Awakened (Intimate Relations) (16 page)

Mandy grabbed his hand. “That you did, but you did it with style.” She planted an unexpected kiss on his mouth, but she pulled away before he could take it any further, and glanced over her shoulder at Theo. “You might want to explain to Theo what we’ve found out, just so he knows what kind of nut we’re dealing with.”

“Good idea. You had lunch, Theo?”

The big man had walked over to the front door and locked it. He turned and shook his head. “No, and I didn’t have time to pack one this morning. I was going to order takeout. Get it delivered.”

“Whatever you order, get enough for Mandy and me and put all of it on the company account. We have some work to do before it arrives, and then we’ll let you know just what the hell is going on.”

“What do you want? Mexican, Thai, Chinese, Greek…”

Mandy laughed. “What I really want is a hamburger and fries. After this morning, I need greasy comfort food. Is that okay with you, Theo?”

“American food? I love it.” He patted his flat belly. “Unfortunately, it loves me too well, but it sounds wonderful. And you, Marc?”

“Cheeseburger. I haven’t had one in ages.”

Theo went back into his office to order while Marc grabbed Mandy’s hand and tugged her into his office. He found Ted’s email and pages of attachments. By the time they had duplicate copies of everything printed, sorted, and stapled, their lunch was waiting by the locked office door. Marc held the door for Mandy while she retrieved the insulated carryall and brought it inside.

Grabbing the bag, he headed toward the rarely used conference room next to Theo’s office. Mandy poked her head in the door. “C’mon, Theo. Soup’s on.”

Marc gave Theo the entire story while they ate their way through way too many French fries and huge hamburgers from a gourmet café a few blocks over.

Mandy cleaned up the trash while Theo grilled Marc on some of the details.

“Marc, I had no idea what kind of shit you’ve been dealing with. None. This is actually kind of scary, and now the bastard knows what you know.”

Marc shook his head. “That was such a stupid move on my part. Ted cautioned me not to tell him I was aware of anything, but I guess my adult brain wasn’t in gear.”

“It’s understandable.” Mandy stood behind him and rubbed his shoulders. “Everything we’ve learned so far is leading to one conclusion, that he killed your mother. Marc, the man is a murderer and a liar. Personally, I think you’ve behaved admirably. Although, if we’d been smart, we would have held off for a few more minutes and let Theo take a swing at him.”

She smiled serenely at Theo. “You did have that ‘I’m gonna kill the bastard’ look on your face.”

“That I did.” He glanced toward the door. “I’d gone down to the parking garage to grab my cell phone. I left it in the car this morning, and I felt sort of naked without it. When I got back up here, I caught your father in your office. I have no idea how he got in here, because the door to your office and the front door had both been locked.”

“Either he’s got keys or he picked the locks. I’d guess the latter. I’ll have an alarm put on both the front door and my office. Probably should have the place swept for bugs while you’re at it. Do you want to make that call, Theo? I think you have better connections than I do.”

“I’ll take care of it. You headed back to the winery?”

Marc nodded. “Now that we have Ted’s paperwork. You met him last month when all that mess was going down with Ben Lowell and Lola, didn’t you?” He stood and began gathering up the papers.

“I did. Hell of a good guy.”

“I’m glad you think so.” He glanced at Theo. “I told you I’ve hired him. He’ll be starting here as soon as he’s ready. Have you had a chance to do anything about his office?”

Theo nodded. “A crew came by this morning to get measurements. They’re going to use a prefab setup that’s excellent quality. The computer equipment, screens, printer, the electronics and all the surveillance equipment he might need were delivered about an hour ago. Damn.” Theo shook his head. “I bet that’s how your father got inside. Just followed the deliverymen. They were in and out all morning carting stuff up here. Once in, your father probably picked the lock to your office. I wouldn’t have even noticed him because I was working in the back, showing the guys where to set things. Anyway, the entire unit should be installed tonight. It’s costing a little extra, but the manager assured me they could have the entire thing up and running by tomorrow morning. I figure it’s the least we can do.” Laughing, he added, “I still can’t believe you’re bringing in your own, personal FBI agent.”

Mandy brought a damp paper towel to the table and wiped it down. “Why not?” she said. “Doesn’t every young entrepreneur have at least one?”

