by Amy Brent
“Yes sir. Anything else I can do for you?”
“No, that will be all for now. You’ve been great, by the way.”
“Thank you, sir, you have a good day.”
I put the phone back in the cradle and sat for a moment, thinking. Obviously my first thoughts were on corporate sabotage, but I couldn’t really figure out the angle. If she was here to find secrets, why an overnight janitor? By the time she came to work, all computers were password locked and important files were sealed within safes. I ran a nearly paperless environment, so it wasn’t like she could dig through the trash either.
If she was a daytime cleaner, it would make a little more sense. People often ignored maintenance workers and she could come and go as she pleased while eavesdropping on all sorts of conversations. But an overnight worker? She wasn’t going to overhear anything.
I had too much on my plate to puzzle over a mystery woman, so I whipped out my cellphone and looked for a contact I rarely called.
“Frederick De La Vertra, Private Investigator,” a young but low voice answered, clearly trying to sound professional. “How can I help you today?”
“Hey Freddy, it’s Rafael.”
“Oh hey, Raf! Long time, no hear. You got some competition you need me to scope out?”
“No, actually an employee this time.”
The voice on the phone made a clicking sound with his tongue. “Huh. That’s a new one. What do you need exactly?”
Good ol’ Fred. I had found him seven years ago when he was twenty and just starting to build his own business. He had been wet behind the ears but plenty eager to prove himself, so I had asked him to observe the habits of some execs from a company that was bidding against my own. Was it underhanded? Perhaps. But it wasn’t illegal or hurtful and the information had helped me plan a strategy that had won us three different bids.
I had used him on and off ever since. I paid him generously, and I got the distinct feeling that I was the best business he had. Which was a shame, really. He was a hard worker and always provided results. I valued that quite a bit.
“Her name is Maxine Grady, goes by Max here.”
“Uh-huh, and why are you calling me in for this?”
“Shelly thinks it might be a fake name. Wondering why a janitor might need something like that.”
“Oh! Sounds fun. I’ll hop right on that then. You got any other deets for me?”
“I’ll email them to you. I would appreciate if you were as covert as possible with this.”
“You know how I’ll roll. I’ll call you back as soon as I have something.”
“Good.”
I hung up, but I didn’t feel any happier. It was like my mind was being pulled in two different directions, one whipping itself into a frenzy at the possible mole in our midst, and the other still obsessing how beautiful this Max woman had been.
It was decidedly strange for me to be so caught up in a woman’s looks. Women of every class, ethnicity and body type had been throwing themselves at me since the first hundred grand to my name. While I loved a beautiful, curvaceous female, I wasn’t so blinded by their attraction to miss all the signs that they were trying to use me. But for some reason, this one janitor in her blue jumpsuit was making me lose my mind.
I tried to concentrate on my projects, I really did, but after four hours of working on the same two emails, I gave up and went out for dinner.
Normally I would just order it, but I needed a chance to breathe before I returned to work and actually tried to get things done. So, I headed to my favorite wing place, put in an order and sat in their lobby until they were done. Once I had that, I went to a grocery store along the way and grabbed some beer. I wasn’t one to normally drink on the job, but considering everything that had been going on, I certainly could use it.
When I finally returned to work, I was feeling much more human and in control. Which was exactly what I needed to be the dynamic leader I made myself out to be. How could I expect my employees to follow my lead if I didn’t seem to know what I was doing? I couldn’t afford to show weakness and I certainly couldn’t afford to get all love-stuck over a random woman.
Thankfully, most of my staff had headed home by the time I arrived, leaving maybe less than a quarter of the usual occupants. I made it back to my office without being stopped at all and I began to wonder if this later-schedule was more productive than my normal nine to five.
It was something I would definitely have to check, but it wasn’t like I was going to be able to figure out the numbers after just two nights, so instead I dug into my food and buried myself in a couple reports.
Just like the night before, the quiet of the office allowed me to sink deep into productivity. For a moment, there was nothing but me and the business. No begrudged ex, no loss of time with Dominic, no mystery woman. Just me and the data. At least hard numbers could be trusted.
But still, I found myself losing my concentration right around the same time I had the night previous. A quick glance to my watch told me that -if this Max woman followed a schedule- she would be arriving in ten minutes. I debated for several breaths before sighing and heading right back to the café.
I was lucky that the daytime crew was responsible for both the bathrooms and café area, otherwise I wouldn’t have a place to hide. Not that I was hiding, I was just…
Okay, maybe I was hiding a little. But that was just because I needed to keep an eye on someone who could be detrimental to the health of my company. Or at least that was what I told myself.
Right on the dot, the elevators dinged, and the red-head was pushing her cart out again. I didn’t think it was possible, but she looked even better in this jumpsuit. Maybe it was a size smaller? Or maybe my imagination just hadn’t done her justice compared to the real deal.
