Accounting for Lust Read online

  Shrugging off those thoughts, he closed the computer, retrieved his jacket and headed towards the stairs. The elevator pinged as he walked past and Jake suppressed a smile as Matt Jenkins, his lifelong friend and business partner lugged his large frame through the doors. The mere fact that Matt braved the elevator confirmed his partner hurried to catch him at the office.

  “What’s the rush?”

  Matt swivelled on his heel, planted his beefy hand over his heart and swore.

  “Son of a bitch. You scared the hell out of me.” He leaned his overweight frame against the wall next to the elevator. The flush on his face and the crumpled shirt bearing evidence of a man in too much of a hurry to dress properly.

  “What is so urgent that you would leave Sandra’s bed to come into the office at this time of night?”

  “A new request. One we can’t refuse,” Matt answered.

  Jake knew which request Matt referred to even without asking. He started to shake his head.

  Matt held up his hand. “The situation changed tonight. Someone tried to kill Cassandra Adams in her office and Joshua is beside himself with worry. I know you hate these cases involving the rich and famous, but this one is different. The woman refused protection, but clearly someone has quit playing and brought out the big guns.”

  “How?”

  Matt frowned at Jake. “How what?”

  “How did they try to kill her?”

  “Oh, with a bomb in the office next to hers.” Matt shoved his one hand in his pant’s pocket. With the other hand, he tapped his shirt to find the ever-present pack of cigarettes. “We have to help her. I’ve known Joshua for more than twenty years and I’ve never seen him panic. But he’s spooked.”

  Jake capitulated. With the new developments, he could hardly refuse the request without appearing callous. Besides, it would be nice to have some real work to do.

  “Okay. What’s the plan? I presume since someone tried to scare her tonight, we start immediately.”

  Matt appeared lost in thought for a moment before he answered. “You’re right. This was only a scare. If they wanted her dead, the bomb would be inside her office not next door.” He straightened from the wall. “We’re heading to Adams Towers now. A policeman will protect the client for the night so we can go through the building once the police finished. From tomorrow, she’s ours.”

  “Would be interesting to know why they only meant to scare her, though.” Jake kept his voice neutral, but the excitement of the chase already buzzed through his veins as they rode the elevator to the lobby.

  Matt only nodded and fisted Jake playfully on the shoulder. “What happened to that girl you brought to the club last week? She looked nice.”

  Jake grimaced. “She was.”

  “And?”

  Jake waved the question off. “And nothing. She wasn’t my type.”

  “Nobody seems to be your type lately. It’s time you moved on, Jake. Not all women are like Sarah. I swear you haven’t been laid in almost two years.”

  Without waiting for a reply, Matt got out of the elevator and hurried towards the red Lamborghini parked on the yellow line at the curb. Sighing, Jake ambled after him with his jacket thrown over his shoulder.

  Oh, he’d been laid all right. So thoroughly other women paled when compared to her. He wanted, no needed, that instant electrifying chemistry of that one night. Until he found someone who rattled his bones like that again, he was more than happy on his own, even if it included regular cold showers when the memories surfaced.

  His body reacted predictably and Jake put the blonde bombshell out of his mind. He had work to do and protection to plan. Smiling for the first time in months, Jake slammed the door of his Discovery behind him and pulled into late night traffic behind Matt.

  Cassie stared at her reflection. She managed to disguise the black smears under her eyes with carefully applied cosmetics and by adding dramatic accentuation to her blue eyes, no one should notice them. The grey pencil skirt fitted snugly around her hips and ended just above her knee. With only the pale pink silk blouse breaking the monotony of the grey jacket and heels, she was satisfied she projected professionalism and nothing else.

  She pulled into the underground garage and parked in her allocated spot. Around her, everyone went about their business like a normal day. Nothing had changed for them, but Cassie knew different. She glanced over her shoulder as she strode towards the elevator. Dimly lit, she couldn’t see anyone paying her any undue attention. Suddenly glad for her own private lift she activated it with her fingerprint, hurried inside and saw the doors close with relief. Leaning back against the wall she closed her eyes for a moment, but snapped them open when memories of the previous night threatened to intrude.

  When the doors opened, she clenched her teeth to prevent her jaw from dropping. Nothing of the previous night’s mayhem remained. Everything appeared normal, except that Megan had a new desk, computer and furniture. The lady herself rose slowly from behind the desk.

  “Are you all right?”

  Cassie nodded. “Who cleaned up?”

  “Joshua arranged it after you left last night. He had the cleaning crew come in to clear the mess and shook the suppliers from the sleep to fix the windows and furniture. Then he had us all in to make sure it was business as usual this morning.”

  Megan pouted and she imitated Joshua’s voice. “We can’t afford to have a weapons manufacturing company appear to be a soft target. We are tough and will not give who-ever did this the satisfaction of thinking for one moment that he managed to upset our equilibrium.”

  Cassie giggled and squeezed Megan’s shoulder. “He’s always right.”

  What would she do without Joshua? Joshua who left his wife and kids at home to work long hours with her. Who never complained when she called him in the middle of the night to tell him what she found. What did his wife think of their arrangement?

