Billionaire Stepbrother - Secret Lives (4 page)

“Hello, my name is John Saltzman, and I am the CEO of Essential Steel. I just interviewed one of your previous employees and would like to check on their reference.” Dante always used his CEOs name as a cover, and it was more important now since this guy he was about to talk to had a reputation. As soon as he looked up the company he recognized who Cynthia’s boss had been. No wonder she’d left. The man had a reputation for harassing young women and cheating people on business deals.

“Who was the employee, sir?” The woman on the phone sounded young and perky, probably just how he liked them.

“It’s Cynthia Millard. She was actually Mr. Carter’s personal assistant.”

“Mr. Carter?” It came out of her mouth like a question. He was the CEO and President of the company, and she didn’t know who in the world he was talking about. Really? “Oh, you mean Mr. Winslow, that’s right. Hold please, while I make sure he’s not in a meeting.” He heard the click and then some elevator music. It seemed his rep was spot on. The woman knew him only by his first name.

It only took a few minutes for the music to end and someone to come on the line. This time it was a male voice. “Hello, this is Winslow Carter speaking, to whom do I owe the pleasure?”

Dante tried not to scoff at his cocky response. “This is John Saltzman, and I am the CEO of Essential Steel.”

“Yes, of course, I'm familiar with your company. How can I help you?”

“Your personal assistant, Ms. Millard, interviewed with us yesterday, and I would like to check up on her reference. Did she work for you for three years up until about a month ago?”

“Pssh, yeah she did, and she was the worst personal assistant I ever had. She was late all the time, often had personal issues. She refused to work late even once, so I don’t even think she was dedicated to the job. The clients had constant complaints about her saying she was rude and didn’t know anything about the company or the product even though we spent so much money on training for her. I only kept her for so long because she accepted less pay than others we found with more experience. She thought she could get by on her looks. I’m very glad she left, and I wouldn’t ever hire her back. If I were you I would dodge that bullet. I can’t believe she thinks she’s going to get another job in Detroit again using me as a reference.”

“Well, thank you for your time, sir. I appreciate the heads up.” Dante didn’t wait for any kind of cordial goodbye. He’d heard enough. He had already called the lawyer she worked for and the woman sang Cynthia’s praises. He was pretty sure this Winslow guy was full of bullshit. No way would the CEO of Vosh keep an employee around for that long who was that bad because she worked cheap. He had money coming out of his ears. He couldn’t believe a professional just said all those things.

He was still waiting for a call back from her second boss, the plumber, but he already knew he was ready to hire her.  He was certain she was the right choice, despite the fact that they were related.

A knock came at his office door, and he motioned through the window for whoever it was to come in. It was a man wearing a hoodie and jeans; strange attire to be visiting Essential Steel, but Dante had a feeling who it was. “Please, have a seat. Are you Mr. Wallace?”

“Yep, that’s me. Pretty nice place you’ve got here. With all the anonymity I was thinking I’d be meeting you in a back alley or something. So, how can I help you?”

“There’s a woman that I’d like you to investigate, follow around a bit. I am trusting her with some sensitive information, and I need to know if that’s okay. So just give me any information you can about her. Price is not a concern, I just want you to be discrete.  I have no reason not to trust her, but I just have to make absolutely sure. Can you do that?”

“For the right price, there isn't much I can't do. You got a picture?” Dante turned his computer screen around to show the guy Cynthia’s Facebook page. Her profile picture was of her leaning back with her legs out in front of her. She was smiling, and her hair was up in a ponytail. 

“She’s hot,” Mr. Wallace commented with a wink. Dante tried not to throw up in his mouth. Private investigators were always a little sleazy, but he had to do this to be sure he could trust Cynthia with his secrets. He could not afford to take any chances with his business, even if she was his stepsister. 

“Well, that should make the job even easier for you then. When can you start?”

“Well, five hundred up front and you’ve got me starting now and for the next two weeks.” The guy started picking his teeth, and he looked like a heavy smoker.

Dante slapped the money down on the table. “It’s a deal. If you could report back to me weekly with what you find, I’d appreciate it. Give me a call if you need me to send a cab for you or anything.” Dante shook his hand and was sure he’d regret that offer as the guy walked out like he had some kind of swagger. Really he just looked like he needed a cane and a belt for his sagging jeans. He could hear the guy trying to flirt with some of the staff on the way out.

He waited until he heard the swoosh of the elevator going down before picking up his phone. It was time to call Cynthia to come in and discuss the job. He didn't feel he needed to wait for any more information. He had made up his mind in the interview and was just going through the motions. She was going to be his personal assistant. The investigator was just a formality he had decided on before he even met her and was now already regretting. Still, it never hurt to be too safe.