“I’ve been looking forward to this all day.”
Her voice caught my attention, pulling me out of my reverie. It was low, lower than most females, but had a decidedly musical quality to it. Like jazz, sliding past my ears, I found myself wanting to hear more of it.
Too bad I was hiding in the café, just sneak watching her and not engaged in an actual conversation.
She didn’t say anything else, instead pulling her headphones from her cart and placing them on her head. I could hear the buzz of the music within them from all the way where I was standing, leaving me to wonder just how loud they were on her own head.
But all thoughts of hearing safety faded as she started dancing again. This time, her movements were less wild and enticing, instead focusing on being more fluid, and elegant. She was still a vision to watch, but seeing her move in such a different way had me enraptured all over again.
Her hair floated around her head like a halo comprised of fire and sunlight, her thick thighs lifting, dropping and propelling her forward as she powdered the floor, mopped, then took the rolling polisher over it all. I felt my body responding urgently, and it took all of my control to keep myself still, lest I ruin the show.
Time seemed to go too fast, and before I knew it, she was packing up everything and trundling towards the elevator. Once more, I was tempted to call out to her, to ask her to stop so I could finally speak to the woman I had been watching two nights in a row. But I reminded myself firmly that she could be the enemy and I didn’t want to tip her off that I was aware of her presence. So, just like the first night, I let her go.
The doors of the elevator closed with a ding and I heaved yet another sigh. Suddenly, all my patience was worn thin and I found myself striding towards my private bathroom, my need straining against my pants.
I couldn’t remember a time I had ever had the urge to touch myself at work, but there was no denying my need now. Dropping my pants, I gripped myself and thought of just how beautiful this ‘Max’ woman had been.
It was far too easy to imagine those luscious thighs finally freed from the coarse fabric of her jumpsuit, and those milky breasts bouncing free from her bra. I could see a pink flush to her che
eks just as easily as I could imagine her mouth hanging open slightly, breath rasping erotically.
I was embarrassed how quickly I came, letting a desperate groan out as I throbbed in my own hand. It really had been too long since I had been with a woman. Even if I wasn’t interested in dating, I still had needs. Desires.
Jerking off in my bathroom certainly wasn’t going to solve that though. Was this rock-bottom? It felt like it might be.
Cleaning up after myself, I headed out and drove home. But even as I slid into my empty bed, I couldn’t help but wonder about the dancing woman that I knew nothing about.
Chapter Six
~McKenna~
I wasn’t quite sure what I was dreaming of, but I did know that it was nice, and I didn’t want to leave whatever world my mind was making up. Nonetheless, I felt myself being pulled towards reality no matter how hard I fought to stay in the cushy comfort of sleep.
I groaned as my eyes opened. I really didn’t want to face the new day yet, especially before my alarm went off. I just wanted to curl up in my covers and forget about all of my responsibilities.
I reached over to where I was charging my phone and unplugged it. I didn’t know what I was looking for considering I didn’t have any social media anymore, but it was a bit of a habit that was hard to break.
My blood went cold as soon as my screen illuminated. I had a missed call and a message from work at eleven am. That was three hours ago! What the hell could they want?
Hands shaking a bit, I called up the message and listened intently. Apparently, they wanted me in for an interview with upper management, but they didn’t say why or whether it was good or bad. I felt like that was decidedly bad news.
My stomach twisted, and I stared at my phone for a solid ten minutes. Given everything that had happened in my life, I wasn’t a fan of surprises. And I had long since learned to trust my guts when it told me something was bad news.
Well, it wasn’t like I could just sit and dread it forever. Like everything, this problem would probably be best solved by addressing it directly. I just needed to dress to impress and hope that maybe they wanted to offer me a position on the day team.
I would turn it down, of course, but they didn’t need to know that. I was right where I needed to be for the moment and I wanted to stay there.
It was hard to quell my nervousness as I got ready and took the bus to work several hours early. I made sure to pack my uniform and everything else I needed in my bag in case the meeting ran late, and I didn’t have time to take public transportation home and then back to the office building in the corporate part of the city. I wanted to be as prepared as possible for whatever they threw at me.
But my heart was still thundering as I walked in, Goodness, work was a whole lot different when there were hundreds of people there. Instead of expansive and somewhat intimidating, I found it almost…claustrophobic. Funny how that worked out, I guessed.
Except it wasn’t really funny at all. My stomach was basically a corkscrew at this point and I could feel my heart thumping out a brisk tempo that made me want to either run a marathon or vomit. I wasn’t sure which.
But either way, I had an interview to get to.
Wiping my brow, I walked up to the ground floor’s receptionist and tried to give her my best smile.
“Hi, Maxine Grady,” I said politely. “I have an interview with upper management.”
