Flawless Desire
“Tell me everything!” Kelsey greets me with an excited smile—and an expectant look. She’s got a face mask on, and her hair drying in curlers. Just your typical Sunday evening attire.
“What do you want to know?” I ask, playing it coy. I dump my bag in my room, and saunter back to join her on the couch, kicking up my feet with a happy sigh.
“Everything!” Kelsey demands. “You waltz off without a word, for the whole weekend. You were with him, weren’t you? Ugh, you’re so lucky I could scream. Was it good? Was he as skilled as everyone says he is?”
“Even better.” I beam.
She shrieks in delight. “I hate you!”
“He took me to his place in the Hamptons,” I add, loving the fact that for once, I’m the one with the wild romantic exploits to share. “We went out on his yacht and sailed around the bay. It was amazing.”
“Bitch.” Kelsey beams. “I can’t believe it. How did he act?
Kelsey peppers me with questions, and I recap the whole weekend, my smile getting wider as I recall every sexy detail. “Whatever anyone said about his… Skills in the bedroom? They weren’t doing him justice. I’ve never come so hard in my life,” I admit.
She sighs. “No wonder you’re falling in love with him.”
“Am not!” I protest immediately, ignoring the fluttering feeling in my chest that is definitely something more than lust.
“That’s probably for the best,” Kelsey agrees. “I’d hate to see you hurt.”
“Oh, by the way, you got a delivery.” Kelsey fishes a small box off the table and passes it to me. “More gifts from lover boy?”
“I don’t know.” I open it, curious, and pull out the package. It’s a high-tech gadget of some kind. I squint at it, confused. It says something about downloading phone data?
“Weird,” Kelsey says, looking over my shoulder. “Who’s it from?”
I check the note.
This should help you with his phone.
“Olivia,” I whisper.
Kelsey looks even more confused. “What’s she talking about? Whose phone are you supposed to hack?”
I sink lower in the sofa cushions, feeling all the guilt and suspicion I’ve avoided come rushing back to the surface.
Phone hacking? Secret gadgets? What have I gotten myself mixed up in?
“Oh, Kelsey. I don’t know what to do!”
“What does that mean?” She stares at me.
I sigh. “Remember how you heard Olivia talking about needing a good assistant? Well, it turns out, the job wasn’t just logging Caleb’s calls.”
I quickly tell her about the real assignment: Getting close to Caleb and gathering evidence to prove he’s embezzling from the firm.
Kelsey’s eyes go wide. “He’s stealing from Sterling Cross? But that doesn’t make sense, he’s already loaded.”
I shake my head. “It’s not like that. It’s some kind of corporate theft, changing the official accounting and moving money around. At least, that’s what Olivia says is happening.”
“So is she right? Have you found any evidence?” Kelsey asks.
I pause. “He’s definitely hiding something,” I admit, not wanting to face the truth, but not able to avoid it all the same. “He has a secret second phone, and when he got a call on it the other night, he walked out on me in the middle of everything. Plus…” I reach into my purse and withdraw the globe keychain fob. “He seems really protective of this. He freaked out when he thought he lost it. I’m thinking maybe if there’s any shady dealings… They might be stored on here.”
She eyes it. “Why don’t you look?”
“I’m afraid to.” I admit. “I don’t know if I want to find out the truth. He’s going away for a few days, so I have that time to decide what to do. Maybe that, and distance between us, will give me some clarity on the situation?”
Kelsey eyes me doubtfully. “It seems like a no-brainer to me, especially with Olivia’s reward on the line. So if you’re holding out… Maybe you are falling in love with him.”
I hope not. Because that would make this complicated situation just about impossible.