Marc high-fived Theo. Mandy tossed the towel in the trash, and grabbed Marc’s hand. “Are you ready? There’s a winery calling my name. Specifically a large glass of zin.”

“Mine too.” He hugged her close. “Call the alarm company, Theo. I want this place covered so that anyone breaking in can’t do it quietly, and I’ll want it set up to report to my phone and eventually Ted’s and Ben’s if there’s an incident. I really don’t want Reed getting in here again. And thanks for moving so quickly on the office for Ted. I have a feeling he’ll be here before we know it. If there’s anything else you can think of that he might need, get it. Don’t worry about the cost. I trust you to do it right.”

“Thank you. Works for me. And you can put me on that notification list, too. I really dislike the guy. You sure he’s your father?”

“When he was younger, he could have been my twin. But hopefully, the only similarity is our looks.”

“He looks like hell now.”

Marc wrapped his arm around Mandy and held her close. “Yeah, well, he’s definitely earned it.”

CHAPTER 8

When Mandy called to ask what they could pick up for dinner, Cassie told them not to stop, that Nate already had something planned, so they drove straight out to the winery. It was almost five by the time they pulled up in front of the cottage.

Marc had added a charging station for the Tesla in front of the cottage as well as one by the tasting room for customers, so Mandy unlocked the front door to the cottage while Marc plugged in the car. Then he followed her inside so they could get cleaned up for dinner. After the episode with his father, he felt dirty. As if the man’s touch had somehow tainted him.

While Mandy went in to shower, Marc spread the paperwork across the kitchen counter and tried to make sense of all the info Ted had collected. He tried concentrating on the pages, but the only image he saw was the one in his head—Mandy’s sleek body beneath the shower spray.

He held off as long as he could, which wasn’t long at all. He stared at one of the pages for a moment, turned and headed to the bedroom, toeing his shoes off, pulling his shirt over his head and slipping out of his pants. By the time he joined Mandy beneath the spray, she was getting ready to wash her hair.

“Hey. Want company?”

She laughed. “Took your time, didn’t you? I thought you’d never show up.”

“I was trying to be a gentleman.” He kissed her shoulder. “My inner horndog won out.”

“Wow. I had no idea you even had an inner horndog. I’m impressed.”

“As well you should be.” He slipped in behind her and propped her hands against the tile wall, gently massaging shampoo into her scalp while trying to ignore her perfect bottom pressing against his erection. “But at least he’s a very well-mannered horndog.” He rinsed the shampoo out, added conditioner and worked that into her silky strands.

“That’s only to be expected,” she said, but then she wiggled her ass against him, and her soft moan at the end absolutely blew the overall effect of her snarky comment.

He rinsed the conditioner out of her hair without another word, but he had to admit her moans of pleasure were good for his ego.

She turned off the water and he toweled her dry, starting at her wet head and slowly working his way to her toes. A mere week ago, he couldn’t have imagined doing this with Mandy, feeling so comfortable loving her, touching her. He wanted to wallow in their natural intimacy, the fact that this felt absolutely right, but Nate and Cassie were expecting them.

He handed the towel to Mandy so she could return the favor. She started carefully, drying his hair, his shoulders, his back and chest. He noticed she paid close attention to the parts between his thighs. By the time she’d worked her way down his legs, she had to dodge his erection.

When they were together like this, he could forget all the other crap. The fact his father was a class A bastard while he had been a complete idiot. Why had he believed all the lies? Why hadn’t he been able to remember the truth about his mother?

Mandy finished drying his feet, stood, and hugged him. “Let it go, Marc. Just for tonight. When you stepped in the shower with me, you were so relaxed, and now that you’re out and dry, you’re tense as a spring ready to snap.” She glanced down at him, at his semi-erect cock. “I don’t think that’s the whole source of the tension, do you? Stop thinking about your father.” She ran her hand over his length and he immediately sprang back to life. “Of course, dealing with this takes care of all kinds of things. Wanna get back in the shower?”

He kissed her. “I wish, but we need to get over to Cassie and Nate’s. You’re right. I have to quit obsessing over the bastard. I’m sorry. I keep wondering how I could have believed him all my life. I knew she loved me, and yet I swallowed his lies and because of that, I’ve hated her for years. It doesn’t make any sense.”