The phone rang about five times, and he was worried he wouldn’t be able to reach her. He was really eager to get the ball rolling because he had some important plans with Devil’s Pirates MC later that night and might be busy with them for the rest of the week. But she finally answered just before he was ready to hang up.

“Hello,” her voice came through the receiver. He heard the sound of running water in the background, and she sounded out of breath. He’d probably got her in the shower. No wonder it took her so long to pick up the phone.

“Hello, Cynthia?” He knew it was her. He wasn't about to forget that voice.

“Yes? Dante?”

He couldn’t help but feel good that she recognized his as well. “Yes.”

“Sorry, I just recognized your voice. I shouldn’t be so informal. I should probably call you Mr. Cross, right?”

“No, it’s okay, Dante is fine. I’m just calling to ask if you had some time to come up to the office later today. I would like to discuss some things with you if you don’t mind.”

There was a silent pause on the line, but her breathing told him she was still there. “Yeah, I could probably be there within an hour if that’s okay. Do I need to bring anything with me?”

“Nope, just your smiling face.” He wanted to hit himself after he said it. He needed to sound more like a boss and less like a smitten teenager. She was his fucking stepsister, as well as his employee. She couldn't be more hands off if she was on fire.

“Umm, okay. I will be there soon.”

“See you then, Cynthia. Looking forward to it. Goodbye.” He hung up before he said anything else stupid and chased her away. He really needed her help. The business had really taken off in the last year as they expanded their catalog of engines. It was just too much for him and his team to keep up with at times.

* * *

“Please, have a seat.” Dante motioned to the seat across from him, and Cynthia sat down. She looked more curious this time than nervous, but he felt a little more comfortable as well. He had opted for some nice black jeans and a button down; no suit jacket. It was just too much for him. “I’m glad you came. How have you been?” In his head he added ‘since I saw you yesterday,’ realizing how dumb he sounded.

“I’m alright. I’ve just been continuing my search for a job and all. Not that I don’t want this one. I just wanted to keep my options open.”

“That makes sense, but I’m hoping to be your only option. I was actually really impressed with your interview and experience. I also got a shining reference from that attorney you worked for. She apparently loved working with you and wishes she could have you back.” A genuine smile spread across her face. She must have been expecting something bad from her last boss. How many jobs had she lost because of that asshole?

“So, I guess you’re wondering why I wanted you here instead of making you an offer on the phone. I’d like to get to the point, if you don’t mind.” He saw her nod him on, so he continued. “I find myself in a unique position here, and I feel I need to share with you some information. I'm pretty sure I can trust you?"

He waited until she nodded before he went on.  "If you're going to work here, you'll need to know that I’m actually the owner of Essential Steel. My CEO is only a front man so that I don’t have to put my face on the company. The rest of the company knows I am a top level executive, but that’s it. It’s very important that it stays that way because of my personal ventures, which you already know about.”

“You mean the motorcycle club,” she said, it wasn't a question.

“Yes, you understand then. I have to maintain my anonymity here, but I also don’t want the club finding out what I do. The clashing of the two worlds could be devastating to my career and the company itself, really. I work here during the day, and run with them at night. As my personal assistant, knowing my secret puts a lot of weight on your shoulders. I can’t have someone who could leak my secret even to someone she thinks she can trust with the information. In my world, there’s not many people I can trust.” He realized he was starting to sound ominous and accusatory, so he backed off a little.

“Look, Cynthia, I'm sure I can trust you, and not just because..." he didn't want to even mention their relationship again. He wanted to forget it existed, and just imagine her as the girl he had first been attracted to at the bar.  "I can just tell that you're the type of person that can keep a secret. I just need to know that you can keep the two separate, but the job is yours if you want it. Just, stay away from The Blue Pig, please. It’s where my club hangs out most of the time, and it would just raise too many questions about how we know each other.”

Dante took a deep breath and stopped, nervous as to how she was taking all the information. As hard as it would be to trust a stranger, he should at least be able to trust his own stepsister - even if they barely knew each other. Of course, if she turned him down after hearing everything, that would mean she wouldn’t even be under his watchful eye and would still know his secret.

He looked to her for a response, but she was unreadable.

Cynthia sat and listened to Dante talk about his double secret life intently. She knew he was going to make her a job offer, but she could see where his fears were coming from. It was shocking to find out that he was actually the owner of the company, the one who called all the shots for such a large corporation. She never would have guessed that the charming yet rough man she met in the bar that night would turn out to be her next possible boss. What an awfully small world it really was.

