Page 7 of Fallen Roses

How can we carry on with a professional relationship when I am aching to be inside her right now?

I shake myself out of my thoughts and regard her with cool derision. Matching her own aura as she stares daggers at me.

“Firstly, it’s unfortunate that we met last night because I can assure you I never mix business with pleasure and there will be no repeat of what happened.”

“Of course. It was one night only and I thought we were clear on that.”

She answers me with no emotion, which does wound my pride a little, but she doesn’t need to know that.

“Secondly, I’m your boss and that is the only relationship we will share.”

“Fine by me.”

I can’t come up with a third, only that I’m not ready for her to leave just yet and so I surprise myself by saying, “I’m interested in the Gulliver file. What can you tell me about that?”

I’m impressed with the information she has amassed in a short space of time and this is a test of sorts just to keep her here for a little longer and she cocks her head to one side and appears thoughtful, making me move the imaginary chess piece in place as I prepare for checkmate.

“Aaron Honiman is leaking money at a fast pace. His business is strong but his outgoings are excessive.”

She loses a little of her animosity and shrugs. “It doesn’t make sense. He isn’t married, doesn’t have a mortgage, or any debts from what I could see on the search file and yet his personal expenditure is excessive unless he is saving for a very rainy day.”

She shifts a little and her skirt rises up, offering me a tantalizing glimpse of her shapely legs that I kissed every inch of last night, and I swear my cock is weeping for joy right now.

“His donations are also excessive to The RoseFoundation and he pays on the same day of the same month every year the same amount. Three hundred and sixty thousand dollars.”

She sucks in her bottom lip and chews on it in concentration and then fixes me with a quizzical frown.

“I carried out an internet search on him. There were several images of him attending various red carpet events and I noted he is pictured several times with a woman called Adele Kenricky. I understand she founded The Rose Foundation but subsequently stepped down when her husband began his bid for the White House.”

Something about the way she delivers her findings rings an alarm bell inside me. I have never delved into the personal life of the benefactors of this company and yet in one morning she has raised questions that may be innocent but also waves a few red flags. I’m intrigued by her mind now as well as her body and lean forward and say almost as an aside, “Where did you work before this, Ana? Was it the CIA by any chance?”

I follow my question with an amused smirk, and it obviously irritates the shit out of her because she says icily, “If you read my resume, Mr. Warner, you will be aware I came here from Mackinlay Adams, the well established and extremely famous accounting division of Goldman Harvey City bank. My references are included with my resume, and perhaps you should ask them about my work before you make miscalculated guesses about where I am from.”

She sits straight in her chair and says abruptly, “Ihave a lot of work to do, Mr. Warner, so if that is all, may I please be excused?”

“Of course.”

I watch as she stands and without a backward glance leaves the room and as the door closes softly behind her, I hate that I am missing her already.

The afternoon drags interminablyand the only thing of any interest today was sparring with the delectable Annabelle Starling. She may have left my office, but she remained in my mind and throughout the afternoon I found myself wondering what she was doing, all the time knowing she was only a few feet away.

The ten thousand dollars weighs heavily in my pocket and after a call with another contact, another ten thousand has been wired to my account in exchange for my car. It is worth way more than that but the urgency of the transaction meant I had no other choice. So, my brother may be out of trouble for now but I am left with a hollow feeling inside as I part with two things that brought me great pleasure and took many years of hard work to pay for.

Once the last person has left for the day, I call Dylan, assured of my privacy as the office falls silent and the cleaners have yet to arrive.

Dylan answers almost immediately and says with an urgency that doesn’t escape me.“Have you got it?”

“Yes.”

I hate that I’m bailing him out but am relieved it spares his life, for now, anyway. I couldn’t live with myself knowing I could have saved him and chose material possessions over blood.

“Fuck, James.”

The emotion in his voice touches me deeply and shakes me for a second. I never realized how much I love my brother until I faced the fact I may lose him and he gulps,“Thanks, man. I’ll pay you back, I swear.”

“You better believe you’ll fucking pay me back, but not the way you’re thinking.” I snarl, anger overtaking emotion, as I prepare to dish out a few home truths.

“You are coming to work for me where I can keep an eye on you and you will work here until every penny has been paid, and you complete the drugs rehabilitation program I signed your name on today.”

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