To Catch a Thief

by Nana Malone

  She had propped herself up against the wall and was panting.

  When I met her gaze with a smile, she smiled back.

  I was a goner, and I didn’t even know it.

  Twenty

  Rian

  Waking up with Ollie holding me, feeling cocooned in his arms and wrapped up in his heat, protected and safe, was like a dream. This feeling was impossible. I wanted it to last forever.

  "You can stop pretending to be asleep now,” he laughed. “We shagged. You're going to have to own up to it."

  "I'm not trying to hide from it."

  “Aren't you? With your head tucked under the duvet like that?"

  I rolled over and was met with a very impressive erection poking me in the belly. "Seriously? You can go again?"

  He grinned. "I'm twenty-two. Yeah, I can go again."

  I laughed and ducked my face. He teased a knuckle down my cheek and along my jaw and tilted my chin up so that I met his gaze. "Seriously though, you okay?"

  I nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay."

  "Obviously, we have a lot to talk about. But I think we can make this work."

  "Ollie, I hope so. It's just there's so much history between us." There was a lot I had to say to him, a lot we needed to talk about. He didn't even know the whole story.

  "After leaving that meeting with Rome, I meant to go back to my place and then I just couldn't. I couldn't walk away and leave things unresolved.”

  "Oh, this was resolving things, was it?" I laughed even as his hand stroked down my back and cupped my ass, bringing me even closer to his throbbing erection.

  "We're barely getting started. But trying to pretend I don't want you doesn't work. Trying to pretend you and I aren't electric together doesn't work. We are. So we need to acknowledge it. And frankly, I couldn't stay away."

  "Ollie, this is complicated."

  "You think I don't know that? We just have to try. Okay?"

  I nodded. "Yeah, I want to. I do. I just… Like I said, it’s complicated."

  "Damn straight it is. Things that are worth it are complicated and hard. Just don't give up on me yet."

  I didn't want to, even though I knew what was best for me. I knew walking away would be easier, simpler. I just didn’t think I could. “What are we going to do about work?”

  "Well if you want to keep this under wraps, we decide who goes in first, and then we keep this out of the office. If you decide you don't want to keep this under wraps, then we'll shower together, you can get dressed, and we'll go to my place. I'll grab a change of clothes, and we'll walk in together."

  "Is it that easy?" How could he have it all buttoned up like this with a nice, neat bow. I was one of Ollie’s bows… being managed and tidied.

  "Yeah, it is."

  "What about Tessa? Aren’t you worried about her?"

  "She's at school. I checked.”

  "Any idea where Max is?" I knew this was a loaded question. And I knew there was a line I was crossing. The DI I’d spoken with had asked me about him, and I didn't have anything to say then. But asking Ollie now… If he did know anything about Max’s whereabouts and told me something, I'd be breaking his trust if I shared it with DI Jones. And I didn't want to do that, but at the same time, I couldn't run the risk that Max was going to come and ruin things for us again.

  "No. If he shows his face again, it's going to be a fucking problem. I am no longer responsible for him. I am not my brother's keeper."

  "I know that's easier said than done."

  He shook his head. "Please stop. I don't want to talk about him."

  I wanted to push, to make him talk about it with me. But I wanted a few more minutes in this cocoon. I felt love, this forbidden thing that I knew I shouldn't want and probably couldn't keep, but I wanted it, nonetheless.

  I let him convince me that we should make love again, and he easily rolled on top of me, sliding me into the depths of ultimate pleasure with a slow grind that was meant to torture and keep me hovering on the edge of bliss, keep me begging, needing. And then we showered, and he dropped to his knees, spreading my thighs apart with his big hands and feasting on me as if I was his last meal. It took us a full two and a half hours to leave my flat on the hunt for food. But then Bridge texted with something urgent, and Ollie had to go take care of it.

  I ended up grabbing Miriam to hit up one of the markets nearby. Once we started walking, she nudged me. "Um, just so you know, your walls are paper thin."

  I flushed from the roots of my hair down to my toes. "Oh shit, I'm sorry."

