Page 21 of The Prince's Secret Daughter
Her fingers brushed the cold metal of the doorframe, and just as she turned the handle, Raj’s voice cut through the silence.
“Hold up, Helen,” he called, urgency creeping into his tone.
Helen paused, her hand hovering over the handle, her heart suddenly pounding in her chest. Raj and his guards hurried toward her, the sound of their footsteps quick and measured, the tension in the air palpable.
As they arrived, the guards immediately moved ahead, stepping into place between Helen and the door. They formed a protective wall, their bodies blocking her from proceeding further. Raj stood close behind them, his eyes scanning the area with a calculated intensity, his earlier calm now replaced by a sharp readiness.
Helen swallowed, her pulse quickening with a mixture of excitement and nervous anticipation.What was behind this door?She tried to ignore the unease creeping up her spine as she waited for Raj’s signal.
The guard peered through the door, then seemed to relax and looked back at the others. He nodded. “It’s safe,” he announced. “No trip wires, traps, or explosives.”
Helen’s mouth fell open. The man had suspected a trap and had gone through the door anyway? Why?
“Maybe we should get out of here,” she whispered.
Raj grinned and shook his head. “Nah, let’s find out what Paul and Nathan are trying to hide.”
Chapter 16
Paul Grishom stormed into his son’s office. “Why the hell is Helen leading our newest, and potentially biggest, client through the trash pit that we’re trying to sell him?”
Nathan looked up from his computer, hoping that his father didn’t understand why his face was flushed. He quickly clicked to a new tab on his monitor, hiding the porn site, then leaned back in his leather chair, careful to keep his erection hidden under the desk. “Excuse me?” he asked, using his formal voice and glancing pointedly at the door, silently ordering his father to close it.
Paul grumbled as he returned to the door and slammed it shut. “Better?” he demanded as he turned back to face his son.
“Much better,” Nathan replied, grateful for those extra few moments to get his body under control. Nathan considered this trick to be a benefit to his success. No one knew what he was thinking, or doing, and that helped him hide some of the more unsavory aspects of his world. He loved being able to flip between the “normal” and illicit lives that he’d created.
As he watched his father pace across the wide expanse of his office, Nathan understood why the old man had achieved only mediocre success in his life so far. The old man merely wanted a big house and a nice car. But Nathan wanted more! He knew that the only way to get the amount of money he needed was to embrace all opportunities, and never let the “good” people of Chicago understand the extent of the “bad” element that was involved in his plans.
Never the twain shall meet, was his motto. Well, his current motto, at least. Nathan never stuck with anything that didn’t help him.
And his father was one of those “things” that might become a liability. The old man was too emotional and didn’t understand the need for secrecy or keeping up appearances. Everyone in this office had to be constantly reassured that the “company” was solvent and progressing towards greatness.
Nathan laced his fingers over his stomach as he watched his father’s anxious pacing. “I have no idea why Helen is leading our client around the site. But I can’t imagine that it is a bad thing.”
“She didn’t show up for work today!” Paul snapped, sweat breaking out on his forehead. “She was supposed to be here!”
Nathan chuckled. “No, she didn’t show up for work today. She wasn’t home last night either, was she?”
His father paused and looked quizzically at Nathan. “What the hell are you talking about? How do you know that she wasn’t home last night?”
Nathan rolled his eyes and leaned forward, lacing his fingers together on top of his desk. “What was the last thing you said to Helen before we went to the conference room?”
Paul stammered for a moment, his jowls jiggling as he shook his head. “I don’t know. I remember grabbing the papers from her.”
Nathan refrained from rolling his eyes. “I told her to unbutton her blouse and give Prince Al-Sintra a show to distract him.” He grinned at his father’s dawning understanding. “Yes, I had her followed,” he filled in at his father’s confusion. “Our lovely Helen was last seen heading to the hotel where His Highness was staying.” He chuckled as his father’s expression brightened even more. “Helen went up in the hotel’s private elevator. The only place that particular elevator goes is the hotel’s penthouse,” he finished, then leaned back in his chair again. “So, our little Helen is simply doing her job. She spent the night in the man’s bed, seducing him into buying into our little investment scheme.”
Paul’s expression shifted to relief, then he chuckled, rubbing his hands together. “Well, that’s…different,” he sputtered. Then his grin widened. “That’s perfect!”
Nathan lifted his hands in the air, palms out as if he were some sort of deity. “I told you that this would work. Helen was the key. She has the looks and the reputation in the industry.”
Paul grumbled. “Yeah, but she’s also the one that started asking questions. She knew something was wrong yesterday.”
Nathan shrugged. “What’s the best way to get control over another person?”
Paul chuckled. “Threaten what they love. Her daughter.”
“Exactly,” Nathan replied. “Now, keep your temper under control. I told you some of the employees here in the office are legit and some are here to help us get this thing going. So, don’t let anyone see your anger. Everyone has to believe that the game is still going, and going strong.”
