The Decent Proposal (Trust In Me) (14 page)

“Don’t do that. I’ll get it in the morning.”

Ana quickly pulled away from him.

“What is it? You’ve been distant all night,” he
said.

“Nothing. I just wanted to get some of this
picked up.” Ana wanted to approach the subject of the conversation she
overheard, but she wasn’t sure how. This was such unfamiliar territory to her.

“You don’t have to do it at all. I told you I’d
get it in the morning. Why don’t we go inside and have naked movie time?” He slid
the silky strap of her bikini down, softly kissing her shoulder.

“I was thinking about going home tonight.” Rob
wrinkled his brow at Ana’s words. “I’ve been here almost every night this week.
I have finals to study for,” she added, then turned around and continued
cleaning.

“Well, you’re not going to get any studying done
tonight. I can take you home in the morning.” Rob’s reply was met with silence.
Taking the bag out of her grip, he turned her to face him.

“Okay, what is going on? This isn’t like you.
Talk to me,” he demanded.

“Fine.” Ana returned his hard gaze and saw her
own reflection mirrored in his eyes, fearful and unsure. “What is going on with
you and Stephanie?”

Rob took a step back and cocked his head. “What
makes you think something is going on?”

“Earlier, when you disappeared for a while, I
went looking for you. I heard the two of you talking in the yard. You told her
that she was on her own, and then she said she thought you two were a team. She
said I would break your heart?” Ana fell into one of the chairs, and Rob sank
into the lounge next to her, releasing an exasperated sigh.

“Ana, I know how this looks, but sweetheart,
it’s just work stuff. There’s been a lot going on and Stephanie has done some
things that… that I simply don’t agree with. And obviously you threaten her on
some level, I don’t know. Maybe she’s jealous.”

“What work stuff? Tell me. I’m in business
school, you know. It’s not like I’m a total ignoramus.”

“I know… it’s just that… honestly, I don’t want
to get into it right now. I told you, Stephanie has changed from the person she
once was. Her behavior lately has been unscrupulous. To be honest, I’m doing a
little digging myself, trying to get a better grip on the way she’s acting. I
think our company might be in trouble, and I’m not sure she can be counted on
to avert any damages. She might even be involved in something illegal, I don’t
know. But frankly, I’m worried.” Rob placed a hand on Ana’s leg. “But let me assure
you, nothing—and I mean nothing—is going on with me and Steph. That
thought shouldn’t even cross your mind. I would never cheat on you, and I will
never go back to her.”

Ana felt relieved by his assurance. “Could she
fire you?”

“Yes, she could fire me, but she wouldn’t do
that. She knows I’m too valuable. As far as the company is concerned, this
storm isn’t passing as I thought it would, at least according to Stephanie. But
I’m not sure I can trust her judgment, which is why I’m taking matters into my
own hands.”

Ana reached out and stroked his face. “I’m sorry.
I had no idea things were so crazy. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to burden you with this shit.
Plus, I’m not used to having someone to unload on.”

“You can always unload on me. I want to know
what’s going on in your life, okay? That’s important to me. If we can’t talk
about these things, then what’s the point?” Rob grinned in acknowledgment then
briefly looked away, his smile fading in a sea of silence.

“Do you want to go inside now and have naked
movie time?” she asked, pulling his hands to her thighs. Without waiting for an
answer, she pulled off her swimsuit and strolled casually into the house.

Thirteen

Rob was no lawyer, but he was judicious enough
to know that something wasn’t right with this whole assignment Stephanie had
put him on. Multiple attempts at uncovering information had failed. He had even
begged Stephanie to let him come forward to Ana and simply ask whatever she
needed to know. But she insisted that things be done her way.

Several weeks ago, he showed up on a Saturday hoping
to have the place to himself and uncover something. It proved to be a futile
attempt as Stephanie’s office had been locked. When he and Ana finally made
love that night, he knew he was in deep. He was falling in love with her. By
then he was acutely aware of the probability that Stephanie was manipulating
him, but how could he tell Ana that? Today, he would find a way to get to her
desk when she wasn’t around. Someone had deliberately kept Ana’s family and
legacy a secret from her, and he was bound and determined to find out why.

Rob decided the best way to do this was to wait
for her to go to lunch. Usually she would grab something at the cafeteria and
bring it back to her office, working right through. All week, he had paid
careful attention to what time she left and how long she was gone. The shortest
length of time was seven minutes and the longest was ten. If he could run in as
soon as she left, he was confident that four or five minutes was all he needed
to find something important, if anything was there to be found.

Carl Dunlap’s office was right next to hers. He
could think up an excuse to go visit him before Stephanie’s usual lunchtime
then he could sneak in as soon as she left. It worked like a charm. Stephanie headed
out at 12:35 and told her secretary she would be back from the cafeteria momentarily.
Now was his chance. He excused himself from Carl’s and walked into Stephanie’s
office, pulling the door closed quietly behind him.

Sifting through the mountain of paperwork on
Stephanie’s desk at warp speed was harder than he had predicted. He had no idea
what he was looking for, but he had a hunch he would know it if he saw it.

