Red Hourglass (13 page)

Conan looked down at the tablecloth and pressed his long fingers against the stem of his champagne flute. “Johnson Wilmar, the CEO, is my father.”

“No job interview for you then?”
So the W in Conan W. Casey stands for Wilmar
.
No wonder he has access to these high-end places
. He didn’t just work for Wilmar, he was heir to the empire.

“Not unless you count years of my life as a job interview. I did work in the security department for a few years before becoming CSO. My father didn’t offer me the position until I had my MBA.”

“Are you very close to your father?”

“We see each other at board meetings.” A fleeting look of sadness crossed his face. “I moved out of his house when I went to West Point … and I never lived there again.”

“Why did you choose West Point? Wouldn’t a normal college have been easier?”

“I was a wayward youth.” Conan twirled his glass and took a sip of champagne. “West Point gave me the structured environment and discipline I needed.”

I stared at the glass stem between his fingers. I began imagining what it would be like to be grabbed by those big, strong hands.
You’re on a mission, not a date
! I looked at the tiny champagne bubbles floating up to the surface in my glass, trying to refocus my mind.
So he has a family.

“Do you spend holidays with your family?” I didn’t want to get drunk and risk forgetting anything, so I took a drink of water.

“Usually. What about you Scarlet? Is your family here?”

“No, they’re on the West Coast … in LA,” I lied.

“Do you go there often?”

“No. We don’t keep in contact.” I glanced down, my stepfather’s thundering voice invaded my thoughts.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thanks, but it’s okay.” I resisted the urge to play with my steak knife. “Is your family in New York?”

He took a deep breath and looked away. “Yes,” he finally said, looking at me with brooding, deep gray eyes.

Our conversation drifted to New York. He said he enjoyed living in the city, but sometimes the frantic pace got to him. I agreed and told him about a woman I’d seen that morning who was walking to the subway with a cup from Starbucks in one hand and her cell phone in the other. She ran into a lamppost and spilled her coffee all over her designer shoes. Conan chuckled and I was pleased that my silly little story made him laugh.

The waiter brought our dessert plates. We each had a bite-sized profiterole, the cutest little
mille-feuille
I’d ever seen, and a chocolate macaron.

“Tell me Scarlet, what do you do with your weekends?” asked Conan as he tossed his macaron in his mouth.

“Me? I’m a simple girl. I shop for groceries, chill, cook … the usual stuff. I lead a pretty simple life. It’s certainly not as busy as yours.”

“Are you seeing anyone?” He put his elbows on the table, clasped his hands, and leaned forward.

“That’s a very personal question.” My cheeks flushed.
I can’t get too close to him. That would jeopardize the mission
.

“Yes, it is. But I need to know if you’re seeing anyone who would use you to get to me.”

“I may be seeing someone, but it’s nothing serious.”

“I guess I’ll have to nose around.”

“No, you don’t have to do that. I’m not seeing anyone.” The last thing I needed was Conan Casey digging into my life. If he found out about the White Queen she’d order me to kill him.

“Good.”

“This profiterole looks yummy.” I smiled, popped it into my mouth, and licked my lips. “Delicious.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed the menu. It’s getting late. I better get you home.”

Conan’s bodyguards escorted us out of the building and to the limo. They took notes as he told them about his inspection. The limo stopped in front of my apartment building.

“Here you are,” said Conan.

“Thank you. I had a nice time.”

“It was my pleasure. One of my guys will walk you to the door. See you tomorrow.”

“Good night,” I said as I stepped out of the limo.

I went inside and bolted up the stairs. I logged into the White Queen’s Wilmar database and entered all the intel I’d gathered on Conan.

Invitation

Conan arrived an hour later than usual on Monday morning. He stopped to talk to Kelvin before heading to his office.

“I’m impressed with you Scarlet,” said Conan as he approached my desk.

“How so?” He seemed to be cheerful, but that didn’t mean much given his mood swings.

“You’re efficient, you keep me organized, and you schedule my days the way I like them … important meetings in the morning and other engagements in the afternoon. You could turn out to be the best secretary I’ve ever had.”

