Dangerous Love (4 page)

Everything he’d ever wanted in life he’d gotten. Some might say he was lucky, others could attribute it to being at the right place at the right time, but he knew it came from hard work, careful planning, and perseverance. He had a second chance with Faith and refused to blow it on a quickie.

His cell phone rang. He saw her number and grinned.

“Hey, baby?” He realized his mistake when she didn’t respond right away. “Faith?”

She cleared her throat. “I just wanted to let you know I e-mailed the resumes.”

“Good. I’ll have my people start on them. Are you at your store already?”

“Yes. Why?”

He looked at his watch. It was quarter to nine. “You don’t open until ten, right?”

“Yes.”

“Want to have breakfast with me?”

Silence followed his invitation. He could hear the wheels churning behind her gorgeous blue eyes.

“Chocolate waffles with whipped cream and strawberry slices on top,” he added. Her favorite.

“I’ll pass, but thanks for the invitation.”

“I can bring it over,” he added, not bothered by the brush off.

“Maybe next time. I’ve already eaten breakfast. See you later. Bye.”

Ken chuckled at the way her words rushed out. She wasn’t going to make things easy for him. That was okay, he didn’t mind. Patience was his middle name.

Ken finished his meal at a leisurely pace then dropped the RF remote control back in his pocket, picked up his keys and left the bistro. Hands in his pockets, head down, and shoulders hunched, he ignored the myriad of people hurrying back and forth in L.A. fashion district and headed toward his car. The November chill crawled under his skin. He should have brought a jacket. L.A. could be so unpredictable this time of the year.

Less than thirty minutes later, he was outside his building, whistling his way to the elevator and into his firm.

“Morning, Lucy. Where’s everyone?” He went to the coffee machine tucked in an alcove behind her desk.

“Rod is on his way back,” his assistant said. “Duncan is scoping out their new digs. He found an empty floor in the building next to the firm’s offices.”

Hopefully, he wouldn’t be cooped up in a broom closet like he was at the last job. “Did they debug Braun’s?”

 
“Last night.” She glanced toward the back of the room at Hailey and added in a lowered voice, “they’ll need her to finish the security stuff, preferably before tonight.”

“Did you tell her?”

Lucy shook her head and wrinkled her nose. “It’s impossible to have a conversation with that girl. She hardly talks to anyone and always has her iPod on and headphones plugging her ears.”

Ken shook his head. Lucy and Hailey were generations apart and didn’t see eye-to-eye about many things, including office dress code. Ken didn’t care what his people wore to work as long as they worked together and got a job done.

“You two need to learn to get along. As the older and wiser of the two, I expect you to initiate the dialogue.”

Lucy gave him a long sigh and a nod.

“Hailey?” he called out.

 
The pixie-faced girl looked up from her computer screen. With her short, black hair held in two pony tails on either sides of her head, bangs above her arched brow, a nose ring and dark tattoos stark against her pale skin, she could pass for a high school rebel. The twenty-one year old was the best hacker he’d ever worked with.

“I have the schematic up,” she said. “You want to take a look?”

Ken walked over to her side. She had a 3-D architectural design of a building with mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems color-coded. Hailey’s specialty was tapping into any building’s security system and putting the circuit on a loop, so his people could get in and out without anyone knowing they were there. She was also an amazing pickpocket. That was how they’d met.

“I won’t have any problem tapping into their security feed,” she said.

“Good. You know the drill. Go with the guys tonight and set things up,” he said. “Right now, I need your help with a new project.”

“What project, boss?” a deep, accented voice asked from behind him.

“Something I’m working on, Rod,” Ken said without going into details.
 

“Does it involve a certain beauty we missed yesterday while we were out of the office?” Rod teased, his Cuban accent less pronounced. “I’m available if you need help.”

Ken smirked at the tall handsome guy. Rod was a chick magnet, and Ken didn’t need the competition. “It’s a small gig. I’m sure Lucy has something for you to work on.”

“She always does.” Rod stooped low and planted a kiss on Lucy’s cheek. She giggled and admonished him.

 
Ken ignored their flirting and headed to his office. Sly was already at the station he’d set up for him at the other end of the room. Hailey joined them.

“I want the two of you to do a background check on Ms. Fitzgerald’s employees. Check the references they gave and see if their paths ever crossed with Sean O’Neal’s,” Ken explained.

“Okay, but who’s Sean O’Neal?” Hailey asked, pulling a chair closer to Sly’s wheelchair.

“A thieving designer we plan to nail,” Sly answered her. They both grinned.

“An alleged thieving designer,” Ken corrected even though he believed everything Faith had told him. “It’s time to test your jazzed-up tracking system, Sly. Hailey and I will be searching Ms. Fitzgerald’s place for bugs today between one and two-thirty. While we’re there, you’ll monitor the cell phone activity of Ms. Fitzgerald’s employees. I’m sending you the e-mail with their numbers and resumes now.”

Ken opened his e-mail account and scrolled down unread messages until he found the one from Faith. It had five attachments. He forwarded it to Sly then opened each resume and saved them in his hard drive. He’d do some digging too. Next, he removed the memory card from his sunglasses and started downloading the pictures he’d taken earlier.

***

Faith couldn’t focus on her work. Worries about what Ken’s motive had kept her up most of the night. Coming to the office, she’d hoped to use work to keep him off her mind. But the thought of listening devices in her office left her edgy. She couldn’t sketch or talk over the phone without imagining someone watching or listening to her conversations. Ken’s ‘Hey, baby,’ greeting hadn’t helped either. Last night’s encounter had rushed back with a vengeance, taunting her.

