Heart of the Woolf (Woolf Series) (6 page)

Within minutes, she reached her two-bedroom apartment. She
was just about to go to the bathroom when the phone rang. She changed course
and went to her bedroom, where the phone was located.

She picked it up on the fourth ring. “Hello?”

A click, and then someone spoke, a heavy male voice she
didn’t recognize.

“Hello, Adrienne.”

Fissions of alarm raced up her spine. Something about the
voice sent goose bumps up her arms, such that her voice came out sharper than
intended. “Who’s this?”

“You don’t need to know, my dear. How did you like my gift
this morning?” Cackles of laughter reached her ear.

Anger on behalf of the pup cleansed away her fear. “What sort
of twisted mind have you got that you would do such a thing? Who are you?!”

“Tut, tut, my dear. Is that the way to talk to someone who
knows --” His voice trailed away in a sinister whisper. “-- your
secret?”

A sick feeling of dread gripped her. She reached for the edge
of the bedside table to steady herself. No, no, he couldn’t ... He had to
be bluffing. She mustn’t fall into the trap. She mustered her courage. “I don’t
know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you do.” His voice held a tone of rebuke. “He is
someone very dear to your heart. Very, very dear.” The last three words were
spoken slowly.

Fear sliced her cold in the gut. “Is this Christopher? It’s
not funny anymore, Chris. Stop it.”

“You know it’s not Chris, Adrienne.” Amusement laced his
words. “In fact, you know very well that I’m not any of your colleagues.”

She tightened her grip on the phone and screwed her eyes
shut. Her world came crashing down as the truth reverberated in her head, a
truth she had wanted to deny: Those terrible pranks ... It wasn’t her
colleagues ... It wasn’t them! The real villain was here, on the phone.
Somewhere out there, on the loose. He knew her, but she didn’t know him!

She swayed, feeling faint. He also knew her secret --
but how? She had been so careful. But he knew. He knew.
He knew about David!
“I’m going to call the police!”

She must keep David safe. She must keep David safe.

“And tell them what?” Malicious laughter laced every word.

Yes, and tell them what?
Her frantic mind recognized
the futility of such an action. What did she know about this disembodied voice?
Nothing. She had no way to tie a nameless, faceless stranger to the grisly
gifts and death threats.

“By the way, did you like the rose? I spent a lot of time
finding one with such beauty and elegance. Such a pretty flower.” His voice turned
almost musing, yet the threat of menace was there. “But so fragile. In the
blink of an eye it can wither and die. Think on that, my dear. Think on how
fragile ... life is.”

“Don’t play games with me! What do you want?! Is it money?
I’ll give you everything in my bank account!” Fear goaded her into shouting,
her voice frantic. “What --”

Click.

He hung up on her. He actually hung up on her.

Adrienne looked at the phone in her hand then slowly put it
back into its cradle. The acrid taste of fear burned on her tongue. Panicked
thoughts crowded in her brain.
I’ll take David and run to ...
Australia, yes, that’s far enough.
Why not make it Antarctica to really
ensure that he didn’t find them? Hysterical bubbles of laughter rose in her
throat.

She took a deep breath, struggling for calm. The caller
hadn’t actually mentioned David by name, but the evil man had implied he knew
something when he’d mentioned “someone very dear” to her. But was he referring
to David? She wasn’t sure.

She took several more deep breaths and felt her mind calming,
her heartbeat slowing. With it came clarity of thinking. She sat down on the
bed and reviewed their conversation.

He never
actually
threatened her. He mentioned the
rose and the puppy, as though taking credit for some kind of brilliant ideas.

Her lips twisted. Some people sure had warped minds.

His threats were all implied, subtle digs hidden in his tone
and his words. Like the analogy of the rose and of life, both being
fragile --

She sucked in a deep breath as understanding dawned.

-- and at any time, its very existence could be snuffed
out.

She was in danger. But what possible reason could he have for
wanting to kill her?

Someone dear to her ...

David! Oh God; Oh God, David was in danger, too! He could
only be referring to David. Oh God.