He glanced at his watch—three minutes had
passed and still nothing. He tried quickly to log on to her computer, but of course
she had changed her password since they were together. He attempted with
several guesses—important dates, family names, but no luck.

Four minutes… Dammit!
If she found him in
here, he wouldn’t be able to explain away what he was doing.

Finally, he came across the folder he had given
her a while back. When he opened it, he saw all the sheets of paper he had
taken notes on but came across something else that caught his attention. He
read over it carefully as it was obviously something that had been drafted and
signed by one of the company’s attorneys, none other than Carl Dunlap himself,
as well as William Ross. Once he realized what was going on, he was shocked. He
had known Stephanie a long time and never would have predicted she would stoop
so low.

It looked as though Stephanie might have started
the whole hostile takeover rumor just to get what she needed from Rob. She knew
he was dedicated, loyal, and overly trusting. She was certain he would do
whatever she asked in order to protect Signify, especially if he thought the
company was in danger of collapsing.

From the papers in the folder, Rob discovered
that Ana’s father had left a trust for her, allowing her to assume full control
of it and all assets on her twenty-second birthday. There were other documents
as well. Several pages of what appeared to be bank statements and quarterly
statements from the trust. Also, someone had been making regular withdrawals
from the account.

Six minutes…shit…

As he quickly sifted through the rest of the
folder, several items fell to the floor. He looked down and saw Ana’s social
security card and birth certificate. How the hell did she get that? He hadn’t
taken them from Ana, so Stephanie must have sent for replacements. Jesus
Christ… had she stolen Ana’s identity to borrow against the trust? If so, he
had helped her. He was fucked. As the realization of what she had done was just
starting to sink in, he looked up and saw Stephanie standing in the doorway. He
never even heard her come in.

“Rob? What the hell are you doing?”

It was too late. He knew he wasn’t going to be
able to walk away from this. “I think the more appropriate question is what the
hell are
you
doing—and why?”

Stephanie stormed over to him and snatched the
folder out of his grasp. “That’s none of your goddam business! Now get out!”

Rob calmly stood up from the chair and looked
Stephanie square in the eyes. “This is reprehensible, even for you, Steph. And
to think, there was a time I would have done anything for you. You used me to
steal Ana’s identity and her money? How much did you get? Jesus, please tell me
you didn’t clean her out!”

“I got enough to keep this company from going
under, and that’s all you need to know,” Stephanie snapped.

“Is that what you’re going with? You did it for
the company?” Rob rubbed his temples. He was starting to get a headache.

“It’s not what I’m going with. It’s the truth!”
Stephanie suddenly changed her facial expression. It was as if another
personality took over. She calmly placed the folder, along with her salad, on
the desk, shifting her focus to Rob and setting her hands on his chest.

“Look,” she said softly, running her hands up
and down his shirt. “I know things didn’t work out with us, but I had no idea
you cared for me so deeply.” She started to undo his tie then continued as Rob
stared at her with contempt.

“The truth is, I did this for us. I still care
about you a lot. Ana is an innocent victim in all this. She has no idea about
the trust, so how can she miss something she doesn’t even know exists? We could
live a very comfortable life with this money. Next month, when she turns
twenty-two, we can take the money and go somewhere far away, the South Pacific
maybe. Wouldn’t that be wonderful darling, just the two of us on a remote
island where no one could ever find us?” She let her hand wander down to his
crotch, but before she could make contact, Rob stopped her. He knew she was
just buttering him up, manipulating him further. She didn’t give a damn about
him.

“I’m not going anywhere with you. I’m putting an
end to this right now.” Rob turned to leave the office.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Stephanie
barked.

Rob paused long enough to challenge her with a look
of steel then walked out. He had to get in touch with Ana before Stephanie
could take more from her than she already had.

* * * * *

Rob rushed to his car where he called Ana from
his cell. She didn’t answer, so he left a message for her to call him as soon
as she could. He tossed his phone aside and tried absorbing all that he had
just learned. He couldn’t believe that he had been so stupid as to trust
Stephanie.

Ana was supposed to inherit ten million dollars
next month. How could she not know about this? And how was Stephanie able to
pull all this off? Carl must have been helping her. He was the trustee, after
all. There’s no way she could have done something of this magnitude on her own.
Furthermore, was Signify even in trouble? Was she really stealing Ana’s money
for the company? None of this made any sense, and he didn’t know how he was
going to get the answers he needed. Stephanie would fire him at this point for
sure. She wasn’t going to keep a traitor around. He would probably never find
out the truth.

He had to tell Ana what was going on. He had
glanced so quickly at the bank statements he wasn’t able to determine how much
she had stolen so far. He could only hope that whatever she did take didn’t
amount to anything grossly significant.

It occurred to him that when all was said and
done, Stephanie would probably be going to jail for a very long time. And with
his involvement, he probably wouldn’t escape some form of retribution himself.
He felt as though he deserved it. He only hoped that Ana could find some way to
forgive him. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing her in all of this. He had
to get to her soon.

Jesus, please forgive me
Ana…

* * * * *

Ana and Rob’s story
concludes in

The Truth Revealed

Trust In Me
, Part 2

Coming in June 2013

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