Page 2 of Indecent Secrets

“You’re unusually excited about this case,” one of my partners, Vaughn, noted as I checked myself out in front of the mirror.

“You only get one chance at a first impression,” I noted.

Although how Vaughn managed to snag his girl despite one of the worst possible first impressions ever, I would never know.

Vaughn wrinkled his nose. “You’re wearing baby blue.”

I smirked at him. “Not all of us get by on plaid alone.”

I looked pretty damn good in a baby blue suit, if I did say so myself. I had only one chance to make an impression, it was true—but especially just one to make an impression of who Jack Lawton was.

I needed people to think that Jack was high on his newfound wealth and being a bit of what in Victorian times they’d call a ‘dandy’. The kind where you were excited to show off yourself and your wealth, pushing the boundaries of fashion a bit. I needed people to underestimate Jack—and show their hand.

“I do not wear just plaid,” Vaughn pointed out.

“You’re right, that leather jacket of yours gets a lot of use, too.”

Vaughn flipped me off. “I’m going to dinner.”

“With Claire?” I drew out the name because I couldn’t resist teasing him. Claire was the first woman Vaughn had ever wanted to have a proper relationship with. I had to give him shit over it.

“Fuck off,” Vaughn snapped at me, which was a yes.

I let him leave, then double-checked all of my equipment. I had a small recording device in one of the buttons of my jacket to film whoever I spoke to, so that I could replay everything from the evening later in my hotel room and make sure I hadn’t missed anything. I’d rented out this room at one of the fanciest hotels in the city and was planning to drop my need for a swanky penthouse at the party tonight so that I could get recommendations for people’s realtors (everything was done through referrals, through friends of friends, in this world). But the reason I’d done it was so that I could set up a base of operations here that wasn’t suspicious.

I looked good, and there was no reason for me to delay now that Vaughn had dropped off my equipment. It was time to rock n’ roll.

Chapter 2

Leigh

* * *

You knew you were desperate when you were ready to stop holding protests and calling politicians and instead adopt a honeypot scheme. Desperate I might have been, but I wasn’t going to let it be the end of me. I knew I could pull this off if I was careful and smart enough.

I’d used sex appeal plenty of times before when persuading people to my side of the cause, whatever it might be, and it had worked like a charm. It was amazing how quickly men fell all over themselves when they saw me in a low-cut top, staring at my breasts as I breathily asked them to please, please consider supporting…

My ability to seduce someone to sign whatever petition I wanted or pledge votes or money? That was one thing. But would it be able to stand the test of time to fully seduce someone into persuading them to dismantle their entire company?

I was going to find out.

Lawton Industries had been utterly destroying the natural forests in the area. They tried to claim they brought jobs, but that was a big fat lie. They did nothing but strip the land and destroy local businesses, only to redevelop the land out of pure greed. My work was with a grassroots organization that helped local businesses thrive in harmony with the environment. But the Lawton company liked to think we were still back in the days when coal companies owned entire towns and there was no such thing as a union.

Now, with old man Lawton out of the way and some greenhorn nephew taking his place, I had my chance to finally make a difference.

I had thrown together a fake backstory and identity using some contacts I had. Nothing crazy, but when you worked in environmentalism helping people go up against massive companies, you tended to make friends with some people on the other side of the law. I was now poised to infiltrate a welcoming party for the nephew inheriting everything his uncle had left behind: Jack Lawton.

Young and absurdly rich, I knew that a lot of women would be making a play for him. But I would stand out. I’d find a way to make him like me best and then I’d influence him to mismanage his own company into destruction. The man was a professor of philosophy, for crying out loud, at some obscure university that nobody had ever heard about. There was no way he knew anything about business.

He'd listen to me while staring at my tits just like every other man, and I’d have him eating out of the palm of my hand. Unconventional warfare? Yes. But as they said—all’s fair.

I dressed in my absolute best, then hurried to the party. It was being held at the mansion of one of the shareholders in the company, and they would be checking names at the door. Luckily, I’d gotten in touch with a friend who worked for a public relations company, and they’d added me to the list as one of the ‘fillers’.

Fillers were people, usually attractive women, who were paid to go to parties and fill them up. You usually saw them at Silicon Valley parties and other places that were going to have a lot of men but not many women. You’d be paid for your time, and there would be more of a male/female balance amongst the guests.

There weren’t a ton of fillers purchased for this party. There was no need for models or social media influencers here. But a few pretty women to spice up the party were always welcome, and so I’d been scooted onto the list.

The mansion was just that: a mansion. I felt like I couldn’t even afford to breathe in this kind of wealthy neighborhood. The driveway was wide and sweeping, big enough for three cars to park side by side, and the gardens that surrounded it—mostly lawn but with some rose beds and a fountain—were bigger than most houses I’d seen.

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