“Thank you. Does that mean I’ll be getting a raise?”

“Perhaps in a few months, as long as you keep those tomatoes off my sandwiches and don’t screw anything else up.”

“I’ll do my best.” I smiled.
Why did the jerk have to say that
?

“What’s on the agenda for today?”

“Kelvin dropped these off earlier,” I said, pointing to a stack of files on my desk. “He needs you to get back to him by the end of business.

“Yes, he just told me. What else?”

“You have that meeting in Brooklyn in an hour and you better get going. The guys are waiting for you in the garage. The driver wants to leave as soon as you’re ready … traffic’s bad.”

“Do you have the file I need?”

“Right here.” I handed him the file. “See you later.”

“Oh, you have to accompany me to a new building on Friday night.”

“Okay.”

“Make sure you’re dressed appropriately this time,” he said smugly as he left.

“I’ll be dressed to the nines.”
On your dime you creep
. I bit my lip as anger simmered in my chest. I wanted to stomp him with my stilettos.

Conan passed Christophe on his way out. They glared at each other for a moment before Christophe turned and scrambled away.

* * *

I took a cab to the Lawrence Boutique on Madison Avenue during lunch. It was the type of place rich girls with huge trust finds shopped—the sort of place I couldn’t even look in when I was living penniless in the subway. I walked through the glass door and was met with the lovely fragrance of a fig-scented candle.

“May I help you find something?” asked the elegant saleswoman.

“I’m looking for an evening dress … something sexy and stylish.”

“Certainly, come this way.”

She took me to fitting room and brought five beautiful dresses for me to try on. They were made of the finest materials and fit me like handmade kid gloves.

“They’re all absolutely gorgeous on you. Which one will you take?” asked the saleswoman.

“These three,” I said, pointing to a red leather cocktail dress, a black velvet halter top gown, and a pale-pink silk chiffon gown with Swarovski crystals on the bodice.

“All three? Are you sure?”

“I am.” I handed her Conan’s charge card.

“Splendid,” said the saleswoman as her face lit up.

I knew the commission would probably pay her rent this month. She put the dresses in a white garment bag with a silk bow and placed the receipt in the pocket.

“Thank you very much, miss,” she said as I walked out the door.

* * *

After work on Friday I put on my skin-tight red leather cocktail dress and matching six-inch stilettos. The strapless dress accentuated my hourglass figure and showed off my cleavage. It was sexy, but not too short or revealing enough to be slutty.
This should make him happy
.

Conan wasn’t back in the office by seven and I was getting annoyed. My extension rang at quarter past.

“I’m waiting for you in front of the building,” said Conan.

One of his bodyguards opened the door of the limo and I got inside. We drove through a sea of yellow taxis to Greenwich Village. The limo pulled up to trendy hotel called Out.

“This is one of our recent acquisitions and we have a lot of on-site security,” said Conan. “I’ve visited a few times during the day, but I want to check that the nightshift boys are up to par.”

The security guard at the entrance nodded to Conan as we stepped inside. His bodyguards were close behind us and we all took the elevator up to the sixteenth floor.

The Out Lounge was an upscale bar and restaurant. Conan told the hostess his name and led me to the large terrace with panoramic views of Manhattan. His bodyguards waited inside, keeping a close eye on him.

I leaned on the railings along the edge of the terrace. The city lights were twinkling and the maze of narrow streets beneath us was swarming with people and cars.

“Are you afraid to be alone with me?” I asked.

“No, but there are those who would kill me, given half a chance.”

“Why?” I instinctively bent down and felt the switchblade safely tucked in my sole. He had no idea that I could be a danger to him. If the White Queen gave the order, he’d be a goner.

“As the CSO of Wilmar, I’ve made enemies over the years. Other than that, we have security at our new buildings for obvious reasons.”

“The reasons aren’t so obvious to me.”

“This property probably won’t be demolished, but we’re anticipating large-scale resistance from a lot of community groups in the not too distant future. There are some major changes on the horizon. We’re looking into expanding operations and increasing acquisitions for development, but a few things have to happen first.”

“Like what?”

