Facade

I started for Derek’s office as a light began to flash. Red and white. Red and white. The piercing sound of the alarm roared through the hallway as I dashed into Derek’s office, shutting the door quickly behind me.

“Fire alarm,” Derek said. “We have to vacate the building.”

“Hold on,” I said. “Give me a second.”

I took Derek’s hand and tugged him into the washroom. I pulled up all the camera feeds around the office as they displayed themselves on the wall. My eyes darted around, looking for any signs of fire as people trickled from the building.

“No smoke,” Derek said.

“No flames,” I said. “It’s not a fire. It’s a distraction.”

“A distraction? From what?” he asked.

“Don’t know, don’t care, don’t have the time to figure it out. Go lock your office door and get back in here. We’re taking the private elevator.”

I shut down all the security protocol I was running. Derek ran to his door and locked it, barricading us into the office. This was all a stunt to get him away from his desk or to get him out in the open to take a shot at him. Either way, we weren’t giving this asshole what he wanted.

He wouldn’t get him outside nor would he get into Derek’s office.

“Come on. Elevator time,” I said.

I took Derek’s hand and pulled him into the private elevator that backed up to his washroom. We stepped in and the doors closed, sealing us in as the number pad flashed at us. I hit the emergency button and the elevator locked down, which meant the only way we would get out was by a fireman’s key from the outside.

“Jacob came back into the building,” I said.

“What do you mean?”

“He said he left his wallet up here, and he poked his head into Emma’s office. Said he thought she was here.”

“He found you at Emma’s computer? What happened?” Derek asked.

“He said he was onto me, and then he proceeded to joke about how I was trying to spy on Emma.”

“Why the hell would you spy on Emma?”

“Because to him, I’m your girlfriend posing at your personal assistant to keep our relationship under wraps from the media. To him, I was checking out the competition, making sure Emma wasn’t trying to steal you romantically from me.”

“Are you serious?” he asked.

Derek’s chuckle filled the elevator as the alarm continued to blare.

“Is that something I should be concerned about?” I asked.

“Emma stealing you from me, or me sleeping with my PA?”

“Either one. Stuff like that could really complicate things, especially since she’s still a suspect.”

“Come on. Get off it. You know it’s not Emma,” he said.

“And your constant defense of her makes me wonder if the two of you don’t already have something going on,” I said.

“I’m not interested in Emma.”

“I didn’t ask if you were interested. I asked if you had any plans on screwing around with her during this investigation.”

“Are we really talking about this investigation?” he asked.

“What else would we be talking about?”

I looked up at Derek, and I found his penetrative gaze staring back at me. The air in the elevator crackled with electricity, and I felt like he was peeling back my layers. I felt vulnerable. Cornered. Like a wild animal in heat trying to get away from a predator ready to strike.

“Answer me this and I’ll leave it alone,” Derek said. “Are you asking me these questions as my security guard, or are you asking me these questions as Sam?”

“They’re one and the same,” I said.

“No. They’re not. I know that firsthand.”

I swallowed thickly as I backed into the elevator wall. Derek’s body followed me, his hand rising to plant beside my head. His face was getting closer. His lips were puffing breaths against mine. I felt my knees growing weak as my hands pressed into the cold metal of the elevator the two of us were trapped in.

“I’m not interested in Emma. Is that answer clear enough?” Derek asked.

I shot my lips forward, encompassing his with mine. His hand dropped from the wall, wrapping around my waist tightly. I pressed my body into him as my arms snaked around his neck. I could feel his cock growing against me as his arms wrapped around my back.