Life snuffed out ...

Who was this madman?!

Suddenly, she stilled. How did he know
when
to call?
His timing was so right she refused to believe it was a coincidence. Could he
be the one following her the last two nights?

She shivered.

She had lived with fear every day -- fear of discovery,
fear of having to start all over again in an unknown land -- but nothing
compared to this all-too-real fear that had taken hold in her breast. Fear had
taken on a voice. The coppery taste of dread was strong on her tongue. Her
heart beat in an uncomfortable rhythm. To her surprise, she was sweating, cold
beads of sweat that made her feel clammy.

The doorbell chimed.

She started, one hand going to her throat. Her eyes went wide
with terror, and her heartbeat picked up. Through the open doorway of her
bedroom, she stared unseeingly at the entrance to her apartment.

Could it be him? Come to ... kill her?

Chapter Five

The doorbell chimed again, insistently.

Sanity returned. Logic forced the fear out. A short burst of
laughter slipped from her lips. Of course it wouldn’t be the killer. What
killer would advertise his arrival?

But he hadn’t proved the normal sort of killer, with his
cunning and subtlety. He wasn’t a man to get what he wanted through brute
force. But what if he had changed his tactics to catch her off-guard? What
then?

Adrienne’s head ached from trying to second-guess her
tormentor’s motives.

She needed to answer the door. Yes, if she could get her feet
to move.

The doorbell chimed for the third time.

All right, Adrienne. Be logical. There’s a peephole,
right? You look through the peephole and see who’s there. If it’s not someone
you know, you don’t open the door.

Reassured by the practicality of her own thoughts, Adrienne finally
forced herself to her feet and walked toward the door. She peered through the
small mirrored hole. Shocked, she involuntarily turned the knob. “What are you
doing here?!”

Jake’s hunky body was illuminated by the bright light in the
corridor. He started to smile, but it faded before it could reach full bloom.
“What happened, Adrienne? Why are you so pale?”

Relief at seeing a familiar face brought a genuine,
unfettered smile to her face. That it was Jake caused her heart to beat in
triple time. “Everything’s fine, Jake. I was just surprised to see you. What
brings you out so late at night?”

“I thought you’d be up later than usual preparing for the
presentation, so I brought you some authentic local food --” With a
sheepish grin, he held up a paper bag. “-- for your pre-midnight snack.”

“Really?” Not even for one moment did she think to hide
behind her usual tough exterior. Her voice was high with curiosity. “What did
you bring?”

“Some
puto
and cassava cakes.”

“Oooh! How did you know I love those steamed cakes --
puto,
right?” She knew she sounded like a little girl being handed a most coveted
prize, but she didn’t care. “Do they have those salted duck eggs on top?”

He grinned. “Yes, and some others with cheese.”

“Great!” She grinned back. “This definitely earns you the
right to enter my humble domain.” She stepped back and opened the door wide.
“Come in.”

Jake realized there was a lot he didn’t know about her.
Although he could read her thoughts and emotions most of the time, the lady
could put up mental shields worthy of any full-powered empath, making him
wonder if she had any powers of her own. Like right now, he thought she looked
like she’d seen a ghost, but he couldn’t sense anything from her. As he stepped
into her apartment, he hoped that it would provide clues to the real Adrienne.

Her home was warmly furnished and decorated. The walls were
painted in cream tones and the sleek-lined upholstered furniture set on the far
side from the entrance was a rich burgundy. A large coffee table had been
stationed in front of the couch, and a DVD component system sat on a low
cabinet against the opposite wall. Three racks crammed full of CDs indicated a
healthy interest in music. Jake itched to flip through them and discover her
tastes. He looked to his left, scanning the dining room, which contained a
glass table and six chairs. Two doors led off from the main hall, which he
guessed were the bedrooms.

“Here, have a seat.” Adrienne pulled out one of the dining
room chairs. “I’ll get my things and we can polish up tomorrow’s presentation.”

