An Indecent Proposition (30 page)

 “I’m not. Is that what you want to hear? I’m not sure the explosion wasn’t sabotage. I also know if it was, someone inside our company might’ve helped. But letting Erik wallow in the past and what happened isn’t going to help him deal with his scars. He needs to come out of this on his own.”

“And finding out who was responsible will allow him to do that.”

Keegan’s anger started to boil. “You haven’t been here. But I have. Every single day. I see how he struggles. And now, when he’s finally started to come out of his shell, you show up and—”

“
I
show up?” Katrina was livid now. Her pale skin flushed bright red. “I show up and…what? Do you think I’m here just to interrupt your depraved games? Are you serious?”

“We don’t play games.” He bit off each word. “Just because you don’t appreciate the lifestyle—”

“Lifestyle? Now your sex games are a
lifestyle
? I guess your new
friend
,” she made the word sound like the filthiest curse, “lives the same lifestyle? How lucky for the three of you.”

“I know you don’t understand.” He kept a vicious hold on his temper, which had almost reached the critical boil-over point. “I know you don’t approve. But just because you think it’s wrong doesn’t mean you get to stick your nose in where it doesn’t belong.”

Katrina’s eyes widened as that barb hit home and he felt like complete and utter ass. Erik and Katrina had been close when they were younger. He knew Erik held some deep-seated guilt where she was concerned. He also knew there was something in Kat’s past that had made her the way she was. But neither he nor Erik had been able to discover what that was.

“Damn it.” Keegan rubbed the knot at the back of his neck. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

“No, you meant it exactly the way you said it. And trust me, I don’t want to come between you two. Not again. But when my brother asks for my help, I give it to him. And now that I have, I’m going.”

She turned on her heel and would’ve made a dignified exit except Keegan caught her arm. “Katrina, stop.”

She did but she wouldn’t turn to look at him and the arm he held went rigid as stone. “I don’t want you to touch me.”

He released her immediately. She sounded almost like she was going to cry. Which had to be his faulty hearing because the only time he’d ever seen Kat cry had been after Erik’s accident. Which apparently hadn’t been an accident.

“I’m sorry.” He took a breath, put his thoughts in order. “I’m sorry for the way things ended between us. We both said things we shouldn’t have, and I wish I could go back and do it again, but it doesn’t change the fact that we were never going to be compatible.”

She sliced a glance over her shoulder at him. “You’re absolutely right. And we should remember that the next time we meet. Let’s just retreat to our own corners now and go back to ignoring each other. I need to get my bag. My taxi will be here in a few minutes. Goodbye, Keegan.”

She disappeared up the stairs before he could say anything more.

He stared after her for several long seconds before heading back to his car.

He needed to get to the lab.

Chapter Four

Erik had meant to do some testing on the new retinal scan they’d been perfecting for the past two years but he hadn’t been able to concentrate.

Kat’s discovery about Eggert Labs’ sabotage wasn’t unexpected. He’d known the explosion had been deliberate. And until TinMan had come along, Eggert had had a lock on the biometric security market.

So a little friendly sabotage made to look like an accident should’ve been expected. In the corporate world his dad worked in, it was part of doing business.

He didn’t think whoever had ordered the sabotage had meant to harm anyone. Erik had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But now that he had evidence, it was damn hard not to want to go after them and bring down the behemoth. He and Keegan had both interviewed with Eggert before deciding to start their own business. They hadn’t wanted to be wrapped up in corporate red tape while they worked.

So what are you going to do with the information?

He should hand it over to the police, let them do more digging. But a part of him wanted to exact his own revenge.

Sitting in his personal lab station, he spun his stool in a slow circle, his eyes open but not focused on anything.

What he really wanted to do was punch old man Eggert, owner of Eggert Labs. He had a tight leash on his company and he would’ve known what was happening. The bastard had even sent a card and flower arrangement after the accident.

