Page 27 of Single Mom's Undoing
I let her go, and she wobbles for a split second before taking a couple of steps back. She reaches for the window in an attempt to keep herself upright while I watch her, slightly amused at how hard she’s trying to stop herself from unraveling.
“Let me show you the offices,” I say, getting back into business mode as I escort her through the eastern wing.
Once we’re done with the tour, and Clara seems focused on the professional side of things again, I take her to my office.
As soon as we find ourselves alone and in a private space, however, I see the tension gathering in her shoulders again, a flicker of concern in her wild green eyes. While Clara takes a seat in one of the guest chairs, I fix myself a cup of coffee.
“Would you like some?” I ask her.
“Yes, please.”
“Milk and sugar, right?”
“Yes.”
I can’t help but smile as I steal a glance just in time to see her face light up. “I remember every little detail about you, Clara. I didn’t forget a thing.”
“So, how long before Damon and Jace join us?” she asks, quick to change the subject. “I would like to go over your expansion plans and chosen locations before I get started.”
“A few more minutes, I think.”
She takes the cup with two gentle hands. The slightest touch of our fingers is enough to reignite the fire inside me. Damn, she’s as dangerous to me as always, and I love it. These are straw fences she’s putting up, though, easy to tear down. I can’t wait to feel her quivering in my arms, one orgasm after another, until she remembers that’s where she belongs.
“We’ve got six locations pinned down already,” I tell her, taking a seat behind my desk. “Three in California, two in Washington State, and another one here in Oregon. Each will have a similar layout as the Vanguard Mansion: one part living quarters, one part offices and logistics, and one part training base with exterior grounds.”
“Wow, six more properties already,” Clara nods slowly. “That’s quite the expansion, and in a relatively short period of time.”
“What can I say? We’ve been growing like crazy over the past few years. Catching a few Saudi and Dubai contracts helped, of course. I had a crew escort the royal family of Jordan across Italy last year. That was exceptionally lucrative, and it opened up new channels with Asia, too.”
The door opens and in walk Damon and Jace. Damon softens his gaze when he sees Clara, while Jace keeps watching her like a hawk, eager to swoop in.
“Good morning, Clara,” Jace says.
“Good morning, gentlemen,” she replies.
They take their seats, flanking her. The balance of power shifts across the room. Suddenly, Clara is the green-eyed doe, quietly and shyly seated among us.
“How’s the new batch of recruits coming along?” I ask them.
“I think we’ve got some people to work with,” Damon says. “Personally, I estimate a seventy percent graduation rate for employment. I’d say another ten percent would have a chance to enroll again next year, provided they meet a few additional qualifications.”
“What do you think, Jace?”
“I’ve already spotted a couple of potentially brilliant intelligence analysts. One of them is a CIA retiree. He’s got tremendous experience in the field and in live ops.”
I give Clara a wide smile. “And we keep growing.”
“I’m glad,” she says. “You deserve this. Hard work always pays off.” She pauses, and I notice the hesitation before she asks the key question that almost everyone who knows us usually asks. “What did your family have to say about this whole thing?”
Jace chuckles. “Oh, that’s right. The last time Clara was here, we were just getting the business off the ground.”
“They’ve made their peace with it,” I tell her. “My sister runs the corporation alongside my father.”
“And how is Margot these days?”
Damon shakes his head slowly. “She could be better. Her husband disappeared a couple of years ago.”
The blood drains from Clara’s face. There’s a mixture ofemotions swirling in her eyes, but I can’t identify what they are.