She was a bit different tonight, warmer and less stiff. Was
it because she was playing hostess? Or was it the office environment that
forced her to adopt a more business-like attitude? Or maybe, she was finally
ready to face her ... feelings for him?

He sat down absently on the chair, placing the bag of food on
the table in front of him.

Ever since their first meeting when she’d been introduced as
one of the team leaders in his division and he’d shaken her hand, he’d been
sensing her lustful vibes. She hadn’t been the only one to feel an instant
attraction. He had taken one look at her and fallen into lust with her. Even
her short bob looked sexy on her heart-shaped face. He would surreptitiously
watch her sway into his office for meetings and openly watch her sway out, his
eyes drawn to her small waist and the come-hither movement of her provocative
hips, luring attention to her deliciously soft tush.

Recently, he was receiving not only vibes, but seeing whole
mental pictures of erotic scenes of the two of them entwined in a passionate
kiss, their
naked
bodies entangled in ways that couldn’t be mistaken for
anything but what they were -- heated, sexual romps. As the images rolled
through his mind, hot blood rushed through him, stirring his quiescent penis to
life.

“Here we are.” Adrienne placed a folder in front of him. “You
can take a look at the PowerPoint slides I’ve done, but the ‘impact-ful’
conclusion that I’m looking for is eluding me at present. Maybe something will
occur to you. In the meantime --” She smiled impishly as she took out the
food from inside the paper bag. “-- I’m going to enjoy my snack.”

Adrienne ate the last of the
puto
from the plastic
container. She felt a twinge of guilt at not leaving even one piece for Jake,
but the cakes were so scrumptious that before she knew it, she was wolfing down
the last piece. He was working so hard, too. His brow was knotted in
concentration as he polished her presentation and helped her come up with the
perfect conclusion. His pink tongue peeked out every so often, driving her
crazy. She had to occupy her mouth with food to keep from leaning over and
capturing that luscious appendage with her lips.

She forced her gaze away from his face before she could
disgrace herself. Her eyes lit on his hand, which held the pen in a light grip
as he wrote. His fingers were long and supple, and his fingernails were kept
clean and short.

She imagined those hands cupping her naked breasts, brown
against white, his thumbs tweaking her nipples into prominence, brushing across
the dark brown areolas, rousing her desire ...

“There!” Jake put down the pen.

She jumped, focusing on his face and ignoring the sudden
wetness in her panties.

He glanced over at her and smiled. “Are you okay?”

She found it hard not to smile back; his smile was
that
contagious. “Yes.”

“It’s done! You can go over it tomorrow morning; the
meeting’s still in the afternoon.” He yawned and then stretched.

Adrienne couldn’t look away. She responded with a “Thanks,”
but it was said in an absent manner. She still couldn’t believe her eyes. The
boss that she knew wouldn’t have let her see him in such a display. The very
act broke down some of the barriers of the boss-subordinate relationship
between them, making them seem almost ... equal, like friends.

She found herself unable to maintain her usual distance from
him. The threatening call earlier had eroded the cool distance she usually
maintained, allowing her truer nature to come out. It felt so good to be with
someone she knew, someone safe.

Anyway, she was feeling reckless. Lucien’s earlier comment
came to mind. She wanted to see where this relationship would lead, outside of
the office environment.

“How come I get to do the work,” Jake asked, arching a brow,
“when it’s supposed to be
your
presentation?”

“That’s why I have a great feeling you’re going to prove to
be such a wonderful boss.” She winked at him.

He laughed and then bounded up from the chair. “I feel the
need for some exercise.” He made his way around the table and walked across the
room to her component system. He scanned through the titles on her CD racks.
“You’ve got some cool music here.”

She was distracted from the moment he presented his
enchanting backside to her. She practically drooled. She couldn’t wait to get
her hands on his --

Buns.

Jake took one of the CDs from its case and placed it into the
slot, ready to play. He was amused. “Are you still hungry, Adrienne? After all
those
puto
you ate, I can’t believe you still have room --”

“Hungry?” Her voice sounded preoccupied. “No, no ... Not
hungry ... Well, maybe ...”