What he wouldn’t give to stuff that arrangement right up—

Shit.

He threw the tiny screwdriver he’d been holding at the table, swearing when it missed and fell to the floor.

Between his anger over the explosion and his thrill of victory after getting Jules to agree to his plan, there was no way he was going to get any work done. Even though it was Sunday and no one else was here to bug him, his brain was too fractured to work with any efficiency.

He kept flashing back to earlier today. Yes, Jules had agreed to this plan but neither she nor Keegan had seemed happy about it. He couldn’t quite figure out why.

Didn’t matter. They’d realize soon enough that this was the right way to handle the situation. None of them needed the hassle their relationship could bring if it went public.

Yes, last night’s date had gone well but people would talk. They always did. Rumors would start. He didn’t care if they talked about him, but he didn’t want Jules to have to go through that again. Carol had relayed some of those rumors about Jules, though she assured them they held no truth.

Yes, she’d had an affair with a married man, who she’d had no idea was married. Erik figured he and Keegan were damn lucky she’d agreed to spend more time with them after they’d bribed her to have sex with them. It’d been an arrogant, selfish move and it’d been all his idea.

Still, it would work out for the best. It had to.

“Why the fuck did you go behind my back and get Katrina involved in our personal business?”

Erik’s head snapped back at Keegan’s harsh question.

His partner stood in the doorway to his lab, leaning against the frame as if he’d been there awhile. Maybe he had.

Taking a few seconds to formulate a reply, Erik gauged Keegan’s emotions. Pissed but not furious. And not holding back his anger.

Good. He was glad to see the old Keegan reappearing. He’d seen more of that guy in the past few weeks than he had in the last two years.

“Because I needed to know what happened that night and she was willing to help me find out. I knew it wasn’t an accident. Kat was the first person to actually listen to what I was saying and run with it.”

“God damn it, Erik. It’s not that I don’t believe you. It’s—”

“Bullshit.” Erik felt his own anger immediately begin to churn. “I wish you’d just fucking admit that you thought I was chasing my tail on this one. Well, I’m not, so now we have to figure out what we’re going to do.”

Keegan didn’t hesitate. “We give the information to the police and that’s that. We let them handle it.”

“They didn’t handle it the first time, did they? They ruled it an accident, basically said it was my fault. Like I had a plan to blow the damn lab up with me in it. They were fucking incompetent. No, we find the dirt and go after them publicly. Hit them where it hurts. Strike at their reputation. Then we turn the information over to the cops and let them clean up the aftermath.”

A muscle in Keegan’s jaw started to flex, but he kept his mouth closed tight.

Erik shook his head in disgust. “You have nothing to say?”

“Yeah, I do. You’re becoming obsessed again.”

That stopped Erik dead. “What do you mean ‘again’?”

“You know what I mean. You got like this a year ago. You barely ate or slept. All you did was try to figure out who rigged the explosion.”

“So now you believe that someone deliberately sabotaged our lab? Well, damn, it only took you two years.”

“Fuck you, Erik. That’s not fair. Of course I want to know what really happened. I want whoever blew up our lab to rot in jail. And then I want you to let it go and actually live your damn life. Not spend every waking minute thinking about what happened to you and plotting revenge. I want you to move forward.”

“What the fuck more do you want from me, Keegan? Jesus, I’m working. I’m even dating, for Christ’s sake.”

“And that’s a great start. But it’s not enough. And you know it.”

“What exactly do you want me to do? You’re not my psychiatrist, damn it.”

“No, I’m not.” Keegan crossed his arms over his chest. “And you don’t have one of those anymore because you decided you were done.”

“Because I was. I don’t want to talk about my parents to anyone. I don’t want to think about how I felt when they took off the bandages. I just want it all to disappear.”

“And you know that’s not going to happen. Erik—”

 “No. I’m done. You’re not the one living in my skin. You don’t get to tell me how to feel or how to live my life. I don’t give a fuck what other people think of me.”

