Chapter 38
Cash Basis
Sara
“Is that an every morning thing, princess?” Drew takes my hand and holds it between his as we sit in the back seat of his town car.
My other fingers toy with the choker around my neck. A tiny shiver goes through me when I remember Wyatt kissing me right above the bow.
I meet Drew’s dark eyes and smile. “Not an every morning thing. This morning was… special.”
He lifts my hand to his lips and presses kisses along my knuckles. Sparks light through me. “I miss out on so much, but not tonight.”
My lips curve. “But not tonight.”
Tonight, I’m Drew’s. And he wants to share me with the others before he fucks me. I cross my legs against the growing ache. Yesterday, two of them took me together, but I want them all.
“I was thinking dinner out.” He opens my hand and kisses my palm.
I catch my breath. “I like dinner.”
He smiles against my palm and trails kisses to the inside of my wrist. He sucks and licks at the sensitive skin, working me up.
“During dinner, I’ll need to get you ready for the evening’s entertainment.” His eyes lock with mine as he inches his hand up my leg beneath my skirt.
My gaze darts nervously to the driver, but his attention is focused on the road ahead of us.
“Tell me, princess.” He leans in so his mouth caresses my ear with every word. “Do you get off on being watched or is it the thrill of almost being caught that does it for you?”
He slides his fingers into my panties, and my eyes widen as I make sure the driver isn’t watching. But I don’t pull away. Instead, I part my legs for Drew.
“Do you think he’d know from the flush on your face that I’m working your clit with my fingers? Or that you’re so soaking wet and ready for me that I could lift you to straddle my lap and sink into your heat?”
“Drew.” I tip my head his way as he winds me closer and closer. I’m aware of our driver, but nothing matters right now except what Drew is doing to me.
“Do you wonder if he can smell your arousal filling this car with your unique scent? Maybe it’s making him hard just smelling you.”
I bite my lip as the first wave crashes over me. He eases his finger inside my pulsing pussy. My heart races. We aren’t far from the office.
“Maybe he wants to watch my finger slide in and out of your tight little pussy, getting wetter and wetter as you get closer to your climax.” Drew kisses my ear as he pushes a second and then a third finger inside me, stretching me.
I muffle my groan.
My fingers touch my throat. He still holds my other hand, making it so I can’t shield myself. The driver could look back at any time and see Drew’s arm disappearing beneath my dress. See my skirt shifting with his movements.
My lips part as he works me higher and higher.
“Do you want to be discovered, my little whore? Or do you want to remain a secret? Something I use when no one else is looking? Something all mine and they only get to see the aftermath of what I do to you?”
I turn so my mouth brushes his. The fire in my veins threatens to consume me. “I want to be yours.”
He takes my mouth and twists his fingers inside me, curling to stroke that spot that makes my vision blacken. I moan low into his mouth as I come on his fingers. My body stays suspended in that moment with him before I come down.
He pulls back and his satisfied eyes meet mine. “I’ll take whatever you give me, princess.”
An aftershock ripples through me as he draws his fingers out of my pussy.
He smiles as he reaches for a wipe and cleans his fingers before using the wipe under my skirt to clean up my thighs.
“Don’t worry. I don’t think he suspects anything.” Drew’s words are secretive.
I glance at the driver as he navigates into a parking space. He never once looks my way in the rearview mirror.
“What’s it like to get caught?” I turn to search Drew’s eyes.
“By the right person? Epic.” He rubs his thumb over my lower lip. “By the wrong person? It can go either way. It’s always a rush, but the cost could be too high if it’s the wrong person.”
I blow out a breath. He reaches for the coffee Dante bought me and hands it to me.
“Time for work. Later we’ll play more.”
The driver opens the door and stands beside it, staring off into the distance. When Drew helps me out, the driver gives me a quick nod before closing the door and rounding the car. Something tells me he knew exactly what was happening in the back seat, but probably gets paid for his discretion.
I should be mortified and a small part of me is, but Drew pulls me into his side and leads me to the doors. Nothing I’m doing with these men feels wrong. Maybe a little forbidden and secretive, but not wrong.
I touch my collar again and glance up at the shining windows. Never wrong.
“I’ll pick you up at your place. Dinner at seven work?” Drew pulls me into his arms and ignores the disgruntled people who have to steer around us to get into the building.
“Seven works.” My gaze drops to his mouth, knowing he’s going to claim me. My insides swell with anticipation like the crescendo of a song.
His brown eyes soften. “I enjoyed our morning, princess. I can’t wait to wake up with you in my arms tomorrow.”
Before the heat can flood my cheeks, he captures my mouth, drawing me against him in a kiss that most definitely is not safe for work. He’s told me he’s in this. And that when the others have to leave me behind, he’ll be there.
When he lifts his mouth, he rests his forehead against mine. I want to believe him so badly but I’m scared. There are so many what-ifs in my life right now. So many things that feel so fucking right, but I know they’re wrong.
I’m just worried that Drew falls into that. He feels right, but what if without the others, he feels wrong.
He breathes me in for a moment before whispering, “Have a great day at work.”
“I’m Sara, Tom’s sister.” I hold out my hand to Beth Brown.
She narrows her eyes as she shakes my hand. She’s an attractive woman. I could see why Tom might have slept with her. Or at least wanted to. Her eyes flick up to my hair.
“I see the resemblance.” Beth turns her gaze to Dante who stands a little behind me, waiting for instructions.
“Sara is our intern for the summer.” Dante clears his throat. “With Tom still out sick, it would really help if you could catch her up to speed on Tom’s accounts, especially the new ones.”
Beth’s smile is tight. “Of course. Why don’t we use the conference room?”
“I’ll grab my laptop from Tom’s office.” I fall in line beside Dante on the way back.