As he finally let out the offer and explained all that it would entail, she felt an anxious feeling in her stomach. Even in his jeans and button down shirt he looked good, just the tip of a tattoo peeking out of the top of his shirt. He hadn’t buttoned the top button.

It frustrated her that she was still attracted to him. Not only because he was her stepbrother, but because of everything else. He was her potential boss, he was part of a motorcycle gang. In that context, their familial relationship actually almost seemed like the least important barrier.

Dante was definitely a bad boy in every sense of the word. He was lying to pretty much everyone in his life, he rode a motorcycle, and he was the leader of a gang that she had actually heard of a few times on the street when she was a teenager. Obviously, the leader at the time wasn’t Dante, but they were into things like drug deals and black market gun sales then. What was Dante having them do now?

She remembered the tall, still handsome teenager he had been, and the constant battles he would have with her stepfather. Grant had called him a little punk, and wanted nothing to do with him. It seemed like he washed his hands of the young man and given up on him, something that Cynthia thought was crazy at the time. Now she wondered if he had already been into some of these activities.

She had no idea whether or not to accept the job. There were so many reasons not to and hardly any reasons to do it. Other than money, and the fact that hers was just about to run out. But would Dante really put her in harms way? He didn't seem like a violent criminal, and from what she could tell from her online searches, Essential Steel was a very legitimate and successful business. Why would he risk it to run around with his gang? How close would the job bring her to his possible shady dealings?

How close would it bring her to him and his muscular and tattooed body?

Cynthia blinked a few times to clear those thoughts from her head. He was her stepbrother. They may not have grown up together, but it was still wrong, wasn't it? Besides, Dante had stopped talking and was waiting on her to answer. “I know that you don’t really know much about me, and I’m not quite sure what kind of impression I’ve given you. On a professional level, I would of course be loyal to whoever I was working for, family or not. I wouldn’t share anything I learned whether it was a company or personal secret. It wouldn’t be the first time I had to do such a thing."

She paused as she watched him looking at her, waiting for her answer. He seemed tense, as if he feared what she would say. "But even on a personal level, I want you to understand that I am not that type of person at all. I am not some kind of gossip or attention seeker. I wouldn't give out personal information anymore than company secrets. I would never do that to anyone. I can tell that the club and your company mean a lot to you, and it would hurt you if you lost either. I would never want to be the cause of something like that.”

She looked at him as he stood up and moved around the room a little. He ended up sitting on the edge of his desk. He still seemed a little jittery. Was he in need of her services that bad or was he that upset at the possibility of someone having the power to ruin his life? If she thought hard about it, she’d be pretty worried as well.

“I appreciate that, Cynthia. I know it seems like a lot to take in, but does this mean you’ll come work with me?”

Cynthia hesitated. She still didn’t know what the right answer was, but she liked the fact that he said
with
instead of
for
.  She wondered if he phrased it that way on purpose. Still, she didn't want to make any rash decisions. “Can I have a couple days to think about it? I understand if you need to hire someone else and not wait. I don’t want to waste your time, but I really would like to process all of this before I give a sure answer.”

She watched as he hopped down from his desk, and she could see his muscles flex under his white shirt. She tried her best not to react, but it was quite difficult. “Of course you can. I’ll give you until Monday, alright? Here is the employment contract to sign if and when you make that decision. Your salary is discussed on the third page. I really do hope you choose to work with me, though. I think we would make a good team.”  After a moment he added "But either way, I really would like to get to know you again."

She caught herself smiling at the mention of them being a team as she took the packet from him and nodded. “I’ll get back to you with an answer as soon as I can. But yes, I agree. I'm glad we've reconnected, regardless.”

As she drove back to her apartment, she considered her situation. Dante might be rough around the edges, but he was also CEO of a huge company. Maybe the MC thing wasn't really that big of an issue? Besides, he was her stepbrother. He certainly wouldn't drag her into anything dangerous, would he?

Plus he was so fucking handsome. She couldn't ignore that, even though that shouldn't have any bearing on her decision whatsoever. But since when had she been able to ignore that? She was lonely now, and if nothing else she needed the job, the money, and the friend that she assumed Dante would be - if nothing else. God knows those seemed in short supply lately. Sure, the whole thing was a bit of a risk, but as Winslow always use to say before making a big acquisition - no risk, no reward.

Cynthia contemplated it all the way back to her apartment, but by the time she got in the door she had made up her mind. What other option did she have but to take the job? The rest she would have to worry about later. She went ahead and dialed the number Dante had given to her to call. He didn’t answer, so she just left a message.

“I made my decision. I’ll take the job. Let me know when you’d like me to start.” She made it short and simple.