“What about Jules?”

“What about her? She’s fine with our arrangement.”

“How the hell would you know that? You pretty much told her what was going to happen. There was no discussion.”

“This is the best solution to the problem and you know it.”

Keegan looked like he wanted to keep arguing but managed to swallow whatever he was going to say. Instead, he said, “You’re so fucking stubborn and you have an answer for everything, don’t you?”

“For this, yeah, I do. Because it’s the only solution.”

Keegan took a deep breath and let it out on a sigh and Erik knew he’d gotten Keegan to give in.

“So when are we going to see her again?” He was done hashing this out. Time to push forward. Isn’t that exactly what Keegan wanted?

“Don’t you mean when will I call her to ask her out so we can see her again?”

Erik just stared at Keegan, holding on to his own temper.

Keegan shook his head. “I told her I’d call Tuesday. I assume you don’t have anything planned.”

He felt that jab like a blow to solar plexus. “You know I don’t.”

“Then I guess I’ll see if she’s available for dinner.”

“And afterward, you can come to my house.”

And get Jules in bed between them.

Sounded like the perfect plan.

And in the meantime, he’d figure out what he was going to do with the information he’d received from his sister.

* * *

“So you really didn’t know?”

“Had no idea he was a guy. That’ll make you think twice about saying yes to a date with a former lover’s friend.”

Jules laughed at Keegan’s story as they walked through the door into Erik’s home. They’d had a great dinner, talked about everything and anything, shared a few drinks, and managed not to bring up the one sore spot between them.

Jules found it amazing that after four dates with Keegan over the past ten days, they still found new subjects to discuss.

Guess that’s what happens when you date men instead of boys.

Keegan might be soft-spoken when they were out in public but he had a dry wit she adored. They could talk for hours and never repeat themselves or fall into an awkward silence.

The only time that happened was when Erik’s name came up. Then she’d felt they were missing a vital piece of the puzzle of their relationship.

“Sounds like you two had a good time tonight.”

Erik smiled as he walked into the front room to meet them and her heart did a little happy dance as she turned toward his voice.

He’s here. Now we’re complete.

She crossed the room to wrap her arms around his waist and lift her face to his for a kiss.

When his lips settled on hers, he practically took her breath away. Pure domination laced with burning lust. She felt seared through, her lungs singed and every nerve ending energized.

When he finally let her up for air, she could only blink up at him for several seconds as he stepped away.

Did his smile look a little forced?

“We did,” Keegan answered Erik’s questions, walking over to stand by Jules’ side and casually pulling her back against his chest, holding her there with one arm around her chest. “What’d you do all night?”

Erik didn’t answer right away, his gaze tracking Keegan’s movements before he looked up at his face. “Kept busy. Caught up on paperwork. Where’d you go tonight?”

“Viva. Good food. Nice and intimate.”

A tiny muscle in Erik’s jaw started to twitch and now she knew his smile was forced. “Good. So, either of you want a drink?”

“Not for me, thanks,” Jules said. “I probably had enough at dinner.”

“Keegan?”

Keegan shook his head. “I’m good.”

Well, okay, then. They were all good. Now what?

Erik nodded, his expression pulling into a stiff mask that made his scars seem more prominent. His unscarred cheek had a slight red tinge and she wondered if he’d been drinking before they’d arrived. She hadn’t tasted alcohol when he kissed her but…

And what would it matter if he had? He was a grown man. He didn’t have to answer to anyone.

Including her.

“Then I guess I’ll be drinking alone.”

Was she imagining the hard edge she now heard in his voice? Why had this suddenly turned difficult?

The first night she and Keegan had gone out alone had been a little awkward but they’d managed to get through it before they’d hurried back to Erik’s and spent several hours in bed. They’d repeated that the second date last Friday and again on Monday.

By Monday’s date, however, she and Keegan hadn’t mentioned Erik once. Which had made her feel disloyal.