Page 43 of Rival Desires

I let out a low groan as Becky molded herself to me, the warmth of her body seeping through my clothes like a cozy blanket ona chilly night. Her hands, sneaky little devils, slipped under my shirt and began tracing patterns on my skin, sending a jolt of electricity through my body that made my toes curl.

“Stop it!” I stammered, finally managing to extricate myself from the fiery furnace that was Becky. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, the meatloaf was fantastic, and you’re an amazing cook,” I said, attempting to smooth things over. “But I’m not really looking for this sort of thing...” I trailed off, gesturing vaguely at the encounter between us. “I really need to get back to work,” I stammered.

She sighed, stood up, and reattached her dress. “Fine,” she said, her voice laced with disappointment. “I’ll go. But just so you know, I’m not giving up.”

With that, she turned and left my office, leaving me alone with my thoughts and a growing sense of unease.

I sat there for a long time, staring at the door, trying to process what had just happened. I felt like I’d been caught in a whirlwind and wasn’t sure how to escape.

I didn’t get it. I’d never flirted with her or done anything to show any sort of interest. But that didn’t matter, I supposed. All that mattered was I now had to figure out a way to convince Becky I had no desire for her in that way. And it wasn’t because of Rylee either. I wouldn’t want to go out with Becky even if I’d never met Rylee.

Dammit. What was it with the crazy women in my life? Rylee. Nadine. Now Becky.

TWENTY-FOUR

Rylee

I’d always been a numbers gal. The simplicity, the logic, the sensibility - as long as you played by the rules, they couldn’t be beaten. No hidden agendas, no second-guessing. Even in investments, where human whims and a dash of luck played a part, it was a walk in the park compared to the tangled web of people and their wants. What they were thinking, especially if you’d been dumb enough to tangle with a rival.

I sighed and buried my face in my hands, trying to evict yet another Cory McCrae-shaped thought from my brain. I’d gotten pretty adept at it. Not at keeping them from barging in - that would be too much to ask. But once they appeared, I just needed a minute, a deep breath, and a vivid visualization of cramming that thought into a box and shoving it into a closet labeled ‘Deal with this later.’ Once I did that, I started counting backward from twenty, letting everything but the numbers slip away until my mind was clear and focused again.

Except this time, I barely made it to thirteen when my door slammed open, smashing into the wall with a bang that had me leaping to my feet before my brain could even catch up.

“You sly little witch!” Bennett Seaworth stormed over to my desk, eyes blazing, his face beet red.

Behind him, Mallory appeared in the doorway, her face pale as she held up her cell phone in a wordless question. I gave an almost imperceptible shake of my head. I’d give Bennett a shot at calming down, but if that failed, I would press the emergency button on my desk phone, and the building’s security would step in.

“Hey, Bennett, why don’t you sit down and fill me in on what’s got you all riled up?” I tried to sound casual, conscious that we might have some eavesdroppers. “Care to clue me in?”

“Clue you in? You’ve got to be kidding me, Rylee!” He halted at the edge of my desk, eyes narrowing into angry slits. “Are you seriously that dense?”

I had to resist the sudden impulse to put some distance between us, a quick step backward to escape his reach. Man, was he ticked off! But something told me he wouldn’t actually try to deck me. Still, I reassured myself that if he did, I could probably dodge him like a pro. At least, that’s what I kept repeating in my head.

“Alright, buddy, let’s hash this out calmly,” I said, trying to keep my cool. “But you gotta dial down the volume and the cussing.”

“I’ll be as loud as I damn well please!” he snapped. “Everyone in this office deserves to know what a snake you are!”

I cut him off, my tone sharper. “Bennett, you can’t just throw around accusations without telling me what’s going on.”

“Fine,” he spat. “I’ll play your little game and pretend you’re not already aware of what I’m talking about.”

I steeled myself, planting my hands firmly on the desk and squaring my shoulders. Man, even when Cory had been ticked off at me, he’d never turned my stomach into a washing machine like Bennett was doing right now.

“Since you couldn’t getmeto go along with your little schemes, you sent that slick associate, Sergio, to sleep with my mother so she’d hire your company to handle her finances.”

I let my jaw drop, not because I was stunned but because I wanted Bennett to see that I was clueless about Sergio’s moves.

“I did no such thing,” I said, my anger starting to simmer. “But I’ll fix this. Trust me.”

“You’d better fire that punk,” Bennett warned. “Or I’ll make sure everyone knows how fucking unethical you are.”

I gritted my teeth and swallowed the insult, doing my best to remain calm. It was tempting to tell Bennett he was being a tad overdramatic, but I knew I had to own up to my team’s actions. If this was true, I was resolved to clear the air about it. It was crucial that our existing and potential clients realized Sergio was a lone wolf and he’d be facing the music.

“Trust me,” I said, taking a moment to gather my thoughts, “this is definitely not how Palmer Money Management rolls.”

“Oh, please.” Bennett’s gaze swept over my attire. “That’s totally how you roll.”

My fingers clenched into tight fists, and I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, I was fuming that Bennett assumed I’d lower myself to sleep with him for an account. But on the other hand, I was seething over his insinuation that I should have done just that. It was as if he couldn’t comprehend the idea that someone could turn him down. That there was something money couldn’t buy him. Seriously, did I need more reasons to loathe this guy?

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