“I’ve said too much already. You’ll know soon enough.”

“If things are so dangerous, why are you out here in the open? I mean isn’t being in plain view on a terrace overlooked by other buildings risky?”

“I suppose it is, but there are risks in everything,” said Conan, looking over my shoulder at the city. “As you know, the bodyguards were Kelvin’s idea. I never would’ve agreed to them if he didn’t insist.”

“Do you think being with me is a risk?”

“Perhaps, but I negate risks. It’s my job.”

“I guess that’s why your father wanted you to be his CSO.”

“I didn’t start off as his CSO. He asked me to join Wilmar security after an attempt on his life. I had to work in the department and get my MBA before he offered me the big job.”

“Who tried to kill him? Why would anyone want to kill him?” I figured I knew the answer, but I wanted to see if I could find out more.

“Beats me, although I think his rivals are terrified of his ambition … his plans for total domination. Scarlet,” said Conan. He looked down at me. “With your brains, you could be anything you want to be. Why did you want to be my secretary?”

“Sometimes it’s easier to be told what to do than to make your own decisions. But that doesn’t mean I intend to be a secretary forever.” My life hadn’t been my own since the White Queen rescued me, and I was getting sick of it.

“Interesting. Let’s have drink.” Conan beckoned to the waiter and ordered two cocktails. He glanced at his Jaeger-LeCoultre watch and frowned. “Where’s the hostess? Our reservation was fifteen minutes ago and we still don’t have a table.”

The waiter returned with our cocktails and said our table would be ready shortly.

“Tell me more about your past,” said Conan.

“My past?” I pondered his request as I sipped my drink. “It’s not very interesting.”

“Tell me anyway.”

“I didn’t have a good childhood. My mother left and my stepfather was a violent man.” I sighed. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“I respect that,” he said. “I didn’t have a good childhood either. I was adopted. I hated life at the orphanage, but my adoptive family showered me with kindness and restored my faith in humanity.”

“You still have faith in humanity?” My eyes bored into his. I was surprised that he still believed in the goodness of people. “Even with people trying to kill you and having to be followed around by a throng of security guards every single day?”

“I have faith.” He finished the last of his drink.

“I’m so sorry about the wait,” said the hostess. “Your table’s ready.”

As I took the last sip of my cocktail I realized that I’d been drinking a yellow piña colada. Visions of blood-stained sunflower fields flashed through my head.

* * *

We found an isolated spot on the terrace after dinner and had a few more drinks. I’d lost count by then, but Conan was relaxed and cheerful.

I began playing with the curled ends of my black locks, giving him my full attention. His pupils dilated as he watched my fingers. He seemed to be mesmerized.

“You … um … you … I’m losing my train of thought here. … Scarlet, uh, please stop playing with your hair.”

“Why?” I smiled.

“Isn’t it obvious?” He grabbed my wrists and pulled me to his chest as he leaned back against the railings.

“I like strong men.” I kissed his gaping mouth, filling him with desire as I pushed my body against his.

“Mmmmm,” he groaned and forced his tongue deep into my death trap.

I stepped back and licked my lips with the tip of my tongue. I’d wanted to kiss him all night. I was sick of being a subservient secretary. I had to show him that I wasn’t just another person he could boss around. I needed to show him that I was the boss in this relationship.

“That was unexpected,” Conan raised his eyebrows, “and aggressive.”

“You liked it.”

“Maybe.” He laughed.

I pushed my hair back to reveal my bare my shoulders. We gazed at each other intensely as my pulse raced. I caught a whiff of his primal cologne.
He smells delicious
.

He swung around and pushed me against the cold railings, kissing my lips with a burning passion. He held my neck with one hand as his other hand glided down to my hip. With his lips locked on mine, he sucked out my breath. I jerked my head away before I fainted.

“I won.” He smirked as he ran his hands over my breasts. “I like the feel of you beneath tight leather.” He wrapped his arms around my waist and squeezed.

The chemistry between us was strong.
I’m starting to like this man.
If put to the test, I didn’t know if I’d be on the top or bottom.

“Let me take you home. It’s getting late,” he said, offering me his arm.