Her gaze drifted to her watch. It was quarter to one. She walked to the fridge at the corner of her office, retrieved a bottle of water and twisted the top off. Sipping the drink, she slipped into the store’s main floor and locked the door behind her. She never had to lock rooms before or treat her employees like they were criminals.

Up front, Molly rung up the sales for a woman, then walked forward to unlock a display shelf to show a customer a pair of earrings and matching bracelet. How could she suspect her?

Faith nodded to the customers in the back checking her signature, ready-to-wear flowing pantsuits. Even though it was still November, early Christmas shoppers were already searching for bargains. Two teens giggled as they read the writing on side-laced workout tops next to nipped-at-the-waist jacket and sporty pants. Her younger cousins had come up with some of the pithy messages—Rock it, Work it, Stay Fit, Don’t Hate.

Faith walked to the front of the store and peered outside. She glanced at her watch again. Ten minutes to one. Where was Ken? The question barely left her thoughts when a Porsche 911 pulled up in the parking space in front of her neighbor’s store and an elegant man stepped out. Long, curly red hair held in the back with a clip, long and narrow handsome face, designer attire down to his polished shoes, Sean looked as elegant as always. Nearly fifteen years her senior, she now looked at him and wondered what she ever saw in him.

She watched with narrowed eyes as he paused to look up and down Third Street before starting toward her store. Surely, he wasn’t coming to her place. He wouldn’t dare. The closer he got, the edgier she became. The urge to block his path and refuse him entry rolled through her. No, she would not stoop to his level by acting unprofessional.

Faith waited as he pushed her door and stepped inside. He must have already seen her because he turned toward her and smirked. Revulsion slithered under her skin. She wanted to kick him out.

“Faith,” he said.

“Sean,” she answered without moving from where she stood.

He gave her a once over, his eyes calculating. “You’re looking good.”

“What brings you to my store?”

“I was driving past and couldn’t resist.” His gaze swept the mannequins wearing separates and gowns in current season colors. “Dramatic décor. Black floors, white walls, and background on display shelves, mannequins dangling from the ceiling. You’ve done well for yourself.”

She didn’t care whether he approved or not. “What can I do for you, Sean?”

He turned his attention back to her, his gaze lingering on her face. “Can we talk privately?”

The urge to kick him out resurfaced, but she squashed it. There was no point in making him think she was afraid of him. They were also beginning to draw attention from her customers.

“This way.” She indicated the way to her office then led him to the back of the store.

As they neared the giggling school girls, Faith overheard their whispered comments.

“You’re right, he’s the one…my cousin attended one of his show and said he’s so cool…do you think they’re dating or something?”

Sean flashed a smile at them. Faith ground her teeth. She didn’t resent his celebrity status, but to have her name linked with his, even by some teens, left a bad taste in her mouth.

She unlocked her door and held it open. His expensive cologne clawed at her senses as he waltzed past her. Faith looked toward the front of the store and caught Molly’s stare. The salesgirl watched them with wide eyes. Obviously, Molly had recognized Sean too. Faith closed the door and went to sit behind her desk, needing something other than air between her and her nemesis, who was busy studying her office with narrowed eyes.

“What’s this about?” she prompted, impatient to have him gone.

Sean took the seat opposite her even though she hadn’t offered it, crossed his legs to reveal his signature sock. He watched her with a smirk. “I heard you’ll be having a show at New York Fashion Week in February.”

“That’s right.”

“Day and time?”

Her show was in the evening of the fifth day. “What do you want, Sean?” she snapped.

Sean smiled. “I can pull some strings and get you a spot right after my show, which means you get a viewing by editors from major fashion magazines, newspapers and online players, retailers, stylists, and celebrities.”

To have a show after his could guarantee her more exposure, but she’d rather get the attention of one editor than be indebted to him.

“No, thanks. I’m happy with my assigned day and time.”

Annoyance crossed his face. “Stop being childish, Faith. I’m offering you a chance of a lifetime.”

“And I’m declining.” She stood. “If that’s all, I have a lot to do.”

He leaned forward. “Why are you acting like this? The misunderstanding from our past shouldn’t stop you from accepting my offer. I’m willing to forgive you, give you a second chance and boost your career.”

Could he be any more arrogant? “I appreciate the offer, Sean, but I’m happy with the direction my career is taking.”

He got up slowly, his eyes cold and assessing. “So you’d rather be struggling at the bottom with other designers than rise to the top.”

She chuckled though amusement was the last thing on her mind. “I don’t consider myself at the bottom, but I’ll get to the top on my own.”

“Give me a chance to take you there faster.” He started toward her. “With your creativity and my connections, we can conquer the fashion industry.”

Did she have to put it in writing for him to get it? They were through. Done. Again, she smiled, striving to stay calm and cordial. “We can never work together again, Sean. Please, accept it and move on.”

A spasm of anger twisted features. “If you can stop being so bitter and vindictive, you’d see that we could be much more.”

Bitter and vindictive? He was clearly delusional, but she had no interest in correcting him. She stood her ground as Sean approached, her heart pounding with a mixture of dread and exasperation.

“I think I’ve made my position very clear. I have no interest in you or whatever you’re offering me. I’d rather manage my career on my own.”

“Come on, sweetheart. You’re still just angry with me. I can see that. The incident over the designs was just a misunderstanding. If you come back, whatever you design will have your name.”

“But your logo,” she finished for him.

“Ah, you understand now how these things work.” Before she guessed his intention, he grabbed her arms and pulled her toward him as though to seal the deal with a hug or a kiss.

Faith leaned back. “Stop it, Sean. Before you do something you’ll regret.” She pushed against his chest, but he was bigger and stronger.