The Billionaire's Challenging Beauty (Bold, Alaskan Men Book 2) (9 page)

She shook her head, then realized that he couldn’t see her head moving.  “No.  I’ll take something and I’ll be fine.”

She could still sense his disbelief.  “You’re not on the schedule to work tonight, right?”

“No.  I have the night off.”

“Good.  Get some rest and call me if you begin to feel worse.”

Tyla started tearing up at the concern in his voice.  She couldn’t believe that the very man she was supposed to rip-off was being so sweet and kind.  “I will.  Thank you.”

She shut off the phone before she could say anything else, like tell him that a horrible human being was threatening her and that Matt’s life was in danger.  Nope, she’d already been warned not to say a word. 

But how would the man know?  Did he have hidden cameras somewhere?  That thought sent a chill down her spine.  And then something else hit her.  How did the man know her cell phone number?  Was he monitoring her phone calls as well? 

She paced back and forth in her tiny apartment.  The place that had seemed so warm and homey just hours ago but now felt like a prison with the walls closing in.  This all seemed like “James Bond” stuff, and she wasn’t sure how to deal with it.  James Bond activities happened on the movie screen, and she had a bucket of popcorn to eat while she sat back and watched someone else figure out how to get out of a dangerous situation.  She’d never had to do it herself! 

Nor had she ever stolen anything in her life!  She’d been the good girl.  She’d once accidentally taken the pen at the bank after withdrawing money.  She’d felt so guilty about it that she’d driven back to the bank and returned the pen, ignoring the chuckles of the bank manager when she’d explained her theft. 

She wasn’t a criminal!  She didn’t know how to steal anything!  And she was violently afraid of enclosed spaces!  She couldn’t even sneak into Saeger’s house and steal the file from him.  Nope, she couldn’t do the James Bond stuff and slither through the ventilation system. 

Which was an ironic thought, because if she stole anything from Saeger, she would go to prison.  Stealing the file was corporate espionage and she felt sick at the idea of doing anything to harm Saeger’s business, or to make Saeger lose any more faith in the human race.  He already thought that humans were the lowest of the low.  He preferred being alone on top of his mountain to being around people.  Except for the people in Winthrop, she thought with another sigh of frustration.  

But then again, what was one invention?  The man was already worth billions, wasn’t he?  He was so wealthy that he always made it into the top five wealthiest men in the world.  Right along with Creek, Knox and Tucker, those four were disgustingly wealthy.

So one little theft wouldn’t hurt his bottom line.

Would it?

Then again, it wasn’t her place to judge if someone had enough money or not.  Why did she think it wouldn’t hurt him?  And what if it did hurt his business?  He employed hundreds of thousands of people all over the globe.  Stealing one invention might have a ripple effect on the rest of his businesses.  One problem might topple his entire business! 

She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to figure out what to do.  Pacing back and forth in her apartment, she tried to figure out a solution that didn’t involve her brother dying or betrayal of Saeger.  Unfortunately, no matter how much she searched her mind for an answer, she couldn’t come up with any answer. 

The evil man obviously wasn’t very in tune with what was happening in Winthrop anyway.  Everyone seemed to know everything about everyone.  So if the man had been here long enough, he would have heard the rumors that Saeger was avoiding her. 

That thought made her stop her pacing.  He’d obviously been in town long enough to know that she’d been dating him.  Or maybe he’d only been in town and heard the rumors that they were…seeing each other.

She let her head fall into her open hands, not sure what to do.  This was horrible!  And she called herself a businesswoman!  She wasn’t anything! 

She was still pacing again an hour later when her doorbell rang.  She opened it and blinked when a deliveryman with a brown uniform extended a large box into her hands.  “Delivery for Ms. Tyla Griffin?”

Tyla signed for the package with shaking fingers. She hadn’t ordered anything and she hated to think that Matt had sent her something long distance.  He didn’t make much money, but he was always sending her something cute that he found.  She’d send him fudge and cookies, about all she could afford but Matt said the other guys loved her baking. 

