Page 75 of Dangerous Temptation
‘Mr Wolfe, what were you doing at Wolfe Manor over the past month? Why the long retreat?’ A balding newspaperman stepped forward, his pen and notebook at the ready. ‘Were you contemplating your actions?’
Wolfe didn’t even blink.
An entertainment reporter held her microphone suggestively, stroking her thumb up and down its side. With her big hair and fake breasts, it was clear she was trying another tactic. ‘Barbara Tyson is in town filming a movie. Have you seen you seen her since your release, Ax?’
The bleached blonde was disappointed when the question bounced right off, but the crowd wasn’t ready to be deterred.
Another female reporter stepped right into the path of the lead bodyguard. She was just as beautiful, but with her short pixie cut and black-rimmed glasses she had ‘intrepid’ written all over her. ‘How about Elena Bardot?’
That got a response.
Alex Wolfe made an abrupt halt. Around him, his security detail closed ranks.
The sharp brunette’s eyes sparked. ‘Caroline Woodward, WABC News.’
She held up a crisp 8X10 black-and-white photograph of the billionaire entrepreneur leaving a helicopter with a dark-haired woman at his side. ‘We took this shot of you yesterday when you arrived in the city. Sources have identified your companion as Elena Bardot, daughter of Randolph Bardot, former CFO of Wolfe Financial.’
Wolfe snatched the photograph out of her hand and stared at it through his sunglasses. Other than maybe a slight tightening of his fingers, he gave no visible reaction. Yet the chill in the air dropped a good ten degrees.
‘What is your relationship with Ms Bardot?’ the reporter pressed. Like a hound on the scent, she bore forward. ‘Are you romantically involved or is this a continuation of the Wolfe–Bardot business relationship?’
A muscle in Wolfe’s jaw clenched. His head slowly tilted and he looked the reporter over from head to toe. Hungry as she was for a scoop, everyone saw the woman inhale in surprise. Her chest lifted and her hips gave a slight swivel. Something sharp and sexy hung in the air. It snapped and tumbled when, letting go finger by finger, he dropped the photograph like a piece of trash.
‘No comment.’
The picture seesawed through the air as it fell to the ground. A beat reporter bent down to pick it up, braving getting stepped on as the security team kicked back into gear.
Gritting her teeth, the reporter followed, her heels clicking against the sidewalk as she tried to keep up. ‘Was she involved in this all along? Did she know what her father was into?’
Her cameraman got too close and one of the security men pushed his hand into the lens. ‘Step back.’
‘Are you saying that’s not her?’ another reporter called.
The WABC reporter wasn’t about to be denied her scoop. Her painted lips thinned and red splotches coloured her cheekbones. Rushing ahead, she walked backwards and sent out rapid-fire questions. ‘Have you made restitution to Ms Bardot and her mother? Yvonne Bardot was reportedly an investor who lost her life savings in your Ponzi scheme.’
Wolfe kept on walking, but his neck stiffened.
‘Mr Wolfe. Would you like to make a statement?’
They were at the private building’s door, the final barrier that the press couldn’t cross. The Ax stopped on the threshold. Pulling down his sunglasses, he pinned the not-so-sweet Caroline with a slate-grey stare. ‘No. Comment.’
Chapter Twelve
Elena was worried. The board meeting had run long and, when Alex had returned, he hadn’t wanted to talk. It was as if they’d gone back in time to their first days together at the manor, where he’d pass her silently in the woods. The tension between them was there, but it was harder and sharper. It was more than the sexual friction that was ever-present. He’d retreated inside himself. All the anger, pain and pride were bottled up tight.
She feared what might happen if the cork blew off.
He was working out in the gym. Standing outside the door, she heard weights clanging and pulleys whirring. She’d found the room in her explorations as she’d waited for the board meeting to start. It was smaller than the workout facility at the manor, but it had the same topflight equipment. Alex grunted in exertion and the sound grew into a soul-wrenching shout.
Her fingers bit into the tab of her zipper when a loud clang rang throughout the hallway.
It was time. She couldn’t let this go on any longer.
Turning into the room, she saw a barbell loaded with heavy weights still bouncing in the bar catches where he’d let it fall. She blew out a breath, relieved that he hadn’t dropped it on himself. ‘Don’t you think you’re pushing yourself a little hard?’
He stared up at the ceiling from the weight bench where he lay. His chest rose and fell as he tried to catch his breath. ‘I’m just working off steam.’
She leaned against the wall and toyed with the string of the hoodie. ‘Want to take a break?’