  "No, don't you be sorry. I was very enthusiastically co-shagging."

  “That's not a thing."

  "Yes it is. Because every time I heard him say in that growly voice of his, ‘That's it, hold it for me. Yeah just like that. God your pussy feels so good,’ I swear to God I came."

  "Oh my God, I want to die.” I dropped my face into my hands. "I'm so sorry."

  "What? That’s better than porn. It was a little awkward that it was you, but since it was so close, practically in my ear, I just pretended it was me."

  "God, this is the worst, Miriam. Why didn't you knock on the wall and tell us to quiet down?"

  "Because I know that you guys have been doing this little pussyfooting thing around each other, and you needed to bang it out. So glad you did."

  "You're incorrigible."

  "Yes, I have been told that. Come on. Let's go. Maybe we'll find you something sexy to wear for him."

  "I don't even know what he likes."

  "Look, he's a bloke. Anything with a little bit of lace, something pretty, like unwrapping a present. Come on. Let's go."

  And that's how I spent the majority of my afternoon, tooling around Notting Hill. When we were tired of Notting Hill, we headed down to Covent Garden, which had more of the kinds of things that Miriam was talking about. The sexy things, the things that were a bit of lace, a bit of satin, and all sex. I ended up buying a bra and panties set that honestly I couldn't believe they charged so much for as there was just a couple of bits of material and a string. But maybe he would like it?

  And then I felt it. As we rounded the corner to the Tube, I sensed the prickle of unease. Something wasn't right.

  I spotted a man on the corner, big, bulky. Looked like he played rugby or something. He was watching me.

  No, he's not watching you. He's just looking in this overall direction.

  No, he was watching me. I could feel it.

  You just had a very harrowing experience. No one's watching you.

  I tried to shake it off and continue shopping, but I couldn't shake it.

  By the time we stopped at a café to eat something, my nerves were shot. When the text came in, I wanted to tell Ollie. But he was so happy, and I wondered maybe if I was making things up just like before.

  Ollie: Hey you all right? Where abouts you at?

  Rian: Village Cafe with Miriam. I'll probably head home in about 30

  Ollie: Cool. Just finishing up at Bridge's house. I'll meet you there.

  I frowned at that. What was he doing at Bridge Edgerton's? Was the meeting in the big Belgravia Square mansion or the loft in the hotel? Not that it was any of my business, but I'd needed a courier to take something over to him when he hadn't been in the office a couple weeks ago, and when I looked up his address, there were two. One in Belgravia Square and the other one right next door in the condominium portion of the flats of the hotel. Belgravia Square wasn't that far. Why would he stay at the hotel, so cold and impersonal, when he could be at home in his own bed?

  After grabbing a bite, Miriam chatted happily as we picked up the Tube, and I frowned once again, that same feeling coming over me. Once again, I found there was another man, different from the one I'd seen before but dressed the same in black jeans and dark trainers, and he was looking my way.

  Was I being paranoid? No, this wasn't a coincidence. Maybe this was Max's doing.

  There are too many variables. If you think you're being followed, call t
he Detective Inspector.

  I wanted to give her a wide berth. But I might not have any choice anymore.

  Rian

  Monday at work, Ollie and I were still riding the high. I’d woken up at his place that morning, and I’d brought a bag to spend the night so I wouldn’t need to wake up early for the mad dash home. “Oh good, you're here.” Livy tripped out of her office with a flourish. “Ollie, Ben and East need you for a planning meeting. Rian, I'd like you to join Bridge and me for a lunch meeting today.”

  I was already on my feet grabbing my notebook and my laptop. “Sure. Where is it? Do you need me to call a car or get a reservation?”

  She shook her head. “No, it's already handled. All you have to do is be ready to leave in five.”

  I nodded. “Yep, can do.”

  Ollie gave me a slow smirk from where he stood. “Have I ever told you how unbelievably sexy it is when you get into full work mode?”

  I scratched my nose. “I'm not trying to be sexy. I'm trying to be competent.” My gaze skittered over to Livy's door and I lowered my voice. “We haven't filled out any HR paperwork.”