She looped her arms over his shoulders and looked directly into his eyes. There was no hiding from Mandy when she wanted his attention. “None of this makes sense because most fathers don’t kill their children’s mother, Marc. A good father wouldn’t take that traumatized child miles away in the dark of night and make him wait in the car while he buried the mother. Your father is an animal. He’s a predator. If Ted’s information is true, and we have no reason to doubt it, your father married her to get at that inheritance, which makes him worse than an animal. And think about it—the fact you didn’t remember it for all those years is probably why you’re still alive. If he’d thought you might have told someone that he killed her, I bet you’d be in the ground next to her.”

He sucked in a deep breath, slowly let it out. Then he kissed her. “Thank you. As always, you’ve nailed something I hadn’t even thought of.”

“Of course I did. I told you I’m always right.” At least she grinned when she said it.

He dragged her out of the bathroom, back into the bedroom. “That has the potential of getting to be a little annoying, you know.”

“Oh, I hope so. Makes me unforgettable.”

“You’re already unforgettable.” He kissed her again. He wanted to be doing this whenever he wanted for the rest of their lives. No way in hell would he ever forget Mandy Monroe. No way was he ever going to let her go, either.

He was dressed before Mandy and went into the kitchen to look over the printed pages from Ted once again. His cell was sitting on the counter. “Damn it all.” He’d missed a call from Theo, so he called him back without checking voicemail. “What’s up?”

“Hey, Boss. You were right. Ted just called. His plane landed about five minutes ago. I’m headed over to pick him up, and I’ll help him get settled. There’re guys working on his office now and I expect them to have it done ASAP. The alarm system is all set; your phone number and mine have been added. We’ll get Ben’s in when he’s home, and I’ll add Ted’s today. You want him to have keys, don’t you?”

“I do. Thanks for handling this, Theo. I always know I can count on you. Have Ted give me a call once he’s checked in. I think he’s planning to stay at the same extended-stay hotel he was at last month until we get his permanent housing situation taken care of.”

They covered a few more things and then disconnected a few seconds before Mandy walked into the kitchen. Marc walked across the room and wrapped his arms around her. “Ted’s plane just landed and you’re in my arms.” He kissed her. “For now, at least, all is right with my world.”

She was laughing when they headed across the yard to Nate and Cassie’s, and the mouthwatering scent of chicken on the barbecue.

*   *   *

Theo spotted Ted standing in front of the United terminal with two huge suitcases, a carryon, and a bulging briefcase. He pulled over to the curb, and got out of the car. “Welcome, Ted.” They shook hands. “I understand you’re the new kid on the block. Looks like you brought everything but the kitchen sink.”

Ted glanced at the luggage and laughed. “I think it’s in here somewhere. What’s sad is that this is, quite literally, everything I own. Theo, isn’t it? Another Theodore?”

“No, sir. Thelonious, as in Thelonious Monk. Teachers for some reason had trouble with that and turned me into Theo. It stuck, but my parents were big fans of both Monk and Duke Ellington, ergo, I am Thelonious Duke Hadley.” Theo grabbed the largest of Ted’s bags and loaded it in the trunk. There was barely any room for the carryon.

Ted hung on to the laptop, but closed the back door after sticking the big suitcase on the back seat. He glanced at Theo. “Lord, man, I hope you like jazz.”

“In that respect, I was a huge disappointment. I actually loved rock and roll, but Dad was a professor at UC Berkley, and I grew up in Marin. That’s what my friends listened to. I went to the same high school as Marc.”

Ted fastened his seat belt as Theo pulled away from the curb. “You guys were friends in school, then?”

Theo shook his head. “No, I’m ten years older. I have a younger stepsister and she went to school with him. She said Marc was really smart, very quiet, pretty shy. Now that I’ve met his father, I can understand why. That man’s a piece of work. I have a feeling Marc might have been an abused kid. I’ve never asked him.”

“Amazing he’s as successful as he is.” Ted studied him as if he might be trying to read between the lines. Theo wanted to tell him, there were no lines. What you see is what you get. A forty-six-year-old gay man tired of living alone, wishing there were someone else in his life beyond the man he worked for and the few other employees.