That feeling of dread washed over her one more time, this wave more intense than the last.  If she hadn’t ordered anything, and Matt was too far out of country to send anything…that meant that….

As Tyla pulled back the cover, she gasped when she saw the sexy red dress with tiny straps and figure hugging material.  There was even a pair of strappy shoes that would probably break her ankle since she had no idea how to walk in heels that high! 

Her fingers trembled when she lifted the note.  It wasn’t hand written, but she was pretty sure that she knew who had sent it.  Sure enough, the words told her right off the bat that this was a tool for her mission.  “Something to help get your evening going in the right direction.  Wear this, he’ll take care of the rest.  Just remember to not sleep all night.  You have work to do.”

Tyla couldn’t believe the dress.  It was… hot. Sexier than anything she’d ever consider buying herself.  And sexier than anything that might be sold here in Winthrop.  Definitely not something she would ever choose to wear. 

Initially, she simply stared at the dress, hating it and everything it stood for.  She couldn’t wear it!  She couldn’t seduce Saeger and then steal from him!  That would be even worse that just betraying him by stealing company secrets and handing them over to the enemy. 

No!  She couldn’t do this!  She couldn’t hurt Saeger! 

But then her eyes caught on the picture of her and Matt sitting on a shelf.  It was taken the day before she’d left for the Peace Corps.  They’d both been smiling and she still remembered what he’d told her.  “The best way to share your views of the world is to live them by actions.  And you’re doing that now.  I’m so proud of you!”  And he’d hugged her.  He’d held her so close with his strong arms and she’d felt a warmth of approval from his goofy smile. 

Matt had been her rock when their parents had died.  They’d both been devastated that day, but they’d held onto each other.  Side by side, they’d gotten through the hurt and desolation by being family. 

She couldn’t abandon him now.  He needed her, just like she’d needed him the day they’d received the news of their parents’ death. 

But Saeger…his words the other day when he explained how he protected the smaller kids on the playground.  He’d gotten into trouble trying to protect others.  And here she was, trying to protect her brother. 

This wasn’t right!  She shouldn’t be put into this kind of a situation.  She couldn’t choose between her brother’s life and another’s betrayal! 

Unfortunately, no one had promised her that life would be fair. 

Tyla lifted the dress out of the box and carried it into her bedroom.  Looking at herself in the mirror, she suspected that the dress would look great on her.  It was high quality and not trashy in any way, but it was definitely sexy, a dress made specifically for seduction. 

The idea of seducing Saeger made her heart thud inside of her chest, obliterating the theft issue in her mind for the moment.  She remembered that kiss in the locker room and the other, in the woods.  Both times, the kiss had gotten out of control fast, the searing heat when he’d touched her and the urgency she’d felt when she was in his arms had been intense.  He’d been feeling that as well, she knew it! 

Sadly, Saeger had been avoiding her for so long!  He’d backed out of his shifts at the bar, he’d avoided showing up in town… good grief, he didn’t even shop at the grocery store anymore! 

Was he out of town? 

No!  Everyone knew when one of their guys went out of town.  The townspeople all loved to gossip about what one of the guys was doing, where he might be going and what kinds of fabulous things were happening in that part of the world that they wouldn’t ever see.  Of course, the people in Alaska weren’t necessarily those who had the travel bug.  When one lived in the most amazing place in the world, why leave it? 

So if Saeger were still here, would he even let her into his house? 

She glanced down at the dress.  It would certainly help.  Maybe even get her in the door.  Gone were all thoughts about stealing and everything inside of her was contemplating the hope that this dress could circumvent Saeger’s desire to keep his hands off of her.  She wanted him, he wanted her.  She just knew it! 

Unfortunately, seducing a man when she’d never had sex before was going to be a challenge.  How was one supposed to go about seducing a man?  What should she do or say? 