  “And we don't have to until you’re ready.”

  I couldn't help the smile tugging at the corners of my lips. “I appreciate that. It's just that it’s all so new, and I'd rather keep it on the down low.”

  A shadow crossed over his face, but then he gave me a bright smile. “I get it. Don't worry. You will be great today, even if I am not afforded the fantastic view of your cleavage.”

  With a sharp gasp I quickly looked down and frowned when I realized I had no cleavage on display. “Ollie!”

  “Sorry. It was just too easy.”

  “I’ll make you pay for that.”

  He chuckled. “God, I really hope so.”

  For lunch we were meeting a private real estate developer that wanted to partner with London Lords. Bridge primarily handled exploratory business, though he didn’t seem too enthusiastic about this one.

  We arrived first and took Bridge’s usual corner table at Tableau in SoHo. His preference was the corner seat, which left Olivia with her back to the door and me at the perfect angle to see whoever was coming reflected in the mirror in front of us.

  I had just taken a sip of water when I saw the one person I never expected to see again, Colton Cox. I froze where I sat, unwilling to believe that this was happening. But then Bridge stood, and so did Olivia. She gave my knee a nudge, letting me know that it was showtime, and I stood as well.

  No. This cannot be happening. What the fuck have I done to deserve this?

  There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. All I could do was stay put and endure. Oh, and pray. I could pray. Lots of praying happening. Are you there, God? It's me Rian. In this prayer, I would like to ask for bigger boobs and to have Colton Cox not recognize me.

  When we were seated again, I was sitting so tightly I was pretty sure Bridge could tell my butthole was clenched. Olivia leaned over at one point and asked, "Are you okay?"

  I nodded slowly. The thing was, for all my nerves and my worry, Colton Cox appeared not to recognize me at all.

  I wasn't sure what that said about me or him, but he wore a completely blank expression when we were introduced and shook hands. I had expected him to blow my cover, to out me right then and there and ask, ‘Weren't you the woman in Monaco?’

  But nothing like that happened. As a matter of fact, he ignored my face entirely. Had my tits been on display like in Monaco, he might have recognized them because that's where he’d stared all night.

  I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or horrified, so all I could do was sit there suffering. There was no texting Ollie at the table. At least not without anyone noticing. I prayed something would happen during lunch to make this end quickly.

  Of all the gin joints in all of the world, he had to roll into mine.

  The waiter brought our water, and for a second, I thought I saw a flicker of something familiar in my periphery. When I glanced around, it was gone.

  I was paranoid. It was clear and obvious. Olivia was looking at me like I'd lost my mind.

  "I'm sorry. Did I miss something?"

  "Bridge was just asking what you would like to drink?"

  What I wanted to say was fuck it, but what I said instead was, “Tonic water with lime would be great. Thank you."

  He nodded. When the order was given to the big-nosed waiter, I still couldn't relax. But it wasn't even so much that Colton Cox was making me uncomfortable. It was that Bridge was tense too.

  I tried to jump in, to talk, to offer insight. But what was I going to say?

  It was then that Colton looked at my face, and his brow lifted. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

  I could feel the heat radiating up my neck as I shifted in my seat. I was sure my face went red because all I could do was feel heat from my neck to the tips of my ears.

  "Um, no. I don't think so."

  "Are you sure?" He slid a gaze at me again. "Aren’t you a dancer somewhere? Not that I frequent strip clubs, but you have that look about you."

  It took me a full second to realize that he'd insulted me. He meant stripper. Olivia opened her mouth then closed it, sat back, and folded her hands delicately over her lap as if she was done. Done with everything. But Bridge… The pure fury I saw in his eyes, wow. He looked like he was going to commit murder.

  "Mr. Cox, do you make a habit of insulting the employees of people that you want to do business with? Or is it just on this occasion?"

  Colton being Colton, now that I knew him, waved his hand. "Oh, there's no reason to get upset over the help. You and I are the important ones. The ones making business decisions here."