“We need to know what those businesses do and what Tom found that made him run,” Dante says after he closes the door. He tucks a strand of my hair that escaped my bun behind my ear, letting his fingers drag down my neck to the collar.
He smiles and takes his hand away. “Any problems, let me know, pip.”
I draw in a ragged breath. Will it ever get easier to have them touch me? To be content with their touch and not crave more?
With my laptop in hand, I return to the conference room to get a read on the woman who worked closely with Tom on these accounts and to see if I can figure out what he might have found.
I give her a smile as I settle into the seat and log on to my computer. The whole time she sits back, watching me.
“Tom talked about you a lot.” Beth straightens in her chair. “Every story inevitably had you in it.”
“We grew up with a grieving mother.” I shrug like it isn’t a big thing. At the time, he made sure I stayed safe. While Mom hid from the world that took her husband from her long before his time. “Neither of us wanted to lose the other, so we stuck together. It was just easier that way.”
She nods. “I’m an only kid. My parents spoiled me rotten though.”
Her blue eyes lift to mine. She really is pretty.
“Have you heard from Tom?” she asks. The question is quiet and it doesn’t seem sinister, but I don’t know who I can trust outside of my guys right now.
“He’s such a baby when he’s sick.” I force a smile. “It’s almost a relief that he decided to take off this time instead of making me be his indentured servant. I always end up getting sick and then no one takes care of me.”
She chuckles before opening some files.
That’s not true though. Yes, he makes me wait on him hand and foot, but when I get sick, Dante shows up with food to check on me.
I look through the window into the main office space of small, walled cubicles.
I can’t see their offices, but part of me really wants to duck into Dante’s and thank him for caring for me even when I was a brat to him.
“Tom has a lot of clients, but I know the guys are interested in you working on the new ones.” Beth spreads out a few files on the desk.
They aren’t in the standard folders that go in the file drawers.
“Since they’re new, we’ve kept them separate.
He wanted to make sure they were good fits before doing all the work to set them up as a client in the system. ”
That doesn’t make any sense, but I nod like I’m following her logic. The more naive I seem hopefully she’ll trust me with information.
“The main group is the holding company, Edge Enterprises. It’s a privately held corporation, and they’re determined to keep their owners secret. Because of that, Tom and I signed an NDA to make sure we couldn’t leak that information without repercussions.”
She glances up at me. “I can’t show you anything in that file until we get them to draw up an NDA for you.”
Oh-kay. Time to play the dumb socialite card. “But wouldn’t they have to register their names with the state? Anyone can look that up, right?”
She smiles like I’m a ten-year-old who told her Santa Claus is real. “They’ve been able to withhold that information. They’re very private people.”
Turning another file over, she slides it toward me. “You can start with reconciling the accounts for Casino Caper. We need a full cash analysis done for each month. I’m providing you access to the accounts you’ll need.”
She types something on her keyboard and then smiles. “All set. When you get done with that, we can move on to something else.”
Piecemealing me the information so I don’t get a full picture. Interesting. But the thing with a cash analysis, especially for a cash business, is that I should get a good big-picture view of at least this one company.
“Thank you.” I open the files and pull over my notepad. After a few minutes, my eyes go a little blurry and I realize I’m going to need more coffee. Before I can say anything, Beth clears her throat. When I look up, her eyes search mine.
“Has Tom mentioned me?” She plays with her bracelet for a moment. “I mean as a professional. Work stories or whatnot?”
I shrug. “Honestly, Tom and I don’t talk about much these days. I’ve been busy with college. He’s been busy with work.”
She nods and her lips press tight together. I can’t tell if she wants him to talk about her or not. I don’t know this woman very well, and while I can usually get a read on someone, she’s not coming across as anything right now.
Not nosy, not interested. That’s what makes me even more cautious.
After another twenty minutes of focused work, she pauses and looks at me. “Do you know where he goes when he’s like this?”
It’s a curious question. It could mean she wants to know, or she’s just bored and trying to ask me something to start a conversation.
“Tom likes to hide. He’s always been really good at it.” I can’t help smiling at all the times I’d go looking for him in our house only for him to jump out at me so he wouldn’t reveal his hiding spot. “He always comes back though. He’d never leave me behind.”
You and me, sis. I’ll always be there for you, because Dad can’t.
I blow out a breath and glance out into the office to blink away the tears that rose way too quickly. Tom and I have a complicated history, but it’s ours, and we’re the only pieces of our dad left.
His red hair. His green eyes. His carefree laugh.
Tom would never leave and take Dad away from me again.
“I’m going to get some coffee.” I stand abruptly and she nods. Her attention is on her computer screen. I hurry out of the conference room.
When I see Greg’s blond head walking into the break room, I turn toward the owners’ offices and that coffee machine. I just need a moment of peace.
Tom leaving is nothing new.
Tom being in trouble is nothing new. But Tom leaving and being in trouble is a level of scary I haven’t begun to deal with. I’ve been having fun, hiding from the reality of what this all means. Now it looms over me.
Tom left because of something, and most likely it has to do with these clients. Someone followed me. Someone broke into our townhome and searched only my and Tom’s rooms.
I slip into the small alcove where the coffee machine is and pour myself a cup.
What if Tom took something that was proof? Something he could hold over their heads if they threatened me?
Footsteps make me look up. Wyatt smiles when he sees me by the coffeepot.
“Sara,” he acknowledges as he comes into the alcove with me. “I like your choker.”
I touch it and tingles explode. My gaze finds his dark eyes and I step in closer to him, looking around to make sure we’re still alone.
“Wyatt.”
My tone makes his smile fade. “What is it?”
I swallow. “What if Tom took something from these people? What if the only reason they haven’t come after me is because they need it back?”