Page 24 of Ace of Swords

I worked straight until the setting sun was streaming through my office windows, casting an orange glow across the piles of papers in front of me. It took three more trips up to the filing room, but I’d finally gotten to the bottom of this puzzle.

Montalla Shipping Division was siphoning money.

To where, by whom, I couldn’t be sure, but I had discovered deep in the records a dummy vendor who was being paid monthly for services or goods that were nonexistent. I’d discovered the same fraud in two other Montalla companies, the frozen food division and the Chinese import division. Each of the dummy vendors' names was almost identical to a real vendors' name, so it made sense the deceit could go undetected.

I knew Sergio’s early business bordered on the unsavory, that was a given in the trucking industry, especially when you’re first starting out, but nothing about him suggested to me that he was a dishonest businessman. I knew he paid his taxes. In fact, he hired a new CPA at my advice because I felt his other one was taking too many deductions that could raise red flags.

I’d never heard from any vendors or contractors that they weren’t paid on time or that they hadn’t been treated with the utmost professional respect. Everything I knew about him as a businessman didn’t jive with this fraud.

His personal life... well that was a different story.

He was an extravagant man, I knew that, obsessed with his wealth and maintaining it. His daughter’s future meant everything to him. The fear of leaving her withoutanyparent plagued him, and made him plan meticulously for her financial future.

But it also wasn’t a well-guarded secret that Sergio had women. There were a string of hotel charges on that AmEx account that didn’t come as a surprise to me. He’d never publicly stepped out with someone on his arm since Tatiana’s mother died, but he wasn’t a monk.

I was getting that buzzy feeling again—my clothes seemed too tight. I needed more information but I didn’t know where to turn. I wouldn’t confront Sergio with my suspicions, I didn’t have enough information to be confident he was involved. I had to play this carefully, collect more data before I came to a conclusion. But how? As I was rubbing the bridge of my nose and surveying the mess of files I’d need to return upstairs, my phone buzzed. Tatiana. Maybe that was my answer.

Picking up, I put the device to my ear. It was icy cold on my hot skin. “Hey, Tatiana. I was just thinking about you.”

“Convenient. Thanks for the coffee this morning.”

I glanced at the time. Fuck, was it that late already? “It was the least I could offer. I'm no five star hotel.”Hotels. Ugh.Now I was back to thinking about Sergio's shady activities.

Tatiana chuckled sweetly. Her voice was so soothing, I needed to drink it up in big gulps. “Speaking of, I haven't eaten yet. There's a great Greek restaurant in the Hilton near your place,” she purred. Was she still at my apartment? “Meet me, Rolland? We can talk and relax a bit.”

“I'll be there in ten,” I said.

I wasn't going to be able to relax.

But I did need to talk.

****

Iwas waiting outsidethe restaurant when Tatiana walked up. I guess my mind had been so occupied thinking about Sergio’s business dealing, that I’d forgotten the effect Tatiana had on me. Instantly my senses were flooded. I remembered every noise, every movement, every inch of her skin that I’d licked and explored in my bed the other day.

She stood in front of me in a yellow jumpsuit, but she may as well have been naked. I was momentarily paralyzed with the memories, and caught between two worlds: wanting information about her father and wanting to skip dinner all together and feast on her.

“Rolland?” Tatiana asked with a bewildered grin. “Should we go in?”

“Yeah, sure,” I stuttered, coming back to myself. “Right this way.”

I opened the door for her and we headed inside.

The hostess took one look at Tatiana, then sat us in a corner booth by the fireplace. “The most romantic seat of the house!” she announced. After we ordered drinks, we fell into an awkward silence. I was searching my mind for an icebreaker, anything to say, when Tatiana spoke first. “Do you make coffee for every girl you take home?”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “Just my boss's daughter.”

“Your boss’s daughter?Really, Rolland?”

“What do you mean? Youaremy boss’s daughter.”

“Well I don’t look at you and thinkmy father’s employee,” she said. Then she leaned closer and whispered, “I look at you and think you’re the man that left this mark on my shoulder when you came all over my hand the other day.”

Her smile was sly and seductive. Sure enough, just to the side of her yellow jumpsuit’s strap, was a quarter sized purple bruise from where I’d latched on when my orgasm overwhelmed me. The memory had me shifting in my seat.

“I liked that, by the way,” she continued. “That's why I called you tonight. To tell you I had fun, and... to thank you. I’ll never forget it, Rolland. In fact, I haven’t stopped thinking about it.”

Her hand rested on my kneecap, her skin was glowing from the firelight. Thiswasa romantic booth. When the hostess brought our drinks and I watched Tatiana take a sip of wine, it occurred to me like a bolt of lightening–Tatiana and I were on adate!How could I have been so obtuse?

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