from a couple of the fake accounts. Her body stiffened in shock. Coincidence? No way.
The little hairs at the back of her neck stood on end. She needed to tell Devon about her discovery. Waiting… waiting was not an option.
She flicked off her monitor, grabbed a copy and left her office to head for the conference room. Maybe she would find Devon there. He often stayed behind after a meeting to make notes and check his messages.
Inhaling, she opened the big heavy doors.
At the end of the Brazilian cherry wood desk, Imani stood, and quickly stacked sheets of paper. The elegant woman seemed even more imposing in the otherwise empty space.
Imani gave her a half-smile. During their few interactions, the CEO had always been courteous and to the point. “Looking for someone?”
Still, Elena’s pulse accelerated and adrenaline pinged at her fingertips. She held the folder tight against her chest. Would she do it? Hell, her days at her job were numbered, whether she did it or not. And what was the use of learning how to stand up for herself and speak up if she had to ask someone’s permission to do so? Devon would understand.
“Why did you pretend someone was stealing from the company when you were the criminal all along?” Elena stepped toward the sixty year-old African American beauty. “I know you injected the same amount you’ve stolen into other departments.”
Imani raised an elegant eyebrow, unfazed. Rumor had it she had modeled for department store catalogs before going to business school. Though Elena just couldn’t picture her taking cues from a photographer. Or anyone else, for that matter. “How did you find out?”
Elena blinked a couple of times. A part of her appreciated the woman not denying the fact. “It took me a while, but I connected the dots.”
Im
ani nodded. “Have you told Devon?”
“I came here looking for him. But he isn’t here.”
“No, he is not.” Imani sat in one of the leather chairs and gestured for her to do the same. A sour sensation spilled into her stomach. “Sit down. How about Matthew? Have you told him?”
Oh, how Elena wanted to dismiss the accusatory tone in Imani’s voice. She couldn’t. Her stomach dropped to the floor. How did Imani know of her friendship with Matthew? “No. I’m sorry, but why would I tell Matthew this?” Elena sat on the edge of her chair, and planted her heels firmly on the ground so it wouldn’t swivel. “I can understand you asking me if I mentioned it to Devon because he’s my boss. But, Matthew?”
A knowing smile formed on Imani’s glossy lips. “I’ve been watching you, Elena. More than you know.”
What? Elena crossed her arms. “Why?”
“When I decided I had to step down as a CEO, for my own health, I vetoed the obvious choices. Devon and Matthew. When my investigator told me Matthew had hired you to keep an eye on his half-brother, I looked into you. You’ve worked for one of New York City best marketing firms. You graduated with honors from business school.”
Restless, Elena surged to her feet and looked outside. A huge gray cloud hovered over the skyscrapers. She doubted the compliments she just heard were genuine. Maybe the worst was yet to come. “I meant well when I accepted this position to help Matthew. But now I see it was a mistake. If you want to fire me that’s cool, I totally understand,” she said, proud at how steady her voice sounded. Would she still get to see Devon if he no longer needed her?
A joyful laughter filled the air. Imani gave her a lingering glance. Her eyes gleamed like she found the cure for a terminal disease.
Elena braced herself for what was to come. What if the woman wanted her not only gone from the company, but also from the industry? What if Imani simply hated her for stirring up all that shit? And for discovering the truth before any of the brothers? God. She was so, so done in Denver.
Accidentally Seduced (The Naked Truth Series Book 3) Page 14
