Authors: Lena Matthews
GoingUp (2 page)
Koko followed the direction his hand was pointed and watched
in awe as the painting slid to the side, revealing a large flat-screen in the
process. Her awe quickly turned to mortification as an image of her came
on-screen. It wasn’t just a picture though, it was one of herself with one hand
inside her shirt and the other buried under her skirt. The cart she had in
front of her protected some of her modesty, but even to a nearsighted,
half-blind, one-eyed pirate, it was very obviously she was masturbating. There
was no bluffing her way out of this, which only left one thing to do. Beg.
Koko looked back at Reese, who had rounded the desk while
she’d been staring at her solo performance. “Before you call the police, let me
explain.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against
his desk. “All right.”
“All right what?” God, this man was confusing.
“Explain.”
Koko opened her mouth to do just that but quickly snapped it
closed. She couldn’t think of one thing to say. Well, at least one that didn’t
make her sound so pervy.
“Change your mind?” The corner of his lips twitched as if he
was trying his best to hold back a smile.
“No.” She wanted to explain, she just couldn’t come up with
the right words. “I’m thinking.”
“Of?”
“How to convince you not to call the cops,” she admitted
warily.
“I’m not going to call them.”
“Wait a minute. You’re not?” Okay, maybe she didn’t know her
own name after all.
“Do you want me to?”
Was he crazy? “Of course I don’t want you to, but if you
didn’t bring me back here to detain me, why did you bother?”
“Because I wanted to meet you.”
Her shoulders tensed as the words
mayday, mayday
echoed in her head. “Is this the way you get your jollies off, watching
unsuspecting women?”
“Not usually, and not all women.” He held her gaze steadily.
“Just you.”
Koko swallowed her indignation at his answer. She couldn’t
help but feel as if he was telling the truth, and for some reason it calmed her
nerves a bit. “For how long?” she asked after a pause.
“Two weeks.”
She looked back at the video on-screen and shook her head.
It had been playing the entire time she’d been in here and had yet to loop.
“That has to be more than four days’ worth.”
“It is, but you asked me how long I’ve been watching you.
You’ve been recorded since the first day you made a delivery, but I only became
aware of you two weeks ago.”
“How?” She had a feeling she wasn’t going to like his
answer.
“You were brought to my attention by one of my security
officers.”
“So there are two of you?”
“Three.”
“Three,” she squeaked. This kept getting worse and worse.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure it’s just three?”
“A hundred percent, no doubt about it sure?” He shook his
head. “No.”
His honestly didn’t make her feel better at all. “That’s not
reassuring.”
“I’m not trying to be reassuring, I’m being honest. The only
person I can speak of for certain is myself. I know I haven’t told anyone but…”
“You can’t say the same for the other two,” she finished for
him.
“Exactly,” he nodded. “And as the saying goes, three can
keep a secret if two are dead.”
“I don’t suppose you’re willing to kill them?” she joked weakly.
“Not both of them. One I actually like.”
“And the other?”
“Is negotiable.”
For some strange reason the sincerity in his voice amused
her. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You do that.”
Koko licked her lips nervously as she cast a quick glance at
the TV again. “What else is negotiable?”
He followed her gaze then looked back at her, eyebrow
arched. “What do you have in mind?”
“The tape?” She gestured with her head toward the video
playing. “What do you want for that?”
“Nothing, and it’s not a tape. It’s a file on my computer.
One which, if you say the word, will be deleted right before your eyes.”
“And the copies?”
“There are no copies. Well, except for the original
recordings, but that’s it, in its entirety. Those we only keep for ninety days
before erasing them.”
“So three months from now…”
“This all will be a pleasant but faint memory,” he finished
for her with a smile.
She wouldn’t say “pleasant” but she was okay with faint. “It
sounds too good to be true.” And in her experience, when anything seemed too
good, it was. She silently pondered him, trying to see the angle he was
playing, but she couldn’t get a read on him. He wasn’t giving off a creepy
vibe, nor had he made one inappropriate move or comment since she walked in.
