Page 56 of Indecent Secrets

Yeah, right. This wasn’t a fucking romcom here. Leigh was in danger. If she was out of the way because she was angry at me, then fine, she was still out of harm’s way.

David Weston had murdered someone he’d known pretty much his entire life. I had no doubt he’d try again, if it meant he could keep control of the company his father had spent so many years trying to commandeer. Leigh would be collateral damage if I wasn’t careful and I refused to let her be hurt.

The idea of something happening to her… it wasn’t just because of my professional pride. When she told me that David was blackmailing her, I felt a rage rise up and choke me like I’d never experienced before.

And now Leigh just thought that I was dismissing her, like every other man who just saw her body and not her sharp mind.

There was a very stupid part of me that wanted to race after her and kiss her until she understood that she was important to me. Special. It wasn’t that I didn’t respect her. It was that the idea of losing her, or seeing her harmed in any way…

I couldn’t forget what I felt when seeing Bill try to come onto her, or hearing what she said about David knowing who she really was. I wouldn’t ever let her be hurt because of my mission and the actions of an idiotic, greedy man.

But I was a professional. I didn’t do this. I didn’t get wrapped up in a woman and lose focus. I swallowed and took a few deep breaths. I was going to be fine. Leigh was going to be fine.

What I had to do was join David for dinner and see if I could maneuver him into a more private meeting where I could extract a confession. This was unfortunately a case where there’d be precious little evidence, if any. Getting David to admit what he’d done was the best bet, and I had an idea of how I could make that work.

But Leigh had to be out of the way, and safe. If that meant she was pissed at me in order for it to be accomplished, then so be it. All that mattered to me was her welfare in this situation.

What all this said about me, I didn’t know. I was tempted, honestly, to call up my partner, Vaughn, and ask him if this was how he’d felt about his girl. If that angry possessiveness in my chest, the way I felt like I would do anything to make sure Leigh was okay, was anything like what Vaughn felt for Claire while protecting her.

Because I didn’t do this, okay? I didn’t fall for people. Women fell for me, which sounded like a fucking brag and maybe it was, but it wasn’t my problem. I was always there for a good time, not a long time and my partners knew the score. I loved the seduction and the chase, I loved dominating them, but it was all just in good fun.

Or at least it always used to be that way.

The idea that I might have been the one to fall this time was… very disconcerting. I sure as hell didn’t know what to do about it.

There’s nothing to do. I had to just keep moving and focus on my damn job. Not on the woman who was a distraction and a possible liability.

The first thing to tackle was calling Jack. I had avoided that so far, choosing to stick to texts and emails, but this was definitely an emergency. Things were coming to a head and couldn’t be avoided any further.

The man was, again, reluctant. “It sounds like the situation is worse than we thought. That’s why I’ve hired you. If you think my life might be in danger…”

“I understand, Mr. Lawton.” I kept my voice low so that nobody outside the office could eavesdrop, and I got out my bug sweeper just in case to make sure David hadn’t planted any listening devices in the day since I’d last checked for them. “But you need to take the helm, here. For better or for worse, this is your company, and these people are trying to take it from you. How long are you going to let other people act on your behalf? I’m not you. And the only person who can fix this is you. If only for the legal ramifications if I make any major decisions in the company.”

Jack was still skeptical. I could sympathize to an extent. Nobody liked being asked to walk into the wolf’s den, and that was precisely what I was asking of him. But I knew this was the right thing to do. This charade had gone on long enough. If I was going to make any actual moves—as was my fucking job—then I needed the real Jack Lawton here with me. This wasn’t about keeping away the women hungry for marriage with a rich man or the conmen hungry for his credit card. This was about the fate of a company and the catching of a killer.

Luckily, I had a solution. One that I had difficulty pitching to him, but eventually, he saw my side of things.

“I think this will settle your nerves,” I told him honestly. “You clearly have a lot of anxiety around this and I think this will be the best solution.”

While I believed in what I was telling him, I couldn’t deny that I had ulterior motives. But that was between myself and my conscience.

By the time I finished up the call, I had a plan. Jack was headed into the city, and I just had to bide my time until I had my dinner with David.

First, I had to hold a little conversation with Rebecca.

I called her into my office. She looked like she was vibrating with excitement to get a one-on-one meeting with me. I did feel bad. I hadn’t ever flirted with her or done anything to encourage a crush, but when she was surrounded by men who were either old enough to be her father or smug assholes (or both), I couldn’t blame her for being infatuated with the first good-looking guy to enter the office.

Rebecca smiled and sat down, politely refusing the water or coffee I offered. “What’s this about?”

“I’m excited to see the enthusiasm you’re putting into your new position,” I told her honestly. “You really want this company to succeed.”

“It’s a position I’ve wanted for a long time,” Rebecca replied. “I want to show off what I can do and how I can bring this company into the twenty-first century.”

“Of course. Which is why it pains me to tell you this information. I trust that you’ll keep it confidential.” I took a deep breath, as if this was hard for me to say. “I’m going to step down as CEO.”

“What?” Rebecca’s jaw dropped.

“I simply don’t like the position. I’m not a businessman, Rebecca. I’m a professor. I’m a studier of philosophy. I don’t want to work here any longer. It’s not my forte and it brings me no joy.”

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