Page 139 of Indecent Obsession
I draw in a ragged breath. Will it ever get easier to have them touch me? To be content with their touch and not crave more?
With my laptop in hand, I return to the conference room to get a read on the woman who worked closely with Tom on these accounts and to see if I can figure out what he might have found.
I give her a smile as I settle into the seat and log on to my computer. The whole time she sits back, watching me.
“Tom talked about you a lot.” Beth straightens in her chair. “Every story inevitably had you in it.”
“We grew up with a grieving mother.” I shrug like it isn’t a big thing. At the time, he made sure I stayed safe. While Mom hid from the world that took her husband from her long before his time. “Neither of us wanted to lose the other, so we stuck together. It was just easier that way.”
She nods. “I’m an only kid. My parents spoiled me rotten though.”
Her blue eyes lift to mine. She really is pretty.
“Have you heard from Tom?” she asks. The question is quiet and it doesn’t seem sinister, but I don’t know who I can trust outside of my guys right now.
“He’s such a baby when he’s sick.” I force a smile. “It’s almost a relief that he decided to take off this time instead of making me be his indentured servant. I always end up getting sick and then no one takes care of me.”
She chuckles before opening some files.
That’s not true though. Yes, he makes me wait on him hand and foot, but when I get sick, Dante shows up with food to check on me. I look through the window into the main office space of small, walled cubicles. I can’t see their offices, but part of me really wants to duck into Dante’s and thank him for caring for me even when I was a brat to him.
“Tom has a lot of clients, but I know the guys are interested in you working on the new ones.” Beth spreads out a few files on the desk. They aren’t in the standard folders that go in the file drawers. “Since they’re new, we’ve kept them separate. He wanted to make sure they were good fits before doing all the work to set them up as a client in the system.”
That doesn’t make any sense, but I nod like I’m following her logic. The more naive I seem hopefully she’ll trust me with information.
“The main group is the holding company, Edge Enterprises. It’s a privately held corporation, and they’re determined to keep their owners secret. Because of that, Tom and I signed an NDA to make sure we couldn’t leak that information without repercussions.”
She glances up at me. “I can’t show you anything in that file until we get them to draw up an NDA for you.”
Oh-kay. Time to play the dumb socialite card. “But wouldn’t they have to register their names with the state? Anyone can look that up, right?”
She smiles like I’m a ten-year-old who told her Santa Claus is real. “They’ve been able to withhold that information. They’re very private people.”
Turning another file over, she slides it toward me. “You can start with reconciling the accounts for Casino Caper. We need a full cash analysis done for each month. I’m providing you access to the accounts you’ll need.”
She types something on her keyboard and then smiles. “All set. When you get done with that, we can move on to something else.”
Piecemealing me the information so I don’t get a full picture. Interesting. But the thing with a cash analysis, especially for a cash business, is that I should get a good big-picture view of at least this one company.
“Thank you.” I open the files and pull over my notepad. After a few minutes, my eyes go a little blurry and I realize I’m going to need more coffee. Before I can say anything, Beth clears her throat. When I look up, her eyes search mine.
“Has Tom mentioned me?” She plays with her bracelet for a moment. “I mean as a professional. Work stories or whatnot?”
I shrug. “Honestly, Tom and I don’t talk about much these days. I’ve been busy with college. He’s been busy with work.”
She nods and her lips press tight together. I can’t tell if she wants him to talk about her or not. I don’t know this woman very well, and while I can usually get a read on someone, she’s not coming across as anything right now.
Not nosy, not interested. That’s what makes me even more cautious.
After another twenty minutes of focused work, she pauses and looks at me. “Do you know where he goes when he’s like this?”
It’s a curious question. It could mean she wants to know, or she’s just bored and trying to ask me something to start a conversation.
“Tom likes to hide. He’s always been really good at it.” I can’t help smiling at all the times I’d go looking for him in our house only for him to jump out at me so he wouldn’t reveal his hiding spot. “He always comes back though. He’d never leave me behind.”
You and me, sis. I’ll always be there for you, because Dad can’t.
I blow out a breath and glance out into the office to blink away the tears that rose way too quickly. Tom and I have a complicated history, but it’s ours, and we’re the only pieces of our dad left.
