Page 86 of Cocky Prince
“This is a surprise.” I hear the light sound of a pen scraping. “Blackwell will be pleased. How did you say you know this person?”
I didn’t. Eve is fishing for information because she’s been unsuccessful at bringing in new Bliss members. “A friend of a friend,” I tell her.
The one thing about coming from money is that no one questions your connection to others with money.
I contacted Jeb about this evening and we came up with a small plan to ensure Bliss is on the up-and-up. Things will play out the way they will, but at least I’ve done all I can.
I end the call with Eve and check my phone. I’ve got a few more minutes before Hayden said she’d be leaving for the day. I button my coat and head down the hall. And yes, there could be extra purpose in my steps. Just knowing I’m going to see Hayden in a minute has my body temperature rising in anticipation.
Her office is open and I step inside, quietly closing and locking the door behind me.
Hayden looks up and slowly stands, her hands pressing the front of her skirt above her thighs. “This is dangerous,” she says, her chest rising and falling more quickly as I stalk across the room.
“Is it?” I say lightly, my focus on her eyes, her mouth, her hair, and down.
She leans against her desk as I round it, her red skirt flaring out from her waist. She twists a strand of pearls at her throat. “You’ve created a powder keg,” she says, her gaze dropping to my mouth.
I scan her cream knit top, which is accentuating some of my favorite curves. Well, that and the shape of her legs, the way her waist cuts in, her beautiful smile—okay, I like all the curves. I stop an inch away. “Have I?” I say, but I know damn well I have, and I’m helpless to take back what I’ve started.
Without further ado, I reach down and bunch the hem of her skirt, my fingers skimming over her thighs. Her hands flutter to my chest, her gaze never leaving my lips. “We can’t go on like this. I give,” she says, and brushes her lips against my jaw. “You can keep your secrets about Bliss. I don’t need them anyway.”
My hands freeze where they’re kneading her ass. I pick her up and set her on the desk, inserting my hips between her legs and pulling her flush with me. I brush my mouth across her hairline. “What do you mean, you don’t need my Bliss secrets?” I mumble against her smooth skin.
Her hands go still on my chest, where she’s unbuttoned my coat and shirt and worked her palms against my skin. “You were right.” She runs her hands over my abs. “I shouldn’t have asked you to talk about something confidential.”
I grab her ass and press her to me. She moans and I nip her earlobe. It’s all fun and games until Hayden agrees with me. Then I know I’m in trouble.
“Hayden,” I say. “What are you not telling me?”
Her body stiffens and she tries to pull away, but I wrap her arms around my neck where they stay, though I’m not holding them in place anymore. Her golden-brown eyes regain their focus and she sighs. “Nothing. Just that you have your secrets and I have mine.”
“Secrets.” My tone is flat. “About Bliss?”
She plays with the collar of my shirt and bites the inside of her lip, her eyes not meeting mine. “Maybe.” At my frown, she hurries on. “We both have secrets when it comes to the suites, so we can forget about this no-sex rule.” She slides her hand down and flattens it against my erection.
I let out a growl and step away, planting my fingers on my hips, the sides of my suit jacket pushed back. My body is on fire, but my mind is actually working for once. Because what she said has my anxiety level spiking.
Snooping around Bliss activities won’t only get Hayden fired, it could get her harmed. Or worse. Blackwell put an obscene amount of money into Bliss. What would he be willing to do to silence her if she found something incriminating? What would the career criminals and ex-military he had me hire be willing to do? “I suggested we take things slow because I want something real with you, not something founded on lies.”
“You’re right.” Hayden’s gaze wanders to the side. “I can’t believe you’re right, but you are. We don’t need more secrets between us.”
Her hands drop to either side of her hips on the desk. “It’s not really a secret. I’m sure you heard that Mira and Tyler found a Blue suite used to distribute illegal drugs a few months ago.”
“What?No. Tyler never said anything.”
Paul mentioned an earlier version of Bliss, which must have been the suite Mira and Tyler found.
She takes in my expression. “I’m sorry. I thought Tyler said something. I should have brought it up earlier. What do you guys talk about in your spare time if not things like this?”
Beer. Women. Sports.“Usually nothing important.”
She purses her lips together, gaze thoughtful. “You know, you also weren’t working at Blue then. Tyler might not have thought to mention it. We weren’t sure what was going on. We sort of lost the suite. That’s what I’ve been looking for and why I’ve been interested in Bliss. Your friends and I don’t believe everything ended with Drake’s removal. Those files you had the facility manager relocate were the first real lead I had to take to the police.”
The corner of her mouth twists down, as though it were my fault that she lost the paper trail. Which it absolutely was. I had the facility manager move the files somewhere Hayden wouldn’t find them, because it’s safer if she doesn’t know any more than she already does about Bliss.
“Each of us has been touched in some way by Blackwell and his Blue Stars. I was never assaulted, but I’ve been used as a pawn by Blackwell while he works around the system. He’s criticized me, devalued my position in front of our peers, and threatened me should I look into those you’ve hired. He’s horrible and he’s running this place and the Bliss suites. They won’t let me in one of them to look around, but I’m certain that’s where they’ve relocated the drug operation.”
“Threatened you?” My tone is dark.