  “The new security team is waiting in your office.” Megan’s voice brought her out of her musings. New security team? Who had the audacity to hire them without her approval?

  “Joshua hired them last night.”

  Cassie swallowed her indignation. She still didn’t want someone breathing down her neck every second of the day, but with Joshua’s threat of quitting . . .

  She lifted her head, squared her shoulders and thanked Megan for the warning. Pushing open the door three heads turned in her direction and Cassie froze as the floor fell out of the room.

  Breathe Cassandra. All the oxygen had disappeared from the air and her heart thudded against her ribs. It couldn’t be the same man. She forced her heart to calm down. Maybe he had a twin.

  Yah, right and that would explain the buzz through her veins and the instant wetness between her legs. Recognition flared in the brown eyes and they darkened to liquid chocolate. Oh hell, she couldn’t do this. Not here. Not now. For a second she considered turning around and running out the door, but Joshua’s voice penetrated the daze she’d been in.

  “Gentlemen, meet miss Cassandra Adams, CEO and the one who survived the attack last night.” Joshua took her arm and led her towards the two men. Cassie concentrated on the red-haired, overweight man who extended his hand towards her.

  “Pleased to meet you, miss. I’m Matt Jenkins. Although I have to say I would have preferred to do so under better circumstances.”

  She took his hand. “I’m sure we all would, mister Jenkins.” She released his hand and he turned towards his companion.

  “This is Jake Pierce, my partner.”

  Cassie steeled herself for the contact. Professional. She had to be professional. Her hand disappeared in Jake’s big one and the contact reverberated through her body, straight to her core. She managed a nod, not trusting her voice, and extracted her hand from his. Walking around her new desk, she invited the men to sit down, folded her trembling hands over the document on her desk and started the meeting.

  Jake sank down in the chair, glad for the support. When the client walk
ed through the door, recognition jolted through him. With her hair severely tied back from her face and the stark grey suit, he first thought he was mistaken. But when their eyes met, a fist slammed into his stomach. It was her. Any doubt he had, disappeared when his body reacted and he had to lower the file in his hand to hide the bulge his erection made in his pants.

  She stood in the door. Her face pale, her breathing fast and shallow, the jacket failing to conceal the hardened nipples beneath. Memories of how he had caught her breath and moans in his mouth assaulted him, tortured him and he wanted to gather her to him. He wanted to make her forget she needed protection. Then she straightened her shoulders, lifted her head and walked into the room. Any resemblance to the passionate woman he met months ago, vanished.

  He watched her mouth while she discussed the particulars of the assignment with Matt. Would the pale pink lipstick taste the same as the one she had on that night? He shifted in his chair. Dammit, get your mind out of the gutter and concentrate. She’s just another job.

  By the time Matt finished rambling about the terms of the contract, Jake was ready to explode. He had to get out of here. Away from her. He had no idea what they had discussed and hoped like hell Matt would clue him in later. Now, he needed to walk away with some of his dignity intact.

  “Jake normally takes the first shift with the client so that we can iron out any specific requirements regarding security. It saves a lot of time if we knew exactly what kind of protection is needed before we deploy additional staff.”

  Jake’s knuckles whitened on the armrest of the chair. Normally yes, but this was not normal. His gaze snapped to the woman on the other side of the table and with a little satisfaction saw her pale at Matt’s words. She swallowed audibly before merely nodding and rising.

  “Thank you, gentlemen. I think we’ve covered everything for now. Should you need any further assistance or information, I’m sure Joshua will be able to provide it.”

  Jake followed the other two men from the room and tore off his jacket once the door closed behind them to hide the persistent bulge in his pants. He needed air. Fresh, cold air. . . and probably a cold shower. Hell, he doubted one would suffice, but he had a job to do so he walked silently behind the others as they proceeded to Joshua’s office while Joshua detailed the security protocol of the company and reminded them to visit the security office to scan their fingerprints and retinas into the system.

  Invisible against the wall, he watched the security team leave the office. The poor bastards were clueless. If he wanted to kill the bitch, she would be dead by now. His equipment needed updating and he wanted her out of the office. Although, her pale face brought a twinge of satisfaction.

  The idiots danced perfectly to his tune. He counted on the conceit of the rich. Their inability to admit something was amiss. And that prick, Joshua stayed true to form. Nobody must know the mighty company was under siege. Everything must appear normal. Their arrogance will be their downfall.

  Hiding a smile he pushed open a door. Lifting a box, he watched Cassandra Adams slouch in her chair. The new camera was worth the effort.

  Cassie deflated like a blow-up doll after the door shut behind the men. Of all the people in the city, Joshua had to hire Jake and his partner. Out of hundreds of men in Mauritius, he had to be the one she chose to have wild sex with. She rubbed her temples. How could she concentrate when all she wanted to do was jump his bones?

  By lunchtime Cassie’s nerves were shot and her temper simmered. Every time she walked through Megan’s office, Jake’s bulky form rose from the chair next to her door and discreetly followed her around. She bit down the frustration of having to suppress the urge to grab the white shirt and kiss him senseless.