Reese was a conundrum she wanted to get to the bottom of. “So let me get this
straight. You’re not going to call the police?”
“Correct.”
“You’re not trying to shame me into stopping?”
A gentle light shone in his eyes, putting her immediately at
ease. “I don’t think you have anything to be ashamed of.”
Over the years, Koko had found many men who liked to watch
or who were into public scenes, she’d just never found one she was attracted
to. Was it actually possible to have her cake and devour the whole damn thing
too? “You don’t?”
“Not at all.”
She desperately wanted to ask him if he found it stimulating
but lacked courage, so instead she went with a safe question. “And you’re not
going to try to blackmail me into sex?”
He frowned. “Definitely not.”
Relieved, Koko rose to her feet. “So then I’m free to go, as
long as I don’t do this again, right?”
“Wrong.”
Koko furrowed her brow in bewilderment. His laconic form of
communication was about to work her nerves. “Which part?”
“You can you leave if you want, but I don’t want to stop you
from doing this again. Just change it.”
“Change it?”
“Yes.” He smiled slow and seductively. “This time, I want
you to do it just for me.”
Chapter Two
Reese had to admit he was surprised she hadn’t gone off the
reservation at his remarks. Surprised but pleased. Even though he’d hoped she
would agree to his plan, part of him half expected her to tell him where to go
and how to get there. Yet she didn’t do that. She just stared at him silently.
He stared back, curious about what was going on behind those big brown eyes of
hers.
“Did I shock you?” he said after a moment or two.
“Yeah.” She nodded. “A little bit.”
He was willing to bet it was a hell of a lot more than “a
little bit”. “Maybe I should have worked up to that a bit more.”
“You think?” she said with a slight smile. “You know you
don’t say a lot, but when you do finally decide to speak, you get to the heart
of it, don’t you?”
“Usually.”
She tilted her head and nodded. “I see.”
Reese was a man of few words, but for her he was wiling to
extend himself. “If it will make you feel better, we can take the long way
around this, but I personally prefer to skip the pleasantries and ask for what
I want.”
“How does that normally work out for you?”
He did his best to suppress his smile. “Pretty damn good.”
“I bet.” Her big brown eyes twinkled with amusement. “I can
honestly say this was not the direction I was expecting the conversation to
veer to when you first brought me in here.”
“I like to keep people guessing.”
“And you do it so well.”
“It’s a gift,” he said with a shrug. “So would you like
something to drink? Water or so—”
“Were you serious about me putting on a one-woman show for
you?” she interrupted.
“Completely.” He had never been more serious about anything
in his life.
“Then I’m going to need something a little stronger than
water.”
Stronger he could do. “What’s your poison?”
“What do you have?”
“Pretty much everything.” Reese reached back and picked up
the remote control. He aimed it at a different painting on a separate wall and
clicked the button that caused the artwork to slide to the side and unveil the
small bar he kept well-stocked. “The only thing I don’t have is lime or cola. I
have club soda though, if you want to dilute your drink.”
“Oh my…wow.” She made her way over to the bar slowly with a
look of wonderment on her pretty brown face. She was staring like some women
did outside jewelry stores, all amazed and doe-eyed. He could tell just by the
way she was staring she was the type of woman who took pleasure in little
things. How could he not want to make all her fantasies come true? Charmed, he
watched her as she ran her fingers gently over the decanters and glassware.
When she was done, she turned to him and shook her head. “Dude, what’s with
this office?”
“What do you mean?” He set the remote down and joined her at
the bar. “It’s nothing.”
“It’s far from nothing. Come on, this place is completely
tricked out. I’ve been to homes that didn’t have this much flash.”
“It’s the sliding painting. It gets everyone.”
“For a security guard you have some serious swag.”
“First…” He paused to pick up a bottle, his personal drink
of choice. “I’m not a security guard. And secondly, this isn’t my swag. It’s
just my office and it doesn’t represent me in any way, shape or form.”
“Then who does it represent?”
“Malachi. He’s the one who designed this office.” He tilted
the decanter toward her. “Bourbon.”
