Page 4 of Nefarious
That was already ancient history when Dane was a kid and his dad sat on the board. He’d overheard his parents dissecting the gossip, cringing at their judgmental tone. When Dane got dragged to the office, Rosamund had been the only person who ever took a moment to talk to him like he was more than his father’s son.
Dane approached her quietly and laid his arm across her shoulders. “Hello, doll. What’s shakin’?”
She took a step back and assessed him over the top of her half-moon glasses. “Dane!” Her orange lipstick had escaped the confines of her mouth, giving her the smile of a clown. “Your hair gets darker every time I see you.”
Dane bit back the fact that she said that to him every time she saw him. His hair had always been so dark it bordered on black. If anything, he’d begun to notice the appearance of a few grays at his temple. He winked. “When will I convince you to run away with me?”
“You incorrigible flirt.” She giggled like a young girl—a young girl suffering from the early signs of emphysema. “My running days are behind me now, but we could always sneak off for a quick roll in the hay.”
“Don’t tease me. You know you’d just break my heart.” His smile melted, and he touched her arm. “But now, how are you doing, Rose?”
She pulled her coffee from the machine and ripped open a packet of fake sweetener with arthritic fingers. “You know how it goes. One foot in the grave. One foot dancing a congo line.”
“You scared me this year with your heart.” He eyed her mug. “Shouldn’t you watch your caffeine intake?”
“And you need to cut back on the cigarettes. I worry about you, Dane. You don’t take good care of yourself.”
“Don’t worry, Rose. It’s not so bad. I can quit anytime.” He flashed her a grin to let her know he was aware that’s what an addict would say.
She shook her head. “I don’t see you enough. You always keep my wit sharp. Come visit me when you have a chance.” She started to move toward the kitchen door but stopped and placed her hand on his cheek. “You know, your father was always so proud of you.”
Dane swallowed. His dad had been proud of him, of all his accomplishments, up until his disgraceful expulsion from his own company. “Your problem is we spoiled you. You think you’re impervious to consequence.” He hadn’t spoken to his dad again after that. And now he never would. At least the old bastard had never gotten around to disinheriting him before he dropped dead of a heart attack.Who’s impervious to consequence now, Dad?
Rosamund’s bony fingers dragged across his skin, a tender caress from a crone. Dane laid his hand on hers. “Thanks, Rose. That means a lot.”
Once Rosamund had left, Dane stood in front of the coffee machine with a packet half in the slot and waited. Within five minutes, he heard the clack of heels on the floor in the hallway and snapped the coffee maker shut. The machine kicked into gear with the fizz of pressurized water forced through the narrow package, exploding into the cup below. Dane leaned casually against the counter and lifted his eyes as Noelle entered the kitchen, a model of professional poise.
She stopped short. “Oh. Dane. Hello.”
Dane let his gaze travel down her body, openly assessing her. The new job suited her. She was a picture-perfect CEO in her smartly tailored navy business jacket and skirt with an unfortunately modest white blouse. Her blond hair had been severely tamed in a twist at her neck.
She seemed even more confident, more stylish, and somehow more beautiful than ever. Colder, too.
When she’d encountered Dane on her first day, she’d glared so disdainfully, he’d nearly dropped his nonchalant facade to ask her what he’d done to earn her scorn. But he’d spent too much time in Val’s company, and rather than react emotionally, his brain immediately calculated the long game: vindication.
Studying her now, Dane wished they had no history together, that they could start fresh. He imagined freeing her hair, loosening her buttons, coaxing a human response from her. His pants tightened at the fantasy.
If he could crack through Noelle’s marble exterior, he might just stand a chance. He almost did once.
He grinned. “Noelle. I’m glad to run into you. I was hoping to set up a time to come to your office and talk about my needs.”
A spot of crimson appeared on her neck and rose. She dropped her gaze. “Yourneeds?”
“Servers. We’re nearly over capacity as it is. The production servers are under considerable load. If we don’t take care of servicing them soon, they could overheat.”
The red reached her cheeks. She laid her hand on the counter. “Well, of course, you need to order new hardware.”
“Right. But before I can put in a request for acquisition, I’m going to need your consent.” He leveled his eyes at her, enjoying all the signs of her discomfort. She controlled her facial features, but her chest rose and fell quickly. When she lifted her hand off the counter, she left behind a damp print. Dane took a step toward her and laughed when she jumped back a foot. “Do I make you nervous?”
Noelle backed away from Dane until she reached the door frame. “Of course not. Email me the necessary paperwork.” And coffee forgotten, she turned and walked away.
Dane followed her to the edge of the kitchen and made eye contact with Leonard in support. Leonard nodded once, and Dane headed back to his office secure in the knowledge he’d learn Noelle’s new coffee routine soon enough.
Back in his office, he poured the coffee into the dirt surrounding the fake cactus and filled his mug with bourbon.
Val scrolled through the Facebook gallery. In every picture, Geraldo had the same twenty-something platinum blond on his arm. He had a consistent type, it seemed.
She slid his worn business card from her wallet and tapped it on the desk. She’d been twenty-six when Geraldo joined the board at R&M eager to put his stamp on the company. She might have been a bit older than his usual crop of arm candy, but she had something those other girls didn’t; she kept his mind engaged. They’d been well-matched in that regard. His clever banter and diabolical sense of humor amused her enough to intrigue her. By the time she discovered his possessive jealousy, they were more than friends.