  Bridge scowled at him. "Is that so? That's fine. Olivia, please straighten this guy out."

  Livy sat forward then. "I’m the Director of Operations for the London Lords. And the woman whom you just insulted, Rian Beaumont, just pulled off a coup with the Kensington Hotels—"

  It was then that Colton frowned. "Rian. Rian. Don’t I know a Rian? You're sure I don't know you?"

  I couldn't help it. The extra bit of cheek came out in my tone. "Well, considering you just suggested that I might work as a stripper, no, you obviously don't know me at all."

  Unfortunately, that made him take a closer look. Livy continued. "She does all the research on our partnerships. Best marketing angles. Best way to sell the hotels. Yours might be pretty on the outside, but if we can't find an angle to sell it and make it appealing to people, then it won't happen. If Rian here can't come up with anything nice to say about you, you're dead in the water, and London Lords won't want you. So if I were you, I would apologize to Rian and then perhaps not insult anyone else again."

  Olivia’s delicately arched brow lifted, and I wanted to hug her. She was my shero, but I wished she would stop saying my name, because with every mention of it, Colton’s brow furrowed in consternation as if he was trying to figure out where to place me.

  "Are you sure you're not a stripper?"

  Bridge waved to the waiter. "Our colleague here will be leaving. Please, wrap up whatever it was that he ordered and send it however he wants it."

  Colton frowned. "You're serious? You would blow a deal because I asked a bloody assistant if she was a stripper? Chances are she is. Look at her. Hiding that kind of rack. With a rack like that, I'd be a stripper for the love of God."

  And Bridge was done. "Well, Cox, I wish I could say it was a pleasure, but it wasn't. The London Lords won't be doing business with you."

  Colton laughed. "This is preposterous. Over an assistant? I fire one of her every day. I'm telling you, she’s danced on my lap before."

  I sputtered then. "I have done no such thing. I’m not—"

  Bridge waved off my sputtering worry. "We're done, Cox."

  But it was then that Colton Cox looked up at me and narrowed his gaze. "You were there. On the boat. You were there." And then he lunged at me. “You cost me a million pounds.”

&nbs
p; He'd recognized me. I was toast. He was going to tell Bridge and Olivia. I was going to be without a job and headed back to America without doing what I needed to do here.

  Fuck. Fuck me.

  But before any of that could happen, Bridge tapped me on the shoulder and started to leave the restaurant.

  He nodded to the maître d' who seemed to know something was amiss. And instead of taking us out at the front, he let us out at the side entrance where we found the car. Bridge opened the door for both me and Olivia. "Get in."

  Once we were in the car and settled, he turned to me. "What the fuck just happened?"

  Luckily, I had the look of someone shell-shocked. I knew my eyes were too wide and my hands were shaking. "I have no idea."

  Olivia strapped herself in the front seat. "Well, that was an adventure." She turned to Bridge. "Obviously, we're not doing business with him, right?"

  He shook his head. "No. Obviously not. What is this obsession with you, Rian?"

  I shook my head. "I don't know. I'm not a stripper, I swear."

  Everyone in the car laughed. It was Olivia who said. "Oh, sweetheart, we know. You are a lot of things. You're very good at your job. But somehow, you don't scream stripper. So, what was Cox playing at?"

  That was one question I could answer. "Honestly, I have no idea."

  Twenty-One

  Rian

  As it turned out. I didn’t need to go looking for DI Jones. She found me as I was grabbing coffee before meeting Ollie. After the last conversation with her, I hadn't heard from the Detective Inspector again. I was only toying with speaking to her because I thought I was being followed.

  Part of me hoped she'd given up on her little quest. But I could see that I wasn’t that lucky. When I turned around in the coffee shop, she was leaning against one of the counters.

  "Miss Cooke."

  "It’s Beaumont. You know what? Every time you do that just shows that you're a twat. I had a very specific reason for changing my name. Please respect that."

  She let out a bark of laughter, and the smile completely transformed her face. Her whole expression lit up. "You know, it's funny you should say that because I thought you and I already had a deal.”