Chapter 5 #2
“I don’t know. He’s a good worker. But there’s something happening in the Marketing Department.
Both Frank and Charlotte were not in the office the day the email was sent.
In fact, it was Charlotte who took Holly, Iris’s assistant, out to lunch.
It was Holly’s birthday or something. I don’t remember, but they took a long lunch while Frank was meeting a client for lunch. ”
“What about Iris?”
I’ve already had statements from Iris on her whereabouts from that day because I knew it would come up. “She was supposed to be in the office but got called away at the last minute.”
Ethan’s eyes sharpen. “So if she had been in the office, she would have been the most likely suspect, wouldn’t she? I assume plenty of people knew she would be in the office at that particular time?”
I nod.
“I understand office politics, Natalie. I didn’t get to where I am by simply sitting behind a desk. Miss Campbell should watch her back. I don’t even know the full details yet, and I can already tell that somebody’s trying to get her fired.”
A sick feeling forms in the pit of my stomach.
Iris is quite young to be the head of a department.
Over the past month, I’ve kept a close eye on the Marketing Department dynamics.
I always knew there had been some resentment within the department when she had been promoted, but I never imagined someone would deliberately sabotage her.
It is evident to everybody in the Marketing Department how hard she works.
Ever since she took over, the department has flourished, sales have taken off.
The Marketing Department is Thalvyn’s powerhouse. If it falls, the company falls. That’s become even more clear over this past month of restructuring.
The intercom buzzes, and Clarice’s voice sounds on the other end. “Mr. Roland Blake is here to see you, Mr. Wilder.”
Ethan half-rises out of his seat. “Roland? Let him in.”
I get to my feet. “Maybe I should leave.”
“No, stay.” He gestures with his hand. “Roland is one of my biggest investors. He’s also an old friend of my father. He must be in New York visiting him. I doubt he’s going to stay for long, and we still have a lot to get done.”
The door opens before I have a chance to respond, and a man enters.
His salt-and-pepper hair is slicked back, and he’s wearing a gray suit.
He looks to be in his late sixties, but from the way he carries himself, it’s obvious he takes good care of his health.
He’s carrying a cane with a carved silver head and rests most of his weight on it.
“Ethan!” his voice booms as he smiles in greeting. “How are you doing, my boy?”
“Roland.” Ethan gives him a polite smile. I noticed the stark difference once again. When he smiles in front of me, it reaches his eyes. Anybody else, he looks like he’s struggling with patience. Maybe I’m just seeing things. “What brings you here?”
“A change of scenery. I’ll be in New York for a few weeks. Thought I’d come and see your new project. I can’t believe you actually went and acquired one of Braxton’s companies. What did the bastard do? Strong-arm you into buying from him?”
“No. I was interested in the business model. I thought I could make it better and merge it with another one of my companies. Take a seat, Roland. This is Natalie Thorne.”
Roland turns to face me, and I feel a strange sense of unease at how long he gazes at me. I nod at him in greeting. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Blake.”
“What did you say your name was?”
“Natalie.”
His eyes run over me, lingering on my face, and Ethan clears his throat. “You were saying, Roland?”
I pick up my things. “I’ll leave you two to talk in private. I’ll be in my office, Mr. Wilder.”
“Ethan,” he corrects me.
I give him an annoyed look. He doesn’t have to correct me in front of his investor.
“You two carry on,” Mr. Blake says abruptly. “I’ll be back later. I just wanted to see your office.”
“If you want to stay, I can step out,” I offer.
“No, no.” He turns around and, just as quickly as he came in, walks out.
I gaze after him once the door closes. “Did I do something? ”
Ethan frowns before sitting back down. “He’s always been a little bit of an eccentric. Never mind him.”
“You just said he was one of your top investors. Should you really be so disinterested in his actions?” Did he not see how Roland just hightailed it out of here after meeting me?
“If he says he’ll be back, he’ll be back. Don’t worry about him.”
I’m about to sit back down when my phone pings. Checking my messages, I sigh. It’s Sarah. She’s going to be late again today. I guess I’ll have to fend for myself at dinnertime tonight.
