Page 76 of Nefarious
Alan shook his head. “She’s got the knack. I wanted to go conservatively in on this security, but she saw a possibility to add a little risk for a sweet gain. I didn’t think she understood the ramifications of the trade, but after she laid it out, I knew she was right. You trained her well. I just hope the risk pans out.”
“Can you release her back into the wild?”
Alan laughed. “Yeah. She did good for a first timer. I hope you don’t plan to hire her next year. I’ll be out of a job.” He winked.
Alan had nothing to worry about. Val had no intention of letting Selena work here next year. All her efforts would be in vain if she didn’t return to R&M to work for her father. Dane would miss the little spitfire.
Selena grabbed her things and thanked Alan. As she left the trading floor with Dane, she said, “You’re taking me away from my duties.”
“I wanted to see you in my office.” He led the way down the hall and opened the door. As soon as she entered, he closed the door behind him and locked it. He pulled her into the corner and kissed her.
“Mr. Russ. I’m not supposed to be in here.”
“Did you know that nobody can see into this corner of my office through the window?” He unbuttoned the top of her shirt and ran a finger across her neck.
“So we’re invisible?” She reached for his belt, unfastening it like a pro. She’d lost all her shyness with him around three o’clock Sunday morning, after she’d told him she liked his dick in her the best when she was on top. She unbuttoned and unzipped his pants and reached in to find him ready for anything. She slid down his waistband and dropped to her knees.
Dane groaned as she worked her mouth around him, running one hand up the base and the other across his balls, exactly like he’d shown her. Her lips circled around the head, her tongue firm, up and down the soft sensitive flesh below. She’d gotten good at that in record time. His knees barely held him, as the pleasure intensified. “I’m going to—” She pumped him faster, harder. “Selena, I’m about to . . . oh fuck.” He couldn’t hold it, and she sucked him off until he could only drop to the floor in exhaustion.
He pulled her over into his lap. “Whatever you want, you shall have.”
“Dinner?”
He laughed. “I was planning on that anyway. Where do you want to go?”
“Your place.” She was insatiable.
“Your wish is my command.” He wiggled back into his pants. “But can we head out now? I’m suddenly starving.”
Val,
I thought you might like to know that the project is coming in a bit ahead of schedule. You should definitely prepare for a live demo as early as Friday. I trust you’ll still want to be a part of the integration testing.
Dane
Dane had emailed Val sometime during the night, obviously cocky, probably drunk. She wondered why. He’d always avoided communication as transparent as corporate email. His message was coded in work jargon, but any fool could decipher it. It made her nervous, and she wasn’t sure why. She looked out the window at Dane’s empty parking space. He was usually so cautious. Was he planning on quitting? Was that why he’d thrown caution to the wind?
Bombs away.
She didn’t like it, but surely she was just paranoid. Where would he go?
She sat down and fought through her initial reaction. Maybe he was just as anxious as she was to reunite. The two of them were meant for each other.
Friday. She’d have him by the end of the week. Her biggest concern should be whether she could turn that one night into a future. It had been a long time coming.
But Noelle had to be out of the picture first, and Dane had to be the one to swing the blade. Would he? Oh, he preened as if he was just as ruthless as Val, but he’d never had the fortitude of someone forged in fire, like herself. He fed off ego-stroking like a drug addict, and in his victory over Noelle, he might mistake that intoxication for love. Worse, he wouldn’t be mistaken.
Surely, he could manage this one thing. He might need a push in the right direction.
She sat at the computer and hit reply on his email.
Don’t forget this project requires documentation. The demo cannot proceed until you’ve squared away any remaining legalities.
She hesitated before sending. Dane might want to leave a trail, but she planned to be working here the following Monday. Chances were slim that anyone would find anything incriminating in what she’d written, but why take the chance? It would wait. She’d have to trust Dane knew the rules of engagement. She’d have to trust him to want to return to her victorious, if for no other reason than his pride.
Her attention turned back to her plans for Geraldo. Geraldo, who had put her in this predicament in the first place. Granted, the decision had been hers, but how was she supposed to know everything would fall apart? She still blamed him.
As soon as she’d gotten his calling card, she’d gone to him right away and appealed to his pragmatism. He’d never loved her. He’d juggled multiple women even while she’d let him cage her. She’d expected him to be angry and jealous, but he’d been more reasonable than she might have feared. Cold, even. Still, he gave her an ultimatum: She could leave the company immediately, or Dane had to go.
