Page 46 of Indecent Secrets

Or so I kept telling myself.

Chapter 17

Leigh

* * *

You’d think, with my plan up in smoke, that I would’ve been upset the next day. Shockingly, I wasn’t.

Honestly, I felt lighthearted. Giddy, even, and excited. I wanted to help Bryce figure out what was going on with the company, and I was just… I was glad that Bryce and I knew the truth about each other. And we were still together.

Well, not together, together, that would be ridiculous. But we were still fucking, still a team, and a genuine team this time.

I didn’t know what to do with myself now, but in the meantime, I did want to help Bryce figure out his part of the plan. And maybe—in the process—I could meet the real Jack and persuade him to my original idea somehow. I could pivot. I could figure this out. I had infiltrated this company and everyone except for Bryce still bought my cover. I could find a way to make that work.

And Bryce hadn’t said anything about ratting me out to Jack, firing me, or stopping any of the changes I had made at the company. I would just have to wait for my opportunity. In the meantime, we could work on Bryce’s aspect of things. Honestly, I felt it helped me. I couldn’t get to Jack until the man decided what he wanted to do with his damn company and showed up, and that wouldn’t happen until he felt safe, which meant… well…

Finding a killer, essentially.

Bryce wanted me to look into the various secretaries that had been hired for Byron Lawton to see if any of them were suspicious, while he poked the bear that was the board of trustees. Which included Weston, who if you asked me was the one most likely to off his former friend. But I was happy to eliminate the various boyfriends from the suspect list.

When I arrived at the top floor, Bryce was already off doing his end of things, but I headed straight for his office to start work on the list and plan the interviews. Bill was at his desk, tap-tap-tapping away on the computer with a look of focus on his face.

He looked up as I walked up and waved hello.

I smiled at Bill as I approached. I found that my heart was steady, rather than racing with nerves. Maybe it was that I wasn’t in this deception alone anymore. I had a partner, and one who was used to this kind of thing, someone who was an expert on mind games and subterfuge. It wasn’t all on me anymore.

“Leigh.” Bill smiled and stood up. “How’re you doing?”

“Great. How are you liking your new position?” I walked past him into Jack’s office as Bill followed.

“Jack’s a great boss and I hear he’s willing to actually listen to employee ideas,” Bill said with enthusiasm. “It could turn this company around if he picks the right ones.”

“It sure could. That’s our goal.” I leaned back against the desk, smiling at him. “I’m sure that he’ll listen to you since you’ll be at his side all the time.”

Nothing wrong with buttering the guy up a bit.

“That’s what I’m hoping.”

Bill’s gaze dropped down my body briefly and oh, I could see where this was going. I had been flirty with him, but I would have to be careful not to lead him on too much. I didn’t want to give him hope.

“Well.” I straightened up. “I’ll let you get back to your work. I just wanted to chat with Jack about something but if he’s not available…”

“Oh, well, since I have you here,” Bill said quickly, “I wanted to thank you for helping me get this promotion. Are you free for dinner tonight? I’d like to take you out.”

It could be, on the surface, just an expression of gratitude. But I knew the undertone he was going for. “That’s so sweet of you, but you don’t owe me anything.”

“Still, I’d like to have some time with you, and thank you,” Bill said, tacking the last part on.

Yeah, I was sure he wanted to “thank me”. Not that I didn’t appreciate such a gesture. Bill was sweet but I wasn’t interested in him in general and… unfortunately… I was starting to suspect Bill could be one hundred percent my type and it wouldn’t matter to me anyway. Not when I had Bryce fulfilling my every desire and being the kind of man that I’d not even thought would exist for me.

“I appreciate it,” I said, still keeping my posture casual and a smile on my face. “But I’m going to just have a quiet night to myself. It’s been a lot of work helping Jack out the last week.”

There was a temptation for sure to say I was ‘busy’ or that I ‘had plans’ already, but I didn’t want Bill thinking that he had a chance as long as I was free, or that he just had to fight off some other competition. Bryce could be out of the picture and it wouldn’t make a difference.

Bill smiled at me like we shared a secret. “C’mon, Leigh, you and I both know what’s going on here. I’m just not interested in waiting around forever. I like to cut to the chase.”

“You’re now the secretary of my boss,” I pointed out. “I’ve been contracted by him. That would be a conflict of interest. I love a good flirtation as much as the next person, but I just feel that Jack might not like it if we’re involved. It wouldn’t be professional.”

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