“That’s fine. Straight up.”
“Okay.” He liked woman who were no-frill drinkers. He pulled
the stopper out of the glass bottle then set it on the table before reaching
for a glass. “Bourbon it is.”
“Wait a second. You said Malachi.” She held up a finger and
gestured around the room. “As in Malachi Sarraf, of Sarraf Enterprise. Owner of
the very building we’re standing in right now.”
“The one and only,” he said as he poured two fingers of the
clear brown liquid into her glass. He filled a similar glass for himself before
recapping the bottle and setting it back the shelf. “Why, you know him?”
“No, but we had to obtain his permission to sell on his
property. Filled out forms and whatnot. I doubt he even knows we come here
though. It probably was just a standard thing.”
“Oh I assure you, nothing Malachi does is standard. If you
received permission, it was from the man himself.” He handed Koko the drink.
When she took the tumbler, he clicked his to hers. “
Salud
.”
“
Salud
.” She took a delicate sip before speaking
again. “Sounds like you know Mr. Sarraf well.”
There were so many ways to reply to her statement, but he
decided to go with the less-is-more approach. “Better than most.”
She turned her back to the bar and leaned against the wall
next to it. “Been with his company for long?”
“Longer than I care to think about.” He didn’t want to talk
about his intricate relationship with Malachi. It was a long and complicated
story that was meant for another time. He was more interested in the one he
wanted to start with her. “Are you feeling better now?”
“My nerves are a bit more calm, but my head is still going a
mile a minute. I have to know…”
“Anything.”
“You’re a good-looking guy.” She ran her gaze over him.
“Extremely good-looking. Won’t your girlfriend, wife, lover, friend with
benefits, whatever you call them, have a problem with you trying to pick me
up?”
“I’m pleased you find me attractive, but not thrilled you
think I’m the cheating type.”
“You could be any type, for all I know. We just met,
remember?”
It was a bit hard for him to keep that front and center.
“Funny, I feel like I’ve known you for a long time.”
“I can’t say the same.”
“I guess you’ll just have to get to know me then. First lesson.
I don’t do drugs, I always use protection, I don’t lie, I don’t cheat and I
never make a promise I can’t keep.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Are you promising me something?”
“Yes. Me.” He moved in front of her and placed his free hand
on the wall a few inches away from her head. The position put them up close and
personal. “Now tell me…why do you do it?”
“You mean…” she cast her gaze at the TV screen then looked
back at him. “It it.”
He loved her frank style. “Yes. It it.”
“I don’t know.”
He leaned in closer and inhaled her sweet-spicy scent. He
wondered if it was something from the deli or if it was her own natural aroma.
“You smell delicious.”
She lowered the glass to her side. “Thank you.” Her voice
was soft, giving the conversation a more intimate feel.
“I like it.” He leaned in even closer, inches from her neck,
and breathed in deep. “Hmm…I like it a lot.”
“I’m getting that vibe.”
“Good.” He pulled back and took a drink from his glass,
needing a moment to cool his ardor. “Did it ever occur to you someone might be
watching?” he asked, returning to the subject at hand. “That there was more
than likely a security camera around?”
“Yes, but…” She paused and looked away, avoiding the
question and him all at the same time.
He was amused she thought that would really work on him.
“But what?” he insisted. “Tell me.”
“It added to the appeal,” she said finally. “The thrill of
it. Knowing I could get caught made it more daring, more arousing. Of course,
in hindsight, reality is a lot scarier than fantasy.”
Her gaze was still averted but she was talking. It was a
start. “I’ve always found,” he said softly, drawing her attention back to him,
“that reality is so much more intriguing than fantasy.”
Her lips twitched a little as she looked up at him. “I guess
it depends on the fantasy.”
“True. Tell me yours.”
She moved around him and went to stand in front of the TV.
“I think it’s a bit obvious.”
“Hardly.” Reese set his glass down by the bar then followed
her. He stopped only when he was standing directly behind her, leaving nothing
between them but very little space and lots of opportunity. “I know what you
like to do, I’m far more interested in the why.”