  Oh, he no doubt excelled at his job as he remained at a distance, observing and sometimes making notes. It didn’t change the fact that he stared at her ass when he followed her down or up the stairs, the heat of his gaze invoking memories of sweaty bodies and his hands pressing her closer to him. His silence reminded her of how he instinctively knew where to touch her to drive her wild.

  This was not going to work. She wouldn’t survive being in the same room with Jake and not being able to lose herself in him. They couldn’t afford any distractions now. She was so close to tracking down the missing funds and finally prove her father wasn’t incompetent. No, she’ll tell Joshua to hire someone else. He just had to.

  Cassie lowered her eyes to the documents on her desk and forced herself to concentrate on the figures before her. Hours passed where it took all her willpower to focus her mind on her work and not the man sitting outside the door. When Joshua flung the door open, she snapped at the interruption.

  Mortified at her attitude she put her pen down and rose from the chair. “Sorry. I guess I’m no good at having an audience when I work.”

  He perched on the chair opposite her desk. “Grin and bear it. I found some more figures that make no sense. Someone took care to hide the transactions well and if I didn’t happen to systematically check every movement through the account, I wouldn’t have found the discrepancy.”

  Cassie leaned back in her chair. “How much this time?”

  “Twenty two million.”

  “Oh my God. No wonder they’re getting jittery.” She frowned. “How on earth did no one pick this up?”

  Joshua rubbed his chin and something akin to sympathy flashed in his eyes. “It had to be someone with access, Cassie.”

  “Access?”

  “Someone on the board.”

  The blood rushed to her toes. “But . . . the board members know I’m investigating this.” She swallowed, her voice a hoarse whisper.

  Joshua nodded. “That’s why you need the protection now more than ever. They will keep trying to stop you. Whatever it takes.”

  This couldn’t be happening. The board informed her they suspected something was amiss. They instigated the investigation. Her father trusted every one of them. No, Joshua must be wrong.

  “Surely they are not the only ones with access to the accounts?”

  “They are the only ones with access to all the accounts. Everyone else had access to one account, never more. To move this amount of money you had to have access to every account of the company.”

  The implication of his words sunk in. “What about you and your family. Won’t they come after you as well?”

  “Matt had arranged protection for us already. Someone’s watching my house and I told Louise to keep Andy at home for the time being. I don’t want to think of someone harming them.”

  “Oh, Joshua. It’s such a mess I dragged you into. I’m so sorry.”

  Joshua’s eyes hardened. “They chose to mess with the wrong people. We can’t let this go. Besides, I volunteered for this, you didn’t drag me into anything.”

  “Did security manage to get more information on the explosion last night? How the hell did they get in?”

  Joshua sighed. “I’m afraid no one unusual entered the building and no security protocols were breached.” Sympathy shone in his eyes. “The problem is, none of the board members were present last night when the device went off. They all attended a function across town, the one you declined to go to.”

  Cassie sighed, moved her chair away from the desk and stood in front of the window. In the street below, cars crawled along as rush hour traffic peaked. Why couldn’t her life remain boring and safe? She remembered the function. A fundraiser for some or other charity and instead of attending, Cassie sent the board members with a mandate to donate a large amount on behalf of the company.

  Behind her Joshua cleared his throat. “We need to go home early today, before dark. The security team wants to assess the danger points during daylight to avoid surprises during the night. I forgot to tell you earlier.”

  Cassie blinked. Home. With Jake. No way.

  Without turning around she nodded and promised him she would leave soon. She waited until the door clicked behind him before she slowly turned and gripped the bac
k of her chair, despising the way her hands shook.

  Be professional. Be distant. Be formal, she chanted in her mind. Lifting her chin, Cassie gathered her personal items, took a deep breath and opened the door.

  Chapter Four

  Jake rose from the chair as Cassie came out of her office and nodded. Lines of fatigue creased her mouth and though expertly applied, the cosmetics failed to hide the dark circles under her eyes. She’d squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, telling the world to bring it on.

  He suppressed the urge to gather her in his arms and pull her close, comforting her. The mental image of her in his arms, stirred his body again and he quickly shelved the idea. He had to stay sharp to keep her alive. No distractions. Yeah, right.

  They rode the elevator in silence, but when Cassie stopped at her car, Jake broke the silence. He had to protect her, not assist in killing her.

  “This is your car?” He flinched at the disdain shining through in his voice.

  Her chin lifted another notch and she slowly turned to face him. For the first time since that night, their eyes truly met and force of the connection hit him like a sledgehammer in the gut. Ice blue, her gaze would have frozen a lesser man, but he saw the fire lurking, begging for release. The thought of another man pleasuring her and offering her the release she needed, suddenly stuck in his throat. No other man should have the right to feel those long legs wrapped around his hips . . .

  “Yes, why? Is something wrong?”

  “Huh?” Dammit. He sounded like an idiot. He swung around and gazed at the car again. No way was he going to be able to drive that . . . thing. And he would be driving. Both on the road and off.

  “You need a new car. We can’t protect you in this.”