Page 41 of Come As You Are
I returned to my desk and stared at my computer. As far as I knew, Andrew wouldn’t have the capability of hacking into our accounting system and changing the numbers. I ran my index finger over the keyboard bringing the screen to life. Almost as if he knew what I was thinking, Sebastian came around behind me and embraced me. I sank back against his chest, and he kissed the top of my head.
“We can put cameras in here, and in the storeroom,” he said.
“I’m not sure I want everything that happens in this office to be recorded,” I said.
Sebastian laughed and gently rocked me in his arms. “How about if you can push a button to start it recording?”
“That would work.” I turned to face him, looping my arms around his neck. “I don’t want what we do to become someone’s amateur porn.”
“Absolutely not,” Sebastian said. “The only people who get to know what we do is you, me, and Vee, and I’m not sharing either of you with anyone else.”
“What a relief,” I said.
I was joking, but Sebastian must have heard the doubt in my voice because he leaned close and kissed me. When we parted, he rested his forehead against mine.
“Liv, I have wanted you since the day you walked into Illyria. I am going to do my best not to screw things up now that I have you.” He sighed. “I told this to Vee as well. Both of you know my background, you know that Antonio saved me. I’m not going to repay that trust by doing anything to hurt you or Vee.”
“I can live with that.”
We kissed again, allowing ourselves to sink deeper into the moment.
A knock on the door brought us out of our growing haze of desire, and then the door opened and Vee stepped in.
“Is this a private meeting, or can anyone join?”
I reached out my hand, and drew him to us when he took hold of it. “It’s a very exclusive meeting. Members only, but luckily, that includes you.”
We didn’t leave my office for a fair amount of time, and I was more than grateful for the lack of video by the time Vee and Sebastian returned downstairs.
By Friday, Sebastian hadmy office and the storeroom wired up with a motion-triggered video recorder. I could set it before leaving my office for any length of time, so it would only film someone who entered when they shouldn’t.
And then we waited.
I had started recreating the books on a computer at home, looking for where the discrepancies started and feeling foolish that I’d put this off as long as I had. Both Sebastian and Vee told me to cut myself some slack since I had believed my lack of experience was to blame for Illyria’s losses and then didn’t want to find out one of my employees was stealing from me.
The numbers finally started making sense about six months prior to Sebastian alerting me to the problems with the alcohol. While that gave me a timeframe, it didn’t help me figure out who was behind the alterations in the official spreadsheet.
Then, on a Monday night when all three of us were at my place, I got an alert on my phone that someone was in my office. The system we’d installed wasn’t sophisticated enough to relay video to my phone, but we headed back over to Illyria as quickly as we could to try and catch whoever it was still in the act. If we couldn’t do that, at least we’d be able to review the tape.
Sebastian drove to Illyria because I couldn’t stop my hands from shaking. Vee sat forward in the rear seat, gently massaging my shoulders in a sweet but vain attempt to lessen my anxiety. By the time we reached the club, I was a bundle of nerves, but my men stopped me from running inside by pulling me into a hug.
“Whatever we find, we’ll face it together,” Sebastian said, and I let myself settle within the strong embrace of his and Vee’s arms.
“We’re here for you, Liv,” Vee said. “Whatever you need.”
Their words were the steady foundation I needed in that moment, and I hugged them tighter in gratitude, allowing myself a few moments to bask in their strength and confidence. Though I dreaded discovering proof of what we already suspected, I knew Illyria would be stronger for it. My desire to save the club overrode all other concerns.
I kissed both my men, took a deep breath, and squared my shoulders. “Let’s go,” I said.
Together, we entered the club. Maria was in the middle of one of her Dick Pic monologues and faltered slightly as she caught sight of us. I shook my head at her and continued toward the stairs.
“I’m going to ask Toby if he’s seen Andrew around tonight,” Sebastian said, voicing the name none of us had spoken on the drive over.
I nodded my agreement and proceeded up the stairs with Vee on my heels. Once inside my office, I surveyed my desk. Not finding anything amiss, I moved to the locked filing cabinet where we’d hidden the receiver and withdrew it. Again, my hands were shaking badly, and Vee took the device from me, then guided me to the couch and sitting next to me. He handed me the receiver, and I stared at the screen wishing Sebastian was sitting on my other side.
As if he’d heard me, Sebastian appeared at the door. He stepped inside, then closed and locked the door. In a few long strides, he crossed the room and took his place beside me on the couch.
“Tobes says he hasn’t seen Andrew around at all today,” Sebastian reported.