Ever since the owner of the restaurant La Savante decided to open another branch in Staten Island, Sarah has had a longer commute. I have a feeling a difficult conversation is going to take place soon. Even I can see the toll the travel is taking on her.
Putting the phone aside, I get to my feet. “I should head home. It’s getting late, and I have to pick up some dinner on the way.”
“It’s just seven.” Ethan glances at his timepiece. “And we still have to finish this. Let’s get dinner here.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
The words are barely out of my mouth when Clarice knocks on the door, a brief sharp tap, before opening it. “Should I order some dinner, Mr. Wilder?”
He shakes his head. “No need. Just get me another cup of coffee before you leave.”
“Another cup of coffee?” I gaze at him. “Clarice, has he had lunch?”
His assistant shakes her head.
I glare at him. “You’re not a child. Have dinner.”
Ethan lifts his shoulders. “I don’t like eating alone.”
I catch Clarice looking at him, but she doesn’t say anything.
“So you’ve not had lunch, and you’re not going to have dinner. If you keep having coffee at the rate you’re going, you’re going to develop ulcers.”
“I’ll be fine. You should head home.”
He shoots me a look from the corner of his eyes before returning his attention to the documents before him.
“I’m not stupid, Ethan. I know what you’re doing.”
“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I’m not having dinner with you.”
“I’m not asking you to dinner.”
“I’m not having dinner with you in the office, either.”
“Your choice. I still have to work.”
My jaw clenches. He’s not going to eat. I know he won’t. It’s in his eyes. That stubborn glint. If he doesn’t get his way, he’s not going to eat.
I shouldn’t care. This has nothing to do with me. If he wants to go ahead and make himself sick by overworking, that’s his problem. He’s an adult. I’m not responsible for him..
Yet after working together for these past weeks, I’ve gotten used to looking out for him in small ways. What started as guilt from his injury has evolved into something else—a habit of caring I can’t quite shake.
“Clarice,” I say, my voice tense, “can you order some spicy tuna sushi for me?”
The slow smile forming on Ethan’s lips makes me want to smack him in the face. I sink into my chair, shooting a baleful look at the man.
His smile widens. “I’ll have the same.”
As soon as Clarice leaves the room, I hiss, “You are the most stubborn person I’ve ever met.”
“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Ethan picks up the file, flips through it. “I’m just eating dinner because you want to have dinner with me.”
“I’m not having dinner with you!” I correct him, heatedly. “I’m having dinner in the office with you. ”
“There’s a difference?” he asks, calmly.
“I swear, if you weren’t my boss?—”
This time his smile is wicked. “Highly inappropriate, Miss Thorne.”
I feel the heat creep up my face. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
He makes a clicking sound with his tongue. “So you say.”
“You’re insufferable!” I exclaim, and Ethan raises his eyebrows.
“Is that really something you should be saying to your boss?”
I give him a sharp smile. “Perhaps you should fire me.”
Ethan just looks smug. “No. Nice try, though. Points for effort.”
I’m about to say something else to him when the intercom buzzes again, and Clarice’s voice sounds. “Your mother is on the line, Mr. Wilder.”
Ethan’s grin fades. “Put her through.”
A moment later, he puts the call on speaker. “Is everything alright, Mom?”
I can hear her voice over the drone of the air conditioner in the office. “There’s a family dinner tonight. Did you forget?”
“I’m in the office. I have some work to wrap up. You guys can go ahead without me.”
“I just told you it’s a family dinner.” The cheerful voice turns sharp. “Don’t make me get in my car and drive all the way to get you. Nick and Elisha are coming, and I expect you to be there.”
“I told you that I’m working.”
Ethan sounds frustrated, and his mother’s voice hardens. “You’re always working. I’ve not seen you in two weeks. Either you come here, or I’m going to bring the whole family there. You pick.”
“Mother—”
“Harold!” his mother calls out to somebody. “Tell the kids we’re going to Ethan’s new office for din?— ”
“I’m coming!” Ethan raises his voice. “I’ll come!”
“Good. And bring that lovely lady with you, the one you’re forcing to work overtime. Jake told me she was still in your office when he left.”