“Thank you, just one moment please.” She also flashed me a kind smile then looked down to her computer and typed a couple of thing. A few seconds later, she was handing me a green card.
“This will allow you access to the upper levels. Your interview is on floor seven. Step out of the elevator then turn right, it’ll be the third room on your left. Good luck.”
“Thanks,” I said, taking the card and heading for one of the many elevators lining the sides of the lobby.
I couldn’t help but overanalyze everything about the small encounter. She had said good luck. That meant it was probably something nice, right? Or did she have no idea what was going on and just had assumed that it would be good news? There really was no way to know, but I found myself trying to figure it out anyways.
The elevator ride seemed to take forever, but eventually it did open up on the seventh floor and me and one other person filed out.
I paused for a moment, seeing if they were going my way, but instead they just walked straight ahead before turning into their cubicle.
Dammit.
Swallowing, I turned right and went in the direction the receptionist had told me. Sure enough, the third door was open, and a woman was sitting just inside.
I pasted on my best smile and knocked. The woman turned to me, smiling politely, and motioned for me to come in.
I stepped inside, heading towards the seat across the table from her that she gestured for me to sit in. But before I could even plant my butt in the chair, someone else was walking into the room.
If I wasn’t so wrapped up in why I was here and what this woman wanted, my jaw might have dropped. The man was utterly delicious, like a model crossed with a body building crossed with my dream man.
He was tall, definitely above six foot, and was wearing the cleanest, most crisp suit I had ever seen. I could tell that it was worth money, probably even more than I could make in a month, and that was only amplified by the impressive watch on his wrist.
But his clothes didn’t matter compared to everything else. Even under those expensive threads, I could tell that he was cut for the gods, complete with broad shoulders and large hands. His face was chiseled beyond belief, with both a striking jaw and cheekbones for days. His bright, green eyes shone from behind his dark lashes, complimenting his golden skin and raven hair. Although I was wary of men and especially strange men, there was no denying that whoever this man was, he was exactly my type.
“Miss Grady?” His voice was a low, masculine rumble that I just wanted to curl up and get comfortable in. But as drawn to him as I was, I reminded myself that I still didn’t know why I was here and I couldn’t afford to screw anything up.
“That’s me,” I answered with the right amount of enthusiasm I hoped.
“Thank you for coming in early. I realize that, with your overnight schedule and all, this probably wasn’t very convenient.”
No, it wasn’t, but I definitely wasn’t about to tell my boss’ boss’ boss’ boss that. “It’s no trouble, really.” I answered instead, trying to make my smile as convincing as possible.
I had plenty of practice with shoving my emotions down an acting like everything was alright, so this would hopefully snow over both of these people and could go about my life like normal.
Well, not that I had a normal yet. But I was trying to get there.
“Thank you, Shelly. You can go now.”
My heart skipped a beat as the woman nodded and headed out. Although I knew he was probably an important person in the company, I wasn’t comfortable being left alone with a strange man. Even if he was devastatingly handsome.
“So, Miss Grady, let’s not beat around the bush,” he continued as soon as the woman was gone. “I’m sure you’re wondering why we called you here.”
Obviously, but again, I couldn’t say that. “I’ll admit I’ve been wondering about it since I got the call.”
“I understand. It’s human nature not to like a mystery. We all want answer to the various mysteries that surround us.” This was…not how I was expecting the conversation to go. “But perhaps you could do the favor of answering a little mystery for me.”
My nerves clamored even more at his tone. I could sense that something was going on, but I had absolutely no idea what. I hadn’t done anything wrong, and I doubted my coworkers had either. Why was he talking to me like this then?
“I’m not very good at riddles, but I’d be happy to give you whatever answers I can.”
“Fantastic.” The neutral expression on his face turned cold and I felt as if the very temperature of the
room dropped. “What I would like to know is why you’re working here under a fake name.”
The floor fell out from under me and it felt like I was dropped into the cold void of space. I stared at him, world cracking all around me, leaving me nothing to hold onto.
How did he know? Could someone have told him? But who? No one knew me here, I had made sure of that. I didn’t move three states away from my last place just to be recognized, so what the hell was going on?!
What if this meant I had to move again. If some stranger had already found out who I was, then there was no telling who else already knew. What if-
“Miss Grady, I’m waiting.”
I continued to stare at him, swallowing several times to try to wet my mouth. The way I saw it, I had two ways to go about this. I could run, and most likely get caught by security then turned in for identity fraud, or I could tell him the truth.
Or at least part of the truth.
Steeling myself against all the fear and shock that was coursing through me, I steadied my breath and made my choice.
Chapter Seven
~Raphael~
I hadn’t known when I had first walked in that I would call ‘Max’ in for a meeting, but when Freddy called and told me that her identity was indeed fake and that her real name was McKenna O’Grady, I knew that I needed to expose her immediately.
