Page 2 of Seductive Secrets

“Anything, just ask.” And she meant it. If more people offered help, this world would be a safer place.

“A friend of mine works for Hazelton Manufacturing, in a different division than you. You’re in the legal department, correct?”

Angela wished she could focus more appropriately on the man’s words. His voice…it was so sexy! Deep and husky and so incredibly masculine…from the first moment she’d met James Rutherford, his voice had fascinated her. And his body. She couldn’t disregard her fascination with his body.

However, this was obviously a work issue. What was it about James Rutherford that caused her body to react in such an oddly visceral way? She never, ever, reacted to men like this! Men were…well, they were nice enough to look at, from adistance. But her past had taught her that men were more safely enjoyed from a distance.

Well, not Kasim, Callum, Marco, and Dash. They were men, but they were different. They were in a special category. They were more like superheroes than mere men. Her four “brothers” hid their superhero capes, but they were there. Her guys, they were special. More than that, they were extraordinary!

She suspected James Rutherford might also fit into that “extraordinary” category, but he was also dangerous. Of all the men that had flitted through her life, Angela knew at a very deep level that James was a threat to her safe, happy, contented life. Which is why she hadn’t called him, even though she seemed to continuously search for reasons to do so.

“Are you still there?”

Angela jumped slightly, her fingers tightening around the receiver. “Yes! Sorry, I was pulling up the company directory,” she fibbed. Then hurriedly typed on her keyboard to do just that. “Yes, I’m in the legal department. Who is your friend?”

“His name is Mark DuBreck. I think he’s with shipping or imports. I should have gotten his office phone number when I had lunch with him recently, but he had to hurry off after our meal and I didn’t get a chance.”

“Not a problem,” she said, tucking the receiver between her ear and her shoulder so she could use both hands to type. “Here’s his phone number. Apparently, he’s in the Chicago office.” That seemed odd, she thought. Why would a guy working for the shipping division be located in Chicago? She’d thought those guys worked out of the Phoenix, Arizona, or Burbank, California offices.

The information on Mark DuBreck popped up onto her screen. “As far as my company is concerned, your friend is still an employee. His status is active, his email is active, he has a phone, and…” Angela paused, her eyes narrowing on the screen. “That’s odd.”

James’ voice perked up and she pictured his blue eyes sharpening. She’d experienced the man’s intelligence during the investigation into who had tried to kill Kasim and there was no reason to think that he’d slacked off in that arena.

“What’s odd?” James demanded.

Angela paused, not sure if she should say anything. Deciding that her company loyalty was more important than a man who disturbed her, she shook her head. “Nothing. Just…yes, in answer to your question, he’s still an employee. Do you want me to contact him and ask him to check in with you?”

There was a long pause. Finally, James said, “Yes. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to talk with him. He was a good friend and I’d like to know he’s okay.”

Angela nodded even though James couldn’t see her. Leaning back in her chair, she shifted the phone to her hand. “Will do. We take our employees’ safety here at Hazelton seriously. I’ll inform our security office that Mr. DuBreck isn’t answering his phone and ask them to check in on him. I’ll also head down to his office. He’s on the 11thfloor, so it’s not even out of my way.”

“Thank you. Will you let me know what you find out? Even if he’s okay, I’d like to hear from you again.”

It was Angela’s turn to pause, her heart skipping a beat. Finally, she rallied her professionalism and nodded, saying, “Of course. I’m happy to help in any way I can.”

James thanked her and she hung up. She sat very still in her chair for a long moment, just waiting for her heart to slow.

“He’s just a man,” she reminded herself. “Only a man. He puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like my guys.”

Years ago, she’d discovered her current four best friends while hiding in an old, abandoned, rusted-out warehouse in a damaged area of Pittsburgh. Those four men had been her saviors and she now considered them brothers, even though there was no blood or legal relationship between them. She’d discovered the hard way that genuine familial relationships were dangerous since her only surviving family member, her uncle, had literally sold her into a life that…well, she stopped thinking about that. It wasn’t relevant now.

Melvin Abrigo walked into his boss’ office, his features stern. “You asked me to set up an alert on one of the employees, sir?”

Tim Cullins leaned back in his chair, irritated by the interruption. “Yeah, which one? I’ve asked for alerts on several employees.”

Melvin blinked, unaware there were other alerts his boss had personally set up in the corporate system. “This is in regards to a guy named Mark DuBreck who works in the import division sir,” he explained. “You asked to be informed if anyone did a search on this employee.”

Tim leaned forward, his casual attitude vanishing. “Yeah? What’s going on?”

Melvin nodded as he extended the printout to his boss. “Ms. Angela Bertuccio, one of the members of the legal department, just did a search in the corporate system for Mr. DuBreck, sir.”

Tim’s eyes narrowed on the report, but there wasn’t a lot of information. New guy, he mentally reminded himself. Melvin had been on the job for only about two weeks. “ Okay? So what did she search about?”

Melvin was startled by that question. He’d assumed that these system alerts were only for employees suspected of thefts or some sort of corporate espionage. “She merely did a search, sir. She looked him up in the corporate directory.”

Tim waved that information away, tossing the printout onto his desk. “I don’t care about that kind of search.”

Melvin hesitated, not sure if the other part of this information was relevant. “Sir, she was on the phone at the time. I don’t know if that’s important or if…”

---