Ethan’s eyes shoot up to meet mine. I quickly shake my head, urgently, and he says slowly, “I’m sure she has other plans.”
“I’m sure she had other plans when you made her work overtime, son. Bring your lady friend, or I’ll come get the two of you.”
The line goes dead, and Ethan gazes at the phone.
I gape at him. “Your mother.”
“Evidently.”
“She’s—You look like you’re scared of her.”
Ethan sets everything down on the table and gets to his feet. “She’s a terrifying woman. Don’t ever let her convince you otherwise. Come on.”
“Wait, I’m actually going with you?” My eyes widen.
“When Helen Wilder summons you, saying no is not in your best interest. Besides, we were already having dinner together. Now with my family around, you’ll have multiple buffers between us.”
I could say ‘no’ with more conviction, but the idea of meeting Ethan’s family and seeing the kind of people he was raised amongst is too tempting. Also, I really want to meet the one woman who can intimidate him.
The evening air carries the lingering heat of summer’s oppressive warmth as we drive through Manhattan’s glittering streets.
Even at this hour, the city pulses with life—yellow cabs weaving through traffic while pedestrians navigate the sidewalks despite the humidity clinging to everything like a second skin .
When we finally pull up, I feel nervous.
The Wilder family home, a brownstone on Park Avenue, glows softly under the evening lights, its deep brick facade muted under the twilight.
Golden light spills from tall, arched windows, hinting at life within.
Ivy clings to the walls, swaying gently in the night breeze, while a sleek black door stands polished, inviting us inside.
“This was a bad idea,” I mutter. “What was I thinking?”
Ethan opens the car door for me. “You already bought the wine, and we’re here. The time for backing out is long over.”
I give him a hopeful look. “You can give them the wine. I can just take a cab back.”
He leans his forearm on the roof of the car, looking at me with mischief in his eyes. “I never took you for a coward, Natalie.”
My lips part. Then I press them together. “I’m not a coward.”
“Prove it.”
He holds out his left hand.
My jaw clenches. “I’m not falling for that. I’m not a child. Just because you called me a coward doesn’t mean you’ll get a rise out of me.”
“Coward,” he says softly, holding my gaze with burning intensity.
Taking the cab back home is the smart decision. I shouldn’t be more involved with Ethan than I already am. This is for my own good. If I get burned twice, it’s on me.
However, my feet swing out of the car, and I get out, standing face-to-face with him. “I’m not doing this because you want me to. Just so you know.”
Ethan takes a step toward me till my chest is pressed against his. “Of course not.”
He smells the same as he did back then. Clean, earthy, subtly masculine .
It always drew me in, and it’s no different now.
“If you do anything inappropriate,” I begin, struggling to draw in air, struggling to think straight when he’s surrounding me like this.
“Inappropriate?” Ethan asks, his tone wicked. “Inappropriate how? You mean this?”
He leans down, and I freeze. His lips brush against mine, soft, caressing, and making my lower stomach clench in an aching need. No. No!
But I don’t pull away.
My hands lift and press against his chest. I’m supposed to push him away, but as we stand under the soft glow of the streetlight, Ethan’s mouth moving against mine, searing me, waking up desires I buried years ago, my fingers dig into his waistcoat.
His mouth is hot, and it’s breaking down my defenses.
He was my first, and now here he is again, stealing my second kiss.
I forgot how it had felt, having his body hovering over mine, his delicious weight holding me down as he moved within me.
The taste of his skin. His mouth covering every inch of me.
I forgot it all. And it’s all rushing back to me.
Ethan had driven me wild in his bed. He had taken my virginity, and he had claimed complete ownership of my body, making me scream till all I remembered was his name. He had shown me a world I had only read about in books.
And as he kisses me now, one hand curled around my nape, and the other gripping my waist, my legs feel weak.
What am I doing?
Why am I letting him do this to me?
Why can’t I push him away?
The snap of a camera shutter has my eyes widening as reality crashes down around me. Ethan instantly pulls me into his chest, shielding me with his coat .
“Don’t bother, big brother. I already got the evidence.”
A woman’s voice has me going stiff.
Big brother?