The note said that all she had to do was wear the dress and Saeger would take care of the rest.  After the past few weeks of being around the man…and then not being around him…Tyla wasn’t so sure. 

Would he admit it?  Would he give in to the desire to make love with her?  She’d felt his body the other day.  She knew that he felt something for her, so what was holding him back?  Why was he pulling away when they got too close?  That stupid promise to Matt just didn’t make sense when they felt this strongly for each other. 

She didn’t understand him at all!  She should have dated a lot of men, but there hadn’t been anyone appealing in her small high school.  And then her years in the Peace Corps, she’d spent most of her time trying to help people, and hadn’t allowed any men to even creep into her consciousness.  Not that there had been many men that would have piqued her interest.  There had been that one doctor… she’d kissed him but… nope. The spark hadn’t been there.  They’d ended up good friends, and she still e-mailed him occasionally.  He was with Doctors Without Borders now and, last time she’d spoken to him, he’d been in Kenya helping out some of the villagers.  He was a good guy, but there hadn’t been any spark like what she felt like when Saeger had kissed her.  With Saeger, there’d been fireworks!  Volcanic eruptions! 

She sighed and fell onto her bed, not sure what to do.  As she stared up at the ceiling, she debated back and forth about her options.  She felt almost sick to her stomach at the two choices.  One, she could lose her brother, the only family she had left in the world.  Two, she could steal from a man who had helped out so many families in the local community, and who had spent most of his life helping other families, who employed families all over the world.  How much would this theft hurt those other families?  Would someone lose their job because of the loss of this one invention? 

But did Matt need to lose his life? 

There really was no good answer. 

Sitting up on the bed, she decided to leave things up to fate.  If she could get the files, which she doubted she could, then she would do it and deal with the repercussions.  If she couldn’t get the file, then she would figure out someone to call, someone to warn Matt that he was in danger.  There had to be someone, some way to reach him that wouldn’t alert the bad guys that she was violating their rules. 

An hour later, she’d showered and dried her hair, curled the ends slightly and applied a bit more makeup than usual.  She was dressed in the red outfit, her feet stuffed into the sandals that were a bit too small for her feet and the dress, which was a size too small as well.  Whoever had purchased this dress really had an optimistic opinion about her figure, she thought. 

When she looked into the mirror, she was shocked at how the cut of the bodice made her breasts practically spill out of the top.  No way to wear a bra with this dress!  The V of the neckline was so low; the sides of her breasts were visible.  She felt like she was indecent, but she suspected that, if Saeger had any desire for her, this dress would do the trick. 

The stranger who had threatened her and Matt might be disgusting, but he knew his seduction tactics. 

She started to grab her bag, but then pulled her nice, wool coat down from the hanger.  She didn’t want any of her neighbors to see her in this dress.  It was almost obscene!  The coat might be a bit too warm for this time of the year, but it covered her more thoroughly than the dress did.  Good grief, a handkerchief would probably cover more of her figure than this dress did! 

She sat in her car and stared at her keys, wondering if she was making the right decision.  But really, was she making a decision?  Or was she leaving it up to Saeger?  If he saw her in this dress, he most definitely wouldn’t fall down at her feet with lust.  As much as she’d love for that to happen, that wasn’t really Saeger’s modus operandi.  But then again, she had no idea what the man was like when he was making love to a woman.  Even the thought of him with another woman made her want to open the door and throw up.  She hated the idea of Saeger with another woman, but if she went through with this, if she did what that stranger had told her to do, she’d never be with Saeger again.  This would end any possible relationship. 

She’d have to leave town as well.  Okay, so maybe she’d be hauled out of town in handcuffs anyway.  What did she know about corporate espionage?  She was a novice at this whole stealing-thing.  Jeez, she was a novice at this seduction thing too.

“Oh, just do it!” she told herself, and reached for her keys, starting the engine before she lost the will to go through with this.